packing and avoiding packing...

so much to do...to lazy to do it! amazing how much other stuff you get done while not doing what you need to do. i like trips, but don't like prepping for them. also secretly i just hate the idea of leaving the dogs at home so i think i delay all so my head doesn't catch on that i'm leaving my little happy nest. once all is done and i'm out the door, it's out of my control and i can only just hope all is well when i return. it's hard to turn over your pets for even a few days. makes me think how difficult it must be for people who hand thier kids over for day care or have to split custody with an ex. that always seems the worst.
lupine were spotted out on the potter to mchugh trail on monday. tanya and maddie joined me. maddie discovered photography. she immediately liked hiking more once she had her moms iphone in her hands. i asked her why and she said something quite prothetic (did i spell that close)...anyway, i forgot exactly what she said but it was something about how it makes you notice all the stuff out there. she said it so much better!kids are pretty dang smart. i braved the bog this morning and then later hit the dog park. on my bog walk i met a young boy, about 4 i'd guess. he was chatty and happily petting the dogs and asking about them. as i left he said goodbye to "fluffy" and to "not fluffy". new names for the dogs. i think i'll stick to the old ones. my friend marcie said kids like to simplify stuff. they may be on to something. he also informed me that i needed to take rio to the doctor and get her some glasses. if only it were that easy. the moose didn't chase me down today. i saw her out there, but she was settled in a ways off the trail recovering from her delivery. i couldn't tell if there was one calf or two, but i'm no fool and i opted to not go off trail to get a closer look. she looked happy and safe in the middle of the bog. have accomplished a bit, got stuff out for the trip this weekend. i think i've gone on so many trips i generally don't forget stuff. it doesn't take long. i made my little daily bags up for snacks and stuff. my friends laugh at my bags, but it's better than taking full packages out there. of course, i always bring way more than i can ever consume, but it's that protection in case you get extra days out there. we had 3 extra days out on shuyak island, those snack bags were almost empty by then. they say bring 5 extra days food to round island. i always prefer to not get stuck anywhere, but if you are thinking of traveling in alaska, you must be ready for delays. when i lived in ketchikan, several of us were waiting at the airport for a flight out. it was foggy and all of us locals settled in with a deck of cards. anytime there was an announcement the non-locals would rush the counters. the locals....we just looked outside, saw the fog and dealt the next hand. nothing happens in fog and fog happens alot. more in the summers than the winters oddly. the trails on the turnigan have spectacular views. always enjoy it. they are the first trails dry usually and the first to get flowers. we were surprised to see lupine out already. we also saw several other types of flowers starting to bloom. gotta love the wildflowers. my neice is coming up for a week this summer and so we chatted a bit tonight. also spoke to my sister in law as they are trying to plan a trip. the dates keep getting moved back. i may end up out at byers lake a few times this summer. they are talking fall now so i'd be cool with repeating byers with fall colours. met with scott to talk a bit about the round island trip....it is exhausting. up here we cram so many trips into the summers we need those long winters to recuperate! have to work the next 2 nights. then i have a few weeks before the madness begins. timing is key, but as i said, that can be altered by weather. loving all the green. it's the most awesome thing...so much up here is awesome. even a trip through the bog or to the dog park. got busy doing crap and have neglected my swimming this week. always bummed when i miss it, but summers get a bit hectic. hopefully, i can keep up a bit and keep in shape. didn't mean to bag on the gold nugget race, it's just that it's 8 lengths in a pool, however you can do it. 4 miles walk/run and 12.5 miles on a bike. the sad truth is every teenager/adult should be able to do these distances. it's just a sad reality of how out of shape our society is that these distances are considered a huge accomplishment. a bit obsessed with plant life this week. watched, "men who stare at goats" last night. it was a net flix. i've never seen it. doubt i'd go buy it or see it again, but it was pretty good overall. had no idea what it was about. silly, nothing wrong with silly. the devils club is returning.tanya and maddie head down the trail. not sure how the girls and i got ahead of her. we went for ice cream after the walk. i'm always up for ice cream. sandra joined us. scott tried, but something about his trailer being overloaded? guess that got fixed.views. it was pretty out there. the clouds were in anchorage when we returned.maddie works the angles.i'm sure this bench sat a bit lower at one time, but the land has left and now it's a dangling bench.maddie and i work on our model poses. mine were not attractive and i do hope they do not end up posted on facebook! kids like goofy and i'm more than willing to get a little goofy from time to time. taking a break on a little bridge. saw bear scat a few times, but no bears were sighted on our walk. there had been a black bear according to someone who came off the trail, but we never encountered it. after getting chased the day before i was happy to skip a day.on the way home from somewhere. this guys been hanging around the hood. love when moose kneel down to munch on grass. so cute! the old and the new. my old boots were cracking and no longer water proof or resistent, really they had become permeable. so sale at rei, off i went. always sad though to say good bye to a good pair of boots. i spend alot of time in my hiking shoes. we've done many miles together. so today i just did the short hikes to start breaking in the new ones. watched an exchange between magpies and a squirrel that had apparently climbed up the wrong trees. the maggies are very protective of thier nests. they gave this guy chase. i didn't stay to see how it ended. always fear the squirrel will run down the tree and then blossom will want to give chase. have my hands full enough just trying to keep her out of the water and avoid crazy moose. it's like where's waldo...spot the squirrel and the birds.this last one was my favorite action shot!dog park. ran into friends as usual. have met several nice people out there. rio did some posing for me.it's rare i can get pictures of her without her trying to walk towards me. she was happy in the water today.this dog made rio look like a chihuahua..okay maybe not that small, but look at that dog!! i'd be terrified if i saw it coming down a trail at me...it's huge! rio is 120# so she isn't tiny.packing central. gotta throw clothes in, organize more and finish getting notes written for dog care tips. need to go purchase the trundle bed after i get back. the carpet may wait til after summer, we'll see. may just go for it. will look at money after i get back. may just use pfd for part of it. all that crap has to fit in the kayak. still renting kayaks. haven't felt the need to buy one since i only use it a few times a summer. sometimes i'm in a single, sometimes a double. i fear that i will be out powered on this trip. hope they don't leave me behind. supposed to stay as a group, but people sometimes forget that tidbit. write a note or go to bed, that is the question....