Bears and Unbirthdays

Mendenhall Glacier is a favorite place for tourists and locals to enjoy the beauty of nature and to search for bears. The glacier is located about 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska, and easily accessible by bus or car. Mendenhall is located in the Tongass National Forest, and fed by the Juneau icefield. Like many glaciers around the world, it is currently receding.

Mendenhall Glacier

This time of year bears feast on spawning salmon in the rivers and creeks, in preparation for winter hibernation. The Mendenhall Glacier area is crisscrossed with streams, so is a favorite feeding ground when the salmon are spawning. During our visit to Juneau, we made several trips out to Mendenhall Glacier to hike around and search for bears.

View from Nugget Falls Trail includes the glacier and the falls

Hike to Nugget Falls

We hiked out to Nugget Falls to get better views of the glacier, and enjoy the gush of water that pours off the mountain. It has been interesting for our family to watch this area change over the last 60 years, with the glacier receding, the land pushing up, and the succession of plants and trees that have taken the area from bare gravel to dense vegetation. Ironically we hikers didn't see any bears, but my husband, who stayed near the Visitor Center, saw a sow and three cubs.

Happy grandpa

Family portrait

We celebrated the unbirthday at Canton Asian Bistro, a family favorite that serves delicious food in a lovely ambience. We got a chance to catch up on each other's lives, while subversively honoring our nonagenarian!

Unbirthday dinner

Catching up on the news

Sisters

Afterward we headed out to the glacier to search for bears. They often congregate along the creeks at dusk, typically after 8:00 PM this time of year. A series of protected, elevated walkways and observation decks in the Steep Creek area make it possible for people to observe bears, and bears to eat undisturbed.

Searching for bears at Steep Creek

Motley crew at Steep Creek

With few fish in the streams yet, we didn't see any bears, but we did find a beaver dam and spent some time observing a pair of beavers on their pond. One was transporting a small branch with leaves, another slapped the pond with its tail (possibly signalling the potential danger of our presence).

Alaskan women can enjoy a fine meal and then take a hike!

Beaver dam and small pond

Later, we convened at my folk's house for delicious cake and ice cream, gifts and cards, and conversation. It was the perfect end to a great uncelebration (even without bears)!

Ready for cake and ice cream

Rambles in Drizzly Juneau

Travel pulls you away from familiar routines and faces, and thrusts you into new situations and possibilities. Recently my husband and I were transported out of hot, dry, smoky San Francisco Bay Area and inserted into cool, damp, misty Juneau, Alaska. The purpose was the unbirthday of a certain nonagenarian who didn't want a lot of fuss. In loving response, family from all over the West coast descended on Juneau for an uncelebration (my aunt from the Bay Area, my sister and family from Bend and Portland, and my brother and family from Juneau and Portland).

Family home under threatening skies

Overcast sky looking down channel toward the airport

Lovely flower bed against a spruce hedge

Locals never let a little rain keep them indoors, and neither did we. The rain is more of a drizzle, and rarely a downpour in Juneau (especially in the summer), so a light, waterproof jacket with a hood or a hat, and sturdy shoes is typically all you need. Weather is as changeable in Juneau, as it is in San Francisco and Seattle (as they say, "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes").

Tahku by Skip Wallen

We wanted to see the Skip Wallen whale sculpture fully installed (recall last year we had seen it during its installation – see Beautiful Juneau). It is located in the Mayor Bill Overstreet Park near the bridge that connects Juneau with Douglas Island. The new sculpture is fantastic - with water works that cycle every five minutes or so, making the whale seem to be breaching with water streaming down its body. The installation provides a special vantage point of the surrounding mountains and town, and the boardwalk provides an easy route from the cruise ships docked downtown (no doubt providing a welcome walk for the younger cruise ship set).

The boardwalk with a view to cruise ships docked in downtown Juneau

Several ships in port

Watching cruise ships dock in downtown Juneau is serious sport. Typically three or four cruise ships are in port every day, causing the population to swell by up to 10,000 people! One five-ship day, a group of us headed down town to watch the spectacle. With GPS and modern equipment, docking these huge ships is precision art and science, and amazing to see. We watched as one ship departed, and another one moved in seamlessly to take its place in a matter of minutes.

Watching the cruise ships in port

Cruise ships, fishing boats, and pleasure crafts

Enjoying the sights

For a quick respite from the drizzle, my husband and spent a few hours in the new Alaska State Museum. We enjoyed seeing the "Grand Visions of The Great Land" and "Titanic of the north: The 1918 Wreck of the S.S. Princess Sophia" exhibits, and other permanent collections detailing the settlement and history of Alaska (from the Russians, to Captain James Cook, to mining, drilling, logging, and fishing). I'm always especially drawn to the First Peoples exhibits.

Petroglyph from Wrangell, Alaska	Ancient wooden mask
Chilkat robe from Sitka	Mountain goat yarn for weaving

My sister and I drove by this beautiful garden, the creation of our sister-in-law, who is an amazing gardener. Every summer she fills planters and containers with beautiful flowers for the short, intense growing season. Tourists and locals alike slow to take in the beauty as they pass by. Her work is also on display in the landscaping around Foodland.

Charming container garden

At the end of any good ramble in the rain, a delicious meal and great conversation makes it all the better.


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The Art of Beatrix Potter

The Art of Beatrix Potter: Sketches, Paintings, and Illustrations was written by Emily Zach, and published by Chronicle Books (San Francisco, 2016). Linda Lear, who wrote Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, wrote the forward. I was thrilled to receive this book as a Christmas gift from my son and daughter-in-law, and finally found time to read it this spring.

The book provides a brief biography of Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), including her formative years in London in a comfortable, upper-middle class family. The rest of the book is organized by place, including London, the South Coast, Scotland, the Lake District, and Wales. The Potter family vacationed in most of the places, or visited friends and family, recovered health, or escaped the summer heat of London. They stayed for long stretches of time (often months), so Potter had time to explore each location, observe nature in various seasons, and forge friendships. For each location, Zach shows how it influenced Potter's art and storytelling. Zach includes many sketches, images, photographs, and letters throughout the book.

This is a beautiful and well-written book. While reading I looked up most of the place names on the Internet to learn more about them (you could create a fantastic trip itinerary of Great Britain using even a handful of these places). Surprisingly, many of the estates and homes the Potter family rented are still available as hotels and inns. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Beatrix Potter, art, botany, or travel.

Roses at Bishop Ranch

Roses thrive in the hot inland environment of San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton. Hot days are cooled somewhat at night by marine breezes that come in through the passes, and the tri-valley uses potable water, so roses never lack for water.

Lovely pink, rambling sidewalk roses

Hot pink roses in a shady planter

Roses are planted liberally at Bishop Ranch, both in planters and along sidewalks. It is a treat to encounter them while out walking in the late afternoon (when the temperature is a little cooler). The intoxicating perfume of roses hangs in the warm afternoon air.



I've never had success growing roses (I've always lived where it is too shady, too cold, or too dry). But I am fascinated with the colors, varieties, and fragrances, and love to see them thriving in the right environment.

White roses flourishing in the shady heat

Roses perfume the sidewalk

From the brief reading I've done, roses from China (which bloom continually, but are very tender), have been hybridized with roses from Europe (which bloom once, but were very hardy). The resulting varieties are tough and bloom continually through several seasons, depending on the climate. One day I'll learn more, in the meantime, I'll just enjoy roses of all kinds wherever I encounter them, whether Bishop Ranch or beyond (such as Woodside, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, and Spokane)!

Lazy Daze of Summer

There is nothing better than a lazy summer afternoon. Or a slow start to a busy day. Or taking a new route home and discovering something new. Sure, summer doesn't change much for most working folks, but taking a little time to enjoy summer can only benefit your heart, mind, and soul. Here are a few favorite lazy summer moments.

Therapy llama at Redwood Park	Passion Flower (Passiflora spp.)
Water sports	Mint iced tea
Independent gosling	Blue Sage (Salvia clevelandii)
Cars at the Blackhawk Museum	Blackhawk Plaza water feature
Summer fruit	Support your local farmers

Hope you are enjoying summer, and taking time to explore, try something new, read a book, or just do nothing!