Free to a Good Home

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Maiden Sea Voyage

Today we got boat (I think she needs a name) out for her first foray in salt water.  We dropped some crab pots and jigged for squid.  Which quickly turned into Matt jigging for squid and me drinking hot coco and driving him around due to a snag and lost gear on my end.  The unfortunate part of my cease fish is that we did have more gear, I just left it in the car.   That slip-up coupled with a few other less than stellar choices (in Matt's opinion) has left Matt questioning my cognitive ability.  I assure you, I had a perfectly logical reason for all the things I did.  My cognitive ability is just fine thank you very much.

Matt did manage to catch a squid, it was pretty exciting!  We also got nine crabs, however, they were not the correct species so no keepers for us.  Maybe next time.

Check out all the ink

It was pretty cool to watch her change colors

Rock crab

Bitch, get in the kitchen

I cannot believe that today is Christmas, where has the year gone?  Matt and I stuck around WA and have had a very nice day opening presents, eating and relaxing.  Which brings me to the topic of this post, presents.  First I would like to say that we had a very nice Christmas and were spoiled by family and friends.  However, I made a bit of an observation with this years presents - they fit a gender specific role.  This has nothing to do with what people think of us and everything to do with what we asked for, but it does make me laugh.

So, what is it that is so gender specific?  Well, Matt got outdoor gear: GPS, fly fishing pack, shotgun and I got kitchen gear: pyrex, blender, baking implements.  It is exactly what we wanted, but as you can see it is a bit sexist.  I guess this means you will find me in the kitchen cooking up whatever Matt manages to kill this upcoming year.

Payback's a....

This fall we have been fortunate to have had a number of people come to visit us.  Last in the line-up is my mom.  She was here for a long weekend and we were able to get out one day to go fishing.  After all the bragging I've done in the past about catching the larger fish, well, lets just say this trip didn't go well for me...

Big

Bigger

The little guy is mine...

Dear Boat

I love you, but...  you are causing undue stress.  Sure, you allow us to get out and enjoy the great outdoors  which is all good.  It is the times you are sitting around doing nothing that the problems start.  The PNW is known for its wet weather, you wouldn't think this would be an issue for a boat, but it is.  As it stand the boat is currently living in the parking space next to our house.  There is plenty of room for it there, however, it does not provide any cover.  To address this we have been covering the boat with a tarp and bunging it down.  As it turns out when we get days in a row of pouring rain our method provides approximately zero protection from the elements.

Today we had planned to go squid jigging and crabbing.  Upon removing the tarp from the boat we were presented with a rather unwelcome site, inches of water in the bottom of the boat.  Not good... Thankfully it gets used often and we know it hadn't sat like that for any period of time, still, it is frustrating.   A couple of hours later the water was drained, some electrical work had been done and we were finally ready go.  However we had missed the low tide and it didn't make much sense to go to the Sound, not to be detured we went to our local lake.  Matt caught a perch and rainbow, I got skunked.  We did get to see a beautiful sunset.

When we got back we decided it would be in our best interest to park the boat in the garage.  I got out to direct Matt and after about 10 minutes of hollering and maneuvering we decided to do some measuring.  Turns out the boat won't fit.  Why we didn't think to measure first I have no idea.  Looks like we are now in the market for some sort of carport to protect the boat.  It's always something...

 

The Klungles go Clamming

This past week Matt's parents made the trip to WA to come and visit us, it was nice to get to see them.  While they were in town we had a clam tide and thought it would be fun to take them out to experience clam digging.  There was two problems with this 1) it was a night tide, and 2) Linda did not have any rain pants or boots.  Being a night tide makes it much harder to locate the little siphon holes that indicate a clam is below.  Lacking lower body wet weather gear poses two problems, you have no protection from the rain or the tide.  Thankfully as soon as we got out of the car the rain stopped, unfortunately Linda  was consumed by the tide and got soaking wet.  In case you were curious, the oceans in our latitude are not exactly warm.  She was a trooper and stuck it out while we finished hunting for our clam limit - which we got.  Being that it was pitch black out I do not have any photo evidence of the actual dig, but I do have a photo of Ken cleaning clams for us.

Cleaning clams

Surf and Turf

Note: I am a little behind in posting.  This is from last weekend.

We have had a productive harvest this weekend.  Saturday we headed to the coast for the clam tide, both Matt and I got our limit in a short period of time.  It seems clamming is an all or nothing deal - either they are there or they are not.  The past two weeks they have  been there.  The weather on the other hand has not been - both times it was pouring, last week the wind was blowing so hard it was raining sideways.  I have to admit, this doesn't fit with my general idea of what a day at the beach includes.  O'well, it was fun. 

Nice beach weather, eh?

Sunday morning Matt and Jacks went pheasant hunting.  It was a success of sorts.  They got their limit, but did so in such a short period of time that Jacks didn't really get any exercise.  That afternoon we went fishing.  I caught a nice rainbow and Matt didn't land anything.  We both hooked a big fish that snapped our line, I am itching to get back out there and go after it!

Finally!

I love Indian food and have been dabbling in cooking it for awhile now.  Sometimes it turns out good, more often than not it has been a failure of a dinner.  As in it gets thrown out because it is so disgusting.  I just don't have a good hold on Indian spices so I have to follow recipes exactly, as it turns out there are a lot of crap recipes out there.  Which brings me to today.  I found a simple, healthy recipe for Saag Paneer - I had to try it. 

Imagine my surprise when it was not only easy to make but delicious.  In an effort to not lose, I figure if I post it here I can always find it later.  And, if you, like me have had some Indian issues you can try something that is good (in my opinion).

Saag Paneer
Credit: Quick Indian Cooking

• 225gm paneer
• 500gm frozen spinach
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• Half tsp chilli powder
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large green finger chilli
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• Half tsp garam masala
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt to taste

Chop the block of paneer into even bite sized pieces. In a bowl, mix the paneer pieces with the turmeric, chilli powder and a teaspoon of salt and set aside.
Now, chop the onion roughly and mince or puree the ginger and garlic together. In a non-stick pot, bring the oil to heat over a high flame.
When it is hot, add in the paneer and fry on one side until golden brown and then flip over and repeat on the opposite side. Then remove it with a slotted spoon back into its bowl.
In the same oil, fry the onions, ginger and garlic next. When it starts going translucent, mix in the cumin and the chopped green chilli. Fry for about five minutes until the mixture turns a deep golden brown.
Now mix in the frozen spinach and let it cook for another five minutes. When it is thoroughly defrosted in the pot and mixed evenly with the masala, add half a cup of hot water and go in with a hand blender to liquidise the whole lot into a smooth, creamy mixture.
If you don’t have a hand blender, you could tip the spinach into a normal blender for the same result. When it is smooth and back in the pot, add in the fried paneer pieces and the garam masala. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the water dries up and the spices have penetrated the spinach thoroughly.
At this point, check for salt. You’ll need to add a fair bit to lift the spinach. But this dish is worth it. Eat it piping hot as a side dish or with some ready nan as a complete meal.

I'm on a Boat

For as long as I can remember Matt has been trolling the internet (get your mind out of the gutter) for a boat.  I had been informed that it was wrong that a fish biologist not own his own craft and he wanted to rectify the issue.  However, if you know Matt you know that he is particular.  He knew exactly what he wanted and it turned out that there were not very many of them (used) available in the US, let alone WA.  Fast forward to a month or so ago, his dream boat turned up on craigslist.  This meant we had to actually decide if we were serious about making such a purchase.  A lot of hemming and hawing later we made the 4 hour drive to the east side of the state Friday to take a look at it.  I am pretty sure it was love at first sight for Matt - we hitched it up and drove home.

Without further ado I present you with our newest addition, meet our 16' Lund

Matt had meetings all day Saturday, but today we took her out to Black Lake (~ 2 miles from our house) for her maiden voyage.  The boat is great, I'll let the photos speak for our fishing trip.

Matt's perch

My rainbow

Visitors!

As I eluded to in my previous blog post my my dad has been in town.  I dropped him off at the airport this afternoon and as is usually the case, left feeling like I wish we had done more together.  It was nice having him in town.  He was kind enough to spend 10 days watching the dogs and chickens while we were on vacation.  Upon our return he pretty much took over dog and chicken duty and did a few jobs around the house.  Much appreciated.  I have a feeling Jacks is going to be pouting for the next week, my dad spoiled him royally with walks, fetch, and car rides.  The transition back to normal life won't be easy for him.

This past weekend we went to the LeMay car museum while he was here.  I have to say, I was pretty impressed.  It was much larger than I had anticipated.

I would like one of these, please.

ACL Surgery

If you were to ask Europa how life is treating her these days she would likely tell you she is not pleased.  Last Monday we took her in to get ACL surgery on her left hind leg.  She partially tore her ACL a few months back and it wasn't getting any better, in fact it was getting worse.  Her quality of life wasn't very impressive, she couldn't really get around, so we decided it was time.  Now she is confined to a leash or a cage for the next 11 weeks, no fun for anyone involved.  Hopefully she will be good as new come Christmas.

At least she doesn't have the cone of shame on.

Lima's Big Adventure

The last week of September my dad showed up in town to watch the dogs and Matt and I packed up our trusty truck to head to MT and WY for a week of outdoor fun.  As with last year our purpose was to go antelope hunting, however, since the season started on a Tuesday this year we figured we would take our time and do some visiting and fishing along the way.

Saturday afternoon we rolled into Bozemen, MT where we meet-up with a buddy that Matt worked with years ago at a gear shop.  After lunch with he and his wife, we headed to the local fly shop to procure fishing licenses and headed out for some fly fishing.  I was pretty excited, I have fished before, and I do own fly gear (purchased on clearance during our wedding) but I have not fly fished.  This would be my first time.  Matt spent the few weeks leading-up to our trip loading bullets and tying flies, so we were prepared.  I donned my waders, put my pole together and promptly fell on my ass and slid downhill towards the river - graceful...

Once in the water our buddy Matt pointed out a hole that he had see some fish jumping at.  Matt give me a 5 minute tutorial and then headed off to chase the previously mentioned fish.  I was left to practice casting in a location that was unlikely to produce fish.  After a few casts I decided if I was going to be left to my own devices to practice I should at least do it in a more fishy location.  I didn't have any luck, but I did enjoy myself.  Oh, Matt said he did catch a fish or two, but neither Matt (our friend) or I saw them so I cannot vouch for him.

Sunday morning we woke-up and were on the water by the crack of 10am.  This day we were fishing the Gallitan, the river that 'A River Runs Through It' was filmed on.  That being the case I decided I needed to channel my inner Brad Pitt and maybe I would get luck and land a fish.  Or, if you go by the movie, my lack of technique would mean that I shouldn't disgrace a fish with actually catching it.  Either way I wandered around until I found a place I thought looked promising and started practicing my cast again.  I didn't really have hopes of catching anything, but it was a good chance to work on my technique.  And then it happened, my line went taunt.  I actually had something, even better, I actually managed to land it.  I caught my first trout (brown) on a fly rod.  I was pretty darn pleased with myself.  Matt caught a rainbow (mine was bigger). 

Monday morning we thanked our gracious hosts and proceeded to our hunting ground south of Casper, WY.  We rolled in that evening to rain...  After setting-up camp, eating dinner, and packing for the following morning we curled-up for the night to thoughts of antelope bounding through our heads.  Tuesday we were up bright and early and had hiked-out for shooting light.  We stayed together that morning and after some stalking came upon a pair of antelope, they were too far away for me to comfortably take a shot, but Matt was game.  One shot and she was down.  We hiked over to her and I believe the first words I heard out of Matt's mouth were "son-of-a-bitch".  Looking down he realized he had shot a fawn.  He was duped, it was a pair of fawns that were together.  Lesson learned - if the ears looking abnormally large it is likely a youngin.  My take on the situation is we now have the veal of antelope, this is high quality tender meat, intended only for special occasions.

Proud hunter

Wednesday morning we again headed out together, put in some miles and didn't see many antelope.  Came back that afternoon had some lunch, relaxed a bit and prepared to head back out.  That afternoon we decided to do our own thing and took-off in opposite directions.  After hiking out a few miles I crested a hill and saw a family of three laying off in the distance.  I quickly dropped back into the gully and started working my way around to get closer.  When I popped out of the gully the three were still laying down, unaware of my presence.  Heart pounding I army crawled as close as I thought I could without alerting them to my presence.  I set-up behind a sagebrush clump and just watched them for awhile.  After I determined they were close enough for me to shoot I clicked the safety off and lined-up.  They were still laying down and my first shoot was a clean miss.  However, it did get everyone to stand-up and look around, putting me in a much better position to shoot.  I sat for what seemed a lifetime to calm myself down and took my shot.  This is where it goes south.

It was a hit, I saw her jump and stagger.  However, instead of taking a second shot right then to finish her I assumed she would wander just a bit a fall.  Given my assumption I packed-up my gear and hiked over.  When I got there I was greeted with a whole lot of nothing.  I walked a gird for a few hours to make sure I didn't miss anything, I found nothing.  I was devastated.  Not because I didn't have my antelope but that I hit one and then didn't finish the job.   After a few hours of beating myself up and looking for a trail I finally gave-up and hiked back to camp.  I sat in my chair and pouted.  I felt that I shouldn't hunt anymore, I took my shot, I hit something, and I failed on the follow-through.  I didn't deserve another chance.  Matt got back to camp and thinking I would great him with a antelope (he heard my shots), instead he got me grumpy.

Epic fail

Thursday morning Matt decided to hike out to an area I recommended he check before grabbing breakfast. Shortly thereafter I heard a shot and hurried my packing to go see if he got something.  As I got closer I saw a young buck circling around Matt and the down doe, he then dropped into a gully and headed towards me.  I wasn't interested in him so I carried on with my hike.  A few minutes later a mature doe popped-out of the gully right in front of me, since I was expecting the buck by the time I realized what had happened she ran off.  Opportunity missed.  Upon getting to Matt I found him with a large doe, he was a happy camper.

I hunted the rest of that morning with no success.  Upon returning to the truck Matt had just sat down to relax and a WY Fish and Game biologist pulled-up to check-us.  Matt dug out both of his kills and got approval.  When he heard that I had not yet had success he suggested a different area that we try.  Seemed like a good idea so we packed-up camp and headed out.  One problem, the truck wouldn't start, did I mention we were in the middle of nowhere?  Thankfully the biologist drove back by and was kind enough to give us a jump.  After going into town to get a new battery we headed to the new spot. We scoped it out agreed that our previous location was better, then it started to pour.  The roads to get back to where we were are silty, rain was quickly turning them into a impassable mess.  With that my hunt was over, we pointed the truck towards Lander, WY to go visit friends. 

After a night in Lander we headed towards Jackson, WY where we spent the day down by the river, Matt fishing and me reading. 

Fishing the Snake River

That evening we went to a local steak house and had what might be the best appetizer I've ever tasted - bison carpaccio.  If you don't know what that is it is raw meat pounded really thin served with crusty bread and gouda cheese. I would go back just to eat this!  That night we hung out in Jackson and went to the Cowboy Bar where I saddled up to the bar and ordered a shirley temple.  Matt compensated for my lame drink and drank whiskey.  

Bison Carpaccio

Lima at our wedding spot - 22 weeks

 The next morning (Saturday) we debated if we should head back or extend the vacation and take the long way through Yellowstone so we could do some fishing.  Extending the vacation was the obvious choice.  One our way through Yellowstone we fished three more rivers, all I caught was a rock, Matt actually got a couple of fish. 

On our way out of the park we saw some sheep plodding down the road.  It was a great vacation, as usual is passed far to quickly and the drive home seemed to take far to long.

We Have Eggs!!

Or should I say - egg.  None the less, it is an exciting moment, Speedy is old enough to start laying.  Now we have to wait for the other two to catch-up.  Maybe, just maybe, the chickens can start to work off their debt to Matt for having built them a nice home.  I wonder if they realize just how high their mortgage payment is?

Half Baked Baby in the Oven

I can hardly believe that I am half cooked, where does time go?  Today Matt and I went for our mid-way ultrasound, it was pretty cool to get to see images of our little (big) one.  The technician informed us everything looks good so far as she can tell, we'll know for sure after the radiologist (?) reads all the films.  The only thing she did mention is that the little person is currently measuring big, which is consistent with our 8 week ultrasound.  She thinks we may be somewhat ahead of what we previously thought. 

No, we did not find out the sex.

I'm feeling good and seem to have to remind folks from time to time that I am pregnant, not an invalid.  It is amazing how often I hear the advice of take it easy, don't do too much.  Apparently sitting on the couch eating bon-bons is the best thing for baby?  From all I have read I  have to disagree with that sentiment, exercise through pregnancy has been shown to be beneficial for both mom and baby.  Mom keeps unnecessary weight gain down, improves the function of the placenta (through 14 weeks - I think), and prepares baby for the rigors of childbirth.  Plus it helps with my (and Matt's) sanity.  If there a reason I should no longer exercise I will stop, but as long as I can go I'll keep at it.  I am still running and it is generally okay.  Sometimes things feel kinda weird and cause me to stop and walk, but for the most part it is business as usual, just A LOT slower. 

Triple Tranny

I spent last weekend in the Olympic National Forest with friends, in the interst of full disclosure Matt spent it at home doing chores.  He did make it out for a hike on Sunday, that counts for something, right?

Anyhow, you may recall last year I ran around Mt. Rainier with a couple of buddies.  This was the same concept except through Olympic National Park.  I had originally planned to participate in the run but decided that running 30+ miles a day for four days may not be the best idea right now.  Instead I served as part of the crew that hauled the runners gear to campsites and picked them up from various locations.  It actually made for a nice relaxing weekend.  While the runners were covering big miles I set-up camp and then went for leisurely day hikes, it was pretty nice!  Below are some pictures for the weekend.  Next year we are talking about running the PCT from the Oregon/Washington border to Canada. 

Are You Kidding Me?!?

Last night around 3am Europa was grumbling by the door wall in our room.  Both Matt and I shushed her and rolled-over back to sleep.  This morning I head out back to let the chickens out and guess what I encounter...

Our strawberries are gone.  What you are looking at is a half of a wiskey barrel that was overflowing with strawberry plants, not so anymore.  Deciding to take matters in our own hands we stopped at Cabela's and purchased a deer stopper. 

Hopefully a zap in the butt will be enough to send them scurrying.  If nothing else our new bb gun sure if fun to play with!  In case you are curious it is a Daisy, just no the red rider rifle.  We opted for the handgun version. 

Running Plans

You may have noticed the blog has been void of running adventures the past few months.  That isn't because I haven't been running - I am.  But I am not running nearly as much or should I say as interesting of runs, and I've not raced at all this year.  No, no, it is not because I have turned into a giant slacker, I actually have a good excuse - I'm pregnant (17 weeks if you are curious).  As I said, I am still running but my long adventures have had go on temporary hold. 

That brings me to my future plans.  I know, some of you may read this and think I have weird priorities if what I am thinking about right now is what kind of runs I am going to do, but, it is part of who I am, so obviously it is weighing on me.  I figure I should try and be realistic so I plan to start-up again next year with White River 50 mile.  I am due in February, the race is the end of July, that give me ~5 months to get myself back in shape and able to do this.  Not sure if it will be possible, I am sure there are a lot of variables that will come into play.  But for now, that is my plan. 

If like me you are a runner and curious what pregnancy will do to you, I can share my experience thus far.  As I mentioned earlier I am still running, just not as far.  I actually did a couple 20-30 milers before I knew and during those runs something felt off.  I was exhausted and couldn't move very fast.  But, I am stubborn so I just pushed on and assumed I was struggling to recover since I went from not running much to big miles is a short period.  To further the idea that my body hated me I had recently started using a heart rate monitor and was amazed to see how high my heart rate would be on an easy 20 mile run, it was disturbing.  I wasn't working hard but my heart rate would hover in the 180's.  Again, I just chalked it up to poor conditioning. 

And then...I finally took a test, got the positive, and it all made sense.  At this point I gave up my long runs (20+ miles) and stuck with my twice a week work-out with the group - Tuesday Rock Candy (hill workout ~10 miles) and Thursday easy trail run (really it is more a reason to get together for drinking ~ 4 miles).  On the weekends I go out by myself.  I find it easier to run by myself, I don't judge how slow I am going, instead I enjoy the fact that I am out on the trails. 

During the first trimester I was exhausted all the time so while I ran I wasn't exactly excited about it.  I would rather be napping.  It didn't help that running downhill made me nauseous, but, as I said, I am stubborn and kept at it.  Now that I am in the second trimester I feel like a new person.  The nagging nausea and exhaustion are mostly gone and I feel like myself again.  Since I am not running the same big miles I would like to be more consistent and get out on a daily basis.  Since this isn't my standard M.O. I haven't quite been able to get it instated yet.  But, when I do run these days it is much more enjoyable. My plan is to keep going as long as I can unless the dr. tells me otherwise. 

Capitol Forest 50 Mile

Yesterday was Matt's first foray into ultra distance events, he toed the line for the Capitol Forest 50 mile mountain bike race.  You may remember from earlier posts that he had intentions to complete the 100 mile distance, however, come race day he decided that 50 was a better plan. 

I wasn't there so the recap is going to be pretty brief.  He finished, had fun, and plans to do the 100 mile next year.  He did have one bump, about 6 miles from the finish his chain broke and ripped his derailleur hanger off.  This cost him 30 minutes spent on the side of the trail tinkering with his bike so it would work again, bummer...

Chicken Ranching 101

We are newbies at this whole chick ranching business, but I think we are coming to a close of  Chicken 101 - The Basics.   For those of you that are interested in my opinions and what we have learned, read on.  The rest of you - wait for a more interesting post.

• The Coop - No matter how much reading we did prior to creating our coop, it seems you always learn more once it is up and running. Maybe that is why a number of sites say create something cheap for your first one, because you will inevitably want to do something different.  Our original plan was to create a chicken tractor, something with wheels that we could easily cart around the yard.  Our tractor turned into more of a fortress, it is big, heavy, and not on wheels.  Actually it isn't that big or that heavy, but it is awkward enough that one person cannot move it by themselves.  What this means - it doesn't get moved on a daily basis, instead we go out and shift it once a week.  This is not ideal.  Chickens are good a two things, pooping and scratching.  Irregular movement of the coop leads to trashed lawn in a jiffy.  Not that we have nice lawn, but it is rather discerning to see the bare patches add up.  After some further research we are going to move our coop one last time to a "permanent" location and use the deep litter method on the coop floor to bring in bugs and expedite composting.  From all I have read chicken stink is not an issue.  We will see.
• The Chickens - We got three straight run chickens (they were not sexed) that came with a rooster exchange policy.  We figured we would have one rooster.  As it turns out we have two.  It only took four months to figure it out.  It isn't like you can turn them over and look under the hood, you have to wait for rooster like traits.  Ours meet me with crowing earlier this week when they were displeased.  Oh yes, chickens will voice their displeasure.  I am sure had I not ticked the chicken off it would have been weeks until we found out his true colors.  My point, plan your chicken allotment accordingly.  They are social animals and Speedy would not be happy if we ate two of her compatriots without offering other friends.  Not to mention a sharp decline in egg production (which we do not expect until sometime this fall).

Henry and Rooster and on the left, Speedy (our only hen) is on the right.

• The Chickens (Part 2) - They say you should handle your chickens often so they are tame and friendly.  Take this advice to heart.  While we handled our chickens it seems it was not often enough, they are not exactly the friendliest birds on the block.  
• Food - We bought a smallish chicken feeder to put in the coop, it wasn't terribly expensive so I don't feel like we lost much but...it wasn't big enough so we were feeding multiple times a day and Henry (the big one in the middle) didn't like the restricted access so would kick it over and fling food everywhere.  After getting sick of the multiple feedings I decided to make a change, we needed a bigger feeder.  My ultimate plan is to use a cake pan and attach a large peanut butter jar as a sort of auto feeder to it.  I am currently waiting for us to finish the peanut butter so they are just using the pan.  As it turns out, a cake pan is a cheap effective feeder.
• Food (Part 2) - They love our kitchen and garden scraps.  They do not like getting mashed-up banana stuck to their beaks, they run around wiping it on the grass.  Kinda funny to watch. 

Well, that is all I have for Chicken Ranching 101.  We are switching out our roosters for hens later this week.  I have to admit, I will be sad to see Rooster go, he is our nicest chicken. Henry, well hopefully he finds a better home...

Summer in the PNW is Like Santa

They tell you it exists but the reality is someone fabricated the idea so we have something to look forward to.  I know, I know, I shouldn't complain since the rest of the county is baking.  But really, is a consistent streak of nice weather too much to ask for?  So it would seem...

This past weekend it was really nice on Saturday, hot and sunny.  The perfect weather (ha!) for Matt to participate in the Olympia Travers, a multi-event race comprised of mountain biking, road biking, kayaking, and running.  He and two other guys we run with signed-up to do it solo (it is a team event), I was the good wife/friend and carted everyone's gear around to the various checkpoints.  Everyone went into the event thinking it would be fun and easy, they finished with a slightly different opinion.  It seems it was a bit tougher than anticipated.  But, they still had fun. 

Matt sprinting to the finish.

Smiles at the end

Aren't you Worried?

Tuesday, our usual Rock Candy day, which Matt is partaking in this year as well.  Yesterday we set-off and at an intersection I turned away from the group to take a different route. Matt and I waved to each other without thought and off I went, alone.  Later when we were back at the car Matt informed me that one of the guys running with the group was concerned that my husband would allow me to run alone - Aren't you worried something will happen to her?  To which he respond "Well, no..." 

This whole exchange is made even more comical because I came across this gentleman (who is a lovely person) shortly before I made it back to the car, he had gotten split up for the group and was lost.  He came running up to me carrying a very large stick, to protect himself for anything that may be lurking.  The best part, it was the second stick he found, he had picked one up earlier but this one was bigger and looked to be a better weapon so he switched out.   

I guess everyone has a different comfort level. 

The foxglove are in bloom.

Moving Out

I am happy to report that the chickens are out of the garage and into their coop.  Actually, they have been out for over a week  now, I am just slow in posting the news.  They seem to be enjoying their new digs and have figured out that they need to head inside a night.  Below is a picture of Matt's masterpiece, I am really happy with how it turned out.