all teams into Nome!

 loved this shot above.  the one light colored dog really worked.  much of this photography is lucky...they move so fast past you.  i try to pick  out a few dogs, or the whole team.  sort of see what the dog colors are, or who the musher is.

 Cindy Abbott has arrived in Nome...so she is the red lantern.  doubt we will see her on the trails again.

 guess the mushing mortician, Janseen, had trouble out on the trails this year again.  he scratched.  a video was posted on facebook of him telling his story...that guy enjoys talking and tells a good story.  guess he got super cold out there.  lost the use of one of his arms, hunkered down.  took all his dogs off their leads and snuggled under his sleeping bag with the whole team.

 by the time help arrived he was pretty hypothermic.  doubt he was making much sense.  they took him out but left his dogs behind, must have clipped them up and secured them to send for their pick up.  Lance Mackey happened by and he had no idea what happened.  he just saw the empty sled and the team there.

 he worried Janseen was out missing in the wilderness.  he clipped the entire team and sled out front of his team and headed back with them to the nearest check point.  they said it looked like a ghost team coming through the storm to them.  he learned that Janseen had been rescued and was doing ok.  Janseen was tearful and grateful to Mackey for saving his team.

 Mackey spoke and said what an emotional year this has been.  he dedicated his run to the dogs that died.  i think he got a sportsman award at the banquet....the other mushers vote on a few of the awards so they gave him that one.

 still loads of Dog pics to share so they will keep coming here, not to worry.

 any other stories i hear i will try and relay here as well.

 above is Joar Ulsom of Norway.  he was fastest rookie last year and this year he came in 6th...not too shabby.

 17 is Mark Selland.  he is a local cardiologist.  reading his bio..we often don't know all that much about the docs we work around i guess.  anyway. he first started doing research on high altitude effects and through this worked on Denali and has done a lot of climbing expeditions.  his wife apparently has done skijoring and sprint mushing so he's been around dogs.  they took a tour in Denali with the dogs it sounds like and now he's finished the iditarod.

 i stayed up late, watched that movie,"hundred foot journey".  it was a good movie,not a great movie, but enjoyable. had heard raves before and not sure i'd give it a rave.

 not looking too good for me getting to sleep before 1:30 tonight either.  such a night owl some days.  finally got a few things done today, but still not as much as i wanted to get done.

 it hit 52 degrees today so i just had to get out and enjoy that...to do list be dammed!!

 Blossom and i headed to the Beach off of Kincaid park.  we did a nice nearly 5 mile walk and got incredibly muddy/sandy/wet.  so lots of fun.  lots of big ice out there so that was nice and the blue skies.  can't complain at all.

 lots of folks laughing at my totally dirty dog.  she's sure is cute though!!  she is beat tonight.  Rio stayed home.  was going to get her outside on the front deck and sat out front when i got home, but she never came out so i just went in and chilled with her.

 #18 is Mitch Seavey...Dallas's dad and second place winner this year...it's coming up Seaveys this year!! just need his dad to come in third.  the guy did run it so a few years back there were 3 seavey's in it.  crazy. he ran it in the old days as well.  i'm sure there were some big differences in the run times past and present and the equipment and dog training as well.  pretty amazing to have 3 generations of one family out there at the same time.  also impressive for anyone who finishes this let alone a guy in his 70's.

 makes me feel like a slacker!!

 this is Justin Savidis.  he owns a kennel and moved north to run dogs really.  he's doing it..living the dream as they say.

 i'm icing my knee.  it's a bit sore after my work stretch and my walks.  today i also swam 25 laps.  hopefully tomorrow it feels good.  swimming does seem to help.  actually it feels great anytime i'm moving, it's the sitting that bites.  stairs are still a wee bit painful too.

 nice looking dog team!!  he's got a mixture of rescues, dogs from other kennels and his own mix.

 they are an unofficial breed the mushers call alaskan sled dogs.  always trying to perfect it.  the Russians have their own version.  a guy from Russia ran it a few years back and brought his Russian sled dogs here.  they were more fluffy.  this year that probably would have helped with those -50 temps out there.

 such cute faces....i'm a fan of dogs,what can i say.

 have watched a couple episodes of "orange is the new black" over the past few weeks. enjoying the ones i've seen so far.  very different concept for a show which is always interesting.  we all adapt to our surroundings even if it's prison.

 this looks like Curt Perano out of New Zealand.  he finished again this year.  sounds like they live in both willow here and in New Zealand  where they have a sled dog tour business.

 my days off fly by.  too fast. always so much to do.  no word on the article.  perhaps they have given up on it or will wait til a slower news day to consider it.

 wouldn't change the fact that i made the leap though.  you gotta try and we will continue to be a voice and battle on. the walrus need someone to speak out for them, Round Island does as well. i can do that.

 this is another favorite...those eyes are just so piercing!!

thankful for...1. the amazing creatures that share this earth with us...be it dog or walrus.  2.  a beautiful walk on the beach today. haven't attempted those hills down to the beach since before surgery.  3.  swimming.  it's so relaxing and peaceful.  4...bonus..siblings.  great to have so many and be able to catch up with them via phones and facebook.