more bubbles in puddles...

 happy i got out and walked in the bog.  got lucky as this same puddle area that i'd taken fun pictures in last year didn't let me down!!  i just love these dang bubbles in the ice.  right now it's snowing out there...it's beautiful and i'm happy it's snowing, but it is always fun to catch these ice bubbles before the snow covers them up.  can attempt to take water out and clear an area and look for bubbles another day...we shall see.

 so these are from the walks of the last few days. campbell airstrip trailhead, i went to the right, the bog and today i walked in the snow with both dogs a short loop in north bivouac.  i worked the last 3 nights so i slept in a bit today.

 i think rio actually didn't skip any of these walks this stretch. lots of frost and now today the snow is coming down.  there is a good 6 inches out there.  perhaps i can even contemplate snowshoes tomorrow for the monday walk.

 it's also veterans day so lots of folks will be off work so the odds are the trail will be packed down by the time we get there.  should have a good crew out there tomorrow.

 above is just another muddy puddle on the campbell airstrip trail.

 work wasn't bad...well there was the incident of a confused patient who voided in the heater vent.  i tried to convince him to walk another direction, but sometimes you don't win.  i got called in to be a sitter again so time and a half to sit...it had it's moments like that moment.  good crew though so we all got through it.  did get to spend some time reading on my new kindle fire so it was a good purchase to have handy in the bag.  i put a few novels on there and started reading malala's novel.  so far it's an interesting read though i have no idea how to pronounce many of the names of people or places.

 the light was amazing in the bog the other day when i got the bubbles.  i love the winter light.  the sun is going down by around 4 i think now.  it goes down when it goes down and comes up when it comes up.  i remember my brother acting like i was a bit nuts as i wasn't sure what time the sunset was on the day he was asking about.  up in this part of the globe the times of the sunrise and sunset change daily.  it's different every day, every week adds or subtracts about 30 min from the time so it's easy to lose track of time.

 things are freezing.  one friend posted a photo of a guy ice skating already on one pond.  i'm way to chicken to try that this early.  he did fine and he had a nice video to share...i grew up in a warm place so it still seems odd to me to walk on lakes and ponds..i have to be pretty sure i'll be safe.

 last night i was in the renal care unit and the night before i was called in as a sitter i was in the adult icu.  i am enjoying the variety and talking to various people.

 have noticed that when my age comes up, people don't make comments like they used to...stuff like, "oh you don't look any where near ___" so i'm not sure if that means i totally do look the age i say i am now.  hmm.  i am getting older.  no turning back the clock on those facts.  all i can do is be the  best i can at whatever age the good Lord lets me get to.

 my fox picture got the most votes for the day it was on the daily dozen for the national geographic.  i guess now they take the pictures that got the most votes in the daily dozen and then choose one of the most favorites to actually be in the magazine.  that would be cool, but i'm not holding my breath.  the very next day a cute lion cub stretching and yawning in the rain got quite a few more votes than my fox got.  it was a super fun week though.  loved all the support i got from friends and family...thanks everyone for going on the site and voting for my fox!!  it was also totally fun to get notes from across the globe.  had to look up a few of the places as i'd never heard of them before.

 congrats to karen as well...i noticed one of her pictures was in this section called editors favorites...!!  don't remember her mentioning it.  that is cool as well!!  alaska is just one of those amazing places and it's such a gift to be living here.

 these were probably puddles bashed by a few teens i saw out there that day carrying around a football...hmm.  i think the were slamming that and/or rocks into the puddles of ice.  thought these kinda looked a bit cosmic or like galaxies.

 then i got busy with my puddle pond. a few people walked past me and i could tell they thought i was a wee bit nuts.  thankfully, my dogs have learned to just let me take pictures and they sit quietly for the most part.

 i didn't have my macro so i just used my little powershot.  probably would have been way better quality with the macro, but mostly with photography it's about being someplace and seeing something and then having a camera to capture the image.  many nice pictures are being taken on cell phones now...

 often  i will carry one camera body with a zoom on my bog or neighborhood walks, but i for sure carry much less for these shorter strolls.  the light was so great through the trees though at that time of day and it did make for nice reflections on the ice puddles.

 i love how the bubbles stack up on these ponds....so cool.

 so maybe next years calendar will have more ice bubbles in it.  it's all a matter of timing and luck.  .

 i think many people hadn't gotten their tires changed over yet since we were so late with winter weather, but they may have been regretting it last night.  as i drove to work it was pretty bad ice on the roads.  mostly on my side of town.  it was better by the hospital.  my window was caked with freezing rain so it took me a few extra minutes to get to work.  this morning my replacement was 1/2 hour late.  i can talk pretty fast when i want to.  she's super nice too so that always makes it easier to forgive and forget.

 was going to meet nelly for a walk today, but the bad roads and snow made her bow out. probably not a bad idea . did get that walk in anyway though so the dogs were both happy.  i was also able to lounge and read my sunday morning paper.  i know i'm a relic, i also still wear a watch and have a home phone.

 what's the point of getting older though if you can't hang on to some of the old ways.  will probably settle in with a movie in a bit.  i had a lovely fire going in my fireplace much of the night.  snow and a fire....such a lovely night.  chatted with a friend for quite awhile then she booked.  i had to pee anyway, but not sure what the hurry was all of the sudden...hope you are okay gnat!!

 many of these bubble photo's loaded sideways.  bummer, but really with bubbles it's probably not the end of my world. who can really tell.

 the Philippines were hit by a horrible typhoon.  sounds like there could be some major loss of life as well as properties.  i haven't really sat down and watched any news coverage, just bits here and there.  there are many over here that have family there and i hope that those i work with and am friends with have been assured that their family members got through it all ok.  scary.  the clips i've seen looked bad...there were reports of winds over 200mph.  that is nuts.  

 the mess that is Syria is apparently becoming an even bigger mess.  journalists are being kidnapped and killed.  we do slam the annoying people who work in journalism but they do have a critical role in getting the truth or some semblence of the truth out.  it is often the only line of truth out there.  without some one to report  the truth major atrocities can be carried out and nobody will know the truth until after the fact.  it's not good that these rebel groups are using journalists in this fashion.  several have been killed and/or held for long periods of time.  there are two american journalists who have reportedly been held captive for over a year.  not sure when or if they have had any contact to prove they are even still with us.

 cool bubbles..i'm such a simpleton. i just love stuff like this.

 it was great this afternoon to be out there walking in the snow too.  i have now torn up my second pair of ice bugs with winter hiking.  would like to see if the boots are salvagable.  maybe i could write to the company and see what they recommend...besides buying more boots.  could take it to a local shoe repair and see what they thing as well.  hate to lose such good boots. i do have another pair of new ice bugs that i had bought when i thought i'd never see them again.

 these ones loaded correctly.

there was a lot of chatter at work about the aide that was accused of molesting young girls while at work.  i only commented on stuff i knew i'd read in the paper and on alaska dispatch site.  amazing how information flies through a place though.  there are people who know stuff i don't think they should know. not sure how it all gets out there.  i've never been the gossiper type.

 people seem to believe they have a right to know everything that goes on, most of the time i'd rather just not know the bad crap that is happening.  that was i think another thing i wasn't too keen on in that rapid response team.  i'm not sure i want to see errors and expose myself to all that i may have to be responsible for or feel responsible for.

 sunset in the bog that day.  again not sure what time it was.

 there really wasn't much snow on the ground when i was out walking, my house looks to have 6-7 inches at least though.  people were out shoveling already.  guess i'll have to get cracking in the morning.  thankfully, i made dog poop rounds yesterday.  always good to keep up on the dog poop in the yard and i try to watch for predictions of snow and do a clean up before it falls.

 whatever is there may be buried til spring now.

 out at north bivouac today.

 on the way home there was a mama moose and 2 calfs right by the road in the snow.  it was a bit dark already so these didn't come out very well, fun to watch them for a bit.

 the mama had ducked behind the trees by the time i pulled over and got my camera out.

 lived in anchorage since 2001 and still get happy to see the moose out there.

 used one of the bundles of fire i had picked up for my trip across the denali highway.  due to bear encounter i came right home and never made that campfire...nice to be able to burn it tonight.

 snow and my backyard tree.

 miss blossom is thrilled...can't you tell. haha!!

 just woke up gnat.  she never called back so i was starting to get worried.  she's fine...sometimes you gotta wake people up.  us single girls have to take care of each other.

guess i shall settle in with a movie and get some rest.  peace to all and hoping you and your family are safe and warm.