Fall, Kind Of

With the rainy season comes lots of rainbows,
apparently there's not enough room for them all.

It's sort of fall now.  The weather has been warmer than usual for this time of year.  Our high for today was 51 and, while our lows have gotten into the 30s, we haven't had a frost on the ground yet.  Bede just got it's first dusting of snow Monday - I will take a picture as soon as I can catch it not hiding behind a shroud of clouds.  Six years ago, we had our first snow on the ground, not just in the mountains, by Halloween.  We only have a few days left to see if this year will follow the pattern.  The rainy season has arrived, but it was late to the party as well.  We now have more rainy days than dry ones, but it took a while for that to happen. 

Fall in Alaska is definitely different from fall in Missouri.  We don't have deciduous trees in the village to enjoy the changing of the colors, but there are some aspens and birches outside of the village that are pretty - for a two week window.  If you don't get out of the village in that window, you miss seeing the leaves change color.  There isn't as much variety in the colors that we have in Missouri, either.  On a really good year, Missouri will have bright reds and yellows, and brown leaves.  Here, all of the large plants turn yellow, with only a few little plants turning the pretty reds.  Then, they lose their leaves very quickly and now it is just wet and gray and will stay that way until May.  

But wait, there's more.  It doesn't show up well in the picture,
but there's actually a fourth rainbow coming up to make two
V rainbows sets.  Does that make it a double double?

 

Fall berries.  I forget what they're called.  According to the
internet they're edible, but I haven't been brave enough to try.

We get some pretty spectacular sunsets
when the rain stops enough for the sun
to shine.

 

A little bit of fall color, but not much.  The red plants are only
a few inches tall.

 

Seagull swarm!  Anytime the seagulls are around, I always
ask them not to poop on me.  I'm pretty the risk of that
happening was very high on this day.

More seagulls swarming.  There are only
a few left in the village now.  Most have
already moved on for the winter.