hope it's warmer tomorrow night...

 it just felt cold out there today.  there was just the slightest of breeze and i think it was just more damp air.  i just took the dogs to the dog park though.

 it was cold enough that the tennis ball froze almost immediately in the chuck it holder and when i attempted to toss the ball, the whole thing flew and then it shattered into 5 pieces.  this is very hard plastic.  impressive

 even colder up north though.  folks were throwing hot water into the air that froze immediately and blowing bubbles that froze and burst i think. they were having -30's and even colder.  it looks like we are all starting to warm a bit

 i headed over to replace the chuck it this evening and also get more things for the kitchen organization. it felt a wee bit warmer out there. 

 I've been looking at counter height bar stools.  they had some over at Bed Bath and Beyond but the packaging looked like it had been opened a few times and so i really wasn't keen on getting someones rejected stools that they crammed back in there....I'm remembering the dog run mess...and i mean literally mess...there was actual dried dog poop on one of the gate bits...missing parts and even a dirty sock in the mess. 

 found some on Amazon that i liked, one said it doesn't ship here and the other had a ship date of 1-3 months? 

 these were from last week, when i was out driving around looking for frost shots.

 not sure why this boot and glove were at Point Woronzof...but there it is.

 it was tough to get out of bed this morning.  the dogs feel it too and they just snuggle in.

 pancake ice is forming out there nicely now.  we are for sure in winter mode here.

 loved all the fog shifting around.

 we are doing a little overnight tomorrow night.  gotta meet everyone at 11am. i guess my pups are the only ones going, hope they behave well.

 so just had to plan a few meals and pack enough for an overnighter.  i guess the place is fairly well stocked so really just need basic clothing and my bag...and a liner.  there is a wood stove so it should be fairly warm i guess.

 sounds like it's a fairly short walk in.  a new place for all of us so we shall see.  it's only a mile in.  my snowshoes are in the car along with the sleds so i can just drag my gear in the sled.

 should toss treats in for the pups so i can work on skills if they get too excitable.

 the handyman is coming over tomorrow to work on the tile so I'm kind of hopeful that will be done when i return.  it's so close!!

 i moved all the tile over by the kitchen.  i think i have way more than i need.  thinking if so i can plan on replacing the downstairs bathroom vanity and doing a nice back splash there with the leftover i guess.  would be good to work on those and use the same color counters and all.

 the stairs really need to be done as well. hoping to hit him up for stairs soon and the light fixtures which are totally outdated.

 for those who call this Los Anchorage...Anchorage had 28 murders last year, Los Angeles county averaged 7/day when i lived there....not very similar really.  of course, population size is a huge factor...humans don't tend to get along when all crowded up together.  i remember reading this article and it was saying at a certain population size...i think it was over like 30,000 crime starts to increase.  you start to be able to hide....it may have been more like 50,000 people, can't recall. 

 REI is moving to a new location.  i stopped by to see if they had any good sales...really just wasn't that into shopping i think anyway...seemed like it was more like regular sales....don't think they mind moving their merchandise down the road. the new place looks much larger. hopefully, they still have a room for us to have our lecture.  need to start thinking about that. it will be our fourth. 

 have been thinking i need to think of an angle to write an opinion piece just to let that DVL that we are still here advocating for Round Island...don't make any more bonehead decisions thinking we are not, right?

 i have felt like I've wanted to lay low due to the iitoo.  he seems hell bent on destroying anything his predecessor put his mark on.  that includes Round Island actually.

 i got a second opinion piece published right before he arrived and visited AK and went to Dillingham.  wanted to bring some attention. i also called the White House several times, wrote to them and had conversations with a contact in our old Senator, Begich's office who had been to Round Island and was supportive.

 right before he left office, i mean in that last month....he made Round Island Sanctuary a National Historic Landmark.  that is Denali or one of the mountains right by it above and below is a more local mountain Susitna.

 more pancake ice at sunset.

 then i headed over to Lake Hood to look for more signs of frost...and just enjoy the pink hues with planes

 dogs are out behind me here in the office.  Tusker is dreaming, twitching.  so cute.

 they are full grown, scruffy doodles. 

 these are wheeled planes.  on the lake there were also several planes with ski's on them.

 a wee bit of frost.  i was only driving around. 

 got chilled today so i headed home pretty quick.  loss of chuck it is also a factor...they must have tennis balls.  haha.

 actually was able to mostly prepare my breakfast in the kitchen, at least use actual dishes.  nice to be slowly putting my stuff back in the actual kitchen.  do need to get new pots and pans and probably an actual set of dishes again....it's gotten kind of  piece meal on my dish sets over time.

 finding things all over the place, it's been awhile so it's like opening prezzies.  still not sure where my cookie cutters got stashed.  i don't think i got rid of those though. 

 do need to look into renting some cabins..perhaps when i get back from this over night trek.

 also should look into a road trip to Seward and/or Homer....always fun in the winter to get away as the light starts to return.  still gets dark pretty early now though.

 the fencing at the ball field was coated in frost.

 peeks at the local Chugach range.

 and i am off to bed.  gotta wake up early tomorrow and get my self together.  not always easy. 

thankful for:  A.  a warm home  B.  a kitchen that is getting back to a normal state C.  confidence gained after wading into this whole kitchen remodel thing.