more from Homer

 those eagles are big as you can see by the prints on the beach.

 i'm still looking through photos from the large camera. above is evening beach walk

 below is low tide shots at Bishops

 and a few still scattered in there from powerline pass

 Ivy often sits on Tusker, who doesn't like to give up his seat in the front.  not sure if he is just super stubborn about this or if he just doesn't care that she's there. she rode there for several miles

 always great views from the road.

 flowers are starting to bloom.

 i head back to work tonight.

 check out all those bald eagles out there.

 yesterday was a lazy day. no walk. the dogs are still tired from chasing eagles.

 i did get some stuff done. gardening and laundry and stuff.

 love this smooshy face.

 lupine popping out all over.

 today i did make it to the dog park today.

 the pollen did make for some cool photo ops.

 the dogs really love their time on the beach. 

 love between the kittens is growing.

 a strange star positioning.

 was catching up with my niece. life is picking up in Texas for her.  she did go to the Houston event with the family of George Floyd. i guess there were like 60,000 people in the march. she said most were wearing masks and it was peaceful and respectful. very proud of her.  she's been working food banks, taking her kids to help at times.  i have heard encouragement for folks to go get tested after all these marches...so many people. crazy after a few months of distancing to see so many.

 i think of the protests back in the 60's and when you look at those photo's it was almost all blacks with a few whites.  the kkk was still very violent even at that time...not really that long ago.  so a great deal of fear and very brave of all of them back in those days to protest. it was effective but really only a start.

 i so many posts about the violence, looting.  i kind of laugh because Kapernick did the silent taking of the knee and the right blasted him and any others who did this.  they did try to do peaceful and they were not heard.  when people aren't heard they will often increase the noise...sometimes that means looting and fires.  i don't like that, but i understand that it's a reflection of the level of frustration. many of those who started the looting and fires were no doubt extreme groups...many on the right...like the white nationalists/supremacists, neo nazi's....they are very organized and their numbers are huge.  easy for them to pretend they are groups like antifa. 

 when you really look at the numbers though, antifa is small and not very organized.  i mean very small by comparison to what the far right are.  easy to blame the fringe organization.  i don't like extreme on either side, but the far right white supremacists have got decades of bad history...they have never been considered a terrorist organization...not too shocking but very sad really. it's a rather large number and therefore a voting block that the right has not been willing to shake.  will they now?  doubtful.

 at least there have been a larger blend of people out there supporting the blacks in this than there was in the 60's.  i think that is at least a good sign of some progress.  still a long ways to go.  it's way beyond just police brutality.  it's in education, services, high incarcerations compared to whites. we have repeated the same bull for years as explanation, but it was really because we just didn't want to admit that we were part of the problem as whites.  we looked away for years, for generations. many still want to look away at the unfairness, the disparities. 

 the burn areas below were very popular for morel mushroom hunters.

 my brothers page had a photo of clinton holding up a bible, like it was the same thing as what trump did...it wasn't.  a quick search shows that Clinton had been leaving a service. it more looks like he was just waving hello with the hand that held the bible.  Trump had the US military tear gas and fly low in helicopters among other things just to get the peaceful protestors cleared so that he could walk over to this church, unannounced for a photo op.  he wasn't just carrying the bible, it wasn't even his.  he got set up, grabbed the bible, held it up as a prop and then handed it back post photo shoot and walked back.

 he'd been holed up in the bunker at the white house...it came across as him being scared of the protesters and he wanted to look tough.  everything about that was wrong. he was called out by Mattis...of course, what happens every time anyone speaks out against trump...he tweets, then fox and fools start to blast the person who speaks out as part of the deep state and a never trumper....conspiracy theories begin to fly and the base starts chanting the same...lather, rinse, repeat.  it's so very predictable...except the followers dont' seem to catch on to the ruse they are being made a part of.

 not excited to head back to work.  the numbers of positive cases have increased..so much for the virus going away as soon as summer came.  workers are bringing it up here. Dunleavy, our trumpee Governor, seems to be wanting to tow the trump line, but i think he also knows that our state being so islolated it will come right back at him if this gets out of control.  his latest is that people can forgo the 14 quarantine as long as they arrive with a negative covid test within 5 days of visit and get retested i think. 

 he seems to think that as long as the hospital isn't flooded with patients we are fine.  of course, once we are flooded with patients it is too late to stop the flood. so we shall see how that goes.

 Covi Kitten has been outside a lot these past two days.  he hasn't left the yard and i still shut the gate on the outside dog kennel at night and when i leave.  maybe when he's a full grown cat i can stop that.  i do sleep with him loose and still he hasn't left. i think that is a good sign. hopefully, he's not fooling me. 

 i am totally fine with him in the yard.

 many officers have joined in with the protesters and even taken a knee...the truth is they are mostly decent folks.  the bad ones are there though and it's just a job where that can't happen.  you don't want a half ass pilot or a so-so doctor. there are just some professions that have less room for error. 

 i think Tusker would have been fine with a second day of chill.  i do want to get out for some fun hikes this summer and more fun adventures...even if it's more subdued than other summers.

 both dogs were wiped out on the drive home.  Ivy last night never brought me the tennis ball if i was downstairs...that never happens.

 shortly after this photo below was taken, she knocked over all the cairns.  i'm sure those cairn haters would be thrilled.  of course, i'm sure many of those cairn haters do other things that are far more damaging to the environment.  you gotta pick and choose your battles. a 4 wheeler does more damage to the environment on one day trip than all the cairns i've ever made. 

 made a pit stop at the wildlife conservation center. always an easy stop

 the dandelions are plentiful and though i'm not a big fan in the garden...they are the first meal of the bees and they are the first color out there. 

 not a fan of wasps either and yesterday when i opened my shed i say a tiny start of a wasp nest...blew that up with the hose.  i will have to look around inside the shed for more. 

 what will work bring for me tonight. 

 i did do a little online shopping last night.  have some new headbands coming with buttons for the mask loops.

 also decided to get a little ice cream maker.  perhaps i'll try a few recipes for rolls with ice cream or ice cream sandwiches. could be fun.

 cows on the Kenai.  they have had an increase in covid cases as well.  parties on the Kenai over the Memorial Day weekend

 above is tern lake and below is more pollen designs

 a morning stretch. 

 and a last view on the morning we left

 love the pop of wildflower colors out...June is the best for flowers.  i need to get to Hatchers Pass

 this pair can rest tonight while i work.  it will be short walks for a few days while i work.

thankful for; A. sunny days in the back yard with the critters B. reruns of happy shows C. all the babies out there.  saw some baby geese on todays walk .