The Wild Outdoors

It is hot.
I melted today and puddled in front of the TV watching Jon and Kate Plus Eight.
Even though it's unbearably hot, it's my favorite. I wouldn't want it any other way. I love feeling the overwhelming heat that presses against your skin and tickles your toes.

I was at camp last week. It's so exhausting chasing around 4th through 6th graders that are wild and hyped up on poweraide and High-C (thanks to the new installation in the dining hall). Apparently this generation of kids were born without ears...which is quite frustrating for the counselors. As much as you tell them to stop talking, stop messing around, stop throwing rocks at people's heads I might as well told the pine trees. They at least listen.

But, regardless of how much they don't listen and don't obey...I love them.

We decided to take them on a night hike Thursday evening and then decided that it would be great fun to get lost. I definitely didn't think it was possible to get lost in La Foret...especially me, I suppose I thought that my internal Black Forest compass would turn on and it'd point homeward. Well. There we were about an hour and half into our supposedly 45 minute hike with tired and complaining campers. The counselors trying to play it cool by having a counselor meeting about "vespers" wondering where the heck we were and how we were going to find our way back. Meanwhile a camper taps us on the back dancing around insisting that he has to go to the bathroom. Fabulous.So we dubbed Alex, our wonderful Spanish speaking counselor from Spain, to take the boggle of boys dancing around up over a hill to pee. They must have missed the "up and OVER" the hill directions (big surprise) and there they were in plain view all in a row on top of the nearest hill. Sam looked up and then yelled "LOOK AT THE SAND DUNES!!!" pointing in the opposite direction. I giggled.
Somehow we stumbled out of the woods 2 and half hours late just in time for the sun to completely disappear and s'mores to hit the hot coals. Oy vey.

Then the first animal visit came during that night. Behind Inglis Hall a bear sauntered up, knocked over a can of white paint stepped in it and left us weaving bear tracks all over the back area. Needless to say my heart jumped thinking about us wandering around in the woods the previous night...good thing the campers make enough noise to scare away a deaf heard of elephants.

Camp ended with a fabulous performance of the play "It's Good" which they worked so hard on. Afterward I went on to watch my mom play in the State Games and eventually win the gold medal in her division!! Amazing!

This week the animal encounters continued...Cami brought a small garden snake and dropped it at our feet. It curled itself into a knotted ball and pretened to be a rock. My dad and I shoved it into a box and let it go away from Cami the Great Snake Attacker. It gratefully slithered away.

I also discovered these sweet bugs thanks to Sam at camp. She calls them Sand Lions and I'm pretty sure they are a kind of spider. But they make these cone shaped holes in the dirt and wait for an unsuspecting (or perhaps a somewhat persuaded ant from my prompting...) fall into the steep incline in which it can't get out of and then all of a sudden the bottom erupts and this small spider grabs the any quick as lightning. It's so fascinating!!

Bugs, Friends, and Mountains!

I just spent the weekend in beautiful Buena Vista with a group from my church.

We arrived Friday evening to a camp fire and roasted marshmallows.

Mom, Becky and I stayed at a nearby "cabin" (really a lovely house by a creek) which was conveniently close to the campsite!

Saturday morning arrived early and most of the group set off with Pastor Sam on a hike. My unaccustomed lungs screamed in terror that I was taking them up the side of a mountain where oxygen molecules were far and few between. The mosquitoes also flocked to our unsuspecting arms and legs - who knew mosquitoes thrived at 8 in the morning?? Bug spray soaked and sweating our group trudged on, but it was definitely worth the view:

Our triumphant group:

The adventures continued with a lunch soaking in the sunshine and listening to the rushing water near our cabin. With the short rest we were energized and headed off to go fishing! Back to Cottonwood Lake Linda, mom and I cast our hooks in and waited until the fish took the bait - four in all! Becky shook her head at the torture and drowning of the helpless worms, but the fish are so fun to catch (and good to eat).

That night at the cabin I was working on some things when I heard a strange clicking and whirring sound and looked up to see this thing come flying towards me:

I screamed and grabbed my mom while we helplessly looked on as this bug the size of a small swallow flew all around. Luckily it ran into a window and knocked itself senseless which wasn't as big of a shock as my mom's shoe slamming down a few good times. Oh bugs.

This morning after our brief church gathering and baking ourselves in the hot sun, mom and I headed off to Denver to watch the Rockies sweet the Pirates 11-3. Good times AND tacos!!!

I'm off to camp this week...more encounters with raging bugs, with the added element of wild children. Should be a good time.

What?

My laptop is on the fritz. At least I think it is.

It started to freeze every time I started it, so I took it into Circuit City for its routine "check-up" with an 'oh, by the way - it's freezing up' which turned into "let me go take a look, it was pretty dusty so I cleaned it, you need to fill out this diagnostic report and we'll call you before we send it off to be fixed or if it needs a new hard drive, but we promise we'll get it back to you by the 23rd."

Whoa, what? I just thought it was dusty and now I'm signing my name that my laptop in fact is malfunctioning?

Sometimes I think that it's all hype, but they still haven't called to say "oh - it's all better! Come pick it up!" So now I'm wondering if they are sabotaging my computer so they didn't go all crazy on me for nothing...plus the diagnostics is free so why not rack up a few dollars. I'm probably paranoid, but I feel like I walk around blindly in these matters. I hate being so illiterate with computers...why they hate me...and what the heck is making my laptop freeze. It's the same way with cars...I wish I could trust the mechanics, but when they drive the car in and close the garage door I don't really know what's happening. Well, let's be honest, I could stand there and watch the whole thing and never really know what's happening. So, new hobby: computer engineering and mechanics?? Anyone up for a tutorial session?

I'll just twiddle my thumbs until then waiting for the prognosis of cancer for my computer when I took it in with a sniffle.

While in Circuit City I noticed the nice laptop covers that I was looking for (if I ever get my laptop back) and found them at a nice ripe price of $25.00. And the ones with dots and designs on them are $30.00. Yikes...another new hobby: learn how to make laptop covers.

Dad set up a horseshoe pit for the 4th of July BBQ. I think it's a game to reiterate my lack of luck and athletic ability. Mom steps up and on her second throw gets a ringer. Meanwhile I'm chasing mine half way down the driveway.

Anyhow, mom dad and I were playing tonight when mom swept us with this:

By the way...those were one after the other. Apparently my new found talent is not in horseshoes...(though that it my red one...I was at least close)

Homeward Bound

I've finally made it home.

Here's a quick recap of my trip from the northwest to the rocky mountains.

Seattle

My dad arrived and we spent three days touring Seattle, packing up my apartment and somehow getting it all to fit in storage and the car. I took him on the Ride the Duck tour - a crazy ride in a 1940's amphibian bus which tours around Seattle and drives into Lake Union for a water tour! Altogether, lots of fun! We also ventured to Pioneer Square and took the Underground Tour which was fascinating and I now know a little but more about Seattle and how it burnt to the ground.

We also visited the Ballard Locks and soaked in the sunshine and beautiful (and expensive) boats that passed through. Then off we went headed south.

Oregon

We stopped and met my Uncle Leon and stayed with him for a few days. Oregon is beautiful and it was wonderful to see my dad and his brother re-connect. It was wonderful weather and such a relaxing break from driving, packing and school.
Once again we were on the road headed south.

California

Dad and I drove through the Redwood National Forest and looked at the immense and stunning redwoods. They tower above and are so large around that they hold a majestic power to any who see them. Driving through the forest the sun would try and penetrate the thick foliage and when it did it was a fire red and gold which lit up little patches. One of the most amazing things I've seen. From there we headed on toward Grass Valley. California happens to be on fire. So as we traveled farther and farther inland the smoke began to thicken. We stopped in Ukiah in an attempt to stay the night and found it full of strangling smoke and all hotels were full of firefighters (there are over 1,000 fires in one county and Ukiah happened to be in the middle of most of them). So we headed on into the night toward Yuba City narrowly missing an elk in the thick fog of smoke, curves and overall tiredness. A good night's rest later and we were off to Uncle Norm's (little did we know, 27 miles in the wrong direction) so after a little delay we arrived at Uncle Norm's where he and my dad set off eager to catch up and Aunt Suzi took me on a wild tour of Grass Valley, Rough-n-Ready, and Nevada City where I got to enjoy a little of everything and get to know my Aunt Suzi. The smoke gave an eerie glow to the small valley and smoke tickled all of our noses. Unfortunately we were unable to stay much longer and needed to head home. Long good-byes with hopes of sooner hellos.

Nevada and Wyoming were a boring blur with an exciting stop in Salt Lake City in between. Finally, "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" came into view and we were soon home in our own beds.

Lila has been here this week and today we went to the zoo which was very exciting - we hit the animal exhibits just right and were able to see lots of animals up close and very awake and active. Here are some of my favorites: