salmon and other stuff of summer...

 more mish mash.  i actually opened an august file. yikes.  it can't be august already!! we extended our record days of heat today.  this guy above was in the campbell creek.  he may have been joined now by more fish.

 martin and pelle help bob lead the dogs.  bob and tanya were attempting to get them to take indy back to Sweden with them, but i believe indy is still living in alaska.  haha.  sorry tanya, nice try though.    i know pella really enjoyed the dogs.

 so these are mixed hikes and fishing shots.  i head back to work again tomorrow night for 3.  haven't accomplished too much as usual.  oh well.  a few things happen.  will have to work on house cleaning pre guest.  i tend to do that stuff last minute.  i did make it to value village to find some cheap fleece for the boys.  hope they fit.  i have loads of fleece in various sizes i'm sure so we will find something that will work i'm sure.  just put the fleece in the wash to get that value village smell out of them.

 it's only a week til my brothers get here.  tom has been busy trying to make plans and arrangements.  i work the first few days they are here so they will crash here from the airport, i'll see them in the morning and then they will head to seward for some fun while i work another night.

 i do have a blow up mattress so that should work in the spare room.  may be tight for the first part with my other brother here, but we all used to cram into small spaces as kids so i'm sure we will all manage.  that is how it works in a large family.  we all used to load up the old station wagon and it was packed to the top with kids laid out on the gear.  then we'd go to the beach house in laguna.  my gramps' place had various accomadations depending on whether the unit below or above was rented out.  i seem to recall my older brothers even sleeping on deck or lawn chairs in the backyard some times.  7 kids....we all just were happy to be at the beach.  we were probably all so tired that we no doubt crashed when it was that time.  no idea where my parents slept.

 the nielsons.  we had a great day out there fishing as you can see.  bob looks pretty happy.

 pelle.

 rio just joined me.  she again refused to stay on the couch today so i could take blossom for longer walk.  so we all went to jodphur trailhead.  i opted to cut it short and take a side trail back the coastal way and then take the dunes back to the parking lot.  of course, rio was going slow and laying down and the coastal part is pretty packed in with plants at this time with the usual bear warning signs out.  not good to be in thick brush in bear country with a dog not moving.  i pretty much dragged her arse when i could to get out of the thickest parts.

 no bear encounters thankfully.  it was hot though.  we found a shady spot at the top right before the dunes overlooking the motorcross area.  there was a breeze there.  i had water for me and for the dogs and after we got to the car i took them both to jewel lake to cool off.  hakam above and martin below goofing off in the snow.

 there is a pretty area with water falls on the upper part of the trail.   you are supposed to keep to the left of this.  this is where we all got split up.

 this evening i decided to hit that pool.  it's been hit and miss this summer with all the activities and work.  these hot days though the pool feels great.  i actually got on my bike and rode to the gym...yeah me!!

 should be on my bike more often than i have been this summer. perhaps i can fix that this last part of summer.  i do enjoy biking and i wouldn't mind getting my body back in shape.  it's better than it was last year though. i  saw that the pool will be closed for a few weeks at the end of august.  perhaps i can use that time to get back on the weight lifting. i have always loved that and haven't done it for awhile.  my upper body responds well to weight lifting though.

 i did 50 lengths so 25 laps.  35 laps is a mile.  i used to do that but i could feel my shoulder starting to ache.  getting older does bite a bit.  best to do what you can and not push it so much that you end up out with some surgery.

 so a mini triathalon.  super mini. haha.

 view from hidden lakes trail.  that is fire island way out there.

 at the tarn.

 bob and tanya and that may be hakem below.  i spell his name wrong every time.  actually, i think this is the right way.  ernie stayed back with the kids.

 he came up to the tarn.

 ernie works on her halibut numbers.

 they kinda look like rocks, but that is blossom and indy swimming in the tarn.  we lost all tennis balls.

 laundry and dishes...that is generally about all the housework i get to.  perhaps i was meant to live a different life..one where i have wealth and the ability to just play and hire others to do all the labors of life.  haha.  someone forgot to tell my life that though.  maybe i was in this life in a previous life and i just haven't adapted to actually having to do my own chores.

 perhaps i'm just lazy though and would rather be out playing in the beautiful sunshine in alaska.  who can blame me.   any day our fair weather could end and it could start to rain and rain and rain.  there's always tomorrow for chores to be done.  ( i think that actually fits with some old song i heard).

 blossom with a beloved tennis ball.  her tennis ball bin is packed so don't feel too  badly that her tennis balls were all lost that day.  she didn't mourn for long.

 i guess a tv station goes on air tomorrow that supposedly caters to dogs.  i thought dogs couldn't see tv?  they look to be watching it though on the thing i saw about it.  not sure if my cable company is going to be having this one.  perhaps rio has heard about this station and is refusing to stay home until she can watch dog tv.  anything is possible.

 the ducks and baby animals born in the spring are all growing up fast. you have to up here

 they are fun to watch on my walks through the summer.

 they have flights south to make in the fall so there is not time to waste.  much to learn.  human babies are pretty slow when you think about it.  takes humans nearly 20 years to mature...some more than others.

 a random photo from the dog jog this weekend.  there are always little places along trails that have been decorated.  every so often you run across one.

 blossom in a deep sleep on my gear shifter.  she has only once put it out of gear.  i really try to avoid allowing her to fall asleep like this.  kinda like the large dog staying in the back.  i try to keep driving safe.  no dogs in my lap and all that.

 she does look pretty happy though.  must have been tired or i was shopping too slow for her.  she laid down in the toy aisle at petsmart.  people have really been enjoying her bandana.  it is pretty cute.  rio's was looking a bit rough tonight so i took it off.  they got them at the dog jog.

 a few from a trek out to lake hood. i stop by every so often just to see the planes.

 they always look so pretty, no matter what season it is.

 another salmon shot.  fun to watch these guys.  it is no easy run for them.

 more birds.  different parks.  different ages of babies.

 not sure if these were at cheney or lake hood, maybe even westchester lagoon.  i've been all over the place this month.

 these i know are from the boat trip  out of whittier.

 glaciers.

 i think this one is in blackstone bay.

 they really are beautiful.

 got the camera out and sat on the back deck enjoying the views.  love being on the water when it's like this.  so happy not all my boat trips are like that round island ride.  wonder how our captain from that trip is doing, terry.  spoke with him several months back and he'd bought a sail boat i  think and was heading out sailing this summer.  he wasn't returning to round island...at least not this year.  he's left and gone back before.  he kept telling us he was done.  it seemed like it was a pretty rough summer out there for him.  with the walrus poking a hole in his zodiak.

 several boats out on the water.  loved that in ketchikan.  i had a cabin that i rented right on the water and i could watch the boats coming and going.  when it was foggy i loved hearing all the fog horns out there.  so eerie and beautiful at the same time.

 was better at identifying the various boats back in those days.  a part of me yearns to get back to southeast alaska one day and find another place to live on the water again.  anchorage is convenient though for the moment, but it wouldn't take much to get me back to a smaller place in alaska again.  used to love getting off work and hitting the beach.

 next summer i hope to make the trip back to southeast for a visit.  will have to stay a bit and catch up with old friends and old trails.  better get in shape for all those stairs to perseverence lake.

 alaska has been the best decision i ever made.  no regrets.  it's given me a great life.

 there is just something about this place that gets into your soul and once it does there is no way to take it out of you.  if you love it you will always need to be here and if you leave you will always miss it and long to be back.  i'm always grateful that i can share life in this amazing place via photo's and the blog.  i know some people who are away and miss it.  hopefully, through my pictures i can help you  be here, though i secretly wish you were here.  i am always looking for hiking mates.

i love to chat, i love to write and it seems rarer and rarer that i can find anyone to listen to me.  the blog keeps me from going nuts.  i get some of my words out in the world, even if nobody is there to read it, i can dream i'm heard.  thanks for stopping by if you did and cherish each day.