coughing and walking

 at least i'm used to coughing.  it's miserable, but beats having those back issues.  i'm sure i sound worse with the coughing though. these are mostly the last part of Seward.  i knew this cold bug was hitting so i opted out of making the drive down to Homer.  happy i did.

 these were back to Lowell Point again.  a dead whale came in on the front of a cruise ship after we had returned home.  appears to be a fin whale.  they towed it to a beach in a less touristy spot so they could examine it and also to just allow nature to take it's course in the consuming of the dead whale.  they will try to determine what happened.

 meanwhile baby moose are being born all over Anchorage.  no idea if my lost baby moose found it's mama, i haven't really wanted to look in the bog.  a local Lowes store blocked off an area of their parking lot as a mama moose decided a parking lot was a fine place to deliver her little baby.  not the usual, but probably pretty safe from bears for the most part.

 i didn't see any bears on my ramblings the last few days.  met one friend for a trek out to Powerline, then another day met a friend out for a trek to the beach in the wind and then today, i just meandered up Arctic Valley.  bug hitting me harder today...started on the inhalers and for sure felt that chest tightness that comes when you can't get all your air.

 no hurry...let the pups run around a few times on the tundra.  amazing how little snow is up there at this early time of year and also at how many little flowers are already blooming.  seems kind of early.

 firmed up details with the water taxi taking us out to Holgate cabin for kayaking.  4 coming back on the 19th and 4 returning on the 20th.  it got a bit confusing and it was a bit stressful for a bit...but in the end all is well.  the drag part of planning trips is all those details and making sure everyone is up to speed.  will need to pack, load kayaks, spend another night down in Seward as our boat will load up early. hope we have good weather and spot lots of wildlife!! that is still a few weeks off, but summers fly by super fast up here.

 we've had loads of sunshine so i'm already getting my AK tan...sandle tan lines, t-shirt tan lines and my nose is peeling. the rest of me is still butt white!!

 puppies are growing so fast...they are the sweetest little pups!! i'm quite smitten.  today, Ivy was picking up giving 5...it was time for a fun trick.  all work and no play!!  of course, we ran into a pack of children on the trail. they all had to meet the puppies. the pups are great with everyone they meet.  kids bombarded the poor pups with commands, their names...the dogs finally just lay down...no idea what those kids wanted of them.  while i was busy dealing with kids and puppies, Blossom wandered over to the sandwich that had been left on the ground...such a smart puppy. haha.

 ate with a friend tonight.  nice to go out to eat on occassion.  i really don't do that very often.  we both have birthdays this month....another friend used to join us as her birthday was in  May as well, but she passed away a few years ago now so we ate and remembered our friend.

 as i drove out there was a homeless guy sitting with a sign at the corner so i handed him my leftovers...probably doesn't get bbq very often.  of course, i laughed to myself that sometimes you think you are being kind and giving, but what if he ends up with a cold bug from me that turns into pneumonia, right? just like me trying to help that baby moose by directing it into the bog only to hear later a black bear has been spotted there.  of course, bears and moose move around a great deal so a black bear seen there over the past week could easily be miles away by now.

 sat down to put in my denali road lottery for september thinking i had until midnight on the 31st when in actuality i only had until 2330.  crap!! i keep missing that deadline!

 looks like the weather around Round Island got a bit breezy and the island cleared off of walrus.  the sunset the other day was so beautiful. love the added cliff cam.  so amazing.

 a gorilla was shot at a zoo after a child made it's way into the enclosure somehow. blame all around..the zoo for choosing to kill the gorilla instead of tranqualizing, the parents...though only the mother has been mentioned.  that makes me wonder was the father really not there or does society simply look to blame the mother as their idea of the more responsible parent.

 some just screaming that all zoo's should be banned and that the animals should just be free.

 always amazed at how little people really get what is going on in the world.  humans destroy habitat.  many species will not survive in the dwindling habitat's.  zoo's aren't perfect and efforts can always be made to improve the enclosures, but zoo's do serve a purpose.  besides education they are a gene bank and species bank.

 many zoo animals are rescued animals.  it's not like it was in years past where the old zoo/aquariums would go out in the wild just collecting animals without regard.  many have breeding programs.  you need variety in the zoo population if there is any hope for the species to continue. every year more critters and plants disappear from our earth never to be seen again.  humans pollute and destroy the habitats of many species.

 Ivy takes the high road.

 then her buddies figured out where she was getting up there and joined her.

 our option is to have zoo's and aquariums and continue to try and improve the life we give these animals or to just watch one after another disappear from our planet.  in the end, it's doubtful zoo's will be able to keep up with the losses.

 China has this big breeding program for panda's, tourists come from all over to see these guys and pictures of the many babies born show up all the time...the truth is as they are doing this they continue to destroy the panda habitat in the wild.  so what seems to be some grand effort to protect a species is really just a smoke screen to the reality.

 was at a puppy gathering for another friend who got a puppy...they were just in China on a smiles trek...they commented on the smog in China.  i've heard it's horrible.

 while she was in China her boyfriend was climbing Denali..fun to hear their stories from these adventures.  he stopped with just 100 feet to go.  i'd say it's a success.  he got signs of altitude sickness. better to just be safe..that last 100 feet was treacherous and not worth doing if your brain is too fuzzy.  quite the accomplishment for both i'd say.

 was reading about Everest and how the Sherpa's do so much of the prep work for these climbers.  after they suffered losses due to avalanches and earthquakes, they put a hold on climbing.  basically they went on strike.  some of the climbers made some very rude, racist and derogatory comments...they aren't your servants.  you would think you would be more kind to someone who really can make the difference in you living or dying...but then again many of the folks who climb Everest are in the have money so i can do what i want, when i want, where i want.  these sort of adventurers are not true adventurers in my mind.

 a true climber would find a route to climb that wouldn't require assistance from sherpa's but instead they would be self reliant.  would love to see the documentary "sherpa" it focused on what the sherpa's do rather than the climbers.  many feel that these climbers take all the glory when they couldn't do it alone.

 sounds like the Iditarod is going to allow the mushers to have/use cell phones.  many places they go they will have no coverage, but this also means they can follow the race in a way they have never been able to.  will change the entire competition.  not sure who has been in charge of the Iditarod the past several years but they seem to be caving to the modern world.  emergency buttons, gps tracking.  it's all good in some ways, but it also takes away from the spirit of the race.  it makes it easier and easier for people who have no business running this race, but do have cash to make a run.

 i don't really like it, but i suspect in these times it becomes more and more difficult to avoid caving to these demands.

 this is out in Portage

 love the color of that glacier fed water.  so pretty

 camping

 these are on powerline...we stopped for a puppy play break.  all walks and no play isn't very fun.  i'm not opposed to taking a break while walking...as long as the bugs aren't too bad and it's not pouring rain on me.

 this day we did have some pretty stubborn bugs and then some sprinkles.

 things cleared up and we stopped, had an enjoyable walk home.

 these pups do great with their walk.  i get the leashes all tangled from time to time which admittedly, makes me nuts.

 this guy has the sweetest little face..those eyes are so soulful.

 they crashed pretty early tonight. i am almost tempted to just let them stay out of their crates, but i know they aren't ready quite yet. he will probably be ready before she is.  he was barking tonight outside so i went out and she'd grabbed a sweater of mine and bolted to the back yard with it.  thank you Tusker for saving my sweater.  i haven't really started to work too heavily on the formal come yet, but do catch them when they are playing and hollar the off leash call randomly.  we are doing the sit-down-sit-stand.  they do great with that. still need treats...eventually you wean them off treats once it's really in their heads.

 having 2 they really can wear each other out.  they seem to be bonding with myself and Blossom. still working on the cats  eventually..i have to remind myself that they are only 13 weeks old so they are doing really great on all they are learning.  they grow so fast!!

 i know i take a million pictures of them, but eventually they will no longer be changing so much week to week.

 Ivy is a love as well. so sweet.  she often has that look of mischief but she so wants to please.  she is getting more kissy and less bitey.

 look at these sweet faces!!

 Blossom adores them.  don't fret, Blossom continues to get loads of love...and she is totally digging the treat action.

 my friend, above, with my fur family

 here they are...all three of them!!

 enjoying every minute of puppyhood!!

thankful for: A.  kindness  B. sweet puppy kisses C.  amazing sunsets and my ability to see them on the cliff cam!!  shout out to the cam ops!!  :-)  thanks, thanks, thanks!!