fog and ice

 these are from sunset at Basher Trail and from a Thanksgiving day trek down to the beach at Kincaid.

 only attempted this one under ice shot with the new phone....turned out pretty good.

 above is a random bald eagle shot from today at the dog park.  the town is ice at this time, which is a drag, but i do try to get out there and enjoy the beauty that does come from that. the beach was super fun as it was frosted out there and i liked how the cold causes ice crystals to form as the tide recedes...that is kind of crazy.

 this day on Basher i was above the fog to enjoy the sunset with the fog...always beautiful....especially when you can get above the fog

 Redoubt in the distance.

 and zoomed in.

 Denali in the distance, zoomed as much as possible

 that Basher trail head is a favorite winter spot for me to watch sunsets...they are happening so early these days.

 met with my friend Scott for dinner tonight.  it's time to attempt to get organized for some of the Christmas stuff. i  do have my cards and calendars so that will  be a fall back this year i suspect.  with the kitchen still not back together the house just seems to cluttered to attempt to put up decorations.

 painted the mantel the grey/white tonight..will need to do some touch up on the wall right around it and the mantel i suspect as well.  covering the brown I'd painted with the lighter grey/white may take a little extra paint.  i also bought some quarter rounds for trimming out the exposed beam so i painted two of those tonight as well.

 saw some dog park friends out at the dog park...one pup that looks fairly sickly but he seemed happy to be at the park. the dog is only 5 but is a large breed, Deer Hound? i think.  sad...these big dogs just don't always get the longevity. 

 my little pups are still looking quite young.  Ivy has been on a leaping run.  i was making some headway on the way back up the hill from the beach.  calling her over and not rewarding her until she sat in front of me rather than jumping at me.

 fun week at work since i was sent home a few hours early each night this week.  so i clocked out between 4-5 am each day, which is nice as i get up earlier and can do a longer walk.

 some errands as well today. 

 hopefully, my handyman will be digging in tomorrow and i will see upper cabinets finished and lowers put in so i can get the measurements done for the counters and get that on order.

 put a few happy words on a few benches out there the other day.  always fun..and good photo ops as well. 

 wood pile, but it looked cool because of the frost that day.

 wet/frozen days ahead.  we do want snow...that is the Alaskan way...we love the cold and the snow.  it's one of the reasons we are here.  it's another good season to get out on the ice though so far and to enjoy all the crystals that form.  there is amazing diversity even in the ice crystal formations

 once the snow coats these old fallen leaves this opportunity ends so i figure just enjoy what nature brings.

 headed down the side trail to the beach, the views come on.

 liked the frost on the knots

 my nieces daughter should start at her new school tomorrow/today i guess if i have remembered that right. hoping all goes well. i would imagine getting back into a routine would be helpful for kids.  just hoping everyone makes her feel welcome.  they have all  been through a lot, not just my niece and her family but her entire community.  happy they do have each other to lean on as the whole community mourns the loss of their homes and town.  it sounds like they have all been treated kindly, which makes me happy....the worst of times often can bring out the best in people.

 one SIL was talking and again brought up this all possibly being signs of the second coming of Christ.  i just don't have any reason to really respond i guess.  i guess that is an easy way to look at things.  out of your control...gives us no responsibility or course of action if all the bad stuff that happens is part of some big plan that includes the end of the world. 

 i can recall my mother talking like this every time there was terrible news out there.  guess it makes me think about all the decades of doing nothing waiting for the second coming.  i mean if all the lives lost in WWI and WWII were not the signs of the second coming or i guess Christ didn't appear at that time, why would the current weather patterns be.  i keep going back to why not believe the science?  over 90% of scientists world wide agree that we are in a warming trend that is being hastened by man's choices/actions. they have global agreement on the science so to me that takes away the liberal plot idea.  all of science did not get together to make this crap up.  the oil companies have known for years their own impact and actually hired scientists to disprove the other science in order to prevent increased limits and restrictions on drilling and exploring for oil. there are things we could do to slow this but for some it's easier to pretend it's a liberal plot and ignore science and instead just believe that it's all just part of Gods big plan.

 there is some pancake ice forming on the beach.  we had lots last year. for sure the warming trends are more obvious in Alaska and places north.  it's gotten warmer.  the natives communities know this far too well and it is impacting them.

 these next two you can see ice crystals are forming in the mud itself..pretty cool looking i think

 zoomed in for more detail..my feet give you a size perspective

 lattice ice formed as the tide went out and the water crystallized.

 just a small layer of fog remained, but i think it did return.

 more inter tidal ice crystal formation

 pancake ice

 Ivy on pancake ice.  it's very flaky ice.  not sure why that is, is it the salt in it?  not sure.  so many different ways water can crystallize though.

 i came home from work early this week and groomed the dogs, brushing them out....i think they liked it.  i wanted to try not to get them too excited, feed them and head to bed

 frost on rocks on the beach

 ice crystals formed as the water ran down this rock below with the tide receding...thought it looked cool as well.

 made a small ice covered rock cairn. 

 the beach...the grey areas are frozen sand, the darker areas are not frozen

 loved the lattice work that nature formed out there. the tide time was perfect. 

 another Monday walk tomorrow.  hope the roads aren't too bad out there.

 small ice chunk out there on the beach

 Denali was peeking out from layers of fog

 you can see i was a bit obsessed with the frost and crystals.

 a few others walking at the beach. it really was peaceful out there.  feeling a desire to wander a bit further out.  have done many of the usual trails these past few months, hoping to start branching out.  need to buy plane tickets and find a pet sitter for March.  takes some time, should be fun, though always tough for me to leave my pups

 Tusker enjoys a run on the beach.  tennis balls have flown out of the yard a lot this week.  I'll need to get another bag or two....or sneak over to the neighbors and collect a few I'd tossed over there

thankful for: A.  ice in all it's forms  B. going home early this week C.  dog and cat snuggle time....so sweet

 paying for it now but walked Rovers Run with Gail today and then walked up Basher Trail to watch the sunset.  knee's a bit sore but it just reminds me that i really should have this surgery done.  it wasn't one of those incredible sunsets but even a not astounding sunset is generally quite fabulous anyway!

 walking flat i can start to convince myself that the knee isn't really that bad, then i go up/down and it's a bit more pronounced.  standing after sitting can really be bothersome.  watched a movie with SH tonight.  "St Vincent" it had a few comedians in it so i wasn't expecting to tear up in one of the final scenes.  over all a good flick i'd say.  Murray doesn't always win me over with his quirky movies, but this one was worth watching.   a bit of the "about a boy" theme in it where the man grows up through his interactions with the son of a single mom.  different enough i guess though.

 these few were at Cheney Lake the other day...when the lady fell face first down this embankment.

 still waiting for it to cloud up completely and snow like i know it should.  would like a nice base of snow before i have surgery so i'm not battling the ice post op.

 this was out my bedroom window one evening.  at the lower part of the picture you may note the plastic bag in the tree.   that thing has been there for ages...i keep hoping one of these strong winds will blow it off but it's one tough bag.  clearly a good reason for places banning them.  such a bother i guess.

 this is the bog near sunset...by my house so a great place to take a quick walk between shifts.  i've also heard a good place to go to watch the local northern lights.  it can get fairly dark right in town.

 Blossom loves to lay on the back deck and when she does these ghost dogs appear where she's been.

 they always kind of make me laugh.

 Blossom on the trail at Rovers Run today.  of course she went in that open water...as long as it's not frozen it is apparently warm enough for my girl.

 don't think much is happening for Thanksgiving at my end.  i do have a turkey and will toss it in my crock pot one of these days.  seeing if anyone is around to create a friends-giving.  if not i will eat and work.  not the end of the world.  it is funny, some years being alone bothers me and others not as much. time seems to be flying by.  i really should have planned ahead a bit and saved myself postage but that ship has sailed i guess.

 that trail is all ice by the way.  ready for a nice coat of snow to be groomed for skiing.

 Gail has Blossom and Leo's complete attention...treats !

 quite a few folks out enjoying what little daylight we have despite the icy conditions.  we surmised several were out getting Christmas photos today on the trails.

 the house smells good as i baked something for tomorrow.  not sure if anyone will join me for the walk portion but there will probably be a few for the kaladi's portion.  some snow would help.  i'm sure i shall miss a week or two with my knee.  we do need to do an edible tree for the birds and wildlife again...i like that tradition.

 posted on WARIS the calendar raffle.  we shall see.  i will make a sheet and try and collect donations/raffle entries at work this next week.

 it's the time for donations, at least that is what i understand.  so much to learn about this running of a non-profit.  the larger business type stuff is behind me...incorporating, 501(3)(c), business license.  i have done quite a bit though it does seem like i've done very little at times.  haven't changed much for the island yet, but still hopeful.  just knowing we are here and willing to speak out does help a bit i think.

 i think time helps too.  the longer i stick it out and not give up the more i think what we say has meaning.  still much to do as far as spreading the word out there.  it's a process.

 this is looking back at the trail this evening.  on a clear day you can see Denali up here.

 nothing like dried plants.

 Miss Breezy is settling in with Rio Catalina.  love when the animals snuggle together, so cute.

 there are some pretty trees up on that trail that i like to use in my sunset shots.  haven't been up there for a bit.  it was a bit icy but i just went slow.  my ice bugs are the best winter shoes...cleats right on them.  much more stable.  i suspect i'll be wearing those a fair bit next month as well.

 Memories of Thanksgivings past...mostly family and good food.

 i do have much to be thankful for and i have enjoyed putting my list of 3 things each time i write a blog entry.  it seems we all find it too easy to forget all the good we have in our lives.

 in our society we are bombarded with unrealistic visions of what a typical life must be like in American.  it's easy to get sucked into media and social sites and begin to compare yourself and your life against them.  then disappointment  creeps in for a life that isn't disappointing at all.  expectations are dangerous.  most of our expectations are grander than life can possible be and this also leads to feelings of disappointment.  it you go about comparing your life you will find others who have more or seem to have more.  best to just find your own little happiness and revel in that.

 life gets complicated if you let it, best to keep it simple.  remember those tiny joys that have been laid out for each and every one of us.  the light on the mountains, the ripples in the sand, bubbles in the ice.  it's all there.  we have been gifted with so much if we only take a moment to open our eyes and take it all in.

 God didn't just make one butterfly or one wildflower, God made butterflies and wildflowers of every color.  rainbows and northern lights to amaze us and beautiful mammals and critters to astound us.

 i think i may have been a koala bear in a previous life...it seems like i want to sleep like one of late. they apparently sleep 18-20 hours/day.

 liked these funky clouds

 and this is "sleeping lady" with the city in the front.

so todays thankful for's.... 1... walks with friends, thanks for all for walking my slow pace of late, 2.  sunsets and sunrises and all the colors that come through.  3. ice cream.  nummy!!