each day an adventure in alaska: if i don't get sick it will be a miracle...

i doubt I'm on the miracle list really. worked ER last night. it had actually been fairly controlled all week there. i did three in ER and one in PICU. the first nights i worked ER i was able to head home early.

not the last night. we were inundated by Influenza B...wash your hands, be careful out there. it seems to be making rounds in Anchorage with a vengeance. if it wasn't cold and flu season before it for sure is now.

the early shifts made walking much easier. the dogs were thrilled to get so much walking time in. the ice has been awesome. if you are an ice skater at all, get out there.

i hit Potters for the sunset this afternoon and it was pretty packed with happy skaters/walkers, kick-sledders. i love seeing the community out on in nature. temps have been low but my AK comrades are more than happy to bundle up and get outside.

hit the dog park a few times between shifts. that lake is frozen well now and there have been ice skaters out there as well. there were skaters on the ponds we crossed today on the Monday walk. of course we did hear some big booms ? cracking? after we'd crossed. the skaters had gone to the smaller pond. did not hear any sounds of water. the ice can just make cracking noises. the bigger the body of water the more anxiety that can bring me.

taking photos with high energy dogs can be interesting. i think i got a few. don't always bring out the bigger camera. tonight i need to charge the batteries. the colder it is the shorter those batteries last.

big crack...frozen over at the edges of University Lake. no worries.

i for sure air on the side of caution, especially when i am on my own out there.

did a few loops in N. Bivouac this week as well as some time out Campbell Airstrip...hit my usual ice/hoar frost haunts.

just love the frost. not sure i have much for skills at photographing the frost but it's fun to see.

back to stumphenge a few times to take pictures of the ice designs there. today on the walk we did get a tiny dusting of snow. there is more predicted for the next few days. wanting to head to Oceanview Bluff park and see if that is frozen enough to get out there. low tides seem to be around noon

i guess it's Christmas Eve officially at this time. no real big plans. walk the next few days. chill with friends Christmas day.

little drama over the weekend. hate drama. some folks thrive on it. i have never understood that. i agree with my friend MT...group texts...not a fan.

we also passed by Solstice. i was at work. shortest days. i love the constant changes up here. the seasons, the multiple forms of water...it's crazy. from glaciers to hot springs. this state has it all. i always seem to run across something new as far as water/ice are concerned.

i guess there was an ice dam break up near Willow so roads have become impassable and some folks were encouraged/told to evacuate. 13 homes evacuated, 6 homes with damage from flooding. that is cold water as well.

me with the heart of ice. really have enjoyed these cool designs obviously. where to go tomorrow. :-)

the Holiday itself will be fairly low key. i enjoy the peace of Christmas some years more than others. several family members are in CA for the holiday. hopefully they all have fun and safe travels.

many who love the snow have adapted to the changing weather patterns by adding more ice fun in..for me photography of course and ice help me adapt to the lack of snow. ice skating has been taken up by many skiers or fat tire biking.

being able to adapt is a good skill i believe. as i get older i realize how difficult change can be. much more difficult for some than others. those who are able to adapt end up ahead in the game in my opinion.

this week was also the week another potus was impeached. there will no doubt be more to come. Pelosi is hanging back sending impeachment papers to Senate as McConnel was recently on Faux news bragging how he won't be impartial and that he is working very closely with trumps team of lawyers to make sure this doesn't amount to a real trial and trump will remain in place.

they do not have another option at this time for the 2020 election. the RNC and state affiliates have refused to even consider having any primaries so he is their candidate. that isn't so unusual really however...it does leave them with trump. trump tweets or otherwise opens his yap and seems to incriminate himself on a regular basis. at this moment his loyal followers and GOP members have allowed him to remain king since they are getting their judges installed and the economy is still doing okay. there are some major issues however in all that.

i suspect the average person will become less and less happy knowing the wealthiest are paying 0 or near zero in taxes while they continue to have to pay more than their share at this point in taxes. also the deficit has been steadily expanding under this administration.

at some point trump will become a liability for many in DC who have thus far played loyal henchmen. they are a fickle lot, politicians, they will ditch him when needs be.

he's been impeached but the thing is it has been the case that each day almost more facts are discovered. at some point these facts will become blatant to even his most loyal apologists. this fool will have overstayed his welcome. my guess is some time before or just after if he wins again they will find a way to get rid of him...i think all options are on the table...but the GOP will find a way to blame Dems and they will put the more controllable Pence in place. that is just my thinking on that. they either ditch Don the con before the election if things keep unraveling as the truth comes out or they ditch him soon after. i don't even think foul play is off the table the GOP are quite driven by power and money at this point. they have stepped away from any and all ethics, values and/or morals they once at least pretended to have.

even an right wing religious magazine came out against trump. his most loyal followers would and will choose trump over God. it's a bit disturbing but in the rants on the internet...i think it's pretty clear that those most loyal will not believe any facts at this point and for all their evangelical bluster...the bulk of them haven't actually read the Bible nor do they have any clue how our government actually works.

it's all so oddly similar to the radicalization in the Muslim world. folks who are not well read and not well educated won't bother or will be unable to read the actual facts so they instead become dependent on others, who them deem to be smart and devout, they allow them the power to control the narrative. laziness....it can really put you in a compromising situation...sadly, being ignorant of your religion and government makes manipulation easy.

they will have to live with the facts one day that they chose this orange fool over the God they claim to worship.

the Russians keep playing a major role in all this...we are still far from knowing how it all fits together but this week information does seem to show that in that 2+ hour meeting between PUt and iitoo, put seeded the narrative of Ukraine and those conspiracy theories in his head. he believes put over all of our agencies...so odd that the right seems to make claims to support the law while accuses the law offices of being over taken by this "deep state" conspiracy crap. they trust putin and investigate the investigators.

so many ties....those ties continue to build rather than fall apart. it's pretty sad. i suspect trumps ego and complete lack of knowledge have made him a total patsy for Putin. he has no idea how easily he is being played. Put no doubt never imagined he'd have such a pack of loyalists who would be willing to stand by him.

there are emails showing up...when bits of information do end up forcibly pulled from this administration it's general bad for them. there is tons more where those came from. they are obstructionists to a degree we have never seen. anyway. emails show that the aid to Ukraine was directed by the white house to be put on hold 2 hours after that "perfect" call. love that the right still thinks that is an actual transcript..it's not.

there are also some emails uncovered which show a bit more of the extent of constant aid to trump, miller, is for sure in the white supremacy arena. they keep denying and pretending there is no racist agenda on the side they support, but there really is that thread weaving it's way through the system. families separated, people/even kids have died.

put spoke out against trumps impeachment....that should say something to the trump supporters. it doesn't though. they have become the party of trump....therefore the party of putin. he benefits in may ways from this administration.

haven't really watched any of the usual Christmas movies. i do always love to watch, "Love Actually" kind of a Christmas movie i guess. a fun one anyway.

haven't looked at the pictures on the big camera yet. they pile up in there. sometimes the iphone does just fine though. odd

the section above is an area at Campbell Airstrip where it appears an ice dam broke at some point and refroze.

this is another pond on that route. water recedes underneath some ponds and then the ice cracks and buckles.

my cute furs.

haven't really bought them much this year. they really just love those tennis balls and a few big squeaky toys. will have to wrap some and let them open them....it's always cute.

i was chilled after the Monday walk and Potters play and ended up taking a nap. I'd only had maybe three hours nap though after work this morning.

with all the flu out there last night i really just wanted to bleach myself.

sunsets are early and beautiful...they also last for hours

stopped by the depot there for a few last sunset shots before heading home.

hit the bread store first. wanted to get my attached neighbors a little Christmas something.

there has been a big landslide in Denali National Park...the park highway could be closed for at least some of next season at around the half way point...near Polychrome .