old cars and puppies..

 hit the old car show...it was one of the Fur Rondy events.  I'd never stopped by.  this cute pup was hanging in this old car.

 old cars are always fascinating.  pretty cool when they are all fixed up. gives you some idea of how they looked in their hey day. times change pretty fast in this world. 

 it wasn't really that long ago that we didn't have these crazy cars.  pretty amazing.  it must have been something in those days.  such a change in life style and freedom. 

 also a dramatic shift in how life worked...roads needed to be built to accommodate the new vehicles.  was it like bottled water? did people think it would never catch on?  still can't believe what a huge industry bottled water has become.  we never imagined people would grow dependent on bottled water when they could get it in their taps..

 we have new cars come around but for us they are just new models now.  i guess the electric or alternative fuel cars but it is slow in taking off.  part just because the gas and oil industry own our nation at this point. 

 a battle against facts prevents our nation from moving forward from this history into a new era of alternative fuel.  easier to believe there is no climate issues than to face facts and be innovative. pretty depressing really as our nation was in the past the great innovators and we have now allowed ourselves to slip.  our education is sub par compared to others and so is our innovative spirit.  hopefully it's not in the past and hopefully those members of our citizenry will wake up and see the need to move forward.  will see that greed and corruption have halted our progress.

 the iitoo is off to visit NK dictator.  he's pretty orgasmic about it.  deflects from his troubles at home.

 he is consulting with Put over how to deal with NK instead of his own intelligence, whom he has no trust in.  he trusts our adversary over his own intelligence.  a Rus, Labrov, is on the way as well to serve as his guide...let that sit in.  if it's like his meetings with Rus.  we will not have any staff in the room with him...maybe a translator, but even that is sketchy. he probably will take the notes and prevent even his closest aides in his own administration from being aware of what was discussed.  a good percentage of our population has absolute trust in this idiot.

 none of us should have absolute trust in any of our leaders...transparency is key..unless you prefer to live in a nation with a dictator as a ruler.  they just seem to casually look the other way while the iitoo puts his faith in Put. 

 I'm awake early because i went to bed early.  had plans to hit the sunset at low tide and then head over to see the sculptures, but i started to feel tired and hungry and cold. there weren't really any clouds and so when i drove over towards Woronzof the light was flat. when you work nights sometimes you just sleep when you are tired...of course, that could also be related to just being single.  we have that luxury. some times you just need sleep i guess.

 we had a fun Monday walk.  it's been so beautiful out there.  chilly in the mornings but warms up with the sunshine.

 had friends over the other night for dinner.  my demo crew..they hadn't all seen the new kitchen yet.  fun to share it with them. the pups were pretty excited to have guests over.  shoes were put up in a safe location so there wasn't any relocation services by the dogs

 model T's...have some photo's of my grandparents by a similar car. 

 the old Mustangs....of course, these came out around the time i was born.  i think they became an instant classic.  i learned to drive in my Dad's mustang.  failed my drivers test in it as well.  the transmission was malfunctioning.   my Dad's started out white and then he had it painted a baby blue color.  what does that say about my Dad?  did he paint it that color for my Mom?  things you will never be able to ask now.

 not sure what the top speed on these little cars was/is but I'm guessing it could be a wild ride in that little open seat in the back.

 for my generation I'd guess the dawn of the internet and computers for all was our huge change.  man landed on the moon though we seem to have mostly abandoned our space voyaging or have become travelers on others programs. 

 every generation has it's dramatic changes.  for us computers, bottled water and MTV. 

 more from the dogs birthday walk.  they had fun.

 i will probably head back to bed after this.  still debating a run to Seward since i have good weather

 been trying to sell my ice machine.  don't need it now that i have the fridge that has an ice maker.  people can be so flighty.  lots of interest but nobody seems to be coming through.

 did some more work on organizing the garage.  debating putting the drum set down there.  they do take up a lot of room. 

 so much garbage to go through.  need to have another shredding evening.  i have finally caught up on all my recycling related to the kitchen so now i can fill the recycling bin with shredding waste.

 these guys have no problem sleeping right now.

 running through deep snow will probably do that for you.

 do not want to see the ferry service in AK end.  with this new budget plan it kills the ferries.  that would be a huge loss to Southeast AK and to the Aleutians and Cordova. i hope there are enough fighting against this plan. the budget is 140 million and he wants to cut 97 million.  it's funny that he ran on promises to be there for rural AK...many of the cuts he proposes screw rural AK.

 so much bad news out there.  Venezuela getting sticky and our nation seems to be working towards deeper involvement. 

 the world is depressing and becoming more depressing.  hate is all over and it all seems like it will get worse before there is any improvement.  history does cycle through mass die offs of humans, self inflicted much of the time.  just gets to be too many humans for this earth to tolerate.  we can't get along so we seem to kill off the little guys.  greed is an ugly human need.

 not sure how long it takes for the explosion to happen.  our nation is building up to one.  when will common sense return? how many will have to die before people see that violence and hatred leads to senseless loss. what will we lose in the process? what rights will be taken from us....so many want it their way, see their way as the only right way.  see their way as the path chosen by God even.  i mean if you believe God is on your team then the rest can be snuffed out, right?  i mean it's Gods will. 

 that does seem to be the way with religious radicals and we have that in this nation now.  a radicalized religious sect that believes Trump was brought to us by God to save America.  if God sent us Trump to "save" America we are so totally screwed!!  God does seem to have a bit of a sense of humor.  i imagine he is up there cracking up and/or shaking his head that this idiot has so many loyal followers. i haven't seen any signs that this man is in any way a man of God, a follower of any of the words of Christ.  people believe what they want to though.  once they are set on their beliefs there is not much you can do to change their minds...

 just look at all the cults of the past.  how easy people are to manipulate, even to their own demise. convince them they are in the right and all the others are wrong and you can get them to do your dirty work

 many seem to believe that all their problems are due to liberals...get rid of liberals and what will they have.  be careful what you ask for....it may be granted to you. 

 redoubt in the distance

 a final Birthday shot

 then the rest are at the Fur Rondy sprint races.

 they race through Anchorage.  from down town to my side of town and back. i was hearing that the teams get up into the 20mph range.  for the Iditarod, it's a longer journey so they tend to run at between 4-12 mph.

 yesterday i got up and headed out by the dog park.  watched a few teams go past then took the dogs walking in the park.  we played there and then there is an area where the teams go past the park close so i leashed up the dogs and saw the last team fly past on the way back down town.

 i think there are only 16 teams for these races. they race three days in a row and then the best overall time wins. i think it's pretty good money for the short race.

 looks like they were able to do the usual route out at North Bivouac.  in years past i have hiked out with the dogs and watched the teams go past out there.  pretty with the mountains and being out there alone.  not sure I'm ready to try that with these two. maybe in a few years when they get older and more chill.  they did fine though as this one team flew past.  barely noticed them so perhaps...

 sleds are set up different for these short races.  light

 perhaps I'll sleep a few more hours and then head off.  i may see what i can find cabin wise for the end of August.  i haven't gotten any cabins yet for this summer.  I'm off on planning. starting to plan with a few ICU friends a  Sitka trek.  we've talked about it for years so hopefully we can get it together.

 hopefully a kayak in May.  so some stuff is getting planned. 

 liked this kid hoping on at the end of the race.  always cute all the kids involved with their families with dog teams.  they have Jr races as well.  that would be fun to watch.

grateful for: A. sleeping when i need sleep, it's a luxury  B. progress in this world, innovation C.  cheese, ice cream, dairy products..so nummy

day for a little drive...

 sometimes i get a bit of the cabin fever and feel like taking a drive out of anchorage for the day.  hiking different trails.  so i packed up the girls and headed to eklutna.  first i walked them out to thunder bird falls.  not a very long walk really, but a bit of a butt workout.  the falls weren't really all that magnificent today.  i didn't hike to the bottom though.  blind dog...steepness, blond dog, no fear.  we just went to the look out and back.  enough to make both dogs happy enough for the day.  driving wears them out anyway, especially rio.  she's so stressed in a car sometimes.  blossom just lays down and goes to sleep.

 this is actually from last night.  blossom lay down on rio's bed...something she never does.  rio had to make due next to her. it was kinda cute.  i'm easily made happy by dog stuff though.

 blossom was off and on leash dependent on how steep the sides looked to me.

 felt a bit haunted today by that brasillian fire in a night club.  over 200 people couldn't get out.  that is horrible.  fire scares me.  such an unpleasant and terrifying death.  my heart goes out to all those lost and their families.  to be so close to escape but not be able to claw your way to safety before the fire or lack of oxygen got you.  how could they allow any sort of pyrotechnics in a place with so little safety precautions or exits.  just irresponsible it seems like to me.

 a distant shot of the waterfall.  not much to see today...one little section looked cool, but i'd have to be closer to really enjoy it.  blossom makes me nervous around open water with ice so that was another reason i begged off of taking the trail down to the little creek.

 with my concerns about heights i didn't need this sign  to keep me walking close to the inside of the trail, away from the steep bits.  i did like the picture of the little dude falling down though.  quite humorous.

 this trails is pretty popular in the summers. i rarely go there though.  popular is usually something i avoid.

 took a drive out the old glenn highway after i left thunder bird falls. nothing spectacular  but it's always nice to just drive and clear my head. have been lazy the rest of the evening...sorry to say.  ate taco's and then couldn't move.  so filling.

 has snowed off and on this evening, but the roads were nice and clear today as i drove about.

 npr was discussing women in combat.  the rules were recently changed to allow women to be on the front line.  the guy they were talking to said that in the old days of war there was the front line and then the support network.  women stayed in the background in the support network.  these days there is no front line really.  everywhere and everyone is up for attack.  women are already being put in this position.  they are being successful.  seems reasonable to give them the credit and opportunities they are already being pushed into anyway.
talk of how different war is now than in the days of old and how it took the officials some time to get out of the rut of seeing the wars the same as they had been in the old days.

 not sure i got any stellar shots of eklutna.  black and whites were fine, but i think i like some of the colour just cause the colour pop's out there in the snow.

 as is always the case.   anytime i am anywhere i seem to attract the attention of someone who doesn't seem to trust my presence.  there is nobody there in the winter, but the gate was open and there is a little box that asks for $5.  so i paid it and went in.  i was probably only there for 1/2 hour or 45 min and was very respectful in my activities.  still as i left a van pulled in.  i gave him a nod as i got in my car and that was that.

 eklutna is a small town though and so i'm sure word spread fast that there was someone in the cemetery.

 i think it's really cool that they build these spirit houses over the graves.  they don't believe in maintaining them and eventually they will just become part of the grounds, which i'm cool with as well.

 the russian orthodox religion came over years ago and many natives converted.  this cemetery demonstrates the combination of the two belief systems working together.

 the tiny church is cool too.  i guess there are two buildings, the old church and the newer church. the new church is still used for sevices.  it is really pretty small and can't hold too many church goers.

 this person chose to have a spirit moose i guess watching over them.

 there are spirit houses in different states of disrepair.  a few new ones from time to time, so they must still use this as a burial site.

 cloudy day out there.  not sure what the weather will bring for the rest of the week.  we've had such a strange winter this year. it's either very cold or too warm.  too little snow fall for most of us.  we are happy with whatever snow we get.  some were talking that there are rumors they won't be able to do the ceremonial start in anchorage due to the low snow.  still a ways away, but we do need to get some serious snow cover before the iditarod. i think a few preliminary races have had troubles due to the lack of snow.

 the forecast does seem to call for chance of snowfall.  it also says possibly rain....no!!  don't warm up again!!

 a fenced dog park is looking like it will become a reality.  apparently the park they are looking at has become a place of ill repute.  they are hoping if they add a dog park it will reverse the trend of drinking/drugs and prostitution.  dogs do rule!!  dogs to the rescue to clean up a park!!!  we'll still go to university lake and north bivouac trails.

 research is showing our frogs will fare poorly with these global warming trends.  these little guys freeze solid in the winters.  they burrow in and freeze up by excreting the glucose from their cells...testing my memory here!! with less snowfall they may have multiple freeze thaws and not survive.  they really do freeze solid though.  i find them fascinating.  alaska isn't a place for reptiles or amphibians in general though.  i think it's just this frog, maybe more in the southeast panhandle.  no snakes, no lizards for sure.  also no ticks, or fleas. haven't seen any ants or cockroaches either!!

 the french seem to doing fairly well in mali.  i hope they can help those poor folks out.  npr again...something about some thinking it's bad that we are taking a back seat in all these places.  like we should be lead all the time.  lead is expensive and people don't like you.  besides, these seem to be the same people who used to be angry that we were always out there getting in everyone elses business.  just can't please some people.  i'm totally happy to let other nations take a lead role.  spread the hate around, spread the money around.  we are helping out and i'm sure if things got worse we'd take a bigger role.

 this is as close as my lens got to the one section of the waterfall that wasn't totally frozen.

 these are with the zoom lens out there.

 hard to see the crosses.  they are russian orthodox crosses which are different than the regular christian crosses.

 always good to reboot.  guess i could fly to hawaii and reboot, but this was cheaper.  not sure where to head tomorrow.  south or north.

 will check the weather in the morning and see where that takes me.

 bald eagle feathers.  illegal for most of us to have, legal for the natives so these are legal.  saw two bald eagles flying around the glenn as i drove north today.  always an amazing sight.

 see the colours are nice...

 this modern house has always impressed me.  of course, if anyone makes a spirit house for me, i'd like one that looks like a cool log cabin...the one i haven't been able to afford all these years. perhaps i could afford a miniature version.  since i  prefer cremation it could be even smaller!!  i like how fancy this one is.

 alaskan homes are often surrounded by old stuff. i will refrain from saying junk.  one mans junk is another mans treasure...that goes for women too.  this property had some cool old cars.  i probably should have gotten out of the car and gotten some really cool shots, but in some of these more rural area's that sort of activity could get you shot.  alaskans have guns and they are not afraid to use them if they feel threatened.

 jumbled in here is a few of the old bridge on the old glenn.

 more old cars.

 i'm sure this owner plans on doing something with these bad boys one of these days.  that was my dad as well.  just from that era where you didn't waste anything.  everything was salvaged for possible parts.  now we all have junk.  people just collect different stuff.  my parents would have like 10 toasters. when one broke they would buy a new one, but the old one was never just tossed away.  nope it was packed away.  i try to be better and i have my moments of purging, but i live in about 1300 square feet and i seem to be able to fill it no problem.  entire families and their crap live in 1300 square feet so clearly i have too much crap.

 this is my sad story of the day.  i saw this moose on the side of the road.  as i pulled closer i realized that there was a dead baby moose right off the side of the road.  it was covered in a layer of snow, meaning it had probably been hit overnight.  when i was there is was late afternoon.   this poor mama moose was lingering around her dead calf.  just broke my heart.  i wanted to cry, i wanted to get out of the car and hug her or sit with her.  i realize she would not have appreciated my acts, but i just felt so badly for her.  wonder how long she will linger in the area, how often she will return there.  still makes my eyes well up to think of her out there on the side of the road with her dead calf.

poor girl.