Spring Break beach time

A picture speaks a thousand words... How Stuey felt about the hike at the beginning of our walk.

Shipwrecked boat which has sat on this beach for years. we'd never before seen it up  close.

 Today is the second day of school spring break and another day without non stop rain!

 This afternoon I wanted to drive out the road with the family-seems like we don't do that nearly enough, considering what a beautiful 40 miles of road system Kodiak has. We picked Patrick up and got to-go lunches from Java flats.

Patrick showed us a beach hike around the Marine Hill/Cliffpoint area-one I'd never before done. Stuey wasn't so into the hike at the start (Exhibit A is picture above) but by the end he had a great time. On the walk back we played a game where he would step on rocks and I would have to copy his exact foot steps on the same rocks. A few small rocks spoke to me, so I tucked them into my pocket and brought them home.

Patrick and Nora walked further along the beach, as Stuey and I sat and did rock drawings. He wrote "I Heart Mom" on his rock. Made me smile.

Zoya

Stuey REALLY REALLY wanted to find a way to climb on board and was bummed when the reality sank in that he couldn't explore the insides.

Dogs are SO tired from great beach walk!

Science Fair Projects

Nora discovered that spruce boughs do terrible in vinegar (left) and best in plain old water (right)

Last week the kids had to complete their science fair projects.  I was always dread the week before science fair - every evening brings drama as we try and get the projects together.  But then they were all done and the St Mary's science fair was on Tuesday.  It ended up great and Nora even got a third place ribbon for the 3rd and 4rth grade category  I guess the more work that goes into something the more it all means in the end.  The kids definitely learned a lot.

Nora's project stemmed from watching our Christmas tree needle at the end of the Holidays.  Nora decided she wanted to figure out what liquid under the tree would keep it from needling the longest.  She discovered that plain old water works best.

Stuey, our little white processed foods guy, wanted to look into the effects of yeast on muffins.  What is the optimal amount of yeast for maximum puffiness.  He discovered that the more yeast the better - at until you use twice as much as needed (he did not try more than that).  Now I wonder why the muffin recipes only call for so much yeast when more would be better?

I was actually a judge (for the 6th and 7th graders), and got to see how the whole process worked.  Next year I'll have some pointers for the kids on what the judges see. Maybe I'll even have some science 'cred' because I was a judge.  Patrick

Stuey found that lots of yeast made for puffier buns

The difference between Nora's branches after a couple of weeks sitting in various liquids

Stuey determines the water temperature used for the yeast

Nora took third place in the 3 & 4rth Grade category

Sunshine

 Yesterday the sun came out for the first time all winter (felt like it anyhow). So Nora and I took the opportunity to go for a hike with the dogs.  The whole point of the hike was to get Brewster to swim.  Tank loves to swim and would plunge in after each stick.  Normally on land he is the slowest of the dogs, and often does not even bother to chase a thrown stick because he knows he'll lose.  But in water it is a different story.

At the pond we got threw stick after stick for the dogs and Tank was getting a bit waterlogged.  Sheba who always has been adverse to water was swimming, but not Brewster.  He'd wade into the water until his paws would leave bottom, and then sort of go, 'woah, that's a little deep' and back up.  Once he did swim about 3 strokes when Tank pulled him into the water during a stick tug of war.  But that was about it.  Brewster will swim on another day.  Patrick

The tide pools were full of pink coral and red starfish

My favorite Spongebob character - Patrick Star

Blueberry blossoms

White on White with blue

This morning when I got to the parking lot at the pass to go skiing it was overcast, gray and dreary.  I thought I might even be skiing in the rain.  So I left my sunglasses in the car - Big Mistake.  I got to the top and the sun came out.  The sunlight on the snow was very intense.  It was so bright that I had to keep my eyes shut and open them every once in while to make sure I was going in the right direction.

But there were clouds too.  Big thunderheads.  And the visuals of cloud shadows, white snow and varying shades of white - stunning.  Patrick

Good winter for growing glaciers

Koniag Glacier from Koniag Peak looking toward Mount Glotof

As I discussed in the last blog post below the last three winters in Alaska have been abnormally warm. And yet each has been different in terms of moisture and extreme events etc due to the moving position of the warm 'blob' of water in the North Pacific - the cause of the warm winters.  Two winters ago the weather was warm, wet and extreme; last winter was warm and dry; and this winter is warm, wet but stable.  What's interesting is that each of these winters has had a different effect on Kodiak's glaciers.

In general Kodiak's glaciers have been rapidly shrinking over the last 50 years or so.  In the above photo from 2004 the darker colored granite is where rock has been exposed above snow every summer and lichen has had a chance to grow.  The light colored rock represents rock that has never been exposed in the summer - the rock had been covered by a glacier.  As you can see there is a lot of light colored rock with no lichen growing on it.  That's because with 'global warming' the glacier is disappearing at a rapid rate.

However, I think this year the glacier will gain 'snow'.  Let me explain why.

Last year when it was warm and dry Kodiak's glaciers did not add a lot of snow.  And the winter before when it was warm, wet and extreme it often rained to the very tops of the mountains, and again the glaciers probably did not add mass.  But this year with the stable warm weather the snowline is sharp and all the extra moisture above about 2000 feet has mostly fallen as snow.  I gather in town we have had the third wettest winter on record.  So for alpine, interior Kodiak that translates to a top 3 snowiest winter.  We are getting a LOT of snow in Kodiak's alpine.

Now whether or not the glaciers grow because of the extra snow depends on how hot and rainy it gets next summer.  If the summer weather does not melt all the new snow the glaciers will grow - at least for one year.

It's ironic that a warmer climate does not necessarily mean retreating glaciers.  This winter despite super warm temperatures and practically no snow at sea level the snow pack is still super deep up high. So maybe if the weather stays warm, wet and stable there is still hope for Kodiak's glaciers.

Patrick

The South Bowl of Pyramid Mountain this afternoon

Interesting Weather Article

Alaska has had 3 extremely warm winters in a row, and this has had me worried that 'no winter' is the new normal.  So I was heartened to see this opinion column in the Anchorage Daily News that basically says that even with climate change these have been abnormal winters.

http://www.adn.com/article/20160305/weird-winter-isnt-new-normal-thats-its-way

But it is a 'cup-half-full' kind of thing because it also talks about how this sort of thing is going to happen far more commonly in the future, and that sometime in our children's lifetime it will be the new normal - Just not yet.

The article correlated the recent warm winters with a 'blob' of warm water in the North Pacific that has been slowly moving from west to east.  I had heard about the 'blob' before, but what I found interesting is that the changing position of the blob has made each winter's weather different. When it was furthest west 2 winters ago it pushed warm and wet weather directly up into Alaska.  Then last winter, having moved further east, the warm air hit the west coast mountains before deflecting back into Alaska - this made for warm and dry.  And finally this winter, with the blob the furthest to the east, the warm air has set up an 'el nino' pattern and coupled with unusual warmth in the high arctic the weather has been warm but stable.  This means that there is a sharp snowline on the mountains - with lots of snow up high and no snow down low.  And that is exactly what I have noticed on Kodiak.  Only, it-has-to-be-said, Kodiak seems to have been warm and extremely wet of late whereas Anchorage has been warm and dry.

It's an interesting article and well worth the read - I only hope it is right and that the 'new normal' has not already arrived.

And yet another blast of warm weather headed our way from the North Pacific

Some Snow

 Yesterday I went for a walk in the park with Nora and the dogs.  When we started it was 'slushing' but soon it turned to all snow.  In the park the snow even started to make it to the ground in the spruce forest.  Pretty soon there was a lot of white everywhere.  Normally the black dogs Tank and Sheba are the hardest to see in the dark woods and white dog Brewster the easiest.  But with the snow on the ground Brewster suddenly had the camo advantage.

Today the forecast was for warm temperatures and rain, so at the crack of dawn we went to the golf course for some cross country skiing - this winter you grab it while you can!  And I'm glad we did because by the time we left it had started to rain.  Patrick

First Flowers

First blueberry blossom

 According to this blog, last year the crocuses were blooming by February 24th, and in 2014 they had budded in early February but didn't actually bloom until early march.  But 'usually' as in 'the way it used to be' they would bloom in late March or early April.  And if it was a good winter (like in 2009 or 2012) they would not bloom until late April.  This year I first noticed the crocuses blooming in the sun yesterday on March 3rd.  So not a record for our house, but pretty darn early. However, we can't really call the crocuses a harbinger of Spring because we never did have winter (and I still have some hopes in that regard).

 Yesterday during my walk with the dogs in Abercrombie I noticed that the blueberries are also blooming.  It looks like it may be another banner summer for picking blueberries in the park.

 When I got home from my walk I checked around in the garden and noticed that my garlic is all sprouting up through the spruce boughs I used to needlessly protect them from the cold, and that some of the shoots are already 3 inches tall.  Of course, like last winter, the kale never did die.  This year the parsley did not die either, and I even noticed that some of the swiss chard bulbs are sending up new shoots.  It will be interesting to see how it tastes!  Of note, the kale that survived the winter of 2014/15 finally did die - so it looks like kale has a 2 year life cycle in a warm climate.  Patrick

Blueberries are blooming in the woods

Garlic shoots in the garden

First Crocus

Kale that never died

My weekend

Last weekend we had a super windy and rainy Saturday day followed by a spectacular 'Sun' day.  On Saturday it was so nasty that I balked on going skiing.  I got all the way to the car and was about to go - but it was just so nasty with sideways rain and swaying spruce trees that I turned around and went back to the house.

Instead I went hiking on Russian Ridge behind town with Nora and the dogs.  We followed various different trails and made a loop.  The new signs put up by ITN really helped us find our way around in the woods.  It's like a brand new trail system!  Until this year I had never really gone hiking in this area, and I still do not know it very well.  It's a great place to explore and far larger of an area than I expected.  And so GREEN.

On Sunday I found out that all that Saturday rain turned into snow on the mountain.  The skiing was pretty good and there was only one other person up there skiing.  With all the rain in town people just assume that there is no snow on the mountain.  Their loss is my gain!  Patrick

Battle of the Books

MOUNTAIN VIEWS

By Zoya Saltonstall

Thursday February 25th, 2016

Kodiak, Alaska

8:30 AM

"Good Luck Battle of the Books Team!" The St. Mary's school mates cheer in unison off the porch. I'm picking up four  students from the St. Mary's 3rd/4th grade class to go compete in their  first ever Battle of the Books.  The morning school assembly cheers the students on as competitors  climb into my car.

8:45 The  St. Mary's 3rd/4th grade battle  team arrives to the Kodiak College library conference room. For months they have been meeting, reading, studying, quizzing on a list of 13 books which they'll be questioned on.  This experience is all new to them. St. Mary's hasn't had a battle of the books team for many years. 

The room is set up with conference table, with  speaker phone in the center  grown-up chairs surrounding it. The students try out the padded, wheeled chairs with big smiles on their faces. 

Freshly homemade Blubbery buckle, little cutie oranges and bottles of water sit in the corner table. The students grab books and do last minute flipping through to get final details into their minds. The room is quiet. My digestive system gurgles and I have no appetite.  

8:53 Its audio conference time. We are supposed to do a  practice call in to make sure the line works. The kids watch on nervously  as I attempt to dial in. 

First 9, then the number. Wrong. Abnoxious beeping tone. Try again. 

Still wrong. Deep breaths, I tell myself, trying not to panic.  I try to deny the fact that 4 months of preparations could be lost in a failed dial into the audio conference. Our library support and fellow battle mom,  Sara, arrives and  tells us that prefix  8 will get us out of the phone system.  It works. We're in! 

Amen! The kids looked relieved. I can breath again. 

8:55 AM Official Dial in time for Battle of Books! We hear the voices of adult leaders and kids from all over the state across the speaker phone. Team names are being introduced.  The Amazing Lynx, The fuzzy Lumpkins (I'm still not sure what a lumpkin is), the Superreaders and  our team-The St. Mary's Bears are all ready to go. All off in our various corners of the state, we're coming together to see which team knows these books inside and out. 

9:05 AM After several minutes of rules, the battle begins. The First question is read by the moderator. Mute is activated on our phone so other teams can't hear our discussion. The teams have  30 seconds to discuss the answer and write the question down on their paper. Every battle of the books question starts with "In Which book…." and the team mates scroll through their mental list of books to decide which best answers the question. 

9:30 AM The Kenai team challenges a question. A judge is called in on the conference to determine whether the challenge is granted.  The case is presented and the battle judge grants the points. We all see first hand that battle challenges can indeed be won!

A serving of moist blueberry buckle warms spirits and eases nerves. 

9:50 AM Half time and stretch break. We are slightly behind the leading team- Kenai. There are lots of high fives and excitement at the questions the team got right and the possibility of sliding ahead of  Kenai in the last rounds. 

10:20 AM Its ten questions later and tensions are high. After many missed points, we have fallen out of the top ranking. Only 1 team will be progressing onto the next round-and it won't be us.  Just one question at a time, my co-leader Aileen reminds the team. Looks of despair come over their faces and I'm impressed with how Aileen's encouraging words bring back their smiles. 

10:50 AM "What is the moral of battle of the books?" a student teammate asks. I understand his frustration, the time invested. Its not a question the parents can answer for them, but rather one they have to answer for themselves.  

Perhaps the answer comes in the form of experiences such as time together after school for many months, reading new books and now-  sharing pizza together afterwords at the large conference table.  The kids  gobble away then go outside for a few minutes before heading back to St. Mary's. 

11:30 AM On the drive back to school, the kids ask me when the books for next year will be announced. I look in my rear view mirror and they are 100% smiles in the back seat. 

Kodiak resident Zoya Saltonstall is a physical therapist and mother of two. She loves warm cookies out of the oven. 

Another Jet

 Yesterday I went for a cross country ski in the sunshine.  I much prefer cross country over downhill skiing so whenever there is enough cover down low I get out the skinny skis - no matter what the conditions up high.  And it was a glorious day for a ski.  Warm with no wind, and a good base of snow.  I flitted through the spruce trees, bombed across meadows, saw a few deer, and totally re charged in the sunshine.

When I got home I realized that the cross country ski with the kids the day before and yesterday's ski were the only times I have gone cross country skiing all this year!  I'll add that we did have good cross country skiing in December but none until now in the new year 2016.  That's amazing, and just goes to show how warm it has been.

And it is not going to get better. It is supposed to rain 1 to 2 inches today and blow 60 mph - on the map below the tighter the lines the windier.  Another jet of warm air off of the North Pacific.  I guess my cross country skiing might be over for a while.  Patrick

Some Snow Time

Yesterday Stuey, Nora and I drove up to the pass for some time on snow.  At the house there still is not any snow on the ground but at the pass there is more than a foot the fluffy stuff.  When we left the house it was, as Nora put it, 'slushing'.  Mostly Rain mixed with some snow falling out of a dismal grey sky, but at the pass it was all snow squalls and sunshine.  We found winter after just a quick 20 minute drive!
Patrick

The hardest part about driving to snow is finding a place to park

Snow~finally

Yesterday we had a scout troop hike planned through the woods in the afternoon. I didn't think the recent rain  would end for our walk, and I asked the scouts to dress warm and wear boots to tromp through the mud. They all came very prepared to be in mud and wetness.

As we drove out to Russian Ridge Trailhead, snow fell from the sky and we all felt giddy with excitment. The snow sprinkled down on us in the woods. "Its so magical, Ms. Zoya" the scouts said. Erica and I agreed!

We found a comfy spot in the moss and enjoyed rice krispie treats and hot cocoa to celebrate two scouts' birthday.  The snow renewed our winter spirits and I was glad we were out and about in it.

Zoya