The Hunting Gods Hate Me

I finally drew my first controlled hunt bull elk tag in Idaho. After waiting 25 years for this to happen, I was really psyched. I decided to spend a few days scouting at the end of August prior to the archery season.

I was so excited about the hunt that I decided to hire a pilot to show me around. He told me to call him when I was headed his way and we would make a plan. I called him Thursday afternoon and he said it had been too foggy in the mornings to fly. I thought to myself, "Fog? In August? This guy is high!" He wasn't high. We were never able to fly.

I tried to camp in a spot we stayed in while moose hunting about a decade ago, but almost got stuck. It was getting close to dark. I drove down the road a bit and found a pullout where I could glass an area I knew held elk. Within seconds of sitting down I spotted a herd with a small bull. Only one herd and the bull was small. Not what I expected to see. The next morning I went to a better vantage point and confirmed that the big boys weren't hanging out there.

It poured all night long. I took a shortcut to the next spot and experienced one of the most harrowing drives of my life. At the next spot I tried to pull off of the road a bit, but it wasn't happening. This is what the main road looked like near where I parked.

I took off on my ATV in search of elk. After hiking for a while I bumped a couple of bulls and saw a few more. Finally, some success! Then it started pouring again. I headed back to the truck and found my trailer sticking way out into the road. There was a guy parked on the other side of the road, and he explained that he tried to pull off the road as I had and nearly slid into my trailer so he had to move it over and couldn't get it back in place. I guess I wasn't the only idiot out there that weekend! Here is a view from the top.

Once I got settled in, I started a nice hot dinner. I promptly ran out of propane. Since I forgot my rain pants most of my clothes were soaked and I no longer had a way to dry them out. Awesome! It rained all night, again.

The next morning I set out to check another spot. Everything was great until I got to a stretch of road which had just been re-graded. It had about a 2 degree slope, but I was stuck.

I learned many valuable lessons from my dad. One of them was to get a set of chains for your truck and never, ever, EVER take them out of your truck. Even if it's August. I bought a brand new set of chains for the truck when we bought it in 2004. I pulled them out for the first time. In August. I chained up and was able to get out a little after daylight. Since the morning scout was shot, I went to town, got some propane, ate a burger at Rulon Gardner's restaurant (the olympic gold wrestler) and headed back up. I hiked up into some beautiful country and sat down to wait for the elk to emerge. While waiting, I noticed the temperature dropped about 10 degrees minutes before I heard the first crack of thunder. I was sitting on a bare ridge about 1 mile from the nearest safe spot. I ran most of that mile, then trudged the remainder through the rain and mud, thinking all the way about the hot shower that awaited me at the camper. Once there, the water heater wouldn't start.
I had one more spot to check, so I drove back to the moose hunting area. I put a couple of beers into the ATV bag and headed out. Once I got settled in to glass, I quickly found 6-7 bulls scatted across the drainage. I set up my spotting scope to get a better look and the fog immediately set in. Disgusted, I picked up the unopened beers and headed back to camp.

My plan was to return in the morning to get a better look at those bulls. Then it rained all night, again. It was still pouring in the morning, so I called it quits and headed home.

When Karen and I were younger, she always joined me on my scouting trips. I just don't understand why she quit going!

Staining the Play Set

Our play set was in need of staining, so I took it upon myself to work on it the other day. Sprout wanted to help. Karen encouraged her to join me, mostly so she would be out of Karen's hair for a few hours.

First we removed much of the hardware. Sprout carefully placed all of the parts in a bucket for me. Once it was time to stain, she demanded her own brush. Surprisingly, she was pretty good help. She hasn't quite grasped the idea of staining close to the source (paint can), but she certainly made the process quicker and more entertaining. Here are a couple pictures of her in action.

Dance Class

Elena recently started taking dance and tumbling lessons. Here is a picture of her awaiting her first lesson.

Elena's dance instructor has very strict rules. You line up at the door, drop your kid off promptly at the appropriate time, and get the hell out of there. Parents are an unwelcome distraction during class. I have to wear a hat every time I pick Elena up so that Miss Laura will recognize me and release my child. Fortunately, Cleo the cat is  always hanging around to entertain the girls while they wait for class to start. She goes from one girl to the next getting petted and methodically untying their ballet shoes.

While waiting for class to start, I met Justin, the only other dad dropping his daughter. He smiled and said something about how our wives shopped at the same store. Our girls could have been twins!

Laura may have strict rules for parents, but she is great with kids from what little I have seen. I was able to snap a quick photo of their first exercise before dashing out of the studio.

So far Elena loves dance class. She seems to be learning a bunch and can't wait for Thursday to arrive.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Elena, who is in pre-kindergarten (Note, I started this post a while back and never published it.) Marcus still has another year before he starts preschool.

I needed to leave early for work, so the photos didn't turn out very well.

Elena refused to wear the sweater that looked cute with her dress. I can't blame her as it was cold this morning and I was dressed similarly in a camo sweatshirt. Marcus wanted his Batman jacket but it was AWOL.

After I picked them up, I asked Elena how she liked school. "It was fun."
Me: What did you talk about?
E: Rules.
Me: What are the rules?
E: I don't remember.

It's going to be a long year.

Zoo days

 

For his birthday, my parents gifted Marcus with a day at the zoo. We put this towards a family pass to use throughout the year. The kids love the prairie dog exhibit, mostly running through the tunnels pretending to be animals. 

 The next favorite exhibit is the "farm section". There are goats, sheep, and llamas to feed treats and pet. Sprout brings money from her piggy bank for this purpose.

 The zoo has added a few dinos spaced throughout and the kids couldn't turn down the opportunity to pose with this one.

 We always love giraffes. And monkeys, but it's hard to get pictures of them.

 This big bird is about four feet tall and decided to chase after Sprout. This was warranted as she thought it would be nice to offer a flower to him through the chain link fence. It's impressive how fast this guy can run. Good thing he's caged.

We've all been enjoying the zoo this fall and hope to make it a few more times before the weather cools off.

Play date

The kids have been enjoying time at Oma and Grampy's house. Marcus likes looking through the books. More accurately, he likes pulling them all off the bookshelf and making a mess.

Sprout really enjoys coloring and cocktails. She's really excited about the new hello kitty coloring book with stickers.

They are also fond of swinging through the branches of the willow tress. There have been a few Tarzan like maneuvers along with a sword fight or two.

 

For Sprout, the highlight was when she got to have a special play date at Oma's house. They spent the day making strawberry jam, painting nails, coloring, and reading books. Oh by the way, the jam is awesome. We are on the last jar. Time for another play date.