some last pics from Fairbanks

 at least i think these are the last of Fairbanks.  haha.  from out and about.  tomorrow..stay tuned for bears!!

 stopped by the tree today a few times.  mama was chilling on her branch.  just posted a short video clip that someone else posted of mama and the 3 cubs zipping back up the tree after a little jaunt on the ground near the tree.  those bears can climb pretty fast...so cute too. i've only seen the two cubs and i had heard there were 3..there are.

 can't wait to run into this foursome on the trails soon...NOT!!  i have been stopping by the tree before my walks as it does give me some comfort to see them happily chilling in tree.

 these are from downtown Fairbanks.  just took a short stretch there.  above is the frozen Chena River.  wasn't frozen enough for me to feel up to taking a river walk that day.

 nice little downtown area there.

 3 nights of work done.  now my schedule will be a bit screwed up for April. i will survive.  all my shifts this week were in the ICU.  strange to be in the same place 3 nights in a row and have the same patients.  you get pretty used to changing it up all the time.

 street walks and today Rovers Run. close to 20,000 steps today between work, walk and gym.

 got my gym day in so i'll go again tomorrow to get my 3 days in.  today was ellipitcal, rower, weights and then the pool for 20 laps.  the only sad part of these apps to monitor your steps is that each day is a new slate and you start out again at zero steps.  boo!!  today did help bring up my average this week.  that is just a continuous 7 day stretch average so that helps me keep my total steps on track.

 did get flipped off in the parking lot.  people are so weird.  no idea what that chick thought i was doing to be offended at.  i was sitting in my car chatting on the phone.  one of  my patients last night was big on the obscenities.  you can't be too soft in my job..you'd probably be crying all the time if you were.

 blossom is enjoying our walks...so many puddles.  took some extra time as she insisted on stopping and investigating each one i think.

 the crew is out at Round Island!!  there are already Walrus out there.  a bit earlier than the usual i guess.  soon we will have live camera feed again through summer of these wonderful animals.  trying to get a thank you letter and picture campaign going to think those who donated and are keeping the sanctuary staffed again this year.

 if you out there are so inclined please feel free to write/draw thank you notes.  info is on our facebook pages for Walrus Advocates of Round Island Sanctuary.  you can mail them to our PO Box at box 211806, Anchorage, AK 99521-1806.  would love to get some schools involved and shower these kind folks for supporting this awesome place!!  Annenberg  Foundation, SeaLife Center, National Park Service, Georgia Aquarium, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and Oceans of Fun-Milwaukee.

 i need to update our web page.  it's been awhile since i've done that.  add it to my never ending to do list.  i know mine is no doubt way shorter than the average person, but i suspect i am way lazier than the average person as well.  :-)

 out at Chena Hot Springs.  took a cheap waterproof camera into the springs but it may be tough finding someone to actually deal with this cheap film camera now.  film processors are disappearing.

 Alaska was purchased for over 7 Million dollars from Russia.  i'm sure they regret selling, but here we are all those years later. a check was written to the Czar.  seems so odd to just write a check for something like this.

 guess they are going to clean up that 100stone art project at Woronzof.  happy to hear that. not against art but it is a bit creepy at this point, especially since a murder happened amongst those statues.

 got my deck furniture out.  so pretty today and warm feeling.  yard is snow free, not ice free. will still take some time for the earth to thaw below us.  it's looking like spring out there...well, our spring which is called break up before it's called spring. we have an extra season.

 Happy April Fools day.  there was a post of an alligator who had supposedly made it's way north and was shown on a beach with walrus...not true..don't you believe it.  no April fools stuff at work.  probably in the ER.  ICU was too busy i think for games.

 thankfully, i hear some guy is in custody after knocking on a door posing as a delivery person and shooting the guy and his dog who answered.  the dog was killed i think.  you hear more and more of these stories..makes one nervous to answer the door.  i think Forrest came knocking while i was sleeping the other day.  would have enjoyed chatting with him i think.  he's running for a local office on the east side.  he ran for senate against the crusty Republican who has been there since they created mud.  he didn't win, but gotta give this young guy chops for taking on the politics.  saw him today hammering in a sign.  i wasn't in a place to pull over though.  i do think he is one of the good guys...will he stay that way, one never knows, right. i'll vote for him though. great to see youth enthusiastic to get involved in politics.  they probably often start that way...don't most things...with good intentions.

 a few from short walks around town/campus of UAF

 liked the name of this trail.  :-)

 always enjoy stopping at Nenana. a pleasant little community.

 stopped by after work to visit Issacs human in the hospital . another trail friend had let me know he had been hospitalized and his room.  so many super nice folks i run into all the time out there on the trails...year after year until we are now friends.  sounded like he was getting discharged. happy i stopped by though.  great that both of these guys are on the mend.

 this is the raffle in Nenana.  you pick the date and time the ice moves and makes this thing move.....the ice classic. i'm not explaining it well at all.  anyway.  gone on for years.

 rivers are wide here.

 volcano eruption last week, looks like flights are back on to the north.  we got no ash here, but i guess it shot up over 30,000 feet and headed north preventing safe travel for a few days.

 some conversation about illegals/generations.  i do not have all the answers. i have some opinions but not many answers.  it seems often we all forget that this population plays a vital role in our economy.  we like to battle about it all but they are like the indentured servants of the old kingdom. seems like there are always those jobs that fall to those who are willing to do the work for less.  keeps costs down.  we all like the cheaper products that result but in general we want to keep things as they are.  we'd just like to pretend that all these illegals do not really exist in our world.  it does make it much more complicated...what to do with them once they recognized as existing.  what to do with their kids? they are there though, living their lives day to day, but with more anxiety and stress and fear no doubt.

 just outside Denali National Park

 this is protected Moose poop in Denali National Park. i'm sure you would need a permit to remove it

 hope i didn't need a permit to rearrange it.  haha.

 apparently some Anchorage first graders made the national news when they plotted to poison a classmate  they had collected those sillica packets that preserves stuff.  they say don't eat but i guess they aren't as poisonous as thought.  the plot was discovered before any harm or attempt at harm happened  i have heard, off topic, that you should save these little packets, they could help dry out a phone or camera...

 i really have no words for what these little first graders were up to and what sort of punishment should be given to them.  so strange.  our society is a bit nuts...there are still many good folks out there.  hopefully, these kids  don't grow up to be the next serial killers.

 pretty sunset outside Willow i think.

 supposed to be good aurora tonight but it's also looking pretty cloudy all over the state.  just outside with Blossom, cloudy

 a bunch of Iditarod dogs ended up stranded in Washington State after the Iditarod was over.  there were 9 teams from Norway and getting an entire dog team back to Norway turned out to be more complicated that thought.  Tore Albrigsten and 53 pups drove from Alaska to Washington state when cargo plane access wasn't happening.  there the dogs ended up on the side of a road lined up for a break and a gentleman from a nearby Native Reservation stopped by...they were taken in at the Reservation so i guess an interesting few days for all.  great when folks work together.  everyone wins!!

 one of the bison released this past year decided he missed humans i guess.  he seemed to decide to move into the village of Grayling.  he had no intention of going anywhere.  though many there have grown fond of this big beast...it's not very practical to have him chilling in town....bigger than moose.  perhaps everyone has their limits. the plan was to anesthetize him and move him away from the community.  he'd taken to exploring all buildings and eating bits of trash...another reason to keep your community clean.

 sunsets are getting later and later.  lots to do to make summer plans. still looking for some to commit to joining me at Spencer.  4 mile back pack.

 guess i should crash for the night. hit that to do list and the gym and walk the dog...always on the to do list.

thankful for: A.  patience to deal with an annoying patient. B.  chemical restraint C.  my ability to change minds and influence people..at least a few doctors who then gave me the chemical restraint i so wanted...by the way.  it was Dr Day..many thanks to all those doctors out there who plugged away to get through schooling and take on all the debt and time and effort it takes to become a Dr.  thanks for listening and caring....