risking my life for a super cool rock....

 

this artist is named Kevin Hagensieke so a couple of the rock pictures are his. he carves these super cool rocks and hides them.  i've seen them for ages and either can't figure where he's hid them or knew they would be found almost immedicately upon him posting them on the Anchorage Rocks fb page. 

today this rock popped up and it was at the bear tree...that was all he said. i know the bear tree though! it's just a few miles from my house.  tricky part...the bears den up in the tree.  as it turns out the bear does have cubs and they have been spotted there as recently as yesterday now i hear. well.  this rock was worth the risk. 

above is the artists photo. that got me up and out of the house. i did text my friend LS to see if she wanted to join me for a walk and if she was willing to meet me first at the bear tree in case someone needed to call 911 or rescue me. i got there early though and as there were a few cars and no bears in sight...i went for it.  you really can't hesitate in these situations. you must commit!

i was rewarded for my speedy response and am now the proud owner of one super cool rock! i may slip it into this table. 

we then had a lovely slushy walk. it wasn't too bad though.  the dog park yesterday was much worse. 

this is the best view of it that i've taken i think above. below is another by the artist.  so that was a happy and exciting day scoring this cool rock. i left one of mine behind. as i was in my car posting that i'd gotten the rock on the fb rock page, a guy went to the tree and found my rock.  no idea if he took that one or not.  he was too late and i'm happy i went for it or he probably would have walked away with this rock. i'm sure the other cars there were waiting for the bears to appear and probably thought i was nuts.  i had to move around the tree a bit. there is a hole and i told LS that i feared seeing a bear eye ball looking back at me.  i was brave and i was rewarded for my bravery. 

it's good to get yourself a bit nervous from time to time. 

the northern lights were really good again last night. since i'd worked 3 nights i opted to lay down for a nap and set the alarm..except i forgot to actually set the alarm. i woke up at 1:30 am.  so i went out on the back deck and they were dancing around and it was fairly warm.  i was really too tired to bother trying to get decent photos adn deal with all that. so i just sat in the camp chair on the back deck and watched the lights dance around for about an hour.  the dogs were confused by were thrilled to have this middle of the night tennis ball throwing session. 

a coworker stopped by and purchased the drum set for her daughter last evening. always sad to say goodbye to certain items in life, but i'm thrilled it's going to a kid who will have fun playing on the kit. i got what i asked for and then tossed in the cymbals and stands since i know her.  if it had been someone else i would have sold those separately.  i had decided that if fall came and nobody that i was willing to sell to came up, i'd donate them to the school system.  better than then some scam artist gets the kit. 

my only professional gig as a drummer was an illegal lesbian wedding back in the '80's in Malibu Canyon. my life has always been strange and interesting.  haha. 

i just bought some rainbow clothing for the Skelly's.  feels like i'm defending lgqbt+ rights lately so may as well get them dressed up in support

my work stretch went pretty well.  this week i was in ICU, PCU and then IMCU.  in ICU i was break nurse so that was fun. minimal charting. they are making us actually clock out for our lunch break now. feel like i work fast food. hardly seems a way to treat professionals.  if i'm clocked out though i am not doing a dang thing. if i can't break my patients completely without someone they can pay me. others are clocking out but staying at the desk.  seems more of a liabilty.  before if i had down time i'd just count it as my break.  now that they are forcing us into a specific time frame....we aren't going to be covered for that time at all, before with it being more fluid, we had more of a chance of being covered liability wise. 

the Pcu night was interesting.  me against two in mildly heated discussions about gun control and abortion.  light topics at 3 am. they both own assault rifles.  at this point i feel like folks like this believe their rights are more valuable than the lives lost.  the one was trying to argue that these statistics about guns being #1 killer of kids are inaccurate because they take it to age 19 according to him to make it look worse.  of course, taken back to age 18 made it the second biggest killer of kids...i told him that was much better. i just kept having him look up how these things  compare to Canada and Australia.  we didn't come off very good in comparison. not sure why these people are so daft at seeing the obvious stats.  we are the only nation that has this sort of death numbers amoungst our peer nations. 

at one point i'd gone into my patients room and returned and was charting and they were looking into one the recent shootings where a kid came to the wrong house and the old man used his assault rifle to shoot at the kid through the door. they were jumping through hoops trying to victim blame the kid.  saying the media doesn't cover it all and the kid was probably cursing or scaring the old guy. i just kept quiet for that part. so ridiculous. then the whole we gotta treat mental health.  i'm like, it was Reagan and the GOP that opened up all the mental health facilities and released those people and we do not have more crazy people than other peer nations...no explanation for that.  

they were both saying if you use your gun you should always shoot to kill. i was all shouldn't you really be shooting to disable if you can...nope, not according to them. these people will do anything to protect their beloved guns.  far more valuable than any life, children included.  

the guy made the mistake of saying a lot of women fake being raped.  i was all, that, right there.  that is why people like you should never make decisions about women and their healthcare.  a hell of a lot more women do not report rapes and assaults than the small number who "fake" a rape. the girl at least backed off on the abortion stuff.  their arguments were the usual weak bull. they just prove over and over that they really have no clue what abortion is, or all the nuance involved with that. 

the dogs and i were wiped after our little adventure to Seward.  it was really a perfect getaway though. 

it was a bit of an interesting drive out to Seward. at one point i looked up and there was a cop car behind me, lights and sirens. i pulled over and into a pull out. the cop pulled in right in front of me.  i couldn't figure what i could have possibly done. i looked down to get my license and registration, proof of insurance and all that. when i looked up he was out of his car and behind it with his gun drawn facing forward. 

i was all freaking out, omg, i'm going to be involved in some shooting.  i did catch his eye and was all, am i free to go. i think he may have tried to direct me back towards Anchorage, but i pulled out and headed toward Seward.  there was a truck that i guess was the object.  i could see him pull out after me, headed towards Anchorage. i hope i didn't screw up their capture but i was just wanting to get the hell out of there. 

we got to Seward in plenty of time.  loaded on to the boat and headed out to the cabin.  

it's a beautiful location. expansive beach to explore at low tide.  i would for sure go out there again. i'd take the water taxi even if the switchbacks weren't covered in ice just to take the comforts of home to the cabin. it was pretty cheap. 

we had wildlife all over the place.  right from the cabin you could see the seals, otters and sea lions swimming around. we also got lucky and there was a humpback cruising around that first night.  seemed it was out there for hours. going back and forth and feeding. 

our weather was perfect and i walked nearly 9 miles/day so the dogs no doubt did double that.  they hardly moved the day after we got home. i still need to get Sunny Boy a good grooming.  after the drums left i moved the grooming table to that spot out there. will have to train him to that.  lots of high power treats will be involved. 

these pictures are in Homer but we did see some jelly's and stars out there.  also quite a few urchin shells along with other shells.  lots of snail shells too. 

there was a dead bear several hundred feet from the cabin.  thin bear. i wonder if it was sick and weak and fell down the cliffs above.  

we did hike backwards to the switchback part.  i didn't really want to have the dogs on icy switchbacks so i just turned back.  my friends went and said it really was very icy so i think we were all happy we'd brought the boat

i would for sure get Tonsina cabin again.  late April is perfect.  Millers Landing just starting taking water taxi's the day before we went. 

always love this boat on the spit.  the light was super pretty for this. above is clam gultch. 

so beautiful weather and safe travels.  great wildlife sightings.  just nice to be on the water, even if it was super short. 

one of the big name hosts got canned at faux. he was and is a horrible person.  spreading lies, racism.  just a jerk. i'm sure he will crop up elsewhere. his brand of hate and big mouth will go on. part of me wonders if the lawsuit they just lost had something to do with it . perhaps all those big "news" shows are on notice.  one can hope.  CNN also fired one of their hosts. 

brightly colored stars. 

i have been sleeping pretty solid this week.  love me some sleep time.  

sea urchin above. below you can see the line of anemones curled up at low tide

finished reading "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Pelt and have been reading another book where everyone gets a package and it contains a string that tells you the amount of time you have left to live.the Pelt book was really enjoyable.  we shall see about the other one. 

the snow is melting pretty fast so the little free library is seeing action again. it got kind of buried this winter. 

as i waited for my friend to come get the drum set i  took stuff out of the garage to leave out front with the old free sign.  most of it is gone already.  just a few things left. maybe people have missed the freebies at my place.  way too much snow this year to attempt that. 

i'll have to find some fun stuff to do on my next stretch off.  maybe a few road trips/day trips. roads are clear now. i do need to get the tires changed over on the cr-v. won't bother with the element.  it occurs to me that i am still waiting for the tires to get unburied.  will need to replace fence this summer.  will take some time before we can do that.  snow again and frozen ground below that. 

project time. 

then late may will be garden time.  

will for sure need to make a few runs down to Homer. the dogs just love running on these beaches. 

now i'll need to plan for that walk to the beach we were at this last weekend.  how is it i never checked out that walk before now? i have done just the first section but it's a great beach and less traveled so could be really fun. 

star above, anemone's below. 

guess i should turn in.  doesn't look like much hope of lights tonight. i'll just sleep.  then i have two more nights of work. 

thankful for A. safe and fun travels to Tonsina with the dogs and friends. B. finding a cool rock and not getting eaten by a mama bear in the process. C. brand new bear spray canisters.  thank you costco!

always great to wake up crushing skull...thank you Covid Cat!

 

the joy of pets.  was super happy i was wearing slippers for this mornings crunch time. 

busy cleaning and packing for this next little adventure. leave in the morning. the shrew was beheaded. it's guts sitting just a few inches from the head that i crushed.  looks like Covid Cat is getting back out there, exploring and hunting. he and Miss Breezy have had a few tiffs of late.  too much indoor time together perhaps.

so we are going to take a water taxi a very short trek to the cabin.  seemed easier than risking losing gear on the steep/icy switch backs. when you are older and more settled in life financially...some times you can just throw money at a thing.  not worth the risk of injury. that risk goes up as we get older as well.  we both said, if we were in our 20's we wouldn't have thought twice about it. we would have just gone for it. we were also in a more restricted financial situation.

so a few water resistant/proof bags.  one for dogs, one for my stuff and one for food/kitchen, plus the sleeping bag, plus cooler plus a dry bag with the camera.

Ivy just put her weight on my knee.  so far it seems okay.  you never know. so easy to tweak stuff as you get older. 

i guess TikTok is being banned in Montana i think it was.  so stupid really. they have not given any real indication that there are issues and their interview with the ceo was at the least a shit show of embarrassment.  just showed the leadership of our nation is old and out of touch with how any of this works.  we just had a 21 year old kid get arrested for releasing secret information from the government. spy lists, Ukraine stats.  not for any pay out of anything...just wanted to show off to his on line friends. 

i have really come to like tiktok.  i get more information there and before it actually shows up  on other news sources.  most just believe tiktok scares those in government because it is so easy for regular folks to get information and share it with each other.  easy for them to meet others like minded. 

they are clearly ill equipped for this level of tech.  i am, i'm sure of that. watching them with that ceo it was really clear that they are even less knowledgeable than i am...and they work in the government with top clearance. of course, the idiot insurrectionist congresscrew are saying he was set up because he's a white male...we are apparently profiling white males now.  so stupid really....so stupid.  and yet these idiots hold office and get re-elected!

so we will be at Tonsina Cabin.  just a few miles in.  hoping the water is perfect for this quick trip. i may extend and make an overnight drive down to Homer after we get back Tuesday from the cabin. home Wednesday and then back to work again on Thursday. 

haven't painted for a bit....time to get some of that done. get my painted rock pile ready for some drops this summer.

we have had more snow this week.  it feels more and more like spring though. warmer weather. the constant dripping of snow melting. 

been to the dog park a few times and there has been a pair of swans out there. seeing the birds return is always a sign of spring.  they beat the Canadian Geese even. 

Sunny and Ivy will hopefully enjoy another boat trip.  his first was last summer over to Seldovia i think. i gotta find a pet sitter for when my family comes up. 

work, not much work.  i was out with a sinus bug and then Tuesday i got put on call.  did work ICU on Wednesday.  steady night. lots of unfamiliar faces.  hopefully, it's starting to settle down

watched a miniseries last night about the Boston Marathon bombings. it's the 10 year Anniversary.  my friend is on her way to do the run again. go Speedy!! her first flight was cancelled due to a volcanic eruption in Russia this past week.  the ash cloud was over us so flights were cancelled.  she did get out today with her family.  Run, Speedy, Run!!

i remember the manhunt. i hadn't really remembered the big shootouts that happened and that the younger brother, who still sits awaiting his death sentence, ran over his brother. also forgot about the poor guy from China, who got carjacked.  he took off right at the right time otherwise, i'm sure they would have killed him. he was able to help a lot by giving his cars gps coordinates. it was a new car...i hope someone bought him a new one! 

there were a few more wild bullets than probably should have happened. luckily no one in the surrounding homes got injured.  lots of lost limbs and lost lives, including at least one officer. i was packing last night as well so i suspect i may have missed a few bits

some people just do not have a curiosity drive.  it's frustrating for me.  more so now because they still vote and that is voting without all the information.  i have to remind myself it's not that they are cold, hateful people.  just people who live in a box happily and do not want to question things.  they do not want their kids to have curiosity either.  curiosity drives you to change. my curiosity in life and drive me to change so much of how i was taught to think and believe. 

i always believed that if the church was true, it should stand up to some research.  the base history just couldn't be as awful as it turns out it was.  if the foundation of a thing is taped together with lies, well then, the entire structure is destine to collapse.  it has collapsed for so many out there. some, like me, leave and don't look back. others have got more of an anchor pulling them to stay. i was younger, and more free to just be me.  

the bad part, imho, is that the voting choices of those who go vote and then basically look away, are impacting others lives. people who do not live in their box.  they refuse to look at the science or accept science, unless they have a specific use for it. so you can say there are many more variants in human sexuality than just xy and xx.  no matter what facts you show them, they will just "agree to disagree".  saying that these are the only options.  

there are so many things that can happen on genes and chromosomes. ignoring it ignores the existence of these humans.  they do not fit in to the box that has been created. i'm not sure what the box people want them to do.  live out their lives pretending to not feel what they feel.  do they wish them to hide in shame and self loathing. pretending to be what they aren't.  many had their sex chosen for them at a very young age.  all this screaming about we can't allow them to transition as kids and adults...while ignoring that for many born with indeterminant genitalia, they often had a sex chosen for them.  not always the one they ended up feeling more associated with. we chose, when they were infants. often because medically, decisions had to be made. 

you have to pee. you have to poop.  some basics need to be sorted out.  having seen these infants it's been apparent to me for decades that sex and sexuality is on a spectrum.  it wasn't as clear cut as many would love to believe. so kindness, patiences, understanding and access are really the best way forward

there was a huge gender research place at the time Hitler came into power. they were making big strides in the research of sex and sexuality and gender issues.  it was one of the first places where books were burned. 

the folks in the box of their own making will read about the Holocaust. but they tend to read the watered down version so they do not have to read of the extend of the evils.  it really is the same of all the nastiness of this world.  they avoid it. they want to keep things positive and light. i get that, but...

the thing is.  those people that had to endure those times. they did not get to select the watered down version of war. the Russians decapitated a pow this past week.  he was alive and screaming for his life and they video taped it all. they want to protect kids from learning the truth about our nations history with slavery and how terribly we treated the natives.  kids who are black are well aware of racism at a very young age.  they can't be protected from these things.  

i recall after i'd read the book, "tomorrow we will be killed along with our families"..i got that title wrong but it was about Rwanda and it seemed the movie about Rwanda followed this book fairly closely.  i went with a few friends to watch it.  it is disturbing.  my friend turned to me and said, i don't think i can stomach this...i said, they had to.  we respect the lives of those lost when we are willing to learn the horrors they had to live. 

it's true with the church and politics on the right. do not treat me like a child.  tell me the truth and let me decide. i feel like the rights "news" outlets do not respect their viewers intelligence.  that is why they shield them from truths...also it's because they have gotten them to vote and then look away, putting full trust into these fools to fight their battles. they do not want to fight actual battles, they want to carry on in their little box.  

sadly those little boxes have gotten covered in barbed wire.  they have hate and judgement for those outside the box.  as i always say. ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hatred.  once that takes hold, so many horrible things can come of that. 

i never will fully understand what it means to be trans in this world. not understanding it though doesn't mean that i would want harm for this group of people.  they do deserve to have support as they figure out what it means for them. i was lucky, i didn't have any of this body dysmorphia.  i really just can't imagine.  surgery and even taking medication is not something people do lightly. it's years of misery and pain before these folks get the courage to just live.  even more courage is required if they have been raised in a box that chants that the feelings they feel are  not existent. they are not existent.  God will fix it...God made it though? 

i never comprehend how they can accept and even find ways to embrace all other genetic issues...saying that these are souls sent to bless and teach.  hold these kids up as going straight to heaven...but somehow God never tinkers with the genes/chromosomes that have to do with gender and sex...only satan. 

these whales are from a few summers back i think. a longer trek out on a beautiful day. 

we got loads of action.  

flipper wave. 

better get back to packing and cleaning.  some laundry to be done and of course, a few dogs that i should walk

i guess what i'm saying is have your own opinion but as soon as your opinion goes against facts and science AND makes others lives miserable...more miserable than they already are.  well you have gone too far.  the thing is.  they seem to want these people to hide, to not exist.  making people non-existent makes them easier to destroy, to kill outright. that is the slippery slope that we are starting to head down.  this is how these mass killings begin.  

certain segments of the population are deemed sub human and therefore killing them...well, it's not like really killing anyone of consequence. 

in life, you want to be on the right side of history when things like the Holocaust and Rwanda happen. but many that are on the wrong side...just convince themselves these horrors never happened at all.  that it's just fake news. then they go to their watered down news programs and are made to feel good about themselves again. 

what a great day this was.  

tough to catch photo's of these whales really.  they move under water and can pop back up anywhere really.

especially if they leap out of the water. it's fast.

we won't be on the water very long tomorrow.  this is a post splash...all i got.  haha.

thankful for A. slippers B. fun adventures, may they continue for years to come C. curiosity.