I smell fall in the air.

Just so you all don't think I up and died... Finally have all the kids in school. Laramie is the Vice President of the Student Body and it is as glamorous as it sounds. He had to stay home on Labor Day weekend to get things set up for homecoming. He accomplished his first primary goal as VP tonight. He wanted to use a cannon during the football games. When a touchdown is scored, fire the cannon. This has been approached in years past, however, a school that doesn't allow a plastic knive in a lunch pail, has some sort of issue with a cannon as a "firearm" on school property. Really, how much damage could it do? So, it won't be on school grounds. It will be on the irrigation ditch across from the school. (really better trajectory that way anyway....) They did need city council approval as firearms are also not allowed in city limits. Irrigation district and city council are all fortunately into loud explosive things, so a unanimous vote at city councile tonight and now we have a cannon during the football games. It is quite the cannon, too. I don't have a photo, but it is a solid brass homemade masterpiece. Garrett fired about 3-4 times at Lambert Parade one year. Leave it to him to be anywhere there would be a cannon.

We gave the boat the inaugural run 2 weekends ago and decided we better keep it until at least next year. The snowmobile supply has been somewhat replenished. We gathered snowmobiles for about 6 years and fixed them, just when it looked like the storage was getting tight, it snowed! Moved 6 sleds in 3 days. People are truly something. Wow! Snow! Quick where can I get a Skidoo???? So being the salesman that I am, tisn't the season to sell a boat. I AM going to have to sell the boat. SJ doesn't like the color. I mean really hates the color, hence it must go. I am terrified to get age spots or I will probably be down the road beside the boat. Poor boat really isn't ugly, either. There will always be another boat.Laramie threw them in and it kind of backfired as they thought he should just keep right on throwing them in.There was some tubing by all the young ones. Much too chilly for the older crowd. It was only about 75.
I was downloading my little camera and ran across a few photos from my birthday in Medora. Before the show they ran some elk up on hill to feed across from the amphitheater. Don't know if this is something new of what anyway. Pretty nice bulls. Probably one of the best pre-show entertainments I've seen.

I am headed for Kalispell with Deann, our office gal, for a body shop meeting. Supposed to enlighten us with estimating and billing advice. Hopefully will be worth while. It would be really cool if an insurance company would just pay a bill with out a huge ridiculous fight. I don't think they could have picked a place further away from us. So this will be a short, busy week.

SJ and I celebrated 13 years this weekend. I actually got a card and a box of chocolates. I took him on a picnic at a little sandy spot I know down by the river. I brought a bottle of barefoot white zin, strawberries, cheese and crackers. Well, down went the barefoot. I remembered I had a couple of bottles of boones farm in the cooler I had bought "just in case" for when Heather and I took 5 little boys to the drive in on Saturday night. Well, down went the boone's farm. I really liked the blue hawiian, I hadn't ever tried that. We stayed out til the sun went down. He said that was much better than going out for supper. Actually I guess we did go "out" for supper. And I don't think I have been that sauced in quite awhile. But we had fun.

SJ has been throwing up since lunch today and I am trying to avoid him, as I don't feel like throwing up on the way to Kalispel. I probably should go tell him good night.

Walkabout Burns Creek on July 5

We visited Aunt Pam Cayer Drewery's new resting site. Her ashes were spead here. She was also married at this spot.


There is a pretty place over the hill from Burns Creek on State Land where a natural spring flows into a creek. This place is kind of unusual and reminds you of a park. The kids love to come here.

Walking along the creek looking for wildlife, but being so loud that any wildlife left a good half hour ago.

Only a baby sparrow, cowering in terror, who cannot yet fly is unable to escape the aweful onslaught of children headed towards it. SJ tossed it gently and it flew off. Casey thought all birds should find a human for flight training.

Scenes from Burns Creek Valley July 05, 09

Proof God has a sense of humor.

This hill is called High Lonesome. It looks decidedly "not high" with the thunderhead above.

View from overlooking SJ's Dad's place.

4th of July in Lambert

SJ and Russel Thiessen hanging out at the firehall.

Wyatt spent about 2 hours on the slides until he got off and puked. He came and found me, wow, was that kid red. Some shade and water and all was well.

Garrett had his face painted and after a bit decided to go with a less dramatic, yet no less dead look, shown below. Supposed to be punk rock hair, but we couldn't get all the face paint off with wet wipes.

4th of July in Lambert

Wyatt waits in the Chevelle for the parade to start. He was all jacked until he saw the first people in line watching the parade were his good friends the Larsons. Then he immediately abandoned me.

Corbin Mullin has his backhoe ready to go in the parade. We were at the firehall eating the yearly goodwill feed, Corbin comes up and sits by us and says, "So, how much rain did you guys get last night?" I think there is a pretty good chance this kid will be a farmer some day.

Crowd at Lambert. Note the shady spots are prime real estate.

Casey mugging.

An Evening at Gartside

Monday evening we went out to the local fishing hole with friends Deann and Aaron and some of her family. We spend alot of summer evenings out here. It's about 8 miles from the house.Garrett eating watermelon, the only place he's allowed to, Outside.
Marshmallows.
I kept telling him it was too dark to fish, but he is a determined one.

The Reluctant Blogger

I decided the blogging thing will be somewhat more private in many respects than facebook. Not that I am that private of a person, but posting alot of family photos and weekend details to 90 some people seems like a weekly Christmas Letter.

So I will be posting more detailed descriptions and photos of family and life here. I will probably only blog weekly, or what feels like weekly, which may be monthly. Anyway, I do have a few things to put up so I will get started.