oven is purchased....

 it's the first money i have actually spent towards the remodel...everything else is in the planning stages.  did open an account at the credit union...I've heard good things about credit unions and so hopefully they are happy with my good credit and get me some bucks...gotta fill out the forms and all that, but...fingers crossed. 

 stopped by the conservation center on my way to Seward.  they said one of the brown bears was up wandering, but i didn't see him. they do have 20 acres to wander in so not too shocking.  they will not feed any of the bears at this time.  he will probably return to his den area and sleep for a bit longer once he's done wandering. 

 bears do get up in the winter and wander, though thankfully, i have not seen then on my meanderings. haven't done any huge drives/walks since i returned from  Seward.  do feel like i have gotten a few things done though so that is good.  it's a relaxing staycation. 

 the wolves were hanging close.  aside from hearing howls one day out hiking earlier this winter i always hope for no close encounters with a pack...they have been known to take out pets. 

 today we did a loop in North Bivouac.  the snow is still deep so it makes for a good workout just doing my regular walks.  yesterday, we did the dog park, errands and then hit the beach. it was a beautiful day.  the pups could care less where we go as long as they are out there.  this deep snow is very entertaining for them. 

 will hopefully get an early start tomorrow morning as the Iditarod starts tomorrow.  at least the ceremonial start in Anchorage starts..plenty of snow this year.  :-) 

 figured I'd try to crash early tonight.  cloudy out there and small amount of snow.  supposed to be more snow tomorrow.  blue skies yesterday.  debated hitting the beach today, but i wanted to get to Sears and check out appliances.  they are closing their store here and so selling everything.  they didn't have many dishwashers so i focused on the ranges.  I'm not really too detail oriented when it comes to stuff like this.  basics, price...so all 30% off.  they will deliver and I'll stash it in my garage i guess.

 fridge seems a bit more of a project to decide but i may go back and look at those as well.  was thinking i could plug it in the garage and then use it out there until they are ready to load it in the remodeled kitchen. 

 this is the beach area at low tide in front of the place i stayed.  below you can see some of the waterfront small cabins available to rent.  at the high tide the water laps up against those rocks.

 figure I'll try to catch up on the paper reading as well.  every day is crazy news day these days....it's really insane.  Mueller going after Rus that attempted to impact our election, he indicted 13 Rus and 3 Rus organizations related to the interference...good thing he is because the iitoo is doing nothing.  Put made a video of he attacking florida and how he supposedly has the power to do so and bypass out missile defense systems. no comment from iitoo.  the one thing dems and repubs did agree on was sanctions for Rus in response to the election issues...the iitoo has not acted on it at all.  what does put have on him...plenty I'm guessing.  Gates apparently canceled a trip he'd gotten the courts permission to take after fears of possible danger from Rus mafia. what kind of crap was he and Manafort mixed up in...what a bloody mess they have all made of it all.

 3000 gallons of heavy fuel spilled outside of Kodiak Island.  was just reading that it was a private dock that was destroyed in hurricane force winds. it actually happened in the waters between Afognak and Shuyak Islands. I've stayed out on Shuyak...we got weathered in for 3 extra days due to high winds. bad weather has continued and they have been unable to attempt clean up.

 sad story, a single mom and her two small children passed in a house fire in town.  fire is horrible.  always makes me nervous.  watched a sad movie last night.  some losses are just too painful to overcome...especially when you add guilt to the mix. 

 a few stores/companies have altered sales of assault weapons, age limits..which is good.  iitoo spoke with a panel and seemed interested in making changes to gun laws...figured it was mostly just saying the stuff the people wanted to hear.  he wants to be liked...then he spoke to the NRA leaders and back he went.  not much has changed so far, but people are getting more and more sick of the entitled attitude of these gun rights folks. 

 there was even some cult like crazies doing a blessing ceremony of their assault rifles, many wearing headbands of ammo...yes, this is what Jesus would be for, right? nuts.

 iitoo said he believes he would have run in to save those kids...at least that was good for a laugh.  read transcripts of tapes of a howard stern broadcast where iitoo tells of a guy who fell at an event of his.  he acted disgusted by the blood and left.  all he cared about was if the blood would damage the floors.  this guy doesn't strike me as anything but selfish...i highly doubt he'd run into a building to save any of his wives or his kids if there was an active shooter.  i suspect he'd be hiding in the bushes like Spicey was with the reporters. 

 article about a 6'9" Inupiaq kid playing basketball in Oregon...they moved there in hopes it would increase his chances of going big one day. still in high school.  the mom travels back and forth to work up in  Barrow (now officially called Utqiagvik). i guess only 3 Alaskans have made it to the NBA.  one to watch i guess.

 the Iditarod is making the Southern run to Nome...they haven't done this since 2013.  DeeDee Jonrowe is excited.  it's her 36th time making the trip with her teams and her last.

 there was a fatal stabbing the other day, a prostitute.  the guy wanted her out before his girlfriend got home...he sounds like a peach, a great catch.  a neighbor saw him dragging the body out in bedsheets and held him at gunpoint...i will add that i am not against people having guns, just don't believe there is anything wrong with some restrictions, limitations and that certain weapons really need even more scrutiny. with those less is better. 

 pups really love a beach. 

 a wasilla guy killed a trooper K-9.  he got 10 years for this...not enough in my mind really. he was also shooting at the troopers.

 trail groomers have been out all over town with all this fresh snow.  i really need to try and break into my yakima and get those ski's out...i hear them rattling around and I'd love to go for a ski. should make that my late afternoon goal.  walk dogs after Iditarod and then hit the trails for a short ski....

 a few old train cars sit near the cabins. i know that Seward before the '64 quake had a pretty industrial feel in the area closest to the ocean.  rail lines all over and shipping yards.  it was an active place for transit.  that area was all destroyed in the Tsunami.  now RV parks are in the front row.  totally busy all summer. would be tough to evacuate quickly all those big beasts in the event of a tsunami event...there are signs all over directing you where to go for safety.  often you do have some time, depending on where the original quake happened.

 noticed an odd thing with the Olympics of late...no medal ceremonies were readily available.  didn't seem to cover any of our athletes getting their medals.  missed that.  would have loved to have seen Kikkan get her Gold.  not sure why they have opted to not show these brief ceremonies.  anyone else know?

 morning snow and the tide had taken away our beach...so we walked down the street a bit to get a little beach action .

 one of the owners of this place does these designs in shingles...pretty cool.

 we did find a sliver of beach down the road.  we went from beach to beach all day....the dogs were in heaven.

 we had a little snow overnight in Seward.  Anchorage was getting upwards of a foot while i was away.

 you can easily tell where the tide went to at high tide....

 the next morning it was windy and cold and there were little ice chunks at the shore line.

 a peak in Alaska was recently officially named Gold Star Peak.  a veteran of Iraq carries tags of fellow soldiers who were killed as he takes the hike up the peak.  he has done this many times in honor of those lost.  insurgents disguised as Americans in American uniforms were waved into a meeting area and attacked. they killed one there and then took off with 4 soldiers.  eventually, after a pursuit the soldiers and vehicles were abandoned.  all had been shot in the head or chest.  2 were still handcuffed. 

 paw prints in the snow...

 early morning always so peaceful by the ocean.

 back to trains....

 was just reading that Kikkan and her family plan to move to BC soon.  her husband is from Canada and has a job lined up already.

 Ivy standing still...that is a shot.

 liked the look with her on this sea grass.

 about ready to turn around after running out of beach at this high of tide.

 lots of room to play still despite the tide being in.

 old boat sitting out there.  wonder if these are relics of the tsunami or just times of past.

 puppies wander around the tide zone....tennis ball in tow

 a few times i have gotten heartburn from bending over and over to pick up the tennis ball....a chuck it related heartburn I'm figuring. it happened again today.  i took a break from chuck it time and it eased up...so i slowed a bit, but of course, i can't completely stop throwing the tennis ball.

 bald eagle takes off.  may have gotten some better shots but i really only saw it after it took off

 cool stumps on the beach

 a few more of those shingle designs. love the kayakers.

 happy faces

 and an Orca. there are quite a few spotting's of these around Seward of course.  better head to bed.

thankful for: A.  that i am mostly a rational person...you see photo's and hear stories of people having religious ceremonies with their assault rifle and you feel quite sane.  B. how so many people can find art in so many things.  so creative. it's inspiring.  C.  simple days, rest