last of Kennicott

 relaxing day in some ways.  got lots of little things done...still need to do some bills though i guess...then the day will be a success. chores.  gotta get to them on occasion.  i try to avoid it...my house shows it though.  i really need to do some major purging of crap.

 winter is coming.  i can always say now that i will do that in the dark hours of winter. it will perk me up to unload the place of crap.  also need to plan my kitchen remodel.  wrote the construction guy to plan for spring. 

 those stairs felt daunting after my hike to the glacier that day. it was a hot day...well hot by AK standards anyway.

 the rest are from the drive out.  i had debated staying in Valdez overnight. but then it really started to rain and there was road construction and i was ready to just get home to my puppies i think.

 swans just chilling...now they are on the move, migrating.  many birds have booked already.  reverse of spring. 

 did manage a walk.  just headed out to Kincaid for a stretch around Little Campbell Lake.  debated a run to see the whale.  they just did the necropsy yesterday though so that will mean the whale will be more stinky now.  after the last time when Blossom lay down in a pool of whale guts...it became easy to just skip it.  besides, low tide wasn't until after 7 pm.  many friends seem to be making their way down to see the whale.  let the gagging begin.  probably the only time to go would have been really early before the necropsy. 

 took the pups one by one to PetSmart after the walk.  Ivy Rose had lost her tag.  i suspect it was left on the hillside during a wrestle session yesterday.  we walked out a ways of the southfork trail.  it had been foggy but cleared and was a beautiful afternoon. 

 debated yesterday doing a longer walk, but i think when i walk alone i am less inclined to go over 6-8 miles.  not sure why.  in truth with the dogs, 3-5 miles seems to work for them, it's a good work out.  I'm happy, they are happy.  they could care less where we go.  i change it up more for me i think, though i suspect dogs like the change of smells too.  but some good walks and such this stretch off.  back to work again tomorrow

 flowers are nearly all gone...though i still have some strawberries in my garden.  leaves are falling faster than i can rake them up.

 took the tomatoes and cucumbers i think out of the planters and tossed some bulbs in there.  never know if those will grow.  stick them in and forget them. if they do, great. 

 also got a clear layer of paint sprayed on the main little library.  should protect it.  arranged to get the folks out who let you know if you are going to dig on anything critical.  figure i can map out where to put in the library and get that set up.  this guy was supposed to be getting back in town on the 20th...still haven't heard anything from him.  could be his mom got worse and he isn't back, i have no idea. did buy some brick to try to set up an area. should probably just buy a post and put it in the ground with this on it and then just try for the full set up next spring.  have been excited to get it out there...so this has been frustrating.

 enjoy watching Rachel Maddow.  love that she tends to avoid the fluff out there and really tries to focus on news.  talking about Rus and how they have been messing with elections across the globe and have become masters at social media.  it's pretty scary what they have managed to do.  scary as well that so many fellow citizens choose to ignore this real threat to our nation.  it's pretty sad.  frustrating as i watch so many obsess about this football crap...looks like Rus bots are involving themselves in this as well...divide and conquer.  it's one of the oldest strategies in the books....well even before books.

 iitoo tweets and his followers freak.  guess people are burning season tickets and football jerseys.  sadly, the folks who will be hurt worse by them not showing up at games is the regular folks working the booths and parking lots and such. 

 someone had posted that if these players were protesting abortions all these supposed patriots would be cheering them and getting down on one knee.  I'm calling it patriotic correctness.  all hail the flag unless you are conservative and then they cheer Kid Rock cutting a hole in a flag and wearing it as a poncho.  stand at attention during anthem except that most days prior to this outrage people were standing but texting or standing in line for a beer...I'm trying to just laugh it off now. 

 whether you agree with them of not, they have the right.  if this was NK they would be shot or jailed.  i would rather not live under a dictatorship.  many have fought hard for these rights and i do hope we don't put a false patriotism above our rights and freedoms. 

 still a distraction and i find myself getting sucked into the argument.  that is just what Rus would have of all of us.  it is also what the iitoo would want.  distraction is the best way to take advantage of fools.  we have to fight hard to not allow ourselves to be fools. 

 finally caught a picture of one of the hundreds of rabbits that i saw driving to Kennicott.

 the Kurds voted to separate from Iraq. not sure what will happen there.  Rus seems to be involved and their bots supporting any issues that divide in any nation.  looks like zuckerberg is finally seeing what facebook may have been used for.  twitter as well.  all these social media sights are easy to use. 

 a transgender teen was brutally murdered.  tortured really. there is a nasty element in our society and it's growing.  you see it happening. blaming, attacking. 

 many times i feel powerless and a foreboding and sense of doom.  so many seem to just ignore all the signs.  it does make me think of Germany during the days of Hitler. how many probably just carried on.  it wasn't happening to them. their lives were continuing on so there was no reason for alarm.  when their alarms started to fire off inside them, it was too late. 

 this radical Christian won his run up. i think now he'll run against a Dem for a seat.  I'm just calling them Radical Christians now.  i suspect that may be what we will be up against.  seems insidious, but i suspect that is how it started in the Muslim world.  the far right started working their way into power and then poof, everyone had to obey their religious edicts.  our nation feels at risk of becoming more of a theocracy. 

 this one lane road takes you from Chitina onto the main road leading to Kennicott.  when i first got to it i thought the whole road would be like this..but it really wasn't that bad.

 Puerto Rico, which i think i have sometimes thought was Costa Rica for some reason, seems to be in pretty rough shape.  the iitoo has been focused on the football crap while these poor folks have been suffering.

 the healthcare bill again seems to be dead.  the GOP seems to be dead or dying.  i had wondered if that was the goal of the iitoo...destroying the party...it still may be.  he may be a success at this. hopefully our nation survives all this mess. 

 sure to be some good books/movies and such after this is all done.  in my heart i think we will survive this but i suspect it will go much better or less rough if the people do all they can to prevent it from getting worse.  so far i have been proud of the resistance.  those on the right who hate us liberal snowflakes may one day have to thank us.  not sure they will though. 

 hate gets in the blood. 

 long and unwinding road.

 these are at Worthington Glacier.  did a walk, shortish. i returned a few weeks later and did a longer walk with the pups. 

 the glacier has receded so much in the years since i moved north.  it's pretty scary.  this whole area was covered when i first saw it.  the walk is longer now to get to it.  the higher trail on the left went next to the glacier field. 

 so i do have much better pictures the next time i went. 

 tougher to walk with the pups. still some pulling.  especially Tusker.  he was a brat today at the store.  i was trying to just take Ivy first and he jumped over me to get out and was running loose in the parking lot for a few seconds. in the store he was so excited! he just wants to say hello to everyone.  Ivy was an angel. it is funny.  in day to day life she is the brat.  haha.  she is like those kids you hear about where the parents are beside themselves at home but their teachers are all  they are the best ever!

 Ivy in class or on the leash is pretty good.  she is so wanting to please that she just responds.  Tusker...well, his curiosity gets him every time.  short attention span

 that glacier could calve.  you still have to be cautious. especially on a sunny day I'd guess.

 the valley is opening up

 this is when we still had lupine.  i think i was waiting in a long line for construction...at this point i opted to just head back to Anchorage.

 the pipeline

 just some scenery on the way home. Matanuska Glacier is huge and you watch it for miles along this route.

 sheep mountains.  always beautiful

 lions head i think it's called...you know you are getting close to home here.

 more of the glacier. 

 i really do live in an amazing place.  sure hope i don't see war on our soil in my lifetime.  I'm a wimp.  i see what happens in war and i would really love to avoid it.  I've been pretty spoiled so far.  with this guy in office we may all get a lesson in war soon.  way too many crazy people in powerful positions right now.  our world is in a broken state right now.  sometimes it ends up getting more broken before the repairs can happen.

 the terminus of the Matanuska Glacier.

 and the river leading off of it. ready to crash i guess.  made the bed...slowly as that is how it goes with puppies

grateful for: A.  a carefree life, a safe life, a stable life  B.  the freedoms i have enjoyed throughout my life.  C.  those who will continue to fight for what is right and protect those who need help. 

evening of swans...

 really need to get my day started, but thought I'd post these as i was looking through yesterdays pics and these were pretty cool...at least i felt they were.  i got really lucky.

 a lady that lives in the area and was there said after that this family has been coming to this spot in the evenings.  she had gotten some amazing shots the other day at sunset with deep sunset colors.  i wasn't that lucky.  they are right off the road at the cut off between Seward and the road down to Homer.

 i did opt out of Homer yesterday.  it was tempting and it looks like the weather probably was beautiful.  i was happy to be home last night and not driving 5 hours each way.

 i do have some things to do at home.  winterizing and education stuff that i should probably get to.

 foggy this morning but it has since cleared out. deciding where to hike today. I'll have to hit trails soon though.  the day is wasting and the sun sets much earlier.

 still thinking i may head to South fork.  haven't done that all year.  it's always beautiful though.

 it was pouring rain when we hit Portage.  i had stopped for a few other swan sightings.  i haven't even looked at those yet, but i suspect they will be less impressive now that I've seen these. 

 the pups and i walked Byron anyway.  it was pouring and the creek next to us was loud...before you get to the end of that trail it gets more bushy.  not a soul was out there so i ended up turning around. the dogs had a decent break walk at that point and all that noise and no other people made me hesitate due to possible bear encounters.  i tend to err on the safe side in these situations. if i get that "what the hell am i doing?" feeling i will turn around. I'm sure others are braver..or more dumb than me. that really just depends on your perspective. 

 i walk alone with dogs often. i am alive still.  I'm guessing some of that is luck but some of that is also just being willing to turn around sometimes.

 years ago i had this date with this guy. he was military.  he had a never lose/never quit attitude.  that can be great but i recall i was meeting him at the zoo after i did a bike ride.  it was a  25 or 50 mile bike to benefit the San Diego Zoo i believe.  you got free tickets to zoo after.  at the time, i was having some asthma/bronchitis issues.  after hitting my inhaler several times i opted to just bike the 25 mile route. this guy seemed to believe this made me a quitter.  my view was going 25 miles was pretty dang good when you are having issues breathing. 

 this is the young swan.  spreading his wings.  so cute.

 i expressed my opinions a few times on facebook last night. i really shouldn't bother but on occasion people irritate me by going over the top and posting way too many meme's and such.  after much eye rolling my opinions come out.  if you don't wish to hear them....i suggest you stick to cats and family pictures. i think that is what most of us should be doing on facebook anyway.  it's been proven to not be a good source of news. 

 after some back and forth with some guy i went to high school with but barely remember i just decided to back out as it was such a waste of my time.  when people stop actually discussing stuff and instead just post youtube video's to make their point it's time to walk away.  he seems to believe he knows how i think because he seems to think everyone who doesn't think like him thinks exactly like each other. 

 loved the fall colors with these swans.  really added to the scene. i had rain and then this great light and beautiful scenery.  that is Alaska.

 every liberal doesn't think the same, nor does every black person or conservative or latino...everyone has a blended experience in life and thus a blended way of seeing the world.  the idea is to try and get out of your box and see things how others see them, at least as much as you can.  you still may lean towards your original belief but then again maybe you won't. 

 my beliefs have been altered over the years...and they continue to alter.  i guess if i was a politician i would be considered flip flopping but i think if you don't change your mind sometimes and evolve then you aren't really considering others viewpoints.

 when it comes to black lives matter and racism, i am still evolving.

 my life has not really made me look at these issues.

 i have been trying to focus more on understanding these issues.  have i totally come to grips with all the issues, no.  i probably never will.  i can not make myself understand some of these issues because i am not black. i have come to understand more...and i suspect the fact that i am even trying is helpful and a good start.

 it's always funny to me to see people like this guy today, post the one video of a black guy who has his same views.  like somehow that one black guy now represents every black guy.  again...if you are posting youtube videos instead of actually coming up with a real discussion then the "conversation" is over. 

 just chatted with my niece.  she lives in Houston and her rental house took some damage.  she was able to get back in fairly quickly.  her landlord was fast in getting repairs done so that is great.  still a mess in general in Houston it sounds like. people are still trying to get life back together again.  seems overall people are getting back to work and to school.

 they didn't have the winds, but they had a lot of rain.  loads and loads of it.

 i am hungry...what to eat?  still have sores in my mouth and i have my crown to get put on next week....we shall see how my mouth reacts to that.

 so NK feels iitoo has declared war already and states they will shoot any of our planes that come close even if they don't cross into NK air space. i read somewhere that today some NK representatives were seeking out GOP members in an attempt to try to figure out what they are to do with iitoo, figure out what he means when he says stuff.  not sure what or if that actually happened.  pretty sad if that is true.

 sounding like this new lousy healthcare bill will also fail.  they all need to just work together and make what we have better.  there was a huge group of protesters at the one meet they had about healthcare, these were mostly special needs folks who again were dragged out as they were unable to be walked out.  pretty powerful protest if you ask me.  my hats off to those folks for getting out there and protesting so vehemently. 

 the other protest....well that remains the big talk out there.  people are really nuts over it.  again, the same people who support the iitoo but seem indifferent to his disrespect of the military.  he talks and says what they want to hear even if for him it's all crap. i don't think he believes it.  i suspect the man never stood for an anthem in all the years before he started down this potus path.  he was in his little expensive box at the games doing his own thing and ignoring the anthem. 

 i see both sides of this.  i get why people would prefer to see these guys stand but i also get that they feel the need, especially after the iitoo comments and continued tweets, to kneel in support.  i thought a few of the teams handled it better than others...again i don't watch football and so i didn't actually see any of these things live. i know one team just avoided it by staying in the locker room until after the anthem, like they did before 2009?  i think.  another team knelt down together locked in arms before the anthem and then stood for the anthem.  that seemed rational as well.  the right, who seem to be under the impression that they and only they are capable of patriotism, will not be satisfied at this point with anything. 

 crazy what people go nuts about.  i have been to plenty of games and when you look around now, people may be standing but they are texting or otherwise engaged...not sure how this is better. 

 so that is my day.  better to clear my head and then head out for my walk.  another late start i guess. 

 i made it to see the baby walrus.  he has gained more weight and he is swimming more confidently.  super cute.  his one eye still looks a bit wonky. 

 haven't heard any news about where he will go or when.  i meandered on the way to Seward, at times debating why i was making the drive. happy i did. turned out to be pretty.  i only had like 10 minutes at the SeaLife Center as it's closing earlier these days. summer is over.

 then i took pups to the beach for awhile.  the tide was up but there was still enough beach to play on. the pups did not want to leave.  this is where i was a terrible human i guess. Ivy kept walking away from the car and not loading up. so at one point i turned on the engine.  she still was walking away, so then i got in car and shut door.  then i felt terrible.  her face dropped and you could see the panic in her eyes.  of course, i grabbed the leash and walked over to her and she joined me and loaded up.  i felt awful though.  i am far from perfect.  i am incredibly fallible.  i can be nice but i can be mean as well.  i try to stay on the good side of who i am.  in that moment i failed though.  sorry Ivy. 

 love when these birds stretch their wings like this.  so dramatic. 

 i would have liked to stay longer at the beach too, but driving in the dark gets more tough the older i get.  also, when i arrived there were 3 young men there.  they were making a lot of noise and i wasn't sure how to read them. this again is where i let my gut lead me.  at some point a guy and a young girl showed up so then i felt fine.  eventually they left and then it was just me again with these rowdy seeming guys.  seemed better to cut it a bit short than risk some bad interaction.

 as a female you do have to always be aware of things.  I've had enough things happen to me to use caution.  most females have. 

 it just becomes part of your routine.  it shouldn't have to but that is what it is.

 speaking of women.  Saudi women can finally drive i hear. I'm sure there are some restrictions but that is a huge deal.  congrats!!

 swimming into the fall colors

 what a lovely few minutes to chill with these beautiful birds. it was a great little road trip. 

 off to hike...well, eat then hike i guess.

 the young swan, still grey

 they swan off a bit and it was time to move on for me.

 not too many stops after that.  some pink skies behind me

 a few more lakes with beautiful reflections ahead.

 by the time i got back to the arm, it was somewhat dark.  thankfully, it was never fully dark and i could drive easily without being too worried about random moose pulling in front of me suddenly.

 i better run. 

thankful for:  A.  wildlife sightings  B. the diversity of this earth C.  fall and all it's wonder.