Bigfoot woman

It's rainy and windy today. All of the remaining leaves are getting blown off of the trees. I like that because now I can see the mountain ridge that is across the river out of my front window. The neighbors that used to live across the street planted some birch trees that blocks most of my view during the summer. These people were dysfunctional I thought. Not long after they planted the trees they split up and sold the house. They had a good kid however. He used to get picked on by some of the other neighborhood kids. I used to feel sorry for him.

The woman always reminded me of a female bigfoot. A female bigfoot that smoked cigarettes. I only saw her at dusk. That was the only time she ever came out of the house. She had dark curly hair, and she always had a cigarette in her mouth. (Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people who smoke.) One time I came home at night and I caught her in the headlights of my car. She looked right at me. She swung her arms as she walked and she looked just like that classic video of the bigfoot walking in the woods.

Her man, I don't think they were married, also always had a cigarette in his mouth. When I say in his mouth, I mean he never used his hands to deal with it. He just lit it and then it stayed in his mouth. I never saw him without one. (The female bigfoot woman also used this smoking technique.) He had a mullet and always wore a baseball cap. He had an old four wheel drive with a snow plow on the front and during the winter that was what he did for money I guess. Their house is in a col de sac just down from me. One time it snowed quite a bit and when I came home this guy had plowed all of the snow out of his place and left it in a big pile in front of my mail box. We have to keep our mail boxes clear of snow or they won't deliver the mail. After he did that, I felt no resonsibility to be kind to them. He knew what he was doing.

Like I said, their family pod broke up. He moved out. Not long after that she sold the house. A nice old couple moved in. I still feel sorry for the kid, but I wish they hadn't planted those trees.

Viewpoints

While I was staying with my mom in Montana last weekend, I watched a lecture on her basic cable TV given at the University of Montana, and broadcast by the local public broadcasting by BARNETT RUBIN who spoke the week before there on the situation in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the admin's present sabre rattling with regard to Iran.

HERE is something from his blog on the subject of Iran as it relates to war with Iraq, and I guess people like me who link to him.

I try not to get political on this blog, but I want you to know that I feel very strongly on the subjects of war and politics. It's impossible for me to ignore as much as I try. I honestly don't want to loose anyone based on my political viewpoints. My viewpoints aren't that important.

So don't worry, my blog will continue to be about what I know best, cycling, skiing, Montana and the northwest.

A Star from Mosul

I read a number of blogs that aren't all on my sidebar. HNK on my side bar is a girl going to school in Mosul Iraq. She is just getting into college. I've been reading her blog for a few years. Her sister Najma is a little older and in college. Her blog is called A STAR FROM MOSUL.

THIS POST broke my heart today.

New socks

I wanted something to make me feel good. What makes you feel better than new socks?.. So I bought some new socks.

New socks are like a drug. They make you feel really good at first. But the more you use them the less good they feel. So you need more and more new socks to feel good.

If I were president, instead of bombing people, I'd drop new socks on them. They would be so happy that they would sit down and cross their legs. Then I'd hit them with the dill pickles.

This is the answer to world peace.

Sh** going on

One time, on another blog, someone complained about someone else saying they couldn't or didn't write because they had some sh** going on in their life and they didn't explain what it was. I can understand someone having a problem with someone else saying that. I wouldn't do that but I want you to know that I do have some sh** going on. I'm going to leave it at that at least for now. If my blog doesn't seem the same then just know that this is why. I have some sh** going on.

We all have sh** going on from time to time. I think it's normal. And sh** for the most part isn't good. It's some bad sh** man. But we'll work through it. Wish us well.

Gate

Here's another photo from Montana. I've been wanting to photograph this gate for a long time. I'm not very happy with the results so I'll probably do this a million more times until I get burned out on it. I think it's a very honest gate.

How many leaves have fallen?

Almost all of the leaves are on the ground in my home town. People rake them into the street for the city to come by and sweep up. It makes great big piles of leaves. I don't have big piles of leaves like that where I live now. I remember as a kid jumping into these big piles of leaves and how much fun it was. You could hide under them and get them down the back of your shirt. They have a smell that you don't forget. It was nice to smell that smell again.

I went for a walk Saturday afternoon with my mom. Some people would rake the leaves into the street and others would not. Some places the sidewalk was clear of leaves and other places it wasn't. Mom would drag her feat through the piles of leaves as she walked. It made a sound, whoosh whoosh whoosh, as she walked along, and it left a trail in the leaves. I could smell the leaves as she walked.

I looked down at a clear spot on the sidwalk and saw the footprint of a dog in the concrete. It reminded me of those dinosaur footprints in the river bed that later turned to stone. The leaves reminded me of a distant time too. My childhood.

Someone's dog left its foot prints in this sidewalk in 1918. There's a date stamp in the concrete on the corner.

I wonder how many leaves have fallen since then?

Iron mom

I've added a new blog to my sidebar. Her husband is an Ironman triathlete, and COURTNEY is an Iron mom with new twins. She's very impressive as I've seen her in action!

Elmo Montana

Here's picture of Elmo Montana Saturday night, home of the Elmo alpine ski team. (me) Come to think of it, Curt deserves a spot on the Elmo "development" team. He's the only other person to ski out of Elmo with me, but he hasn't started to race yet.

I grew up fishing along that shore on the right. A native american lady owns that land. If she didn't, it would all be developed by now.

I've added this photo to my Flathead Lake photos on the side bar.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

The middle of nowhere

I was out in the middle of nowhere yesterday. They marked the spot with this sign on a fence post. There wasn't much going on as you might suspect. That's what I like about Montana.

A new day

I got up early this morning and went down to the shore to participate in life, take a few snapshots, and watch a new day break over the bay. It was very cold and probably around 20 deg F. Frost on everything so I had to watch my step while walking on the piers. There are lots of Canada Geese that winter on Flathead Lake. They are interesting and beautiful birds. They would be floating around in the water and one of them would get an itch and start to honk. Soon it would build into a frenzy of honking and they would all take wing and go for a fly about. There are leaders and followers. Not long after that they would all return and land back in the same location on the water. There's something to be learned from this but I'm not sure what it is.

I think I'll add this picture to my Flathead Lake photos on the side bar. Click on it to see it bigger.
***
I found out that they are called Canada Geese, not Canadian Geese. Thanks Steve.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

You me and the fence post

It has been an interesting week. It started with some conflict resolution. Then disease and pestilence swept through. I did get some miles in on the bike, and outside it was beautiful. Every morning the sun would come up burn off the fog that hung low along the river. I stopped on my way to work to take some snaps one morning. This is a block or so away from my place. The river is below the bank of fog.

Just between you, me and the fence post,... I'm glad this week is over.

Wrinkle free

Meeting yesterday, wore my good shirt. Wrinkle free. Makes me look like Al Gore, or so I've been told. We did serve bottled water so it wasn't an environmentally friendly meeting. I can't remember ever buying bottled water. But then I've never gone anywhere that you couldn't trust the water. We have great water here so as long as I can get water for free I'm not going to buy it. At the next staff meeting, I'm going to suggest that we get a pitcher and glasses for future meetings. That would have been nicer I think. Look better on the table too.

A don's eye view

7:45 Tuesday morning, 39 degrees. legwarmers and booties. One mile left to go.

Wood stoves and dogs

I wrote a post tonight and then deleted it. You're not missing anything. Then I went outside to check and see that my truck was locked up. I could hear a train going by in the distance. Other people's dogs were responding to the sound of its horn. There is a chill in the air and I could smell wood smoke. Most of my neighbors have wood stoves. Wood stoves and dogs.

Breakfast of sportsmen

Today on the breakfast menu,.. tail of brown trout and eggs, fried red potatoes, salsa and lemon. Now the rest of the fish can go in the smoker :) But first,.. a short bike ride.

Fishing trip

Instead of hunting, we decided to go fishing this weekend. My friend and co-worker, Gar, took me fishing to Rock Lake on his boat. It's called Rock Lake because there are lots and lots of rocks. They rise up in the middle of the lake. Gar hit one last week and got the boat stuck and broke a shear pin on the prop. So as we left the so called boat launch this morning he watched to make sure he missed the submerged rocks as we made our way out. It was cold and in the 30s when day broke on the lake. The water was in the mid 50s so you could see mist rising into the air. It was really cool!

Then the wind and rain came up. It was a good thing we had a full canopy on the boat. It was very nice out of the weather. This picture is after the rain and wind ended and we made our way back to the launch. We fished for a couple of hours in the morning and only got a couple of bites. I was starting to doubt. But then our luck started to change. Gar decided to change lures and that did the trick.

Here is our catch. 2 rainbow trout and 4 german browns. Tomorrow I'll be smoking fish!

The public is divided

Tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric,..Hemingway cats, in Key West, and how much the government has been spending to decide wheather or not to lock them up at night.

I'm not sure if that is even interesting to me, and I have a so called HEMINGWAY CAT. Plus they never did say how much the government has spent on this problem, but it must be in the thousands! It's like they didn't even finish the legwork on the story. And this IS a very big problem. There are around 40 cats we are talking about. Imagine, there are almost 40 cats on the loose in Key West every night. Something must be done!

Who in the heck is the CBS news director?! No wonder Katie is so low in the ratings. And they ran this story just before the Hillary needs to get the women vote story.

I can just hear the meeting before the deadline,.. "Lets run with the cat story,.. There's lots of cat lovers and haters out there, the public is divided on this issue... Then follow up with the Hillary story..."

The phone booth

When we are up in the woods at hunt club, someone will run around and find a place where you can get cell phone coverage to call back home. The spot is marked and becomes known as the "phone booth". I took my buddy up to the phone booth with my camper for him to check in with the Mrs. It was way up on a logging road.

"It really sucks up here in the woods,..You wouldn't like it honey, there are mice in the tent... I miss you XXX!"

I'm just kidding! :)

A few things considered

I think I've figured it out...Not broasted chicken. I was wrong about that. I asked my mom today what broasted chicken was and she said chicken made in the oven with the broiler. So we clearly have that all wrong... It's a Montana thing :)

No, I think I've figured out why the news isn't news. It's the same as with network coverage of the Olympics. If it isn't a sport we can relate to like baseball, basketball, and football, we really don't have the attention span to view it. We need entertainment. So the networks won't show much of these sports because people might not watch and they won't make money. But human interest stories sell product. So on the Olympics they show a little of the actual competition and then a big long human interest story about the best person. I hate that. I want to see the sports just like I want to see the news. I want to see all of the people in a ski race for example. I want to see the difference between the fastest person and the slowest person.

What if you went to the Olympics in ski racing for example and they didn't show you on TV because you weren't in the top three? I think that sucks. Everyone back home wants to see you.

Tonight on Brian Williams they had a story about one of his co-workers who had breast cancer and had a breast removed. It was a good story but should have been on a different channel. I see why they put it on because most of the sponsors sell meds. Then there was the story about a train fron China to Tibet. That should have been on the Travel Channel.

The News Hour on PBS had solid news on the other hand. But PBS and NPR have been under attack by the right since the so called Contract With America. There was a joke going around back then, All Things Considered, would become, Just A Few Things Considered.

I just don't think that the news should be "for profit". The end result is that we don't get real news. The powers that be medicate us with what they want, like stories that the drug companies want us to get. I guess I can live with the Olympics.

And now the news

I've been thinking about how pathetic our so called news is. There is so much going on in the world, and we report a car wreck in California and Ellen giving her dog away and then having it taken away because she broke her contract with the dog rescue place. Is that the most important thing going on in the world? What in the heck is going on with the war in Afganistan? One guy got the medal of honor I know that. But what actually went on over there this week? Was there any progress? And what about Iraq? What happened there today? I just assume more people got killed. But who knows if there was any progress? There was a story about kids learning to speak Chinese, I guess that's news?

It's no wonder nobody knows what's going on in the world. The network news consists of human intrest stories punctuated by medication comercials. The whole package is medicating us into not knowing what is going on.

"We interupt the Ellen Degeneres story to tell you that Bush has just started WWIII with Iran." What? Does Ellen get her dog back?

When a tree falls

Here is another photo from the weekend. This is an old mining cabin from the 1940s or before. It's along a stream with cedars deep in the forest. A few years ago a tree fell in the winter and broke down the roof. Before that you could go inside and get out of the weather if it was snowing or raining.

October cyber tree

I was wandering around in the woods aimlessly this weekend and came out into a clearing and saw this red tree next to this dead tree in juxtaposition. One of these trees is the October cyber tree. Pick your poison! to borrow a term from Dr. C.

The first of two things

There are a couple of things on my mind tonight. Not important things, just things. The first thing was,..I was watching this TV show,.it was a music TV show. Like Austin City Limits but it wasn't that. The host was a musician himself and he introduced other musicians and bands. One of them was really good and I'm going to get her CD. Her name is Holly Brooke. I think I'm spelling that right. I really suck at spelling. If you read me you already know that. Plus I don't bother too much about it. If I could thump my foot on the ground and you understood what I was saying I'd be good with it.

We had this guy at work. He wasn't very well spoken. He'd just look at you and make a noise. "Uh." he would say. Almost a grunt, but you usually knew what he meant.

Anway this host guy, on the TV show had clearly dyed his hair. And his beard. But the thing of it was, his beard didn't match his hair. His hair was jet black and his beard was redish brown. I'm thinking, how could that be? Did it have to do with the food he ate as mouth is close to his beard? Like he's eating carrots or something and it makes his beard red. No I don't think it works that way. To make matters worse one of the bands on his program had a lead singer who shaved his head, and this guy with the black hair made a crack about it. "He's got the kojak thing going on." What the heck! I thought. I would have fired right back at that remark if I'd been the bald guy.

So there's that. The second thing on my mind can wait now.

Keeping the glass

We are getting rid of our copy camera and dark room at work. The camera is a great big industrial thing that takes up a whole room. I must say that I'm just a little sad, because with it goes a bunch of skills that I've developed over time. I already regret it but developing film takes chemicals and they become hazardous waste. I can do things with this camera that I can't do on the computer. Not only that, a camera becomes kind of personal. Like an instrument. You learn ways to make it sing for you. Also, it's just nice working in a dark room. It was a safe place where magical things happened. I always felt lucky to be able to work in a darkroom.

They are letting me keep the glass. It was used to focus and tweek the object before you exposed the film. The camera is so good that you don't really have to worry about focus or size, but I used it a lot. One time I broke it and it was really expensive to have it replaced. Far more than the camera is worth now. I felt really bad when that happened. The glass is a cool industrial object in it's own right and in a black metal frame. I can think of a number of things to do with it. But I'll probably just hang it on the wall or in the window of my studio. It's work is now done. Here is a detail of it. It's kind of hard to take a photo of it. I spent a lot of time looking into this fragile thing. I'm very glad to have it now.

Someone's daughter

The first date I went on with the use of a motor vehicle was with Heidi. That's her real first name too. I usually tweek the names but Iove her name so much that I can't bring my self to call her Hilde. I had lots of "dates" if you will before I could drive, but this is the one I consider my first date. I took her out in an old Intenational Scout four weel drive. Heidi was such a beautiful girl, and she's a beautiful woman now.

When I got to her house to pick her up, and she lived in a very cool house, (a big A frame house next to a hill) she told me I had to go an meet her parents. So she drug me into the front room and I sat down. Her mom and dad came in and eyeballed me. They looked very concerned. I tried to answer all of their questions. I can still see them in my minds eye. Her mom looked almost sick about this date.

We got that over with and Heidi drug me out of there and we left. I thought she managed the situation very well. I was impressed.

On the other end of the date, before I left my house my dad had a talk with me. Here is what he said. "Remember that this girl is someone's daughter. You get her back home safely and in the same condition that you took her out in. That's a big resonsibility." I took it to heart.

I always remembered those words every time I went out on a date. This is someone's daughter.

Monitor problems

The other day my monitor at work started to konk out. It's a really nice NEC CRT monitor. Very good dot pitch resolution. I do drafting, cad and graphics on it. So I thought I'd try a flat screen. I got one and set it up. But it really sucks in compairison for what I'm doing. So I'm going to try and take it back tomorrow and get another NEC CRT. I see that Dell has them still, but I'm sure there will be a day when you can't get them. I have an NEC CRT here at home also, so I guess I"m spoiled. Everyone says flat screens are so great and all of that. But they aren't in compairison to a nice CRT, at least not yet.

*****
Update: I pawned the NEW MONITOR off on another artist, so I won't have to return it. It works better with his system as he has a new tower. But I still like this old one better as lines in cad and text are much more crisp. So I'll get another one of THESE while I still can.

My truck

Ok so here is a photo I took of my truck last weekend on my way home from Montana. Notice the big sky mudflaps. Not only is it a towing, hauling son of a gun, it's also a big block hot rod.

I'm not against these things. It's just not the sort of thing we should drive to work every day.

Great seats

I was going to go to Montana today but I realized that I had more to do here than over there. Plus I wanted to go for a bike ride. I cleaned out my truck, and tomorrow I'm going to put the camper on it for hunting camp/ camps that start next weekend. I was just going to vacuum the truck out but the old seat cover was torn, so I decided to put a new one on. Several years ago I had bought a new one at a liquidation place. I've never had the old cover off so I got a look at how the factory seats looked. Here is the photo. Turkey in the straw comes to mind. I think they are kind of cool actually. Can you imagine buying a truck with seats like this now?

And this brings to mind a conversation I once had,.."You need a new truck don!" Jane said. "This here's a good truck." I replied with a puzzled look on my face. "It's old!" Jane said. "You can afford a new truck!". "Don't need a new one." I responded.

Well I still have the truck. Don't know where Jane is.

Marion Jones

Man, just when I was thinking only guys in sport were doping... I was thinking it was a guy thing, and women were above it. Why I thought this I don't know. First Genevieve Jeanson World Campion cyclist comes out and admits to doping and now Marion Jones. I seem to remember that Jones had a coach/ husband who was questionable as did Jeanson. I can't really explain why I feel more sympathy for women than men when it comes to this. Marion Jones is such a beautiful woman. That might be it. Something tells me that she wouldn't have ever admitted to it had she not been forced to.

I had the fastest 75 yard sprint ever at Willard school when I was in 8th grade (and I did it clean.) 8.2 seconds. That record stood for exactly one year. But for years and years I was the fastest guy and person for that matter to ever walk throught the doors of Willard school, and I beat some very fast people. That meant something to me. The guy who beat me the next year was Tim MacD. 8.1. I had to lump it. I do admit that I always questioned the timing as it was done by hand and Tim never could beat me when he ran against me. I could always pour on a little more. What the heck, I know he didn't cheat and he was a good sport and a nice guy. Not long after that they closed the school and his record stands. I've always thought about this all of these years. How I finished second. It makes me wonder about how people who finished second to Marion Jones feel now. Nobody knows who they are.

I have to say that I was really put off by the track athletes wraping themselves in the flag at the Sydney Olympics. It really bothered me. It's just poor sportsmanship to run around the track wearing the flag. Tacky at best.

Gus Rambo

I was in this bar several years ago minding my own business. It was a wedding reception or something. It's not like I just hang out in bars or anything. This was in my home town in Montana and I was visiting. Anway, this guy came up to me. A short guy but all buffed. "You don?" he asked in a loud voice. "Yes, do I know you?" I didn't recognize him. "Gus Rambo!" he said as he reached out to shake my hand. Then he just crushed my hand. I drew a blank look,.. "Sally Rambo's brother!" he said. Well Sally was my age in grade school and she did have a little brother that was about two years younger I guess, but I paid very little attention to kids who were two years younger than me in gradeschool. "Oh yeah, now I remember you. How's Sally?" I actually remember nothing about him other than Sally had a little shrimp brother.

"Well what have you been up to?". Then Gus went on to tell me how he'd been working out and how much weight he could lift and on and on. I'd heard enough and wanted to blow him off. I began to think he was going to pick a fight with me, he'd already crushed my hand. I was expecting him to pull out a machine gun and mow everyone down including all of the bottles of booze behind the bar. It made me wonder, had I done something to upset him back in gradeschool? I always got along good with Sally. Perhaps this guy was on steroids or something? Small man complex I thought.

A few years later I was at work and having a conversation with a sales guy, and it came up in conversation that I'm from Montana. "Do you know Gus Rambo!?" He asked all excited. "I knew his sister." I replied. I got the impression that Gus is this body builder weight lifter guy that everyone from Montana is supposed to know. What the heck? I would have never known who he was.

But Gus Rambo knows who I am...

I always go back

I'm afraid I'm coming down with a cold. My body doesn't feel normal. I guess I never really feel normal. I haven't felt like riding. An artist I know who has been a mentor once told me that he always had his art to fall back on. A safe place. I've never thought of art that way. I can't think of the way he put it, but I know what he was getting at. For me it was always the bike. A safe place that wasn't ever really safe. But I always go back.

A strange dream

I had a strange dream last night. In my dream I had a wife and a little daughter. We lived in an apartment way up high in a tall apartment building in a big city. My daughter had brown curly hair that was parted on the side (her left side) and she wore a green and black plaid dress white socks and black shoes (the only time I saw her. as I only saw her once in the dream.) My wife looked just like my daughter except bigger, (about 6 feet tall) with the same hair parted on the side but just wore slacks and a green blouse. I had a conversation with my wife about how we thought our daughter was artistic so we decided to buy her a paint set. Then my daughter went crazy and painted the whole apartment olive green, black and silver, and she just threw the paint around in no order. It looked kind of cool actually. I was at work and my wife called me on her cell phone and was frantic about this and I could see the apartment despite not being there and I was saying "I know, I know, calm down, I'll be home after work, we'll talk to her about it then." Our daughter was in her bedroom still just making a mess. I guess we bought her too much paint.

Here is another photo from my boat ride last weekend. I wasn't going to, but I think I'll add this to my Flathead Lake photos on the side bar as it meets the sky land lake criteria, plus it will add a little contrast to that group.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

Fall is here

Fall is finally here. I was going to cycle today but the wind gusts were up to 35 mph. It was serious wind. I felt justified in not riding and then on my way home from work I saw two guys out on bikes as if it the wind was no big deal. Just shows you what a wuss I am.

Here is a photo I took of a whitetail doe on Saturday. She had a little fawn close by. This was up Prospect Creek in Montana not far from Thompson Falls. It's a beautiful area. Great big mountains that drop straight down to the Clark Fork River. They have lots animals there including moose, elk, deer, bighorns, bear, wild turkeys and cougars to name a few. Very few people.

Italian meat balls

I guess I should say something about this. When I cook, I keep everything in my head. I told myself that I wanted a vocabulary of things to cook but all in my head. I don't keep recipes written down. I might until I learn it and I only learn it if I want to do it again. The only reason I wrote this one down is so I can give it out. So when I say 1/2 cup of this or that, it might be more or less. I like to cook that way. I can usually remember what to do.

Italian Meat Balls

½ lb. Ground pork shoulder. Substitute with turkey
½ lb. Ground beef, lean.
1 large can of Italian tomatoes
Fresh Italian parsley. Substitute with fresh oregano or use both. Needs to be fresh however. 1/2 cup
Soft Mozzarella
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
garlic cloves
olive oil

In a bowl, mix ground pork and beef together
Chop garlic and parsley together to make green and white mixture then mix into meat (by hand)
Add one egg mix into meat (by hand)
In a bowl soften bread crumbs with milk. Squeeze milk out of bread and add bread to meat and mix it in.
(I suppose you could skip the bread crumbs if you wanted, or substitute with something else, It just makes it softer)
Salt and pepper.

Cut or form Mozzarella into 1 inch pieces.
Form meat around Mozzarella so that you have a meat ball with a cheese center, total size is 2.5 to 3 inch dia
In a fry pan heat up ¼ inch of olive oil.
Carefully place meat balls in and turn until brown all sides. I use a table spoon to turn them as they are soft.
I usually add them to the pan as I form them.
In a baking dish simmer Italian tomatoes and garlic.
Then place meat balls on top of tomatoes, grate cheese on top. cover and bake 45 min 350
Serve tomatoes and meatballs with one vegetable, or green salad (No pasta.) Some garlic bread.

I usually have it with broccoi and garlic bread.

Retro range

Here is a photo of the Gouchenour kitchen. It's the kitchen in the Gochenour cabin where I stay while I'm at Flathead Lake in Montana. It has a Kelvinator stove and matching refrigerator. I guess Kelvinator merged with Nash motors in 1937. These things were built to last, and are attractive objects. I really like the stove. The refrigerator is kind of old tech however, and clearly older than the stove, but it still works and was made in the 1940s or perhaps 30s. It has an older logo on it. I'd like a newer refrigerator but I'll just work around this one as it is so cool. (pardon the pun), a new one just wouldn't be the same. The first thing I do when I get to the Geouchenour cabin is plug the refrigerator in and turn on the power, and it rumbles back to life. If it ever konks out I'll get a more modern one from the 1950s.

Wildhorse Island

I went to Flathead Lake to cover up my boat with a big tarp and drain the water out of the Geouchenour cabin. I don't want the pipes to freeze. As always, I took lots and lots of photos. I even took photos of the stove in the cabin! It's a very nice stove... I'll post one of those with my Italian meat balls recipe soon. It was cold up there in Montana. There was snow way up on the mountains. I took the skiff out onto the bay for a couple of hours. It was windy and cold but I loved it after all of the hot weather and forest fire smoke of just a few weeks ago.

I took this photo of Wildhorse Island where I went for a hike last weekend. I took it from a point that was leeward to the wind, so the water was calm in front of me, but it was very rough and cold in places and the air was very sweet and clean. I guess I'll add this photo to the my Flathead Lake photos on the sidebar. If you click on it and make it bigger you can see the snow on the peaks of the Swan mountain range behind the island.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

Deer cake

I made dinner for my mom and my sister tonight. Italian meat balls. One of the best things I make. They are these great big meat balls that have a soft mozzarella cheese center. Despite how big they are they turn out really light. Everyone I've made this for has wanted the recipe (except my mom) But my sister does. I didn't know if she'd like it or not. I'll post that recipe on my blog but not tonight.

Mom brought dessert in the form of this deer cake. It celebrates hunting season. I thought it was kind of cool in a western art sort of way.

Check out a picture of the whitetail deer I shot HERE I think it's nicer than the one on the cake .

Floyd Landis and Genevieve Jeanson

I did write something about Floyd Landis and then I brought it back down after reading the blogs. The blogs bothered me. There is one called Trust but Verify. I'm not so sure about the trust part anymore. I wrote in that post that I know a woman in charge of a very big hospital blood lab. And I asked her about this testing. What I've come to believe is that the people who do this sort of testing know what they are doing.

I knew they would rule against Landis, but It was only a 2 to 1 decision against him. If just one of the three had thought differently then Floyd would have been thought to not have doped and still be Tour de France winner and so on. Yet his whole team is folded and all of those people out of a job and so forth. Takes a little of the polish out of his win if he were found not to have doped.

So here we are. All of the legal going ons, and over a year later and one person makes the difference. If I were his lawyer, I'd now argue that Floyd should only get two thirds of the penalty. Wouldn't that follow?

I guess Lance won't comment on it. Says he doesn't follow cycling now. What?

Armstrong told The Vancouver Province newspaper on Sunday that he has no comment because he no longer follows the competitive cycling on a daily basis. (VeloNews)

How in the world is that possible? And what difference does it make if he doesn't follow on a daily basis?

"I would love to answer that question but unfortunately I'm out of that business," Armstrong said. "I only have the ability to focus on one thing at a time." (VeloNews)

I don't agree that he is "out of that business" He was there to introduce the new Trek Madone racing bicycle this year. He has an interest in Trek Bikes and in that respect, bike racing. I don't know how you could be more into "that business". I just don't buy that comment. LANCE INTRODUCES THE NEW TREK MADONE Notice the caption below the photo. (Cycling News) Clearly he has an interest in bike racing.

But I don't blame him for not wanting to talk about doping. He has no interest in going there, but I have to wonder if he has a responsibility to the sport, and the fans that gave back so much to him? Or perhaps Trek owners like me? The Seven time TDF winner and former team mate of Floyd Landis has nothing to say about this? I think that is questionable. Well I guess you can't pick your team mates.

And just when I thought only men in cycling had a problem with doping, the former women's World Campion Genevieve Jeanson admits to using EPO throughout her career. I find her story sad however. You can read about it HERE (VeloNews) Former competitor Anne Samplonius says this about it;

I think it will take years before she fully comes to realize the impact this has had on a lot of people. She has stolen victories and money from a lot of her competitors, she has taken an potential Olympic spot from me, and she has lied to all her fans and sponsors who really believed her. (VeloNews)

You can read all of Anne's remarks HERE (VeloNews)

Other people's dogs

I've started a new section on my side bar called Other People's Dogs. I will be doing written and photo essays of other people's dogs. I've been told that I NEED A DOG , but I don't really want a dog.

Click on the Other people's dog label / link below to see other people's dogs. Woof woof.

Boat trip to Wildhorse Island

Saturday, I decided to take the skiff over to WILDHORSE ISLAND. I've added this photo to my Flathead Lake photos on the side bar, so check those out! Going to the islands is always an adventure as it's a very big lake.

The skiff is safe however. A 13.5 foot whaler type with an old 40 horse Johnson outboard. I talk about it on the blog quite a bit, so here it is. It isn't the boat I went over to winterize. All you have to do with this one is lower the motor and let the water drain out. I love this little boat. If I could only keep one of my boats I'd keep this one.

So I named it after Aunt Gertrude as she was such a tough and thrifty old lady. She used to have a cabin on this lake when I was growing up. I have lots of aunts and lots of boats so I can name each boat after an aunt. But this is the only one that I've actually done it with.

I hiked up to the highest point on the west side and I was most likely the only person on the island. The skiff is beached below me and to my right in that bay. I'm looking north towards Glacier Park. There are lots of big game animals on the island including bighorn sheep, so I sat in my position and watched some great big mule deer move around at a distance with my field glasses.

I took the photos of the skiff and sunset as I left the island and came out of that bay. Night closed in on the lake, and it was dark when I got back to the cabin.

Fall is in the air

This weekend I went to Montana to winterize my boat. It needs to have the water drained out of the motor or it will freeze and it's been getting very cold at night over there. I went to Montana over the Thompson Pass. It's really cool back there but they close it for winter as they don't plow the snow. I like going that way because there is almost no traffic, unlike I90, and it is so very beautiful. As I came down into Thompson Falls I noticed a bachelor group of whitetail deer. The young bucks group together during this time of year. The big bucks will round up the does and force out the young bucks. These young bucks often get shot and if this young three point doesn't wise up really soon he will be the first one to go. (click on him to see bigger) I think this would make a nice oil painting. Fall is in the air.

The tape of love

the sticky stuff,..

but just like the roll of tape,
love sometimes breaks off before you are done.

Sello Tape, Flight of the Conchords. LINK to the video.

And to bring you back up, check out THE HUMANS ARE DEAD Those are my two favorites, but heck, check out all of their videos.

Not sure why I can relate to these guys.

Would you like a pipe?

Things.... I want more things. I'm such a consumer pack rat. I need counseling. I'll bring home anything if I think it's a good deal. Sam used to call me good deal don.

I'm at work and this gal askes me, "does any one in your family smoke a pipe?" I'm like, what? (Clearly she does not understand where I come from, but I had to mess with her.) "Yes!" I said. "I smoke a pipe, sometimes my mom smokes a pipe, my aunts and uncles all smoke pipes,...We all smoke pipes!" as I eyeballed the pipe tobacco she was about to give away. Well she was onto me, but I said "I'll take it!" I told you I was a pack rat. Free pipe tobacco! How cool is that?! How many people in prison would die for this?!.. I suspect pipe tobacco is very expensive even on the outside. I don't smoke, but I'm thinking I'll take the pipe tobacco and put it in my camper. I'll get a couple of pipes and then at hunting camp when people come to my camper I'll say, "Would you like a beer?,... or a pipe maybe?...

Letters from home

I told you I was a pack rat. I think I've kept just about every letter, post card, greeting card, that I've ever received. I even have valentine's cards from when I was in grade school.

Here is a random letter from my mom. She calls me Donald. My fifth grade teacher is the one who changed my name to don as she noticed that all of my friends were calling me don. From then on I was known as don to all. Donny to some of my coaches. But some people who knew me before fifth grade still call me Donald. Like my sister. So that's cool, I guess. As long as they don't call me skunk face I don't care.

My aunt Gertrude is coming to visit in this letter. Aunt Gertrude is now dead. I really loved her. She looked exactly like an aunt Gertrude should look. She was seriously into crochet. I used to love it as she sat there in the cabin with her bag of yarn spinning her web. There was something calming about it. She croched everything and it funded her bingo habit. She croched things to put on spare toilet paper for your bathroom that looked like a poodle. Things to put on kleenex boxes. Sun hats made out of Purex bottles, and my favorite the "Poop Duck" that you fill with jelly beans and squeeze, and a bean will come out of it's butt. When I find my poop duck I'll show you a picture and also one of Aunt Gertrude.

Here is the letter from my mom;

Dear Donald,
Did you get your deer yet? I think hunting season lasts way too long. Of course, I'm not a hunter.

Sat, night Alice & I went to hear the 2-piano concert of (so and so, and so and so.) (I know the first so and so and that's why she brought this up.) It was wonderful. At the last (so and so's) jazz group played. They are quite good but they played, & played, & played. Alice thought they were having so much fun they fogot all of us were stil there. Some people left finally, but we stayed to the end. There was a reception afterward, but it cost $5. so we didnt' go.
Tomorrow I'm going to work on the election again & have decided to vote for (so and so) again. (over)


***Notice the upside down message in the letter. knitting lingo not crochet. But still I thought it was cool since Aunt Gertrude is mentioned. Mom was using a subliminal message in her letter.

Tour des Lacs

The second day of the Tour des Lacs started in Coeur d'Alene at the Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company. They make a killer huckleberry ale.

We all rode out of town together with a police escort for a while to stop traffic for us.

Here's a shot of the paceline as we go across the Rathdrum Prairie and back towards Spokane. There were a whole bunch of riders behind me too. I did go to the front and pulled for a while.

The Badlands race club.

Back in the Spokane Valley the wind really picked up and we rode in a double paceline. They used an odd roatation. Usually it will rotate up on one side and down on the other. But in this case both front riders would go to the outside. It wasn't as cool, and people had to stay on the front too long.

This guy had the most interesting bike. And the most patriotic! He must be able to go pretty fast because we weren't at the first food stop that long before he showed up. I bet he took that flag cover off when it got so windy. I wonder how he gets in and out of that?

Pack rat

I went out on my bike for a ride along the Spokane River tonight and this is what it looked like as the sun went down. The branch that goes across the top kind of reminds me of a musical score. I always read things into photographs. I think I'll add this one to the River photos on my side bar. I debated on taking my camera with me on my ride tonight as I get out of riding mode and into photography mode. It's kind of nice to ride along and not try to capture everything and take it home with me. I think it just shows you how much of a pack rat I am.

We had our company summer party today and I needed to work off some of the food I ate. We all ate too much. My boss made pulled pork and he did a very good job on it. I made potato salad and I got several compliments. They pretty much ate it all up so that's always a good sign. There's only one serving left and I made a ton of it. Sometimes potato salad really hits the spot.

Thy neighbors

I guess I shouldn't be so hard on my neighbors. They make it hard to love them or even understand them at times. The ones behind me with the three wolf dogs (that they never walk or play with) built a big shop and then put this huge light on the front of it. I guess they think they need it for security. The three dogs aren't enough. That light is so bright, it turns night into day, especially when there is snow on the ground. There is a tree that blocks the light from my back yard during the summer. Most of the rest of my neighbors leave lights on outside all night. It just seems like such a waste of electricity to me, and like I said it makes it hard to see the stars. Isn't that why we have night? for darkness?

The coolest people

You meet the coolest people cycling. Here is a photo of Gail and Mary who I met today cycling.

I've spent quite a bit of time on my bike the last couple of days riding to and from work and also riding at lunch. I'm going to go on the second day of a bike tour this weekend called Tour des Lacs. I'll get dropped of in Coeur d Alene by one of my friends and then to ride goes the same route as the Ironman did this year to the north up past Hayden Lake and then it goes west into Washington and around a couple of little lakes. But here's the cool part. It goes with a block or so of my house so I'm going to bail out there. How cool is that? It will make for a nice morning on Sunday.

The last time I did Tour des Lacs, I was riding along at one point with a couple of kids, probably mountain bike riders mainly. The guy was wearing a button up shirt and sandals with bike cleats on them. The girl looked like a young version of Rosie O'donnell. They were cruising along at about 20 mph shirt tails flying in the breeze. I felt a little over dressed as I sat in their slipstream. Pretty casual riders. I wondered where they went after the bike ride was over. I imagined they went to a coffee house or something, or went and got another tattoo. Perhaps they went mountain climbing. I had to admire their style.

At the other end of the age groups, I met a couple of avanced (I'll call them) riders today at lunch that were in a spot of bother to borrow a phrase from Phil. Gail and Mary were riding with a group of advanced women riders and had traveled here from the west side of the state and were staying at the Resort in Coeur d Alene and cycling. How cool of them. But Gail's chain had come off to the outside of her crank and it was jammed. I asked them if they needed any help as I came up and yes they said they did. So mild mannered don turns into, BICYCLE REPAIRMAN. I put the chain back on. I had to remove the rear wheel do do it and got grease all over my hands.

"I'm going to have to remove the rear wheel." I said. "No! No! that will be too hard!" Gail said. "It's too much trouble!" "Oh don't worry, It's nothing for BICYCLE REPAIRMAN." I assured her in a deep voice. When I got the chain back on I lifted her carbon fiber and aluminum bike up with one hand and turned the crank with the other. "Oh, he's so strong!" They were clearly sucking up...

Gail had latex goves on an offered to let me use them. The I told Gail that her bike would be happier if it was clean and might shift better. Mary got a big kick out of this. Then their group came back to see what was detaining them. They all got a big kick out of how I told Gail to clean her bike. So I got a shot of all of them.

The advanced women cyclists.

And here is a photo of BICYCLE REPAIRMAN (the next great super hero) as the sun sets on his day and he heads back to the bike cave.

My next camera

Every year I buy myself a birthday present. Nikon came out with a couple of nice little point and shoot cameras. I love my little Nikon cool pix 5600. I've had it for four years. It's a great little camera. Doesn't do everything well, but it takes great outdoor photos. Amazing battery life on regular type AA batteries with the flash turned off. Plus it has an optical viewfinder and many little cameras don't now. That's really important to me.

Nikon quit making the 5600 and For a while Nikon didn't have any point and shoot cameras that had an optical viewfinder. Now they have three. The cheapest one, the P50 (photo above) that is due to come out in October is pretty much the same as my 5600. It will be about $230. It does two things that I always wished the 5600 did. It has a manual mode in which you can choose shutter and aperture, and you can choose a high ISO. Both of those things will give the camera more range as it will allow me to shoot in the low light of dusk and dawn. That's important to me because some of the best times are early in the morning and at dusk. Plus it is an 8 megapixel camera instead of only 5 like the 5600. 3 megapixels is what I usually shoot in and it's enough for most people. Plus the P50 uses regular batteries like the 5600 and that's important to me. They are making a P5000 and a P5100 that has pretty much the same lens but with all the controls and a hot shoe for an external flash. They have more megapixels but those cameras both use the nikon battery. It works ok as I have it in my SLR but you always have to have a second one ready to go and they are expensive. Not like you can just drop a couple of regular batteries in.

I've been giving this a lot of thought. I have a Nikon SLR that they no longer make. 5700. It shoots in raw and has every control. So it's not like I need a rad camera, but it is too big to take most of the time. So the P50 will most likely be my next camera very soon. I don't expect this camera to work very well indoors. But outdoors for scenery it will rock. I'm pretty sure.

Planet redneck

It woke me up at 3:00 AM out of a deep sleep. Something banging around outside on the deck of the cabin. Bear! I thought... Great. It must have smelled my grub and wants in. Then I remember. I have my .308 rifle with me,.. but wait,.. the shells are out in the truck. I brought the rifle in but not the shells!

So I got up without turning any lights on and looked out the window. I had the windows open as it was so hot in the cabin when I hit the sack. I looked outside and saw three large bodies moving. A sow and two yearling cubs I thought. Then I coudln't see anything in the darkness. I waited and watched. Nothing but darkness. So I opened the kitchen door and went out with the mag-lite. There were several head of deer in the orchard. One of them had gotten on the deck for some reason.

So I got my camera out. I'm going to get a picture of this and show Mrs. C. I thought. Then I'll have proof that it isn't me who is raiding her orchard at night, so I took this snap.

Then I got to thinking as I crawled back in the sack,... What if some of these creatures are space aliens that come down to earth at night in the form of deer to take our fruit and abduct a select few of us to breed with?! Now that BUMPER STICKER is starting to make sense!,... I can see a whole movie script. Space alien deer come down to earth and do battle with a planet of rednecks. It could be called Deer From Outer Space, or Planet Of The Rednecks. I can hear the trailer now, "They want our fruit, but we want their meat!" (I'm going way too far with this)

And I figured out how to tell which deer are space aliens,.. They are the ones with unusual green eyes!

Sun pickles

I made my first jar of pickles this week. They turned out really good if I do say so myself. They are sun pickles. Good enought that my boss wanted the recipe. There is this farmer's market not far from my place and they had the little cucs on sale for $.99 lb and they had a recipe that they gave out.

3# of cucs
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup Kosher salt (I used about 1/3 cup of salt and I think you could get by with less)
2 table spoons of pickling spice.

Wash the cucs put them in 1 gallon jar add above and then fill with water.
Let sit in sun for three days and shake once a day.

Ok I also added part of a habanero pepper chopped up, 1/3 walla walla sweet onion and 2 cloves of garlic and some fresh dill, but that wasn't in the recipe. I had everything except the cucs and the pickling spice. My friend gave me the dill and the onion from his garden. My boss gave me the habanero that she grew in her garden. I'm into it about $7. Most of that cost was the pickling spice and if I'd waited 1 day my boss would have given me that. Around here people you know have gardens so they always give you stuff.

Who says food isn't interesting to blog about!

RIP Luciano

I love classical music, but with any type of music, I don't like it all. I'm picky that way. My idea of going to a concert on a date is going to the symphony. Who knows, perhaps I'll get to do that again. I can't let this day end without saying something about Pavarotti, or at least classical music. I never cared much for tenors. I don't know what it is about that voice I don't care for. I wouldn't mind being able to sing like that however. I'd go around Tra la la boom de ay! :) Just kidding, I don't know the real words. Over time I have grown to even like tenors.

When I was a kid I paid my dues behind the music stand. Took piano and then went into orchestra and sawed away on a violin. Here is a photo of me in a grade school orchestra. (you won't see too many photos of don on bicycle log) I think this was the intermediate one but I did make my way into advanced orchestra. The girls in there were really cute as you can see in this photo. But cute as they were, they would kill you if possible, and feed on your blood.

Every week you fought to keep your chair as one of these pretty little girls would go gunning for you. We always had all of this music we were working on for our next performance. None of the music was watered down, it was the real deal. You had to know your part. If someone who sat behind you challenged for your chair, the conductor would pick several bars at random and make you each play it. Then the orchestra would decide who played it best. They would clap by hitting their bows on the music stand. The vote was always fair. If it was too close to call then there would be a show of hands. The girl on my left is sitting one chair behind me in this photo. That meant she had to turn the pages on our music stand as we played. She's not happy about this. Our relationship was not so good. In fact, I don't think we ever spoke to eachother. I thought she was hot but she hated me. Needless to say, I didn't make too many girlfriends in orchestra.

RIP Luciano, no more fighting for your place.

A happy trail through my day

I went to a local store tonight to get some some tuna for my lunch tomorrow. I'm going to have a tuna fish sandwich. Why is it called tuna fish? We don't call other fish trout fish or salmon fish. I've never been able to figure this out.

On my way home I went past a school where a dad was playing with his two young daughters who were dressed in pink. He took one of the little girls by her armpits and tossed her way up into the air. She squealed in joy and fear.

I drove a little farther and saw two teenage boys walking along the street all cool. One of them was wearing this silly hat, something my uncle Bill used to wear when he sold Fuller Brush products door to door. Like a cheap fedora with a very small brim turned up in the back. You know the kind. I woudn't have been caught dead in a hat like that when I was their age. I had to wonder how in the world that ever came back into style. That hat was so out of context on them I thought. Like native americans wearing ten gallon cowboy hats in the old west. They mock uncle Bill.

The FedEx man, or guy, I should say, came in today and informed us that he was reading a book about Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. I'm like, you've got to be kidding?... According to the FedEx guy, Roy Rogers used his skills with a gun to shoot rabbits and that fed the band members when times were tough during the depression. Who knew?

And this brings to mind a song. I wish I could sing it for you as I do a very nice rendition.

Happy trails to you
Until we meet again
Happy trails to you
Keep smiling until then
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather
Happy trails to you
Til we meet again. :)

Logan Pass photo

Here is another photo from Glacier Park of Logan Pass last Sunday. I thought this one kind of looked like a painting, mainly because of the sky, so I'm going to print it large, about the size of a painting and frame it. I'll be able to adjust all of the colors and such until I have it the way I want it. I shrank the image size way down to post it here. I removed the Going to the Sun Road and the cars so this is how it would have looked before 1930. I usually don't remove things or change things in photos, but I would if I were going to paint this so what the heck? If you click on it to make it bigger you can see places where I left parts of the road. I have a little more work to do on it.

*****
I thought I should mention, the Going to the Sun Road will be closed starting September 16th for repair and will be closed for the rest of the year. I suspect you will be able to get to the top of Logan Pass from the east side.

Bighorn sheep

I went to Montana for the weekend. I tend to go there if you haven't noticed. I'm afraid I'm going to go there one of these days and I just won't return. Not only do I keep going back to Montana, I keep going up to Gacier Park. Pictures just don't do Glacier Park justice. You really must go there sometime if you haven't been there. It's hard to imagine how big the mountains are.

I was way up in the high country yesterday and took this photo of these bighorn rams. Usually it is hard to get this close to them, but it has been so hot and dry that they are coming into places they usually don't. They are interesting animals. They are so casual most of the time. Just moments before I took this photo these two were pointed in the same direction and raised up and smacked heads together. What a cool thing to see and hear! The next moment it was like nothing ever happened.