was awake anyway...

 so why not write a blog post.  lots of stuff rattling around in my head.  these are all from the little camera up in Denali.  liked this group shot above.  i strayed from the group a bit at times so i got some shots of them...as they learned more about flowers.  i'm more photographer than botanist  anyway.  really i am always proud to be mediocre at many things.  too often everyone seems so hell bent on being an expert in this or that...there is much more joy in knowing a bit about a lot of things and having a low level of skills at many things rather than excelling at just one...i mean if i had been born with just one talent, then i would have to make that work i guess, but i have many talents so i want to explore all!!

 we stopped by the Denali Kennels to see the dogs...they have one litter of puppies every year, they are just 3-4 weeks old now...always want my puppy fix.

 there is some good news today in the nation.  the supreme court ruled that marriage is for anyone who wants to make that commitment.  i always love when love wins!  love and fairness...very proud of my brother who found the way to accept himself and live true to himself.  this decision has led him to a great deal of happiness.  with so much hate in this world...true examples of love should be embraced.  congrats to the many who have waited for this news and loved even when society told them they were wrong or sinful to do so.

 in other news i read that Bristol Palin is again pregnant.  not that i care what any of the Palins do but it is always ironic when people put themselves out there as one thing and then fail so publicly.  she has earned thousands of dollars giving speeches about abstinence...if people are willing to pay i guess, but i'd rather they put their hard earned money to something more deserving.  as they say...a fool and his money are soon parted.

 was watching a womens talk show while i ate lunch the other day..."the talk" maybe...anyway.  Valerie Bertinelli was on there.  she has always struggled with weight issues.  she commented that if her SO was asked, "does this make my butt look big" he would know just what to say...another woman on the show, who happens to be black, said something like for her, the guy had better say yes, it does make your butt look big.  just a good reminder that different folks like different things. accept yourself as you are.  don't worry so much about how your butt or anything else appears to others, embrace all that you are.  it's a message i often need to hear.  my butt isn't small...but that doesn't mean it's a flaw that i should base my self esteem on.

 sleeping puppies...so dang cute!!

 look at that sweet face.

 sad news out of Ketchikan yesterday.  a float plane carrying 8 cruise ship tourists and the pilot appears to have crashed into a mountain and all were lost.  my heart sinks when i read news like this...especially out of Ketchikan.  it depends so heavily on the tourists to survive and events like this...just so sad.  i try to keep things in perspective...so many small planes are out there in Alaska every day and really these tragedies are rare...but when they happen, your heart just goes out to all the families of those lost.

 Jeff Corwin went out to Round Island i guess.  not that i watch his show, but i am always happy when the sanctuary gets positive press.  the more it happens the less likely funding will be an issue. we really have someplace unique and beautiful out there and i hope we can keep it safe for many generations.

 of course, safety of the walrus and polar bears goes far beyond places like Round Island.  there is much denial about the earths warming trends and the human impact on the other lives on our planet.  often i think we, as humans, just don't want to feel shame at how we are impacting and destroying this place which we seem to believe was created just for us.  we forget that we share this space with a whole host of other animals, plants, insects...we are just one element of life on earth.

 Denali National Park is 6 million acres...that is just amazing. it makes me proud of those who thought to set it aside and protect the non-human lives within it's borders.  will places like this be challenged as the decades roll by and more and more of the other land is destroyed? i watch as Anchorage green places get mowed down a few acres at a time.  my heart aches with each expanse of trees that is leveled,never to be wild again.

 this was our little tent/cabin home in the woods last week.  fairly cozy.

 these are from Polychrome Pass.  beautiful scenery.

 lots of wildfires still burning in Alaska.  we get more and more fires. they start earlier and stop later in the year.  many more are burning tundra...a place that in the past probably rarely got dry enough for there to even be a risk of burning.

 lots of talk about the Souths Confederate flag since the murder of those poor people in the church at bible study.  some want to post about the true meaning of the flag...sadly, what the flag seems to represent now is hatred and racial intolerance...no matter what the history of it is.  a flag is just a symbol though...the hatred will still exist even if you burned every flag.

 worked ER last night. people are strange...lets just say...they decided after 6 am that i wasn't needed anymore so i went home an hour early. i didn't complain.

 me with SH and TO, we really had a great trip to Denali.

 every so often Denali gets re-measured.  so it is in the process of getting measured i guess now. do huge mountains change height? they are sure to raise and lower from the earths surface with quakes, which happen with great regularity in Alaska.  one would not expect huge changes in the height of the great mountain of Alaska...new methods of measurement evolve and so rechecks for accuracy will always happen.

 a bit of rain happening here, which is much needed.  i have a renewed commitment to try and get my yard in better shape before the summer turns to fall.  it is nice to not have the eye sore of the block...i'll have to work to maintain that though.

 we drove to Eielson before turning around for the day that Saturday. for much of it we had sunshine...it was hot at times. i tried to keep my water intake up.  it's just amazing how hot the 80's can feel up here.  at other times the clouds came in and there was even some rain falling. we saw flashes of lightening...the lightning was causing fires in other parts of the state.

 they had old antlers sitting out at this viewpoint.

 inside they had this amazing quilt.  people are very talented and it seems like they showcased some of the art from the many artists in residence that have stayed in the park.  they select a few each year to come and create in the park

 me with the vastness behind me.

 one road and a few trails.  most seem to be social trails.  this was actually the first time i heard the term social trail.  i guess it's more like a goat trail that a few humans know about and utilize.  these unmarked trails are kept on the down low, as it were, to keep the land protected.

 just noted a friend of years ago posted a message about gay marriage and not conceding...so the battle continues for some to take it away.  rights are like that..there are always those who don't want others to have rights, who object to fairness.  some day they may face a loved one who will make them question how they have believed.  they will see the face of fairness through the eyes of love.  often it's not by battle that lives change, but through love and example.  often we are so sure that we are right, that we are moral, that our ethics are pure and based in that which we believe God has demanded...but what God demands of us is to love and to judge not and to do unto others as we would have done to us and our loved ones.

 one person at a time...years pass and those things that seemed right and moral and ethical eventually appear unfair, judgemental and dated.  the world was once thought to be flat and it was thought ridiculous to believe otherwise.

 the more people you talk to and really get to know the more you accept the differences and also the more you realize how similar we all are...that is more what you find...we are all just trying to find happiness, the simple joys of life.

 we were laughing on the drives as someone had written all over this van to only use diesel fuel...was there a problem in a previous vehicle.

 pretty flowers..these were by the rivers edge near the camp we stayed out.  we went out for an evening stroll.

 then dinner was served.  our Alaska Geographic guide didn't want to waste any food so she was polishing off all the leftovers...caught. haha,.

 meanwhile we were doing scientific nomenclature charades with Verna Pratt, our instructor and the author of the holy grail of Alaska Wildflower books.

 the black box at the head of the table may have played a role in that. don't worry, we shared with everyone who wished to partake.

 back out on the trails the next day looking at flowers.

 the next day we followed a creek bed up cathedral mountain area...creeks from the highlands often bring tundra flower seeds down with them.  it's a great place to find a variety of flowers.

 Tanya heads up the rocks in search of wildflowers.  Verna has spotted them from below and sent Tanya up to scout

 forget me not.  always a favorite.  such a delicate flower.

 a little rain fell on us, never heavy though.

 Tanya had a new camera so she was having fun getting back into photography mode.  she leaves soon for what will no doubt be a great holiday.  S sounds like she has now invested in a new photo toy!! the bug always gets you

 here we are on day 2!!

 another classmate gets down for a photo op

 guess i will have to either get up and walk the pups or try for a nap again.  another night of work coming up for me.

grateful for: A.  fairness... B.  rain C.  the strength of good friends in my life