silly photo ops in Holgate

 told you i'd get back here.  i'm forever behind.  wanted to try and catch up with the past this week before i head off to Hallo Bay.  we pulled over on our first days paddle for you know snacks and bathroom breaks and then...we just started taking these silly photo's

 most humans tend to silliness when given the opportunity.

 laughter is almost always a good thing.

 not sure who lost their spine....maybe bird if i recall correctly.  there is always dead stuff laying about.  usually not the big stuff, but i've run across old dried bones of various mammals including whales.

 beach combing in remote Alaska can be pretty exciting. loved my time in Nome for the miles and miles of beaches they have to comb.  Barrow has some beaches as well but there is more of a risk of being joined by a polar bear as you walk...which can be deadly.

 dwarf fireweed above and pretty yellow flowers below

 I did end up getting called in last night.  ICU.  i had lay down for a bit, maybe dozed for less than an hour.  always so sad when the phone rings.  lots to do this week before my trek.  will hopefully work on some instructions for the critters tonight.  make some cd's from this trip here for friends and get my schedule figured out.

 i'll be off the grid when we sign up so i'll have two back up plans.  one friend will try to put my schedule in for me, but i can turn in my desired schedule to my management team.  don't want your schedule messed up...that is my main thing with work that keeps me happy...give me the schedule i want and i will be all smiles.

 columbine above and rocks below

 not loads of sleep between shifts as usual.  today i think i actually was able to crash on the couch for some solid sleep time and didn't wake up to any major puppy chewing disasters.

 took them to the dog park. they always have fun there and get fully worn out.  they are improving in their dog greetings.  less lunging at other dogs faces...which i find other dogs don't appreciate.  some small dogs there and they didn't smash them so that was good as well.  bodes well for them getting along with the cats better.  they had great recalls for me all day.  in many ways they are ahead of Blossom in the dog park.  she just would get too excited and wouldn't listen at all.  i'd just head back home...i think she was 6 months old before i really started to take her.

 i ended up only having one patient through the night. kept  me busy. at least i knew with all the others on call i would not be called in for sitter work.  that is nice.  don't mind getting called in to take care of sick people...it's what we do.  it's why we are there.

 M ponders life on a big rock

 we dragged her into our photo session soon after this...i think she had fun

 SH is always willing to get silly.

 i think B wanted to participate but as the solo male he kept to himself as we snapped photo's...

 he was checking out this berg and then got a chunk off of it for us to use in our photo's...hehe

 he couldn't resist the fun for long.

 C and L were given props....

 looks cool with the glacier back there i think.

 Happy 4th by the way. i have heard a few fireworks over the past few days, but thankfully, the puppies seem to be like Blossom and haven't been too concerned.  that is always a relief.

 the space craft, Juno, arrived at Jupiter and will wander around our solar systems largest planet for a bit.  should be cool to see what this probe finds.  always find all this space stuff fascinating.  my mom worked as a secretary for CalTech/JPL?  she would bring home pictures and dealt with granting permission for use of photo's taken by these probes.  i think she enjoyed that part of her work though i think she was always a bit ticked that she had to work.  she had always imagined herself living a bit of a life of leisure...haha.  life doesn't always follow the path you assume it will...better to be adaptable.

 a young tug deckhand died last week.  he got caught/crushed between two barges and sucked under the water.  this was one case where it sounds like his PFD hindered him.  it prevented him from being able to dive under to avoid being crushed as there wasn't time to get out in time. must have been horrible for his co-workers. i know it was pretty awful for one co-worker.  news travels fast among those in the sea of tragedy.  they always know it could be them.  the sea is pretty unforgiving..beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring but deadly and without kindness other times.

 there was a huge landslide in Glacier Bay.  it was noted by a local pilot who saw the dust cloud.  quite remote.  130 million tons of earth moved...i think the said it was equal to a 5.5 quake.  it spread debries for miles across Lamplugh Glacier.  thankfully, due to the remoteness there were no injuries.  it was a 4000 foot high mountain...it collapsed.

 the scientists compare the amount of rocks and crap that let loose to equal to 60 million medium sized SUV's sliding down a mountain.  crazy!!

 we make use of the ice for our photo's.  of course if that slide hit the water...that would cause a super gigantic wave.  they have had those. seismic waves were noted from this slide as far away as Barrow and Nome...super crazy!!  that thing was huge!!  there was a pretty large sized tsunami from a fall last year that went into the inlet but thankfully again, no boats were out there...can you imagine.  they were talking about the cruise ships that go out there...but lots of paddlers go out to these remote spots as well.  that would be pretty dang terrifying if it didn't kill you

 the mountains are young, geologically, in that area..weak.  can be dangerous.

 the girls

 thanks bob for taking all the pics

 some guy in Texas accidently left his baby in the car while he went in and took a 4 hour nap...i guess he then put the baby in the freezer hoping that would cool her off and bring her back.  this stuff is always so sad.  seems dumb but i'm sure sometimes you are just totally wiped out as parents....not sure how you live with yourself after this sort of death. i always think too...how much stress that would be on a relationship.  how do you forgive your partner for this careless act...

 i hear fireworks going off.  they are actually pretty silly up here.  i mean it's still totally day light out there. how pretty are fireworks in the day light.  hoping the dogs just sleep through it. many dogs will be freaking out.  saw one post already of a dog in the area that took off after some illegal fireworks went off in their neighborhood.  i get posts from nextdoor.  it's like a neighborhood gossip sheet.  lets you know of mammal sightings..a grizz has been spotted this past week.  also of break ins.  so i like it.  many dogs flip out.  we used to get loads of freaked out dogs in the animal emergency clinic.  i can recall a few years with dogs needing surgeries after lunging through windows in their panic.

 Elie Wiesel, who survived Auschwitz and wrote about his experience has passed away of natural causes at 87.  i read his book, "night" years ago.  such a tragedy so telling of how horrible humans can be...what humans can be capable of.  the horror humans inflict on each other in the name of hate. terrifying how rapidly a society can be altered and bastardized.  how powerless an entire group of people can become and how many in fear, will simply turn to hate those who days/months before they would have exchanged pleasantries with at the market or on the bus.

 who would we be?  would we risk our lives to try to prevent the slaughter of innocents or hide in our houses in fear, not concerning ourselves with those who are taken each day, only relieved it isn't our turn.  or will we be worse, would we be joiners because we fear not joining will also condemn us.

 i'm sure we'd all love to believe we would be the ones hiding souls in our basements, offering up some of our rations to those who are on the run..but in truth many join or look away...the vast majority actually.

 a small ice slide.  you can see how close this glacier is to no longer being tidewater.

 we are still quite a distance.  you keep getting closer and it keeps getting bigger...then a big tour boat will come by and you will realize that you are still far

 it is suggested that you stay at least 1/4-1/2 mile away from the face of any glacier.  hard to tell distance out there though. the glaciers are so massive it's deceiving.

 selfie

 well, i better get some other stuff done and then crash for the night.  gotta rest when the puppies rest.

thankful for:  A.  actual sleep  B. well  behaved puppies at the park C. summer adventures