Happy Birthday

Late this morning I went to a grocery store, bought a muffin and a very large coffe, and then sat on a bench at the store eating and drinking and looking out of the windows at the mountains here in Juneau.

The mountains looked like they were on fire............

I had arranged to meet my Mountain Boy at a restaurant after work, and while I was waiting for his doctors' appointment to be done I drove over to Auke Lake.

There is a new bridge there, that was built just this past summer and I wanted to take a better look at it.

I also wanted to spend a short while winding down by the water before heading to the restaurant for burgers and fries.

In addition to very beautiful mountain, lake and pine tree views, there are paved trails along the lake that are extremely popular with locals, who enjoy a relaxing and easy walk.

There are rubber bridges that span the lake on one side, joining two parts of the trail together. 

The bridges are wide open, have benches and are great places for throwing in a line.

This is also a popular place for sea-doos, which I saw often during the summer.

Views of a cove at the lake and a boat parked in the cove.

The new bridge spans this same cove................

After I crossed over the new bridge I took these pictures of a man playing with his dog.

I watched contentedly for a while as this man threw a rubber fish into the water time and time again. 

His big happy Alaskan lab jumped unhesitatingly into the cold water time and time again to enthusiastically retrieve his rubber fish.  A very nice and quiet scene to watch.........

This is the same lake I was at the other day, when the water was dead calm. 

It is where I took pictures of the rugged mountains reflected perfectly in the lake.

I drive by this place twice a day going to and from work, and always remember to see what the lake and the  mountains are "doing"..........

There are two float planes that park along the shore at this place..........

After the local elections of yesterday, the proposed bridge joining the mainland to N Douglas was voted down, so is a done deal for now.

It will be brought up again, but Juneauites do not appear to be in a mood right now to dedicate their temporary 1% sale tax increase (that is set to expire in a couple of years) to a long-term $70-$90 million construction project.

A reporter in a newspaper made a comment that fall in Juneau is the crazy political season here. 

And that will provide Juneauites with enough entertainment value to keep them occupied until ski season starts in a month or so................

A rubber bridge spanning the lake.........

Today is LC's birthday.

Happy Birthday to my best friend............