self imposed chill time

 seems to be how i ended up doing the last part of my holiday.  i did get through all the photos from the first part.  there are some fun pictures in there. 

 there are not many places in Alaska where you can't find things to photograph. 

 i had taken vacation days last week so i wasn't adventurous for all of them.  in the times of Covid though i think i need to emotionally recover from the exposures. 

 the gut....so far my nexium theory seems the most rational one.  have been off it and i think my body is feeling back to normal finally.  it's a joy to fart and not worry that it's more than a fart.  haha.  have been hungry this whole time and have had many days that were overall not bad.  still suspect that was after a few day bout where the nexium probably just ran through my system and was therefore low.  now i think it's out of the system.

 if i revert back to abnormal i will call the Dr and probably get a covid test. never really had any fevers though and the symptoms were not more than the diarrhea and intestinal cramping so i figure it's not Covid...though with the wide range of possible symptoms covid get exhibit, who the hell knows.  we were laughing at work as we asked all the symptoms and they kept adding to it, that soon we'd be asking more and more personal questions of folks. 

 love the holy rocks.  many of the holy ones were soft and falling apart.  it's the intertidal sea creatures that put those holes in there. 

 mostly have walked the dog park this week and tossed the tennis ball out in the yard.  today was muggy.  the days before a bit hot. dogs are just happy with any and all attention and tennis ball time.

 have debated drives and checking out more stuff, but i the end i chilled with the pets.  they keep me calm and make me smile.

 can't believe how big Covi Kitten is getting.  he's super tall.  he's always asking for more food and i give it to him.  he's a growing kitten.  coming up on 9 months...so still more growing to do.

 area of fire damage from last summer.

 Alaskans seem to be getting out and about.  i feel like everyone is doing stuff to their houses...across the street and next door....makes me feel guiltier for being lazy.  i do have projects i want to do...just need to get motivated to get some stuff done. 

 the covid numbers keep increasing, especially in the lower 48.  our numbers have bumped as well.  so many out there that just are fighting against doing the basics of wearing masks and distancing.  the iitoo and his administration have failed majorly in handling this pandemic and now are like, just go on with life like it's not there and if you get sick or die, well, no big deal.  they downplay it all, it's the usual bait and switch tactics they always use.  there is just so much chaos and dysfunction and lies that it becomes impossible to keep up with the madness of one thing before you are inundated with the madness of the next thing.

 as citizens die/get sick of covid he rants on about confederate flags. 

 it's impossible to keep up with the hell that our nation has become. 

 the bounty on our military by Russia shouldn't be political, it should be something that every American wants investigated and that every American wants to hold Putin accountable to, but they have twisted that up and now so many on the right see this as a hoax/fake news...they defend him yet again.  how they can defend him over and over for the horrific things he has done is beyond rational thinking.  but they do. 

 children taken from their parents at the border, never to be returned...they blame the parents and hold nobody in this administration accountable.  they blame everyone but their party and their leadership. 

 it's insane and frustrating and depressing. 

 the pups on a slab of coal.

 enjoying their swim time at the beach. 

 i debated a run to the local beach here.  i really need to get back to some real hikes again.  i do enjoy them and the scenery.  i see so many friends doing some great hikes this summer.  i also hear of so many bear sightings. 

 it will take years to recover from the mess this administration is going to leave behind...if they get in a second term i think we will never recover.

 this picture of my friend SH on the boat cracks me up. 

 love the green against the burn...life does return. nature has a way of recovering. civilizations come and go, nature just carries on.

 i haven't even camped this summer.  terrible.  i need to get out there, pitch a tent and enjoy nature more.

 hotels are good too but i do love a camp and campfire.  though i'm not keen on the bugs.

 my neighbor was just as Byers..i remember being there over the 4th of July...or close to that.  the bugs were horrible!!  i did vow to not to that again.

 these are still a blend of the iphone photo's.  the phones actually do a pretty good job with basic stuff.

 for wildlife the camera with the lens still wins.

 old garbage on the beach. i know when i moved to ketchikan my friend who grew up there said that in those days locals just had a beach/areas they just dumped crap at.  one hopes that when we know better, we do better.  we know better but we still need to do much better.

 this one below turned out better on the phone than the lens camera oddly.

 loved this one.  that was one of those early morning walks at low tide.  sunrise...hard to wake up for those

 Ivy checks out the eagle feathers.

 always love the wildflowers.  still much to check out.  it's ever changing this time of year.

 the lupine is always a favorite

 hanging glaciers

 this is from Skilak Lake road...the further lake is Skilak.

 more morning shots.

 lupine at sunrise.

 northwestern glacier.

 not too much to report today.  i head back to work for 3 tomorrow, then i have another 6 off so hopefully i will be able to get out there and explore a bit. 

 good to be feeling better.  my calories have been a bit on the low side, not that i'd noticed any big weight changes, i don't own a scale.  i find it's better to not focus on the numbers game.

 always love the mist coming off the water.  better head to bed. good night.

thankful for A.  a return to happy gut health  B. the ability to be lazy and survive this life...so many have lived lives where they are not afforded the perk of laziness, it's the ultimate sign of privilege i think.  C.  siri to help me spell check...i'm sure i still screw up a lot.