all Bald Eagles...and one shot of a cute dog. ;-)

 just had so much fun taking these eagle shots.  this one above was super cool...they are just awesome birds so totally fun to take photo's of.

 some find the guts getting ripped up really gross, but despite the bad odor i endured taking the pictures..in my mind it's just eagles being eagles.  they eat gross stuff sometimes and they have no shame about it!!  they don't know they are majestic or regal.

 the rain was great yesterday.  did get out for a late walk with friends so that was nice.  not sure of my plans today.  the sun is shining through a bit but i haven't made any plans with anyone yet so i may just head to Kincaid for a walk.  may see what Lena is up to...perhaps she'll join me out there.

 finally got started on the baby quilts for my niece who is going to have twins...i generally make one quilt per family unless they have a set of twins that first round...then they get two.  i have had too many angry moments with sewing machines so i am hand stitching these ones, which takes a bit more time, but is way more relaxing for me. i think it looks nicer too.

 i chose material that is seashell themed. the colors are different, one grey the other orange.  hope she likes them.  was talking with my sister and often when i send packages to family i don't even know if the package arrived, let alone if it was appreciated.  i think this niece is one who does respond.  there does seem to be one or two in each family that seem good at such things.

 messaged with a friend who recently started her own non-profit so she has given me a guide as to what needs to be done which i totally appreciate.  thinking i will just start slowly down that path and see where it leads me.  if a thing is meant to be it will work out, if not then it won't.  you never know until you take that road though.

 i have taken the road less traveled and it has made all the difference.  that is from a poem.  sara teasdale comes to mind as the author, but i really don't remember. i do recall reading the poem at some point in Junior high or high school and feeling that message really sink in for me.  i may have never been meant to take the road well traveled in my life and i think i knew that even then.

 things like marriage and family seemed at the time to be inevitable yet i never was one to plan the details of that life out.  when i did dream of marriage as a young girl i remember dreaming of a baseball player as they made a lot of money but were not home much..i had figured out in jr high that baseball was the longest of all the big sports.  in retrospect that was probably a sign as to my future.  i do love men but a part of me never wanted to lose my independence.  females who had a lot of independence were not always a preferred mate, especially back in those days.

 i think this one may have been around the time the guy ran through the eagles

 got them all up off the ground.  came out cool....thanks, nut case i guess.

 birds are light due to having hollow bones...our bones are filled with marrow, in case you were unaware of this difference.  still i think these large birds can weigh around 25 # i love these two below as they showcase the legs and the power they have in those legs.

 i feel a bit overwhelmed by this idea of starting the non-profit.  in life we always have those moments where a thing feels bigger than we are.  i try to remind myself that i'm no better or worse than the other people out there and that other people just like myself have started non-profits or done things even more ambitious.  do i fear failure, letting people down...no doubt i do.  i also fear what will happen if i don't begin this.  that place is worthy of protection and oversight.  i don't see anyone else stepping up to take that role on.

 stayed up late watching a documentary last night. i'd tried to watch it the night before but kept falling asleep. i was doing a bit of that last night as well.  not that it was incredibly boring, but that i was sleepy.

 these are last from that night...

 the documentary was called, "chasing ice" and it was about a photographer who had taken to trying to show the effects of global warming by photographing glacial retreat.  he has placed several camera's around glaciers in Alaska, Iceland and Greenland and set them to take pictures at intervals and then puts those together to demonstrate the retreat.

 his name is James Balog and he's done a lot of photography besides his ice shots, but i think he is more known for his ice photography.  one of the best selling nat geo's had his pictures/article in there, "the big thaw"

 he apparently went to college and studied to be a scientist, but in the end he said he didn't really like all the detail work of being a scientist. he fell in to photography and soon the two melted together.

 more eagles from the next morning walk on Bishops Beach.

 their eyes always amaze me...so intense.

 anyway, these time elapse photos of glacial retreat really do put the concept of global warming in perspective.  the glaciers have been retreated for the most part but that process has sped up over the past few decades.  there is a small percentage of glaciers that are still growing, but that is a small number compared to all that are retreating.

 living up here does make it feel more real as i can see the retreat as i visit the glaciers in my area year after year.

 people really do argue about whether global warming is happening and if it is who is to blame or is it just nature being nature.  it's tough for me to believe that humans haven't been playing a large role in this, but i think it's easy to convince others, especially in the lower 48, that humans aren't a factor.  people believe what they want to believe...for me though, watching these glaciers its apparent.

 his time elapsed photo's really do bring it home though.  seeing it in action is Wow!!

 more eagle in flight shots.

 there is talks about making a road to the Knik Glacier for public access, there is also always talk of putting a road through to Nome.  roads are pretty spendy and if this will ever happen is really an unknown.  there has always been talk of somehow connecting Juneau to the mainland by road as well.  these sorts of roads can be super expensive and difficult considering the terrain that must be broached.

 i'd be happy to drive to the glacier or Nome if those roads did exist, i guess the Knik one is most likely as it's only 13 miles, but still there isn't any oil at the end of it so nothing seems to happen without oil being the end result.

 motorcyclists are out in large numbers already due to our early spring weather.  a few have already been killed out there.  as i was driving to Homer a woman on a motorcycle went flying past me in a no pass zone, without a helmet and in my blind spot....there is always stuff saying watch out for motorcycles, which i try to do, but they also need to remind motorcyclist to not be idiots out there.

 i should look into washer/dryers tonight and see what is out there and what deals i can find.  it's time.  part of me wants to see if i can redo the flooring in that downstairs room along with the new machines.  mine are just getting less reliable and more of a risk.  all of my appliances are getting old...as am i.

 also need to get my fence fixed as it's been leaning over more and more.  wouldn't mind getting a professional in to get my lawn up to snuff as well.  it's taken a hit over the years and it would be awesome to have a real lawn out there again.  the chickweed keeps winning every summer and then i just long for winter to not have to deal with any of it.

 lots of young bald eagles, takes a few years before they get their white heads.

 veterinarian students will soon be able to do their first two years of vet school in Alaska.  i think the program may have already started?  in order to become veterinarians in the past students have had to pay super high out of state costs or give up their Alaska residency in order to decrease costs. they are trying to make those last two years like the programs for medical students.  this is a start though.  i think only Alaska and Hawaii have no veterinarian programs in state.  many or most other states only have one program per state.  getting into vet school is highly competitive.

 i just didn't have the grades for it.  i spent too much of my 20's floundering and changing schools and majors.  it's what i needed to do to figure myself out but it did impact that potential career path.  it's all worked out and nursing has been a good career for me.

 you have to roll with life and find happiness in what ever path you end up on.

 one random dog shot in the group.  i kept putting blossom back on her leash..she was interested in all the dead sea lion bits too.

 really didn't want her eating that or rolling in it...dogs have a different sense of what is cool to smell like.

 are you sick of eagles yet?

 i still have a few more...

 they just look pissed off...for sure a don't f... with me look about them.

 and off he goes...

 love those feathers

 all created for perfect flight

guess i best get my day started... grateful for.  1.  rain, it was needed 2.  glaciers, they are spectacular and though they look stagnant when you are before them, they are moving, those time elapsed pictures really show this... 3.  that all our lives don't follow the same path, it makes the world a much more interesting place

beautiful day up at arctic valley!!

still not feeling 100%, but then i think it's mostly in my head. i felt tired doing this fairly easy hike today, but it was warm out, and i was overdressed. coming down was easy, breezy. i don't like walking uphill, never have! arctic valley is a short up that gets you to a beautiful view.
walked blossom and rio up the block this morning to get rio out for a stretch and then blossom and i headed out. rio really is moving slower and slower. she doesn't like the summer heat!
lots of ground squirrels out there, always. hard to locate them. easy to hear them, but they blend in. luckily blossom never spotted one..she'd chase it down for sure. she did drop her tennis ball down a hole. i had to retrieve it. i was a bit nervous i'd piss off one of these guys and come out of the hole with one on my hand. just the tennis ball though.
blossom found her own ways to cool off. luckily, there is a pond at the parking lot at the end of the stream. she got cleaned off before we headed back.
i have tried to wear some knee high support hose on that one calf...i think that didn't help much today, as far as feeling hot. i had to stop and shed clothes. that had to go.
watched boudia get his gold in diving this evening. such a happy day for diving. usa relay team also did great getting silver behind bolt's crew.
always a bit sad that people seem so sad to "only" get a silver or bronze. i think though most of them get what they have accomplished once they step away from the moment. just a lot of pressure on athletes to win. it is great to get gold i'm sure though, but one can't scoff at second and third. just being named to any olympic team is an incredible honor and achievement, well maybe not the rhythmic gymnastics team as the us only sent one person.
one dirty dog!
went for my swim today. there was a kid in the next lane with her dad. he was telling me, as she swam, that she had been inspired by the olympic swimming events and has decided she wants to go to the olympics in 2020. apparently she will only be 14 for the rio olympics so she'll have to wait. i'm sure many kids across the globe who have tuned in are going to be taking lessons in whatever events excited them.
my earring went flying when i took off my goggles. it was my emerald studs. i was bummed and couldn't find it anywhere. held onto the back part as somehow it would be lonely for it's partner and for sure help me find the stud. turned out it landed in my hair so luckily i found it!
not sure what these birds are...ptarmigan? still with white feathers? saw one bird on the ground, then blossom spotted it and took off, then the whole group of them flew off.
blossom enjoys the mud bath.
there were tons of flowers out there. i had suspected i'd hit the peak after i was up there a while back and it was running late on spring.
the wildflowers are so amazing!
a few bald eagle sightings. no moose, no bear today.
was supposed to be cleaning the house today, but didn't get much done. it's kinda like the old days with homework. i tend to put unpleasant tasks off until the last minute. then i'm in a rush. only one more day of olympics to keep me distracted. monday i will have to buckle down and get some crap done.
did purchase one of those cool fire pit things. have wanted to put in a space in the back to set one up. will test it out at the party, depending on how many come and how the weather is. this means i have to doing some digging up in the yard to put some sort of mini patio.
i just went to the saddle. you can then hike either way up from there. i was good for the day. wanted to do some errands and swim.
blossom was happy to chill at the saddle and chase her tennis ball around. i just sat and enjoyed the day. it just cleared up more and more as the day went on. there is supposed to be meteor showers tonight. just looked out and it's clouded up a bit.
the valleys on the other side of the saddle were a bit clouded up. the valleys are in eagle river. one valley goes up to the eagle river nature center and the closer valley goes out to eagle lake and symphony lakes.
watching some "big bang" as i write. i had to get my big bang fix for the week.
was up a bit late as i went to nbc online olympics and watched team snychronized swimming. i'd never really watched it and on that site you can watch any and all events that you want. sure is a change from my childhood days. it's a crazy "sport", synch swimming. overall a bit odd, like rhythmic gymnastics but some of the other nations really get into it so that is cool i guess. they swim alot and i don't know how they remember all those moves. the leaps and throws are kinda wild as nobody can touch the bottom of the pool through the whole thing so they have to creat a table of humans and then toss their team member up from there.
think i have my fix for the next 4 years. may have to check out the pentathalon. that is a crazy event. swim, run, shoot, horse, and fencing...did i get them all? may have to check that out on nbc web page too.
arctic valley is a ski area when the snow is there. not big, but it's been around for a bit. it was originally built for the military personelle and their families i think. it's funny i had kinda noticed the various buildings as you look back from the saddle, but there are quite a few buildings back that way so more roads. it's all on military land. the ski place is now run by a group of volunteers?
popular berry picking in the fall. obviously, they are starting to turn up...too early up this way by what a few people told me on the trail. we are heading towards fall though.
i am not gifted in downhill skiing so i have not taking advantage of any of the down hill ski areas around here. there is always talk of putting one in up hatchers pass way. so far more people don't want it than do.
the rest are just leftovers from yesterday. this guy is sure good looking!
you can see the velvet on the underside of his antlers getting ready to shed. they shed in fall and then the rut occurs, then eventually the antlers fall off and next year it starts all over again. always amazing that they grow this rack each year.
must take alot of grazing to get the nutrients required to create a rack of such size.
more black and whites from the beach. should have taken some black and whites today...oh well. i was focused on the uphill part and heat more than my photography apparently.
just realized we have 3 pay days in this month...yeah! how nice when that corresponds to my car insurance payment. such a bother!
loved this one below..simple.
still thinking of options for tomorrow. should turn off olympics and clean house...but that ain't gonna happen!
blossom awaits next ball toss. the dogs have very simple needs. they are very easy to please. humans can be more complicated for me at least. relationships of any sort seem to baffle me at times. interesting, but baffling.
happy dog...seems simple enough to me! she was happy today as well. rio was happy on the couch. that trail would have been too hot and hard for her.
dog prints...so cute!
loving having access to a sandy beach again. just great to walk along the shore. still don't know why i took so long to discover the coast in anchorage!


now that is a beach!!
the water is pretty silty and muddy, did see a few people wading a bit at the shore. they do recommend you stay out of the mud as it's easy to get sucked and stuck.
from the trail coming onto the beach area.
one sandhill crane chills in the grassy bits. he didn't stick around with us out there though.
to the end of another entry.