beautiful day for a walk and a drive...

 walked with lena and blossom out at campbell airstrip looping around to rovers run.  then i grabbed rio and the dogs accompanied me on a little drive down turnigan.  never  a bad idea.above is leftover structures destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of 1964.

 first i stopped by potters marsh.  there were a few swans not too far off so i took a few photo's of them.  none too great of the swans, but the reflections on the water were too pretty to pass up.

 the swans were way closer to the road upon my return trip, but by then my cold meds were wearing off, i was tired and the dogs were no doubt ready to be home and get fed.

 loads of swan paparazzi out by this evening as well.  usually i don't care, but i think feeling a  bit under the weather still made me a bit less social then my usual.  the swans are beautiful and so i hope many happy photographers tonight playing on their computers.

 there are many photographers in alaska, both real and imagined, professional and amateur.  canon and nikon no doubt make a killing in alaska.  if you just get off your couch and get outside in this state you are sure to get some decent photo's.  spend some extra bucks on more gear and you can get a few that are worth hanging on your wall.

 other than calendars and the occasional coffee table book i don't think i've ever bought someone elses photograph. i think most people that love alaska want to get their own shots.  i think if i bought photo's they'd be some of those outstanding national geographic shots that require a great deal more knowledge of cameras and also a great deal of time, money and effort to come by...it's worth the efforts as some of those national geographic photographers astound me.  mostly i if i buy something for my wall it's paintings or drawings or other art form.

 did get a few things checked off my to do list.  well, i at least have a few things scheduled so that counts.  that is half the battle.  mailed a package but it will take awhile to get there as the guy sent it ground and by the time i figured that out it was too late.  oh well. it will arrive eventually.

 walked with lena as i knew she'd be chill with my coughing and snot rockets.  those are acceptable in alaska, though i realize not so much in the lower 48.  yes, we are real ladies up here.  haha!

 she's still coughing and wheezy from her last bug.  so far, i'm coughing but no wheeze.  doesn't seem like it's really dropped into my lungs and i'm hoping to keep it that way.

 i now suspect this bug came from the local subway.  i do remember thinking the girl making my sandwich had a running nose, blew it and didn't wash her hands before donning her gloves..no point putting on the damn gloves with dirty hands. the entire box of gloves was no doubt contaminated.  i know gross...but i think now that i was right and that was exactly what she did.  teenagers can be so annoying sometimes.  it came back to me today when i stopped by for a sandwich.  i will certainly be watching them more closely.

 the willows looked cool against the reflective backdrop as well.

 popped over to the turnigan side as i always love the beach grasses in the fall.

 started to watch a movie as i loaded pictures but it was just going to be too intense and violent for my likes.  i'm sure it's good, but i'd rather hit the sack on a light comedy

 pure reflection on this one.

 then i aimed the camera up to the trees.  nice colour changes happening along the arm right now.  was debating popping over to hope.  it's been a long time since i have.  i may see how tomorrow looks for that or hit seward...or not.  we shall see.  i'm very fickle in my planning

 have been pretty good at my goal of increased texting.  can't say that my little social experiment has worked out to having others instigate texting.  some things never change.  if i want to communicate i have to take the lead, if i want to do something with other humans i again have to take the lead...unless the other humans want something from me.  life is strange.  that is just my lot in life i guess.  my mom was that person as well. i do remember having discussions with her.  don't think she understood it either, but she never seemed to be effected by it.

 of course, i found that in my previous life as a mormon the social part was a constant.  you were invited because everyone was invited.  this also limited your social life in a different way at times.  the people in your ward were your social circle and it only really changed if you moved or they moved. on the plus side, i am sure i learned how to plan events for various sized groups as it seems like i did quite a bit of that then to.

 it is funny, it's not like i have this great house for socializing, but ultimately it's not the house or money or whatever that makes a party work.  it's just taking the time to plan it and invite people.  it doesn't always work out but i think the people who also plan parties at their homes are the most understanding of what all is involved.  my mom always invited people over.  they always felt welcome, not because our house was fancy or the food served top rate.  it was because she had a welcoming attitude and gave of herself freely and fully.  there is much i can learn from my mom socially.  she had a my house is your house attitude and she welcomed all.  she always seemed to think about those who might need a place on a holiday.  i know it would bum her out that the same doesn't happen for her daughter most of the time.

 life isn't fair though.  a lesson we should all learn at some point in our lives.  even if it's not always fair that is no reason to get angry and bitter over it all.  just accept it i guess and move on.  fair never seems to work out.  we are all balanced in our own ways. life does have a way of balancing shit out when you least expect it.  my life isn't perfect, but i get to take walks and drives and see this amazing scenery.  somehow that balances out the unfair aspects for me.

 liked this tree

 just a few scenery shots i stopped to take along the way.

 and of course, more trees.

 reflections in various ponds along the way.  i turned around after the whittier cut off.

 this is a remnant from the life before the '64 quake and tsunami.  not many of the glass covers left.  i remember reading something about them once.  some people go out there and try to collect them.

 on the drive back i started seeing beluga whales.  there must have been 20-30 of them at least, not sure.  lots of spouts.  most were feeding a bit away from where i stopped. several were riding the tide into the arm.

 those came pretty close to me.  so got a few photos.  it's not easy to get great whale shots from the road.  more cool to just sit down and watch them.  i always feel obligated to attempt a photo or two or 50...haha.

 mostly they are just white splotches on the water.  not overly impressive.  the beluga numbers have stayed low from years past i guess, but i do always love spotting them.  it's like a bore tide..just a lucky find in my experience.

 a few of the many spouts off in the distance.

 these next few are from the walk.  didn't take too many photos while walking..it was enough just walking.

 various leaves down.  thought the one above was pretty

 loved this one for some reason...the light i guess.

 the creek...almost back to the car.

 drove up the road a bit.  these are larch branches below.  love the larch this time of year.  there are a few conifers that do not stay green all year.  the larch or one of those.  always strange to see pine tree yellow up this time of year.

 these last are from my little powershot taken on the drive today.  so all current today. i'll toss in the other october shots as i have time and space.

 still have never taken the train ride..one of these days i'll have to try for it.  was hoping my nephews would be into trains and i mentioned it.  not really something i'd just go do i guess...but this time of year would probably be a fun time if i did go for it.

 more train action

 sheldon cooper would love it!!  hehe

 some spectacular scenery out there!!

 in this one below i included the old powerlines that i  took the close up of earlier.

 nostalgia!!

 just the road with a truck on it.  liked the colours though.

i have kept myself awake all day...no nap, which means i am tired, but i did want to get myself back on a more normal, less sick schedule.