Fireweed fluff and stuff – October 2015
I went for a long walk yesterday. Along Front Street between the Old Steese Highway and Noyes Slough I found quite a bit of fireweed that wasn’t beaten down during our last freakish snowstorm....
Frosty iris seed pods – October in Fairbanks
It got down to about 22 degrees F this morning. I went out and took a few photos in my front yard. These are wild iris (Iris setosa) seed pods next to the pool...
Autumn leaves and melting snow – October 2015
Snow from the recent storm is melting steadily. Many of the trees in our yard have dumped their remaining leaves since the storm, and the leaves are now melting into the snow. I think...
Harry Karstens, a.k.a. the Seventymile Kid, and his Fairbanks connection
Harry Karstens, cabin at Pioneer Park in the 1990s Henry Peter (Harry) Karstens, a.k.a. the Seventymile Kid, was a legendary Alaskan outdoorsman. He is remembered as co-leader of the first successful ascent of Denali...
Bumper crop of juniper berries – September 2015
We have a bumper crop of ripe juniper berries in our front yard this year. They are not really berries, but the female cones. Unlike other conifers, the juniper cones have fleshy scales that...
Upcoming French-language edition of John Haines’ book, “The Stars, the Snow, the Fire,” to be illustrated by me, Ray Bonnell
I’m a horrible procrastinator and have been working frantically to complete a special project. I didn’t want to jinx myself by talking about it before it was completed. My part of the project is...
Old sourdough walking in the snow–another miniature pen & ink drawing
Another drawing in a miniature series. Image is 3 1/2″ x 5″.
September walk in downtown Ester
I went for an afternoon walk in beautiful downtown Ester yesterday. I was looking for historic buildings but ended up taking photos of almost everything. Here is a sampler. The first six photos were...
Old truck-mounted dragline seen along Elliott Highway outside Fox
This is an old truck-mounted dragline I spotted along the Elliott highway just outside Fox. Haven’t figured out what make it is yet. Do you suppose the truck and dragline turned color along with...
The changing roadhouses of Richardson, Alaska
Richardson Roadhouse in the 1960s Opening and operating a roadhouse in Interior Alaska was always a gamble. A poorly chosen location could hobble a roadhouse’s ability to attract travelers, new routes might bypass a...
