another enjoyable trek to Homer....

 felt like my timing was a bit off for the tides down there.  they were great low tides which made me want to hit them all, but the morning tides were at 5:30 and 6:30 am...or thereabouts.  no way i could drag myself out of bed that early. i did set the alarm but just couldn't get motivated.  i think that made me sleepy the first day so when i was at the evening low tide, i ran out of steam and was hungry too. 

 i also did a late evening sunset stretch each night.  sunset is officially around 11:15. the joy of  being at Bishops beach is these options.

 the dogs are exhausted and of course, had a grand time playing on the beaches and chasing eagles.

 we stopped both ways at Deep Creek.  always a favorite. there is hardly ever anyone there....so much dead fish parts that i imagine most dog owners avoid it.  mine seem to ignore the dead body parts and remain focused on the ball and the live eagles.

 i'm sure i could get fined for him chasing them but there are so many of them it's pretty impossible to contain him.  truth be told it is pretty funny....and potentially dangerous.  so far all those birds fly off, but they could do some major damage if they decided to turn on him. 

 ordered take out both nights at Fat Olive. it's just down the street so easy.  i'm all about easy when i'm in Homer.

 the sea stars seem to be moving on.  so i was happy i made that trek a few weeks back.  they were much more plentiful then.  April is sea star time out there i guess.

 the yellow stuff in the water is pollen of some sort i think.  it was all over.  made for some cool designs on the beach though

 we did do morning walks though the tide was incoming.  figured if i wanted to sleep in i would allow it.  it's supposed to be relaxing and i decided not to stress myself out about not catching that early tide. i set the alarm and gave myself the option.  i took that option neither day.

 i also squeezed in a little drive out the east end a bit.  always great scenery. i always try to wander up a few roads, just to see what is out there.

 i curtailed my adventure as the post Memorial Day Weekend Covid numbers are up. we'd been at 5 or less for i'd say nearly a month but we've had a few over 20 days.  i guess PECC, the prov extended care has had several patients and staff test positive. it's time to retire K. they also seemed to point to some gatherings on the Kenai perhaps for those bumps.

 i was careful, masked up anytime i was around others inside.  i don't worry about outside.  it's much easier to keep distance outside.  our population being low helps.  very low density. so thankful i do not live in a large metropolis these days.

 for many reasons this week. there has been protests and rebellions all week in the lower 48.  taking the knee was met with fury, peaceful protests have not led to change. it's just a matter of time before anger and frustration rule the day.  of course, there is no doubt some help from rogue members of extreme groups that sent in their own forces to smash windows and start fires. they take advantage. some went in trying to blame it on Antifa.  always funny to me.  if you look at Antifa, they are extreme but small and not very organized.  who is organized and huge...white nationalists, white supremacists, neo-nazi's and kkk.  the right likes to pretend that this is not a large portion of their voters so they prefer to blame any negatives at these rallies on the rather small, disorganized Antifa.  i'm not for extremism in any form, but common sense will tell you who has the most vested interest in making these protests become violent. there are those in the extreme right who are rooting for civil unrest and possibly war so they can use all those weapons they have collected against those who think differently than them.

 my cats tried to protest me leaving on a trip. 

 anyway, curfews have been set up in the various communities.  those are breached but it does maybe seem like the worst of the looting and burning may be a bit improved.  the iitoo and his henchman Barr sent out their wrath on actual peaceful protesters.  they wanted them out of the way so Trump could have a photo op in front of the national church i think waving around a bible, like he ever opens that.  he never called the church to let them know.  he had no words of kindness or unity only words of division and hate...feeding his base, the only thing he ever does. he has zero interest in anyone who doesn't fawn on him.

 i wish i felt hope for our nation but i feel as long as trump is in power things will continue to spiral out until complete and utter destruction of our nation has happened.  the right seems so willing to just watch it all burn.  they can't look past their need to blame everyone but themselves for all that they don't like. it's everyone else's fault, trump is even viewed  by many as a god like creature.  how they find anything of virtue in that man is a mystery.

 so we all try to look at the beauty nature has and hope that when we wake up there is some improvement. every day it seems a bit worse though.  the right ignore or are completely unaware of who trump is except for who he is portrayed as by the right media. either they are willfully ignorant or they are spoon fed some bizarre cleaned up version.  until the media on the right speaks the whole truth nothing will change.  that is the only place many get their information...and it's mostly bad information.  if only they would commit to actually reading all his tweets and the craziness they are.  actually listen to his rambling incoherent speeches...not the tele prompter ones. the real ones.

 the crazy ones.

 i got home before 5 tonight.  every place i debated stopping to hike or stretch the dogs it was raining and the dogs were wiped out and happy anyway.

 so i drove on. i shall sleep great in my own bed tonight. 

 treks like this do make me miss life in the small Alaskan town.  may have to seriously ponder the future.  would be nice to retire to a place like Homer....road accessible but off the path a bit.

 look at this silly kitten.  did miss the felines.  he cracks me up.  i could tell he missed us too.  he's getting bigger.  it's more obvious when i'm away.

 a few of these are from a walk with SH out at Powerline the other day.

 was hoping to see some baby moose out there.  i did see a few moose on the drives and around town but no baby moose sightings.  i also spotted a few cranes.

 that April trek was more wildlife filled.  you never know what you will see though, which is why it is always fun to get out there.  you won't see any of it sitting at home.

 the dogs do smell a bit of dead fish and the sea.  was hoping for a stop at that lake thing down the portage rd. but the rain was coming down pretty good at that point.

 mostly good weather on this trek though, as you can see. clouds, threats of rain but only a few sprinkles actually fell.

 the cool designs left by the retreating tide with the pollen

 Covi Cat looked so chill sleeping.

 this is Tern Lake, on the drive out.

 i always love all the ripples in the sand. makes for some cool photo ops

 the pastels of the evening look like paint sometimes.

 these are tallon prints of bald eagles...those are some big feet/claws...Tusker had better be nice to those huge birds

 these rocks were fairly far out on Deep Creek and they were my goal for the walk that afternoon. my timing wasn't quite there for getting to Homer for this low tide so i opted for Deep Creek for it.

 this little gift shop art is in Ninilchik.  it was open today so i stopped in. 

 these cows have a great view...this is on the drive of East End road yesterday

 not many lupine out yet, but i noticed many had popped out while i was in Homer.  so this time next week should be nuts with them

 another of Covid Cat...sorry he's just so dang adorable.

 dogs run through the pollen.

 just a quick entry tonight.  lots of photos to look through....mostly of bald eagles i suspect. 

 not as many today when we stopped by but it was also more morning and high tide. best eagle watching a Deep Creek is an afternoon low tide...the fishermen all drop off their fish bits later in the day after the fishing is done for the day.

 June means flowers will be busting out all over Alaska.  so beautiful. 

 more tomorrow evening perhaps.  i'm tired, doing laundry and then crashing for the night.

 would love a few days of pouring rain so i can feel totally lazy and guilt free. this one section of beach always has these red rocks. i made cairns, which were soon tossed over by Ivy Rose in her quest to get the tennis ball to me.  stay safe out there.   take care of each other.  vote out the orange one...we can do this!!  Black Lives Matter....of course i laughed at one meme because the right like to say all lives matter, which of course they do, but in our society some lives have mattered more for generations and that is not right...also many of the all lives matter folks couldn't even be bothered to wear masks in shops to protect their fellow citizens for Covid...too much of a bother or infringement on their rights...so just further proof that they really mean that certain lives matter more than others and they prefer it to stay that way.

thankful for A.  relative peace and calm  B.  for those officers out there who do their jobs right.  i'm sure that is a large percentage but those bad ones are really bad.  C. a little escape for reality for a few days.  thank God for all that was created...though there are a few humans i want to ask God about some day...why??? i mean when trump was waving a Bible around in front of a church it seemed like a perfect moment for a lightening storm to strike.

i have bruises where???

 so i clearly was focused on my knees last week.  i didn't see any other obvious bruises on my arms though or my hands. well, today i went for my mammogram...so much fun.  the girl doing the xrays started to ask me about this huge bruising on my breast. never even hurt.  i suspect the camera caused those bruises when i landed on it.  she marked the area and will put a note but said if the bruising interferes i may be in for a repeat exam. 

 my knees are still pretty ugly looking...of course, who has beautiful knees?  i do not.  even at baseline.  never heard of any knee fetishes.  the bruising is still there, it's spreading and changing colors as bruises are want to do.  sore but not painful.  not really kneeling yet but getting there.

 lots of new fires and old fires acting up.  many structures gone north of here which is horrible and sad.  was talking to a woman today at the dog park.  her friend lost their home to fire a few years back and just lost a second one in the past 24 hours.  so heartbreaking. the roads both north and south of here were closed. the fire north crossed the parks highway around mile 90. 

 the smoke was terrible in Anchorage today.  i have the Hunter cabin in K'seugi campground for the next two nights....can we get there?  will it be totally smokey even if we do get there. planning on just heading north and then see what happens.  we can always turn back if traffic is too backed up i guess. just LM and i so far...anyone else want to join?  just message or text me.

 i also got a bone density scan.  i should make a few more phone calls to make other appointments for a skin check and now a urology check...i am beginning to suspect i may have a kidney stone.  they can be familial and i know of two siblings at least who have had stones my urine has had a bit or blood in it so gotta get that checked out.  no pain so far though.  something to look forward to i guess.

 the diet...well, keto diet was too restrictive and limiting.  i think when i fell down at Portage i knew i needed more calories and probably more carbs.  i am being much more mindful of my food choices and have eaten only like 10 chips, a few slices of bread in the form of toast and very little chocolate over the past few weeks. the goal is to be healthier and if i can drop a few of those extra pounds that would be awesome.

 morning pics with the pets...always fun. so i still have to pack up the gear. i think some is in the car. no open fires obviously. 

 some of the comments on these fires across the arctic from AK to Russia and beyond...one person went off parroting the ridiculous comments by the iitoo about raking and undergrowth.  millions of acres of land in the arctic and this fool thinks a few folks with rakes will prevent forest fires...also not sure what one rakes on the tundra. 

 some folks will say anything, no matter how ridiculous and foolish in order to hang on to the conspiracy theories and ignore the truth...the earth is warming. that warming is happening at an accelerated rate due to the activities of humans on earth.

 what a surprise billions of humans on the earth will have an impact on things.  tearing down trees, putting in concrete...I'm not sure why this seems so unfathomable. 98% of science is screaming...but it's easier to believe infowars and hannity and a reality tv star than actual scientists. baffling.

 i just finished 4 nights of work. first night was in the ER and then the next three were in the ICU.  fun crew to work with.  good thing because my one patient was screaming. in the end...the theory we ended up with is people lie about how much alcohol they drink. 

 having been in medicine for years i have become a bit of an expert on alcohol withdrawal. it is not pretty.  some crazy stories that i wish i could tell you and write about but stupid people are protected by hippa.  don't do stupid things while on meth may suffice and you are better off being an ambulance chaser than being chased by an ambulance. the line from that Cruise flick, "help me help you" often comes to mind.

 it is fun to watch people at work grow in their skills.  one tech is transitioning from house keeper to tech.  that is one thing about this nation.  you do have that opportunity to work your way up, if you are willing to do the work.  many previous techs are now nurses, some are even in management.  so it's fun.

 rolling my eyes as a friend of one of my brothers posted this meme.  it was innocuous.  it was just praising Carter for all his work with Habitat, building homes for those less fortunate.  what made me roll my eyes was 1. it's sad that he felt the need to supply a disclaimer when posting this...something about how he doesn't agree with his politics.  we can't just say nice things about nice people without fear that someone will attack you for saying said nice thing or otherwise politicize it. 2. sadder still was that one of my brothers did feel the need to bring politics in to it.  how carter hates Israel.  Dems do not hate Israel. you can disagree with how Israel handles certain things, especially with the Palestine situation, without actually hating Israel, but the bottom line is...

 it was just a meme about a decent human doing decent things.  there was absolutely no need to infuse politics into it..but some can't help themselves.  i just made a comment that theirs is a great love story as well.  he and his wife have been together for over 73 years.  that is a long time!!

 these are powerline pass...you can see a bull moose below.  i saw something but it took a minute to spot the moose.  he's a bit early for the rut party.  :-) 

 a few super cute puppies at the dog park today.  seemed a good place to head since i had those two radiology appointments.  will a third be upcoming.  CT looking for a kidney stone perhaps.

 so the fire north of here is being called the McKinley fire...it's just north of Willow...a site of another big fire recently.  loads of dog teams in the area.  hoping all the animals got out. i haven't heard of any human loss though the structures lost are noted to be over 50 at this point.  one past co-worker appears to have lost a family cabin, thankfully not a primary residency but lots of memories with family.  so very sad for all who suffer this horrible loss. 

 the winds got several smaller fires started, even a few it seems in the Anchorage area i think.  everyone needs to be extra cautious. the winds seemed to have died down today at least.  we need rain...

 at the same time they were closing the Parks road they were having to close the Sterling road to the south.  the swan lake fire was given a boost by the winds as well.  that one also crossed over the highway as the one up north had done. hoping the fire fighters are successful in their battles and are watched over and kept safe. 

 sleeping lady appears to be hovering.

 lichen on the rocks.

 dropped off some ashes.  i should refill the container to take north.  always good to bring all the furs along on our little adventures.  summer is fast coming to an end.

 can't believe my one friend has missed the entire summer.  come home SH...you should be joining us at the cabin this week.

 oddly, Denali National Park area has had a lot of rain....over 300 tourists were stranded in the park after a mud slides and flooding caused that tenuous road to be closed down.

 the iitoo is continue to tweet the ridiculous...buying Greenland?  it's all really just attempts at distractions from his failed policies.  tax breaks for the wealthy and trade war with China are hurting many who voted for him...the farmers...and the deficit keeps going up.  the GOP screams about being fiscally responsible while pushing fiscally irresponsible agenda.

 England is mired in it's own mess with the Brexit crap. 

 a few flowers still out there. the usual mushroom population has not shown itself.  boo.  i love those mushrooms.

 Tusker finds a place to cool off...and get muddy

 clearer water to cool off in. 

 this is Byron Glacier hike.

 a bottle with a note from a Russian sailor washed up in Shishmaref this month.  it took 50 + years to travel here by sea but the internet connected the tossed bottle with the Russian captain in less than a month.  the guy that wrote it is alive and in Crimea.  not sure what the note said.  strange it's not mentioned.

 saw this cow moose in the water near Seward. of course, i had to stop and take a peek

 she was grazing on under water greens

 my heart goes out to a co-worker who lost her mom while hiking to a fall.  sounds like a very stressful and painful situation.  my heart breaks for she and her family at this time....

 we all slip and fall.  we all find ourselves in positions that can go either way.  mostly we survive by luck...but sometimes our luck runs out.  each day is a gift.  best to take each day and strive for kindness and love over hate and anger. 

 will have to head down for my evening snack and more water...a lot to do tomorrow to attempt to get out of town. 

 moose have no baggage...just go where they want.  i always worry with all these fires about all the animals impacted, both large and small.  a moose may be able to outrun a fast moving fire...but all those smaller creatures just die...and not a good death.  fire sucks...

 grass hanging out of her mouth.

 a longer view

 I'm off work til Friday.  then just two days and off til Thursday again. 

 gotta  make the most of what is left of summer i guess.  it's been a strange one with the heat and smoke.

 hoping September is wet and clears these fires up. 

 lots of leaves and branches down from the wind.  i think some electric went out but i didn't seem to lose it here at all.

 on the beach in Seward.  loads of jellies were washed up on the beach at the low tide.

 they will wait for the tide to come back in and take them out to sea again.

 always enjoy a day at the beach.

 so do the dogs...off to bed...

thankful for :  A. fun co-workers.   B.  that the screaming did finally stop.  thankful for ativan some days.  c. fire fighters....and rain.