just because it looks like may, doesn't mean it is may.

 the overall temps have decreased some, but when you look around you would be sure it was break up, late april/may. do not let yourself be fooled though, it's not spring, we still have a few months of winter to go and i've no doubt it will return.

 took rio and blossom today to potter to mchugh creek.  we did a slow walk to the lookout and back.  didn't want to tax rio too much. not much ice or mud which was great. rio still always has trouble with all the exposed roots.  exposed roots are hell on a blind dog.

 it is strange and i do have to remind myself winter isn't over.  don't want to end up feeling depressed when it returns again.  easy to get your brain into spring mode.

 i'm on call.  figured i'd keep myself up a bit longer lest they call me in right as i fall asleep.  it's too early and that phone can ring anytime.  i'm a wee bit fearful that once i drop off i won't hear it ring.  i've been known to sleep through a phone ringing.  i've been known to sleep through a lot actually.

 liked the color of these bright dried out berries.

 was nice to not have to rush in to work.  they didn't call me off until nearly 6:30.  pretty late, but i think they know i'm chill with that.  usually that means patients moved around at the last moment and i wasn't needed anymore in the area they had first thought they'd need me.  after that, they see if anyone else needs me and by 6:30, everyone is usually pretty set...then you just wait past the 7-7:30 time when people who were expected to show don't show up or someone shows up sick or something.  now anything goes.  i could get called in to psych to sit with someone who goes nuts...?

 for now i'm being paid a small wage to be available.  so at this moment i'm a paid writer!!  i should be downstairs on the laptop putting in my time.  instead i rested and watched a movie.  one i liked quite a lot, "the magic of belle isle".  i've also begun watching this series i've heard talked about, "downton something".  just netflix'ed the first few episodes so i'll send off for more of the series.  always fun.

 have been hearing noises tonight. sounds like explosives and stuff.  wondering if the military is doing some sort of night training?

 bit of a hot flash going on right now.  strange.  our bodies are strange things some days.

 anyway, the movie i watched tonight is a good reminder about imaginations and continuing to use them no matter your age.  i need to seek out mine so i can work on these books that i think would be fun to get written.  i liked the idea one writer was talking about on NPR of talking to your creative side about your projects, a dialogue with yourself.

 a tiny creek running along side the road up to the trail had these cool ice formations so i stopped to check those out.

 always love the icicles and the movement of the water around them.

 looked like a pretty low tide out on the flats.

 enjoyed the sunshine dancing off the water out there.  odd too that at this time of year there weren't the usual ice bergs out there.  where are they??  nome hit nearly 50 i think...they rarely even hit that in the summers.

 another perk of staying home tonight was watching american idol. with the new judges i am enjoying the show again.  last year keith urban had his hands full with the two judges he had to work with..it looks like they are all enjoying each other.  it's just way more fun to watch.  love harry connick jr.  he's a great addition.

 been in an eating jag.  need to snap out of it and get back into an exercising jag.  much better.  good to get out and walk though.  don't see any snow in the forecast.  my cleats are for sure getting a work out.

 sideways, but still a pretty shot i think.

 was just enjoying the light.  rio enjoyed resting as did blossom.

 the willows are totally confused and you can see all the spring growth, not sure what happens when winter returns for these poor confused plants.

 kinda laughing as i think people really only see blossom off leash in photo's so when i post a photo of her on a leash it's like people don't know what it is.

 she does get walked on a leash from time to time.  actually more and more.  she is of the belief that if she is off leash she should be chasing a toy.  when i can tell she's a bit tired or it's not a good trail for tennis balls or frisbee's i just put her on a leash, then she doesn't feel obligated to play and just walks.

 liked the water action coming off the ice.  that is how it builds up.

 we'll start all over now that the temperatures are starting to melt.  i enjoy the ice though so i'm sure i'll enjoy hunting down more icicles.

 another one with water action.

 my life is small, it's these little things that make me stop and look closer.

 simple is good.  there is so much out there if you only stop and look around.

better try to get a short nap in.

spring, spring, go away, don't come back til may!!

 did feel cooler today.  clear skies tonight.  i think we are hitting the 20's at night again.  what we need is a good dump of snow though and there doesn't appear to be any in the forecast.  for now we are a mess of ice.

 rio has a great appetite and i think overall she feels better having that lump off.  i think it may have been making her feel worse than i knew.  she's much more perky.  yesterday she showed no interest in joining us for the walk so i left her on the couch with her peanut butter filled bone and hoped for the best.  she was fine.

 i took blossom to north bivouac for some loops and then a run to the market.  didn't want to leave rio home alone too long though.  her incision is holding together so far.  whew!!

 the big pond area wasn't to be trusted. in general i'm more apt to be less trusting of these frozen bodies of water than the average. more so when you walk alone.  that would be pretty brainless to do otherwise in my opinion.  i tend to live my life thinking how would this article read in the paper the next day...stupid woman crosses barely frozen ice during warm weather, falls through and dies.  see not good.  i kept blossom on a leash while near this as well.  she doesn't ever see the world through the eyes of what an article may make her out to be in the post analysis.

 so we stayed safe due to my overly cautious nature.  i wore cleats even to take out the trash.

 this monkey doesn't want to bump her head on the ice foolishly.

 the days have been pretty.  i've accomplished little.  did get through some memory cards and saved a few photo's. put a few more on the nat geo my shot site.  always fun to get global feed back, what a cool world it is now that we can interact with people from nearly every nation!! fun to look at all the other photo's from people in places i'd never be able to visit.  especially nice to see it through the eyes of regular folks like me, just out living their lives and sharing it through photography.

 of course, it's often funny.  pictures i really like,  don't get as much attention as i would expect and ones that i think are so so get more attention that i expect.  go figure.

 did't see any moose today despite my wandering around for a few walks.

 my friend checked on rio...i texted her that rio had been hungry and wanted to walk.  she texted back, "eating and walking, if only our lives could be so simple" or something like that.  then i realized mine pretty much is, at least these past few days.  i've pretty much just eaten, slept and walked.

 did listen to NPR for a bit today...while i ate, haha.  they were talking about Anchorage making a bid for being a host to the winter olympics. i think it wouldn't happen until 2026, but who knew there was so much involved.  i did live in Los Angeles when they had the summer olympics there.  i was early 20's  i think, do wish i would have tried to hit some more of the venues.  went on a date to volleyball, can't recall who the date was with, he clearly made an impression on me.  anyway, i really didn't even notice them.   much more spread out there though. would be cool i think in general though.

 2026 seems like it's totally far away, but now that i think about it, it really isn't.  yikes!

 today i headed to prospect heights.  there was a lot of earth showing.  the trails themselves were all ice though.  i went super slow for rio.  feared she'd fall on the ice and then have her incision open up.

 thankfully, no such thing happened.  did feel badly as it wasn't a very easy first walk for her.

 when i could i directed her off the trail onto the dry stuff, but usually this wasn't an option.

 later i headed downtown for a second walk with just blossom.  have been wanting to check out a few places i've never been in town.  ship creek portion of the multi-use trail is one place i've never been.

 this was just the inside of a fallen tree.  thought it looked kinda cool.

 blossom enjoys the sunshine today!

 some poor guy in sitka got bit in the arse by a sea lion.  apparently he was sitting on the rail of a boat with his arse hanging over towards the sea (pants were on) anyway, the sea lion jumped up and nipped his arse.  he's okay..

 some of the smaller avalanches on the road to valdez have been cleared.  a young couple were found attempting to climb out over the avalanche area.  work had to be stopped and they were arrested.  word today is that they were trying to get their cat out to the vet in valdez.  "ninja" had a plugged urinary tract.  this can be deadly for a cat.  the couple were arrested, but they and their cat were taken to valdez and the cat did receive the medical care he needed.  that will be an expensive trek to the vet...perhaps some fund will be set up to help them pay for it all.  there are a lot of animal lovers out there!!

 there was an article about anchorage trails and trail etiquette.  obnoxious dogs always get slammed, but it would have been nice if they added that those who are going faster, like bikers and skiers would help themselves by making noise.  if i know they are coming in time i can make more of an attempt to get myself and my dogs off the trail.  if i have no warning, it's really hard for me to clear the trail, leashed or not.

 i would also add that the vast majority of loose dogs are with bikers and skiers.  so the bikers and skiers that get annoyed with a walker with an off leash dog should really direct their anger at their comrades on bikes and ski's that don't control their dogs at all.  several times loose dogs that are with bikers have chased a moose which is then headed right for me.  my off leash dog is under my voice control and in my view at all times, i can't say that for the bikers and skiers i see with off leash dogs.  they also mention poop...i can assure you the bikers and skiers with dogs off leash probably aren't stopping to pick up dog poop.

 in general it's mostly peaceful on the trails.  there are always those that are pissed off idiots at life anyway and they are just waiting for any opportunity to go off on people.

 ship creek trail, all ice.

 every winter does have it's own rhythm.  some winters we have a lot of fog, others, snow, still others the temperatures are low for an extended time, this winter the temperatures have been high for an extended time.  you just have to be prepared to have fun in all sorts of weather.  some years you may use cleats more, some you may ice skate more, others you sled or ski more and others you snowshoe more.  i think the bikers are actually having fun right now...though apparently that is pissing off the skiers too as they, like us, put ruts in the trails...or in my case footprints and pawprints.

 could have hit the hockey game tonight.  still chilling with rio.  she still whines if i get too far away from her...that may just be her now. i do suspect she's lost what little vision she did have.  makes her more dependent.

 several bridges along this route. i didn't go terribly far.  just to this big looping bridge. as it was ice with some slope i decided that was probably good, besides it was getting close to sunset time and i figured i'd be back to the car for that.

 looking down from that bridge above.

 the ski for women is scheduled for this sunday.  haven't been to kincaid to see how bad the trails are there.  they can make snow there i think.  i'm working the night before.  they will walk if skiing isn't possible.

 more views from the top of the trail.  nice views really.

 ship creek and the railroad tracks.

 my yard is a mess. i'm generally good at keeping the poop up, but this meltdown has left a poop mess out there.  i want my frozen poops back!!

 enjoyed a lazy evening of looking at memory cards and watching American Idol. so far i am liking the judges this season.  they work well together and i like that they aren't giving as much time on the show to the freaks who show up to audition.  as harry connick said, they disrespect the process.

 not sure what this old industrial building is. looked kinda cool though and i like a reflection.

 ship creek is a very popular fishing place in the summers in anchorage.  i think i was reading once that not too many big cities can boast of a world class salmon fishing run downtown.

 the Alaska Railroad is located down here.  i wandered a bit before heading back to my car.  not the most spectacular sunset, but i'll take any sunset.  made for a few nice train shots i think.

 who doesn't like trains, right?

 chatted with my sis yesterday and with my brother, tom today.  always nice to catch up with family.

well, i've wasted another day doing hardly nothing...what a great life i have!!  peace out...as they say!