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The white of a bald eagle's head makes perfect camouflage while sitting in a snow covered spruce tree on Jan. 19, 2021, on Diamond Ridge in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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The great experiment in representative democracy continued this week when new and returning Alaska Legislators were sworn in on Tuesday. Yesterday, the Trumps moved out… Continue reading

 

A large flock of rock sandpipers flies over the Mud Bay side of the Homer Spit on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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For about a week there the year 2021 looked like it might show some promise. We had an awesome fireworks display on the Spit, and… Continue reading

 

People walk the beach on the New Year's Eve, Dec. 32, 2020, at Mariner Park on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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OK, Betster persons, admit it. January at the End of the Road can get a wee bit quiet. Well, not just quiet. Quiet we get… Continue reading

 

A bald eagle sits on top of the gazebo at Mariner Park on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Waiting for 2020 to end is like hoping for a kidney stone to pass. If you’ve never experienced the pleasure of that life event, imagine… Continue reading

A bald eagle sits on top of the gazebo at Mariner Park on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Memorial luminarias provide a somber light at Hospice of Homer's "Light Up a Life" and 35th Anniversary Gathering last Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at WKFL Park in Homer, Alaska. The event honored staff and volunteers who have helped out at the organization over the decades. As a fundraiser for hospice, people purchased luminarias to honor deceased friends and family. Luminarias are a Hispanic tradition where candles are placed in a paper bag weighed down with sand. Also known as farolitios, Catholics place luminarias to guide the spirit of the Christ child to one's home. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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It’s going to be tough this Christmas. Many of us will be sharing the day with just our intimate family circle. To be COVID-19 safe,… Continue reading

Memorial luminarias provide a somber light at Hospice of Homer's "Light Up a Life" and 35th Anniversary Gathering last Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at WKFL Park in Homer, Alaska. The event honored staff and volunteers who have helped out at the organization over the decades. As a fundraiser for hospice, people purchased luminarias to honor deceased friends and family. Luminarias are a Hispanic tradition where candles are placed in a paper bag weighed down with sand. Also known as farolitios, Catholics place luminarias to guide the spirit of the Christ child to one's home. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Mount Iliamna glows pink as the sun rises on Wednesday morning, Dec. 16, 2020, as seen from Diamond Ridge near Homer, Alaska. Iliamna is one of three Cook Inlet volcanoes visible from Homer. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Almost daily some data cruncher from Outside will send us a press release announcing how Alaska ranks according to various metrics. This week we learned… Continue reading

Mount Iliamna glows pink as the sun rises on Wednesday morning, Dec. 16, 2020, as seen from Diamond Ridge near Homer, Alaska. Iliamna is one of three Cook Inlet volcanoes visible from Homer. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Although snow has fallen on Poot Peak, the image of the iconic bear’s eyes and nose of the mountain remains faint, as seen here on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. The mountain is named after Henry Poot, also known as “China” Poot, an Alaska Native man who hunted and fished in the area in the early 1900s. According to Marilyn Sigman’s “Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Alaska’s Kachemak Bay,” Poot was the son of a Native woman and a Chinese cannery worker. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Although snow has fallen on Poot Peak, the image of the iconic bear’s eyes and nose of the mountain remains faint, as seen here on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. The mountain is named after Henry Poot, also known as “China” Poot, an Alaska Native man who hunted and fished in the area in the early 1900s. According to Marilyn Sigman’s “Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Alaska’s Kachemak Bay,” Poot was the son of a Native woman and a Chinese cannery worker. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Snow falls on the Cape Lynch, right, and other boats on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).

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Well, if you were still denying winter’s arrival, Homer weather over the weekend cleared that up for you right quick. It never ceases to amaze… Continue reading

Snow falls on the Cape Lynch, right, and other boats on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).
Ryder Chase, age 9, works on faux stained glass in Amy Komar's socially-distant Art a la Carte class last Friday at the Homer Council on the Arts. Children in the class wore masks and worked at either end of long tables spaced apart. The young artists also made large origami stars that will be placed in store windows "for a dose of color therapy for the community," Komar said. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Turkey Day is finally here again. But do we all have a turkey waiting to take a long nap in the oven? The Betster certainly… Continue reading

Ryder Chase, age 9, works on faux stained glass in Amy Komar's socially-distant Art a la Carte class last Friday at the Homer Council on the Arts. Children in the class wore masks and worked at either end of long tables spaced apart. The young artists also made large origami stars that will be placed in store windows "for a dose of color therapy for the community," Komar said. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Skaters enjoy the ice on Beluga Lake on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. Sunny days and colder temperatures have been attracting dozens of skaters daily to the lake.

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What to give thanks for in such a difficult, long, hard year? And how to give that thanks safely without endangering others as a pandemic… Continue reading

Skaters enjoy the ice on Beluga Lake on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. Sunny days and colder temperatures have been attracting dozens of skaters daily to the lake.
Bubbles from methane gas have frozen in Beluga Lake, creating abstract shapes as seen here on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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You know how at this time of year you play the studded tire guessing game? Smart Alaskans know that at any moment a devastating ice… Continue reading

Bubbles from methane gas have frozen in Beluga Lake, creating abstract shapes as seen here on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Aaron Fleenor, at top, uses a chute to distribute candy on Halloween night, Oct. 31, 2020, in downtown Homer, Alaska. Helping are Amber Fleenor, center, and Shade Fleenor, left. Because of COVID-19 safety concerns, some people created devices like this to give candy away while keeping social distance. Trick or treating was more subdued than usual, but still drew children in costume to neighborhood above Pioneer Avenue. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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It’s probably only a coincidence that Dias de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead, ended on Monday, Nov. 2, the night before Election Day.… Continue reading

Aaron Fleenor, at top, uses a chute to distribute candy on Halloween night, Oct. 31, 2020, in downtown Homer, Alaska. Helping are Amber Fleenor, center, and Shade Fleenor, left. Because of COVID-19 safety concerns, some people created devices like this to give candy away while keeping social distance. Trick or treating was more subdued than usual, but still drew children in costume to neighborhood above Pioneer Avenue. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Halloween trick-or-treaters walk down Bayview Avenue, on Oct. 31, 2019, in Homer, Alaska. Bayview Avenue and Mountainview Avenue were one-way for the night to minimize traffic. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Your experience might differ, but for the past month the Betster’s mailbox has been blowing up with fliers for political candidates and ballot measures. Out… Continue reading

Halloween trick-or-treaters walk down Bayview Avenue, on Oct. 31, 2019, in Homer, Alaska. Bayview Avenue and Mountainview Avenue were one-way for the night to minimize traffic. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Anglers fish for steelhead in the Anchor River by the Anchor River Bridge on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Representative democracy isn’t pretty, Betster persons. What with a contentious campaign, a diverse slate of candidates and allegations of speciesism, the vote for president could… Continue reading

Anglers fish for steelhead in the Anchor River by the Anchor River Bridge on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hickory is moored on Oct. 10, 2020, at the Pioneer Dock in Homer, Alaska. Fresh snow or termination dust covers the peaks of the Kenai Mountains across Kachemak Bay, a sign of the coming winter. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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The Betster shares your denial. The Betster wants to believe in the warmth of mid-day in October and not the chill of the morning. The… Continue reading

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hickory is moored on Oct. 10, 2020, at the Pioneer Dock in Homer, Alaska. Fresh snow or termination dust covers the peaks of the Kenai Mountains across Kachemak Bay, a sign of the coming winter. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Seniors Clayton Beachy and Mary Black are crowned this year's homecoming king and queen during halftime at Homer High School's homecoming game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

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We’re in a lull between seasons right now. Bright sunny days with not a whisper of termination dust on the mountains? Vegetation still green and… Continue reading

Seniors Clayton Beachy and Mary Black are crowned this year's homecoming king and queen during halftime at Homer High School's homecoming game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Fall colors are reflected in Beluga Lake on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

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Spooky season is in full tilt, friends. The Betster has started to see positively frightful decorations of all things creepy and crawly springing up outside… Continue reading

Fall colors are reflected in Beluga Lake on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
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A few weeks ago the Betster wrote about the Fall equinox, and about how it can serve as a good reminder to take stock of… Continue reading

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From the Burning Basket to the library book sale, there’s lots to do this weekend.

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