Blowing steam

No, I didn't take this picture either! Thank goodness for the AVO pictures! I did convince Pat to take the long way home from the Nikiski Hardware Store so I could get a glimpse from the perfectly clear sky of Redoubt blowing more steam. I didn't have the camera, of course. Maybe tomorrow I'll remember the camera and either on our way to or from church we'll get another perfect view!
I've been back to work this week, and even though our weather is still wintery (we got more than 2 inches of new snow), there is still a hint of breakup! No, we don't call it spring. That is too positive sounding. Breakup is a much more accurate description of the season. I actually find myself a bit hesitant to give up our frozen pond. It is our ticket to the back woods! I don't know exactly what I'll do with the dogs when we can no longer walk across the pond. I guess we'll just do what we did last year...whatever that was.
Pat continues to work. I think he'll be back on the barge this week. It's not the best gig, but it could be worse. We are just thankful he's still working. It is nice that he comes home every night. I have adjusted my schedule to hopefully make it home before he does! Sometimes it even works!
The dogs are driving me crazy. Bella is nearing her next heat cycle and Rowdy is...well, he's acting accordingly. I think later this week she'll go outside for a few weeks!
I don't have any new pictures. Things look pretty much the same: white. The snow has piled up against the front door, but is melting a bit on the south side. Oh, it did get to 90 degrees today in the greenhouse! I ran out and stood in it for a while. It was lovely. I think it was somewhere above freezing, but less than 40. I just wish I could fast-forward to June when it's all green. Ah well, the joys of Alaska!

Fire and Ice

Okay, after that earthquake I shouldn't be surprised that one of the volcanoes is becoming active again! This is a picture from R. Clucas from the 1990 eruption of Mt. Redoubt. This is what we are possibly bracing for again. In 1989-1990, Mt. Redoubt erupted about 20 times from December through April. It steamed and lightly spewed for months afterward. I'm not sure what to think about all of this. We have to be prepared mostly for ashfall which can be extremely corrosive and abrasive to anything outdoors. Not only that, it can also be conductive, so electricity may be severly affected! While we have wood for our stove that will be able to keep us warm, the water that comes with electricity may be a factor as well as keeping our cold storage cold! Putting it outside to be covered in ash won't be an option! No one seems to worried about it up here, but it's in the back of our minds and we'll deal with it if it happens!

Augustine Volcano

Here is what is going on today. Our volcano is awake again and spewing ash! I am praying that it will not affect my trip to Wichita next week!

Quiet Giant

For any of you who may be interested, we have not had a major eruption, yet. They say there is a new dome pushing up. I'm not sure exactly what the implications of this are, however, the status of the volcano is at "orange" and not "red." This means there is less chance of a major eruption at the present moment! Of course this can change instantly! I am fascinated! As the picture shows, the snow is now all gray due to the ash, and on the other picture, the dark spot in the middle of the dome is the possible new dome. Have a happy day!

We're Erupting!

This is the Augustine Volcano west of Homer, AK. Homer is about a 2 hour drive south of us. We are watching the winds to make sure we won't have to worry about ash fall. One could see the ash across the inlet on a clear day, but we can't see Augustine from here. If the winds should change, we will have to brace a little for the ash fall which is not a pleasant occurance, I've heard! It is truly fascinating to watch, but there is also the fear of the unknown! They don't have volcano's in Kansas!