Another series of birthdays, another Mother’s Day, more family activities and get togethers.  Time pushes us along, willing or not, in a single predetermined direction: toward the future.

At the moment you read the opening sentences to this blog posting, the moment was taken from you and is now in the past.  What was the future became the present, and then transformed into history.  Time is relative, but also relentless.  There is time for every purpose under heaven, but there is never enough.  Time heals all wounds, but is also the great destroyer.  Time is a contradiction, one I have great difficulty reconciling.

                                                  Ian’s 38th birthday bash.

                                   Lisa’s progressive 29th birthday pictures above.

                             Lisa with her Mother’s Day flower bouquet from the girls.

Time is the great destroyer, especially on one’s body.  I snapped a quick shot of Lisa at the physical therapist’s office last week.  Years of sitting before the computer are taking a toll on her body.
 

Lisa’s ten year colonoscopy clock lapsed this last Tuesday, ending her in the hospital for another procedure.  My poor wife did not handle the pre-op nor the anesthesia medication well.  Throwing up, dizziness, nausea, and bed rest followed her throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday. 
 

Lisa and I attended Lucas and Kimber’s school track meet on Monday night.  Both grandkids brought home placement ribbons.  Great job kids!  Lucas in green shirt, Kimber is stripped leggings. 

Lisa and I were in McCall, Idaho a couple of weeks ago celebrating our 14th anniversary (time flies - the universal cliche) and Lisa’s birthday.  I also had a job interview with Whitetail Club/Shore Lodge, a high-end resort in McCall.  The resort was looking for a program manager to oversee their growth for the next few years.  I did not get the job, but we were able to get a paid vacation out of the trip.

                              Chelsi, Eric, and Birch met us in McCall for the day.

                                                      At the edge of Payette Lake.

Are you familiar with the cable TV series called Breaking Bad?  The star of the show, Aaron Paul, is the one who purchased our 5 acre McCall property a couple of years ago.  I stopped by the property while we were in McCall and Aaron is building a very big house on the property.

Lisa and I are 98% sure we will be putting the house on the market in late August and building a smaller home up the hill from us.  Here is a picture of what the home will likely look like (see below).  The home has little in the way of storage space, and as such, we are buying a storage unit a few minutes from our home, down by the marina.  Ian will be sharing in the cost, using some of the space for his business.

A funny event happened at church a few weeks ago.  A good friend, Jim, lost sight in his left eye in December, leaving him with only 20% vision in his right eye.  He has become legally blind, but he is still able to get around, doing some things on his own.  Jim was sitting behind me in our priesthood meeting at church and I noticed his pant zipper was down.  Not wanting to interrupt the meeting by bringing it to his attention, I decided to send him a text message.  “Jim, your fly is open and letting in cold air.” 

I, like most people, put my cell phone on vibrate mode while I’m in church.  Jim forgot to do so.  In addition, since the loss of his eye sight, his phone talks to him when someone sends him a text message, something I was unaware of.  So, a few seconds after I sent him a text message, his phone begins to talk to him, “Jim, your fly is open and letting in cold air.  Jim, your fly is open and letting in cold air.”

My attempt to be quiet about his situation turned into quite the interruption.  People are still laughing about it today.

One of Kaylene’s college roommates, and  her family, came to Anacortes for a visit.  The two families had a BBQ on the beach at Washington Park and we were invited to attend. 

Lisa and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary on Tuesday.  We put together a picnic dinner and enjoyed our meal sitting and conversing at a picnic table in Washington Park.  It was a grand occasion and we agreed it was one of our favorite anniversary celebrations.  Sometimes the simplest of events can bring the most happiness and satisfaction.

It has been interesting to witness the different behaviors of our six month old cat Vivian.  In many ways she acts and behaves like any young child, sometimes showing good manners, sometimes acting like the Tasmanian devil. 

Vivian looks so peaceful, cute, and adorable when she is sleeping, but then she wakes up and the mischief and misconduct begin.  At night she doesn’t want to go to bed, before the sun comes up she comes in our bedroom wanting to play.  Sometimes she will eat her food, sometimes not.  She recently jumped up on the lamp table, knocking the lamp to floor (bad cat!).  At times she will disappear and you can’t find her.  Who knows where she goes?  See picture below.

Lisa is the recognized mommy, Tim is the daddy.  When Vivian is looking for comfort, security, and love it’s Lisa she seeks out.  If she wants to play, it’s daddy time.  When she gets into her Halloween pose (arched back, tail up, walking sideways), she is saying, “I want to play.”  When I’m in the bedroom closet changing clothes, Vivian will hide behind the clothes, and when I least expect it, she will jump out, tap me on the leg, and run away.  Tag, I’m it.

We have been told this “youth stage” in Vivian’s life could last a year or more.  We keep telling ourselves, “Be patient, be patient.  This time will pass.”

It’s tulip season in the valley.  A lot of beautiful flowers, a lot of people, and a lot of traffic.

It’s Ian’s 38th birthday today.  Thank you for putting a smile on our faces each day.  May you continue to be a blessing to others with your kindness and generosity.  Whatever path you pursue in life, we will be behind you every step of the way.  Happy birthday, son!

I finally finished the fence at Ian and Kaylene’s home.  A project that took almost two months to complete.

Ian and I were able to get the plywood sheets on the garden shed this week and wrapped it in the synthetic building material just before the rain began.  The pipe that runs between the wood shop and garden shed is for the dust collector that now sits in the garden shed.  There was no room in the wood shop for the dust collector.

Vivian has been wearing a cat “Cone of Shame” around her head for almost two weeks now.  She was spayed and the vet didn’t want Vivie cleaning (licking) the incision.  Vivie hates the cone, as would anyone having to wear one.  When we brought her home after her surgery, Vivian walked backwards in a vain attempt to distance herself from the cone.  She would also shake her head and the cone would put off balance, causing her to fall over.  It was hard not to laugh, but she really is pathetic to look at. 

Vivian has been trying, in vain, to bathe herself, only succeeding in licking the inside of the cone.  She has difficulty eating out of her bowl and drinking from her dish.  Vivian is downhearted and crestfallen, wondering why this thing has befallen her.  The result causing her to mope and lay around the house, which is not like her.  She’s usually climbing and pouncing during the day.  Vivie has sought comfort from Lisa which is her go to parent when she is looking for attention.  Only five more days to go and she will be spared the cone.

Speaking of Vivian, she likes to chase golf balls that she sees on TV.

I removed all the old fencing around Ian’s house and the new fence panels and gates have been installed.  Digging, drilling, and installing all the fence posts was a real chore.  I’m going to try to finish the trim boards that go on top of each panel this next week.  Then the fence project will be complete.  Yahoo!  

Ian and I have been working on the garden shed, the last thing I have plans on building in his back yard.  Hopefully I will get the roof framed next week.  It has been raining so much it has been hard to make progress.

Ian and I attended the March meeting of the Northwest Corner Woodworkers Association.  The meetings are held at the Hillcrest Lodge in Mount Vernon, a historic log constructed building.  Wow, there were a lot of men in attendance.  The speaker was Tim Celeski, a designer, furniture maker and fine artist. He teaches techniques in Digital Woodworking and is a contributing editor on the topic for Popular Woodworking Magazine.  We learned a lot and we are considering joining the association.

Our friend Norm invited Lisa and me to a book reading at his home.  Norm’s second family history novel will be published later this year,  giving those in attendance a sneak preview of the book’s storyline.
 

Another week come and gone in our journey of life.  Hopefully you had much to smile about, be happy about, and even laugh about. 

Sometimes, happiness is just over the horizon, never reachable.  Every time we climb one hill, happiness beckons just beyond the next.  Its a terrible thing always to be waiting for tomorrows, always depending on tomorrow, always excusing our todays because we are sure that only in the future will we possess the things that will fulfill us. 

Don’t wait for tomorrow.  Don’t wait for the right job, the right house, the right salary, the right dress size.  Be happy today.  Be happy now.  Okay?
 

Oakley, Chelsi, Aspen, Eric, Birch

For a couple of months Lisa and I have been hoping to get to Idaho and Utah to go skiing with the girls.  But, given Lisa’s work schedule, time was slipping by and we feared we would never get to the mountains this winter.  Lisa finally said, “Why don’t you go without me.  I’m not going to have time this year.”  So, last week I packed up the truck and headed out to Idaho to see Chelsi, Eric and family and take in a day of skiing at Bogus Basin Ski Resort outside of Boise.  Sasha didn’t think she would be able to go skiing if I came out to Utah, so Boise was my only destination on this trip.

We arrived at Bogus Basin in time for the kids to begin their ski lesson.  We had two hours of ski time without the kids so Chelsi, Eric and I quickly got on our first chair lift of the day.  

Eric, Chelsi, Tim 

It was windy, cold, and snowing with a few inches of new powder lying on the slopes.  Later in the day the fog settled on the mountain and it became nearly impossible to see what you were skiing on and where the ski run was.  At times it was like skiing invisible, as in a white-out.  If it weren’t for Eric or Chelsi leading the way, I wouldn’t have had any idea where I was going.  

Chelsi, Tim

Not all ski days can be bluebird days and this day was as bad as any I’ve skied.  But I have no regrets.  My knee held up beautifully, I was able to ski with the kids and grandkids, no one got hurt, and no one was run over by an out-of-control snowboarder.  In all it was a great experience.

Lisa purchased a cat carrier backpack for taking Vivian with us on our walks through Washington Park.  Vivian was not happy with her first experience (get over it cat).  Hopefully she will get used to our regular walks in the park.  Ian thought that using a backpack cat carrier ranked one at the bottom of the manliness scale.  In other words, packing a cat around with you on your back did not make one very macho.   

I will be installing a new cedar fence at Ian’s home in the next few weeks (with Ian’s help).  The existing fence came down on Thursday and Friday.  That was work.  I’ll provide new photos as progress is made.  Two of the neighbors have agreed to cost share in the material cost of the fence.  My labor, and Ian’s, are free to them.

Our granddaughter Kimber’s artwork was chosen to be included in the Anacortes School District Art Festival.  Kimber is shown above with her piece titled “Dinosaur Footprint.” 

Our grandson Lucas played in his last basketball game of the season on Saturday (Lucas in red, far left).  Lucas was much improved from his first game of the year.

Ian and Lucas invited me to go snow caving with them on Friday afternoon/night at Mount Baker, along with some other boys and their fathers from church.  In all the years I was involved in scouting, I never took the opportunity to dig a snow cave and then spend the night sleeping inside.  It has always been on my bucket list, right alongside with wrestling a wild cougar and slow dancing with a porcupine.  I can now check snow caving off my list.

Arriving at Mount Baker we previewed the area in which to dig our cave, identified a suitable location, and with a bit of enthusiasm began excavating.  Our entry tunnel extended down six feet, then horizontal six feet more, and then up and back hollowing out our three person sleeping chamber. 

Our eagerness diminished as we soon realized the magnitude of the task before us.  Reality set in as it was abundantly clear digging a snow cave was going to take a good deal of time and manual effort.  Once the entry passage was hollowed out, Ian shoveled snow to the opening and I would reach down with my shovel, scoop up the snow, pull it up and then discard it to the side.  Lucas helped in the effort where he could.  After three to four hours we had excavated 8 to 9 yards of snow.  Ian’s back was hurting, my arms and shoulders were aching.

Once the excavation was complete we placed tarps and plastic on our snow platforms which would be used as our beds.  Then pads and sleeping bags were added on top.    

Snow caves are supposed to work well because snow is a natural insulator. The inside of the cave is warmed by body heat (and a small candle) and protects the occupants against the cold air and blowing snow outside.  But, there is an art to building and outfitting the inside of a snow cave.  We were both naive and unprepared for the night to come.

After a hot dinner with the troop we warmed ourselves by the fire.  Soon the three of us called it a day, retired from the crowd, and made our way to our snow cave.  Once inside, the challenge was to remove ones wet clothes, get into your night attire,  and then into our sleeping bags without touching the side walls or ceiling.  To do so meant getting wet again.  The application of a few good yoga maneuvers kept you dry.

It’s important to have a thicker than normal pad to sleep on.  The thicker the better when sleeping on snow.  Ours were, well, what’s a good word?  “Pathetic” would be a good description of our sleeping pads.  They simply were not thick enough to insulate you from the snow you were sleeping on.  Ian’s air mattress deflated within thirty minutes and he found himself with no insulation other than the bag he was sleeping in.

We were told we should keep a small candle lit at night.  This would increase the temperature inside the cave, making it more comfortable.  Lucas sleeps with a nightlight, but I’m used to sleeping in the dark.  With the candle lit Lucas was soon asleep.  After three hours of no sleep I blew out the candle.  Before long Lucas was awake, asking his dad why it was so dark.  The candle was lit once again.

Sometime during the night the temperature inside our snow cave elevated above freezing and the snow that formed the ceiling above began to melt.  At first it was just a few drops here and there.  Eventually it became a rain shower.  Ian placed a solar blanket over him attempting to keep his bag from getting wet, but moisture from his breathing formed on the underside of the blanket.  In addition, the water from the melting snow made its way onto the plastic and then migrated under our sleeping bags making us more cold and wet.

When Ian was packing for the trip he was unable to find his sleeping bag.  I loaned him my sleeping bag and I ended up taking and sleeping in Lisa’s bag.  Lisa’s sleeping bag turned out to be a little small for me and I could not get completely wrapped up in the bag.  My neck an shoulders were exposed and could never get warm. 

For some reason, cold and snow seem to accelerate ones biological urges.  Neither Ian nor I wanted to get dressed and go outside in the middle of the night to relieve ourselves.  We simply continued to lie in bed and suffer.

At 5:00am we had all had enough of our snow caving experience.  We got dressed in our wet clothes, got on all fours and made our way out the cave through our tunnel, hiked through a blizzard and 12” of new snow that had fallen during the night, unlocked the doors to the truck, crawled in and turned on the heat.  We slept for the next few hours with the truck engine running.

Following breakfast in a snow storm we cleaned out our cave and headed home.  Our snow caving adventure has made it clear that snow caving should be reserved for survival situations only.  There is little fun in the activity, other than the male bonding time it brings.  I can now say I spent the night in a snow cave.  I can’t say I slept in one.

I was reading in bed last Tuesday night at 10:00 when I heard a blood curdling scream from Lisa. She was witnessing vandals desecrating our front porch.  It was hideous act which totally disfigured the beauty of our entry.  Who would do such a thing?  Kaylene, Lucas, and Kimber.  Caught red handed!

Happy Valentines Day Lisa

One of the simple pleasures of walking the Washington Park loop in the late afternoon and evening is witnessing a wide assortment of sunsets.  You never know what the walk will bring.  Somedays good, somedays not so good.  When we encounter a sunset we consider to be rather breathtaking, we take a picture, as in the two recent ones above.