Otherwise, it was great to have the kids home for the Thanksgiving weekend.
arrived at Qwest Field.
Bought a pile of steel parts over the past several months. Sold a bunch of excess baggage on Craig's List and e-bay to raise the money. Assembly was easy after watching several videos on YouTube. Had to borrow a few tools from an armory wizard.
Didn't have all the tools and vises so I improvised. Here is a shot of a jig to hold the gas block steady while the gas tube pin is set in place.
Here is the assembly when the scope arrived. Scope came with Weaver rings so I had to buy high rise Picatinny rings - much nicer and beefy enough to handle the abuse. In this shot the butt stock is collapsed.
The pain wasn't terrible but I was too afraid to skate home. I straightened the mirror on the car and left. About a block away I sat down and took off the skates and walked the rest of the way in my socks.
This will be my friend until March 17th. Everything moves now though maybe not as well as originally. If the thumb doesn't extend as far as normal we may have to go back in to shorten the tendon a little. The doc calls it a "nip & tuck". Maybe I'll have him do the same thing to my belly while I'm out. That way I wont need an exercise program.
The trail follows the Wallace River into the Cascade foothills. Even through I have only been through God Bar a couple times before, I had never noticed the falls, which are easily seen from the valley floor a couple miles away. The trail was marked by the typical legal warnings which keep the government from being sued by ignorant people who have no judgments. In this case, McKenzie brought along a marker and changed the sign to make it more appropriate for the college boys she knows. The lower falls were interesting but not spectacular. It would be fun to see them when a raging torrent is boiling through the canyon.
At the middle falls, the scene opens up to a gorgeous view of the valley below. You can't buy this picture in Texas. 
You don't know how hard it was for McKenzie to sit for this shot. The smile disappeared as fast as it flashed.
This is the middle falls - a spectacular series of pools and cliffs. Hiking to this point is a small challenge but well worth the effort. In winter, this would be even more beautiful with the mist frozen on the rocks and trees. It is definitely on the list for a short winter jaunt.
At the upper falls is the end of the trial. One has to hike to the end, even though the view isn't nearly as rewarding as the middle falls. For a 2.7 mile hike to the top, it was satisfying. Knowing that we didn't quit was joy in itself. Being with my wife and kids brings me a lot of pleasure, more now that they are adults than before. I thought the teenage years were good - these are better.
When the sun finally broke through, it brought a sense of relief and anticipation. Blossoms bring the expectation of future fruit, flowers bring the bright colors of joy.
It is a reminder to me that even when things are despairing, when our battles seem lost and when light cannot shine through, that there is something to which we can still aspire. In Seminary we are nearing the book of Revelation. The great message of that book is that in the end, the winner will be clear, that this contest is not going to end in a tie score. At the moment it might even feel like we are losing, that the momentum is all with our opponent and his team of miscreants who go about tearing down everything wholesome and clean. The pressure on us is bearing down more each day making it feel irreversible. But, in the end, Good overcomes in a big victory. When ten thousand times ten thousand ascend to the highest station, that is a large contingent of winners.
As these flowers open their pedals to the summer sun, I am filled with anticipation of warmer, joyful days ahead. I don't despair nor waiver but look with hope to ever-brighter days ahead.
Here is another shot of his paw. Hind legs only push forward and help him scurry about. No hair is wasted on his pointed tail, much like a gopher which is more common in Idaho. You can also see the hole just behind where Mole came out. Just after this photo was taken, Mole went right back into the hole for the last time, never again to see the light of day.
Melanie and I took a trip to Idaho this weekend to watch Whitney graduate from college. She just wrapped up her senior year at BYU-I in Rexburg with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. This is another happy moment for us as our oldest daughter reaches a milestone which we planned since her youngest days. It is rewarding to watch our kids set high expectations for themselves - and reach for them. We are proud of her accomplishment and to see her place a high value on learning and education. Now that she is out of school and married, we lost another tax deduction. I'll try to counter the adverse tax affect by earning less this next year.
It was a pleasure to share the occasion with Whitney's husband, Curt. It could have been uncomfortable last December when Curt graduated because he could have taken his new bride to some distant corner of the country before she graduated as well. Since he decided to stay in Rexburg to support Whitney while she finished her last semester, it saved us the confrontation. He was generous in his magnanimity and didn't force us to pull rank after all the time and money we had invested in Whitney's college education.
At least Whitney waited until after the graduation formalities before she celebrated. BYUI's president would surely have put her on graduation probation had she whooped and danced during the march. She was glad to be done, and we are happy for her. On to the next stage, wherever that leads her.
Melanie has a very delicate disposition. Some things make her scared easily. When I asked her to stand by the dead bear, she wasn't sure she could keep her emotions in check.
Finally, after Whitney and Curt showed us a good time, we left for Salt Lake City to spend the day with our parents and Dana's family. This is a picture of us and Arnold as we left Rexburg. Arnold kind of blocked us from the picture.
It made me think of the many times I have been to the temple with our family. Over the years I'm sure I have treated the temple with less care than I should have. Just after Melanie and I were married, I worked construction with a fellow in Provo - the brother of one of Gary's college friends. This fellow told me his life went about as well as his temple attendance. That has always stuck with me, not that I followed his advice. How lucky we have always been to be near a temple and how little I have used them. Maybe now I will think less of making money, coaching teams, playing ball and being outdoors and more on strengthening my core beliefs.
Also, my mind was turned to the temlpes I have visited over the years. 1. Idaho Falls, which will always be my temple, 2. Provo, 3. SLC, 4. Bern, 5. London, 6. Ogden, 7. Logan, 8. Manti, 9. Oakland, 10. Jordan River, 11. St. George, 12. Boise, 13. Seattle, 14. Laie, 15. Kona, 16. Bountiful, 17. Draper, 18. Rexburg, 19. San Diego, 20. Houston, 21. Portland, 22. Lehi. I was at the Copenhagen temple long before it was a temple, but I guess that doesn't count. It was the original chapel in Copenhagen, next to the mission home before they changed its use to a temple, remodeled and dedicated it.
Arnold was even more upset. He walked around the yard marking his territory again. I hate it when he does that. You know how much spoor an elephant leaves behind, don't you? At least we can use it in the garden.
He did get a chance to take a bath though. He loves the water.
Even though it has been colder this past week than normal, the Flowering Plum is waking up to Spring. We haven't seen any honey bees yet, but the blossoms aren't quite in full bloom. Give it a week and the yard will be covered with the petals of the flower. Now, that is a snow I can enjoy this time of year.
This guy only looks delicate for a few days, then has to be cut back to the ground. It's nice to see flowers this early since it helps dispell the gloom after a long winter. It's a nice way to begin a Sunday morning before going to church.
Arnold, step away from the bunny!
One of these days we will have to spend a weekend here at Lake Quinalt Lodge. Teddy can be proud of what he started. Although I am not much of an Obama fan and his trillion dollar debt machine which my children will be fortunate enough to pay for since they voted him into office. His boondoggle will fund some badly needed improvements at the country's National Park system.
At the Hoh River Rain forest we walked among the giants. These trees are as tall as a football field, if you stood a football field on its end, that is. Other wise that wouldn't make much sense 'cuz a football field isn't very tall otherwise. Not only are these trees massive, but they host some very funky moss.
Late in the day we made it to Rialto Beach near La Push. It was high tide and a little rough, but pretty in its own way. We sure live in a beautiful country. Now that we are mature adults, we need to get out and see more of it. This Summer will give us a good chance to see some of the southwest desert. We are looking forward to that.
Here I'm standing next to one of those large trees, washed off the mountain by a previous storm where is has been battered by the surf and ocean debris.
Melanie had ulterior motives for wanting to visit the coast. She pretended not to know anything about the vampires we would run into. Having never seen the movie nor read the 3,258 pages of fine literature about the topic, I was not expecting to be caught up in the Twilight hysteria. This bus was transporting an entire gaggle of hopeless vampire groupies around this small timber town. Forks was single-handedly saved from economic ruin by pale-skinned blood suckers. It seems a whole industry has sprung up around these sub-human vermin.
We went down this road anyway.
Yes, Melanie made me stop at the vegetable market where Bella shops. We bought blood turnips, deer neck and wolf spiders. Melanie ate the spiders, crunchy. I had the deer neck burger, seared with garlic to keep the vampiresses away until we got off the reservation. Lucky for us the sun was out that day, as you can tell from the previous photos. Melanie was disappointed she didn't get her photo taken with Edward, but when we got home, she let me nibble on her neck a little anyway. I think she went out and bought the movie on DVD this week. I'll try not to watch it.
When the sun had come up and the horizon was fully bled out, I walked around the barnyard. Knowing the farmer would probably be upset if he caught me hanging around on his place, I tried to shoot a couple interesting pictures before scampering.
It was a treasure chest of images at the barn. With three out-buildings, implements from the 1940's, wood rotting into the ground, there has to be a magazine photo in that place somewhere. This boot, part of a pair slung over a horse stall a number of decades ago. Look how it quietly lost its soul. It must have filled with rain a thousand times before the welt gave way and the sole fell off. You'll have to go to my Flickr page to see it in color. It shows better in color. The link is to the right, at the bottom. Visit McKenzie's Flickr page as well, it shows better than mine.
It occurred to me that change is probably good. These old buildings haven't changed much and look what's happening to them. Nobody cared for them these many years and now they have lost their usefulness. Changing the roof, siding, doors and windows would have made them hold up better to the forces around them. One can learn a lot from an old barnyard. It's a new day, and that's not so bad. Maybe I'll run home and get out the caulk after all.
