everyone can't be right...

 it's pretty amazing to watch the nastiness on social media.  hidden behind the screen everyone voices their opinions, nobody listens to anyone.  it's really a pointless act, commenting.  still i find myself sucked in on way too many occasions.  these are still from the other day beach and moose spotting. 

 a video taken by someone else that was out moose spotting in the same spot turned up on facebook.  my car was in it....the moose crossed right in front of my car headed over to the 3 males on the other side of the street.  my dogs barked a few times, that moose was very focused on the males on the other side, he never glanced our way. 

 true to troll form, the nasty comments came. people from all over decided they were experts on moose and Anchorage and people.  they called those watching this scene idiots and stupid repeatedly.  our society is just at an all time low really.  people's kindness and tolerance of each other is near non-existent. it's pretty sad. 

 the other day there was another video i saw.  there was an outdoor symphony in Turkey.  i guess there are stray animals all over.  rather than kill animals outright like we do here, they have opted to just spay/neuter/vaccinate and release.  people watch over dogs and feed them.  at some point a healthy looking lab wandered onto stage during this concert, he lay down next to the violin section. i thought it was adorable and funny. 

 the trolls...just to show trolls are both extreme right and extreme left, well they were all over condemning the entire Turkey nation for this one stray dog.  it never even occurred to me to go nuts over the stray dog.  i just thought it was a cute video. hell, who knows, the owner of the dog could have been in the audience.  people make leaps and judge and scream.  saying things they would never have the guts to say in person.

 i figure if you post political stuff on your page you are fair game for a comment that is counter to your opinion.  i try to avoid calling names, though I've been called many....did finally do this with one friend of a friend who is extremely rabid.  he can be offensive and clearly he has no boundaries.

 i am not sure how we will ever return to any sort of sanity in our nation.  clearly, we will never have any sort of gun control. SNL had great skit...if you had 47 cats we would intervene and take those cats away from you.  nobody needs 47 of anything.  haha. it's true though. guns get a pass on all sorts of craziness.  it is odd that this has become such a huge issue for these folks.  the GOP wins because of guns and abortions. they could do anything else, and currently are, because they have these two things. their followers would be willing to give up every other freedom in their lives as long as they can keep guns and stop abortions. 

 i can assure you...if we morph into a dictatorship...your guns will be taken from you.  your opportunity to legislate rights and rules will be ended.  so it seems wiser to work to figure out sensible ways to control our sales of guns and find possible solutions to the violence we face over and over. don't see that happening.

 democracy is not safe.  blink and it can be lost. 

 all these trolls screaming at each other would be more tolerable if there was some hope that those screaming would release the anger and move forward, but all these battles do is make people more angry and less likely to consider another viewpoint.

 there are some points on both sides, though lately i haven't read much coming from the gun lovers that really makes them look at all sensible in the light of another attack.  there really just isn't any way to justify the current state of gun laws...try as they might.  personal weapons for safety and hunting fine...any assault style weapon...not so much.  i suspect they actually know this but are so dug in that they refuse to acknowledge the truth of their situation.  so they defend to the death i guess.

 suspect this will blow up into some level of civil war.  from civil unrest to civil war.  humans are complicated but in truth we are just animals.  we have our territories and when we feel those territories are threatened we attack.  many will die and then a calm will happen and there will be a return to normal relations to some degree.  will our nation survive, probably.  will it survive intact, that we don't know. 

 as with any organization over time every organization gets too organized for it's own good.  i see it in governments, religions, corporations, non-profits.  the bigger anything is the more chance there is for complete failure.  the initial tenets that brought people together become lost.  greed takes over, control takes over.  we watch all these things become corrupted over and over again. trust is lost and people rebel. 

 the leaders of our government have become greedy and corrupt.  they are controlled by special interest money.  they have gerrymandered away our votes.  the religions are also corrupted, so many are so disconnected to the message Christ brought to earth.  greed is pervasive.  do as i say, not as i do attitude...you see this repeatedly in both government and religion.  recently one GOP member was found to have tried to get his mistress to get an abortion.  you can't force others to live by rules that you yourself feel above.  eventually that back fires on you. 

 below is a slice from the whale i suspect.  they had done a necropsy.  whale bits are now scattered all over beach, moved with the tide.

 yesterday i headed to Whittier to walk Portage Pass.  no rain, but it was cloudy. i did part of the walk down to the lake.  opted to return after i got to a lovely viewpoint. there was still another 3/4 mile to go to the lake.  in Whittier you have a tunnel to contend with.  if i went all the way down i would miss the 5 pm tunnel out.  i opted to try to catch the 5pm tunnel.  made it!

 pups did well over all.  Tusker did take me down.  he ran up from behind and knocked me right at knee level...that is where these two stand though.  knee level.  i didn't have a chance.  i was sore but nothing permanent damaged.  so now they have both taken me down at least once.

 other dogs have taken me down in the past...I'm older now though.  haha.

 Ivy checks out another section of dead whale. above is skin i guess. the outer layer of the whale that has mostly fallen off the dead whale.  it's nearly 1/2 inch thick.

 could see Denali. 

 not sure where to hike today.  debating a run to Hope today.  Homer still just feels too long to go today.  haha.  i really should stick around here, try to get the post in for the little library.  do some stuff before the ground freezes.

 the wind was blowing last night.  causing the pups to bark at like 2 am.  i went out and shut the gate to the outdoor run...that was effective.  that was a great plan really...the outdoor run attached to the dog door. gives me that option.  have used it many times.

 it doesn't look like this today for sure.  wet out there today.  more reason to just do a local walk and get some crap done.  bills, clean, trash, post....

 more whale bits...I'm sure you all love the dead whale parts...

 the leaves area almost all off the trees locally,.the snow is falling north of here. the Chugach range has snow on the tops, moving down towards Anchorage.

 more skin, both black and white sections.

 always love a day at the beach.  as do the dogs

 took me years to discover this beach.  never brought Baby Huey here

 the pups really love the dunes and the sand.  we could spend hours just playing here.

 i had fun trying to capture photos of them leaping.

 Tusker makes the jump

 again Tusker.

 Ivy's turn.  it's not easy taking action shots of dogs while tossing the tennis ball. 

 i need a buddy just for this part. haha.

 stopped for repeat picture on the way back up the hill to the car.  was hoping to run into someone to get a picture of me with the dogs at the tree.  the dogs were not overly cooperative and then i started to be concerned that one would get a foot caught in a root and break a bone...we moved on

 the moose we'd had to walk past on the way down had settled in for a rest when we walked passed again. 

 the winds of last night no doubt took most of these leaves down.

 on to moose spotting.  i took video as this big guy passed a foot from my car.  then i switched to my camera.

 this guy was big!!

 it's a bit dicey trying to pick walks right now.  moose are on edge, bears are trying to fatten up before they sleep, so they are on edge too. 

 the humans are on edge too.  that is what happens when we have a madman in the white house.  the chaos impacts us all....it's had a global ripple as well.  it's pretty sad what damage has been done in such a short time. 

 it's embarrassing....this white house is embarrassing. 

 better get motivated.  get some crap done.  shower, walk dogs, shop for a post and cement...

 a few younger moose practice sparring...they are no match for the big moose

grateful for:  A.  changing seasons  B.  choices I've made that have brought me here C.  the laughter and companionship these puppies bring to my life.