everyone can't be right...

 it's pretty amazing to watch the nastiness on social media.  hidden behind the screen everyone voices their opinions, nobody listens to anyone.  it's really a pointless act, commenting.  still i find myself sucked in on way too many occasions.  these are still from the other day beach and moose spotting. 

 a video taken by someone else that was out moose spotting in the same spot turned up on facebook.  my car was in it....the moose crossed right in front of my car headed over to the 3 males on the other side of the street.  my dogs barked a few times, that moose was very focused on the males on the other side, he never glanced our way. 

 true to troll form, the nasty comments came. people from all over decided they were experts on moose and Anchorage and people.  they called those watching this scene idiots and stupid repeatedly.  our society is just at an all time low really.  people's kindness and tolerance of each other is near non-existent. it's pretty sad. 

 the other day there was another video i saw.  there was an outdoor symphony in Turkey.  i guess there are stray animals all over.  rather than kill animals outright like we do here, they have opted to just spay/neuter/vaccinate and release.  people watch over dogs and feed them.  at some point a healthy looking lab wandered onto stage during this concert, he lay down next to the violin section. i thought it was adorable and funny. 

 the trolls...just to show trolls are both extreme right and extreme left, well they were all over condemning the entire Turkey nation for this one stray dog.  it never even occurred to me to go nuts over the stray dog.  i just thought it was a cute video. hell, who knows, the owner of the dog could have been in the audience.  people make leaps and judge and scream.  saying things they would never have the guts to say in person.

 i figure if you post political stuff on your page you are fair game for a comment that is counter to your opinion.  i try to avoid calling names, though I've been called many....did finally do this with one friend of a friend who is extremely rabid.  he can be offensive and clearly he has no boundaries.

 i am not sure how we will ever return to any sort of sanity in our nation.  clearly, we will never have any sort of gun control. SNL had great skit...if you had 47 cats we would intervene and take those cats away from you.  nobody needs 47 of anything.  haha. it's true though. guns get a pass on all sorts of craziness.  it is odd that this has become such a huge issue for these folks.  the GOP wins because of guns and abortions. they could do anything else, and currently are, because they have these two things. their followers would be willing to give up every other freedom in their lives as long as they can keep guns and stop abortions. 

 i can assure you...if we morph into a dictatorship...your guns will be taken from you.  your opportunity to legislate rights and rules will be ended.  so it seems wiser to work to figure out sensible ways to control our sales of guns and find possible solutions to the violence we face over and over. don't see that happening.

 democracy is not safe.  blink and it can be lost. 

 all these trolls screaming at each other would be more tolerable if there was some hope that those screaming would release the anger and move forward, but all these battles do is make people more angry and less likely to consider another viewpoint.

 there are some points on both sides, though lately i haven't read much coming from the gun lovers that really makes them look at all sensible in the light of another attack.  there really just isn't any way to justify the current state of gun laws...try as they might.  personal weapons for safety and hunting fine...any assault style weapon...not so much.  i suspect they actually know this but are so dug in that they refuse to acknowledge the truth of their situation.  so they defend to the death i guess.

 suspect this will blow up into some level of civil war.  from civil unrest to civil war.  humans are complicated but in truth we are just animals.  we have our territories and when we feel those territories are threatened we attack.  many will die and then a calm will happen and there will be a return to normal relations to some degree.  will our nation survive, probably.  will it survive intact, that we don't know. 

 as with any organization over time every organization gets too organized for it's own good.  i see it in governments, religions, corporations, non-profits.  the bigger anything is the more chance there is for complete failure.  the initial tenets that brought people together become lost.  greed takes over, control takes over.  we watch all these things become corrupted over and over again. trust is lost and people rebel. 

 the leaders of our government have become greedy and corrupt.  they are controlled by special interest money.  they have gerrymandered away our votes.  the religions are also corrupted, so many are so disconnected to the message Christ brought to earth.  greed is pervasive.  do as i say, not as i do attitude...you see this repeatedly in both government and religion.  recently one GOP member was found to have tried to get his mistress to get an abortion.  you can't force others to live by rules that you yourself feel above.  eventually that back fires on you. 

 below is a slice from the whale i suspect.  they had done a necropsy.  whale bits are now scattered all over beach, moved with the tide.

 yesterday i headed to Whittier to walk Portage Pass.  no rain, but it was cloudy. i did part of the walk down to the lake.  opted to return after i got to a lovely viewpoint. there was still another 3/4 mile to go to the lake.  in Whittier you have a tunnel to contend with.  if i went all the way down i would miss the 5 pm tunnel out.  i opted to try to catch the 5pm tunnel.  made it!

 pups did well over all.  Tusker did take me down.  he ran up from behind and knocked me right at knee level...that is where these two stand though.  knee level.  i didn't have a chance.  i was sore but nothing permanent damaged.  so now they have both taken me down at least once.

 other dogs have taken me down in the past...I'm older now though.  haha.

 Ivy checks out another section of dead whale. above is skin i guess. the outer layer of the whale that has mostly fallen off the dead whale.  it's nearly 1/2 inch thick.

 could see Denali. 

 not sure where to hike today.  debating a run to Hope today.  Homer still just feels too long to go today.  haha.  i really should stick around here, try to get the post in for the little library.  do some stuff before the ground freezes.

 the wind was blowing last night.  causing the pups to bark at like 2 am.  i went out and shut the gate to the outdoor run...that was effective.  that was a great plan really...the outdoor run attached to the dog door. gives me that option.  have used it many times.

 it doesn't look like this today for sure.  wet out there today.  more reason to just do a local walk and get some crap done.  bills, clean, trash, post....

 more whale bits...I'm sure you all love the dead whale parts...

 the leaves area almost all off the trees locally,.the snow is falling north of here. the Chugach range has snow on the tops, moving down towards Anchorage.

 more skin, both black and white sections.

 always love a day at the beach.  as do the dogs

 took me years to discover this beach.  never brought Baby Huey here

 the pups really love the dunes and the sand.  we could spend hours just playing here.

 i had fun trying to capture photos of them leaping.

 Tusker makes the jump

 again Tusker.

 Ivy's turn.  it's not easy taking action shots of dogs while tossing the tennis ball. 

 i need a buddy just for this part. haha.

 stopped for repeat picture on the way back up the hill to the car.  was hoping to run into someone to get a picture of me with the dogs at the tree.  the dogs were not overly cooperative and then i started to be concerned that one would get a foot caught in a root and break a bone...we moved on

 the moose we'd had to walk past on the way down had settled in for a rest when we walked passed again. 

 the winds of last night no doubt took most of these leaves down.

 on to moose spotting.  i took video as this big guy passed a foot from my car.  then i switched to my camera.

 this guy was big!!

 it's a bit dicey trying to pick walks right now.  moose are on edge, bears are trying to fatten up before they sleep, so they are on edge too. 

 the humans are on edge too.  that is what happens when we have a madman in the white house.  the chaos impacts us all....it's had a global ripple as well.  it's pretty sad what damage has been done in such a short time. 

 it's embarrassing....this white house is embarrassing. 

 better get motivated.  get some crap done.  shower, walk dogs, shop for a post and cement...

 a few younger moose practice sparring...they are no match for the big moose

grateful for:  A.  changing seasons  B.  choices I've made that have brought me here C.  the laughter and companionship these puppies bring to my life.

a moose frenzie...

 this big handsome moose surely did much to slow down traffic.  he and his comrade across the street anyway.  the moose activity was entertaining just coming out of the park.  also had some sightings in the park as well.  it was another beautiful day and the dogs and i went to the beach.

 woke up early for some reason.  discovered that they had aired the show "legends of alaska" last night.  it was on the travel channel. i kept looking but hadn't seen it come up.  dang them for not letting me know.  last night could have been a good night to show it at the house and have a sasquatch party as planned.  dang travel channel...oh well.  see i'm already over it.  my little segment can be seen there still. i posted a link to it on my facebook page.

 thankfully, i didn't look like an idiot.  this was my biggest worry.  we shall see if the squatchers begin to contact me.  i think that is what they call themselves, people hunting for sasquatch.  my footprint aired.  a friend messaged me on facebook that he'd seen me and my dogs on the show.  hollywood does it's own take on things.  after they showed me re-inacting finding the footprint they went out in the woods looking in the area where i'd seen the footprint.  oddly, i never actually took them to the location that the footprint was found, we were just in kincaid park at the chalet.  the print was found on trails on the other side of the park. out of the jodphur trailhead.

 fun to have friends and family get a look at this little clip.  no money exchanged, just another life experience in my mind.  besides, i am no actress and i do not do well with a camera on me.  i think this would have been more stressful if i was being paid.  this way it was all on them.  it was their responsibility to get the story out of me and make it work.  with they would have done the reinactment portion first as that really helped me relax a bit and i tend to be shy around new people so being on the trails where i'm comfortable helped me to just be myself more.  it would have been easier to film the "interview after this".  as it was i felt stiff and uncomfortable standing there, stopping and restarting.  i knew the guy wanted me to make more of the story than there really was.  i was walking, i saw the footprints, found them to be odd, took a photo and didn't linger.

 more ice out there, but not the cool formations i've seen other places this week.  have had some great walks this week.  got some spice cupcakes made for the monday walk tomorrow.  hopefully, i'm not alone for the walk this week.  i need some social. the single thing sucks some days...like today, when i had this kinda cool thing and really nobody to share it with.

 blossom had a great day out there.  we weren't the only folks out there, but it was a nice crowd.  the meet up group was out there so i ran into some friends, maureen and karen.  always fun.  they took a different route than the dogs and i took.  wonder if they saw as many moose as i did today.  it was kinda crazy.

 there are just a few cairns left from a few weeks back.  he must have built over 50 of em.  pretty wild.  many people seemed to be enjoying his hut and the few remaining cairns.

 i know i enjoyed the last few out there.  hopefully, i can run into him again doing his thing.  they do make for some cool photo ops.  i am never bored with taking pictures of stuff.

 probably some idiot went out there and knocked em over.

 there was ice forming on the water and when the tides change it settles on the mudflats and sand.  it was pretty amazing to me how this edge here was all squiggly.

 there are always cool patterns that emerge in the ice with the changing tides. the tide was slack i think when i arrived and was going out as i left.

 of course blossom went in and out of the water all afternoon.  i was playing with the cairn and her for pictures.

 i put her in the art on this one...she makes a cute rock, don't you think?

 3 bikers went by.  for me, biking on mud/sand and snow just seems like way too much work.

 i'll stick to walking.  there is actually a trail across below in the water that is accessible some parts of the year.  obviously not of late.

 more tree art.  love roots and stems and with the leaves gone you really take  note of the roots and wooded parts.

 this was the other moose across the street that was attracting so much attention from passing cars.  i saw a few police cars heading that direction as i drove away.  not sure if they were coming that direction to try and keep people moving or just happenstance.

 a few more moose from the trail.  saw this guy on the way in.  he was laying a ways off trail.   there was a family with 3 small kids settled under a tree eating snacks.  i let them know about the moose that was nearby.  they hadn't noticed him at all.  i think they were pretty excited though, they apparently just moved here 3 weeks ago.

 chatted with my brother jeff for a bit.  explained to him that the fish under ice in yesterdays blog were okay. for some reason he thought they had to come up for air...i explained the whole gill thing...and we had a good laugh.

 as i got on the beach i noticed this beauty having a snack himself.  behind him is mt foraker i believe.  denali was clearly visible today as well.  i could see it as i took a few more steps forward toward the water.  liked the photo below.

 blossom really blends into the scenery.

 the moose on the beach.

 there is denali.

 i figured this was all the moose i'd be seeing today....wrong!  you just never know up here what you may run into on any trail.

 no chips in the house...still strange to get used to. i've been better at grabbing a piece of fruit or some other snack.  not always as filling feeling though.  happy to make these simple changes and hoping they make a difference.  no pool today.  plan for mon/wed.  meeting friends to see a movie and they both kinda wanted the later movie.  works for me...pool beforehand.

 not sure how long this weather will hold. i really should try and get the tires changed over this week or next week.  at least load them so they are too annoying not to get changed over.

 isn't that design odd and below is pancake ice.  it will thicken in the arm over the next few months. cool looking.

 bright sunlight can make for kinda hazy pictures.  rio is still snoring away on the couch.  she had a great day though.  got compliments on her scaredy cat coat. soon she will need her thicker/heavier winter coats.  fall is the only time she wears this one.

 those facebook posts...a niece posted a political opinion stating that she didn't want to start up anything, but really, if you post anything like that you will have no way to protect yourself from comments and a battleground.  it's silly to expect otherwise really.  either you delete anyone who thinks differently than you do or you just don't post anything that is at all controversial...which this time of year is anything.  sadly after several heated posts (but frankly not as heated as some my siblings have engaged in) she came on to state that she just wanted to say what she wanted on her facebook page and have no battle...she wasn't changing her mind "no matter what".  this is what makes me a little sad.  really.  you've made up your mind not to change your mind.  i wouldn't be the person i am if i haven't been open to changing how i thought.  i battled it out at times, but often i came to see the other persons point of view and even adopt it myself at times.  if you just surround yourself with like minded people all the time you greatly diminish your ability to grow and become a better person in my mind.  nobody starts out having all the right answers to everything though most people start out believing they do.

 it's what you know and what you've been told by people you love and respect, but sometimes they are just wrong.  it's tough to admit and accept that, but it's the truth. becoming an adult means more than aging, getting married and raising babies. there are big questions out there, you better make sure you aren't missing something before you just give your life over to the safe and known.

 another kinda strange posting.  a fb friend had a baby then posted a picture of the baby latching on.  i'm not a nun, but i'm not sure i want to open my facebook up and see my friends babies suckling.  it's a beautiful thing in the right place and circumstances, not sure i'd post it on facebook.  it's not that i find it offensive, but it does seem like a personal thing.  some things just aren't meant for the general public at large...imho anyway.  hopefully i don't get blasted for that...and congrats on the safe delivery by the way. i do wish you all well.

 this big guy was a bit of a tricky one.  he was just a few feet off the bike trail as i came back up from the beach.  a few folks walked past without issue. i had two dogs and one of those was rio, who can catch a scent of a moose and head for it.  there is kindness out there as the second guy who passed said he'd walk past the moose with me and the dogs.  how nice was that.

 nice rack, right?

 these next several were also from the drive out of the park.  these two young moose were meandering down the road and would occasionally stop and spar, then walk some more.

 it was pretty fun to watch.  my memory card filled up or i would have had many more photo's no doubt.  i think i have enough.

 so cute to watch the young ones learning the ropes.

 of course, little is relative and these guys really aren't that little at all.

 the temperatures were cool too so their breathe was steamy.

 the one guy has already lost one of his antlers.

 compared to the other racks on those big bulls these are pretty sad looking,but you gotta start somewhere.

 so most of my moose action this year came out in kincaid not at powerline pass.  you got to wander around a  bit to see what is out there, but for those willing to walk a bit, this state had plenty to show you.

 enjoy the pictures...really not much to say.

off to watch a movie and hit the hay.  been a fun day with my tv debut and the moose.  the walk was lovely.  i really can't complain..though i occasionally do.