We did see the strawberry plants in the backyard, but didn't know if they would grow anything edible. I went out on Sunday evening, and there were several ripe berries! I only picked six...one for each of us, and then took some pictures. I hope we can clean up the foliage around them by next year, so we can get to them better.
29 July 2009
More fun things growing in our yard
We did see the strawberry plants in the backyard, but didn't know if they would grow anything edible. I went out on Sunday evening, and there were several ripe berries! I only picked six...one for each of us, and then took some pictures. I hope we can clean up the foliage around them by next year, so we can get to them better.
25 July 2009
Saturday at the range
24 July 2009
Low tide
London is a little more like me. She will touch some of the critters, but doesn't like to get herself that dirty. I don't like to touch any critters...so she is better than me, but has her limits. Isaiah has no problem getting messy either. He found this starfish and also a crab and some eels.
You can see where the normal shore line is...and it is really far out there! The first picture is from the beach, and the second one was taken with my heels in the water looking back at the beach.
This boat was left high and dry when the tide went out...two hours later when the tide was coming back in, I took another picture of it refloating.
This is a heron. He is hard to see, but while I was watching him, he snapped a fish right out of the water.
The tide was so far out, that this person's crab pot came clear out of the water! It was really funny! The buoy didn't have any identifying markings on it (which is totally illegal), so when Caleb and his friend harvested the dungonuss crab out of it, I didn't get after them too bad. They left the bait, and actually added another fish head they found to the pot, so maybe that guy was able to catch more crabs after the tide came back in.
These are sea anemones. They are everywhere. In the water they look pretty. Out of the water they look like big, slimey, colorful, boogers! (and worse) They were really interesting...I touched one (on accident) and instead of the fingers being slimy, they were like tiny velcro. It stuck to my finger and I jumped! =)
You will have to click on this first picture...I caught a salmon jumping out of the water. They were jumping all over! The other is a shell from an urchine.
23 July 2009
Tour of a Coast Guard Buoy Tender
The U.S. Coast Guard 17th District hosts its week-long annual District Buoy Tender Roundup in Juneau starting today.
This year's roundup brings seven buoy tenders from Kodiak, Cordova, Petersburg, Sitka, Ketchikan, Homer, Astoria, Ore., and Canada.
The event allows more than 250 Coast Guardsmen the opportunity to receive specialized training during the week in areas such as engine repair, buoy maintenance and first aid and allows buoy tender crews to exchange ideas and build camaraderie.
Due to the remote locations in Alaska where the cutters operate, the mission-essential training would be nearly impossible to complete otherwise and has proved successful for more than 20 years, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Participating in the week of training are the SPAR, Sycamore, Elderberry, Maple, Hickory, Anthony Petit, Fir and Provo Wallis, which is a 209-foot Ice-Strengthened Medium Navigational Aids Tender from Canada.
The Buoy Tender Olympics will be held Wednesday at Coast Guard Station Juneau from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Cutter Fir will host public tours Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Coast Guard crews aboard buoy tenders in Alaska service 1,250 navigational aids along 33,000 miles of coastline while actively participating in search and rescue, environmental protection and law enforcement missions.
The kids on the bow of the Fir
Didn't you know...
buoy tenders are so big, you can fit a whole cruise ship on their bow?!!