The New Year didn't exactly come in with a bang - but not a whimper either. My internal calendar is not functioning at full throttle. A warm, rainy and stormy winter have probably helped keep my brain a bit foggy. I took the dogs to the beach today - we decided on Gibson Cove, after a short visit to Buskin yesterday. The storms have brought a lot of stuff ashore - including many more dead murres. No explanation provided by the experts has proved satisfactory about the alarming numbers of the dead seabirds that have been found on the coast all over the island since this summer. Some have even been found on roads and far enough off of beaches to prove even more puzzling. I couldn't let the dogs off the leash today - due to the number of dead birds. Not only that - something had recently been gnawing on the carcasses, as indicated by the gore. Rats or seagulls? Eagles? My bet is on rats, since the beach is close to canneries, the fish waste processing plant, and fishing gear storage.
There was lots of good flotsam as well - planks and wood I will have to go back for, unencumbered by the dogs. My stick supply was depleted by all the twig trees I made for Christmas this year. And I can always use more driftwood. Bird's feet anyone?
At least we are on the downhill slope for the daylight hours growing. The mild winter is a mixed bag: pleasant to go out in, not much ice to keep me off the trails, and helps keep the heating bill low. But lack of snowpack on the mountains will lead to continued strain on the salmon runs come summer. I don't know that we can take another year like last year on the fishery.
Let's focus our intentions on good outcomes from the World Global Warming Summit, that the ugliness of the political climate in the US will grow into a swan, and for an ease to the dark financial clouds sweeping over Europe and the East.
There was lots of good flotsam as well - planks and wood I will have to go back for, unencumbered by the dogs. My stick supply was depleted by all the twig trees I made for Christmas this year. And I can always use more driftwood. Bird's feet anyone?
At least we are on the downhill slope for the daylight hours growing. The mild winter is a mixed bag: pleasant to go out in, not much ice to keep me off the trails, and helps keep the heating bill low. But lack of snowpack on the mountains will lead to continued strain on the salmon runs come summer. I don't know that we can take another year like last year on the fishery.
Let's focus our intentions on good outcomes from the World Global Warming Summit, that the ugliness of the political climate in the US will grow into a swan, and for an ease to the dark financial clouds sweeping over Europe and the East.