Our updates for all of you

Yeah, it's been a long time readers. I had been working on various draft posts on my iPad2 while traveling and at home and then with a recent 'app' update, the updated app apparently now has issues with iOS5 and all was lost as the app will only "force close" every time I try it. The developer has replied to me that they had submitted an update to Apple and it should be available 'soon' but over a month later and still no update makes me think it's time for a different blog app! But I actually BOUGHT the app, so I guess I'll give them a little more time. And next time I'll save all post drafts as online drafts instead of 'local', losable, drafts! So here it is December 8th and while last month seemed like winter was going to be a 'bear' this year it has settled to mainly just cold and dry- so far! Much of November had been cold with some snow fall but only traces, and never sticking much. Then about two weeks ago we had the ...

I just haven't had the time to get the posts done! I had saved this as a draft several weeks ago and haven't had the time to finish and post it with all the work paperwork lately. My catching up starts here with the eulogy I had written about my father for his funeral. After my week long trip to Missouri in late August, he had again beat the odds and had lived just about a month longer than we were told he would. But finally his body gave out and he passed away on September 25, 2011.  We just weren't able to return to Missouri for the funeral but our daughter Laura did attend for us. I wrote the following which was read at the funeral as were comments from all the brothers and sons. I was given the audio of the services and a copy video collage used. It was very nice, and we really wish we could have attended. In Memory Of My father So here I am, the oldest son, yet I probably knew Clifford, my dad, the least amount of time then most of the people here. I started...

Sunday September 11th, and we're waiting in last nights room for the staff to get the room we'll be in for the next few nights cleaned for this conference. Obviously the day is about remembering ten years ago. And we did remember how Monday, September 10th, 2001, we had driven up from spending the night in the Salt Lake City area to the Coeur d' Alene area on our way to Bonners Ferry, to see the property we'd gotten in 2000 but had not been able to drive up to see yet. We'd made it to the Coeur d' Alene KOA, no longer there, and had spent the night at the KOA to make the two and a half hour last part of the drive the next day, the eleventh. That morning, ten years ago today, was a Tuesday. We had gotten up and I was having breakfast and was listening to a local radio station in the 5th wheel trailer and Stacy was doing some cleaning. As I was listening the local DJs were talking about a plane hitting a building in New York. I recall they were talking like it was...

OK, so I got in late in the day Sunday after a rather long delay due to detours around still flooded areas along the I-29 near Council Bluffs, that took me, and many others, miles away and then down to Kansas City. So what's it like being here? Heat I really haven't had to be in since moving from California. Heat and humidity. Awkward as well as depressing family moments, that kind of stuff. To me my father has seemingly rallied again from low spots, or at least from the lows I had been told and had read about on Facebook. Actually that is just a bit of the problem for me. Yes he isn't doing as well as before, yes he will be dying soon. But I kept being told, he wants to be 'involved' in everything that pertains to his end of life and funeral. OK, but I also feel that there should easily be a time that wether he wants to be involved or not, certain information should be "edited" for consumption and not continually talked about with him sitting right there ...

So yesterday wound up being 637 miles, today around 540, I think. Tomorrow is supposed to be around 500 to my destination. Overall a better day and about 11 hours long driving. I deducted a little over an hour for a couple of stops I made a long the way. First was to a small museum in the town of Garry Owen, Montana. Stacy and I have stopped several times at the Little Bighorn Battlefield site, but never at the museum I visited today. I enjoyed taking a look at the artifacts on display from Custer's Last Stand, and a bit more from the indians view. The town is actually located on the spot where the over 4,000 indians were encamped when the attack and subsequent massacer took place in June 1876. Second stop was a place we had stopped to see back in 1996, a site of an old fort near Buffalo, Wyoming. Other than that it was just drive. Temps were 93 to 98 all daytime to dark, and I did get some rain near Rapid City, South Dakota. Still a lot of motorcycles around from the Sturgis...

So, I'll drop these little ' notes' as I travel to Missouri. Story is yesterday morning I had a voice mail appear on my phone from my brother Mike. Now he was still in China at the time and I had no idea when he would have sent it, but the message said he was on his way back to the USA and then to Missouri. It would take him 4 or 5 days to get there. With all the news that Clifford was going downhill fast, he thought, if possible, we should try to get together with him. So at 7:40 this morning I was on my way. Stacy could not go with me because one girl is on vacation at work and Stacy will cover for me on a Court case on Tuesday. So after a rather long day of driving, I made it to Hardin, Montana. I'm in our Chevy truck which I'm not complaining about!  I am remembering why I don't like Summer trips, hot, hot, hot. At least I'm in the air conditioned truck. I had thought about driving the Solstice. But honestly, even though I really enjoy the car,  it ca...

In case you, the reader, hadn't noticed, I have found out the problem I often read about on other blogs I follow or in podcasts I listen too, keeping up with them!!!!!!!!!!! You'd think it wouldn't be so hard, just writing something noteworthy or not, every so often and press the "Publish Post" button. But with this blog it's been most of the summer since the last, not even full, blog post! So to my friend Robin, thanks for the call Sunday to ask why I haven't posted lately! Well, so what have Stacy and I been doing since our return from the Dude Ranch week in June? First off it has been a fairly busy summer work wise. Stacy has been traveling from once to three times a month to Boise and for two days to a week for state level meetings. She also had her week in Boise at the Police Academy as an Instructor and found out she'll have to take another class, this time only one week long, for Supervisor next month. It is really too bad they wouldn...

This post was actually written while we were in Canada. I had written it and then posted it as a draft, then after we got back it has been so busy I forgot to finish and post it as done. Although this won't be able to be posted due to their Internet being out since last Tuesday, I thought as I have some time to type this out to post later. Several months back Stacy had been looking on line and found a "Dude Ranch", the old name, Guest Ranch nowadays, that due to some cancelations had some vacancies at a reasonably reduced rate for this week, June 5 to the 11th. So we talked and here we are. We saved up for the week since she made the reservations so no sticker shock on checkout tomorrow. This place is near Cranbrook, Canada, which is only about two hours from home, or about the same distance were we to drive to COSTCO in Coeur d' Alene. So close, yet far. And our first real 'go where we want to go' vacation in several years. Also this is one of those "bu...

Weather has finally started to become a bit Spring like. Still have snow levels in the weather reports but now up around 6,000 feet. Last Thursday there was even a Winter Storm warning! I'm not sure how much of the news is making it nation wide especially with all the other weather disaster news of the last month, but in many areas of the Northwest there are record river levels and many are probably going to be flooding. In our area both the Kootenai and Moyie Rivers are expected to be at and over floodstage later this week. While we won't be affected, up on a plateau, a lot of low lying properties and businesses are at risk. The Kootenai is fed by the surge of water rain and snow melt at the lake behind the Libby dam in Motana. It's getting full so the dam is letting out more water. Actually before the dam was built the entire old town area of this town would flood almost every year. And the "Mirror Lake" Golf Course used to actually be at a seasonal lake of the ...

These are five of the photos I had taken on the recent trip to Bend Oregon. Top photo, on the way South just outside of Kennewick, Washington down near the Oregon Border. Above, was a stretch stop on the 97 in Oregon. First time in months it had been warm enough to even have the top down. Above, where I stayed for those four days. My "room" was bottom floor and the set of two corner windows. VERY small and kind of triangular shaped. But the conference center was just across the road from this location so I didn't have to drive anywhere. Pretty nice on that part. On my way home I decided to make a bit of a drive out of it and go by places I had never been to before. Above was a stop near the visitor's center of the John Day Fossil Monument. And the last photo in this set below is one I took as I drove on the 395 Freeway North on the way to Ritzville, Washington, which was my last night out. Then very warm weather wise and home the next day, Saturday, about 12 noon...

So here it is Monday evening and we're catching up on some shows and fast forwarding through the commercials of last nights Survivor finale with the DVR. Last week was a week of traveling for both me and Stacy. I drove to Bend, Oregon for five days leaving last Tuesday morning. I went there for a Northwest Regional Conference for work, to get ideas on funding and community service in these tough economic times. I had been contemplating riding my Gold Wing, but temps in the 30's on last Tuesday morning and continued reports of rain, so I drove the Solstice. I am glad I did as it did turn out to be mostly cold and windy the entire time. By GPS and the car's odometer it was 488.8 miles from our yard to the resort's parking space. A full day drive to get there. While I was down at Bend, Stacy had to spend a day in Coeur d' Alene and then two days in Moscow, ID. all for meetings. And next week she'll be traveling to Boise again. At home lots of rain and still more wi...

Last Sunday, May 1st, I took advantage of the better but still cold weather to take some evening and sunset photos of our little town. Although the previous weekend had been the most springlike weather to date, the workweek was back to rain, snow and highs in the 40's lows in the 20's. The day before, Saturday the 30th had been thunder stormy and very windy so that was why I was at the summit of this old road on Sunday. Taken with my cellphone these two photos are of my camera setup and view of the town while I waited for the sun to go down a bit more, looking for the 'good' light. It was windy and still cold so I wound up not staying to after dark to get any long exposure photos, the kind that cause the car lights to become streaks. Maybe next time. The road below in the photo above is the 'new' highway that was built in the 1990's to replace the narrow winding road that I was standing next to to take the photos. Many people walk along this old section a...

When we got up this morning Stacy and I spent some time recalling some Easter memories. When I was a kid, a LONG time ago now, I remember that back then Easter was a mini Christmas for my family. We got baskets with candy and had egg hunts. But we also usually got a toy or two with all the Easter goodies. One stand out memory was the Easter my mom had made large rabbit tracks out of a pattern and talcum powder around the wood floor to try to convince my brother and sister that the actual Easter Bunny had been to the house. I don't recall how old I was but I do recall that I was beyond Easter Bunny belief. But mom had gotten up very early and had taken a lot of effort to pull the rabbit over the other kids that it still stands out to me. The tracks went from place to place and had a basket or prize at each spot. I think as with many "family" holidays as I grew up my mom made them more for her than anyone else. I guess now it was to have something she never could. Stacy sai...

I'll start with the most recent first and work back a bit. Stacy just got back last night from another three day trip to Boise. Her second one this month. Last weekend was Stacy's birthday and we spent a couple of nights out in Kalispell, Montana like we had done in 2009. Stacy did some shopping at a couple of quilting stores and we did some other shopping and saw a movie too. We saw the animated movie "Rango". I had wanted to see it and time wise we chose that one over the other we wanted to see, "The Lincoln Lawyer" since it was on much later. Rango was a disappointment, I think had it been shorter and more off beat like the earlier Shrek movies it would have been much better. It starts out like it will be good then it becomes a standard western movie just with the animal characters. I also think that since it's advertised as a kids movie it should be a kids movie! I know that of the few kids in the theater the one in front of us lost interest very ear...

After we'd gotten back home from Boise weather wise, the temps warmed up to 'unseasonably warm' and most all the snow melted. Actually the Presidents Day Holiday weekend the grasses were coming up, people actually had begun getting ready for their gardens. Then Sunday the 20th it started to snow. In less than 24 hours over a foot of snow and almost two feet before the storm passed. The next few weeks it was December all over again, at and below zero temps, another almost foot of snow. Winter all over. I was really looking forward to getting the Solstice and motorcycles going, it had been so much like an early spring. But no, it wasn't going to happen quite yet. Even today (3/20) because of all the snow neither the car or the motorcycles can be gotten out with all snow/ice in our driveway blocking way. Maybe in a couple of weeks I can try again. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

First, the rest of the Boise trip. After leaving Boise, we headed back on I-84 and came across snow/ice on the freeway in the mountains east of Pendleton, Oregon. It was actually staying on the road for several miles and for the most part only one lane was open each way with plows working at cleaning it all up. Most of the big rigs were getting their chains on for those going Eastbound. The ones we passed going Westerly, didn't seem to. They were just going really slow. I think because going Westbound it was a more gradual climb. If driving East from Pendleton, and about 20 miles east of the town, you'll drive up a very steep climb to the summit. Anyway, we'd hoped to stop for the night at the Wild Horse Casino and Hotel which is just a bit past the base of the grade I mentioned above from Pendleton. They are in the process of building a new Hotel expansion and since it is a ways from being completed they have very limited rooms available and so they were booked, even on t...

So I have the opportunity to type in an update as this trip winds down and we get ready to head home. Stacy had been in Boise for almost three weeks as I think I'd mentioned in an earlier post, for her P. O. S. T. Academy. Last Thursday I flew down to be here for her class graduation on Friday. On Friday it was the first graduation of the first class of this type of academy education and certification in this field. While she was there for those weeks Stacy was "taken down" and handcuffed over 50 times, still has some of the bruises, "shot and killed" in one of the 'practical' application tests. Voted the class president and in the top five in final scores for that historic first class! She also gave a speech at the graduation with all the state dignitaries. To say I'm proud is an understatement! After graduation she needed to stay in the area because of her usual state meetings that took place yesterday and today, Tuesday. After the meeting today th...

Around 10 am I had to walk over and wait at the Courthouse for some people to show up for some community service. While i waited I took these more ground level photos of the snow. At the time I took the photos the snow was still light and dry. The photo above is looking back towards the building where our offices are. The street crews were really backed up due to the amount of snowfall and hadn't even made it to plow downtown yet so the street was about 5 inches of wheel rutted tracks. A bit difficult to drive and walk through!

The top two photos were taken yesterday January 13th during a heavy point in the snowfall. About a foot or more fell in most areas, and that was just in one day! Across the street a deputy shovels snow. The county got in trouble for using low risk 'detainees' for yard work or seasonal cleaning around the jail and neighboring Courthouse, so the Deputies now have to take time to remove the snow. And then there's the photo below! About 24 hours later on Friday January 14th and yesterday afternoon it started to rain, the temperature went up, from the low 20's in the morning to the high 30's by evening to 40's over night! So with the non stop rain and way beyond normal temps much of the deluge of snow has washed away and melted. Back at home the sudden melt is causing flooding in our basement. So no plowing tonight, just sopping up water! And the forecast for the next week keeps these spring type temps and almost daily rain so I expect most of the snow to be gone s...

This might be one of the last big snow storms of this winter, especially the way the winter has been going. Cold and snow then warms, to the upper 30's to 40's, and rains. Today it began to snow last night and it was predicted to be around 10 inches of snow, and it's at least that much! It hasn't stopped all day and I'll be plowing with the quad when we get home. This is now the next day, Thursday the 13th. I got home and spent almost 2 hours plowing. This morning with all the overnight snow it looked like I hadn't done any plowing. On the way to work we see that the plows haven't plowed hardly anywhere. We later found that it snowed so much that no one could keep up with it all. Turns out it hasn't snowed that much in such a short time in years, and never in the almost 5 years we've lived here full time. The upside though is that the county basically closed at noon today. School had been cancelled in the morning and many of the small stores in the c...

Well after things going along all nice and smoothly, last night, New Years Eve, started or ended, with a pipe breaking in the shower getting water not only all over the bathroom but more so all over everything and soaking the carpet on the floor in the room below. Of course this happens when I'm taking a shower! So I get out of the shower and see the small lake near the door and after panicking, Stacy and I used towels to get the water soaked up in the bathroom and while I tracked down the origin of the leak, Stacy went to check out the room below. Quite the mess! So we finally get to bed about 11 pm, and about 12:30 am I got a Happy New Years text from a friend in California. So that woke us up. Then at 5:00 am Stacy gets a call from the Sheriff's office about one of the kids on probation getting picked up for walking around in town at 4:30 am in 7 degree above temps! Not too smart! Stacy got called after they couldn't get ahold of the regular Juvenile Officer, it was New ...