Anchorage beach days...

 the ice is melting.  won't be long.  we did have a few snow flakes falling as i headed to work last night but they did not stick.  we are over a month ahead of our usual thaw.  strange, i have not heard anyone complaining though.

 today i went to the beach at Point Woronzof.  a few days ago we headed down Kincaid to the beach. 

 yesterday was cloudy and i had already gotten over 7500 steps between midnight and 0730 working in the ER so i took a day of rest....much needed. i got out early a few nights from ER...actually my weeks are now blending but yes, the first night i got out of work around 2:30 am....there were only 4 patients in the entire ER at that point.  totally unheard of.

 there were some northern lights out there. noticed them as i tossed the tennis ball outside for the dogs when i got home.  not too bright here in Anchorage...i debated for half a minute loading them up and heading to an area with less light pollution to view the lights, but instead i headed to bed. 

 i think that day i met my friend for a walk in Campbell Airstrip.

 so the dogs and i have both been getting lots of steps.  we always joke that we should put our fit bits on the dogs to get much more credit.

 do often wonder what they do compared to what i do.  they have a blast running though.  such happy dogs. 

 my second night was super busy in the ER..at least for me, i never stopped and the rooms just kept filling up.  they actually put me in the front area. usually now they stick me in the back so they can morph me into a hold nurse.  last night they should have had me take their ICU patients.  the new charges and house sups don't always think out of the box that way. 

 it worked out okay i think though.  there were two of us in the back with not many patients...by the morning it was just me and one other patient.  probably good though as that patient could have gotten worse quickly and i think it was a good one to keep continuity of care.  loss happened and i think in those moments it is appreciated to not have a patient go through a series of staff.

 it is tough on some cases to keep your own emotions in check. maybe I'm old school because i don't start bawling with patients.  i still feel like you can be compassionate and not make their loss about you too.  there is a time to be a rock for someone else, even a stranger.  help them through rather than join them in grief. 

 we each deal with things differently i guess.  for me, I'd rather stay calm and centered.  that doesn't mean that i am not feeling on the inside.  impossible not to really. 

 should do some shredding this weekend ahead of recycling day. love the shredder.  something cleansing about shredding all the paper that makes its way into our lives.  it's never ending it seems.

 had one patient over the stretch that was an a-hole...that is what i told the DR before he went in...when he came out he said, you didn't tell me he was such an a-hole...we both laughed...i mean he really was an a-hole...not many patients I'd like to just deck, but that one, for sure.

 the patient was being awful to the tech i was working with and when the tech left the a-hole was saying something about the tech being "one of those faggy guys" i really wanted to punch him.  makes me sad for all the crap people put up with that i just never have to.  you get a glimpse on occasion.  the lab tech was harassed about apparently looking like a criminal.  i had warned her as well before she went in...she was all, I'm not sure i even know what that means. so bizarre. 

 still  debating what to do on my stretch off. i do have the skills fair to attend...can't wait.  haha.

 lots of cool and other worldly mud formations on the beach as the ice melts off and the mud is left to create on it's own.

 pretty in its own way

 heading south it is looking like possible rain.  north is always possible as well.  maybe just day trips...will check weather and tide reports in the morning and just see how lazy i am feeling. 

 look at that handsome pup.  i think he is currently chilling on the couch downstairs.

 figured I'd go back and forth between vacation photo's and Alaskan ones.  can't go too many posts without photo's of the pups, right?

 this guy was seen on the way down to Point Woronzof today so the rest are from that stroll on the beach

 Sleeping Lady was out in all her glory.

 this water tower is always an urban marking for this area.  it seems to be the graffiti beach..

 large ring around the sun.  they were doing work on the runway, but i did look for moose, none spotted today

 i had seen some heading down and back from the Kincaid beach the other day though.no decent photo's taken

 not many folks out there today.  a few happy dogs like mine.

 they played for a bit with this golden retriever.

 downtown as seen from Woronzof

 the cliffs there are always a bit unstable.  i could hear rocks falling down almost constantly

 more downtown.

 the ice is packed up against the cliffs. the dogs made use of them, jumping up and down off of them.  i figured all that jumping wears them out more.  not much wears out Ivy Rose though.  haha.

 much of the ice was in the shade.  i slept a few hours, hit the low tide and then came home and napped for a few hours.  figured I'd get some stuff done before i crash for real. bills, look into cabin rentals....and i bought a necklace on Etsy. 

 should get a nice Rio picture put up...maybe near her television set...haha. 

 you would think now that she is a ghost she could just come with me on holidays....surely she doesn't need to stay here and miss me.  she was probably the most loyal dog I've ever had...to a fault almost.  i always believed that despite her blindness, she would have totally gone to the mat for me.

 a judge has shot down iitoo attempts to build a road through Izembek and to ramp up off shore drilling...hopefully it holds up. for as much as some bitched about Obama pushing his executive orders i don't hear them bitching when the current iitoo does the same or worse.  to me it just proves over and over that all that righteous indignation was really just a show...all it really meant was i want to get my way and I'll whine if i don't. ethics, morals, values...all a smoke screen attempt to appear to be on the high ground.  people are more willing to take the low ground if it benefits them...morals, ethics and values be dammed.  it's pretty sad.

 the dogs find the last patches of snow and revel in them.  Tusker always loves to take a good roll.  Blossom used to do this as well.

 blue skies.

 2 dead and 3 rescued after their 4-wheelers fell through the ice. i guess they were warned but went on the Kuskokwim river anyway...this early melt tricks folks and we may lose more lives still to the thin ice conditions.

 some photo ops with the puppies.

 the iitoo declares shit and then backs off.  the GOP has their hands full with this one.  so many lies and idiotic comments.  this week he couldn't recall how to say the word origin so instead he kept saying orange.  he also stated that his father was born in Germany, but he was actually born in New York.  claimed this week that wind power noise causes cancer and seemed to believe that if the wind isn't blowing all the lights go out?  he is so clueless, but when he rattles on this nonsense at rallies, he gets cheers. 

 not sure if these folks really love him as POTUS or just go to the rallies to be entertained.  he backed off of claims to totally shut down border. backed off on claims that he had the perfect health care plan....he doesn't.

 the Saudi government, that had Khashoggi killed and dismembered are throwing money at the issue by purchasing million dollar homes for family members of his in Saudi Arabia and giving them financial compensation.  our iitoo has yet to really do anything to seriously chastise the Saudi's for this...just like he has done little to nothing to chastise Rus for it's attempts to meddle in our election. 

 really do need to see his taxes, his financial ties...may give us more understanding of why he protects these folks.  there is more creeping out about the Mueller report...seems like the word is that Barr has misrepresented what actually came up in there...it needs to be released, not redacted.  this administration sure hides a lot for how much they claim absolute innocence.  if it's such a nothing burger why have they spent so much effort and energy hiding it.   if it's a nothing burger than release it and finally prove everyone wrong...instead they continue to obstruct and squirrel around with the truth.  they are attempting to pad the highest positions in government with folks who will protect at all costs.

 Ivy on melting ice

 the big jump

 another a-hole Alex Jones has been screaming for years that the entire Sandy Hook killings were nothing more than a hoax.  the parents are suing him as he has caused them a great deal of pain and suffering...he has loads of idiot followers who have bought into his bull.  now that he is facing them he is claiming to have had some sort of psychosis which he blames on the fake news media.  time to take some personal responsibility for the hell you caused others.  he still gets air time though.  same for Limbaugh, no matter what lies he pushes onto his followers he's never called out and he just goes on. 

 guess i should get a few more things accomplished before i head to bed.  this mud covered tennis ball emerged from the frozen winter ice.  a gift from Blossom for sure.  :-)  the TV is Rio's domain, surprise tennis balls on walks...that is always Blossom.  thank you!

grateful for: A.  those who fight for what is right and true.  B.  that the good still out weighs the bad on this planet...even though the bad gets much more air time C.  solid hours of sleep