Our updates for all of you

I really love photography and really I love flying too, but the current cost of renting a small plane to exercise my private pilot's license has priced me out of that market as the exact same plane that used to cost $60.00 an hour is now $160.00 an hour, and while I enjoy flying myself, I can think of other things that I can do with that $160.00 that would last way longer than one hour! But I still love that truly unique perspective of aerial photography that most people will never get to see, and I have taken many, many photos from various aircraft over the years and really missed that aspect of photography a lot and was always looking at ways to get back to it affordably for me. A few years back, long before they started making the news for landing on the lawn of the White House and being considered "threats", I'd first heard of this 'new' thing in photography magazines for getting some amazing aerial photos and videos. A small 4 engined quad copter th

That is what Stacy and I have been working on every weekend at least one day. As I think I'd mentioned earlier in another post, last spring our neighbor had had a company log much of his property. He'd just wanted to have a better view of his land and be able to walk around his property without feeling the need of a machete due to his properties somewhat overgrown state. It took the crew he'd hired about 2 weeks and they kept all his logged Cedar trees as those would be sold for their value. All said and done and he was not happy! That company did a pretty poor job making his property look more like a bomb had gone off more than the forest had been logged. Stumps about 3 feet tall, or higher, shards of trees all over the place. Yes, they had pulled all the "trash wood" into about half a dozen large burn piles, but he was upset because they had not really cleaned his property up. Just logged it and left it. When he got his money for the Cedar he had said i

I had hoped to post more photos while still on the trip but obviously that didn't happen. The overall trip itself was a great time, making lemonade out of lemons!  So much so that when we did get back, I suffered from some pretty heavy 'post trip' depression and that feeling with the catch up of work while we were gone meant I didn't post until today. Yes, from such a great time to back at the same 'bump and grind', well, just a little bummed.  While gone though, a GREAT TIME!!!  Yes the IJJA conference was just the usual IJJA conference, I was glad to be out of it as the event photographer after 6 years, and Stacy was out too with any involvement in the core IJJA group. We currently have no plans to go next year although Stacy may have to go for one day for her state level meetings that take place the last day of the conference. We need a year off! As conference centers go the the Shilo Inn and Convention Center was NOT a good place to be this yea

So Stacy is at her last meetings today,  should it stop raining as predicted later this morning I have things to do! The big event banquet last evening didn't drag on and the IJJA opted to NOT have any entertainment this year. Last year was an unfunny comedian, and for several years before it was various styles of hypnotist that were from very good to just plain sad.  A good many attendees were very upset with the poor service and food at the convention site. Last nights "fabulous dinner"  was prime rib that was sent out to people from about raw to well overdone, like my plate.   You didn't have an option, you got what they gave you.  Unfortunately for the vegetarian folks, like Stacy, they got served dead last and it was only a small plate of some noodles and vegetables. Stacy said it was not very good and very spicy hot. This mornings rainy view through the window. The "work" is over, now back to the fun part, the trip!

Photos of the trip, so far , to Idaho Falls for the 2015 IJJA Conference. Above, Finally! Truck on and minutes away from heading out from the property. Stacy had said the night before, "I would really like us to be on the road by 8 am!" I said "no problem!" We pulled out at exactly.............. 9:03 am! Well....., I was close! Above and below: Pulling off for a short break near Thompson Falls, Montana Above and Below: After a while longer it was lunch time! Forget the hour time change going into Montana and Mountain time. We pulled off near a lake and enjoyed sandwiches Stacy getting the makings out and the lunchtime view out the big window. You know, this is the view in all the RV ads but in reality they're often hard to come by. It was a very nice lunch break view though. The haze was from still burning forest fires in the general area. Our first night was at the Missoula, Montana, K

So, at this moment Stacy and I are in our RV at a campground in Idaho Falls.  In about a half hour we'll be going back over to the Shilo Inn and Convention center for the banquet evening during the Juvenile Justice Conference for this year.  Tomorrow is the final day of meetings then we start back towards home. It has been a nice trip so far, no problems with the trailer, and this was the first time we have been able to take it on a trip since we got it so this is also been the "shakedown" trip. Everything has worked great and we even had a lot of rain during the evening and night last night and this morning. No leaks or drips inside at all, and we've had the RV with the leaking window seal more than once over the years. But we're very glad our 2015 doesn't leak. As we've been here for the last few days it has  been interesting seeing all the comings and goings of RV rigs each day.  From really new to new to them older units, quite the variety of sizes and

This past couple of weeks had been hot, cool, windy, calm but one thing over all of it -  smokey! I started this post last week and want to get it finished! As I had mentioned in the previous post, it has been high fire danger for several weeks now. Where we are we have 3 large fires in the general area, I'd say about 50 miles in range.  Nearest to our town is the Parker Ridge fire, still burning after about a month, but expanded to over 6,000 acres due to some high winds last week. Last Wednesday, 8/19/2015, the area farmers in the vicinity of the fire first used their tractors to make fire breaks and ultimately just burned their "stubble fields" as with the drought this summer has made very few crops viable anyway, but over 2,000 acres of fields.  Then there's the Tower Fire, near the community of Priest River but across the border into Washington. At over 10,000 acres, and with the way prevailing winds usually flow in the area, a lot of our smoke is ac

My almost daily emailed alerts, still hot and dry! Alert: Red Flag Warning in effect from noon Today to 9 PM PDT this evening Dear Joseph Brown, ...A SURFACE THERMAL TROUGH WILL BRING DRY AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS TO PORTIONS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO TODAY... .A STRONG THERMAL TROUGH POSITIONED ACROSS IDAHO THROUGH EASTERN WASHINGTON WILL BRING NEAR RECORD HEAT TODAY. THIS FEATURE WILL PRODUCE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVE FIRE BEHAVIOR AND PLUME DOMINATED FIRES ON ANY ACTIVE FIRES OR NEW STARTS. ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON  TODAY TO 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR UNSTABLE THERMAL TROUGH FOR NORTH IDAHO...AND NORTH AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPOKANE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR UNSTABLE THERMAL TROUGH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM  NOON  TODAY TO  9 PM PDT  THIS EVENING. * AFFECTED AREA: FIRE WEATHER ZONE 101 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL I

One of my personal favorites from the trip, below, the poor sourdough turtle. Before dissection! The "face" on the turtle looks so sad, like it knew what was going to happen.  Below. Getting ready to leave the Best Western in Ritzville, Washington. Our route was the "fastest" according to the car's GPS, so the 90W to the 395S then the 84W, 97S, I-5S, 505, 80W, 680S and on and on! I'm getting some tea before we leave. Along the way we finally stopped  to finally check out the Rolling Hills Casino near Corning, California, on the West side of I-5. We've driven by it many times over the years but never stopped until this trip. It turned out to be a very nice place! So nice I had decided we'd stop on the way back if at all possible. And we did, I gave it 5 stars in Trip Advisor after we stayed. And would easily stay there again! Above, as Natalie's one year birthday was going to happen while they were all in Europe. Sand