Sydney's Close Encounter

Last week we visited Pioneer Park (aka Alaskaland).  They have a great playground for the kids, and Sydney had a lot of fun playing with her Uncle Brian and Aunt Andi and Papa.

Swings are always a big hit with the kids and the young-at-heart.

A brief rest at a picnic table to watch a ladybug was fun too--until the ladybug got up close and personal with Sydney.

She wasn't too thrilled to see it quite that close......

.....and was much happier to study it when it was crawling on Papa's hand instead of her face!

Building a Snow Cave

This week has been spring break here in Fairbanks, and as our granddaughter Sydney's preschool was closed she spent a couple of those days with us.  She and Papa and Sydney's dog Sasha went out to play in the snow on one of those mornings.

She decided she wanted to build a snow cave that she could live in.  Her contribution to the effort seemed to be mainly supervision and testing.

Hmmm, not quite right.  Help me out, Papa.

And so the search for a better location.

The other side of the shop had a big pile of snow that had been plowed up and that seemed be a good spot!

With the work done, it was time for some hot chocolate and a rest for Papa!

A Little Snow and a Little Honeybee

Yesterday on Halloween we got a little snow and then overnight a bit more, maybe 1/2 inch.  The temperatures are in the mid-20s, and the forecast is calling for both daytime and nighttime temps below freezing.  The little bit of snow looks like it's here for the winter.  Whether we'll have broken the record for the latest permanent snowpack, defined as one inch of snow on the ground, remains to be seen.  That record was set on November 6th in 1938.  The average date is October 18th.  The photos below were taken around noon today, when a bit of sun peeked out.

I had another visitor on Halloween.  Normally we don't get trick or treaters in our neighborhood, but a sweet little honeybee stopped by to trick or treat.  She told me her name is Honey.

I think that might be the cutest honeybee I've ever seen!  Of course, Grandmas are sometimes prejudiced....

A New Set of Wheels

A few weeks ago Marty acquired a used dump truck from a friend.  It was slated to be taken to the dump because it wasn't running right, but he did a few repairs and installed a new battery, and voila, almost as good as new.  It certainly made a little girl happy!

  

Of course, as with any used vehicle, it required a little bit of tinkering, and the new driver needed a bit of instruction.

I think she liked her first driving lesson!

Cousins

This last week my son and his family have been visiting from Washington.  Sydney loved having her cousins Bright and Lyra visit.  They all had a lot of fun going for a walk at Creamer's Field, as well as other activities.

They kept me pretty busy, so I didn't have much computer time.  A wonderful visit came to an end, and Darryl and his family went back home this afternoon.  I'll have more time in the next few days and will try to catch up with everyone soon.  My attention might get diverted, though, because the Sandhill Cranes are calling to me from Creamer's Field where they are gathering in larger and larger numbers for their long trip south.  When the sun is shining it's hard to stay away!

If You Give a Duck or Two Some Bread......

.....they'll happily be your friend. 

But then a swarm of ducks will want some too. 

And of course the gulls will demand their share.....

.....and create quite a ruckus to get it too.

Another gull will drop in to join the fray.....

 ......and grab a morsel from mama duck.

He'll wait to see if there's more.....

.....and when there's not he'll be outta there.

If you give a duck or two some bread, they're sure to demand you get more!

Evening Visit to Creamer's Field

Tuesday evening my granddaughter Sydney and I went to Creamer's Field to see the geese.  Sydney was excited to see all the birds.

 She said hello to the Canada Geese.

 She enjoyed seeing all the activity in the field.

But she is four, after all, and she had her puddle boots on, and her new rain paints, and the puddles and squishy snow were the best part of our visit!

I love the feather patterns when the cranes spread their wings, and I added a filter to accentuate the patterns.

I have been trying to get a photo showing the three different kinds of geese at the field:  Snow Geese, Canada Geese, and White-fronted Geese.  The one below does that nicely, although it was slightly out of focus.  Again, adding a filter helped to highlight the feather patterns.

More later.....

A Morning Walk

Sydney is spending the weekend with us, and this morning we took her to Creamer's Field to see the birds.  We walked back to the Seasonal Wetlands pond.

Well, one of us got a ride part of the way.

The pond is very quiet right now.

The only birds there were a pair of American Wigeons.  The reflections were lovely, making it look like there were trees growing upside down in the water.

 The Wigeons flew away and so we headed back across the bridge.....

.....and again the reflections on the water were lovely.

Sydney enjoyed the puddles, and found a nice stick to bring home with her.

The trees do not have their leaves yet, but I am always captured by their beauty.

Another little beauty was soaking up the warm sunshine and taking a rest on the fence.

The migrating birds dominate the fields right now, but a walk along the trails always reveals a great deal more beauty.

Unicorns and Rainbows

This week was my granddaughter Sydney's 3rd birthday.  She likes unicorns and rainbows and flowers, so I made her a birthday cake that had all those things on it.

She liked it!

She couldn't wait to eat the cake, mainly because she wanted those unicorns to play with.  The frosting on their feet was yummy, and inside the cake there was a surprise rainbow.  The upper left corner of the collage below show the process of making the cake and cupcakes.

She got many lovely presents, including bongo drums, and her auntie made her a unicorn and unicorn horn out of balloons.

Being three is so much fun!