Saying Goodbye to a Dear Old Friend

Today we said goodbye to our dog Dino. He was nearly 12 years old. 

This was the day we got him in 2009.

He helped both our boys grow up, and was their best friend.

He was with us everywhere we went these last 12 years.

He was my driving partner on our 4,500 mile drive from the East Coast to Alaska.

He was born in Alaska, and lived in California and Maryland, but he loved the Alaska snow and cold.

One of our last walks together down on the hayflats.

Dino plays in the snow while a bush plane dips his wing to say hello.

He loved his walks in the woods.  Here he walks Scout Ridge near the Boy Scout Observatory.

Even though blind in his old age, he knew the trails well enough to walk them with ease.

During winter, he loved to munch on snow.

Dino and Heidi, catching some Z's in his doghouse during one of his last days with us.

He came down with pancreatitis and diabetes a couple of years ago, and we kept him as happy as we could these last two years, but today an acute pancreatitis attack was too much for him to recover from.

So long old friend.  Thank you for the time you spent with us. We already miss you.

Winter Days

Winter has settled in here in the Far North.  Morning temps dip between -5 and -10 F.  But sunny skies have kept the days bright, and our daylight hours are increasing.

Video: Ice crystals shimmering in the cold air.

Moose are active, searching for food.

Our new eagle pair have stuck around for these wintry days.  The young pair built their nest late in the season last year, and did not raise any chicks.  But now that they are hanging close to last year's nest, maybe they'll get an early start this spring and produce some offspring.

Greenhouse and raised beds sit empty.

Frozen garden beds, waiting for spring.

Ice and snow cover the Hay Flats.

Hoarfrost coats the branches.

Each sunset brings a different picture-perfect view.

Moose are hiding in the trees below.  They stay in the trees during most of the daylight hours, and venture out on the Flats during the darkness.  With little food available, they will soon start caring less about being seen, and we'll see more and more of them in the daylight.

We didn't post any pictures yet of Christmas, so here's a few from December.

Dino and Grayson.

Dino is a soft pillow.

Christmas lights reflecting in the window.

When we lived in Pensacola (25 years ago), our favorite restaurant was Quincy's.  They had amazing yeast rolls with honey butter.  Jolene found the recipe recently, and we enjoyed a taste that took us back a quarter century.

Deep fried halibut, always a house favorite.  Winter is always a time for good food (and hot chocolate) during our Alaskan winters.

Moose have started eating the bark off the trees.  Bark becomes a food source for them in late Winter as the other food sources are depleted.  This is one of our spruce in the front yard.

Dino enjoys a big femur bone, and spends half a day deciding where to try and bury it in the frozen ground.  He's approaching 12 years old.  His eyesight is gone, but he's still trucking along.

Spending time looking through the windows is the best defense against cabin fever, especially on those days when you're stuck inside.

Moose tracks through our fruit trees.  I coated the apple and plum trees with Plantskydd, a Swedish-developed animal repellent, made mostly of cow/pig blood.  So far, the moose have left the trees alone while browsing on other non-sprayed brush around the yard.  Here they walked right though, without touching the young fruit trees.  I'm hoping it continues to dissuade them from eating on the trees, otherwise I'll have to put up a hot wire fence.

 

Moose tracks are unmistakable in the snow.

This little spruce sprouted from the young spruce we had on the bluff.  The older tree died from a spruce beetle attack last year, and I had to cut it down.  So far, this little guy has been thriving right near the spot where his dad once stood.

Here's another little spruce near the raised beds, which will have to be transplanted next year....probably to the front of the lot.

Heidi and Dino, playing in the snow.

Heidi stalking up behind Dino.

Heidi letting out some energy, going up a tree.

Another beautiful day.

Our little Norway spruce saplings are doing well, just beyond the fruit trees.  Hoping they put on a few feet of growth this coming spring.