rain and wind...boo

 these are a few from the big camera that i finally looked at.  i think everyone was living the lazy life today.

 cancelled the Monday walk after i had to run outside in cleats and pj's chasing my trash can down the block.  lots of ice and the wind always makes things interesting.  more high risk. i feel better going out in sub zero temps than wind and all the ice..the schools all closed for the day too.

 it is always odd that the schools close when it warms up and gets icy but stays open for snow and sub zero temps. that is Alaska though. 

 i did get the dogs out walking.  yesterday and today we just hit the dog park due to the warm up.

 finished 3 nights of work.  CICU, ICU and then ER.  got to come home a few hours early on the ER shift.  i do like that.

 Denali in the distance.

 i also made it out to do a wee bit of Christmas shopping and i now have 6 more packages ready to mail off!! just one friend in the lower 48 to handle, but I'm not really sure where she is going to be to get a package.

 a few more cards to get sent off, but i need addresses first.  tough to know where folks live anymore since snail mail is almost a thing of the past.

 i also got working on my locals craft project.  got 6 made i think.  feel like i should get a few more of them and get those done as well.

 just realized i have to get my repeat shingles vaccine tomorrow.  sure hope i don't feel as crappy after this one as i did after the first. 

 there was a little avalanche up near flat top the other day.  a hiker was in the area an hour plus after the avalanche happened and saw some legs sticking out of the snow.  the legs were moving...miraculously!  he dug the hiker out. the victim was very cold but able to walk with assist back to the trail head.  that is one lucky person.   could have died from the cold if not from the avalanche itself.  ran out of oxygen in this buried state. crazy story really. 

 there is still a trash can out front unaccounted for.

 the medevac crew was not so lucky...sadly, there was another medevac service that had opted to not accept the flight due to poor conditions...then this service accepts and sends these three out and they all perish.  that is super sad.

 as the right bitches about the time and money needed to investigate the iitoo they continue to investigate conspiracy theories on the tax payers dollar, but they are totally cool with decades of investigations that lead to nothing as long as its for their conspiracy theories.  you can't really prove those wrong since they are so attached to them.  they won't believe the conspiracy theories are not true no matter how long and how much money is spent. 

 it doesn't help that the right debunks any investigations that don't turn out how they want them to or simply ignore the facts in those and find a few lines that work in to their silly threads. in doing so they discredit and trash the CIA, the FBI and any other investigatory groups that exist...deep state and all...so as you see it is all quite hopeless. 

 it also doesn't help that Barr stands up and debunks the debunking investigation and finds another way to open a new investigation in an attempt to prove the unprovable. 

 the bottom line in the GOP is that truth doesn't matter a whit...all that matters is that you can muddy the waters of what is true enough to keep the base singing your praises...just like with Ukraine...they didn't actually have to investigate the Bidens, they just had to make a show of it...which is further proof that they could care less about corruption actually. 

 trump is and always has been, a showman and a salesman.  it's about manipulation and convincing people that what they see is not to be believed and instead they are to believe what they are shown and told.  it is quite scary how effective a disinformation campaign can be.

 they lie continuously but since so many on the right are so bought into the conspiracy theories it no longer takes that much to keep them lapping it up. 

 the justice Department has determined that the FBI did have enough information to investigate members of the Trump campaign.  they also found that the Steel dossier was not the key source in the findings. i suspect that any investigation you look into you would find things that could have been done better or cleaner and it appears that this is the case with this one.  Barr undercut the inspector general again in a show of support of trump.

 another GOP rep going down..mishandling campaign funds.  as a show of how depraved the right has become, he was already indicted for the crimes and was re-elected.  better a crook than a liberal is the feeling on the right. 

 they have had to learn to look the other way at a whole lot of crap.  the Republican party is already dead...it's morphed into the mob rule party of trump.  he's destroyed the party...but he seems to destroy anyone and anything he touches.  look at Guiliani.  he just returned from Ukraine apparently...how far he has fallen. 

 the Saudi that killed 3 on a Florida naval base bought a gun legally to do so...seems wise to have laws that allow people who are from other nations to come here and easily purchase guns.  if that isn't a cry for some gun control.  the folks on the right looked the other way as journalist, Kashoggi was brutally murdered and cut into pieces so i don't guess there will be much outcry from DC on this act.  he can't go after the Saudi's...just like he can't go after the Russian's no matter what heinous thing they do.

 trump spent his twitter and air time exclaiming how kind the Saudi's were being and how bad they felt about what happened...the few GOP members who spoke out had, of course, gone back into kissing trumps ass mode over the impeachment...the same happened after he pulled the military out of Syria...they kind of bitched but soon returned to ass kiss mode.  business as usual. 

 the GOP members have turned out to be completely spineless.  i wrote my own representatives and got canned notes from two of them...one was like a nunes/jordon clone...Sullivan...sheep material.

so many on the right act like trump is close to a saint and that the left has been going after him from the start.  he is not a saint.  his supposed non-profit was shut down during his term because of misuse of funds.  he lost a lawsuit about a fraudulent university weeks before he took office.  he's since used that loss as a tax write off i heard reported. 

 he has a long history of fraud and failure to pay...his history is not that of a saint and people rarely change who they are at their core.  he has been watched because he deems watching.  he never separated himself from his financial ties which are scattered about internationally.  he has never been honest or open about his finances...going to great lengths to prevent his financials from becoming known.  the right looks the other way of course.  they don't care...as long as their agenda is being pushed through, as long as they are getting judges put in place. 

 a volcano erupted in New Zealand...at least 5 are dead and others missing. 

 in order to get parental leave a bill is mixed with the establishment of trumps space force...i hate  that these bills get so convoluted...that is one thing i think most of us would agree to...these strange deals need to be disposed of and bills must be about one topic.

 not much information  but several injuries in a coast guard vs navy boat crash out of Kodiak.  Naval special warfare combatant vessel? 

 an extremely violent man is free and wandering around Fairbanks.  his whole face is tattooed and he has apparently legally changed his name to Pirate.  the man kidnapped a woman and held her captive in a remote cabin for 5 weeks beating and sexually assaulting her...he got off because the woman later died of an overdose and was therefore no longer a viable witness.  pretty sick to think he is out there as is his next victim no doubt.

 the GOP will not remove trump from office but the house will impeach.  the illegal activity is and will continue as long as this administration is in office.  all you can do is put on the record an impeachment...when the truth comes out over the years it will no doubt be shown that the GOP was complicit...just like years after the Clinton impeachment the GOP was shown to have gone after him and only been able to get him on a sex charge and lie....it didn't actually do any damage to the nation though it was all embarrassing for the nation. 

 listening to the GOP whine about how unfair this is and how it's a witch hunt is pretty rich considering what was done with the Clintons.  they are irony impaired however.  just further proof that they never gave a crap about the sex...that it was never about their morals or ethics or values it was all about money and power. 

 these are the sunset from Campbell Airstrip the other day

 the rest are on a drive back from Seward.

 smoke is sad because of the fires but it can make for early and beautiful sun set views.

 it wasn't actually sunset but the sky appears to be sunset due to the smoke in the air.

 another sad tale that at least ended with the kids being alive...a 5 year old was left with a toddler sibling and ended up carrying the sibling in sub zero temps a half mile to a neighbors house...they were not dressed for the weather. the power had gone out i guess.  the 5 year old got scared after the lights went out and headed to the neighbors place with the kid at that point.  not clear how long they had been left alone to begin with though. 

 these are by Moose's Pass

 on the road again

 back at Turnigan Arm.  haven't made that drive for a bit....guess there were a few rock slides with this wind and rain today though so it's a bit dicey on a good day

 smoke....hoping next summer has less fires to deal with.

 the sun is actually pretty high up there so not quite sunset time still

 pretty though.

 Happy Impeachment....he won't be removed but it's a start.  also i think there are a lot of GOP members who will be permanently damaged by this whole thing as more and more evidence comes forward. 

 but there are many who will choose to never believe any of the facts but will cling instead to one conspiracy theory after another.  they are dedicated, i will give them that. too bad the man they have chosen to tie their wagon to is such a pathetic human.  he is not deserving at all of their affections or loyalty. 

grateful for:  a.  weather induced chill day  b.  puppies to chill with  c.  things to keep busy with

the usual stuff

 just a quick note.  had my Birthday..sans celebrations.  just me and the dogs.  some times you just don't want a fuss or don't want to ask for a fuss or whatever.  we hit the dog park and then headed out to Seward for a little day trip.  the weather and tides were right.  we stopped at the dog park first though.  thanks for all the love on my Birthday. 

 drove home singing 59th Street Bridge song, Feeling Groovy by Simon and Garfunkel...seemed like the theme song for turning 55!!

 this was the other day at the dog park.  I'm in a walking rut....and i haven't cared much...as long as I'm walking.  bears out, new mama moose.  lots of angst out there.  i get it.  i mean if you just delivered a baby moose and the bears were trying to eat the baby moose I'd be anxious too

 Skelly and friends are all ready for summer.  that is the stress i have to deal with in my life...so i really can't complain.

 flowers are popping out.  the lupine have really popped since just last week when i was out there.  the dead whale has become quite the tourist attraction

 this was in the bog by my place...loved the reflections

 the light coming back from Seward was just so pretty last night.  i stopped several times to enjoy.  chased the train coming back to Anchorage.  stopped for pictures. 

 I'm not so fond of planes but i do love trains. i love these sweet faces too.

 gonna meet my friend for a walk in a wee bit . then nap and then back to work.  boo!!

 train coming.

 Mueller did a little press appearance today.  of course, the usuals on the other side just repeated their same refrain of innocence.  i doubt many of them have actually read the report.  that would be my standard response to any one who has an opinion about what is inside it...have you actually read the thing or have you just listened to the spin and bought into it.  sounds a bit like how so many Islamic Terrorists have never read any of their spiritual works but instead rely on others interpretations/opinions.  read the dam thing and then make your own opinion.

 I'm in the middle of the second section, which is on obstruction.  this is the far more compelling portion in that this is the most impeachable section. basically, this was handed off to congress by Mueller....will they have the guts to impeach.  the GOP would have been all over this ages ago...i mean they impeached a guy for oral sex in the oval office...they do not have a high standard for impeachment...unless it's their guy then they circle the wagons no matter what heinous thing the guy does. 

 the other section doesn't discount bad behavior, it only states that there wasn't enough evidence to convict for anything other than those they did convict.  Russia did successfully interfere and will again.  the GOP shows little interest in preventing this in the next election..i guess because it benefited them. 

 i suspect Mueller would love to scream, it's all in the report if you would bother to read it.  i think he'd also love to scream at the Dems for being such wimps...just do it already.  pull the trigger.  start the inquiry.  he gave you the tools now all you have to do is act.

 planting done...at least for the most part.

 i was more sore after gardening than i was kayaking.  seems odd to me

 lots of waterfalls. 

 more reflections in the bog.  never saw a porcupine...suspect Tusker could find one....he seems most likely of all my dogs to find one and end up with needles all over.  i do hope not though.

 new growth is all over.  the place is green!!

 put the old bones out in the planters.

 seems like my lawn never really grows in until July and then we only have a month left until it all stops again for the season

 in a few days the tree guys will come and lop out 3 trees out back.  i was hearing noises the other day as i was gardening. turns out it was the sounds of the shed creaking as the tree leaning in rubbed back and forth...i had visions of it all just falling over. 

 can't say i out did myself with the Skelly crew but it makes me smile so that was the purpose.

 Barr is in town, not sure why, something with Natives.  I'd love to go protest his presence.  not sure where or when that will happen, but i suspect there will be a few out there.  we have a pretty strong trumpy presence here so it can be dangerous.  they are some nasty angry folks sadly.  I'm guessing over 90% of them have neglected to read the report and are only going by others interpretations of it.

 got the pups some summer hats...really got them for me to enjoy the pups in them. Ivy wasn't too sure why i was torturing her but she sure looks cute

 we stopped for a swim in Portage....the pups always love that. i was trying to catch the low tide so i skipped the conservation center this trip

 this is like 9:30-10 so the train was fairly empty . they caught the best light though so pretty

 saw some otters in the water out there and sea lions and then in front of the Sea Life Center there was a mama and baby humpback.  they've been hanging in town feeding.  so cute. i guess the little baby was out breaching the other day..so cute!!

 so i watched them for a bit before heading to the Sea Life Center myself.  wanted to get my annual membership renewed anyway.

 so a slow trip to/from so i could enjoy all the views.  so beautiful.  i am really blessed to live in this amazing place.

 even the dandelions make the world more beautiful.  they are a first food source for bears, moose and bee's so i am trying to give them more respect. 

 do love this time of year though. 

 will post more pictures from Harriman and Homer in the coming weeks i hope...along with whatever new stuff i managed to get out and see.

 spot two for train watching. on my third spot i took a video..which i think turned out pretty cool.

 Tusker is less thrilled with the fashion show. 

 hehe.  they really are cute!! 

 they were tired out last night from dog park, drive, two beaches....it's a rough life for dogs

 this was my first stop with the train...wanted to capture the train with the lupine...i think it worked.  dead fish were scattered all over the beaches in Seward.  thankfully, the dogs are more interested in their tennis ball.  i think these are hooligan.  spawned out . have a good day

thankful for A.  my parents who brought me into this world and gave me all i needed to succeed.  B.  55 relatively healthy happy years on earth so far with the hope of many more to come C.  to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth!!