potters and the coastal refuge...

 another freezing cold day out there...

 but freezing cold also meant great ice skating at potters marsh.  i took my kicksled and wandered around a bit.  the east side was the most stable ice.  i spoke to a few skaters who each had one wet leg because they had gone through.  both said the ice looked so beautiful and clear...that is where they both went in.  these were two different people.  so be careful out there.

 the temps at the sign near my place were neg 7.  there was a bit of a breeze out by the water so i'm sure that took it closer to neg 10 or 15.  i couldn't stay out too long and taking pictures is always a bit more challenging in those lower temps.

 it was fun to watch the other skaters and fun to try and get a few photo's of them out there.  the willows are always cool photo ops as well.

 the ice got more busy as the afternoon wore on.  hockey players just cruising about.  nothing formalized like a game, just pucks and sticks and batting it around.

 several boots began to pile up at the edge of the ice.

 i had come here after walking with my friend nelly out at the coastal refuge. she'd never been there so i figured i'd show her one of my favorite spots.  she made me dinner tonight which was great!!  love a home cooked meal and i rarely get invited any place so i was pretty excited about that.

 headed to potters to try and catch the sunset.  worked out well.  especially liked the light with these skaters on the ice.  pretty cool.

 everyone on the ice was saying they wanted to take advantage of the great ice before another snow comes in and covers the ice.  potters is a pretty sweet place to ice skate, so close to town.  i guess for the most part it isn't really very deep...just a few spots.

 have gotten a few things done, never as much as i hope for though especially since i'm going to be taking off next week for Texas.  so much more to do.  my Christmas letter is written though so i can get the calendars for family ready to take south..the only hitch will be if my luggage gets lost i guess.  it's tough to get motivated to get back out to do shopping or hit the gym once you are back home after being out in this extreme cold.

 tonight after i got back from Nelly's i just filled up the tub to warm up.  i never understood what it meant to be chilled to the bone until i moved north.  sometimes the only way to really warm up is to get in the tub or curl up under the covers.  i love my heated throw from cost co.

 i did get a chance to chat with a few good friends as well tonight which was wonderful.  Quinton caught me before i headed to Nelly's and Carla and i finally caught up with each other after.  we've played phone tag for several weeks it seems.  i agree with Carla...nothing beats an actual phone conversation except actually being with the person and talking live.  texting is okay, but you really don't get into the meat of a discussion.

 love this shot above as you can see the skaters in front of the Seward highway, the rail and then Turnigan Arm sunset.

 these were shot from the road above.

 cruised around a bit getting different angles of the sun and ice.

 even somewhat "boring" sunsets are made majestic over the water.

 lots of little cracks on the ice at potters. i really didn't get near anything that i would have been concerned about though.

 also my kicksled can cruise over these cracks easily.  i left the dogs in the car as i figured they'd had enough for the day out at the refuge. we saw nobody else out there walking at the refuge today.  guess they were all ice skating.

 i think the little dark spot in the sun on the ice was actually an ice skater...i was trying to capture them passing over the ice.  should have taken a few more as clearly they are lost in the reflection...sort of looks other worldly though.  haha.

 sleeping lady in the background.

 rio was a bit less than enthusiastic to go for a walk today and to test out her new neck scruff.  not sure she really appreciated the thing. although it did fall off once when we were out in the wind at the refuge and i think she maybe did gain some appreciation for the thing at that point.  i do know that her ears were nice and warm when we got home.

 funny to bundle up a dog to this extent, but it really is chilly out there and i'd rather her warm and looking a bit ridiculous.

 blossom and tye didn't seem to mind the cold temperatures though all the dogs were slipping a bit on the ice in the tidal zone.

 Nelly is bundled up against the cold.  there was quite the wind chill out there.  brrrrrrrr....

 always beautiful though.

 loved these bumpy designs in the snow/ice.

 blossom never gets cold it seems.  she is pretty dang cute i must say.

 the neck scruff didn't stay in the right position very well....so i'll have to do some tweaking. i think if i put a hole for her leash that may help. when walking she tends to have her collar up high on her head and i think it's gotten that i lead her around with the leash.  she is blind and it's what we do so maybe if i put the whole up high it will help hold the scruff in the right place.

 two days in the bitter cold and i suspect rio will opt out of the walk tomorrow.

 i head back to work for 3 nights starting tomorrow and then i will have to get stuff done and catch my flight out.  haven't worked out the how to get to/from the airport details.  i just tend to avoid these details as part of my brain remains in denial.  i love being other places and seeing family...i just hate the getting to/from.  it's so uncomfortable.  the waiting, the flying, the packing...the horrible details.  once i'm at the airport all the details go away as it's all out of my control.  if it's not done, it's too late at that point.

 Nelly on the beach.

 a few bubbles, not too many out there today.  you never know what you will find anywhere. that is why i love cruising around to different places and seeing what is out there.  it's always a surprise.

 you can see my shadow with my kicksled on the ice.

 the sun bounces off potters marsh.

 for those who don't know what a kicksled is, this is it.  it's pretty simple, but lots of fun.

 one last shot of the skaters...

back to work tomorrow.  enjoy your day...hope it's a wee bit warmer wherever you are!!