a few Iditarod shots then i'm off to bed

 

these first ones are probably the winner of the 2023 Iditarod...Ryan Redington.  he was first into White Mountain so will be first out after his required 8 hour rest. it's only 77 miles to Nome from there. 

i'll be back to work tomorrow, will have to just watch the standings from my phone, then i'll get on the Iditarod insider and watch some video's. 

was watching a few video's tonight. there was an amazing one with teams out on the sea ice with the sunset or sunrise  behind them.  just beautiful. 

a few scratches as always. they usually just say for the best for the dogs and leave it vague. i know Sass was out for some sort of dental issue. i think there may be a few dentists out there but doubtful they are in any position to set up shop out there. haha. 

i finished up the first three of my stretch.  i had a crazy night in the ER doing holds. the "this patient will be going home soon so you don't need to know much about them" turned into a bit of a cluster.  but eventually it wasn't too bad. next night i had sitter duty, first in Peds then in ER. third night, again in RCU. less ICU of late.  i did figure out one of the ICU nurses went to float pool nights so they are generally put in ICU slot before me if they are there. seems to happen anytime someone with ICU goes there. they have less places they are trained to float to. this one works just registry so doubtful she will be adding many units.  

my last night i fell right before i got into the building.  no workmans comp for me.  i fell on the meaty part of my ass.  a few bruises but other than a bruised pride, i'm fine. 

met up with a friend, SJ, for dinner last night.  dog park yesterday.  North Bivouac today.  

those bears will soon be coming out.  i walked out there last week and someone had written in  big letters in the snow BEAR! had they seen one or were they just randomly writing bear?  will never know. no action at the bear tree yet.  still sleeping. 

i did take a drive out to Portage Lake. last i'd heard it was open water.  when i got there, the ice skaters were out in force. still seems a bit sketch to me, but haven't heard of anyone going through. 

weather has been warming into the mid to upper 20's during the days with our longer days. snow is melting.  then it gets a coating of ice by morning to the ice bug boots are getting put to service again. 

these are from the restart in Willow. next weekend a little overnight is planned for Bird Creek with friends. 

always nice to escape. 

always love the tongue shots. the dogs love to run. 

my little dogs love to run as well. 

worked on Sunny Boys hair this evening.  time for a trim.  it comes up fairly often.  always trying to brush out the knots that form fast.  i suspect the snow balls do not help. certain area's are harder to get to. in the spring i may just shave his legs and let the bell bottoms or leg warmers restart after that. 

the many faces of these pups. so cute.

Dallas Seavey is out on the trail, hitting stops.  checking on friends/dogs of his that are out there this year. just enjoying it all i suppose from the side lines. 

saw him out at one of the checkpoints snapping photo's of dogs 

new official photographer. not sure if that is new this year or if that changed since covid.  lots of unofficial photographers out there as well. 

hoping the race survives for many more years. 

gop had gotten their way under trump and he'd rolled back regulations on  the Dobbs/Brady act...did i get that right? and also on the train regulations.  then we have that major train derailment with subsequent spill of toxins and a few banks failing.  of course, as usual they will scape goat the dems and act all innocent. it's them though.  they are the constant problem.  always focused on social bullshit instead of focusing on real world issues.  their hatred and foolishness makes moving forward impossible. 

i'd much rather be "woke" than "unwoke". woke is awareness, kindness, problem solving.  unwoke is hatred and bullying, racism and control. they want everyone to look and think like they do and to follow the same crazy religious crap that they do.  of course, what the many different christians do not realize is that they will all  be too woke for the evangelical christian nationalist fools once they get power.  their agenda is an extreme agenda that will eventually have no room for the other christians that they now only tolerate in order to get their votes.

that is the downside to living in a box and believing crazy conspiracies.  eventually, you become the next conspiracy. 

a group of women are suing the state of Texas for putting their lives at risk over the crazy anti abortion crap there.  an apparently abusive guy is suing his ex-wifes friends i guess for helping her get her abortion. Florida is resembling a fascist state more and more.  how is this happening? how are they not rising up against this runaway governor who wants to become potus?

it's craziness all around. all the insane and stupid laws they are trying to pass to ban anyone and everyone who they don't agree with. 

it's frustrating and baffling.  sadly, i know many who are undoubtedly in full support of this madness, not seeing the truth of where they are taking this country. all i can hope is in the end they will lose just like those who fought our nation over slavery ownership rights. eventually right prevails and wrong fails..but many die in the process. they are doing their best to create a situation where many in the trans/lgbqt population either kill themselves or get killed. Christians are expert at hatred now. so like Jesus, not. 

things are getting tougher in Ukraine. they have less to pull from despite the many failings of the russian military. this world and all the power/money hungry assholes can be a very unfair and depressing place.  so hard to see this greed translate into total destruction of the innocent lives that become pawns in a battle that really has little to do with them and their previously peaceful lives. 

as if there isn't enough stress in the world. i am now seeing commercials attempting to sell butt crack deodorant.  really? another place on our bodies that we have to be conscious of odors.  are people going to start smelling each others butt cracks like dogs smell butts. 

of course, in Alaska, with bears waking up soon...we are better off out there with some real human odors over some smelly stuff that may tempt bears....they are smelling our butt cracks. probably from a few miles away. 

on this day they were just leaving for Nome, now they are nearing Nome.  what a difference a week makes.  it's also always the sign of the ending of winter and the beginning of longer/warming days

more snow coming but we are coming out of the winter season. 

always lots of activity around the dogs running

getting ready for the first teams to come past on  long lake in Willow.

they moved the start sign up the hill and moved the teams getting prepped where we couldn't get to them as well.  that was a bummer. 

this cute face is from the early morning ceremonial start. i'm off to bed. 

thankful for A.  truly Alaskan adventures to enjoy...even if others are the ones going on the adventure. B. no injuries with fall, even if a small part of me wouldn't mind a pulled muscle and a few weeks off on workmans comp, haha.  C. only 2 nights to go and another stretch off.  let the fun begin