Challenge Day 9: Vacation Hiatus (Summer Stuff)

The last day of summer isn't technically until September 21st, a little over two weeks from now.  For most people, however, the end of August usually signals the real end of summer.  The nights (usually) start getting colder, the kids go back to school, and things start to get serious again.  I am sad (as always) to see summer go.

I can't complain too much though.  We had a great summer.  There was lots of camping, playing in the water, hanging out with friends, and generally absorbing as much outside time as possible. In August, we took Derrin to his first rock concert (Cake!), and that was a great time.

 We also went camping at Como Lake with Deana, Rob and the kids- also a super time.  Kloe and Alaina finally caught their chipmunk this year.  The first one was a moment of great triumph, but their trap was almost too effective; they were able to catch so many that it lost its novelty.  Also, the chipmunks were eager to gnaw off any little fingers that got anywhere near them, and it became apparent very quickly they were never to be the cuddly little pets the girls had dreams about.  Catching frogs and snakes became the preferred activity again.  We went to the beach a couple of times, and everyone got in the water (well, except me, but I am a cold water wimp) briefly.  There was a lot of thunder and rain, so we ended up back at camp pretty quickly after any trip to the beach.  We played a lot of poker (I smoked Rob, that was the most important thing you need to know about that), sat around the campfire, and huddled in the camper when one particularly loud and hard storm rolled through.  Beautiful weekend.

The week after that camping trip, we had some crazy forest fires across-ed the river from our house.  We had quite a few friends on evacuation notice, and held our breath until the fire was eventually contained.  The air was typical August in Montana- smoke smoke everywhere.

The first weekend in September, Derrick had a golf tournament in Anaconda (the morning after the fair in Hamilton).  Georgetown Lake is not far from there, so we brought the camper up there and camped with Shannon, Phil, Alta, Kevin and Guinness.  It turned into a great weekend just lounging by the beach.

And that pretty much is the short version of summer, and brings me up to date.  Tomorrow is the dirty dash 5k.  This is the second year we will be doing it.  None of us feels as prepared as last year, even though we signed up clear last January.  Oh well, it's a chance to hang out together and have some fun.

Como Lake 2013
  

Cheeky Chipmunk, Stealing Peanut Butter

The Trappers

Bucket of Snakes and Frogs, Desperate to get out and away from eachother

Canoe Ride Across the Lake

Chilling at the Lake

Another Fun Camp Trip Together

My crazy friend, sawing some wood.

"KingPin" Lolo Forrest Fire 2013

Storm Rolling In

Smoke Rolling over our house

The View from our neighborhood

Dramatics from my boy Georgetown Lake Camping Trip 2013

Beautiful niece, Shananin

"Trophy" fish

Trip to Philipsburg for Candy

The Good Life and Why I Shouldn't Watch Documentaries

I'm technically off of work for the summer, but today I am filling in for a co-worker.  The previous three days of this week, however, have been stupendous.  Things aren't exactly getting done with the reckless abandon I had hoped for, but I have enjoyed the slower pace of life.

I've managed to get my house (mostly) in order (although it could always fall apart again at any moment), go on a couple long walks/runs (well, I ran for a couple minutes; it was mostly fast walking), read a book, learned a new song with Derrin on our guitars, and go on a mom/daughter date with Kloe.

We are going camping/motorcycle riding this weekend, so Derrick and I finally went out and bought some safety gear for Derrin and myself (to share, since we also share a motorcycle).  For once we won't look like the only redneck riders in the bunch.  I'm relieved to have finally spent the money on the gear.  I had some gnarly wrecks the last time we did a moto trip, and I was very fortunate that I didn't end up getting really hurt.  This time I'm planning on NOT trying to keep up with the big boys, and mainly just trusting Derrick to take me out on the trails so I don't end up over my head again.

Kloe and I went out for sushi and shopping for our mom/daughter date.  The boys went to see Iron Man 3, us girls did our own thing instead.  After we went home and Kloe went to bed, I started thumbing through Netflicks, trying to find shows that I would normally only watch if Derrick isn't around (chick flicks and documentaries).  I watched one PBS documentary about what successful relationships have in common.  I enjoyed it, but it's light fluffiness made me feel like diving into darker documentary terrain.

It had been awhile since I'd watched a serious documentary.  I tend to go a little crazy over anything more serious than about what crap our food supply is, and even those tend to make me wander around the grocery store picking up items, putting them down, and then leaving with nothing but (organic) bananas and (organic) milk.   I was looking through some of my older blogs, and found this one about the time I watched a documentary called "Collapse".  Because of that documentary, that summer I convinced my poor father to plant tons of potatoes in his field.  Waaay too many potatoes for any one family to eat unless there was, in fact, the widespread famine they were intended for.  Clearly, documentaries are not my friend.  Sometimes, I just need to depend on my more informed and calmer type friends.

Anyways, I found a BBC documentary about Hiroshima.  It called to me; we all grow up knowing that the bomb was dropped over there, and of course we all know intellectually that it was horrible, but I'd never really taken the time to find out the whole story.  The documentary told the story with old movie footage, and first person accounts with reenactments.  The escalation of events was intense.  It might as well have been a horror movie.  By the time the bomb actually dropped out of the plane, I was following several experiences of what regular Japanese people were doing on that day, including a doctor, a nurse, a bank teller, and a husband and wife having breakfast and playing with their two young children.  These were all just normal people who had absolutely nothing to do with what their wacked out powers-that-be were up to (and the powers-that-be were truly mad), and yet they were the ones to pay a truly nightmarish price.

The portrayal of the city going through the annihilation was so incredibly realistic.  The people who vanished instantly in the eye of the bomb were the fortunate ones.  For the survivors on the edges, the sky was black, and everything was completely blown to bits and on fire.  I watched it as long as I could.  The story that finally made me burst into tears and frantically turn it off, knowing I'd have never be able to scrub it out of my brain, was about the young family who'd been having breakfast together.  The last scene was of the mother stumbling out of her crumbled house, screaming for her children, only to discover that one of them was half buried in the rubble, and there was no way she'd be able to get her out before the oncoming flames consumed her.  Even in my worst nightmares I have never thought of something so horrible.

The whole thing made me think of North Korea.  I read a lot of the articles about their leader's big talk and threats, but beyond the articles I always read the reader's comments below.  There are so many people think that preemptively nuking that country is the answer.  It makes me sick.  I hate how easy it is for humans to strip others of their own humanity.  It makes the whole "might making right" so much easier when you don't have to think about all of the babies and innocents that get fried so you can dominate whatever wack job is threatening you.  Man, I hate this world sometimes.  Once again, yes I know that this isn't how it is always going to be, but sometimes I can hardly take the present.   And that is the end of that rant.

Until next time....

...And Then We Went to the Beach...

Just this last weekend, we did our annual Como Lake Camping Trip with our buddies, the Diefenbachs. It was such a beautiful weekend, and there was plenty of relaxing and laughing all around.

We spent a lot of the time laying around on the beach.  I love Como Lake.  I don't think it can possibly be too common of a thing to have sandy beaches, warm water, and be completely surrounded by an amazing mountain range.  I know it isn't that common in our nick of the woods.

The kids had a great time.  Derrin and Tyler rode their bikes to the lake, and generally enjoyed the freedom of being one of the bigger kids.  The three girls tromped around in the woods, playing and plotting to catch 'chickmonks'.  They even built some awesome traps, but it just didn't work out this time.  If they keep honing their chickmonk trapping skills, I bet next time it will be a sure thing.

This next weekend is going to be the only one in August that we are going to be home. The weekend after we are going to camp with my family up in Trout Creek, and the weekend after that we will be camping with the Holland crew in Hungry Horse. We may just be ready to settle down when September finally hits us with all of it's real life responsibilities!

~Kloe, explaining her chickmonk traps~

Last year it was Derrick's name on the Beach Headstone.  This time, I was the lucky corpse.

They are just SO SAD!! :p haha

Did someone say, mustache?

And maybe a goatee?

And a sideburn?  This is what happens when people leave chard wood laying around at the beach.

See that sly look in her eye?  It matches her mustache.  She is a woman of international intrigue.

Deana and Rob on the dock.

Como Lake really is lovely.

This is my wild wild friend, Deana.  Just love that woman:)

And this is my studly husband.  Love that man too.

And my precious boy.

And this is Rob, my friend and poker nemesis.  I will beat him soundly someday.

Our camper, nestled in the trees.

He beat us all soundly (again).  Pretty sure he cheats.

Someday she will catch that chickmonk.  It will be a very fine day.

The ChickMonk Hunters!!

Time for some camping manicures!!!

Ooh, so pretty!

Going home, with my crazy nails....