Still here
Hello everyone. I know it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here, but I feel there is enough to say to put something together. Actually, there’s a ton that’s happened, but it all seems so mundane sometimes, that I feel you all would be more grateful if I didn’t write. I mean, who really wants to hear what Amy and I have been eating for dinner, or that school has started and we’ve lost all patience for the hollow platitudes and incompetent bungling of the Boise School District? Nobody! This biggest news, probably, is that I (speaking for myself here) have concluded in my heart that if the Republicans win in November, the reality of life in America will have become unbearable. (Roger – it’s up to you! Colorado is in your hands) I am actively looking for employment in New Zealand, and will start soon looking in Canada. Agriculture is where we eventually want to head, but employment in construction or education , preferably construction education, will be critical for a while. New Zealand is welcoming immigrants and has fantastic soil and water (not to mention health care), but it’s really far away. Canada has always been more difficult in terms of employment, but the Okanagan valley has a good climate, and is a lot closer. Anyway, just a heads up. We’ll know more in 6 weeks. (I mean it Roger)
Hello everyone. I know it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here, but I feel there is enough to say to put something together. Actually, there’s a ton that’s happened, but it all seems so mundane sometimes, that I feel you all would be more grateful if I didn’t write. I mean, who really wants to hear what Amy and I have been eating for dinner, or that school has started and we’ve lost all patience for the hollow platitudes and incompetent bungling of the Boise School District? Nobody! This biggest news, probably, is that I (speaking for myself here) have concluded in my heart that if the Republicans win in November, the reality of life in America will have become unbearable. (Roger – it’s up to you! Colorado is in your hands) I am actively looking for employment in New Zealand, and will start soon looking in Canada. Agriculture is where we eventually want to head, but employment in construction or education , preferably construction education, will be critical for a while. New Zealand is welcoming immigrants and has fantastic soil and water (not to mention health care), but it’s really far away. Canada has always been more difficult in terms of employment, but the Okanagan valley has a good climate, and is a lot closer. Anyway, just a heads up. We’ll know more in 6 weeks. (I mean it Roger)
End of summer
August and September have been fantastic. I will just quickly mention our meals. They are not a boring as I earlier implied. We’ve been eating some of the best food ever. Most of it is ours, or traded for with our neighbors, or fresh from the farmer’s market. We’ve canned peaches, roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked salsa, and may do some pears today. The melons this year are out of this world! The photo here is a late August meal we just had to memorialize. Everything on the plate came from our yard or from the BUGS garden. (the wine came from France)
Excitng!Late summer trips
Amy and I went back to Halfway, Oregon. Always hopeful, eh? We looked at land and prices, talked with realtors, etc. and stayed up at a lake above town. I meant to take photos, but didn’t get around to any other than Brownlee reservoir on the Snake River. You can compare it, however, to the other pic of the Snake River canyon where Amy and I hiked a week or two ago. We saw more rabbits than we’ve ever seen that day. Addie was going nuts. She’d chase one and another would bolt, so she’d chase that one and another would bolt.
I took my bike up the Boise River to Atlanta, a funky old mining town 75 miles up the river. It’s on the edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness and the site of a proposed watershed destroying mine that the Sierra Club (and others) are trying to stop. I was with a group that got a tour of the site from the mining company. I stayed the night there with two friends who had driven up, and thus were able to carry my gear. Here are some photos from that trip.
I went to our annual fall Sierra Club state meeting on the Salmon River last week. A friend and I headed up early and camped along the way. We camped along the road, but there was little to no traffic. The weather was perfect. At 7am, our camp transformed into an industrial parking lot when two trucks with trailers and a semi with a mining drill parked 30 feet from us. The drivers all got in one truck and left. Next, two trucks of hunters parked, rummaged around, and left in one of the trucks. Ten minutes later 1300 sheep trailed between the trucks and us. I hadn’t even had any coffee yet! Sorry, no photos.
Animals
I wanted to leave with a couple of photos that I did not take, but I saw and thought I needed to share. They are all of animals. The first is of Nils Olav, who was knighted by the Norwegians and is seen here inspecting the troops. This is for real. Note his little armband.
Next we have a Langur, and I think it is one of the most touching photos I have ever seen. If you ever thought animals do not have feelings, you might want to re-assess your position.
The final, thought I truly hate to leave with this image, is one of our own – a citizen of the Empire.
