lazy post snow day...

 walked at university lake and drove down the seward to windy point and back.  read, watched tv...was basically pretty dang lazy.  it happens sometimes.
lots of spring waterfalls along the drive.  always nice.  stopped to take some photo's.

 took pictures of birds out at university lake.  loads of swallows flitting about. not many decent photos of them as them really book and they change directions quickly.  above are canadian geese, always plenty of those around this time of year.

 the swallows are cool to watch though.

 a few not too horrible photo's of them.  my friend amy said there had been a swan out there the other day..no such sighting today.

 not many folks braved the weather today.  perhaps all of anchorage was in a state of depression from yesterdays snowfall.  it is still out there at my end of town but melting fast.  the skies looked brighter this evening so hope for a few nice days coming our way.

 the dogs could care less and were happy to be out walking.  it was muddy but the lake is opening up quickly, soon all the ice will be gone.  caught just a clip of the news, apparently a body was found in one of the local creeks.  that is the not so pretty part of break up.  as things melt, occasionally bodies are found that went missing over the winter.  often along the creeks like this it will be a homeless person.  probably an inebriate who passed out and then died from exposure.  haven't heard anything more about it though.

 above was one of a pair of loons that were hanging at university lake.  funny as when the dog parks were being created these crazy loon people were sure that the loons would disappear from the other popular dog park in town, conners bog due to the dogs.  now here is a pair of loons chilling at university lake...would be funny if they built a nest there.  i recall one year a pair of moose were born there in the park.  that mama moose kept those babies there for nearly a month, maybe more.
the dogs may have been a nuisance to that moose at times, but i think she was smart enough to realize that the dogs could be managed with a good charge or a kick...she also probably got that the bear count would be much less at the park due to the dogs.
a friend was visiting who is a bit wary of the bears in alaska.  we went to university lake and i think she assumed that being in the middle of a large city like anchorage would mean no bear worries...as we got out of our cars there was a woman there with her bear spray out warning us there had just been a black bear encounter.  at work this week a co-worker warned me she'd run into a black bear and three cubs this week on the trails off the jodphur loop.  bears live in anchorage, both black and brown.  you can never let your guard down once they are awake.

 windy point is well known for sightings of sheep.  there were a few out there today, pretty high up though.

 a little leftover ice on the twigs around the waterfalls.  thought they looked cool.  maybe i can get some friends together and hike windy to rainbow and back tomorrow or monday.  always a good spring hike

 watched the movie, "new years".  well, it may be new years eve or night, can't recall.  lots of well known stars in it with various plots to follow.  thought it was a fun movie.  nothing deep, just easy and enjoyable.

 played a bit with the timer.  one really should be using a tripod for these sort of shots rather than attempt them handheld, but i'm generally way too lazy to tote around a tripod.  perhaps one day.  it is kinda fun to play with running water.  pretty even if they are kinda crappy photo's.

 the blur is due to my inablity to be a human tripod.  perhaps next time i should sit on the ground.  i often do that and then i put my elbows on my knees to form my human tripod.  didn't occur to me today.

 blossom is quite enjoying her swim time now that the lake is opening back up.

 a few more scenes from university lake today.

 muddy trail and leftover snow from yesterday. well a few flakes were coming down today mixed with rain.

 pogi enjoys the lazy day with me.  we did get the cat exercise in though.  i try and make him at least get his front paws off the ground 10 x/day to keep from getting too fat!! apparently he has always had a heart murmur, i've never heard it though.  my patient the other day had a whopper of a heart murmur.  way more impressive that what pogi must have.

 the cutest and sweetest dogs in the world!!  got a chance to brush out blossom . i try to give her a good brushing at least once a week.  she isn't always too thrilled with this and by the next day she looks like she' hasn't been brushed for ages but for today she looked fluffy and adorable.  first is rio and then blossom.  i have great dogs, i got incredibly lucky!!  a lady at the dog park was petting them and telling me how lucky i was to have 2 sweet pups...she's right!!  they are the family i have chosen...i think they have chosen me too!!

 will have to get up and motivated tomorrow.  need to start getting stuff out and organized for the kayak trip. once you get that first round done, it seems to carry over to every summer trip.  just tweek it here and there. i am getting excited for nome trip in june.  have car, hotel and air.  not sure if anyone else if going.  val is planning on it.  would love to have a few more join.  i haven't been very active in promoting this years trip.  debating next years trip.  want to go to iceland, also want to return for a kayak trip to misty fjords in southeast alaska, bob and tanya liked that idea of course.  they've never paddled misty fjords and for scott and i it was our first paddle trip.  i'd do guided again out that way...but if i'm down there i think i'd also try and rent a cabin in misty to fly  into for a few nights. would be awesome...it was something i didn't do while i was there.

still need to get to barrow and adak...so much to see in this amazing place.  i'm getting a reputation for being a person who has been places and can direct newcomers of good trips to try.  we have seen some amazing places on these annual adventures! off to bed..hope everyone is having a great week.  oh all those extra views were a spam thing.  supposedly it's not really effecting anything just showing falsely elevated views so now i have no idea who is checking out the page.  not matter really.  i write and hope that someone else out there enjoys.  the blog helps me to get out and see the world i live in more.  keeps me trying to make the same trails interesting for the blog.  also helps keep me from being a couch potato...gotta have something to post.  mostly, through photography i see all the little details that so many people walk by and never notice.  there is so much beauty in each of our worlds and all we have to do is stop and look in all directions.

you know you are old when...

 your 7 year old patient looks at your id badge and asks if the picture was taken "a long time ago", then tells you that you look "way older than the picture".  kids are never ones to coat the facts. time to get a new picture of the old me.
work was easy for me and tonight i'm on call.  guess i was slated for the peat team but when they rearranged me and i was no longer scheduled as peat i never got rescheduled as a pool person for today so once they found me they had no use for me.  that could still change through the night...or i will stay home.
not many pictures today.  just cruised around the bog with the dogs.  thought i was working and it was windy today.  the dogs were sniffing like there was a moose, but i didn't see it until i was around the other side so the trail is just the other side of those trees.  luckily most of the time the moose have a don't bother me and i won't bother you attitude.

 a few geese chilling in the bog.  always feel badly for the magpies this time of year.  they live here year round and all these birds show up and space and food must now be shared.  this annoys the magpies to no end...it's pretty obvious.

 had some stupid add on thing install itself to my computer when i sat down and have spent the last 1-2 hours trying to do all the steps to remove the dam thing.  i may have done it.  it's a search thing called mixidj.  if you can avoid it...do.  when i looked it up there were just sites explaining how to get rid of it.  never a good sign. until it was gone i was unable to get off of my main blog page to attempt to write a note.  i don't want to be premature but yeah me for removing and fixing an issue with my computer.  fingers crossed that i got that bad boy!

 another strange thing has happened in the computer world for me today.  suddenly my blog views increased dramatically.  i have no idea why but i usually get around 100 views on the days i post and on the days i don't post maybe 40-50 views.  so that tends to work out to about 500 views/week.  today my views were well over 600 and already for the next day it was over 200.  not sure what happened there.  i looked to see where the views were coming from and most came from some blogs of note...of course, when i clicked on this i got an obscene photo...and maybe this horrible mixidj thing.  who knows.  well...if you are new readers and not some crazy spam thing, welcome.

 this moose was well over 200 yards away from me and still those ears are back...a bit wary of our presence or perhaps there is someone walking on the trail just beyond those trees that i'm not aware of.  moose can get wary this time of year anyway as many will be dropping babies in anchorage in the coming weeks.  yes, some people will be trying to go to their cars to run errands or go to work and be held back due to a moose calving.  another thing that can happen is a bear may make a meal of baby moose and that has been known to prevent folks from getting to work as well.  not sure from this distance if this is a cow who will drop baby moose soon...there often is a baby or two born in the bog right by my house.

i think i have earned a chocolate shake for all the stress of dealing with this computer stuff.  may attempt to pop in my netflix movie and see if i can make it through it before i get called in to work.  a  bit less relaxing to be on call now that i'm in the float pool...i can get called in anywhere for anything.

greater white fronted goose...or geese

 walked the dogs in kincaid then headed out towards hatchers.  saw all these guys along the side of the road as i was taking ramp towards hatchers.  lots of those greater white fronted geese and many canadians as well.
of course i believe the white fronted need a better name.  they are more striped fronted.  above the canadians landing.  love to catch birds in flight or coming/going.  so cool looking to watch them completely engage their wings.

 the lazy photographer strikes again and i never got out of the car to take these. just leaned over blossom sleeping in passenger seat and snapped out the car window.

 i'm sure i just never noticed these guys before...so unobservent some days.  they are cool looking though so i'm sure in the future i will look a bit closer when i see a bunch of what i assume are canadian geese.

 overall it was a nice day.  all i got accomplished in addition to my walking and driving was a load of dishes and a load of laundry.  back to work tomorrow night.  one must always take full advantage of lovely days.  it was supposed to be snowing up at denali and it was snowing at hatchers so probably best how it worked out.

 some of these white fronted geese landing.

 a group came in while i was there.

 not bad for out the car window.  not sure why i was so lazy about this...probably didn't want to get rio all hyped up.

 the loop at jodphur was slushy snow so a good butt work out.  it could also be that i have somehow bruised or strained something attached to my right ileum of my hip.  very tender.  not too bad if i have my pack putting pressure on the spot, so oddly, hiking not too bad, but taking a few steps away from car quite tender.  finally took some ibuprofen.  hopefully that helps.

 look at that stretch!!  killer!

 i have often envied birds.  i can be hiking from the bottom of the mountain up and those guys just soar overhead and get there so fast.  looks like fun the way they ride the various winds too.  not in an...i'd love to jump out of planes with a parachute kinda fun though.

 nice to see these guys all get along out there.  didn't see any snow geese at this location.  while i was out walking today i did see and hear a sandhill crane pass over.  not quick enough with the camera.

 landing gear, check, flaps, check...

 another high school classmate passed away.  every so often i get these tiger newsletters.  it always had the list of passings.  last year when i looked at the obituary the guy, who had been very popular in high school, had jumped from a bridge.  not sure why greg nemo died.  always sad even though i keep in touch with very few from high school...you are somehow always tied to this group of people, especially when you went from k-12 in the same school system.

 these are a few from the river coming out of hatchers pass.  should have tried the timer on this river shot below...of course, after sitting for a bit that little pain was much worse walking out of car to look over bridge.  so perhaps i can use that as the excuse rather than just being lazy.

 the melt down can be pretty...mostly it's just sloppy and a big old mess.   i do try to find a few things that aren't so ugly to focus on...makes breakup go so much quicker.

 view looking back at the matanuska valley from hatchers pass.

 the clouds were getting thicker and thicker.  i walked up to the parking lots with the dogs, but the snow was falling heavier and it was just me out there.  the few sledders and skiers i'd seen when i arrived had all been leaving.  it was close to 6pm.

 with all the snow and the clouds it's tough to differentiate between what is trail and what is deep snow that will suck you in.  i kept following the ski tracks cut into the snow for cross country skiing.

 perhaps i'll get another chance to head up here before the melt...it doesn't appear to have begun melting up here anyway.

 this was as i was leaving, getting harder and harder to see.

 these are at the knik bridge on the way back. i pulled off for a few shots...again i didn't get out of the car.

 the chunks of ice just looked cool.

 now from today's walk in kincaid. i took the jodphur loop.  no sasquatch footprints sighted this year...but this is the loop where they were.  not many out there.  not really skiable at this point.  down to the dirt in places and in other places big puddles or small lakes i guess are forming.

 this works for blossom and even for rio at times, but not so good for ski's.

 nice to see the earth return, dirt, pinecones and needles...oh and some mud too!!

 the trail is packed down all year so it melts last.

 beautiful blue skies in town today.

 this was the largest obstacle on the trail.  rio and i ended up going on the hill to the left.  i tried to circle around on the snow, but my first step was a sinker.  my foot went in to my knee and i almost lost my boot in there...my foot was a bit wet but nothing bad on a warm day like today...we must have hit the 40's again.

 this is what trees look like that have been snacked on by moose.

 there is always this one tree that gets decorations added through the winter.  they had it pretty full of ornaments this year.

 always the cool circle around the sun...the sand hill flew through this circle which would have been a cool photo, but not to happen.

 pond where the white fronted geese were chilling by road

 those same icicles but further up.   liked the colour of hte rocks below.

 that spot to the left on the lower part of the picture is actually a bikerider, hard to see him.

 didn't see anyone speeding out there today!!

 another shot of independence mine from a distance.

 i think this is the biker again.  he was setting out as i was getting to my car...so i guess i wouldn't have been alone after all.

 they just groom the road and around the mine in winter.

 more sun dog activity.

guess i shall go pay bills and crash for the night.  good night.