You don't see that many artichokes growing in Alaska, but, obviously, they can.
I thought this giant cabbage plant had a great design. And then I played with it some more with Curves. That's a technique that messes with the colors and the light and dark in different programs like Photoshop and, in this case, Apple's Photo.
When I take the Goose Lake route for my bike ride I always enjoy this spot. On the way out this morning I noticed ripples emanating from the shore and stopped to look for ducks or grebes. Then ducks headed out. And then toward me. I held real still and a couple walked onto the shore right next to me. I took this picture on the way back. The ripples were gone, but ducks started heading in my direction again. I realized I wasn't the duck whisperer I thought. Obviously, this is a spot where people feed the ducks and any human standing here attracts the ducks.
This big brown mushroom has made an appearance in the yard in the last few days. I think the originally is more interesting than the one I played with in curves.
And these bright red amanitas are performing in the front yard today. Didn't think that curves would do anything worthwhile.
We hiked along Power Line Pass on an always threatening to rain day. The rain didn't come until we were in the car and almost home.
And two of the downstairs tomatoes got red the other day. They were tasty. The ones in the outside greenhouse are still green as are the ones on the deck which are still a bit more than pea sized.
The moon was full the other night. I still think it's neat that people all around the earth can see it - many at the same time you can even though their thousands of miles away from you.
[Added Aug 29, 2021 in résponse to Mike's comment: No bears, but the next day these two moose were on the side of the trail in that stretch where I'm extra bear careful. This was on a downhill part, and they were far enough off the trail so I could stop easily (rather than stopping on the uphill part) (But I guess that depends on which direction you're going.) They were maybe 40 or 50 feet from the trail. You can see how easy it is for huge brown animals to blend into the scenery. I guess after many years I'm just better than I was at seeing brown blobs as something to pay attention to. If you can't see them they are just left of center. Their heads are down in the grass eating. I'm putting this picture here since I can't put pics in the comments. That doesn't mean it's not possible to put pictures in the comments, but I've never figured it out. . . Of course, that made me google the question, and yes you can upload images into comments. But it has to have a url and this one isn't posted to the web. I could do that, according to the article, but for now I'm just going to leave it here.]
Steve, out of curiosity, when biking in ginormous bear country, do you tow a mountain howitzer along just to feel safe? Not one to disparage fellow gardeners, but it is okay with me if all artichokes grew up your way. Spinach, too. Potatoes and onions forever!
ReplyDeleteMike, there are hiking trails that I wouldn't go on without bear spray. Except when I forget to take it. Biking in town along the greenbelts I'm not really worried about bears. There is one route I take that goes up through less urban area and to a creek where bears come for the fish in the summer. There's a three year old bike trail along this road. Some of it separates from the road and you can't see the road. Last year a driver pulled over as I was approaching that stretch and told me he'd seen a bear down there. That day I rode the rest of the way down the hill on the road. But I do watch carefully and ring my bell a lot when I'm on that stretch. Much more likely to see moose and I have a sense after 40+ years here of when I can safely ride by them and when they're too close to the path. But mostly if you aren't threatening or between them and their calves, they don't seem to care. I once shoveled down my driveway and then turned around to go back up and there were two moose munching on our Mt. Ash tree not more than 6 or 7 feet from where I had shoveled. I hadn't seen them, but I'm sure they knew I was there. I'm guessing you never had artichokes and dipping sauce that was prepared right.
ReplyDeleteNo artichokes, whatsoever. I did get a chance to eat seaweed cookies from Japan in sixth grade, circa 1964. They were tough and tasteless as I remember. I live in hope of someday eating genuine Alaska salmon on a cedar plank. Lord knows hilly cattle pastures around here are full of red cedars.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy most of your writing, except the real technical governmental stuff. Thanks for all you do.
mike- just after you left the bear comments and I responded, I saw two moose in that section where I keep an eye out for bears. I put the picture at the bottom of the post.
ReplyDeleteArtichokes - Does "No artichokes, whatsoever" mean you won't eat them or you just never have? Cedars grow in SE Alaska, though with climate change they may start moving up our way. And yes, fresh Alaska salmon is delicious and a regular part of our diet. But smoked salmon strips are also great. You can order fresh salmon overnight delivery here. It's not cheap, but for a special occasion. I think you have to supply the cedar board though.
Never had artichokes. Could be, with some googling, I might try them. Moose were hard for my aging eyeballs to make out, even when I expanded pic. I did see them, though. Does moose in that spot mean no bears at present, or a likely spot for a hungry bruin to visit hoping for a mooseburger?
ReplyDeleteCurious. After you finally saw the moose, were they hard to see again? They stand out really clearly to me, but I can also see that they would look like shadows if you weren't looking right.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the artichokes. Maybe you have a friend who likes them and makes them.
Yeah, if the moose are calmly grazing, it's not likely there's a bear nearby. Bears mostly go after new born moose that aren't too nimble yet. I've read that all moose calves are born within a single week in spring. That way the bears can only pick off a few when they're most vulnerable.
On revisiting the pic, the moose do tend to stand out when I know where to look for them. Thanks for the educational moose and bear lessons. From mostly bearless iowa.
ReplyDeleteI copied the pic link address and pasted it so I could examine photo in full screen mode. Full screen mode made the slope of the hill stand out, something I missed while looking for the moose. Sure am glad found your site again. Thanks all over the place.
ReplyDelete