summer days, crazy days, lazy days...

 

always feel lazy in the summer.  when you have so many hours of light you do feel obligated to fill them with outside activities. it really isn't that i am all that lazy....it's just that you are so driven to take advantage of the light that it can be draining and make you feel like you are wasting time. 

i am great at wasting time in general....but i don't feel guilty about it in the winter when it is dark so much. it's almost expected that you will hibernate in the darkness of winter.  summer....you have to go, go, go!!

so another stretch off and i'm packing again.  i have a room in Talkeetna tomorrow night and then one at Maclaren Lodge the next night.  from there, we shall see. may just return home,  may camp out at a campground on the way to Tok. i've stayed there a few times.  it's really nice. great views on a lake. Grizzly Lake Campground. will see how i'm feeling and how the weather is looking. 

i had debated heading back south but i felt i needed to change it up. 

check out this beautiful purse....still mildly regretting not buying it...has me written all over it.  i think it was $250...!!  yikes!  my Mom would have said just buy it.  she always had an impractical streak in her.  always encouraged me to just do something at times just because. 

that was how i ended up on a plane in Talkeetna one Birthday.  it was beautiful and the flight trip would take you around Denali Mountain and land on the glacier....i spoke to her on the phone and she just said, go for it.  

my good friend, SH, always says you don't think about the money years later, you remember the experience...of course, that isn't exactly what she says...i'm sure i've jumbled it up quite a bit. 

lazy feeling start today.  in truth i was busy at the house doing things.  i kept forgetting to eat breakfast...which meant that it was 2 in the afternoon and i was giving myself a headache from hunger.  the dogs didn't get officially walked until after 4 again. 

at least yesterday the excuse was that i had worked 3 nights and slept in.  today...i slept in, but i just was busy doing other things. still haven't gotten the rack on the new car yet.  dang.  i will need help.  

more bits and pieces than i expected. 

love the flowers popping out all over right now.

it was cloudy here today with some mixed rain.  

this is the door lock on our place in Homer.  haha. 

feeling a bit bummed that i haven't found many rocks of late....it's always hit and miss. this gal at this store had a nice collection.  lots of cats, which the lady working the store looked surprised when i said she must really like cats...makes me think she had a friend who likes cats and that many of these come from that friend. only one in this group that isn't cats.  all very cool!  there are some talented rock painters out there. 

i'm only minimally talented, but more talented that some i guess. 

yesterday i hit powerline pass with the dogs after 4 sometime.  it was pretty out.  kind of lucked out.  i think many were taking a dinner break.  so i think i ran into some day hikers leaving as i arrived and when i was nearly back i started to run into after work hikers.  so i had relatively few hikers out there.  

not much for wildlife sightings of late either.  with the usual bear attacks i'm okay with that to some degree.  would love to see some critters on the denali highway crossing from a safe distance of course. 

i think i have a bunk cabin at Maclaren so that will be odd. hope it has it's own bathroom...you never really know. i know another room i've stayed at there did so fingers crossed. bathrooms are nice.  :-)

back in the Element.  i'm liking having two cars...use their car, the Element for many of the little local walks.  will hopefully help keep the newer car from getting as trashed. 

3 nights work again completed.  first  night i did holds in the ER, the next two were in the PCU. 

below is the view from our place on the spit

a few fish shots.  fairly small fish but good eating so that is okay  

need to keep planning fun stuff for my days off.  if i don't have a plan it is much easier to do nothing or next to nothing 

these pups are great motivators for walks at least.  

they are also great at having no plan at all.  they are perfectly happy chasing the tennis ball in the yard. 

another shot of the fish.  little butts!

the early morning light was beautiful of course. 

the boats haul...again, mostly smaller fish. i blame that on the captain, wasting our time driving us out to rougher seas...we only had the lines in the water for less than an hour of our boat right...that lasted like 5 hours.

at the dog park.  we went there today.  easy and the dogs were happy.

lines not in the water...

the drive to/from will show scars from the fires a few summers ago for years.

the shop where that rock collection is

hanging out with friends on the spit.  they are RV owners.

Ivy always has the FOMO on drives.  Tusker tends to just crash. 

eagle feather. 

saw this rock...but left it.  

my friends daughter took the pups out for a stretch while we fished.  it was arranged for me to leave the fob in the filet shack on the dock.  so here they are.

thankful for A. getting stuff done....though not always the stuff i set out to do as i'm quite flighty that way B. how easy and close the beautiful stuff is up here  C. that even if i drive every human away from me...the dogs still will be there.  i promise to try not to drive away the humans though.  i like being around them mostly 

another solstice....

 

my lazy takes over more than it should.  woke early yesterday to get car to shop

really wasn't all that lazy in that while the car was in the shop i took the dogs on a 5 mile walk on the local trails to Taku Lake and back.  another dog owner was sitting in the waiting area with their dog while i took mine out walking.  that is what i tend to do.  we have trails all over this town. 

walking in to hand over the fob Ivy's toe got caught under the door and there was screaming and I dropped Tuskers leash so he was running all over the shop...thankfully, they are dog lovers there and all was okay in the end.  just loud and dramatic entrance. 

these are from the last trek down to homer.  what to do this stretch off....

the only decent shot of me on this latest Birthday. 

could go to Homer.  could look into Seldovia from there.  a dog friendly hotel has been popping up on fb.  tempting to take a water taxi over.  something new and fun. 

could also head north. haven't been north this summer yet.  

the beach does call often though.  

selfie at matanuska glacier

i have been off two days and i head back tonight for 3 more

bummed i didn't get my crap together and take time off to play this summer.  

can't blame covid much longer for laziness and sitting around

so gotta get these dogs walked before work. 

my last stretch was all ICU.  different patients each night.  the next day one patient i had the night before would have passed on and the other would have improved and been moved out.

those are the only real options you have once you are in the ICU.  get better or die. 

early morning shot above as we headed out fishing for our halibut

can't go wrong with a trek down to Homer. 

may have to look into fun options down there.  

night shift is definitely more draining than it was years ago.  the recovery time is longer.  

not sure i could deal with days though.  way too many humans.  just grin and bear it and hope for an early retirement is kind of my plan at this point . find something part time after that for insurance.

haven't filled out a resume for decades really...so crazy.  everything is different. you can see our captain above.  the dyed hair. she was nice and fun but not the ideal captain.  i still say she wasted our fishing time driving that boat out of the bay into rougher seas.  not the most fun day fishing. not enough experience to know how dangerous these waters can be. 

i'd rather go with someone more seasoned, someone who grew up on these waters if they haven't been a captain for long. 

evening with friends. 

grateful for the folks who stick around.  i fear i drive people away.  i am in awe of others who are really great with keeping and making friends. some folks just have a gift and people flock to them, want to be around them.  i just don't have that.  social is just awkward for me and has always been.  it's not for want of trying or desire. i just missed the class on how to meet people and make them want to be around you. 

so thankful to all who do keep me on their invite/call/text list.  i know i don't make it easy so i really appreciate it.

we stayed in the blue building, upstairs. it was on the spit.  it was good...the only downsides were parking, the stairs were a bit steep for the dogs and there was no gate on the deck to prevent the dogs from heading back down the stairs...oh and the padlock system didn't really work either. 

really pretty morning. i got plenty of steps in all these days as i got the dogs out several times. 

it was good to be on the water.  i do really need to get back to planning some more fun adventures and seeing if i can find some folks to join me.  

fresh and ready to fish..before the rough seas

down time on the little swing beneath the shops

the boats catch...smallish, but still a productive day on the water.  

my kayakers.  need to do some more painting.  also need to do some sanding and staining on my stair rail in prep for the carpet.  i have arranged that.  still need to look into the flooring for the main room/kitchen.  want someone who can deal with the appliances.  that seems a reasonable ask.  

dog/cat cuddles. 

plants growing in....another reason to go south is the lupine is so pretty

i do miss these kitties when i'm away.  need to find good pet sitters for my pups.  have one dog free trek planned. 

the forget me nots are another favorite flower. they are popping out as well. 

powerline for a walk.

selfie with my sweet Tusker

this shot is right before Ivy got herself taken out.  she leapt up and over the swing seat between SH legs.  thankfully, no damage to either of them.  silly dog. gave me a little fright 

the perk of night shift this time of year is often you will be blessed to see both the sunset and sunrise from your patients windows.  

thankful for A. lots of good sleep. B. the long days, sad they are stopping though. C. flowers