calendar and cards on order!!

 nothing like a sales deadline to get you motivated.  Shutterfly is a spendy place so i always try to hit the sales.  plenty of them this time of year.  these pics are the last of July!!  i am still behind, but it doesn't feel as far behind as it did. 

 no more flowers out here now.  today we hit the dog park again and then looped around to various side trails. the pups were goodly tuckered out.  or Tuskered out as i say. 

 these are from the return trip from Valdez and a stop at the glacier outside town.  also is a hike on the reed lakes trail.  flowers a plenty

 i had some errands to do and i really wanted to get the calendars and cards ordered.  had to order all at one time to get the free shipping...shipping is where Shutterfly will nail you if they can.  those grocery bags i buy for WARIS are super light but they would charge hundreds for shipping if i don't plan it right.  have been trying to figure out if they have a work around that for bulk but haven't had much luck yet.  i know they are always donating stuff so why not right?  gotta be a way.

 we did stop at Michael's...a dangerous place to shop i find.  I'm not even all that crafty...i am trying to learn. it does come in handy for gifts, WARIS and also for Skelly.  yes it's past time to get Skelly revamped for Thanksgiving. 

 sadly...there was not a thing there for Thanksgiving.  it's all Christmas. i had to improvise so i wandered a bit and ended up with construction paper.  the super cold temps may foil my artwork and i may need to find a better way to tape the paper outside.  will know more in the morning after Skelly has been outside for the night.  i thought his pilgrim outfit came out pretty nice, especially considering my lack of craft skills.

 i still need to set up the scene and I'll wait until i have daylight and relative warmth tomorrow. 

 do i want to make bonnets for some of the crew or turkey hats...don't want to put them all in bonnets and make Skelly look like some sort of polygamist. 

 maybe a few bonnets and hats and turkeys.  won't risk the whole political correct thing with the native Americans.  I'll stick to pilgrims. 

 wanted to work on greetings with the pups at Bass Pro, which is right by the Michaels store.  we go so stores on a regular basis. i don't usually take them together. i  have survived a few times, but going with just one dog does help me focus on that one dogs training.  they say that is a good idea anyway if you get siblings.

 both pups did really well.  Tusker was a wee bit excited when he first walked in but he was able to hold it together. lots of greetings without jumping by Ivy Rose.  so proud.  no loose squirrels in the store so that is a bonus.  haven't looped the leashes around my wrist. 

 wrist feels a bit better today as well as the shoulder.  still some tenderness but i feel good that it will all heal.  i suspect it is best it i avoid future dog walks turning into flights.  i am not getting any younger.

 it happened that Santa was at Bass Pro doing photo ops and these are free so...why not! Santa and the elves seemed game and the pups were super friendly with them all and all the kids who were there to play and meet Santa as well.  Alaska is dog friendly place.  everyone has them and everyone loves them...well not everyone but mostly.   i can assure you at no time was i treated like i was odd for having the pups pose with Santa. 

 below is another Cairn i made for the dogs of the past.  so many beautiful places up here.

 ended up using many of these memorials on the cover of the calendar.  hopefully people like them.  those i don't give as gifts i will do the drawing again for WARIS i think.  we haven't raised much money this year...really i just need enough to keep us afloat, but it would be nice eventually to fund a small project on the island from time to time.

 can't say i was born to raise money.   i really hate asking people for money.  i could never be a sales person. 

 got out of Valdez just in time, the weather was coming in it seemed.  i think i had debated extending this to a drive out to Chicken.  it's been a few years.  the weather really had turned by the time i got back to Glennallen so it became and easy choice to just head home to warmth rather than think of setting up a tent in the driving rain.

 i have my limits and it's on days like that when i really like the idea of a camper. 

 still beautiful up here no matter the weather.

 the sunlight came out just in time to shine onto the terminus of Matanuska Glacier.

 wouldn't mind doing a winter trip out there...though the road down may scare the crap out of me.  this state is seemingly a non-guardrail state.  i sometimes think they don't put up guardrails for fear that it will cause people to drive more crazy thinking that the rail will save them....

 the river heading off from the glacier.  it really is pretty amazing to live with all these glaciers around...for sure you can see the changes in them over the years when you live here long enough.

 a few moose encounters on the way back.  this stretch between Glennallen and Sutton always seems to have it's share of moose.

 haven't ran into too many moose for a bit...they will start to really head down into town as the winter extends on. more if we get a lot of snow.  i have seen some folks on the trails cross country skiing.

 the pups have been doing great at "hold up" then they "sit" or "sphinx" and then "stay" as the bikes/walkers or skiers stroll past them.  i get many kind words as this happens. 

 Ivy has also been noticed for her still pink hue.  yes, she's pink.

 it works for her sometimes.  this is nearly home...taken from the car while i was driving.  dangerous i guess, but not bad for car shots.

 the rest are on a Reed Lakes trail hike.  i haven't been all the way up the trail.  i really should as it looks amazing up there. went quite a ways but there is a boulder area that i got all freaked about the dogs in the past hurting themselves...or i had Rio, who was blind so that would have been impossible.

 there were loads of flowers out this day.  always so pretty

 above is columbine.

 nothing too exciting in the news....haha.  Alabama GOP and thus a great deal other GOP sorts seem to be nonchalant about the nut job running for Senate there having a bit of a history of possibly molesting children.  women/girls do not speak of most of this stuff or haven't in the past because of exactly how it's received now...can't be proven so the guy must be innocent and the women/girl crazy. 

 one GOP guy even went so far as to comment that when Mary had Jesus she was underage and Joseph was older...i believe that she also remained a virgin...immaculate conception right?  so they are now using the Bible to minimize molesting children...that seems about right.

 i just keep thinking that all these evangelicals that seem to see this iitoo as some sort of savior here to save their religious freedoms???  really.  does anyone believe God would really select these corrupt, greedy and selfish people to save the world and bring light and peace?  seems highly unlikely. 

 none of it makes sense.  i saw that Shannity was defending him as well.  Bannon is at war with America....that is nice.  he's a well spoken nut job really....still a nut job though.

 iitoo used Veterans day to inform the world that he trusts PUt more than any of our security forces here in the states.  still the one person he absolutely refuses to say anything negative about...so odd.  he can totally rip a woman who just lost her husband in Niger. he can send nasty tweets to everyone...but PUt seems to be off limits still. 

 the latest is that this poor soldier was originally found with his hands bound shot execution style.  there will be more to this story. 

 haven't confirmed but i also hear that this potus for the veterans has cut off a program that was matching service dogs with veterans.  this was a positive program that was saving the lives of veterans who have been committing suicide at alarming rates.  no warning, no reason...just cut.

 apparently there was a huge rally in Poland about white nationalism.  i heard 60,000 attended at least. conservatism is married to racism in this current climate and it's up to conservatives to do all they can here to prevent this from happening and to find a way to distance themselves from these nuts.  sadly, the small 35% iitoo supporters also includes the racists so losing this vote could have an even more negative impact in the minds of the iitoo folks. 

 why can't people just get along?  it's baffling. 

 they seem to do pretty well for years and then there are those who can't deal with changes or fall prey to fear...as i always say, fear makes people weak, makes them very vulnerable to manipulation and if you look at history, leads to some pretty horrific results.

 what a sweet face.

 the training walks in stores do tend to wear the pups out a bit more...no complaints.  they love that they get treats...those shops that welcome dogs often have treats scattered about...

 by the way, Santa did mention that he has had his photo taken with cats, pigs, horses...you name it.  I'm only a little crazy.  crazy makes life more fun anyway.

 being too grown up isn't good for the soul.  one should never fully grow up.... once you quit living you are dead.  live it up a bit, relax.  don't worry about what others think of you. silly is good, embrace the silly. 

 that silly Skelly makes me smile every time i come home or leave.  nothing bad in that. no doubt he makes anyone else smile who comes by.  i suspect the UPS folks have smiled and no doubt a few photos have  been taken from time to time.

 so beautiful back on these trails.  this is Hatchers Pass.  always a favorite hiking spot. 

 the pups are almost 2 so i know i need to stop being as protective of them.  it is easing up a bit.  the leash walks are better despite the flight. they are really great dogs...well behaved, sweet to all they meet, fun.  i really have no complaints.  i have been pretty lucky with all my dogs...Butch, Baby Huey, Blossom, Rio Catalina and now these two.  i think they got pretty lucky with me too

thankful for:  A.  University Lake....these dog parks are really great places for the most part.  B.  health....thankful to be out walking as much as i can.  C.  clean water.  so tasty!!