to do list done...

 at least the short list i made for myself for today....cat litter, dog poop pick up in the yard, laundry, mail packages, bird feeders...check, check, check!!

 i have very low aspirations.  makes life much easier.  we did the gasline to powerline to tank trail and around for todays' monday walk.  perhaps not my best choice, but it is nice to change it up.  this meant that the amy's had to work harder getting kids up hills and then battling twigs coming downhill.  hopefully, i will be forgiven for this.  the view from the top was quite lovely so hopefully worth it after all!!  i like to work my arse on occasion.

 as you can see we had a bit more of the fata morgana today.  above is mt foraker, denali and what's the other one....kinda like the 3 tenors.  i think that is yet another seinfeld reference. i'm so cultured.  which brings me to another seinfeld reference from when they were at a play and seinfeld starts singing a bit from looney toones bugs bunny.  that is my kind of culture. what can i say?

 we had three RT's along for the walk.  they were stopped and about 40 feet in front of then i spied a moose that they had not seen.  they were more than happy to let me jump out in front and deal with said moose.  thankfully, said moose was quite young and amy's malemutes circled around the moose which encouraged it to move along peacefully.

 i think everyone had fun on the walk despite me making it more of a work out today.  later i headed  back to basher trailhead a bit further up the road from the bivouac's and took both dogs for a short walk there so that i could enjoy this sunset.  it looked like it may be quite nice and dang it if it wasn't a beauty!

 also looked a few more pictures from my card as i enjoyed a fire in the fireplace.  posted a few mushrooms on the my shot site of nat geo.  my friends seem to enjoy them so it's always fun to see what people across the globe think.  love that i get hits from all over this lovely earth.  gotta love the internet for how it's brought people together.  just us regular joe's.  i look at their photo's from their lives and they look at mine.  no politicians, no politics, no religion, just people who like to take and look at photography.

 downtown and mt susitna in the background.

 watched one of my netflix movies last night.  i'm not recalling the name right now.  it was a disney flick from several years back.  it was about a girl who runs away from home and joins an act leaping with horses from like 40 feet up.  she goes blind and continues to perform.  enjoyed the story.  good movie.  i do watch occasional disney movies or animated...gotta keep up a bit and it's just fun and light.  she would have to have a lot of faith in the horses to do what she did.  guess it's based on a real story.  people be brave.

 a friend is going in for open heart surgery in the morning in Texas.  she is too young for this and has young kids.  hoping all the best for her and her family at this stressful time.  sunsets like this do make your heart light and bring you hope.

 after coffee i just ran home, grabbed rio and the packages and headed to for the hills as it were.

 thankfully, our sunsets are still pretty early so i was able to hit the posts office after the sun was down.  there was a short line and the guy was nice again.  he's been much more chatty and pleasant of late.  hmm...

 i usually drive by the post office by my house and if it looks too busy i head for the ace hardware store, but it looked fine today. 4 packages in the mail.  i think that means i'm pretty much done with the post office for a bit.  i have a few calendars to be raffled off so i'll have to see who ends up with those, may have to mail a few.  haven't done much advertising so not that many folks have signed up for the raffle.  cest la vive i guess. more is better for charities.

 the volcano out there almost looks like it's smoking.  think it's just the way the clouds are. that should be iliamna.  you can see 3 from anchorage.  augustine, iliamna and redoubt.  redoubt being the closest.

 saw this little lady on my way back down the hill after the sunset heading for the post office.

 it was getting darker so not any grand photo's of her.

 when i was at the computer last night the cats curled up on the dogs bed. liked how they were each in their own colour.  rio is still downstairs on the couch tonight. blossom is up here.  miss breezy was nestled in with blossom, but she seems to have moved on. nice having the animals around.

 tried to get some selfies today.  my friend Quinton made this beautiful scarf for me.  i LOVE the colour.  it's so pretty!!  thanks Quinton!!  wanted to wear it today as i suspected my local knitting friend would enjoy seeing his work.  she was impressed and loved the yarn colour as well.

 can't say that i do this beautiful scarf justice.  it's for sure time for a spa day and a new hair style.

 the scarf does go a long way in improving my look.  it is funny, my brother posted a few photo's of me as a teenager.  now i felt as large as an elephant when i was a teenager.  life in S. California can be a bit tough for teenagers. there are some skinny bitches there.  i wasn't one of them.  however, as i look at those pictures from years ago i have to admit that i wasn't a cow either. i was a normal figured girl.  not huge, not tiny.  i was way to hard on myself and no doubt continue to  be.  still, some toning is always a good idea.  free weights are my best plan for that.

 the kids get into the sled....they look pretty happy for their ride.  it was actually quite warm out there today and doing those hills makes you warm if you aren't already.

 the amy's push/pull the sled.  the one amy has been sick with a cold bug so i was impressed that she made it out.  i do always fine a good walk in the woods is great for the lungs and the sinuses.  nothing like cold weather to clear you up.

 4 dogs along.  blossom chased her toy for quite a bit of the walk.  she seems pretty satisfied tonight.

 cute outdoor girls!!

 a little girl power story for the Olympics. women ski jumpers will finally be allowed to compete. before it was all men, which does seem a bit outdated.  so go girls!!

 loved this of amy and lucy...so cute!!

 took the RT group on the side trails back to the parking lot while the amy's stuck to the tank trail.

 always pretty down on those side trails so fun.  a bit of open water out there near stumphenge.

 someone made this big snow smile on the side of the road.  does make one smile....:-)

 katie and some grandkids.  speedy made some nummy rice crispy treats packed with treats.  they were a hit with the crowds!!

 back to sunset shots.

 i was a wee bit late getting out to the Monday walk.  partly as i was lingering in bed reading and wasn't paying attention to the time.  oops!!

 loved how the colour bounced off the snow.

 and the dog of course

 i think rio was happy to get out since it was a short walk.  of course i was thinking a bit about a guy who was young and recently was found dead on this very trail.  not far in.  still haven't heard what happened there.  we lost another homeless person, 2 women in like a week.  sleeping in tents and cars in the winter is never a good idea.  some people don't have many options or they have gone through them.

 i am extremely grateful for all the many blessings i have been given.  from a stable and safe childhood to a relatively protected and stress free adulthood.  i have friends and family who care about me and who i know i could call on. i have the best pets, i have a lovely and simple house, i live in the most beautiful place in the world...well i think so. i have good health that allows me to go out and enjoy the beauty of alaska and i am able to take and share photos which brings others happiness.  can't complain about that.

 much more to be grateful for but suffice it to say i am very lucky and blessed and ever grateful.

 it's a simple life...i get to spend time in the woods, walking and enjoying the peace and beauty that is gifted to us each day by God.

 a few more attempts at getting pictures of me in my new scarf.  it makes me look professional almost.

off to read for a bit.  enjoy the pictures and have happiness in your life!!

the sea, the sea, it always calls to me.

 like this of blossom.  she seems to be pondering her existence.  i'm pretty happy she exists.

 i'm not flipping very well this week . i usually flip over to sleeping from 1-2 am-10 am.

 the mountains looked pretty awesome out there as there were these low lying clouds that the light was shining on.  i could see them as i drove to the trailhead.  often, like today, i find myself debating in my head where i will end up walking.  in the end i headed to jodphur trailhead in kincaid park.  the dunes are always pretty and you get great views of the mountains from there.

 plenty of space for blossom to chase her frisbee as well.

 i find that dogs are pretty much oblivious to great scenery.

 you can see those low lying clouds in these.  i debated heading down to the beach,  but i'll save that for another day.

 after i walked around the dunes for awhile i headed over to the campbell estuary. i'd never been there in the winter so i have been wanting to head over there.  i for sure wanted views of the water/mountains and sun today.

 got a swim in this evening as well.  always good.  starting to ponder goals for the new year.  not that i'm a huge new years resolution person i guess, but it is always a good time to ponder what has or hasn't been accomplished and what may be accomplished in the coming year.

 those things are going through my head anyway so may as well put them down in words this time of year.  you know, make it all official.

 things i'm continuing to pursue...1.the book 2. going over photo cards and making some of my favorites full size 3. swimming 4.  add more weight training 5. going with those is toning up this body and dropping a few pounds (preferably in my arms and arse).  6. actually sign up for ccrn exam.  (fear i'm not smart enough to pass, but i'll never know til i try) 7. plan some kick arse fun for summer

 guess that is a good enough start for the moment.  if i can work on the book i can delay the goal i've been using at work of going back to school to make my adn  a bsn.  the idea of returning to school is just so distasteful.  figure starting with the ccrn course may inspire me.  haha!!

 a change in career to writing sounds so much more appealing at this point.

 just a lovely day today..amazing scenery.  did i say how much i love living in Alaska?  there is just so much to love about it.  still hoping to see a few things like a wolverine, a lynx  and humpbacks bubble net feeding.  would also like to see polar bears in this state.  so i have some photography goals there as well.  just for fun though.

 the refuge is off limits to dogs. i suspect that really only matters in the non winter seasons, but blossom waited in the car anyway.  the only birds i saw were magpies, crows/ravens and these woodpeckers.  actually there was a male and a female.  didn't get the best shots as they move pretty fast beating their heads against the trees.  may have to look up why they do this.  seems a strange habit..of course, i suppose there are plenty of humans out there banging their heads against walls.

 anyway, most of the pics i took were fairly blurry.

 the frozen creek looks pretty cool with all that ice.

 not a bad sunset either.

 rio is on walk break again.  ask her every day.   she seems pretty happy at home though.

 we shall see what happens tomorrow. it's the day the hospital in california is supposed to be removed from the ventilator.  people seemed to like that post of my ramblings.  good to show people i have deeper thoughts from time to time.

 not many deep thoughts today.

 this was at the end of patterson off of tudor as i headed out for the trailhead.  this is probably about 1 pm.  the sun never gets very high.  we are starting to lengthen our days...well not much each day but soon it will be about 5 minutes increase per day.

 lots of planning to do for this summer.  should plan for a few winter treks too.  i've never been to fairbanks in the winter and i'd like to rent one of those hatchers pass huts for a night or two.  maybe even one of the byers lake cabins too.

 this is probably a better picture of blossom.  she's just so dang cute..i'm quite partial to her curly locks.

 the dunes covered in snow and ice.

 no moose sightings today.  seems strange to go a few days without a sighting

 views from the bluff trails.

 this is clearly supposed to say world peace...people who draw on objects illegally may want to look up the spelling first.  no spell check on concrete i guess.

 circled around the other side of the dunes, well the other side of the motorcycle area.

 looked like there may be a bluff trail on that other side, may have to explore that next summer. it was deep snow though today.

 looking back at the dunes...i never see it from this vantage point.

 old container near the motocross park.

 another cool light shot i thought.  this is back at the refuge.

 so, i guess i'm happy with the places i chose to walk today.  though i suspect anyplace i went today would have been beautiful.  tomorrow is Monday walk.  not sure which loop we'll do tomorrow. maybe we'll do the gasline-powerline and then take off on those side trails.

 this was the last one i took before i dropped my little canon powershot into the snow. ooops..this is why one should wrap the strap around ones wrist.

think i'll go look at a few pictures on a card....then i will have done everything on the list, well not everything but it's a start. worked on the book a bit. the character is kind of exhausting and you have to write as that personality. probably not much different than me.  flight of ideas is an exhausting thing.