moose charge....

 a longer walk than expected. first i ran into a bull moose...a rather large one.  he was on the trail at Little Campbell Lake in Kincaid. he seemed to have no intention of moving off trail, but seemed to desire to move down the trail towards me....so off trail we went...through the mosquitoes and the devils club...still preferred over a run in with a bull. 

 just a bit past the Raspberry Trail head entrance i ran into a very protective Mama moose and her adorable offspring.  the Mama charged us without hesitation. she did stop short and i got behind a tree.  i watched the little one bounce around on the trail and waited behind the tree with both dogs until Mom settled a bit before heading back down towards the Raspberry trail head.  better to walk all the way out the road and skirt around that moose.  there was no easy path around her where i was.  she meant business.

 flowers popping out everywhere...which i always enjoy.

 this is the bull moose...giving us a good look.

 the pups do an after walk swim.

 i ran a few errands and then settled in for some British Baking Show binge watching.

 dogs seemed unfazed by our moose encounters today. 

 Tusker started barking at the doors?  not sure what at the pet store so i left them in the car. 

 another day another swim. good to keep them clean

 i have been watching a show then doing chores, watch a show,  more chores...trying to be at least a little productive anyway.

 it was Fathers Day.  my father passed quite a few years ago now.  i lived in Ketchikan at the time. the guy i was with at the time couldn't have been less supportive...i think he was jealous of the attention being on my fathers passing...very strange....it was a stained relationship anyway so break up and fathers death became a combined event.  that guy was a bother though as he kept calling me either angry and crying.  a bit stalkery.  the last time i picked up the phone when he called i remember i told him if he had to make me a total bitch to get over this so be it...but i didn't have to listen to it.  that was that.

 people are queer as my friend SH says...she is right.  you often just do not really know someone until life hits a few bumps.

 my father was independent and stubborn like myself.  he was outspoken and honest to a fault, like myself...we did butt heads quite a bit growing up.  i wasn't an easy kid i guess...especially a girl.  i mean girls are supposed to be sweet and accommodating.  we aren't supposed to be outspoken.  we aren't supposed to talk back. 

 you can just see the mom and even the calf behind  the big leaves below...I'm behind a tree...she is glaring our way.

 i talked back.  i demanded things.  looking back i know he meant well.  communication wasn't always his best trick.  often i see him as being an excellent father, maybe not the best daddy.  funny as all of my brothers have turned out to be good daddy's as well as fathers.  as far as father traits...i mean he sacrificed everything for his family.  he worked hard and we never wanted for any of the basics. he took his role very seriously.  his father had been an alcoholic i believe.  that was in a culture that was Mormon and such things would probably not be very acceptable.  who can really blame his Dad...my dad was the youngest of 11 kids.  only 3 lived to adulthood.  one of those three died in childbirth at around age 21. 

 how can you not be touched by that in some way.  still, i suspect my Dad didn't have the most stellar role model and yet he took on the role of father and never faltered really. i guess my brothers just took that to the next level and added more fun into.  they had that option perhaps because our parents gave us a good base.  we had a leg up when it came to the next part of our lives that he didn't have.

 interesting to me though was that my Dad wasn't conflicted about me leaving the church.  his faith was strong.  i find that those who have the strongest faith concern themselves the least with what others do.

 still i think i was a bit of a mystery to him for some time.  there was just always a distance. 

 he and my mom came to visit in Ketchikan one time.  we ended up doing a flight seeing trip out to Misty Fjords.  we landed on a remote lake.  he and i stepped out on to the float.  looking at him, i saw him take it all in.  he looked the most peaceful and happy that i think i ever saw him.

 i felt like, finally, he got why i had moved north.  that he saw i was truly happy with the life i was living.  he could finally just be happy for me.  after that he bought me a gift of binoculars.  it was the first time i think he had ever taken the time to purchase a thoughtful gift for me.  he understood me.  when he passed, we were at peace. 

 the rest of these are in Harriman Fjord, on our paddle.  tossing them in along with other stuff as i can.  we had some rain but we also had this beautiful rainbow to wake up to. 

 we opted to just keep the tents up and do a day paddle to Surprise Glacier. 

 easier..but look at that rainbow!!

 anyway, Happy Fathers Day to all those Dads out there. 

 my cousins, once removed, i guess that is what they are...will head to this same area tomorrow i believe.  hopefully the weather is good for them.  it looks like rain...but decent wind conditions. 

 i will find a hike to do for tomorrow some place. will look outside in the morning and see if there is sun anywhere.

 i debated heading to hope after the walk and errands today, but i think i needed a chill binge watching day. 

 headed towards that glacier back there, surprise

 we didn't make it to the Harriman glacier face this trip.  last time we did this fjord we did 4 nights, 5 days, this time we did three nights, 4 days....we are all older too i guess. 

 we had a great trip though.  loved all the big ice out there.

 bald eagle sitting on an iceberg....always a cool shot

 saw a few bald eagles today as well. 

 those glaciers are quite massive really. it's hard to tell distance.  you think you are fairly close but you are still miles away.

 i meandered, cruised to one big ice chunk after another.

 we all circled the ice, i think we were all a big mesmerized by it...we always are.

 living up here has just been such a gift.  so happy i took the chance.  i remember being in a park in South Dakota with the dogs.  i was getting ready to move north.  started chatting with some random person. it came up that i was moving to Alaska...they looked at me and said something like, "what if you hate it?".  i just smiled...can't recall what i said, you can always move again, what if it's the greatest experience and you don't take it because of fear. 

 too often i see folks who don't make leaps in life due to fear.  they do what is expected of them.  they do what is usual. 

 life is short, too short to waste time with too much fear. 

 too short to waste in relationships that make you miserable. 

 i really doubt that is what God expects of folks.  to live a fear based life.  to stay put when you want to bolt..when everything inside you is saying bolt. 

 bolt....leave what is comfortable some times. 

 it's a complicated world...far too complicated to believe that the one place you were dropped into is the only place you belong...the only place that can work.

 the ice brings me joy.  this place brings me joy.  this place brings me peace.

 being out in nature, true nature...is a gift i feel very blessed to have been able to have all these years...i do not regret for one moment moving north to Alaska.

 i do not regret walking away from what was expected of me.  i do not regret leaving a church that didn't work for me.  those things boxed me in...i needed to be free. 

 i have rambled on again...

 off to watch some more baking and then crash for the night and see what tomorrow brings. 

thankful for: A.  a father who took that role seriously and made sure we were safe and cared for  B. the times in life i took the chances that altered my reality the most.  it brought me to a better place and a great life.  C.  the health to be able to get out in to the wild.  to paddle, to run from charging moose...