The Crack Room

Since we always seem to buy fixer-uppers, we find that there is always one room in whatever house we live in where we can picture a bunch of crack or meth addicts gathering to huff their drugs. In our new Camas house this room happened to be the laundry room. When we looked at the house we could initially tell that there had been some water damage to the floor due to years of inept house owners neglecting to fix their leaky washers. We decided that this room would be the first to remodel. After getting our fill of fun this summer and the fact that we were tired of looking at moldy Sheetrock and having our washer drain into a sink; we decided to rip into the laundry room. Typical remodel: the project grew to more than we expected. We initially thought that only the Sheetrock and floor were damaged. HA! After thirty years of leaky washers and wet climates, we should have known better.

So after two days of demo, we (actually Jarred, I'm just the helper or bitch to use less PC terms), felt like all the rotten siding and floors were in our dump trailer and out of this portion of the house. Jarred spent the next day figuring out the plumbing and the next working on moving electrical outlets. We're cheap, actually we like nice things but don't like to pay for them. We've had great luck with Craigslist but no one on Craigslist has yet to post an ad for used labor, so Jarred is often stuck figuring out electrical and plumbing himself which takes longer than hiring someone. Luckily we're passed the "major mistakes" point, we took care of all those with our Hermiston house. I vividly remember getting in the shower one night, turning on the water and hearing a gushing sound BEHIND the new shower wall.

I also find that enough time seems to lapse between when we work with Sheetrock that we forget what a messy pain in the rear the stuff is. Jarred hates working with Sheetrock and swears that he'll always hire it out next time we remodel...next thing we know I'm holding pieces while he saws away at them, then we're mudding and sanding and mudding again.

After finally getting all the proper walls back up, we were ready to paint. I thought I'd be a good human and buy the VOC free earth friendly paint. While the color options were cool, I may as well have colored on the wall with a crayola marker as the paint seems to come OFF the wall just as fast. Next time (like next week) I'm going for the Behr one-coat chemical laden paint.

**** So there's be a slight time lapse since when I started this post and now. Don't know where time went, oh that's right, school started and I have to be a part of the working world again while still maintaining my action packed personal life.. ****



So to continue the remodel story, after the paint saga our luck started to change. We're floor snobs and decided that even though this was a laundry/dog room, we wanted nice hardwood floors. After calling around we found a super deal on some birch flooring...regular price $5.75 a square foot...our price $.99 a square foot! This deal made up for our paint experience. Now that we've nearly finished the room (the foreman in this household gets sidetracked and does not like to finish projects) we've realized it's the nicest room in the house and we have some work to do.

Hummingbirds

Birding

Like blogging, birding is also one of those words that has become a verb even though it probably should not be. Jarred loves birds and he is always pointing out bird when we ride bikes or drive somewhere. I think the obsession started when we lived in Idaho. The first year we lived in Sun Valley we actually rented a place in Fairfield which is about an hour from Sun Valley. The place we rented was cheap and the horse facility was great BUT it was an hour from Sun Valley which is where all our friends lived. Not long after moving out to Fairfield, our friend Nate asked Jarred why we chose to move to Fairfield. Jarred concocted a small list which included, "Plus the birds of prey are freaking awesome." I'd never noticed the birds of prey being exceptionally awesome in Fairfield but with all the time we spent driving, Jarred had taken notice of them. I think he'll probably get into birding with his other biking friends when they're all old and broken. A few months ago we were on a ride with our friend, Cage (the name says it all) . Cage is an exceptional biker, he grew up riding motocross and can hop his bike around and up and down all sorts of obstacles. He does not strike me as the birding type. As we rode along one day, Cage suddenly stops, points up the hill and says, "Look guys there's a blue breasted blah blah blah (or something of the sort)." Jarred and I look at each other and laugh as I'm always making fun of him for pointing out birds.

Our backyard is full of flowering trees and bushes which have attracted these two hummingbirds. Even I get excited when they visit. They're pretty hard to catch on camera and while I've been "helping" Jarred with the remodel of our laundry room, I've had some down time to sit and wait for the birds to come.

Mo Mo Moclips

Tyson and Jarred were obsessed with kite flying. They both got those little trick kites and spent most of the windy days flying their kites. Tyson is going to be a freshman this year and he's a totally cool kid. He likes to get out and bike and hike and can wheelie a bike like no kid I've ever seen. He and Jarred get along great...might be a comment on Jarred's maturity level!

This about sums up our summer break. It's been a fun one, so fun it was really hard for me to actually sit down and update the blog, but since we're taking a break from our big laundry room remodel project and school is starting soon, I thought I'd better catch up!

Quinalt Rain Forest

So Jarred and I are obsessed with the no-smiling photos....but this one is really sad. Why didn't someone tell me my pants looked like this? This was a beautiful hike complete with an overabundance of huckleberries for the three of us to eat.

The World's Largest Known Spruce

Mo from Moclips

I forgot to add that while in Moclips, Jarred, Tyson and I made a trip to the Quinalt Rain forest. We initially thought we'd ride are bikes around the park but quickly realized the cool forest trails were meant to be hiked, not biked so we ditched the bikes and started hiking.

Oakridge, Oregon Biking Trip

Two days after getting back from the beach, we left for Oakridge, Oregon. Our biking friend Dennis plans an annual mountain biking trip to Oakridge. Oakridge is known for LOOOONNNG downhill rides. Because the rides are spread out and really long and meant for downhill riding, they require a shuttle. The shuttle can be expensive if just one or two people go down to ride, which is why Dennis plans this trip. We got about $300 worth of shuttle trips for $100 and we got to ride with a great group of riders. We ended up riding about 83 miles over the course of three days. The riding is hard because the down hill can be technical but there's not a ton of hard climbing so we were able to ride longer mileage each day. Jarred and I did not do this trip last year as we were in Idaho working but we'll put it on the list for next year. The trails were great, the shuttles were great and the group we went with was fantastic. I don't get to ride with girls too often, not a lot of girls bike and very few like longer harder rides. It was nice to meet and get along with two other girls, Brooke and Danielle, who love to bike. Brooke was a little intimidating to ride with as she is pretty evenly paced with Jarred. I've never ridden with a girl who was this good. She was pretty inspiring. Danielle and I were evenly paced but Danielle has some mean down hill skills and no fear. The best part about the group is that all of the guys were really excited to ride with us too, sometimes the testosterone can get to raging and the boys take over, but I think we tamed the testosterone last weekend.
Jarred left our camera on the Middle Fork of the Willamette trail after he decided to strip down and swim naked, so photos from the trip are limited.

One last fam photo....

This is the whole crew, bride and groom AND all dogs included.

Jackman Family

Like I said, we had fun with the photographer at the wedding. After doing some cheer poses, no-smiling photos and the traditional family photos, we'd just about run out of fun family poses, Someone suggested this one... which is my favorite. I'm not sure why I'm the only girl holding up a guy, let alone the biggest guy...but whatever. Gretta has also managed to sneak herself into every photo, she's kind of like the "Where's Waldo" character.

Jarred has a really fun family, which is great, because Jarred and I are all about fun. From right to left are: Jenny (Jarred's older sister), her youngest son Zane, Jenny's husband Randy, their older son Kyle, Jarred and I, Jenese (Jarred's younger sister), David Jenese's husband, Julie (Jarred's brother's ex-wife- Jarred's brother passed away while married to Julie- Lauren is his daughter), Tyson Julie's youngest, Tyson Julie's husband, and Lauren. The German Shepard and black dog are Jenese's. They're a great bunch of people who are always up for good games and adventures.

No Smiling

Jarred and I are all into the no-smiling photos at tourist destinations. We even convinced his family to do a no-smiling photo...can't believe they all bought into it!

Moclips

We had to leave Idaho a bit early this year because Jarred's mom, Noni, found an awesome guy to marry. Not that she was looking, she spent most of her time when her kids were at home as a single parent and has been totally happy living on her own for a number of years. But when the right guy comes along, no one can pass him up. Noni and Gary had known each other for years and things just seemed to work out for them recently. The decided they wanted to marry and have a small ceremony and celebration at the beach, which is Noni's favorite place. She and Gary got all us kids condos so we could spend the four days prior to the wedding hanging out. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to go to the beach during the summer as Northwest beaches don't tend to have the best weather, and while the weather was not summer-y, we had an awesome time while at the beach. The condos were right on the beach AND they allowed dogs. Between Jarred's sister's and Gary's two boys and their families, we kind of took over the compound.

The wedding ceremony was great- lasted about 10 minutes, dogs were invited and we didn't have to wear shoes. Noni and Gary also had their friend, Nikkie come and do "official" photos. We had a lot of fun with Nikkie and her camera.....

Thanks Gary and Noni for a great long weekend at the beach! You guys have wonderful families I'm excited to be a part of!

The Ice Caves and Why the Government Should Not Lease Land

The Shoshone Ice caves are a cool geological phenom just south of Sun Valley. This is my second trip to the ice caves, not because I'm a cave or geological nerd, but because the ice caves are leased from the government by a family. Because of this, the family has leeway to set their American tourist trap up in whichever manner they wish. In this case, the ice caves always look like an garage sale is taking place next to a cheezy drive-through diner. The cave guides generally live in Shoshone or Gooding, Idaho. Some are family members, some come for the summer work. Some guides are aware of why and how the ice caves formed, some just like to tell stories about Super Bowl parties held in the caves or how they don't believe in carbon dating and the bear skulls in the caves are really prehistoric bear skulls. I get a morbid kick out of the guides and am reminded to support my forest service....otherwise.....

Meghan has been to the ice caves a whopping five times. Since Jarred had not experienced the caves, we decided he needed to make the trip down. We also decided that when being photographed at the ice caves (or any other American tourist location) one cannot smile, just as sulky teens don't smile when drug to various "American Hot spots" by their deranged parents.

Never Won a Buckle

So although I've shown for a few years now, I've never actually won a belt buckle. In the show world, buckles are the thing to win. They are totally gaudy but show off your accomplishments. Buckles tend to go towards first place winners and I generally end up 2nd or 3rd. Not that I'm complaining, but first place is nice sometimes! At the last show I attended with Nic, I entered the "Never Won a Buckle" class. It happened to be the second last class of the day on Saturday. I'd entered three other classes that day, it was about 90 degrees and I'd also ridden in the first class of the day at 7 am. It didn't occur to me that the buckle class might start a little late...like 9:30 pm. I considered scratching the class since it wasn't a big money class, I'd wanted to have fun at the luau dinner we have at this show every year, and I knew Nic would be pooped, but in the back of my mind I wanted that damn buckle. So I stuck with my original plan and rode in the class. It was actually a tough class but I ended up winning which made the wait and late ride worth it. My friend Katrina sponsored the class (she was also dressed up in luau gear) and Mike Stokes has been helping me with Nic. Mike is a great trainer...I had instant success once I started riding with him, I think my scores went up by 1/2 a point! This was a nice way to end my last horse show with Nic. He's been such a good teacher and confidence builder. I think I'll miss him more than I actually thought I would. I try not to get attached to my horses like I do my dogs but when you put so much time (and money) into a horse, it's hard not to be attached. Sophie is a good replacement but she has big shoes to fill.

Will and Sophie

Sophie had a rude awakening this summer as I started to put more riding time into her. She's actually a cool little horse who has a lot of try. I've always had geldings (boys) and thought I'd never want a mare as they can hold an attitude (like any girl- which I normally don't care about but I don't train many girls) but I think I'll take an attitude any day as Sophie is all about learning and trying to figure out what I want her to do. She's still pretty little but I have hope that she'll be bigger one day as right now her butt is higher than her shoulder...a sign that she won't actually be a pony when she grows up.

Meghan rides English and occasionally shows cross country. She likes her horses BIG. I like mine small and we always laugh when we ride together because Meghan is much shorter than me, except when on a horse.

Idaho Sunsets

I love the sun and sunsets in Idaho. Meghan lives on a beautiful 10 acres with too much grass for a desert area, but she's got great views and sees a ton of great sunsets. Notice the pack of dogs surrounding me.....

Flowers

This is my all time favorite mountain bike ride- Cold Springs to Warm Springs. Much of the ride takes place on Baldy, the Sun Valley ski resort. Three years ago, about 1/2 of Baldy burned. Now the ride is really cool because wildflowers are taking over the burned areas. I was dying to bring Wade on this ride. Wade is our friend from Washington. He gets my Most Improved award this year. Last winter Wade weighted 220 lbs and was a fairly slow biker. He now weighs 160 and can rip on his bike. He's inspiring and a ton of fun.

Jarred's Annual Trail Ride

I think Jarred might get on a horse once a year. It's humbling for him, something he often needs. Meghan and I stuck him on Meghan's big horse, Will. I kinda wanted Will to be bad but he was a saint. This is one of the last photos I have of Nic too. I sold Nic this summer. I really miss him but having to ride and show two horses is not in the cards for a semi-poor school teacher. Nic went to Montana to live with a girl who will love him as much as I did.

Potato Mountain

This ride had more creek crossings than I've ever been across but they were nice since it was almost 90 the day we did this ride. Our biking friend, Wade, from Washington came to Sun Valley for a week and we got to do some fun rides with him.

Poineer Cabin

This ride took us up to the famed Pioneer Cabin. It's more of a hiking trail as it is steep and sometimes loose, I did a lot of pushing my bike and swatting at horse flies. The views are amazing though...makes you want to keep riding and riding and riding....Pioneer Cabin also looks cooler from the outside than the inside. The inside looks like what I envision a meth house to look like...I always want Pioneer Cabin to be quaint and cute inside. It could be a cool place to stay after a long hike. Someone needs to fix it up.

The Best Summer Ever

This is the first summer of my adult life that I've not worked. The last actual work I did was a barn sitting job in June. Since then I've done nothing but whatever I want! Funny how much free time I thought I'd have since I wasn't working AND funny how quickly I filled that time. So here's our summer in a nut shell, or as Colleen calls it, Readers Digest style.

July 5- Our month in Idaho begins. I usually work in Idaho but this year I just came to play. I brought both Sophie and Nic and got a lot of riding time in, even took Sophie on her first big-girl trail ride. The photo above was taken at my friend, Lori Sewell's place. My horses stay there every summer, it's like a resort for them as there are a ton of horses in the neighborhood, the grass is great and Lori has super nice soft sandy pens for them to sun themselves in mid-day. The other great part about Lori's is that Meghan lives about 5 minutes away. We always stay with Meghan so the convenience of both locations is perfect.

While in Idaho we also biked our buns off. I figured I averaged a little over 50 miles a week on my mtn bike, seems impressive until I calculated that Jarred averaged 100 miles a week. Now I seem like a weenie. We got to ride all of our favorite rides and some new ones. My overall favorite ride is called Cold Springs to Warm Springs. The climb is fun and the downhill is the best of anywhere I've ever been. I rode this ride once a week while we were in Idaho and took anyone and everyone would would come with me on the ride. Jarred managed to get in some "epic" rides, these generally involve hiking with bike exploring unknown locations. I steer clear of these rides. I like biking and want to keep it that way.

We also have awesome Idaho friends. Staying with Meghan is great as she's always game for our energy and my obsessive cleaning of her house. Plus she has two of the best dogs. We always seem to meet new friends during our visits too. I think I have more of a social life in Idaho than I do in Washington.