Alaska VI
More Puffins! If there wasn’t a bear I’d of taken her. And I meet Alaska Furries in Hope.
Water, Water Everywhere
On the road to Exit Glacier in Seward Alaska, a middle aged Japanese man dressed for the outdoors crossed the road to intercept us. He stood on the yellow lines of the highway in our window and asked in heavily accented English for water. Which we had a bottle of and gave to him. (My immediate thoughts going to the humanitarian aide at our Southern Border- always give water to people, water is humanitarian aide). He took it graciously, holding his hands together as if offering prayer, while giving a couple quick shallow head bows and headed back towards what we assumed was his car tucked into the tree line, nearly being hit by oncoming traffic. (Now I’m not sure, was he hiking the river?)
Curiouser and curiouser… a mystery to mull.
Let the Dogs In
I didn’t get to see Exit Glacier, we brought the dog- and National Parks have a thing against dogs. I say let them in and heavily fine people who don’t clean up after them. We live in an era of trail cams and facial recognition. Use the funds to dedicate a bench to the offender: “Fluffy Shat Here, Fine $500, enjoy the seat.”
Instead of it being a total bummer I elected to stay with the dog while Kurt went for the (incoming lie) 1/2 mile walk (1/2 mile was the beginning). Later I’d see captive Puffins at the SeaLife center by myself. There will be Puffin art in the future.
Then this other incident happened on the drive back to our campsite.
A Rude Woman
On a dirt road in the oncoming lane a couple cars were stopped. There was a black bear and three cubs. (How Cute!) I climbed in the backseat and as I lined up my shot the woman in the first car rolled forward. She made eye contact with me. EYE CONTACT. With my face full of indignant rage, she shrugged apologetically and turned to take my shots of the cubs. (Not cute). If you thought she’d take her shot then move, she did not. She sat right there knowingly blocking me.
Kurt made soothing noises that may as well have been “calm down.”
I hope she heard the descriptors I was using in reference to her. Each nasty one.
Fellow photographers can display the worst and best behavior in people.
Why I Think Photography Is A Difficult Medium
I set my camera aside while I focused on painting this last year. The result was I forgot how to properly use it. Don’t you dare judge me.
Along with reminding myself how to do basic things I’m learning new things like a f-stop of over 5.6 handheld is not the scary thing I thought. It can be done. If my landscape images are a little less than crisp it’s because Kurt commandeered the monopod and I hate the tripod. They aren’t that important to me to wrestle with that contraption. I’d rather practice, as you can probably tell by the quality. Which is hopefully getting better.
Alaska Furries
Personal fact: I enjoy people who have far different life experiences than me. This sometimes doesn’t go over well. (Like the much older Chinese man who tried to follow twenty-something me out of LAX. This after a flight from O’Hare sitting next to him, that was not great). This time it did. Kurt profolactically walked away from the situation. I waited most impatently for them to come closer so I could ask inane questions. They were nice about it. AKTikaani on most larger platforms: IG, FB, YouTube. They were out to make content and have fun▪️
The pics!!!! Mind blowing. They did your great piece justice.