Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Farewell Land Lovers!
I, Jake (yes I know it has been forever since I actually blogged and no Kari is not forcing me to do this)...anyway, where was I. Err..yes, I am heading off on Saturday for another field project. By plane and large ocean vessel I will make my way to a small atoll, about 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. Over the next several weeks I will serve as part of the team working to restore this unique and vibrant ecosystem of the tropics. I have decided to add a map to the blog to keep you all informed of my travelings throughout the year. After the project the ship will take me to Samoa, where I plan to spend a few days exploring and hopefully fishing. Then back on a plane to Hawaii, where Kari will meet me for a well deserved (for her) vacation. For more info on the project, check out this website http://www.protectpalmyra.org/. The 'project updates' section will be updated regularly throughout our time on island, so check back often for awesome pictures of restoration in action.
Friday, May 13, 2011
March and April and May, Oh My!
I know, I know, it has been a long time. At this point too much has happened to post in detail, so I am sticking with just the highlights...
March: We made a trip down to CA to visit the Bonham side of the family. Spent most of the time in Susanville visiting with Grandma Jeanne and Grandma and Grandpa Bonham. Despite the fact that it was March, it snowed for the vast majority of our trip. As it always is though, it was great to spend time with them. After a quick stop in Alturas we headed home, indeed through more snow.
At the end of the month both of our moms happen to be in Portland on the same day. Jake's mom was here for work training and my mom had bid a trip and had a short layover. So, for the first time since the wedding (almost three years ago!) the mom' got to catch-up over dinner with us. It took all of about 12 seconds with both of them in the car before we were asked about grandkids! But I suppose that's what moms do. : ) Jake's mom stayed through the weekend and enjoyed the sights of Portland with us. The zoo was the big excitement. It rained off and on all day, but in true Portland fashion we just put our hoods on and continued trekking. It was fun to show off our city and have her here for a visit.
April: My mom was celebrating a milestone birthday this year (don't worry mom, I won't say which one!), so I packed my bag and headed to UT. Jake had planned to come until we discovered that Delta had put a black-out on buddy passes for the weekend due to Easter. So I was flying solo and he was staying home enjoying a bachelor weekend. The trip was short but fun. I got to watch our niece Maizey and nephew Xavier play soccer for the first time and it was awesome! The party for mom turned out great (nice work Mike!!) and everyone seemed to have a great time. I was happy that I could be there for the celebration. Easter came next, which means we were off to dad and Margie's house to hide egg, watch the grandkids find them and then eat entirely too much lunch. Xavier turned out to be a rockstar egg finder and needed additional storage for all the goods, and I was happy to help. That night I was back on a plane and heading home.
May: We took advantage of the gorgeous day a couple weekends ago and headed up to Elk Mountain for a hike. When planning this excursion we thought we would actually be doing two hikes that day since Elk Mountain was only about 3.5 miles round trip. The website said it was steep, but that appeared to be an understatement. Whoever created this trail was a fan of the "shortest way to get from A to B is a straight line" theory. After gaining almost 2000 feet elevation in 1.75 miles we were at the top. Hard work to get there, but the views were great. We could see all the way to Mt. Hood. Enjoyed some lunch and then headed back down. At that incline, going downhill is as much work as going up! It was a great hike though and felt so nice to be out in the sun.
Now here we are half way through May already. Planning to enjoy the next couple weeks until Jake leaves for his next world adventure.
March: We made a trip down to CA to visit the Bonham side of the family. Spent most of the time in Susanville visiting with Grandma Jeanne and Grandma and Grandpa Bonham. Despite the fact that it was March, it snowed for the vast majority of our trip. As it always is though, it was great to spend time with them. After a quick stop in Alturas we headed home, indeed through more snow.
At the end of the month both of our moms happen to be in Portland on the same day. Jake's mom was here for work training and my mom had bid a trip and had a short layover. So, for the first time since the wedding (almost three years ago!) the mom' got to catch-up over dinner with us. It took all of about 12 seconds with both of them in the car before we were asked about grandkids! But I suppose that's what moms do. : ) Jake's mom stayed through the weekend and enjoyed the sights of Portland with us. The zoo was the big excitement. It rained off and on all day, but in true Portland fashion we just put our hoods on and continued trekking. It was fun to show off our city and have her here for a visit.
April: My mom was celebrating a milestone birthday this year (don't worry mom, I won't say which one!), so I packed my bag and headed to UT. Jake had planned to come until we discovered that Delta had put a black-out on buddy passes for the weekend due to Easter. So I was flying solo and he was staying home enjoying a bachelor weekend. The trip was short but fun. I got to watch our niece Maizey and nephew Xavier play soccer for the first time and it was awesome! The party for mom turned out great (nice work Mike!!) and everyone seemed to have a great time. I was happy that I could be there for the celebration. Easter came next, which means we were off to dad and Margie's house to hide egg, watch the grandkids find them and then eat entirely too much lunch. Xavier turned out to be a rockstar egg finder and needed additional storage for all the goods, and I was happy to help. That night I was back on a plane and heading home.
May: We took advantage of the gorgeous day a couple weekends ago and headed up to Elk Mountain for a hike. When planning this excursion we thought we would actually be doing two hikes that day since Elk Mountain was only about 3.5 miles round trip. The website said it was steep, but that appeared to be an understatement. Whoever created this trail was a fan of the "shortest way to get from A to B is a straight line" theory. After gaining almost 2000 feet elevation in 1.75 miles we were at the top. Hard work to get there, but the views were great. We could see all the way to Mt. Hood. Enjoyed some lunch and then headed back down. At that incline, going downhill is as much work as going up! It was a great hike though and felt so nice to be out in the sun.
Now here we are half way through May already. Planning to enjoy the next couple weeks until Jake leaves for his next world adventure.
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