RODGEPODGE

Good Times

2010-03-03T17:53:00.004-07:00

I've been itchy to fish lately. Too itchy. So I called my boss, asked permission to go on a Wednesday and he said yes. Then he said, "Can I go too?" I obliged. Together, with Tim Berry we ran up to the Weber and fished a solid, warmer than normal March afternoon. I managed this handsome lake-run Bow at about 20" and another 18" brown shown below. Not a bad day at all. I just wish all Wednesdays could be fly fishing Wednesdays.

At last a compromise has been reached.

2009-12-22T22:43:00.002-07:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Groups that have been fighting each other for years in one of Utah's most bitter energy battles may be ready to kiss and make up.

The battle is over natural gas drilling in and around eastern Utah's Nine Mile Canyon. The canyon is famous for its ancient Native American archaeology and has been labeled "The World's Longest Art Gallery."

On Tuesday, the state division of history announced what it calls a "historic" agreement, hammered out in many hours of monthly meetings over the last year. Those meetings included the energy company, government officials, environmentalists, as well as history and archaeology buffs.

The division said the deal will "allow energy development to go forward while protecting archaeology."

A signing ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 5.

Those of us have driven down and enjoyed this canyon, just a few miles from our property, are glad to see an agreement that seems to protect both parties interests. We hope to visit these historic landmarks for years to come.

Kevin

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T13:42:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Good thing I finally have some time off and I can now move on from the Halloween post. Good grief! I have really been slacking on the blog. We had a nice Christmas, low-key. It was so good to have my mom here the week before Christmas. We miss seeing my side of the family at Christmastime since we don't make it to California during this time of the year. Just too hard for Kevin to get away since the week between Christmas and New Year is the the busiest time of the year for the ski industry.

Henry was so impressed the Santa left him olives in his stocking. Santa knew this was one of his favorite foods.
Henry and Dad take a break from opening presents to pull a goofy face for the camera.

The mother of all gifts for Henry. The Super Power Guitar he has been talking about for the last month. He has the power stance down.

We are grateful to all of you...friends and family this Holiday season. Thank you for making our lives so rich.

A Halloweenie weekend

2008-11-02T11:18:00.005-07:00

It was a Happy Halloween at our house. On Thursday night we carved pumpkins and as you can see below, Henry was concentrating hard on making his pumpkin (above) turn out just right. There was a just a little help from mom there.

Dad decided against a knife and chose a Sawzall as his tool of choice to carve his pumpkin. His pumpkin was pretty cool and involved a circulating pump, some green water and looked like it was spewing through it's mouth.

Henry was a Denver Broncos football player for Halloween. He was excited about the costume when we got it a month ago. But a couple of days ago he told me he didn't want to be a Bronco anymore, he wanted to be a butterfly. Hmmm...you can imagine how much his dad liked that prospect. My friend Kim suggested that we paste some wings on him and call him a horsefly. He eventually got over the butterfly idea and made a great Bronco.

Here are all of the Rogers cousins on Halloween. Back row left to right, Henry (Bronco), Gavin (vampire), Caitlyn (cat), Maisie (Tinkerbell), Front row, Danyn (clown), Thatcher (pumpkin), Spencer (vampire). The kids looked really dang cute.

On Saturday we enjoyed being outside and the kids had a ball playing in the leaves. We have enjoyed an Indian Summer, now bring on the snow!

Ray LaMontagne

2008-10-29T09:08:00.004-06:00

Music is important to us and while we have definitely transitioned into middle agers, we still enjoy a good concert here are there. We have a list of musicians that we will always pay to see when they come and Ray LaMontagne was on the list. He hasn't been on the music scene that long but has quickly become one of our favorite artists. We were thrilled to find out he was stopping in Salt Lake and we saw him last night at Saltair. Here is a little bit of a Ray's bio:

With a voice that recalls a huskier, sandpaper version of Van Morrison and Tim Buckley,
Ray LaMontagne joins such artists as Iron & Wine in creating folk songs that are alternately lush and intimately earthy. The songwriter was born in Nashua, New Hampshire in 1973; his parents split up shortly after his birth, and his mother began a pattern of moving her six children to any locale that could offer her employment and housing. As a result, LaMontagne grew up as the perennial new kid in school (when and if he went to school at all). He did graduate high school, however, and found himself working in a shoe factory in Maine when he heard Stephen Stills' "Tree Top Flyer" on the radio. The song amounted to an epiphany for LaMontagne, who made up his mind on the spot to become a singer and musician.

The guy is amazing to watch. He is a really shy guy and chooses to play left of center stage as though he is just another musician in his band. But when he plays, you lose yourself in his music. In a couple of his solo acoustic numbers, the venue was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

It was a show we will remember for a long time and we will definitely see Ray again if he comes back to Salt Lake. If you are looking for some new music, this guy comes highly recommended.

Enough is enough

2008-10-26T20:00:00.009-06:00

Look at this cute, harmless creature. Before yesterday I used to think my mom was a real pansy when it came to mice. I heard her scream countless times when she would encounter a mouse in our storage room growing up. Then my dad would come to the rescue with his BB gun. (No, I am not kidding.)

Fortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of a rodent encounter in my home until yesterday. I came home and I was doing the ritual clearing off of the kitchen table. Mail, Henry's artwork, newspaper, all the stuff that seems to pile up there within a couple of hours. As I picked up one of the papers I saw a mouse scurry across the table. I screamed (a lot) and yelled at Kevin to come upstairs immediately to help me. I was honestly surprised at my reaction because I have a pretty good tolerance for spiders. Snakes are the only thing that I thought I had an irrational fear of. Kevin came upstairs laughing and I told him the mouse had to still be on the table somewhere because I would've seen it jump. Item by item, he continued clearing off the table until there was only one magazine left lying open. As he put his hand on the magazine to pick it up he felt the mouse underneath there. He hatched a quick plan that involved a bowl, but the mouse was too fast. He flew (literally) off the kitchen table and ran into the mess that is our front room. So that was yesterday. Kevin said we could get some traps, but the idea of me being home alone and hearing the thing go off made my skin crawl so I didn't take him up on it.

This morning I was cleaning up the kitchen and needed to get something out of my purse. As I was rummaging around the empty abyss that is my purse, the mouse runs up my arm, out of my bag, and takes a flying leap off of my shoulder. Poor Kevin has a cold and was trying to rest when I let out a blood curdling scream. The mouse high-tailed it into the safety of our front room. I have never before been so close to heart attack. Who expects a mouse to be waiting for them in their purse? I went downstairs to find Kevin in hysterics. Only now, about 6 hours later am I able to find humor in the story.

I immediately called Kevin's mom to see if she had some traps. I was ready for revenge. Lucikily she did and Kevin dragged his sick butt out of bed to set them for me. He still believes in chivalry. Once that mouse invaded my personal space (is there any space more personal for a woman than her purse?) my sympathies were done. I am happy to report that we have rid ourselves of one mouse, but Kevin thinks there is another. Until we find the other one, I am going to cautiously open cabinet doors and my heart rate will continue to rise every time I look in my purse.

Maybe rodents are intelligent enough to play Halloween pranks?

Bewitched!

2008-10-23T13:12:00.006-06:00

The question of the hour is, how many blogs have you already read with this same entry about visiting the witches at Gardner Village last weekend?? I can say that because 1) we Utahns love to blog about what we do and 2) I do believe that every family in Utah visited Gardner Village last weekend. Buffy and I decided to take the boys last Friday because the boys were out of school for UEA weekend. We had no idea that it would bo so crowded that we would feel like we were at Disneyland. But, the boys didn't care and the place was so decked out for Halloween that it was worth it.

Here are the boys posing with their first witch (notice the fourth green face in the back.) We took the boys to get their faces painted and Henry was in no way going to let someone paint his face. He decided he would be okay with someone painting his hand though and he opted for the pumpkin. Colton went for the full-faced pirate and Dixon a pirate skull and crossbones on his cheek. (The Clark boys can always be counted on to choose something pirate themed.)

The picture of the three boys above is my favorite for two reasons. First, Henry looks as though he is trying to cover his privates, but what he is doing is showing off the pumpkin that was painted on his hand. Second, it's hard to tell from the picture, but they are standing in front of a witch reading the paper in an outhouse. It was pretty funny.

The last thing we did was to take a hayride with the witch you see in the picture above. She told a very bewitching story as we were pulled around a swamp on the hayride. It was so much fun. It ALMOST made me like Halloween as much as Christmas. I think we will go back next year, just not over UEA weekend.

The New Henry Workshop

2008-10-18T21:42:00.008-06:00

The other day Henry and I sat down late at night to watch a bit of televison before bed. Mom was out of town in California and it was a guys weekend. That being said, neither one of us is much for monster truck pulls or pro wrestling so as we scrolled through the Tivo options I fully expected Hen to vote Curious George or Clifford (whom Henry calls "Clippard") the Big Red Dog. Much to my surprise Henry stated that he'd like to watch "that Yankee show with the tools". I've been watching this yankee show for years and truthfully, I've always been alone in that endeavor. As sexy as Norm Abrahms is, his screen presence can bee a bit akward. Once past his trademark plaid shirt and goofy safety glasses however, most discover that he is the god of wood, and his shop is the temple every tool guy goes to worship.

Henry and I cuddled up on the couch and watched Norm go through part one of his "How to Build Kitchen Cabinets" series. Hen never twitched. He watched with admirable attention until the credits rolled, afterwards, he looked at me and said "I like that guy, he's nice".

A few weeks later as part of the ongoing saga that is our home remodel, I enclosed a covered portion of our dilapidated deck to form a bit of a temporary shop to house my tools prior to our next remodeling phase. Each night I've been going into this makeshift space to try and make heads or tails of all my tools & supplies and each night Hen wants to be a part of the action.

Tonight Henry and I ventured into the "shop" to sort and clean but as I looked at all the tools, set up for the first time since we left Sugarhouse nearly 3 years ago, I had the itch to build something. I looked at Henry, who was playing with a MatchBox car and said, "do you want to build a speedracer car?" He was on board without hesitation and so we began. I grabbed a few scrap blocks of wood, laid out a simple design, flipped on the bandsaw and started cutting away. Each piece I cut was handed to Henry to sand, which he did with great anticipation.

After all the parts were cut and sanded, I took a minute to show Henry how to glue all the pieces together. He hopped up on a Home Depot bucket and spread the glue with his finger before I began clamping the pieces together.

After letting the glue dry for 10-15 minutes (which was painful for Henry) I took out an old dusty carboard box that I received from Meg's grandpa, Jack Dale. In the box were a bunch of wooden wheels and wooden axels that he used to make children's toys. I've had the box for 6 or 7 years now and have waited until I could use them with my kids. Henry and I picked out a few wheels and found the matching axels and began marking, drilling, and tapping them into place with just a touch of glue. Once he car was complete, we grabbed a can of black spray paint and gave it a coat. We waited. Then waited some more. The wait was killing us both. We finally brought the car out to mom for the great unveiling.

He lifted it up proudly displaying his new "speedracer car" that he and dad had built. It may not have been part one of "How to Build Kitchen Cabinets," but it was the first of many joint projects to come in the "New Henry Workshop". Next time, perhaps we'll both be in plaid.

-Kev

Transformation

2008-09-15T20:51:00.031-06:00

When we bought the land we affectionately refer to as the Proper "D" it had upon it a failed structure originally built to hold the elements at bay for an old RV. At 9,000ft the word elements includes anywhere from 24" to 5o+" of snow and though we all like our snow light and dry, it becomes quite destructive when it's wet & heavy. Having bought the land in late fall of 2006 we didn't have any time to shore up the damaged building and after one more winter it was beyond repair.

Beginning in summer of 2008 we began removing the failed structure with the intention of converting it to a usable bowery type structure. Big Al and I worked a day cutting all the poles too the new desired height, installing over 75 metal brackets specially designed to tie these pipes into one ridgid structure.

Afterwards, Teag and I, and later Brian Manecke would haul nearly 8,000lbs of rock by hand to form a partial retention wall on the uphill side. To the right is a shot of Teag and I next to 2 of our 2,000lb stacks of rock.

We then set four 250lb beams across each set of 5 poles. Attached 16 triangulation brackets and drilled over 90 half inch bolt holes through the beam. We broke 4 drill bits in the process and ended up drilling the last 15 holes with a broken bit.

Following the truing of the beam we began setting 18 trusses across the length of the beam. One by one the building began taking shape.

After sheathing the structure on the following weekend, Mike Landheim takes a well deserved break in a hammock. (Far Right)

A few weekends Later the whole family headed up for a marathon work weekend to try and get the structure ready for winter. Hammers we flying, compressors were umm compressing I guess it was a lot of fun. We roofed, trimmed, welded, painted, and stained until we were tired, sore, and in need of a shower.

It was especially nice to have Nate back home. Nate had never seen the property except in pictures. He left just before we bought it in 2006. It was great to see him back in the saddle again. The final product was something we can all be proud of, especially if it's still standing next summer! We've all decided to do less next year as we'd like to have more of a leisure summer. I'm sure we'll still sneak in a few projects, I don't think Big Al and I will be able to sit still the entire summer knowing there is work to be done.

Below is our group shot taken at completion. (well sort of, we have to go up in a week or so to install triangulation cables for the winter) From Left to Right, Steve, Nate, Teag, Me & Pa. This is our "Hero Shot" I guess. We pickled the beast.

We'll keep you posted on the future developments of our mountain getaway. Until then, let it snow, and knock on wood.

Mr. McSill & His Organic Loot

2008-09-01T17:59:00.003-06:00

Henry has had multiple nicknames over the years. He used to be Sill which was short for silly. Then we churched it up a bit and called him Mr. Sill. Now, because he was born on St. Patricks Day we threw a "Mc" into the mix for the most recent Mr. McSill.

Mr. McSill digs plants, especially the ones that produce fruit or vegetables. From a very young age he has been up to his knees in gardening. Every morning he wakes up and askes if he can "check the mato's". This year, he has had a bumper crop of home grown organic veggies which he is so proudly posing next to. Strangely enough he digs eating most of them too.

He shares his hard work with the neighbors and gets just as much joy out of watching others eat as he does eating the veggies himself. You will oft hear him say "these are sooo delicious!" before popping one into his mouth.

Here's to Mr. McSill, & the harvest season. We all hope there will be many more to come.

Uncle Natey is home!

2008-08-30T12:47:00.003-06:00

Yeah! Uncle Natey is finally home. Over the past two years that he has been gone on his mission in Micronesia, he has achieved Rock Star status with all of his nieces and nephews. Uncle Natey is the only one left that is not married so he still loves playing and roughhousing with the kids and they sure have missed that. Yesterday, he came home and there was quite a party at the airport waiting for him. He came home to three new nieces and nephews that he had never met before. Danyn, Thatcher, and Spencer, below...

Henry has been so excited that for the last week every morning when he wakes up we asks "Is TODAY the day that Uncle Natey will be home?" Nate served most of his mission on the island of Chuuk (which we pronounced incorrectly as "Chook"). In his prayers Henry has said every night "Please bless Uncle Natie on his mission in Chook." So when we were in the car yesterday on the way to the airport Henry says, "I sure can't wait to see Uncle Natie and Chuck when they get home." Apparently Henry though Chook was a person this whole time and expected him to come home with Nate yesterday. It cracked us up.

The kids were all decked out in the "Chookese attire" yesterday in honor of Uncle Natey. I think now that the kids have the island wear, we need to make good use of it and head to Hawaii soon!

Welcome Home Nate, we have missed you and we are so glad to have you back.

First Day of Preschool

2008-08-18T19:54:00.003-06:00

Today was Henry's first day of school. Well, technically preschool. This is his third year at West High's daycare/preschool but now he is officially a big kid. There isn't even a diaper changing station in his room anymore. That is BIG.

He was so excited to get back to school to see his beloved Miss Linda that he was up at 6 am this morning, ready to go. Eight o'clock couldn't come early enough. I have struggled having him in daycare (even part time) but I am so grateful for all the wonderful teachers there. It has been a great experience for us and how can I feel bad when he is chomping at the bit to go back?

Farmer Henry and Summer Veggies

2008-08-17T19:45:00.002-06:00

This is Farmer Henry enjoying corn. Granted, this corn was purchased at the Farmer's Market and graciously given to us by Rich and Kristl. But Henry is enjoying it even though it didn't come out of our garden. You have never seen a kid more excited about growing his own food than Hank. This love was fostered at a young age by Grandma and Grandpa who always grow grape tomatoes. I'm sure he has some of my dad's gardening genes as well. My dad is the only person I know that might rival Henry's interest in gardening. Last year when we moved into our house, we grew "Henry's tomatoes" in our front flower bed (yes, it was a little white trash, but oh well).

This year Kevin and I decided that since we have a big backyard full of dirt we may as well make the most of it before we landscape and plant a big garden. Henry has been enthralled. The first thing he asks when he wakes up from his nap is "Now can we go out to the garden?" He eats as many cherry tomatoes as he can stuff into his mouth and then helps me pick peppers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, and whatever else might be ripe at the time. The kid's favorite snack is a cut up green pepper or cucumber from the garden.

The garden has been good for me as well. I have been having to plan my meals around fresh veggies and I have discovered some great recipes. We have SO many tomatoes that once they come on I am going to have to hone my canning skills...hmmm I know I should be excited about that, but it sounds hot and tiring tonight. Good thing grandma has a killer salsa recipe.

The picture below is up at our property. Henry and Maisie planted a garden of their own outside the play cabin. Henry will tell you they are only blossoms, but they will surely turn into something delicious with a little water and sunshine.

Henry with the first squash and zucchini of the season. The sweet taste of victory!

The Dreaded Swim Lessons

2008-08-13T14:58:00.002-06:00

Henry looks really happy here, doesn't he? He was a big talker yesterday..."I'm going to go under the water and swim like a big boy." That was moments before his last swim lesson. Confident and ready to go.
This was the result once his teacher actually submerged him. It was all downhill from there. In order to pass level I the students have to be able to master a set of skills and I don't think Henry mastered even one of them. He won't put his face in the water, he won't let go of his death grip on the teacher, and he won't jump in to his teacher without mom or dad having to push him. So much for my visions of him swimming under water by the end of this summer. Level I here we come...again.

Concert Season

2008-08-05T10:14:00.004-06:00

It's concert season - Woohoo! Although I am tired of the heat by the time August rolls around, I do love the month for one reason...it seems to be the month of great concerts. We kicked off concert season last night by seeing James Taylor. This is our third time seeing him and even though it was my least favorite show (too many covers James, stick with the stuff we know and love) it was still fantastic. For a 60 yr old guy, he is still so "cool". Maybe it was his mention of the missing decade (the 70s) that he can't remember due to drugs. That shouldn't make him cool but it does.

My mom has a crush on James and I have to say, I do too. He is the right combination of talent, humor, and bad boy, all rolled into a handsome, classy package. I will never get tired of that voice. Thanks for stopping in Salt Lake City James.

We enjoyed the concert last night with Kerri and Teag, Kevin's Mom and Dad, and my friend Kristen. The only pictures that turned out though are the ones of Kevin and I and Kerri and Teag (below).

On Sunday we plan to hang out just outside of Red Butte Gardens to poach the Greg Brown concert and then at the end of the month we head back to Usana to enjoy Dave Matthews. I guess August isn't so bad after all.

Independence Day

2008-07-07T14:48:00.007-06:00

We had such a fun 4th of July this year. The day started off with a flag ceremony at the Library and then a kiddie parade along the Jordan River down to the park where we had a pancake breakfast for the community. Henry and Maisie had a ball decorating their bikes and riding in the parade. You will notice what a safety conscious mother I am by the helmet Henry is wearing. Doh! It was even red and would have completed the red, white, and blue ensemble I tried to coordinate. Good thing the kids were riding VERY SLOWLY along the parkway.

After the parade Henry and I met Buffy and the boys for some swimming at the Cottonwood Heights rec center. Even though the weather was warm, there was a nice cloud cover so it never got too hot. The boys had a fantastic time and I was happy as a clam chatting with Buffy while the boys swam.
That night we had our own fireworks (thank you Teag for the display you provided from "across the border"). Kevin and Grandpa also set up an outdoor movie on the back of Grandma and Grandpas house and we watched Shanghai Noon to cap off the night. Great idea Kerri! It was a very fun day.

Oh and one more happy piece of news...on July 3rd, the world welcomed Matthew Lowe Nelson , son of Rich and Kristl Nelson, our very good friends. We are so happy to have you here Matt and we look forward to future holidays with you and the Nelson clan:) For a picture of a perfect baby boy, check out Rich and Kristls' blog.

Finally...a weekend at the Proper D

2008-07-03T14:39:00.013-06:00

We finally made it up to the Proper D last weekend. We have spent all year trying to get up there and then we got snowed out over Memorial Day. Our property sits at almost 9,000 feet in Argyle Canyon (between Price and Duchesne). It is really a pretty piece of land and I love it because Henry can run wild and I don't have to worry about cars or other campers. The long term plan is to build a cabin, but we have some other projects to work on for now. Plus, our ship hasn't come in just yet.

So the picture below is an example of how not to build a bowry. The previous owners underestimated the snowload up there and didn't use the right materials. So after a very wet winter this was the result. Oops!

Kevin and his dad spent all of Friday tearing down the old stuff and putting up brackets for the new bowry that we are building. We are recycling the old posts, but beefing up the brackets that will hold the new timber. We will also put in a concrete pad for picnic tables and an outdoor kitchen. The men also found time to procure some rocks for a retaining rock wall along the west side of the bowry. So the picture above is before and the picture below is after. Kevin's little brother, Nate, once said that Kevin's dad's idea of a vacation is just working in a different location. Apparently Kevin suffers from the same disease.

While the men were busy working, the women and kids were busy playing. Maisie, Henry, and Grandma quite enjoyed the Swingball game that we took up.

Maisie and Henry also spent a fair amount of time in the kids cabin below. Most of the time they were busy playing "brother and sister" and fighting as though they really are siblings, not cousins.

Henry and I spent a fair amount of time hanging out in the hammock that Kevin bought me a couple of years ago. I had never really used it before and I discovered on this trip that there isn't anything better than relaxing in a hammock with a book. It was fantastic.

On Saturday afternoon we headed into Price for some fun. Not possible you say? Well then you have never been to Price's wave pool (the biggest waves in Utah, mind you.) The kids had a great time and the adults loved the big waves. It really was pretty impressive so if you are ever in the area...

Here's a picture of Henry and I at the wave pool. I am sporting Kevin's FAVORITE pair of sunglasses. He despises the big Hollywood glasses and unfortunately for him, they are the only pair that I have that don't hurt my head after a while. So, sorry Kevin but now here they are documented for life.

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to take the long route home and come through Nine Mile Canyon. We were deceived by the name as what we thought would be a small detour ended up being a six hour drive home (The canyon is actually 40 miles long). Oh well. It was pretty neat as you can see by the pictures below. As far as we have been told, Nine Mile Canyon has some of the most spectacular rock art in the world. Called "the world's longest art gallery" it is home to numerous rock art panels, including the famous "Hunter Panel" which we did not see. Most of the rock art was created by the Fremont Indians who occupied this area some 1,000 years ago.

The only bugger is that the area is not protected because most of the land is private property. So as we would be looking at what we thought was an ancient petroglyph, all of the sudden we would discover a smiley face. Hmmm...suspect. But really, it is very cool. And only 30 miles from the Proper D.Henry was a trooper in the car on the way home. He deserves the title of World's Best Roadtripping Kid. Here's to you Hank! It was a great weekend. Hopefully we will get back up there the last weekend in July.

Practice Run

2008-06-30T22:31:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow Henry has his first swimming lesson. This is the first summer he has actually enjoyed the water, so I am encouraged. Wanting to be just like his cousins, Colton and Dixon, he has been begging me to get him a pair of goggles. So we begrudgingly made the trip to Target (ha-ha!) and made the big purchase. He has been so excited all night that he took his bath tonight with the goggles on. It cracked me up and I had to snap a picture.

"Oh Yeah, That's Why I Do This."

2008-06-24T16:12:00.017-06:00

Yep, I'm old (I guess). Whenever I say this around the 40 somethings they always shoot me looks. Not good ones, mean ones. Either way, 30, 40, or 50 is still not 19, so even if it hurts, it's all true.

I went ahead and left my job about a week ago to take a new one at Solitude Resort. I've been at this job for 7 or 8 years so changing will be a bit difficult but exciting nonetheless. I have a few friends there, but each of these friends are also my employees. I am a bit protective of the manager, employee relationship and thus have not done much of anything with these guys outside of work. As that barrier, real or implied, is now removed, I am free to do as I please. So we all (Brian, Chad, Tim Mike & I) went to IKEA, saw a movie, bought some scented lotion, and went home. Yeah right. We set our sights a little higher - 12,479 ft higher to be exact.

Hayden Peak sits ominously above highway 150 in Utah's Uintah Range. It's western face is made up of imposing rows of cliffs and towers interspersed with hanging snowfields. 13 years ago I climbed this mountain for the first time and have since repeated the trip nearly a dozen times. I suppose it gets into your blood and once there, it doesn't leave easily.

We left Salt Lake late Wednesday night on June 18th and drove through Wyoming & back into the northern flank of the Uintah Range. Though leaving at night sounds a bit absurd, there is sound wisdom behind it. Spring snow is wet & soft and is therefore prone to "punchy" (i.e. falling through the snow up to your crotch) traveling condititions. However at night, even in summer, it freezes and makes traveling much more efficient. We parked the car, donned packs and headlamps and made our way to the base of our route.

The base of the peak is around 10,500 ft. Salt Lake is roughly at 4,500 ft. Every mountaineering manual ever made recommends an elevation gain of 2,000 ft. per day to give the body time to adapt. Sure you can exceed this and be just fine, but it can, and often does, lead to varying degrees of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). Our plan was to camp on the ridge at 11,200 ft., a shade less that 7,000 feet above SLC and thats what we were going to do.

Good idea? Maybe.

Maybe not. We topped out on the ridge at about midnight, weilding or 25-35lb packs and then proceeded to shovel tent platforms in the frozen snow. The labor was intensive and exhausting. By 1:00 am we had our tents set up and water boiling for dinner. Food sounded horrible, my head was pounding, my stomach was in knots and fatigue was setting in. The others seemed less affected but not unaffected. I have been through mild AMS before on Mt. Shasta & Mt. Whitney both well over 14,000ft and I began ticking off the symptoms. I took some Aleve, climbed in bed and tried to sleep.

At 3:00 am I was still awake, comfortable but restless. By 3:30 I dozed off. I was awake again by 5:00. The full moon was pounding on the tent at the same time the sun was rising. I knew I wouldn't sleep again so I got up. I figured I might as well take some pictures.

The snow, now completely frozen crunched under my feet. I grabbed my camera and followed the footsteps of a moutain goat who had meandered the ridge the day before, his prints frozen in the snow. In the west the moon was hanging brightly over Baldy & Reids, in the east the sun crested the range, bathing me in warm yellow light. The others were still asleep. I stood there tired and weary and remembered as I looked over this incredible range, "Oh yeah, this is why I do this".

The others woke up one by one and began cooking breakfast. I prepared a few items for the remainder of the climb and an hour after sunrise we left for the summit. By the time we left, I felt much better. My headache had subsided, my appetite was back and once I found my rhythm, I felt great. We made our way up the ridgeline to the first tower, donned crampons and stepped into the frozen shadows of the west face snowfields. The snow & ice was in good form and took the axes with confidence. We made our way up around the tower and into the gully that would lead us to back to the ridge. Brian who broke trail most of the night the day before was now lagging and looking a bit green. Tim slowed down to match his pace, partly to keep an eye on him and partly to keep him company. At the second tower we passed once again to the left, into the shadows and the cold. This time we would be in the cold until we topped out on the summit.

The going slowed as this section contains the most technical aspects of the climb. Loose rock, snow & ice all combine to make safe travel a challenge. Before long we had all managed the 12,479 ft. summit. For the rest of them this was a first, for me it was nostalgic. We sat among the snow & rock, dug the summit register out of the snow only to find it empty. We were indeed the first climbers of the year. We shot a few photos, forced down some food, and relished in the view before heading down.

We reached camp in good time and packed up our things. Brian was feeling better with every foot of descent. With a bit of instruction on how to self arrest on snow, I turned them loose to rocket down the snow to the base of the route. One by one they attempted the technique with apprehension. "Holy hell this actually works," I heard one of them say as they successfully stopped themselves on the steep slope. It wasn't long before we reached the car and each of us grunted ,groaned, and lumbered. The mountain loomed above us.

We drove to SLC and went our separate ways. Them to their respective showers & me to Montana. With 3 days of flyfishing ahead, my shower would have to wait. I would fall asleep in the passenger seat, my brother at the wheel, just hours after our Hayden Peak trip had ended. I was as my wife would say "living the dream", as long as that dream includes complete exhaustion, no sleep, sunburns and body odor - which apparently, mine does.

Top Ropes for Tikes

2008-06-23T22:19:00.014-06:00

When I was 8, my old man took me climbing.

He took me to Pete's Rock on Wasatch Boulevard, named after early SLC climber Odell Peterson back in the days of hobnail boots & stoveleg pitons. I didn't know that then & very few know that now. I was young, but I knew falling could kill me so I suppose the age of gravitational innocence was over. For several years it was the same drill, I'd usually rappel once, maybe twice each time we'd get up the canyon. My hands would tense, sweat & shake whilst my stomach would churn with nervousness. Those early years were a mixed bag of emotions. In the end, I was the kid on the block with the dad who climbed, & for some reason, I borrowed a good deal of pride from that.

When I was 16 I began teaching climbing at a local Scout Camp. By 19 I was climbing 3-5 times a week in the CC's, Fergie's, Parley's & The Uintahs. Ultimately I chose climbing over college that year. I soon went on a mission back east & was constantly looking for good quality rock though I refrained from climbing any of it. When I returned home, I began climbing once again at a feverish pace. In a year, I was married & things began to change.

Meg & I climbed together for several years. Smith Rock, The City, the CC's & such, all with a lessening degree of frequency and difficulty. Homes, college, careers & eventally a kid would slow down the habit to a fraction of what it once was. Then it happened.

The biggest reason we had all but given up the sport was now, at age 3, asking to go climbing. We had been given a full body kids harness by a friend in anticipation of this day but didn't figure it would arrive this early. I called a good friend, one in roughly the same position, and we set it up.

One of my first Big Cottonwood climbs, the classic "Epic Wall" is a meager 5.4-5.5 on the first pitch. I looked at the first 20 feet at its base and found it suitable for our pre-school caliber assault. I climbed up, set some cams in a familliar crack and rigged us up a little top rope for tikes. I had my doubts, but they were entirely unfounded. The two scrambled up the chunky face in 4 wheel drive with little thought about fear, mortgages, job security & the like. All that existed were them and the rock. I was envious of that. Although I appreciate the distractions I have acquired (Henry being one of them) I couldn't help but revert back to more simple times when, aside from my life, I didn't have much to lose.

Those days are over of course and rightly so. I had my time on the sharp end and I enjoyed it. I look forward to the days when Henry drags me up climbs that I am no longer mentally capable of leading. That's what I did with my dad & I imagine thats what he'll do to me. Until that time, I sure am going to enjoy teaching him what I know about the sport, in hopes that the sport will teach him what it has me.

Humility,
Preparedness
& Respect.

-Kevin

Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

2008-06-20T22:58:00.005-06:00

I have fallen into a blogging trap where I think I have to have some fantastic event in order for it to be blogworthy, but the purpose of this blog was to note everyday happenings that I don't want to forget. So I am going to try to get into the habit of writing about the everyday things that make me happy. We'll see how I do.

So I have a few Henryisms that have kept us laughing the past week. Henry has fallen into a routine where he has become lazy and asks us to do things for him that he is perfectly capable of doing himself. For example, when he asks to go outside, I, being the nagging mother that I am, will tell him that he needs to put shoes on before he does. The shoes are downstairs so he will say "Mom, I need you to go downstairs and get my shoes for me." My typical response to this request is "Henry, you are a big boy, you can do that by yourself." So as Kevin and Henry were working side by side in the garden the other day, Kevin asked Henry to be a helper and go get him a tool he needed. You can probably see this coming can't you...the response Kevin got? "Dad, you're a big boy, why don't you go get it." How is it that they can turn on you at such a young age?

The next moment for us came in church on Sunday. Henry has hit the stage that most kids do where he thinks it is fun to call us by our first names. It hasn't become too much of a problem yet so we haven't made a big deal about it. However, I think it's time to put a stop to the practice. Kevin was asked to give the opening prayer and as he finished and walked back down to our pew (the chapel silent) Henry yells to him. "Good job Kevin!" It caught us all totally off guard and provided some comic relief for most of the ward.

And finally, as is the case for most men, the world has now become Henry's toilet. We held off as long as we could as I knew once he realized he did not HAVE to pee in the toilet, the novelty would be too much for him. And it was. We took Henry climbing for the first time on Saturday (we have some great pictures that Kevin vows to post soon) with some friends and while I was busy helping to belay Henry's little friend Erik, Henry suddently had to go. So with no one else around and a tree close by, I told him he could go on the tree and he looked at me like I was crazy, and then grinned, really big. I'm sure it was the most satisfying pee of his short life and I made a mental note that we would need to talk about WHEN this practice was acceptable. Well, I didn't have the talk with him soon enough. About four hours later we were at a family party, a very extended family party with relatives we see about once a year, when all of the sudden the laughter and pointing started and all eyes were on Henry who had dropped his drawers right in the middle of the backyard and was ready to unleash the firehose once again. Oops, bad mom moment. Waited too long to have the talk. Once he realized that everyone was laughing at him, he got embarrassed and I had to take him inside and have the talk that should have happened on the way to the party. Oh well. I think all little boys make that mistake once. Either that or they have more cognisant mothers.

A Perfect Day at the Beach

2008-05-25T16:34:00.008-06:00

We had planned to spend Memorial Day weekend up at our property with Kevin's family. But new snow and cold weather up there prompted a last minute decision to road trip to California and spend some time with the Moats family instead. I'm sure this decision was influenced just a bit by the fact that we wanted to try out our new Subaru Outback on the open road and we are happy to report that the car did great. (32 mpg on the trip home...a nice tailwind helped).

On Saturday we decided to spend even more time in the car and drive 3 hours from Tehachapi to the Morro Bay area. It has been years since I had been there and a first for Kevin and Henry. We started our day by doing a hike along a rocky coast covered with Elephant Seals. It was really cool because the area was not roped off and you could walk right up to them. There were hundreds of them and they were fascinating to watch. The picture below makes them look as though they were dead, but they were just enjoying an afternoon nap.

The boys had a fabulous time crawling around the rocks and getting right up close to the Elephant Seals swimming and finding starfish and sea urchins. It was one of the neatest things we have seen.
Cousin Max with a starfish

Henry with a starfish

Sea Urchins ( I think...and I used to want to be a Marine Biologist)

Kevin, Meg, and Henry on the rocky coast (Elephant Seal in the background)

Henry on Papa's shoulders and Max on Christian's shoulders

Jack, Shelby, Max and Henry on the trail

Nana and Papa

Max, Henry, Shelby, and Jack showing off their muscles. Shelby is so good with the little guys, she will make a great pediatric nurse.

That evening we had a wonderful meal at this quaint little cafe off the harbor at Morro Bay. The food was FANTASTIC and the company was even better. It was an evening I will remember for a long time.

It just goes to show that a last minute change in plans can be a blessing. We had a great weekend. And I'm sure we will make it up to the Proper-D at some point this summer, if it will ever stop snowing.

"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me" -Matt. 25:40

2008-05-20T15:06:00.005-06:00

It seems like whenever I exercise my femininity, Kevin feels the need to exercise his masculinity. In this case, when I left for an overnighter with the girls Kevin had his buddy come over with his chainsaw and climbing equipment and they pruned the massive Cottonwood tree in our backyard. This was no small project. We had several bids to have the tree done by a professional and the lowest bid we could find was $1,200. So, we were very grateful to our good friend Ryan, who has some experience pruning large trees, for coming over and giving it a shot. In the process of taking down some of the larger limbs, Kevin noticed a nest with 4 baby birds that came down with one of the limbs. While the birds sustained a healthy fall, they all lived and were all still in the nest when Kevin found them. He felt terrible and Henry was very concerned for the babies. Henry wanted to know where their mama was. Kevin was pretty sure that the baby birds were toast, but felt like he should try to do something to let Henry know they would help the birds. So Kevin scavenged one of our hanging planters that was filled with peat moss and placed the bird nest in there, thinking that if he could get the nest back to it's original location on the tree, the mama just may come back. This was not an easy feat as the nest was over 30 feet up in the tree. With their climbing and rope experience, Ryan and Kevin were able to construct a pully system that put the nest back up in the tree in it's original location. After placing the nest in the tree that night, they watched for Mama, but saw nothing. The next morning when Henry woke up, he wanted to go out and see if the Mama came back. After about 10 mintues, Kevin saw the mama fly up to the nest, worm in beak, and feed her babies. He and Henry were thrilled. Their kindness had paid off. It just goes to show that with all that testerone that was flying around with the chainsaws, there was also the innate need to take care of those who are helpless. I am grateful for the lesson that Kevin taught Henry that day.

King of the Throne

2008-05-20T14:52:00.002-06:00

We are happy to report that Henry is finally Master of this here throne. While he potty trained fairly easily, he did have a very irrational fear of the #2. I cannot tell you how many hours Kevin and I have spent in the bathroom with him trying to convince him to just do it. It has been a rough road. After a two hour stint one night I got online and did some digging and found a great article by a specialist in this field. I had no idea the problem was so common in Toddlers, but apparently it is. The article stated that the best thing to do is to let them come around on their own and not push them. I read that a child can go for more than a week without success and have no adverse health affects. I was thrilled when I read this and Kevin and I backed off completely. Instead of rushing him to the potty at the first sign of the dance, we ignored it and eventually he became so uncomfortable that he started making his way into the bathroom on his own. After a couple of weeks and lots of Miralax to ensure painless success, he was over it. I have never been so grateful. Sorry if this post seems in poor taste (and poor Henry if he happens to read it when he is 16) but if I can help any parents out with our story, it is worth it.

Way to go Hank!

I've been tagged

2008-05-20T08:59:00.004-06:00

I have been waiting and waiting and now I am popular enough to be tagged! Thanks Christi.

1. What is his name? Kevin
2. Who eats more? depends on what we are eating
3. Who said I love you first? Can't remember, dang!
4. Who is taller? He is
5. Who is smarter? He is
6. Who is more sensitive? He is with Henry, I am with everyone else
7. Who does the laundry? I do
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me
9. Who pays the bills? Me
10. Who cooks more? I do
11. What meals do you cook together? Breakfast on Sundays and when we are camping we tag team
12. Who is more stubborn? Neither one is overly stubborn
13. Who is first to admit they are wrong? Me
14. Who is more clean? Me
15. Who has more siblings? He does, 3 bros and 1 sis (I only have 3 sisters)
16. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I'd say one leg a piece
17. What do you like to do together? Camping at the property, working on house projects, vegging in front of the TV, kayaking class
18. Who eats more sweets? me
19. Guilty pleasures? Movies like Knocked up and Wedding Crashers, late night snacks (and a waistline to prove it!)
20. How did you meet? Teaching at a private school
21. Who kissed who first? Kevin kissed me, but I had to egg him on
22. Who proposed? He did, his plan to do it on a climbing wall was foiled so we ended up at the boy scout building on Foothil. It was prophetic.
23. His best feature? His talent for anything
24. What is his greatest quality? Sense of humor and love for life

So I think I am supposed to tag someone else now. I am tagging Molly, Catherine, and Kim Garff (good motivation to start a blog, Kim!)

Old School

2008-05-20T08:51:00.002-06:00

(Christi, Debra, Meg, Kim, Kristen)
Good friends are such a treat. Saturday night I had the chance for a slumber party with four friends that I met at BYU. We all lived on the same floor in DT (Deseret Towers). We went to dinner, played cards,and just caught up with each other. We stayed up talking until all hours of the night. I feel so blessed to have these women in my life. And thanks to Christi who drove all the way from St. George to spend 12 hous with us!

Maiden Voyage

2008-04-19T08:32:00.005-06:00

For the last few years, Kevin has had a real itch to aquire a couple of kayaks. Knowing that he may not always have the ability to pro-form the gear (which is the only way we can really afford it) we decided to go for it this year. This week all of the gear finally came in and we have been excited to take them out. We decided to try them out on the little lake at Liberty Park last night and we are happy to report that they float. Henry had a great time riding shotgun with Dad.

Before we get out on some real moving water, we decided it might be wise to get some instruction so we have signed up for a beginning whitewater kayak course through the Jewish Community Center up at the U. It's a five week course that takes you through the basics of kayaking, including the roll. Should be interesting...

Hopefully I will have some interesting pictures to post of our kayak adventures in the next couple of years.

Nine Years...

2008-04-17T09:26:00.003-06:00

Today, April 17th, Kevin and I have officially been married for nine years. Doesn't feel like nine years. We already celebrated by staying at our favorite place up in Midway, the Johnson Mill Bed and Breakfast. I am very grateful for my nine years with Kevin. He is a good man, and most women will tell you that a good man is hard to find. In honor of our nine years together I have made a "Top Nine" list of the reasons that I love Kevin:

9. He makes me laugh everyday
8. He is RARELY grumpy
7. He is a loving father and far more patient than I am
6. He knows how important my family is to me and he supports my frequent trips to California to visit
5. He is a hard worker
4. He can fix anything
3. He has great taste in music...he introduced me to most of my favorite artists
2. He oozes talent
1. He is the coziest Manly-man ever

Thanks, Kev for everything. Here's to nine under our belt and many more to come. Spending my life with you has been the greatest gift anyone could have given me.

Frank Caliendo

2008-04-07T09:13:00.003-06:00

Saturday night we saw comedian and master impressionist, Frank Caliendo at Kingsbury Hall. I got tickets for Kevin for his birthday. We discovered him on Youtube and couldn't get enough. His comedy act is made up of several different characters including George Bush (our favorite), Bill Clinton, John Madden, Al Pacino, and Charles Barkley. The man is amazing and we were impressed with how clean his show was. There wasn't one foul word or distasteful topic and he had the crowd busting a gut. In case you want to check him out, here are a couple of links for him on YouTube. It's a great time if you need a laugh and he really is worth seeing if he is in town. Thanks to Rich and Kristl for watching Henry so that we could go :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLhQHeyOrnY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P52bmJXYQPQ&feature=related

10 hours in the car one-way? Worth it!

2008-04-06T20:32:00.008-06:00

Henry and I, along with Colton, Buffy's oldest, officially took a Spring break this year and headed to California to spend time with the fam. We opted to drive so that Colton could come with us. The boys were fantastic in the car and I am ready to snatch Colton from Buffy so that he can be Henry's big brother. He is so patient and tender with little ones and was my right hand in the car with Henry.

While in California we opted against the beach due to a windy forecast and instead spent the day at the LA Zoo. The highlights at the zoo included a newborn giraffe, a hippo, a bear, an elephant, and some chimps that obviously did not know or care that they had an audience. We had a little explaining to do to the boys. Yikes! This day was extra special because Aunt Shelby (above wtih Henry) was able to take a break from her grueling nursing school schedule and go with us. The boys LOVE Shelby and she is so cute with them.

I rented a stroller thinking that Henry might get tired from all of the walking but I couldn't have been more wrong. Henry never wore out while the BIG boys spent most of the time in the stroller. And let me tell you those hills weren't easy with more than 100 lbs in the stroller!

Colton also let us all know that his birthday was coming and that he would love to have a surprise birthday party while he was there. We surprised him with silly string (below). He even asked Nana what day she would be throwing it. We did manage to surprise him at the park with a party and we had a good time playing some games, eating ice cream cone cupcakes, and shivering (it was windy and cold that day!)

We spent an afternoon at John's Incredible Pizza in Bakersfield (a less cheezy version of Chuck E. Cheese that includes a go-kart track, fun!) The picture below is of Henry and Max on some sort of Puff the Magic Dragon ride.

One of the best parts of our trip was getting to see the FAVORITE Aunt Crabby and our very good friend Dana. (See picture below, left to right, Colton, Dana, Crabby.) I have corresponded so much with Dana via e-mail that it was so nice to actually get to spend some real time with her and get to know her better. It was also so fun to see Crabby. We got a sitter Friday night and went to Bakersfield to hit Target and TJ Maxx and have dinner at Coconut Joes with Dana, Crabby, Becky and Ann. So fun! I wish we had more time. All in all it was a fantastic trip and it was just what the doctor ordered. But after all, isn't visitng Mom always just what the doctor ordered?

Easter, Part 2 in California

2008-04-01T22:10:00.006-06:00

This year Henry and I spent Easter in California with Nana and Papa and Molly and her family. We spent Saturday afternoon doing an Egg hunt and then making Resurrection cookies with the boys. The boys helped make the cookies and while making the cookies we talked about Christ and some of the symbolism the ingredients held. We then put the cookies in a warm oven and "sealed" the oven the way the tomb was sealed. On Easter morning (before the Easter bunny left baskets) we opened the oven to find that the cookies were hollow (empty), just like the tomb. While Henry probably didn't dial into correlation between the cookies and the Resurrection, the other boys did and I enjoyed a fun activity that was centered on the reason we celebrate Easter. Below are some pictures of the boys sealing the oven and eating the cookies and then the baskets that the Easter bunny left Easter morning. It was nice to spend a holiday with Nana and Papa since we don't get to celebrate too many with them anymore.

Happy Birthday Kevin and Henry

2008-04-01T21:51:00.005-06:00

I am a little bit late in getting this posted, but oh well. I was holding out for a picture of Henry on his big-boy birthday two-wheeler bike , but the camera was never handy when he was riding. We had a great birthday weekend. Kevin turned 31 on Saturday the 15th. Henry wanted nothing more than to give Dad balloons for his birthday so we bought him a balloon bouquet and some bagels for the guys at the shop and surprised him at work. That night Kevin and I celebrated by getting a sitter and seeing the movie Vantage Point. I also gave him tickets for us to see Frank Caliendo. He is a comedian who does brilliant impressions.

Henry's birthday was on Monday, the 17th. We celebrated that night with cake and ice cream. Henry wanted a race car cake so I made my first designer birthday cake and it was a moderate success. Luckily 3 year olds don't have a real discerning eye.

The Birthday Gang below consists of (Left to right) Abby Nelson, Kristl Nelson, Mom, Henry, Rich Nelson (the Nelsons are close friends), Tylar Gregory (best friend down the street) and his mom, Tanya Pawloski. The birthday party was about as simple as they come, but we were surrounded by good friends and that is the best gift of all.

Easter, part 1

2008-03-18T08:51:00.010-06:00

Since we will be in California for Easter this year, Grandma was kind enough to hold her annual Easter party early. As you can see, the kid with the cheesy grin and no hair is smiling because he is about to gorge himself on Easter treats. Was there ever a better "Goober" picture out there? Despite the fact that we had to hide the eggs in between sudden bursts of snow, the kids had a great time. Here are a few more pictures of our snowy, Saturday easter afternoon.

Here is Spencer, who will be 1 on Saturday. He belongs to Katie and Steve and is has the most infectious giggle around.

Danyn, and Dad, Teag. Danyn is 14 months and has suffered from quite a run of RSV for the first year of her life. She has been quite a trooper through it all and is almost always smiling.

Thatcher and Mom, Sara. Thatcher is 15 months and very mobile. Kevin refers to him as "The Judge" because he is so serious sometimes.

Four year-old Maisie, Henry's partner in crime most of the time. She belongs to Kerri and Teag and needs to start ballet right away. She only knows how to walk on her toes.

8 yr-old Caitlyn was just baptized last week and is such a great kid. She is so good with the little ones and a joy to have around. She is quite the girly-girl.

5 yr-old Gavin was also there, but for some reason he eluded the camera. We often wonder how so much spunk is stuffed into such a tiny body when it comes to Gavin.

Small acts of kindness

2008-03-14T11:46:00.004-06:00

When Kevin and I got married nine years ago we were given a lot of advice and most of it could be summarized into remembering small acts of kindness for one another. Since Kevin is a romantic at heart, his acts of kindness are on more of a grand scale...writing songs, arranging private dinners at our favorite Cafe, and sending flowers just because. He is really good at making me feel loved and providing me with opportunities to impress my girlfriends. I, on the other hand, am a little more practical. My small acts of kindness are more along the lines of making him lunches, getting up in the night with Henry so that he can sleep, or always being the one to scoop the ice cream when it is treat night. Nothing quite as impressive as his displays. So when I arrived at the dentist last week for my 6 month check-up I was treated once again to a small act of kindness when I found that he had sent flowers to the dentist office for me. The receptionist assumed it must have been my birthday or our anniversary, but it was just a thank you from Kevin for all of the little things I do. It's a reminder to me that it doesn't matter how we remember to be kind to one another, as long as we do it. When I am picking Kevin's gray sweats up off of the bedroom floor for the one-millionth time, the flowers remind me of how much he appreciates it.

Oops!

2008-03-13T19:41:00.004-06:00

For those of you that know Kevin, you know that he is a very talented individual. He can do almost anything, including haircuts. That is why he has cut Henry's hair in the past. I have watched closely and I thought I was ready for the challenge. But about 3 seconds into the haircut something went terribly wrong. Being raised in a family of girls, the clipper is still somewhat of a foreign tool to me and I misjudged the length of the attachment. So Henry is now sporting a summer buzz about 3 months too early. By the time it is warm enough for this haircut Henry's hair will be long enough for Kevin to cut properly again. Oh well, Henry doesn't care and that is the beauty of being a 2 yr-old boy.

He's got the whole world in his hands

2008-03-12T22:06:00.002-06:00

When Grandma and Grandpa gave Henry this inflatable globe, we assumed it would be kicked and batted around just like all of the other balls at our house. But Kevin discovered Henry has a real knack for geography while playing ball with him the other night. (Now would be the time to put a dislaimer into this post...I know that every parent thinks their child is brilliant and one of my pet peeves is a parent who brags about how smart their kid is. Our real hope in life is that Henry will be kind, sensible, and generally happy, not necessarily Valedictorian.) That said, while Kevin and Henry were tossing around the globe, Henry started asking about what all the colored shapes were and Kevin showed him the US. Henry took a real interest so Kevin started naming countries and then he would bat the ball, and Henry would chase it, find the country Kevin called out and bring it back for more. One might call it an enlightened version of fetch. By the end of the night Henry was able to identify the following countries/states/territories: U.S., Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, and last but not least, Micronesia (where his Uncle Nate is on a mission.) We were pretty impressed and we are going to keep at it as long as he shows interest. Heaven knows that 10 years from now when he is sitting in a geography class, he probably won't be quite as excited.

Henry & Co.

2008-03-01T13:50:00.003-07:00

One may think we are a family of three, but one would be wrong. I figured it was time to document the other members of our family as they are so important to Henry right now. Let me introduce you to Henry's best buddies. From left to right : Gilbert the Trout, Red, Baby Joey, and Frownie. Henry has named all of these stuffed friends (with no help from Mom and Dad), and he doesn't do much without one of them in tow. Frownie even sported a cast with Henry when he broke his arm last fall. They are a patient bunch as they have been dragged, kicked, given countless shots, and disciplined firmly. They often find themselves on the time out mat. But above all, they certainly are loved.

Wood Stoves, Tea Kettles, and the Infamous "Rickster"

2008-02-23T18:03:00.004-07:00

So a few years ago, we bought a house. Not a new house, but an old one. I've been told that old houses have character. What I've learned is that old houses build character.

This house has the unfortunate distinction of being a "Post War Era" home. When one thinks of great and lasting design periods, the Post War Era in no way comes to mind. These bland, featureless homes were designed and built in the late 1940's by local developer, Alan Elliot Brockbank, to satisfy a growing low income housing market. It isn't that the home is incapeable of being attractive, (if it were, I wouldn't have bought it) but all the potential beauty is hidden within all the cut corners. My job is to find all the corners they cut off, and glue them back on.

Like all low income housing developments, this one has a bad rap. People die here every day. I buy my crack at Smith's grocery store along with my milk & cheese. On a good day, a sweet old lady hands out heroin samples from behind her red and white checked tablecloth. She does it with a smile but who knows, she's probably high as a kite. When we registered to vote, we were asked to specify our party as either Republican Bloods or Democrat Crips. Neither Meg nor I feel comfortable with the Bloods pro war platform and the Crips just don't have the needed experience to run our neighborhood. We had no choice but to register as independents. Of couse the bullet proof windows on our house were a bit expensive, but with all the stray bullets flying about, we figured it was worth it.

Despite the neighborhood's reputation, both of my granparents put their roots down here, my parents did too, and now so have Meg and I. We represent a demographically large influx of young married couples moving into the area. One by one, dilapidated houses are bought up and repaired. When it's all said and done, some sell their homes and move on to the bigger and better, others find that there is something special here. (Besides free heroin Friday). Sadly, even with all the new life breathing here, not much has changed in the way the neighborhood is viewed. There are folks who still say it's one of the worst parts of the city, but for those of us who choose to live here, we all know better.

We bought our house from Rick, an old family friend. Rick was the home's second owner and lived in it for over 30 years. That type of homeowner stamina is rarely seen these days. Rick moved out of the house about 9 years ago, we bought it about 2 years ago, which means the house was vacant for 7 years. Houses do funny things when they are vacant, they seem to take on a life all their own. That life has an odor that smells more like death - with a dash of cat urine and a pinch of undiscernable funk. In order to resolve this problem, you essentially have to kill the house and then bring it back to life sans funk. The killing procedure requires gutting it to the bone and grafting in new parts, a long tedious process.

Before the surgery and even before the purchase, we took a tour of the old house with Rick. He had orchestrated many remodeling projects on the home and paid for every one of them with beer. At the end of the tour, I was certain that he allowed these fine craftsman to consume their payment prior to performing any work. Their signature was visible everywhere. Little did I know that as I dismantled the home, I would see their inebriated handywork in places that were once invisible.

The electrical work was a virtual time bomb. Water pipes had electrical current surging through them, lines were spliced with nothing more than tape to hold them together. The plumbing was an convoluted mass of lead, copper, and plastic pipe running mindlessly through the home. Even the new pipe, under the concrete basement floor was pieced together with rubber couplers, a plumber's equivalent of duct tape. The discoveries went on for days, each one trumping the next. In that time, Rick became the Rickster, a slightly more nefarious character than his straighforward counterpart. Like layers of an onion, once the Rickster was uncovered, all things previously viewed as "improvements" became suspect.

So on a cold January evening, I struck a match, and with a great deal of apprehension threw it into the small pot belly stove the Rickster had installed in the kitchen. It was a gamble of epic proportions. I half expected the house to burst into flames or at lease be innundated with smoke. I watched intently then went outside to check the stack only to see smoke pluming from the spark arrester just as it should. I let out a deep breath, a sigh of relief as I entered the now warming kitchen. I grabbed the new teapot that Henry and I had given Meg for Christmas and filled it up. I placed it on the stove and then sat near the stove myself. Soon, the radiant heat warmed my arms and legs as the muffled pops and crackles of burning pine filled the room. The timless nostalgic qualities of wood, fire and cast iron made me smile. For a moment, the Rickster went back to being just Rick, for he had done something right. Something I could enjoy without hours of backbreaking labor and sweat. I poured Megan, Henry and I a brimming cup of hot chocolate and we rose our glasses to Rick, this old house, and our new home.

"I'll poke you in the eye!"

2008-02-20T22:13:00.004-07:00

While Henry has officially been a "kid" for sometime now, in the last few weeks he has really turned into a tease. This isn't too much of a shocker seeing as he has both nature and nurture to thank, or maybe I should say blame. Kevin is constantly pesting him and Henry has suddenly found a way to fight back. A typical conversation at our house sounds like this now:

Henry: "You can't get me, Dad."
Dad: "Oh yeah? Watch me." (Accompanied by some form of fatherly, annoying torture such as tickling, bonking, poking, etc.)

Henry: "You better watch it or I'll poke you in the eye!"

Dad: More pesting

Henry: "I'll chop you down like a tree! "

Dad: More pesting to the point of true torture and then finally a break

Henry: "You slack!"

What kills us is that he uses these terms in the perfect context everytime. There's nothing like being called a slack by your two-year old. As you can see in the picture, Henry has also figured out how to block an eye attack with his two hands. He is quick and I am certain that Dad won't have the upper hand forever.

The quandary now is to figure out how to teach a two year old time and place. Every day when I pick Henry up from school I am prepared to hear how he poked another kid in the eye, but so far so good. After every episode Kevin reinforces that they are playing and that "we should never really poke another person in the eye." But I still think it is inevitable. At some point, time and place will be forgotten and we will be explaining to a teacher somewhere that we really aren't horrible parents.

Discovery Gateway

2008-02-18T16:02:00.007-07:00

Henry and I (Meg) spent President's Day at the Discovery Gateway with Kevin's sister Kerri and our four-year old niece Maisie. We have been wanting to play there for some time and while we didn't anticipate a standing room only crowd, we did have a good day. The museum offers so much hands-on fun for little guys, that we will certainly be back, but definitely on a less crowded day. Luckily we had a 1:1 kid to adult ratio or this post may have been more of a rant :)

Here are some of our favorite things...

Henry and Maisie driving the Jeep, they could even gas it up and check the air pressure of the tires. Let's introduce kids to the reality of vehicle maintenance early!!

Henry and Maisie hanging out in a real IHC Life flight helicopter. Henry is giving the thumbs up, but Maisie is not so sure about this. I think she though the helicopter might take off at any given moment.

Henry playing with the magnetic marbles. This was pretty cool, there was a magnetic wand that you could move under the table to make the marbles move like magic. A definite hit!

Kerri and Maisie at the climbing wall. Uncle Kevin would be proud.

Moats Family Ski Trip to Snowbasin

2008-02-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our annual Moats Family ski trip. As you can see, Henry proved that he was hardcore once again and enjoyed skiing with mom, dad, Papa, and his cousins. The weekend that we chose ended up being a very snowy one, but we did find some relief on Saturday morning when we were able to get the kids out. Five kids under the age of seven on the slopes can be interesting, but we didn't have any whiners and all of the kids did well. We enjoyed being on the mountain as well as spending time together in our cozy condo. Sunday morning we woke up to 16 inches of new snow and the snow continued to bury us as we tried to get out of there to come home. It was a hairy drive home. When all was said and done, Eden ended up receiving 27 inches of snow from that storm . Later that night the news ran a story about how they are having to feed a lot of the wildlife in that area to keep them alive due to the deep snows. They ran footage of some deer that were buried in snow up to their necks. Poor little guys! It has been a wild winter here this year, but that's okay because we need the water.

Thanks to the California crowd that drove the 11 hours to come up and join us for a weekend of fun!

Praying For The Proper "D"

2008-01-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

We have been working with Henry over the last few months on the content & behavior during his nightly prayers. Being what we refer to as "religious amatures", neither Meg nor I can claim tenure on the art of fine prayerspeak. Most folks who pray often have a setlist of phrases that they pull out of their prayer catalog which they can interchange like traincars, linked together to form the perfectly worded prayer. Ours are more, shall we say, Organic?

Ol' Hank, once he settles down a bit, does a pretty good job, besides, kid prayers are one of those things that shouldn't be critiqued too much. The man says whats on his mind, what more can you say? The only problem is that we're pretty sure he thinks Santa Claus and Jesus are interchangeble figures. His prayers are more like wish lists, which I guess aren't that different than our prayers. We just emphasize the "we thank thee's" and not so much the "we ask thee's". (It sounds more humble if you do it that way) Kids don't do humble very well. They go straight for the brass ring, every time.

In some ways its refreshing. Kids, if young enough, still tell you, and Jesus whats on their mind, wheras adults will "bury it deep down inside and never bring it up again"-Taledega Nights So when Henry kneels down to pray he gives thanks for his fork, asks if he can use the slide at the park after the snow melts, and that he can go to the Proper"D". (Our "Property" is simply a 10 acre parcel of mountain land we purchased a year or so ago with very little improvements.) I smile every time I hear it.

I know that there will come a time that if he was honest, he would pray for a chance to lip-lock some highschool hottie under the bleachers, or hit me in the head with a heavy blunt object and bury me in the backyard, but what will we hear? We'll hear the train of perfectly crafted prayerspeak sentences. Gone will be the honesty, lost will be the innocence, and the Proper"D", well, who knows what it will look like by then.

Until then, everyone please bow your heads and say a simple prayer for the Proper"D".

-Kevin

All The Right Fish, All The Wrong Women

2008-01-12T22:15:00.001-07:00

When it comes to women and fly fishing, I am no expert, of that I am certain. I’ve been fly fishing for about 8 years and I’ve been married for about the same. The fact that those two numbers are similar, I am learning, is no accident.

I began my fishing career on a high mountain lake, using a cut rate, second-hand rod and a beat up aluminum canoe. I was living in a one room cabin, built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1932. The old bugger had no electricity, no plumbing and only 2 bunker style windows which let in a minimal amount of daylight.

My wife, to whom I had just married, was living with me in such humble digs. She seemed not to mind the primitive arrangements, in fact, she appeared relatively comfortable there.

Since that time, I have learned much about fly fishing and even more about my wife. After 8 years I’ve decided that most men are looking for all the right fish, and all the wrong women.

There are dozens of clichéd catch-phrases, usually found plastered on the backs of cars and trucks, drawing punned comparisons to women, sex & fish. “Love ‘em & Leave ‘em” & “Size Does Matter” are generally the most common. For this exercise, we’re going to assume these stickers belong to fishermen rather than fisherwomen, a rare but increasing demographic.

Obviously for these guys, chasing fish is not unlike chasing women. More important than just chasing fish, is chasing Trophy fish. The ones they’re after are beautiful, vibrant, big healthy specimens of the aquatic underworld. They lurk in the depths of rivers and lakes, making brief appearances every now and then just to remind you that they’re there. When you forget, they’ll launch themselves four feet above the waters surface in a magnificent display of beauty and power. Most fisherman spend their lives in search of these fish although few are fortunate enough to land one, (though some seem luckier than others). If or when they do catch one, they’ll take some pictures, relish in the moment & then let it go. Afterwards they’ll continue fishing for smaller, though respectable trout. These are the ones that fill up your day, nothing you’d hang on your wall mind you, but enough to keep you interested.

Big fish don’t get big by accident. It takes a lot of work, a lot of consistency, and a lot of time. What’s more, they know they’re big. They intimidate their lesser peers with nipping teeth and torpedo-like charges. They’re cunning, sneaky, and feisty as hell.

I have seen a number of my fellow fisherman fishing for women the same way they do for fish. They dredge their lines deep into the pool hoping to connect with that fabled woman. The ones that do it long enough eventually hook up with the one they're after and once the hook is set, a long difficult struggle ensues.

As with trout, trophy women do not become trophies by accident. It takes a lot of work, a lot of consistency and a lot of time. What’s more, they know they're trophies. They intimidate their lesser peers with Prada hand bags, expensive hair, and perfect (though probably fake) breasts. They’re cunning, sneaky, and feisty as hell.

Once landed, they demand perfect weddings (which don’t exist) take expensive photographs, and afterwards you can’t let them go. (Nor can you stuff them and hang them on the wall.)

A few years later you find yourself wanting to go fishing again, perhaps for fish, or perhaps for something else. Maybe this time for a respectable fish that lives in a 70 year old log cabin with no plumbing and no electricity. One that keeps you interested day after day, without the aid of expensive clothing or augmented breasts. One that lurks in the depths of Target rather than Abercrombie & Fitch.

In the last 8 years of marriage I have fished a lot, and all of that time was spent fishing for fish. Sure I’ve landed some trophies and each time I’ve let them go. Afterwards, I keep fishing for the ones that keep me interested, day after day, night after night, year after year.

-Kevin

Hardcore Henry

2008-01-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

So this is all new to me, but I figured it was time to bring myself up to speed and start a blog. My first post will feature none other than our only son and his first adventure on the slopes. Dad decided to take 2yr old Henry to Solitude to ski for the first time. Henry did great despite the blizzard conditions that they encountered only 2 miles from the resort (it was clear in the valley when they left!) Henry came home telling everyone that he loves skiing and that he is hardcore.