good morning world...

 up early for me.  looks like a beautiful day for a drive south.  dog rooms were full in Homer last night and didn't find another dog friendly place.

 can't say i tried that hard.  was busy doing this and that.  got the dogs out for a walk.  changed the cat litter.  bought a new vacuum as mine was literally smoking.  puppies have been tough on the vacuum i guess.  bits of wood and toys gummed up system.

 a few more of Dallas Seavey...though it seems some minor controversy surrounds his second place setting.  he did not have his vet book on him as he crossed the burled arch in Nome.  he'd left it at Safety and Petit had brought it to him.  this should have DQ'd him but it looks like he got a pass.

 not that big of deal in some ways but considering Brent Sass had gotten the boot last year for having an ipod on him for music.  it had wifi capabilities...this year they allowed phones.  each year it gets more modernized.  is that good or bad remains to be seen.  it also gets faster and faster which also may not be a good thing for the sport...or the dogs.

 i will soon load the car and head for Homer.  i have 2 nights down there and then i'll have my Hospital skills fair day when i get back on Wednesday.  back to work Thursday.  nice to have a stretch of days off again.

 i'll also need to pay bills when i return.  always a fun day to sit down.  taxes need to be done soon as well.  time is running out.

 looks like several friends have made their way north to look at the ice sculptures in Fairbanks this year.

 spring is making it's way so it feels like it's time to get out and enjoy the beauty of this amazing place.

 pups and i ended up doing a loop in N Biv.  lakes are still frozen and lots of folks were on lakes or rivers near glaciers this weekend already.  some pretty cool pictures are getting taken out there.

 so yesterday was some errands, which is always needed.  got a little stand for my iphone so that it should make it easier to do the live feed for the lecture.  hoping once i get it on facebook i can figure out how to get that shared onto the explore feed.  i know those folks would love to see the lecture.  hoping all goes well.

 when you plan an event you live in fear that the speaker won't show up or the people won't show up or any number of things.  it went really well last year though...here is hoping.

 our iitoo's secretary of state, who apparently prefers napping over diplomacy made a threat to N Korea so that guy is getting trigger finger on his nuclear weapons and his embracing of them.  i live near a military base which will soon be in range...isn't that a lovely thought.  i could soon be wiped off the face of the earth along with my friends.  so comforting.

 each day i hope this horrible regime is found to be the corrupt regime it seems to be and is removed.  so far that seems too distant.

 they did have a loss.  funny that rumors are the iitoo used this healthcare bill to test the waters and see who is loyal to him and who is "enemy" to him.  not the brightest i think as making enemies of his GOP fellows, who can vote for impeachment, seems a bit short sighted.

 one can hope they will now work with some  Dems on some fixes to ACA, but i don't hold out much hope.  the GOP has been a party of obstruction for so many years it now appears they don't actually know how not to be.

 that is comforting...that they are fighting among themselves now that they have power.  that could save us all.

 thinking we will head for Seward first and enjoy some beach time.  will need to get the dogs walked a bit first so may hit the dog park for a loop.  that is always easy and the pups love it.  will be a whole new crowd of dogs this early.  new people for Ivy Rose to leap on.  that silly dog has an uncanny way of going nose to nose or lip to snout on the poor human victims.

 hopefully, this behavior peters out at some point.  still should get friends in an open area to play a training game with her and see if that helps.

 funny how the cold temps in Fairbanks caused all that exhaled fog.  felt like it was blurring some of my pictures.  still got loads of cool dog shots though.

 DeeDee headed out.  not her fastest race this year but i do think they have such different runs each year.  sometimes they seem to just enjoy slowing down and just enjoying their dogs.

 she is always dressed up in her pinks.  the pups look so cute

 like the leggings.  those are new the past few years.  dog fashion is a fun part of the Iditarod.

 always love the tongue action.

 the pups haven't been to Homer yet and they haven't been to Seward since they were young.  Tusker got to play in the waves with Blossom.  Ivy wasn't too into it....only a wader.  still need to play a swimming pool day for them.  i kind of want her to figure it out on her own.  had heard of one dog at the pool that was pushed a bit too fast.  don't want that for her.

 Ivy is for sure more of an anxious dog in some ways.  best to not foster that.  she is for sure more confident having Tusker and I around.  she is such a sweet pup!! Tusker is chill....so chill.  gotta love him.  he quietly goes about his day...he has his personality traits as well...adorable.  both can be snugglers, which i love.

 she looks like she doesn't pack too light.  i can't imagine how i would pack.i'm for sure an overpacker.  i may need a few sleds to carry all my gear.

 below is one of our cardiologists. he ended up scratching.  not sure why.  a few docs have been known to run this race.

 love the black and whites of the dog teams.  just a different look.

 it's almost 9, gotta feed pups, shower and load the car.  my auto lock isn't working, which is a bummer. got new batteries so that isn't it.  car is getting old.

 looking back

 here is the third place finisher, Petit.  he should have been second.  kind of him to bring the vet book to Dallas.  as always in life, the rules don't always apply uniformly.  i have benefited from this from time to time myself so i guess i shouldn't complain.  life is unfair but sometimes it is unfair and you benefit from it.  enjoy those times and let go of the times when you don't benefit.

 loved the kids here.  enjoy your day.

grateful for:  A.  beautiful sunsets B.  my lovely life C.  sweet pets that make me smile.