hanging in Hatchers this week..

 it's been hot as Haiti as they say.  I'm spritzing like i was in Mexico.  it's hot!!  that means for us Alaskans we are near or over 80 degrees.  there is no way to explain how 80 in Alaska feels like 115 in the desert.  it just does. trust me.  :-) 

 it has also been terribly smokey here as all the smoke from the Swan Lake fire on the Kenai seems to have blown north. 

 i picked up a new inhaler and actually had to use it today.  before i headed to Hatchers for day two we did a loop at the University Dog Park.  i took it easy but my lungs were still rebelling a bit.  can't believe how many people are still smoking when the sky is brown with smoke...ick!! not a fan.

 yesterday the dogs and i did the Reed Lakes trail just over to the beaver ponds.  it was super hot and the biting flies were biting for sure...but so pretty!!

 today we headed up Gold Cord trail to the lake/tarn there.  just a clear, beautiful high elevation lake.  so both had water for the dogs and i poured ice cold water on my head both days.  the dogs helped me by shaking repeatedly right beside me after each swim...so refreshing!!

 i had never done the Gold Cord trail.  family friendly.  the last little bit is thinner trail with some uphill.  the dogs are supposed to be on leash.  thankfully, mine are good at pulling to the side so folks can pass. i did have them on leash for that last steeper/rocky bit.  they assisted in pulling me up. on the way back i took them off leash fearing i would be dragged down. 

 they are much better off leash as am i.  i would have been anxious and cranky with them pulling and possibly dragging me down the hill.  we got a later start so there weren't than many others coming and going when we were there thankfully.

 Hatchers was packed with others who no doubt were avoiding the Kenai and Anchorage this weekend. 

 never had time to do the proper mine trek.  this would have been a great place to take P & B, and B and family when they were here if it hadn't been raining that day.  one of these days...lots of great hikes...you would all love it!!

 the dogs entertained all with their swimming skills and the fact that they tend to take turns chasing the tennis ball.  i did not really teach them that...at least not knowingly.  people are always noticing it.  it is pretty cute.

 heck, they are pretty cute. 

 had to refill my water...

 this was the smoke haze before i headed to Hatchers Pass....supposed to be a mountain range back there.  below was when i returned.  more mountains showing. still smokey.  that is midnight below....still pretty light out.

 it's nice outside now.   i think Tusker just went out to enjoy the cool evening....i realize it's almost midnight, but this time of year, that is evening.

 the pictures are a bit mixed up from the last two days hikes.

 above is at base of today's hike and below is the tarn/lake at the top

 at the dog park there was a moose chilling in the water by the bridge. i had leashed the dogs to assess the situation.  when we got to the bridge the moose started moving towards us. that moose went right under the bridge and walked up the creek a bit before heading back up and out.  i didn't get my camera out in time really but still got a few fun shots. 

 no big animals sightings other than that the last few days.  one day last week i think the dogs woke me up barking...when i looked there was a moose walking down the street.

 Tusker is now being called King Tusk at times.  he really is the king of the household.  need to work on some words for that song that was on the Steve Martin record that came out when i was a kid.  i asked for it and oddly, i got it for Christmas one year. i remember us playing it in the living room that morning.  it was funny....not sure if my parents approved or if they had a discussion later about it.  the record wasn't banned.  i don't think it was all that bad, we did all laugh.  there is that king tut song on there. i will have to revise it for Tusker though. 

 Ivy has always had "Sweet Ivy Rose" a revised rendition of "sweet Carolyn". 

 today i drove the up and over road out of Hatchers over to Willow.  nice out, seemed a waste not too.  not much spotted.  still enjoyed it.  there is killed bark beetle trees all over that back half.  if the folks camping out there aren't careful that place will light up!

 4th of July is coming up.  i think fireworks and fires are under ban as the sun plans to grace us with her presence for some time to come. it would be a good week for rain though.

 the iitoo ( idiot in the oval office) if this is unclear to you. he's had a great week in that he got to play with the other dictators...it's really the only time you see him smile.  he just loves him some dictators. so first he joked with Put about not messing with our election..wink, wink, nod, nod.  go ahead i'm sure he said in their 1+ hour meeting...probably attended by nobody else and with any transcripts of what was said destroyed... 

 now he's off to see his other buddy for NK. 

 actually grabbed my macro lens....not too many of my flower pictures actually turned out.  there are some nice flowers up there right now. 

 fireweed is being sighted all over. 

 love all the wildflowers. 

 love how they are all talking about Mueller and the Mueller report on Faux News and the right wing media even though none of them have actually read it.  even the GOP senators and congressmen admit they haven't read it.  why would they...better to make up your own version than read the truth. 

 a forest fire up north of Fairbanks now appears to be coming close to some homes.  many have been given notice to be prepared to evacuate at any time. 

 the Swan Lake fire is all in the refuge thus far...still over 40,000 acres i think by now.  that one was a lightning strike. 

 there was a plane crash out of Seward the other day.  the pilot and a couple were killed. the couple was just moving here from Michigan.  they leave behind 5 kids sadly. 

 above is paintbrush....now i need that app.  haha. not sure it covered Ak flowers anyway.  i could get out the book.  aww...Verna Pratt.  so happy we got to meet her and take a weekend class with her in Denali.  she wrote the books on Alaskan Wildflowers.  she passed away a few years back. 

 have gotten a few other things done these past few days.  i ended up on  call for two nights and never called in...that is not normal.  i enjoyed the extra sleep though.

 our own mini trump governor has decided to massively cut funding to the elderly, the homeless, education....not big oil of course, they get the same generous tax breaks and subsidies...

 soon all our tax dollars will only go to pay for the iitoo golfing trips and visits to dictators. it's all pretty depressing.  the state the federal. the GOP is successfully dismantling our nation.  they have abandoned the ideals that built this nation and instead are giving in to corporate greed and those who are pushing hatred and fear. 

 we really are powerless in many ways.  trump and his henchmen with Put's help are just destroying us.  it's shocking how rapidly things can be dismantled. 

 the rest are a few more from the boat trip.  whales....who doesn't love whales...

 mom and baby

 the dogs are down for the count.  haha.  great to wear them out.  Tusker went back outside i think to enjoy the cool deck.

 there is so much bad news it's impossible to keep up with it all.  i guess that is the plan, create chaos and keep destroying the nation in the shadows of all the madness.  the iitoo and his insane ways are the perfect cover for the GOP to find a way to control a nation that is moving forward.  that is no longer the bastion of old white guys. 

 can't read any more depressing news tonight.  it's almost midnight and I'm thinking of calling it a night.

 the dogs have the right idea. 

 not sure where I'll walk tomorrow.  wake up and see if i can see the mountains again. 

 a few sea lions enjoying the day

 and back to humpbacks...

 good night.

grateful for: A.  a place with less smoke to enjoy the beauty of AK in.  B. that so far it's not a fire that has taken structures...will keep those up north in my prayers though.  C.  high mountain lakes that are so refreshing. 

smoke is thick today...

 has been bad this week but seems much worse today.  i was on  call last night, never called in .

 i headed to bed immediately because they seemed pretty sure I'd be called in.  so i slept off and on all night..much needed for sure.  i can feel this smoke in my lungs...amazingly that is exhausting.  LS and i did walk out at the airstrip the other day. 

 yesterday i just hit the dog park.  may return there again, though there was  a bit of a ruff up that i witnessed and then stood up for the guy.  a dog attacked another dog, the owner did nothing and then just a few minutes later that same dog went after another dog.  she again did nothing and the guy used a stick to whack her dog on the back to get it off his dog. she then went after the guy for using a stick and said her dog is just possessive of sticks...

 i stepped in to defend him.  he was actually very grateful as he felt terrible that he'd hit the dog...he was just protecting his dog though.  can you imagine how this lady would have freaked if it was her dog being attacked. she would have gone ape.  if your dog can't interact with other dogs at a dog park without attacking them, it shouldn't be there.  you should do more training before you bring it back.  dogs that attack other dogs should not be at an off leash dog park, period. at minimum if your dog does attack, do not cuddle the dog. leash it up and leave immediately.

 what can i say i am at baseline a fighter.  does that come from being the youngest or am i just prone to getting involved and in speaking out. maybe at base I'm just an ass.   i try to turn my more negative attributes into a positive. i have always stood up for others and my fighter instinct makes me a good advocate for walrus. 

 these are all from our whale watching trip.  who doesn't love seeing nature in it's natural place. 

 have sputtered out my frustrations and am feeling better.  I'm happy they all have a great time together just frustrated to know that i can never really be a part of that...not unless i opt to rejoin them in a religion that never worked for me. 

 the irony of it all is that through my adolescence and early adulthood my two eldest brothers were rabid in their condemnation of the church at any and all family outings, dinners were always a big debate session.  i do appreciate that my parents allowed these conversations but it is ironic that i left the church no doubt with a great deal of basis on these conversations.  they sounded miserable being Mormon.  all they did was bitch about it.  all i really did was follow through on their bitching.  did what they were, quite frankly, too afraid to do.  their bitching continued for years...i mean who's kids left the church, theirs....

 so ultimately, their constant negative talks about the church have influenced now several generations already...but since i actually followed through and left I'm the one that is rebuffed.  oddly, mostly by them...though it does follow what i have always believed...those who are most secure in their own beliefs are generally the least likely to hold you to account for choosing another path.

 in many ways....it can get down to the basics of humanity...jealousy.  the most pious acting in society are generally the ones who are the least secure in their beliefs.  they are the ones most likely to tear others down.

 i made a choice. my choice was glaring, i get that.  but my family has made many choices since that day that aren't so glaring but have still been impactful.  we all make choices and we all must live with those consequences.  it's not all me though.  it never was.  i have been made out to be the guilty party when there were plenty of guilty parties to go around. i can accept my role in how the family divisions have grown but i refuse at this point to accept it alone.  we all are to blame. 

 the idea of simply not speaking religion or politics around each other sounds good but unless that includes a change in social media postings it really is moot.  i suspect for other families this works for it's a combination of mutual respect, lack of rabid postings on social media and a secureness in their own beliefs. clearly those things are damaged or lacking in some members of our family. 

 watched a bit of the debates last night, not all of it.  felt like Beto seemed a bit like a kid trying to be at the adult table.  i like him, just do not think he's ready for potus role.  i want some of these folks to run for senate positions.  we need help in the senate and congress to get our nation out of deadlock.

 the current iitoo is off to Asia.  he will have another no doubt private meeting with his boss, Put.  when asked what they will speak of, he stated, "none of your business".  indeed it is all of our business, he works for us. 

 this is Holgate Glacier.

 was speaking with my sister a few weeks back i think.  she was saying she wasn't sure what ethnicity this person was that she was speaking of, just that they were Asian.  she then said she was sure this meant she was racist...i guess is she figured that me as a liberal leaner would see this as racist.  the conversation moved on but no, that is not racism.

 i do not believe my family is any more racist than any one else.  i think we all have tendencies to fall into that trap.  it's up to each of us to be aware and try to understand others.  for me, i see it more of a lack of diversity.  so many of us fall in to this.  i suspect she is not racist she simply probably does not live a very diverse existence.

 i would say, lack of diversity can lead to a lack of understanding, lack of understanding can lead to  fear, fear can lead to hate and hate is what leads to racism. 

 it is up to each of us to watch for fear, hate and racism and do what we can to stave it off. 

 sadly, this current administration uses lack of understanding to create fear, which can lead to hate.  they use this to push their agenda.  their agenda is one that capitalizes on fear and ultimately racism to get some aspects of their agenda passed. it's fine to like some aspects of an agenda but it's not fine to look the other way when these cross over into fear/hate and outright racism.  it's up to each individual to try and counter these things.  if you ignore these aspects then you give a pass for those to push even further towards racism. 

 loads of seals out there chilling on ice in front of the glacier.

 dogs crack me up...as long as I'm upstairs i can be as lazy as i want...as soon as i move towards the stairs it's go time.

 it will be go time soon. 

 may have slept too much last night, or the smoke really takes more out of you than you know. 

 called to refill my inhaler.  want a few around especially this week. 

 this eagle came out empty talloned. 

 cool to watch the attempt though.

 just tonight left and then i have 4 off.  switched up so that i work the eve of the 4th. anyone want to come over for a bbq on the 4th?  i really should do something soon, my social life seems fairly dismal at this point.

 worked PCU the one night. we had one of those crazy screaming patients on the floor. as soon as that patient was moved to another unit for more drugs the whole place relaxed....the other patients could finally rest.  you always feel bad.  not much you can really do.

 this young humpback kept doing little breaches.  so cute 

 more like an extended spy hop i guess.

 that is what happens when you insist on praying in assemble meetings i guess.  Soldotna had a member of a Satanic organization being granted the right to pray. maybe we just skip praying to open meetings of government. 

 the supreme court ruled a large cross (peace cross) to honor the dead from WWI can remain.  I'm not that upset over this but it does open the door for other things that may not be appreciated.  be careful what you fight for...it can bite you in the ass later.

 happy to read the Senate to vote to block Trumps arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE...he will no doubt veto it.  i mean not selling to his business partners and loan consultants would be personally devastating for him no doubt. they need to also make sure that future POTUS's on both sides must go through congress for military action.  we have gotten a bit too loose and our potus has too much power...it's time to reign in that power or lose our system of checks and balances forever.

 more are flocking north seeking asylum than ever do to this current administrations decisions.  when you refuse to assist people in their home nations you leave them little choice but to attempt to leave. now this administration is failing to deal with all those who are seeking help, instead treating them like criminals.  this week a man and his young daughter drowned attempting to get help.  this is unacceptable and embarrassing for a nation who previously valued being a beacon to others.  welcoming them to come and start a new life with hope and kindness.

 lack of understanding leads to fear which can lead to hate which can lead to racism.  we can still turn this around.  who will stand up and who will look the other way.

 children were recently found to be in  unacceptable and unclean facilities.  how we treat the youngest and the most vulnerable is a reflection on us as a nation  right now it is not looking very good.

 how many is too many?  what is the exact number?  i have no idea.  how many should we allow to die?  which children should we allow to die?  what is that exact number?  always amazing that the same who insist every life is precious and no abortions should happen are willing to look away at these deaths and mistreatment's at our own border.

 a few close drive by's by humpback pair

 so cool.  you never get bored of it...at least i never do

 diving

 it's 1 already...gotta get out there and risk the smoke for a dog walk i guess.  hopefully, no battles with crazy dog owners. 

 there seemed to be quite a few whales out there. it's always a bit different. i heard there were some orca's the next week.

 waving to us....

 got my fan on and drinking ice water....it's sweltering..at least by AK standards.

 in reality we are in the mid to upper 70's.  we will be over the next week it appears...i will have to find some fun day trips or overnight trips to take.

 does make me want to jump in a pool and do some laps.  the pups may be getting old enough for me to re-start my swimming.  i was just too busy with them when they were young.

 better get them walked before work.  the on call thing will not be happening again tonight. 

grateful for: A.  parents that allowed the banter and debates  B.  that i was able to use those debates to come to a better life for myself.  C. smoke free days...may the fire be out soon and the skies be clear.