dog birthday get a way!

 puppies love the beach so we headed out to Seward.  i had been debating going some place, but didn't decide until Sunday morning where.  there is a dog friendly place at Lowell Point...always a favorite.  i had no idea so i splurged and we headed to Seward.   above is after at the dog park today.

 several are snaps from KR's birthday gathering.  lots of fun and laughter all week to celebrate birthdays...both human and canine! 

 the mountains around Seward prevent a real sunset from happening.  i think it also prevents the sunrise shots as well.  at least this time of year.  haven't really done winter trips to some of these places...time to get out though, now that we have longer days.

 pretty sunset here in Anchorage when i got back. above is the little road out to Lowell Point.  of course, if there is a big quake/tsunami i would have totally had to book to the car with the dogs and find higher ground.  there are tsunami escape signs all over Lowell Point to assist you. i tried to keep my bags from getting to spread out for ease of escape if needed.

 the room was pretty nice.  there were several rooms and small cabins closer to the waters edge.  i do believe i was the only guest there..and in the little log book i saw it had been months since this room had a visitor that signed in...so if you are looking for a dog friendly room in Seward...go for it.  they were nice and we were cozy for 2 nights and 3 days.

 Ivy, of course, staked out her claim immediately. 

 debated a walk out to exit glacier there, but it is over 6 miles each way....so i opted to head home...besides the wind had picked up today so it seemed a good time to drive back.

 Tusker staked his claim as well.

 the second day my fit bit showed that i got nearly 19,000 steps...give them double at least I'd say. they were pretty tuckered out...or tuskered out as i say.  they are tired today as well.

 so there was a beach right out in front of the cabins and then we also drove over to the beach at the end of the road the other direction...the one we usually go to.  then i'd heard there was a beach across the bay off of Nash so we found that yesterday...then back to Lowell Point for more beach time in the afternoon...so we were on beaches all day yesterday.

 we hit two beaches again today before we headed out.  the beach in front of the cabins was really getting beaten by wind.....the wind was dull a few blocks away at the main Lowell Point beach....what a difference a few blocks makes. low tide wasn't officially until after 5 i think....so made leaving early an easy choice.  above again was in Anchorage after the big snow. 

 we got a bit of fresh snow in Seward, but looked like Anchorage got more like a foot...i did some digging today, but was happy and surprised to see that a kindly neighbor had taken a plow to the front of my driveway and then shoveled a path and area for the trash...then shoveled my entire front deck....so sweet!!  above was one of two memorial cairns i built for my dogs at the bridge...still take them along and build a cairn when i feel the mood strike. 

 these pics are proof that the pups were wiped out...they allowed me to put on their birthday ribbons and then bunny ears without complaint.

 here is my shoveled/plowed drive...Thanks neighbors.  :-)  they even cleared the little free library. 

 haven't looked at pictures yet...still so many pictures to catch up on...can't wait to post the ones from the walk out to Portage...probably a lot of folks skiing it this weekend...the roads were pretty clear.  didn't seem like as much snow fell south of Anchorage.  enough I'm sure though.

 stopped at the AWCC on the way out.  i heard one brown bear was wandering around, but i didn't see him.  also the male moose lost an antler the day before so there was blood they warned me about...I'm sure they were just trying to avoid being told over and over that the moose was bleeding.  above is the second memorial cairn.  that was at the Nash Rd beach access....that beach goes on forever.  how have i never known about this beach before.

 i am a terrible person....at the local Subway in Seward there is a pleasant guy that works there....but he has open sores all over his arms...i mean all over his arms.  i am pretty tough but skin stuff is pretty tough to take for me.  not sure he should be making sandwich's with all those open sores.  how can you just turn around and leave once you are in....it was just me and him in there.  i tried to eat the sandwich but i only got part way through it...horrible person...i know.  i mean he wore gloves and all, but it still just weirded me out. 

 much is closed for the season there in town.  i did end up at one place twice.  just did take out.  i returned the second night because the worker i dealt with was super friendly and skin lesion free and she said part of the sales the next night would got to the local animal shelter...how could i not return.

 hit the Sealife Center as well.  caught a glimpse of the beluga.  he should be getting shipped out soon to his new home.

 didn't recognize the puffins. their winter plumage is pretty dull.  was talking to the educator there.  she was saying how they can change colors in a matter of weeks, pretty amazing.  the tufted puffins were starting to get their tufts back.  interesting.  things you learn by going to the SeaLife Center in the off season.

 Ivy tolerates bunny ears...hehe.  i'd seen those at the Freds when i picked up snacks...too cute not to buy them.

 speedy's girl blowing bubbles.  :-)

 lots of laughter that night...always good.

 the road to Exit Glacier at the sunset time

 u-lake at sunset.

 will be fun looking at all the pictures from this weekend.  will have iditarod this weekend...how to not take a zillion dog photo's of that.  :-) impossible.  always fun.

 silly

 I'm sure i will sleep great.  want to do some solid work on my to do list this week off.  also get out and have fun as well.

 can i convince these tired pups tomorrow....

 they will have forgotten tomorrow all their running today. 

 listened to some podcasts on the drive.  one on adaptation.  humans super power is sweating...not very glamorous, i know, but it kept us alive and fed.  being able to run in heat and sweat while other animals, we were chasing, could only run so far before their lack of ability to sweat took them down and made them a meal.

 more being silly

 one podcast today was on feral children.  some just outright abused/neglected that turned to animals at times for survival.  mostly, stuff you should know and ted talks podcasts. 

 enjoyed a mostly politics free weekend.  always a great break.

 attempt at a selfie with the pups together.

 never that successful.

 the folks that own the cabins i stayed at, the husband does these designs. they are all over Seward for sure.  very cool.  I'm pretty sure he did this one, not totally though.  he makes designs using cedar shingles. 

 the last are from a short walk i took a few weeks back with the pups headed to Byron Glacier.

 they were chasing the toy and each other through the deep snow out there.

 Tusker often was able to walk across the top...Ivy on the other hand, tends to plop and stomp...so she went through more. 

 funny to watch them both work on walking across the crust only to have a leg or two pop through.

 or like Ivy...everything pop through.

 river leaving Portage Lake. some open spots.

 pretty.

 debated heading into Whittier that day..but we were good for the day i guess.

 did have another pretty drive back.

 pretty drive today for sure coming back.  didn't stop for many pictures but enjoyed the scenery still.  i had been warned about the snowfall from folks in Anchorage, but really the roads were fine.  i drive slow in those conditions.  not worth moving fast and not making it home possibly. 

 this was further down the river/creek. 

 well, i think i will start to look at some photos and see how far i get.  good night.

thankful for: A.  safe travels  B.  kind neighbors  C.  the dogs who share my life with me...Happy Woofday pups