A Letter From Uncle John

I dug the old typewriter out of the attic and brought it to school for our story "Click Clack Moo". I unzipped the case just as the kids came to the carpet to sit and I was greeted with this interesting surprise. It took a moment to process and the kids were a bit confused.

Tis The Season

Grandpa and Dad visit 2nd grade for Veterans Day

You have to see the BABY!

Went to Meridian, saw the baby, nuff said.

Nebraska can go to H377!

Day 3: Nebraska was flat. Nebraska had nowhere to camp. Nebraska had sooo many activities that all hotels were booked. Nebraska had storms. We found Ken's hotel in Nebraska. It was only 10 miles off the beaten path. Nebraska was not cool with me eating a salad. Nebraska had cattle trucks. Said cattle truck rained down a hellish brown mist. Never draft a cattle truck!

Campsite #2

Camp #2 rested just a few miles outside of Yellowstone proper. We found ourselves in a canyon a dozen or so feet off the Shoshone River. Dipped the toes in. The dire bear warnings were a bit off-putting however the giant BEARBOX put us at ease. I forced Alea to hike a very small cliff on the other side of the canyon. She was not very happy.
Wind River Canyon, the next day, put the wind back in her sails.

Smack dab in the middle is the tiny white jeep, parked in front of the site.

On Assignment

Wind River Canyon

Hot animals of Yellowstone

It was forever annoying to sit in Yellowstone gridlock for 45 minutes to find out that everyone was stopping to take pictures of wildlife.

If you can't beat em, join em.

Picking up where I left off!

It's been a while. Too much time spent working, not enough time for the internet, that's gotta change. I will continue to give you the boring road trip slideshow! Day 2 found us in the overcrowded grips of Yellowstone National Park. It was way too much for me. Initial goal was to park in the camp however 3 days before the 4th of July is no time to be putzing around in a national park such as that. Too many people. Too many cars. Too many traffic jams, really felt like the worst of downtown Tampa.

All of the tourism aside, the little bit that we were able to see was endlessly beautiful.

Hey Booboo!

Built with my own two hands!

Thank you Beth! Totally forgot about this one.

Montana, I'd Go Back

Wasn't much to do but sit and look.

Camp 1 in Montana

Night one of the road trip found us at the end of an 8 mile dirt road which wove between a few medium sized mountains. We had a nice spot about 100 yards from a rushing stream. Didn't get in until just before sundown so not much time for hiking. 

Road Trip Day 1

Almost out of Washington on day one and we came across the first scenic overlook and some horse art.

Mick Dodge Country

I took the kids out to see the tide pools out on the Olympic Peninsula. Does anyone know if Sea anemones can create pearls? We saw tons of little creatures and no one got wet! Mick Dodge was crouching in the crotch of an old tree, we chose not to bother him because we weren't ready to be on camera. Nick and I hadn't a chance to touch up our makeup.

Snoqualmie

We went on two days worth of hiking at the Denny Creek area. Apparently he discovered Seattle, so he's kind of a big deal. We almost got underneath the waterfall but it was pretty cold. Nick found a log.

We should be entitled to some sort of free service here.

Seattle

I came across all of these old photos of our road trip and thought I would share. We had coffee, rode on the ferry and stuck gum on the wall.

Closet Maid For Two

After the better part of a day we have a new closet! I was very worried that they would look a little "cheap" but they are surprisingly nice. Once you get the first tower together the rest are easy. At some point the goal will be to put a higher shelf that runs completely around the closet. 

The summer remodel checklist is now complete (new bedroom:floors, paint, bed, new bathroom paint and trim, and a new closet: floor, paint and organizers).

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Hall Tree Bench

I think we were in the right place at the right time for this gem. Alea fell in love. Apparently tons of people tried to get it while we went home for the truck. Now, do we restain it darker or paint it to match the bed?

No turning back!

It's official, Alea and i are no longer old timers! We gots smart phones. Social media watch out!

Documentary

2nd Free Lunch of Summer

I caught a decent sized Jack at sunup. My neighbor across the street swears that they have a great taste, especially when grilled. The old man down at the bait shop says he would never ever eat that f$%&in fish. All said and done it gave me some very tasty tacos. Thank you Jack.

Bed Time

I can see the garage floor! The bed is finished, it came out better than I thought. Everything square. Well, pretty darn close to square. We ordered the mattress off Amazon, this gave me a bit of anxiety, but it came in two prime shipping days. The box was heavy, it was raining, the UPS guy was pissed but all in all everything worked out well.

I am super excited about this project and am also dreading the day we have to move!

Spirit Animals

Went camping a week or so back. Ran into tons of wildlife. Also saw rabbits and turkeys, but did not have the camera with me.