Fish Tales

When one of Chris' coworkers invited us to go fishing and offered to teach us how to fly fish during the trip, we jumped at the opportunity to spend the weekend waking up way too early, getting sunburned, and having an all-around fantastic time.

Before our 5:45am morning caught up with me...

After our early morning caught up with me

Floaty tube and flippers!

Fly fishing from the floaty tube

We make waders and muck look... good?

Fruits of someone else's labor

"There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, 

trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, 

and getting licked in the process."

Paul O'Neil

I'm 90 and I Know It...

After a six day, short handed, hectic week from hell we decided to take Sunday off for a rafting trip down the Payette. The stretch of the river we floated was mostly calm, the water was relatively warm, and there were enough rapids to keep things from getting boring. Overall it was an excellent first experience and whet my appetite for more. 

The only downside is the fact that my neck did not take kindly to the trip - thus the extra short post. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to spend some quality time with my new best friends: Aleve, ice packs, and Bengay.

"You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair."
Douglas MacArthur

Set the World on Fire

The weather continues on its maleficent rampage - fueling the wildfires that fill the city with smoke and keep us mostly indoors. 

This was Sunday. Today? Even worse.

There was a small reprieve Saturday morning, so we snuck out for an early bike ride before the smoke and heat made outdoor activities unbearable. The smoke settled back in before we were done, but we were able to return home before temperatures reached 85*. I'm calling it a win.

In lieu of any interesting adventures, here is a sneak peak of my latest project. 

More details to come!

"Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats." 
Voltaire

In Which I Admit To Missing Oregon

It's official: I miss Oregon. Cold, grey rain and all. 

It's more that I feel a bit hoodwinked regarding Boise's 'typical' weather. Our first year here was mild: reasonable summer temperatures, a long drawn out fall (my favorite season), little snow, and an almost perfect spring.   

Currently, it's hot as hell. Only five days out of the last 37 have had daytime highs below 90*. Only one of those five days was below 85*. I'm all for summer sun, but I draw the line when anything-outdoors-that-does-not-involve-being-submerged-in-water becomes impossible and results in 2nd degree sunburns. Not cool.

There are also wildfires all over this summer, which I've discovered is apparently normal and of little concern to the locals. I, on the other hand, am in an acute state of unease when this is the view from my front yard.

Umm... at what point should I pack a "go bag"?

And let's not even start on the dust storm that rolled through yesterday afternoon, leaving Boise in a haze that lasted until late today.

All that grey sky? Dust.

All I can say is that there had better be an amazing fall and mild winter coming, otherwise the Willamette Valley just might be seeing us a few years sooner than expected. 

On a more positive note, I just discovered that Costco sells enormous dogs beds that smell like cedar for just $20. A bed that fits both dogs and leaves them with a pleasant woodsy scent? Awesome.