rodeo and Anchorage fun...

 blended today.  i really should to outside playing in this beautiful sunshine.  these are from Texas at the Houston Rodeo.  we only caught part of it but what we saw was fun. 

 this stadium is huge!!  seats like 72,000 people. really hard to fathom that many people in an enclosed space.  made me a bit anxious for what would happen in the event of an emergency...okay not overly anxious but the thought does cross your mind.

 the pups are watching...they want to be outside too. 

 plans for a big drive have pretty much left me.  there is stuff to do here.  spring clean up is early.  it's a good time to get out there and do some more yard work.  the beach does sound great though, but we may just head to the Anchorage beach again.  low tide fits better here today than the other spots. by the time i drove I'd miss the low tide and the next low tide happens in darkness.  boo.

 bull riding next.  the rodeo gets a little less thrilling i think as the years go on and you ponder how uncomfortable much of this is for the animals. it's always a balance i think.  the thrill of seeing what the animals are capable vs what they go through to show what they are capable of.  to get these big bulls pissed off they put the rope in such a location to pinch off their gonads...how fun is that? 

 man vs animals...humans often win but it's usually by putting the animals at a disadvantage.

 some poachers were killed by an elephant in Africa...they were then eaten by the lions.  there is some karma for you.  i have very little sympathy for poachers.  not much for trophy hunters either. 

 these bulls have injured and killed their share of cowboys over the years. it was funny to see that over the years in the rodeo the cowboys wear more and more protective gear.  when i first started watching the protective gear was pretty minimal.  at the national rodeo finals i watched on tv as one cowboy got stomped on, direct hit to the chest.  i watched the life go out of him.  he did not survive. not sure how much the protective vest helps with an event like that though.  that is a lot of weight coming down on you.

 yesterday i was lazy.  my sleep was all off and i slept in past noon.  it was grey out.  sometimes i really love grey, rainy days.  like winter, it gives you an excuse to do nothing.  i think when it is sunny like this, day after day, i almost get a little depressed.  i like rain.  there is mud everywhere right now.  dust.  a good rain will clean up some of the winter residual.

 ponies...the next generation of rodeo stars was what they were saying as these horses ran around.

 then there were these races.

 there was a concert after the rodeo. we didn't stay too long.  neither of us were impressed with the musician.  i guess he's an internet star.  the girls around us were swooning.  they knew all the words to the songs. his voice was not that impressive if you ask me.  his music all sounded the same.  my niece looked him up while we watched....his best song came and went and we were again, not impressed so we left.  if that was the best he had, we were out.

 it was a long day after a travel day so we were pretty chill and pretty tired by then anyway.

 sunset on the ship. 

 the front yard is all melted, the back yard still has a bit more to go.  the deck i painted last year needs some touch up. do i paint the last bit of fence?  was debating using a stain with some blue in and then painting some stars, like the Alaskan flag on there.  the big dipper. could be cool.  always wondering what to do with the raspberries.  they go crazy every year. 

 love the evening light.

 my grand nephew.

 i told him he should hang out there on the deck and volunteer to take photo's for all the pretty girls that  came out there to enjoy the sunset.  a great opportunity for a teenager if you ask me.  haha.  he never heeded my advice though.

 those awkward years.

 it was pretty funny watching these two.  they reminded me so much of my brother and i.  we needled each other badly.   i could see him needling his sister.  the same stuff goes on between siblings no matter the generation...

 when people ask what did your brother do...it's really not anything big it was just this constant needling that you couldn't escape.  so it was pretty funny to watch my grand nephew do all the exact things to his sister and see her reaction was just like mine.  she'd get in trouble for yelling at him and was told to just ignore him..they just want to get a reaction. 

 i let her know that even if you ignore it, this behaviour will not stop until they are in their 20's....then it slows and eventually, they get partners who bear the brunt of it. haha. they do mature but in those years when you are a kid, you will learn a level of tolerance.  i probably have a much larger zone of ability to tolerate stupid crap because of all that childhood sibling torture.

 the really funny thing, which was kind of eye opening for me, was that she would come back for more. over and over again.  I'm sure i did the same thing.  no matter how much you hated the constant needling, that was your favorite and best playmate.  for all the times you screamed at each other..the truth was, you mostly had a great time playing together.  i had to realize it had no doubt been the same with myself and my  brother.  we drove each other nuts but we always would return for more because for the most part, we had fun.

 for all the bad memories, there are hundreds of great memories.  equally silly things.  killing flies at the beach house, walking the beach looking for shells. making up silly songs about our stuffed animals.  for all the board games that ended in fights, we had hours of fun board game/card time. 

 in the end...the balance was on the plus side when it came to siblings.  that is why she and i before return to the brothers who drive us nuts.  we love them and we enjoy hanging out with them. 

 i wouldn't trade all the positive time with my siblings for anything.  the times we made each other nuts just made us stronger, more well rounded people.  you learn to tolerate.  i always feel bad for only children. 

 there is just something wonderful about having a group of kids around all the time.

 Skelly got a make over when i returned home.

 the rest are iphone from post return

 it is good to be home.  i am for sure most comfy in my nest.  it's good to get out of my comfort zone some times though.

 started to drive down Turnigan arm yesterday.  the weather deteriorated really quickly, helping me see that the drive yesterday probably would have been less beautiful than other days.  i could go today but it is pretty here too....and as i said i really do have things i should get to at home.

 started my day with a little shredding.  i love shredding paper....it just feels like such an accomplishment. tomorrow they pick up the recycling.

 still loving my new kitchen...makes being home even better.  the old kitchen was dark and depressing

 of course, who could be depressed with Skelly and friends to greet you

 there are little area's of damage to the dry wall around the house.  nothing big, some cracks and you can see the metal at the edges poking out more than before.  this all from the earthquake back in November. 

 my sweet puppies and kitty.  they are great snugglers and keep me entertained

 Ivy is obnoxious at times...still jumps on people randomly...so unpredictable.  she is so fast.  i think she frenched a poor woman at the dog park yesterday. 

 no matter how pretty it is outside, the trail conditions are pretty crappy.  soft, punchy snow, mud, puddles. dog poop all over town.  it's really pretty ugly on the ground.  the bears are out....i haven't seen any, but there have been sightings. 

 will head back to Kincaid beach this afternoon i think.  the dogs always love the beach and it's pretty clear. 

 loved this cool rock/mud/sand natural art.  looks like a native doing a dance, right?  Eskimo with a fur ruff around the face.  that is what i see anyway. enjoy your day.

thankful for A.  all those crazy fun days with my siblings growing up  B.  the torture of having  a brother that constantly needled me...it made me stronger  C.  people in my life who accept me for who i am, quirks and all.  thank you!!