Weekend in Homer

Drove down to Homer for a long weekend of hanging out at the Spit, long walks and runs with Xena on the beach at low tide, watching the kite boarders and seeing whales spouting in Kachemak Bay.  

Looking a little bent ;)

We see this guy in the yard quite often.  Today, he posed for a portrait.  I wonder if the bent antler is the result of an early injury or just mother nature with a sense of humor.  You'd think if it grows out this way every year and keeps getting bigger it's going to block his side vision.  

click to view full-screen

Bear Valley lives up to its name.

We've been wondering if the McHugh Creek forest fire just south of us might drive any animals into our valley, and maybe it did.  Happened to look outside at just the right moment this morning to see a brown bear casually walking through the front yard.  We've seen a lot of black bears right around the house over the years, but never had a brown in the yard before.  Pretty cool.  Click images to view fullscreen.

A drive through the clouds

We decided to take a drive this afternoon over Hatcher Pass.  The road is only open during the summer.  The summit area was completely socked in, but some dramatic clouds on either side.