SIMMAGES Photos by Kay D. Simmons

...HAS GONE TO THE BIRDS

2007-05-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

BARROW'S GOLDEN EYE AND MALLARD

Cheers!

May 2, 2007

2007-05-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

I should be wrapping things up today for work, then off I go into the land of the unknown for a while! It'll be okay, they do these things every week of the year. Anyway here's a photo of my two nephews, Darren and Tyson, Jr.

Also, the eagle photos I have captioned "Knee Slapping Funny" and "Getting Balled Out"

Cheers!

APRIL 30 2007

2007-04-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post on this final day of April to keep the months flowing on the blog. Worth mentioning is the fact I am leaving on May 6 to have knee replacement surgery in Anchorage on May 8 2007 -- which is next week! Yours truly is truly truly scared but in the long run I should be dancing with the best of 'em! Here's a photo or two of birds of course. And...spring has arrived into Sitka at long last -- although there is still snow on the mountain tops. I hope to see you in May as well! Cheers!

MARCH 8, 2007

2007-03-08T13:18:00.000-09:00

Still snowing in good ol' Sitka, Alaska! But...the days are growing longer on both ends of the day, which is a blessing and perhaps a hint of SPRING!!! Think spring everyone. Cheers!

MARCH!

2007-03-03T18:06:00.000-09:00

March has come in with a vengeance! March 2, 2007 brought approximately two feet of snow to Sitka, unbelievable! Yours truly did get out some to capture the essence of the storm. Hopefully this is Mother Nature blowing away winter for good. Cheers!

THE THREE F's: FEBRUARY's FADING FAST!

2007-02-25T16:56:00.000-09:00

Short Month
Short Days growing Long!
Snow and Cold almost Gone!
Days of winter since passed
February's Fading Fast!

Cheers!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2007-02-14T16:09:00.000-09:00

FEBRUARY 6, 2007 - TUESDAY

2007-02-07T19:10:00.000-09:00

Today the mountains took on a blue hue. It's a scientific explanation, but can't begin to explain it really but I do know that when looking in the distance, everything dark looks blue. So yours truly went out and snapped some photos of the things in the distance, and here they are! Blue ridge mountains of Sitka, Alaska. The merganser is in the Sitka channel, it was busy feeding around lunch time. The nice thing about the day was the fact there was no rain, no snow, no ice. Another faux spring day in Sitka. Maybe that little guy in Gobbler's Knob knows his stuff after all! Cheers!

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY 2007

2007-02-04T21:09:00.000-09:00

GO Chicago! Oh, too late, Colts won! I didn't even watch, was busy with the faux spring day today. Went to see the Trumpeter Swans twice today, early in the morning, then later in the afternoon. Also went to the UAS Ramp to see the birds in the channel. So here's a few of the pictures taken, a full moon in February above Thomson Harbor, the swans, gulls splashing in their bird bath tub, and a merganser feeding fromt the UAS ramp. Cheers!

SUNDAY MORNING - JAN 28 2007

2007-01-28T10:07:00.000-09:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Sitka, so I took advantage of the bright sunny sky and longer daylight to get some photos, first of a sunrise the day before, some ducks in the channel and finally the sunset on the mountain tops. It was truly very beautiful. Cheers.

MISCELLANY - JANUARY 2007

2007-01-26T13:41:00.000-09:00

Here are some photos that haven't been posted, miscellaneous subjects, from kids to the city to whatever popped up to post today. Nothing special, nothing spectacular, just a good day to post old photos! Cheers!

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX NEW YEARS DAY

2007-01-14T11:18:00.000-09:00

Today is Russian Orthodox New Year's Day, January 14, 2007. Here are more photos of Ty Ty Jr, being himself at great grandma's house. Cheers!

TY TY TALES Continue

2007-01-06T10:21:00.000-09:00

CUTE CUTE CUTE! No other words necessary, these pictures speak more than a thousand words! Bet everyone wishes their nephew was as cute as mine! Cheers!

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS!

2006-12-08T11:49:00.000-09:00

That is, by the way, my favorite (favourite) Christmas tune, as sung by none other than John Lennon. Happy Christmas as they say in Old England! Sitka has already had a winter season as it were, snow, snow, followed by clear and quite cold. And, this was all during the month of November. Now, the streets are back to pavement, with only remnants of the snow left behind. Yours truly didn't get out much to snap photos, as the weather and short daylight hours kept me inside huddled with my fleece blanket. But alas, here are some new photos, some perhaps not as nice but still depicting the snowfall, and the beauty it brought along with it! Cheers.

NOVEMBER 2006 aka Where'd October go?

2006-11-03T09:00:00.000-09:00

Here are some photos I took toward the end of October 2006. Cheers!

Mother turns 80! - October 15, 2006

2006-11-03T08:47:00.000-09:00

Mother turned 80 years old on October 15, 2006, so the family decided to help her celebrate the day! Here's some photos from her 80th! Wow!
Top: Don and his girlfriend Jelena
2nd: Liz and her sons waiting for breakfast at the Nugget
3rd: Mother, Walter and Valda
Bottom: Mother blowing out her candles

FULL MOON aka luna llena October 6, 2006

2006-10-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

Oh, I'm being followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow

Leapin and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow

Last evening, October 6, 2006 the calendar boasted a full moon, so I tried to take some snapshots of it, only to fail miserably. So feeling defeated I went home and let the fellas' on NYPD Blue take away the misery as I fell into a deep sleep. Well, when I got up this morning it was already daylight. In need of a large cup of coffee I ambled to Sea Mart, where to my surprise, there was the moon!, waiting for me to see it before setting for the day. So here are some snapshots of the moon, a full moon of October, could it be a harvest moon!?! Cheers!

NEW DAY, NEW WEEK, NEW MONTH, NEW QUARTER!

2006-10-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

October 1, 2006. Sitka woke up to sunshine, very little clouds and no breeze. It is truly a spectacular autumn day. So yours truly took to the car, grabbed a large cup of coffee, and with camera not far behind, ventured into the chilly day. There was frost on the car again, and when you get a look at the photos here, you'll notice the new snow atop the mountains in the area. This first photo is of the Starrigaven Estuary, the fog captured the sunshine between the trees. The next photo is the same shot, but not zoomed in. The photo does not do the real thing any justice, but I did try to capture it. The road shot is going down the old Nelson Logging Road, the fog and sun were truly putting on a good show. Of course I didn't see any bear, and much to my surprise, only one other vehicle in the area. Of course, here's a shot from the UAS ramp, depicting the new snow atop the sisters. It is simply beautiful, but that means winter isn't far away. Cheers!

RAIN RAGE!

2006-09-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

September 24, 2006 - ANOTHER INCIDENT of the sky falling down again, in total buckets. So ambled into the day to see what I could see and found lots of rain rage! Here's some of the photos I managed to take, while rolling down my window as quickly as I could, snapping the photo and then closing it up tight!
The first photo is next to the boat launch at Old Sitka, the water is from the hillside above.
The next photo is of a culvert along the 4000 block of Halibut Point Road, it is very close to spilling onto the highway, but didn't when I drove by to snap this picture.
The third photo is of a stream gone mad in the 2500 block of Halibut Point Road, no culvert here, only gravity and lots of rain at work!
The next posting is a true rain rage photo, the Alaska State Troopers doing their practice driving on the UAS ramp during the downpour. Several times during several turns the cars slid on the massive amounts of water that accumulated on the pavement. El Nino? Global warming? Who can say for sure, who cares when the weather keeps most Sitkans inside, except yours truly! Cheers!

le petite ouiseau

2006-09-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to capture some birds in the area, in particular the smaller birds. They're quite small (of course) and fast! I usually drive up to an area, turn my car off and use it as a stand, since my presence would certainly scare them off. Since it's been so rainy of late, the smaller birds aren't as prevalent as the herons and gulls around, but I try to capture some of them as well. The eagles have disappeared except for the resident birds, of which they are not many. So my attention is turned to what's around, and since it's the fall equinox, the daylight is scrambling away like the migrating geese. So here are a few birds, big and small, on nice days and on not so nice days. Cheers!

DRIVE MY CAR

2006-09-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Drive My Car

Writers, lead vocals: Lennon, McCartney

Baby you can drive my car

Yes I'm gonna be a star

Baby you can drive my car

And baby I love you

Beep beep'm beep beep yeah

Beep beep'm beep beep yeah

SNIPS AND SNAILS AND PUPPY DOG TAILS

2006-09-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, here I am again, snapping shots of that cute guy Ty Ty. These are all in one day, all in one morning actually. The first one we'll call snips because he usually NEVER cries, so this snapshot is rare. The next one, he's smiling again, as usual. And the final shot is my favorite one of him from that day. How can one kid be so DOG gone cute! Atta' boy! Cheers!

SEPTEMBER 15, 2006 - FROST!

2006-09-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

This morning I was ambling down to work, again, marveling at the beauty of the day as there were no clouds in the sky, no rain, no weather to speak of at all. I did notice the chill in the air, and proceeded to the car. To my surprise, the windshield was iced over and the top of the car had ice on top. EEK! FROST! Check the calendar -- yep, it is September 15, 2006. Now for those who have been here like me, I recall frost on May 12, 2006, so for approximately four months almost to the day, Sitka had spring and summer. Hmmm....something is wrong because I keep hearing the doom filled news of global warming and the nasty effects it has on the earth. That global warming wasn't happening this morning, although it is sunny and warm now as I compose this.
This is a photo of the city from Totem Park. Cheers!

SUNSHINE! HALLALUJAH!

2006-09-13T15:13:00.000-08:00

The sunshine has found its way to our beautiful city! Today it is sunny out there, skies are blue with some clouds, and it is very very bright! Last evening the sunset was pretty darn fabulous, I went to the Sea Mart parking lot and snapped these photos; and proceeded to have a late dinner (which is fashionable in Europe to eat late). While there, several cars pulled up, people jumped out with their cameras and began to snap away too. It was as if there was a bear or something around; but alas it was only the setting sun. Those of us who have been in Sitka this summer of 2006 haven't been graced with the sun, so people were eager to snap shots even as it was setting. These next few days should be spectacular and from my way of thinking, well deserved. Cheers!

TY TY ROSS

2006-09-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ty Ty Ross. That's his name, don't wear it out! He came visiting to great grand mother's house in early September 2006, and brought along his infectious smile, winning personality, wonderful greenish hazel eyes and his mom. He's quite the character, and when the time comes, he's going to have a line of broken hearts. He was getting into everything, which is basically his job as a ten month old toddler.
The second shot is after he ate a chocolate cookie, which made his whole day! Even with a messy face, he's quite lovable! You go Ty Ty! Cheers!

la fin de la semana

2006-09-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings Bloggers! Friday, September 8, 2006, end of another glorious week in wonderful Sitka, Alaska! I am patiently waiting for that Indian Summer to kick in, and I'm not known for patience. I took an early morning drive earlier in the week; even those are becoming rare as the daylight is waning on each end of the day. Here are some photos of the day coming to life. The rains have made a comfortable landing here for the last three or four months, so when the sky broke a bit, it was a neat kind of show. These are taken from the other side of the bridge, the sun was really fighting to break free. Here's wishing all a good weekend and good autumn season as it quickly approaches! Cheers!

LABOR DAY 2006

2006-09-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

LABOR DAY 2006 - almost! Hello fellows in blog land! It is Sunday, the day before Labor Day Monday 2006. Why am I inside when it is sunny outside, especially after the torrential rainfall of this week when Sitka experienced 5.2 inches of rain in 36 hours -- look at that lighthouse, barely visible through the rains! There is no threat of a forest fire here! I was able to drive to the end of the road during the rain storm, and to the post office on Sawmill Creek Road; every river, creek, stream, anything with water accumulation was raging! Raging I say!
The whale tail was taken on board an Allen Marine boat during one of their final wildlife cruises of the summer. My wonderful nephew Walter and I boarded one morning on a whim, and it was a splendid time for us both! In fact, here, he is smiling from ear to ear after I conceded to him being able to go up top the boat to view the area once the boat slowed down enough. Seven years old, second grade at Keet Gooshi Heen, yep, that little guy is ALL THAT! Cheers!

August 9, 2006

2006-08-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Star Date, August 9, 2006, the rain hasn't left the area yet, but the air and all the foilage around is [are?] crisp and clean. [Remember Star Trek?] After endeavoring to snap awesome photos, nothing of consequence has risen up to my lens yet. So here are some flowers, boasting not only their beauty but also the rain which has more than found its way to our blessed community. Featured here are fireweed and foxglove, both in full bloom. As you look at these, remember to also check out my webshots link, which has a flowers section as well. Cheerio!

August 7, 2006 - Return to Work

2006-08-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus thanks to a broken ankle, I returned to full time work today, Monday, August 7, 2006. This last weekend, the sky literally fell in the form of rain, the annual Sidewalk Sale was held on Saturday, but the intensity of the rain and my extremely slow mobility forced me to remain home all day long until Sunday afternoon. Who needs to shop here though, when the internet is just a few button clicks away, providing endless hours of shopping as I sit with a Diet Coke nearby, warm, dry...
This eagle photo, taken May 12, 2006 is a representation of the photos I've taken before my broken ankle incident in June. Check out the webshots link on this blog to view other photos of eagles. While these eagles are sedentary [or are they standing?] my focus this year was to try and capture them in motion, whether it be in flight, eating, or catching something to eat. From my brief trips out in the car this month of August, I notice the eagle numbers have again diminished as they've left the area. There remains a few around, but nothing like the numbers in June and July. Cheerio!

August 5, 2006 - Saturday

2006-08-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

Today is my first time ever doing a blog, so bear with me as I learn to do this, yet another aspect of being on the internet too much. I live in Sitka, Alaska, meaning I work and play here. It is a beautiful place to live, lots and lots of scenery even on cloudy, rainy days, the endless beauty provides lots of opportunity to get out and take photos. So here's some of my work, which will begin today, August 5, 2006.
For my first photo, here is a my niece Jenna with her son Tyson, Jr., he's always smiling. More photos later as I learn to do this blog stuff.