Wonky Comb ~

In between rain showers & downpours I've been trying to get into the bee hives.

I have two supers of honey to harvest & wonky frames of comb to check on.

This is what it looked like the last time I checked one of the hives a little over a week ago.

Two separate combs built together on one frame ~ one started from

the top & one from the bottom... 

 Stuck together!

It's beautiful white comb on the top & gooey, honey-filled, comb on the bottom.

Here you can see how the two combs are overlapping.

I removed one of the combs & in doing so the other

comb bent at a right angle to the frame.

Here it is after beekeeper surgery...all tied up with string.

Some beeks use rubber bands to hold the comb in the frame

 ~ & I've tried that in the past ~

however this hive has removed the rubber bands & strewn them in the lawn when I tried to fix up their poor engineering previously.

My theory is that they don't like the smell or texture of the rubber

and prefer the organic cotton string(?)

Hey....that might be a good science project!

For William...not me  :)

Two Busy Little Bees!

Thanks Aubrey & Will!

These are my two seasoned honey processors.

They know how to crush the comb to release the honey,

bottle & taste test it.

Delicious!

The Bounty!

We're just back from Denali Park & the garden is overflowing!

I'm not sure how in 5 days the raspberries are exploding.

William & I made 2 batches of jam (about 15 jars) before we left & now we

have enough berries for at least another 4 or 5 batches.

Jam anyone???

We have golden raspberries that we love. 

BIG, yellow, & yummy!

And red raspberries of the Sitka, hardy Alaskan variety.

Overflowing flower pots.

Even though I have raised garden beds, I've never been able to get zucchini to grow without

getting rotten.  This was a little, cast-off, zucchini plant that I stuck in a big flower pot

& now has four good sized zuks growing.

We love our garden ~

It's the bounty on the season!

New Addition

We're pretty thrilled~!

We have a new addition to our family.

We've waited since Halloween, after losing Rudi-Pa-Tuti but it was

worth the wait for Coki (as in "Coki Roberts").

What can I say?? 

We're Public Radio employees (dh) & fans.

It's a total compliment as this little puppy girl is

smart, sweet, & sassy.

I have some girl friends who keep telling me she needs a middle name.

Really?

Any suggestions, anyone???

Welcome to our world Coki girl.

To Busy to Fish ~ To Hot to Post!!

Summer time in Alaska & the living is good!

Today was a scorcher ~ somewhere in the 70's I believe ~  notice

the children running in the sprinkler?

Across the street from our house a little lemonade stand popped-up!

We live downtown in one of the oldest neighborhoods so it's a very

eclectic mix of homes & people.  We love it!

Nothing like sharing a lemonade with a good friend!

Cheers!

Too Busy to Fish!?!?

The month of June flew bye in the blink of an eye!

It's hard to believe this is the 4th of July weekend!

~

~ Happy Independence Day America ~

I have many posts to catch up on for June including our travels in Alaska & Outside. 

I was the featured "Artist in the Park" again at Denali National Park over the weekend of June 8th through the 10th.  More on that to come as I have some great photos & stories!

Since returning from Denali I've been visiting Outside the state for business & family!

Busy, busy, busy...

And....it's fishing season!

So even though I haven't time to actually catch any salmon

 I did pull out some tiles & glazes & paint up a couple of tiles for fun...

.production is fun but this was a reward for getting all my work done!

Love the raven eating the berries!

Both of these images started out as clip art pieces from

"Art Explosion" & then I morphed the designs.

It's hard to tell but both of these have some raised, detail, glaze.  Sort of like puff paint that stays raised even after it's fired.  I really like the effects.

The finished tiles are 6X6 inches each so two of them fit into these 12' frames.

I've also inserted them into stools for children.

Very cute gifts & easy to personalize.

OK ~ back to the studio to work on my gallery orders!

Have any questions about the tiles or glazes just shoot me a comment &

 I'm happy to answer any questions.

Solstice Travels -

For the first time in over 22 years I'm not in Alaska for the Solstice.
It's dark.
It's hard to explain the darkness and night sounds to a 6 year old who's only lived in Alaska. I think the sounds of crickets and frogs are the most unfamiliar and discomforting. Watch where you step!

We're coming home soon with lots of pictures, stories & memories.