a Dead Whale of a day..

 there is a dead humpback whale on the beach and it seems that everyone in Anchorage is again making a pilgrimage to check it out.  i really should have gotten there before the decay set in as much as it has. they did a necropsy so that opened it up. as you can see the skin has mostly fallen off. whale bits have been moved down the beach. skin scattered everywhere. 

 i managed to prevent gagging by watching the wind direction.  :-)  it's a young male apparently.  always sad.  haven't heard if they figured out what caused it to pass away.  it was a beautiful day as you can see.  i worked last night.

 it was a sleep day. i was allowed to leave early today.  so i think I was out of there by 0430.  always nice. 

 managed to get some pictures of the puppies in this favorite tree...i said tree on something and someone corrected me that it's actually 2 trees. yes they are right.  it is actually 2 trees.  it wasn't easy to get them both up there at the same time. perhaps one day I'll get a friend to join me and try to get a family picture here.

 here they are anyway.

 3 nights of work.  i worked RCU, then PICU and lastly ER.  i was busy in the ER. i kept getting the ambulances and admits.  then some patient apparently felt her call light wasn't answered in a timely fashion and despite being quite capable, she opted to drop her drawers and squat on the floor.  yes, this is what we deal with as nurses. 

 was able to complete the online portion of PALS so that was good.  it's like a computer game where you code kids online.  i was doing code after code.  i only had to redo i think one until the last one.  it was like 6 am and i thought I'll try to finish this last one.  i kept messing up and finally i figured I'd just wait and finish it when my brain wasn't as tired.  quickly was able to complete it the next night in PICU in the wee hours. thought for sure I'd fail the written test, but passed that as well. of course, i noticed that my education crap has refilled again. 

 arriving on the beach and then you can see the whale.  there was a steady stream of folks cruising down to the beach. 

 it's Alaska so I'm not saying a crowd.

 was sitting in the RCU when a doc came by.  he started talking and since the shooting had happened he worked the subject over to that...i must be obviously a "snowflake".  of course, i really must speak to the "snowflake" thing. it really cracks me up, since I've been called a snowflake on a pretty regular basis at this point, i mean this is the best you got?  calling me a snowflake.  in my opinion water in all forms is far more powerful than these folks seem to know. we just had some pretty major hurricanes, flooding, snowstorms can be very destructive as well.  tsunami's, glaciers are just lots of snowflakes.  they think snowflakes are weak and fragile so they believe this is a big insult.  whatever. again...I'm a nurse, I've been called every name in the book so snowflake isn't going to rile me up. 

 as with most of these crazy right wing gun nuts it's impossible to find the cut off.  what is the cut off?  is there any gun or weapon that you believe should be regulated?  i took it to the ridiculous...so should someone with enough money be free to have a small nuclear warhead at their home if they so desire?  this guy feels that NK should be nuclear armed...if everyone has everything then we will all be safe.  so there, we have our answer i guess.  there is no limit.  they want absolutely no control. 

 they will state how awful what happened in Vegas is...but they do not like when you suggest to them that in actuality they must not really care.  i mean they seem to offer no suggestions for how to stop these acts.  we are i guess supposed to just accept them as normal. it's just what happens...more guns, that is the answer.  they use these silly cliche answers.  spoon fed to them from conservative news and the NRA i guess.  it's the same trite answers over and over.  they rush over to ,"well then we shouldn't have cars or alcohol cause those kill people."

 the guy put an apparatus on multiple semi auto guns that makes it easier to shoot continuously.  of course, these are now sold out in most stores and online.  gun sales sky rocket with each of these events..gun producers stocks go sky high after these events.  it's actually pretty sick.  the right are paranoid that the left will take away all their guns.  there is no logic really to their paranoia...but that is what paranoia is.  as i tend to find, it's like talking sense to nonsense.

 the right likes to say guns don't kill people, people do...like don't blame the guns, they are so innocent.  so then nuclear warheads don't kill people, people who use them improperly do...so i guess we should just allow every other nation to have a stockpile according to the rights logic...we will all be safer when all nations have nuclear warheads. 

 of course, i posted the other day that the right is right...guns don't kill people, the people who refuse to take action to fight for stricter gun regulation kill people. i am feeling that we need to hold them accountable for the deaths that occur with each of these events. even if you just love guns...what would it hurt to find a limit or figure out what you think is reasonable and then call your representative and let them know you are sick of these events and you do have a cut off. 

 I'd say, federal laws as we have issues with cross border sales.  strong laws in this state, just drive across a border.   also private sales and gun shows need to be regulated.  I'd say that if you sell someone an illegal gun, you get charged a substantial penalty if that gun is used in anything. create gun clubs like they have in England.  if you want a semi-automatic or whatever you can shoot it there and store it there.  no fly list=no buy list....that is a start.  I'm fine with responsible people owning hand guns or rifles for shooting but i believe there is a limit to what people need as far as fire power

 and that whole idea of being able to take on our government.  it's too late..the right gives the bulk of our tax dollars to building up the military...which i always find ironic since they are the ones most hell bent on being able to take out our government if needs be.  let it go....you and your little militia will never be a match for the massive military you have built up.  more ridiculous reasoning.

 saw a meme the other day which really did make me laugh. " I'd like to buy 2 boxes of sudafed, no, the law says you can only have one box...okay, then I'll just take one box and these 7 guns." I'm not sure exact words....but you get the picture.  there are so many things that we regulate for safety but guns get a near total pass.  at this point i just think if you do nothing than you accept these deaths....that basically, you are fine with them.  as one GOP person said, these deaths are the price of freedom.  so no big deal, moving on. 

 they avoid any political discussion by saying oh no, we can't make this political, we must let the dust settle.  i say we should never let the dust settle on these lives lost.  it will just keep happening over and over.  i do not accept this option. 

 made a cairn on the whales tail and put some of Blossom, Rio and Huey's ashes there.  seemed fitting.  they can ride a whales tail across heaven.  :-) 

 meanwhile they delayed passing a bill on allowing more silencers on guns.  with each mass shooting the gun laws get rolled back, not made stricter.  i suspect they will slip this through in a few weeks/months.  they will probably toss a bone and make some regulation about those things you add on to make the guns fire more rounds faster.  i suspect it won't ban them, it will be some weak law limiting them. 

 after our walk i went looking for moose down by Woronzof.  past Earthquake Park i found them.  there were 4 males posturing.  one really big guy crossed right in front of my car.  the pups loved that.  watched them for a bit....quite a few cars pulled over.  everyone was enjoying the show

 i hears powerline pass trail is closed due to a bear killing a moose.  it's cached there no doubt so best to leave that place be.

 after that i headed over to Lake Hood to watch the sunset.  so a nice picture taking afternoon.

 pups are a bit worn out so that is good.  dishes and laundry...nothing else accomplished.

 i always think i will do all the things in the winter i don't do in the summer...i keep busy hiking in the winter too though. this winter i need to plan my kitchen remodel.  that should keep me busy.  need to clear out crap to make that easier.

 pups were coated in mud and then then added a layer of sand.  they had a great time though.

 Ivy shows the dirt more than Tusker but believe me, that dog was coated as well.

 i think you can see it here.  Ivy body slammed him into the mud

 so Ivy Rose.

 we hit Little Campbell Lake after for some swimming and clean up. 

 all the news is bad news.  instead of fixing obamacare the iitoo is sabotaging it.  today he supposedly signed something to make it easier for insurance companies to not pay for birth control.  sure, they have no problem regulating all things female.  having birth control available is your best defense to preventing abortions.  so this will only increase abortions. I'd prefer we not do that, but that is apparently what the rights brilliant plan is this week.  radicalized Christians...doing wrong things for what they believe are right reasons.  Christianity is being bastardized for their own gain...i can assure you their form of Christianity is nothing like what i read in the Bible.  this is not the Christianity that Christ taught us about.  anything too extreme is never good.  religion, politics..no place for extremism.  you will never get anything accomplished with that attitude...you will only forfeit democracy for dictatorship.

 4 green berets killed in Niger...haven't heard much about that yet. 

 the Russia investigation continues. the nothing burger will eventually be shown to be a fully loaded burger.  what will those who listen to fox believe though.  hannity?  not sure there is enough proof for them to believe.  Man is a mess.  he's all over this.  the dossier....follow the money...and of course, the dead rus. of course, Put may kill off a few of ours before it's over in attempt to prevent the truth from coming forward. 

 i recall in Jr High history class discovering that every invention man made seemed to quickly morph into a potential weapon of war.  i sadly discovered the truth of man.  discoveries are only worthwhile if they can be used against others.  things get funded because someone sees that potential. it's pretty sad.  it shouldn't be shocking at all that put and rus have found ways to utilize social media against their enemies.  it's so clear now.  what to do about it...again with this iitoo in place and a GOP who seems to refuse to see or believe it will be slow going fixing this mess.  i keep hoping that there are GOP members who are willing to put nation first and who are well aware that this iitoo is an idiot...did Till say iitoo is a moron.  no doubt. 

 i hear other nations are going to GOP senators and trying to figure out how to deal with iitoo.  it's a disaster right now...our government.  still the right lets only their hate of the left lead them.  hate is a terrible leader. 

 you can see below some of the whale skin.  it was scattered all over the beach.  the tides come and go and move the bits and pieces along. 

 I'm sure there are plenty of scavengers out there happy to make a meal out of this big whale.  saw pictures from Rus where some 200+ polar bears had collected at the sight of a beached and dead whale there.  the pictures were crazy.

 above Ivy checks out another chunk of whale further up the beach.

 it really was a beautiful day.

 can't go wrong with a beach day.  still debating another trek to Homer.  colors should be pretty right now.

 more whale...i think this clean cut below was probably during necropsy. 

 mud

 pfd's came out...the ER tends to get nuts.  people spend their money on all sorts of things...not all good for them. 

 white and black chunks of skin. 

 guess i should head to bed.  start again tomorrow. there is stuff to do to get ready for winter and the mountain snow is coming down lower to town every day it seems.

 thanks for stopping by. i know not everyone agrees with my opinions but i appreciate you reading and i do love comments....not fights, comments. i have had enough fighting for the week.  this snowflake is headed to bed. 

grateful for:  A.  my health and ability to walk to cool sights and scenes.  B.  wildlife in town, never gets boring.  C.  sunsets