Rio Vs the Wheelchair

 decent weather so Rio opted to walk so off to the beach we went for a slow Rio walk.  on the return trip up the hill a woman pushing a wheelchair up the path passed us.  it was a non-mechanical wheelchair so Rio had a fighting chance of beating it up the hill.  we were passed twice but we also passed the folks with the wheelchair.

 was laughing with them about our little race...wheelchair vs old blind dog.  it was a close race, but Rio was eventually able to pull ahead in the race and reach the top of the hill first. it was a pretty close race though.  the uphills got to the wheelchair folks.  those things are tough to push uphill.

 Rio may be slow but she is steady.  uphill/downhill/straightaway her pace never changes.

 still on a up late cycle.  it's okay i guess.  i head back to work in a few days now.  what is the point.  i sleep well, though i wonder if these hot rushes are enough to make me toss and turn and not rest as easy as normal. i don't wake up...except that Blossom seems to like to wake me up in the wee hours.

 i have been busy getting photo's loaded into shutterfly so i could get the deals before those cut off.  was a busy beaver today and got the my calendar and my Christmas card made and ordered.  i know it's early October...but now it's done. ordered.

 now i need to concentrate on getting these WARIS calendars sold.  can we do it?  they are selling, it's just a matter of pushing myself to find my inner sales personality. not sure i have one.  convincing people to buy stuff is not always a skill of mine.  i was never a fan of salesmen..so pushy and that fake nice thing.  when i was dating more, if i found out a guy worked sales...i tended to walk the other way.  i should have been learning those skills i guess.

 Blossom is barking..it's after 2 am.  figured i'd go ahead and do a short blog entry.

 ate out with a friend this evening.  always nice.  Serrano's. they are a good Mexican joint up here.

 my massage is scheduled, the car is scheduled.  need to get the hair and the eye appointments scheduled.  i think the pets are due as well...overdue really.  i suspect my vet didn't push it since i spent quite a chunk of change at the vets with Rio this summer.  don't really believe the animals really need those vaccines every year.  my cats stay inside.

 was joking with one of the ER docs this week about cats.  he was saying he doesn't like cats..in reality he has no issue with cats as long as they are kept inside and not killing birds.  my cats stay in.  occasionally they do slip between my legs and chill on the back deck for a few minutes but they aren't killer cats and they don't go further than the back yard for those few minutes.

 if i see any stray cats in the yard i send Blossom out to chase them.  guess this doc catches strays with one of those traps.  that may be nicer than me sending the dog out.  i prefer if people keep control of their pets too.  my philosophy is generally that one should assume everyone hates your pets/kids and then try to be the good will ambassador that makes them question their dislike for said dogs/cats/kids...whatever.  keep control of your pets and kids i say.

 i don't want my cats eating birds either.  i do have a little outdoor run for the cats in the summers.  in the winters they are out of luck.  Breezy was thinking she wanted to escape to the outdoors. she changed her mind one night.  she had escaped and was not coming back inside.  i finally gave up and left her outside and went to bed.  well, the rain came and it was a solid rain.  she'd done some damage on the outside of the door before i woke up and she was drenched.  she's never repeated that.  she decided living inside was not so bad after all.

 i also don't want stray cats outside cause they can torture the indoor cats and cause them to start spraying.  my cats don't do this and i'd rather not have that nasty habit start up.

 these are some more scenes from some hikes and rambles in September.

 and a trek to the Wildlife conservation Center...always a favorite stop

 a few of those guys made it into the calendar.

 they had a few orphaned deer....so cute

 seems like they really aren't very interested in bottle feeding anymore . ready to be on their own.

 this little one still had it's spots.  so cute!!

 Rio was pretty tuckered out after her race with the wheelchair folks.  i snuggled up with her for a nap this evening.

 this wood bison lives by the wolf enclosure.  i think this wolf is young.  they put a regular dog in there to help with training.

 guess he needed a pack

 the regular canine seemed a lovely pup.

 a few cute puppies on the trail today.  i drove around a bit because, yet again, no moose spotted in Kincaid. did run across some near the Airport.  well, i am headed to bed.

grateful for:  brave souls who stand up and fight for those who can't or who are afraid to.  many do so at a cost...great cost, often the ultimate cost,  people who sign up for our military.  the pay is not always as it should be for what the job entails.  i'm grateful to them for their service and for also being brave.  it can't be easy out there.  and lastly....i'm grateful to those who serve in the police force and fire departments. these jobs are not always appreciated and respected as they should be. a few bad apples as they say can make it tough for those who do their jobs well.  the media can get ridiculous as well.  often more interested in getting the story first than getting it right.  that being said, we do need media, even though many are obnoxious and seem to be more pretty than smart...enough of that though.  night

non-productive day, but loads of fun. :-)

 took that drive out the seward highway.  just decided along the way where i would stop and what i would do.  both dogs were along with me.  it started below with kick sledding at potters marsh and ended above with a beautiful sunset.  all kind of cars were pulling over to watch it.

 several folks out ice skating.  i didn't go too far out as i had left both dogs in car and didn't want to leave them too long.  the ice is very thick and quite clear in some areas.  wasn't clear enough for amazing photo's i thought but really fun to explore what lies beneath.

 most of the ice falls are melted off, but some remain and with these cold temperatures they will no doubt be rebuilding.

 always cool though.  the melt/freeze probably added some new designs.  could see some still falling off as i watched, but not the big danger it can be.  it is colder here for sure.

 watched a bit of the ski jumping as i got ready to go.  as a person who isn't keen on heights it's amazing to me that people ski off those things willingly. they looks so tiny next to those 9 ft ski's and aerodynamic outfits. they do fly though and they seem to wear special gloves that they look like they are using a bit to direct their flight. the landing is what i would be nervous about and be unable to enjoy the flight due to that worry.  it's a real worry though. i suspect most of those folks have broken at least one bone in all their days ski jumping.  i do like watching it though.

 guess Russia got its gold in the ice skating team.  there are some strong skaters out there.  they have a young 15 year old.  she is tiny and seems very skilled already.  i must say the taller skaters always just make for a cool line with the jumps and such.  she probably has some growing to do still anyway.  the USA dance team are amazing. they got the highest points ever given in their category.  they are making me like ice dancing.

 clear skies along turnigan arm.  i always enjoy a sunday drive.

 was up into the wee hours watching a few more episodes of downton abbey.  it really does suck you in.  i'll have to send these dvd's back tomorrow and wait for the next ones.  i know i could probably stream it, but waiting makes life so much sweeter some times.

 haven't gotten to todays paper yet.  probably before i crash tonight.  i'm debating heading downstairs after i blog and making cookies.  i can watch late night olympics while they cook and eat cookie dough.  i really shouldn't but i really should!!

 cruised down to Girdwood to take the dogs for a walk.  the meadow area is a bit icy but much better than the beach was yesterday.  nice views surround you of mountains.  blossom was happy chasing her tennis ball, rio was happy to just be with us so it was nice.  i've never really walked around there during the winter.  it's usually groomed for cross country skiing. not enough snow right now. hopefully, that changes soon.

 did notice in the paper that they are considering doing the iditarod restart from Fairbanks.  not sure i'd be able to make that run north.  would be fun though.

 stopped to watch the skiers at Alyeska in Girdwood.  this is our down hill ski area.  supposed to be pretty dang good and i know there are spectacular views out there for sure.

 next stop the conservation center.  why not.  it was 4pm and they are open til 5pm.  i've been meaning to buy an annual pass as i want to support them and then i can cruise by more often.  my grizzly woke up with that warming trend.  they tend to den up in the little cabin out there.  he looks sleepy though, wasn't moving much, so i suspect he'll return to sleep soon now that it's cooler.

 watched the bison for a few minutes. they are always pretty cool.

 nobody charged me today which i appreciated.

 the elk were also active.

 getting ready for valentines day out there it looks like.

 "will you be my valentine?"

 stopped in and checked out the fox

 he was checking us out too.  well blossom i think.  she was actually growling at him.  the lynx she barked at this guy she growled at.  she never seemed to see the bear.  she usually barks at him too.

 old remnants from the '64 quake and tsunami.

 always like when the light hits those mountain tops.

 these are from the drive back to anchorage.

 took my time and stopped often.

 just kept getting pinker and pinker.

 and then it got really orange.

 all kind of cars were pulling over to watch this beauty!!

 once it drops it can go pretty fast.  loved the colours, especially on the water and ice of the arm.

 then at the very end there was this shadowing where the sun had just been.  i've heard of that but i guess i don't really remember seeing it so prominently.

 really loved this after shot.  the colours are just awesome!

 got home and reheated the rest of my chicken from the fried chicken i made last night.  i go on runs of certain foods.  i'll eat certain foods more often for a bit and then switch to other foods.  sometimes i'm on a lo mein run or a taco run or spaghetti or meat loaf. right now it seems to be more chicken.  not that i then eat the same thing every night, just that i crave it more often than other stuff. i haven't had home made lo mein for quite some time...may have to do that soon.

 i'd like to try to make pancit as well.  that is always so tasty when people bring it in to work for pot lucks

 these are back to the same order except with my powershot camera. wasn't too keen on having my more spend camera gear on the ice.  i do feel more stable out there with a kicksled in tow.   thinking i'll settle dogs in after monday walk tomorrow and then hit westchester lagoon after for some fun kicksledding and sunset views.

 lots of cracks which looked cool.

 hard to see all the cool ice formations in the ice or just not good pictures of it.

 more scenery from Turnigan arm.  lots of folks out enjoying the day.  so strange to have so little snow on the ground and in the mountains.

 views from the meadow in girdwood.

 the grasses and plants were all coated with ice crystals.  very cool looking

 views all around.

 back to the conservation center.

 this is where the bears den.  he's got his head out.

 blossom always like these big "kitty cats".  she was barking at him, which always gets his interest.  he had some meat he was chawing at.  he was right by the fence. i put the powershot a foot away.  he did swat towards the fence at me with those big fluffy paws.  i know i'm terrible.  he's so cute though!!

 he looks so sweet!!

 like that the sun was sitting on the mountains.

 not much to say today.  just enjoyed the day!

life is good...