Beauty of the Fjord

   Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Nearing the Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord.

As we neared the glacier, the scenery became even more beautiful. The mountains became more rocky, with almost no trees.

Skagway Small Boat Harbor

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska (still)

As we returned to the ship, we continued admiring the beautiful snow-capped mountains.

Mountainous Morning

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 3 – Alaska

On Tuesday morning, we were finally traveling the waterways between the islands and archipelagos of Alaska, which run parallel to British Columbia, Canada.  According to GPS coordinates, this is a view of a portion of the east side of Baranof Island.  So far, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.

Twenty-four Hour Triptych 2023

We got 2 inches of snow for Halloween.  Some call it a trick.  Some call it a treat.  I think it is pretty, but much of it has already melted.  The first and last images are exactly 24 hours apart – to the minute!

Blizzardy

Around 2am this morning, it looked like a snow globe outside.

Specialty

When the dog creates their own snow art.  

Woozy

He looks a little hungover. 

Medievally

Saw this home while out last Sunday.  I've always liked houses with towers.  It makes them look like mini castles.  

Rangy

It was a gorgeous afternoon yesterday.  Very warm, which meant that lots of people were out on Lake Minnetonka; but not in boats.  Every bay had clusters of people fishing, snowmobiling, and walking their dogs.

Chary

We went for a drive around the bays of Lake Minnetonka this afternoon.  We got out briefly and walked a short way out onto the ice of one of the bays, where our pupper is currently standing in this image.  My husband offered to drive us across the lake, like many others were doing today, but I wanted no part of that.  I prefer terra firma.  

It was a beautiful afternoon.  Highs in the 40ºF range.  Pupper seemed happy too.  Although, she seemed as uneasy on the frozen body of water as I did.  

Creativity

 Fun times!  That's a snazzy-looking snowman.

Pathetically

This photo made me laugh. Two more forlorn pups have never been seen.  As seen in February 2019. 

Frigidly

Another from our field trip on Saturday.  In the Bold North, the brutal windchill doesn't keep bicyclists at bay.

Techie Corner

Like I said yesterday, the soft edges, inherent with my cheap fisheye lens, don't necessarily detract from the subject.  In this case, the soft edges can even give the feeling of motion.

Modernly

Another one from our short field trip yesterday.  The Weisman always looks so pretty in the sun.  A cold, crisp, winter day. 

Techie Corner

I used the cheap fisheye for this shot also.  It does get pretty soft around the edges, but that's fine, as long as the center is sharp.  In fact, that softness actually comes in handy for tomorrow's image.

Acclivity

A while back, I bought a cheap fisheye lens for my camera.  Today the husband and I went out for a bit and I tried it out.  Temp wasn't bad outside, a balmy 16ºF, but the wind was BRUTAL. 

Apparently, Minnehaha Falls was the place to be today, brutal wind or not.

Rapturously

 "I. Am. Speed."  Romeo loved running around the yard.  Especially if there was a red dot to chase.

Levity

 I love this funny picture of my dad's oldest sister and her husband.  They used it as a Christmas card photo one year.  

Peaceably

One of my BFFs returned to town recently and I was showing her the remaining devastation from the riots that took place last year after George Floyd's death.  We drove through the parking lot for Hi Lake Shopping Center, which is under construction to repair the riot damage, and drove up the side street by the cemetery to get back to Lake St.  

As we were driving by the cemetery, I was surprised to see a deer walking around.  I immediately stopped and went to get pictures and video with my phone.  (Brief video below, as this deer was a creature of few words.) 

I found out after getting home that one or more deer have been living in this cemetery for several years now.  Some people call this deer "Fern."  It can leave any time it wants, but why would it when people feed it.  The Mississippi is only about a mile away.  I saw numerous pictures online of two deer that were living there last year.  It's quite amazing, considering the epicenter of the riots, the burning of the 3rd Precinct, is only 1400 feet away from this cemetery.

It warms my heart that even though our city is still recovering from the riots, beauty remains.  

Portly

 We officially got 8.8 inches of snow yesterday, so we get a white Christmas after all.  

I've had several people comment on piggy and how much they like him.  He's been rather frisky though, and sometimes I catch him being a pig-gone-wild, rolling around on top of the awning.  One day we even had a good samaritan who tried to stand piggy back up and brace him with a piece of wood.  Thank you, mystery person!  Everybody loves piggy.  I now have some ballast inside him to keep him from going crazy, hopefully, but you can never tell with pigs.

My 31 Days of Christmas Celebration continues.

Ternary

Three seasons in one image: summer flowers, autumn leaves, and winter snow.  

The flowers are so pretty that I had to research what kind of plant it is.  And of course, it is a weed.  Linaria vulgaris, otherwise known as "Butter and Eggs" or "Yellow Toadflax."  But I still think it's pretty.  And it's hardy enough to withstand some winter weather.