Weather Extremes Already this Year

A Beautiful November Morning

Today dawned cold and bright, with ice on the pumpkins (if we had any), as well as the truck and roadways.  Neil was up TDE (too darn early) to go see the doctor about his back injury just in case it was more than just a bad sprain.  It looks like that is all that it is, so he is supposed to walk and take it easy--which he has been doing for the past six days. It looks like it will be several more days before it is significantly better.  He does have a couple of appointments this week to heat treat and get a massage that are paid by insurance.

On the way back from the doctor's office this morning, Neil stopped at Mendenhall Glacier because of the sunshine, and got this photo with his iPhone.  The photos don't seem to be as good as they used to be, but maybe it was just the low light conditions.

Neil is looking forward to getting a new iPhone in another year or so that has the eight megapixel camera.  Mainly because the iPhone is always with him, and his other camera is not.

Ice on the Bird Bath this Morning

In addition to today's sunny weather, we have had high winds and driving rain earlier in the week.  It blew to about 60 mph yesterday and there were two separate power outages; one in the afternoon and one last evening for about an hour each.  Other than a disrupted cableTV recordings, it was not a big deal.  Forecast is for more wind and colder weather yet, so we both went out today and put in the insulating blocks around the foundation perimeter, which is one of the final getting ready for winter tasks.  Neil also disconnected the final hose reel and put hose bib covers on for this cold snap.  He still hopes to wash and wax the truck and VW with warm water from our hot water spigot if the weather gets warmer (and his back gets better).  We shall see.

Last weekend, there was an article about Stellars Jays in the Juneau Empire that was kinda interesting.  If you are interested in it, we think we have linked to it here:  Jays: Foraging and families | Juneau Empire

The article answered some of our questions about their behavior, but it sounds like there is a lot more to be learned--let us know what you think of the article.  

PJ--the boldest of the lot will now take peanuts out of Neil's hand as many times a day as he will allow, and he will follow Neil around to make sure that he doesn't miss one.

We also got a picture from Sandi Hagadorn of a kayaker in Katlian Bay near Sitka that got a bit close to a humpback whale.  We have since learned that this was a PhotoShop gag photo by a photographer in Sitka,  but it would really have been something.  Here is a link to the real story behind the two combined photos as confirmed by the photographer:  http://www.hoax-slayer.com/kayak-mouth-whale.shtml

Neil says if that was him the kayak, they would have to hose out the inside of the kayak after that encounter!

Kayaks Allow You to Get Close to Humpback Whales

We hope that this finds you in good health and spirits, and we hope to hear from you via blog comments or email--whichever is easier for you.  Our goal is to not leave the house except to take some walks over the next couple of days and to stay warm and cozy here in Bayview.  It is good to have goals, right?

Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela