It's springtime in Alaska (I think)...

Mt. Juneau- April 19

For the past few weeks I'd been starting to wonder if winter would ever end.

Lena Loop- April 28

Some days it seemed like it would be over soon... sort of. This kind of weather-induced delusional thinking began a full four weeks ago.

Hmmm... are you necessary, sweatshirt? (April 7)

 Getting warmer...

Okay, whatever, it's cold.

And others, not so much...

Gonna sit right here and have another beer in Mexico Juneau- April 28

 On my walk to work, April 30. Large blur= giant snowflake.

We weren't the only ones in the nation to experience colder-than-usual weather, but in Juneau the sun had definitely left the party and it didn't seem like it would be coming back anytime soon. Talk about making a person want to buy a one-way plane ticket!

And then, three days ago, the sun returned. Yesterday, I walked home from work in 3/4 length sleeves with- get this- NO jacket! It was, and for now, still is, gorgeous outside.

I'm even going to venture so far to say I don't think it will snow again until winter returns.

Random eagle feather next to daffodils... seriously.

Even the flowers are starting to bloom. Besides the crocuses which bloomed a month ago - they are little liars. ;)

Juneau-ites are known for their affinity for gardening, particularly those in the downtown area.

So many yards are meticulously groomed, the flower beds strewn with local mussel shells collected from the beaches.

Since I work nearby, I've spent a lot of time walking around these neighborhoods. It's amazing how much you can see when you really take the time to look.

More on the ICW is still to come, but I wanted to share some recent stuff. Clearly, Alaska has not been getting enough press time on this blog, so I'm planning to share a lot more about life here in the coming months! It's surprisingly easy to forget that this place I call home is also a "once in a lifetime" destination for many. And that despite the challenges of living here, there are just as many rewards.

Here's to Spring!