THE BIGFOOT CAMERA.

For his birthday this year, Laura and Danny bought my dad a game camera.  At the time he had been watching television shows about BIGFOOT--any and every show EVER made about Bigfoot actually!  We're talking mega-doses of Bigfoot!  (Somehow he even managed to get ME to watch a few)!  They told him the camera was for his own personal Bigfoot research efforts!  Clear back in June, when Dad got the camera, he wasn't quite able to figure out exactly how his new camera worked!  Occasionally he would grab the camera and push a few buttons but he never got it up and running.  However, this winter Dad has had some time off and one day he sat down with his camera.  He hooked it up to his TV set and realized--the camera had been working all along!  That meant that he had captured some pretty interesting pictures!  The camera mechanisms fire so quietly, he never knew when it snapped a picture!  

He had pictures of himself!

The wall!

The TV!

And even the dog!

The photos were all taken over the course of the six months since he received the camera!

Once the camera began FLASHING during the darker days of winter, he realized it had been working all along!  

And THEN he was finally ready to take the camera outside! 

He strapped the camera to a tree along their driveway . . .

and set out some apples!

You will notice that at this point, Dad has figured his camera out so well he has been able to set the correct date and time and, additionally, has NAMED his camera BIGFOOT!

Here are some of his very first "outdoor" shots!

And he even got a few day time pictures as well!

He is still working to perfect the camera setup but I am confident by summer, we'll be out hunting BIGFOOT!  Or at least seeing what wanders through our camp while we sleep!

As I mentioned, Dad has been putting apples out for his deer.

While I was up basking in the sunshine the deer came for the apples during the day!

I shot all of the following pictures through their living room window!

  

THE LITTLE BUCK.

he is actually a 4 x 3 point.  one of his prongs on the far antler is just a nub!

AND THE BIG BUCK!

he's a 5 point!

and really a gorgeous animal!

  

    

i love the tongue shots!

JANUARY 2009

can't wait to adventure with bigfoot this summer, dad!

LOW DOWN, DIRTY ROTTEN INVERSION BLUES

It seems that every winter the Boise valley gets blanketed by a dirty, icky, smoggy, foggy, completely MISERABLE inversion.  Although there are glorious blue skies and a brilliant sun shining in the surrounding mountains, you would never know it from the valley floor.  Here in the city it is dark, dreary and have I mentioned, MISERABLE?  Although the inversion traditionally hangs around for several weeks each winter, this year it feels as if it will never end!  I am notorious for negatively feeling the effects of the shorter daylight hours that come with the winter season to begin with but add to that the ABSOLUTE lack of sunshine and I am one useless, unmotivated, MISERABLE individual!  Last week, after realizing there was a break in my schedule, I packed my bags and got my miserable self to the mountains just as fast as I could!

WEEKS OF THIS . . .

  

MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THIS!

I had arranged to stay with my parents in Cascade for a couple of days.

As I began traveling north, the foggy conditions lingered until the SILVER BRIDGE.

I tell you, there is something MAGICAL about this bridge!  It is ALWAYS the dividing point

for weather conditions.  It might be raining on the south side of the bridge but it will be snowing on the north side!  And on this particular trip, the FIRST patch of blue sky appeared just above my magical bridge!  OH JOY!!!  

THE NORTHERN SKIES JUST KEPT GETTING CLEARER AND CLEARER . . .

  

SO IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE I STARTED FEELING SUNNIER MYSELF!

  

WE SPENT SEVERAL GLORIOUS DAYS BASKING IN THE MUCH-CRAVED SUNSHINE BEFORE HEADING, BEGRUDGINGLY, BACK TO THE VALLEY.

as i work to put the final touches on this post, i am happy--no, simply delighted--to report that it looks as if the inversion has FINALLY broken!  there were actually patches of blue sky visible today!  perhaps i will survive until spring after all!

DEVIL'S LADDER???

During the last couple of dark and dreary weeks, I have been doing some pretty extensive research for potential adventure outings.  I am so excited about some of the wonderful desert destinations I have come across!  Spring just can't arrive fast enough!  However, during my research I came across an old article from the Boise Weekly about Jump Creek that proved to be rather unsettling!  Here's the excerpt:

"West of the waterfalls is the 'Devil's Ladder,' a rock crevice that leads to the upper canyon.  Every year, someone decides to tackle the ladder, and frequently people fall off either the slope or the top of the falls and meet an untimely end.  (Rocks, as a rule, tend to be hurty and the water in the pool isn't that deep . . .)  So maybe content yourself with just looking at the rock formations."

So, as you might have guessed, these are all pictures of Kipper and I

 (unwittingly) tackling DEVIL'S LADDER this fall!

AND I WAS SO PROUD OF MYSELF FOR BEING BRAVE!!!

I do have to admit that Devil's Ladder has inspired me to try rock climbing.

HOWEVER . . . I think I'll actually LEARN to climb before I tackle The Ladder again!

I have discovered The Ladder isn't the only way to the upper canyon which is fortunate!  Fortunate because I simply HAVE to make it to that upper canyon!  The OLD MAN OF THE OWYHEES lives there!

(these are NOT my photos--but I will have some of my own!  I will!)

ISN'T HE WONDERFUL?!

Apparently the hike in to the Old Man is pretty rigorous so I am gearing up!

I AM DETERMINED TO MAKE IT IN TO SEE HIM!

NYE 2008

In accordance with what is becoming an annual tradition for me, I spent New Year's Eve with the McNamaras!  We spent a quiet evening together, playing with the kids, watching movies and for some of us, sleepily waiting for the new year to arrive.  (Don't worry Amber, I won't mention the names of those who were so sleepy, so early)!  I have come to LOVE spending the last hours of each year with a family that is so full of energy, love, and laughter!  This year was made especially memorable for me by Miss Anna!  Super shy Anna, who I have learned to keep at least a six foot distance from at all times, crawled up on the sofa next to me.  She leaned over, kissed my arm and then gave me a great big hug!  And then we got to play together!!!  I can count, on one hand, the number of times I have held Anna since she was born so her FINALLY warming up to me, made my heart absolutely SING!  We had such fun together and I soaked up her every laugh and giggle!   

MY SWEET ANNA!

As I mentioned earlier, some us were getting pretty sleepy before the clock struck midnight.

Feeling badly, I decided to leave the heavy-lidded McNamaras a bit early myself.

And as I was leaving their subdivision . . . adventure beckoned!

At first I wasn't sure where I would find my midnight adventure.

But I knew I had 30 minutes and a full tank of gas to find it!

Growing up I remember tuning in to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve broadcast to watch the ball drop in Times Square.  As I was reminiscing of years past, I had a brilliant idea!

I too would have a ROCKIN' New Year's Eve!

(yeah so i'm obviously still working on self-portraits with my new phone)

I had just enough time to make it to the Snake River!

I picked out a rock . . .

and with just minutes to spare, ran out onto the dock!

As the waters of the mighty Snake flowed past me in the pitch black of the night, I let the memories of 2008 come flooding back.  With an incredibly sincere smile upon my face, I felt the weight of the rock in my hand--the weight of all that had happened in the past year.  As the clock rolled over to 2009 I pulled back and let my rock fly!  It sailed through the darkness and produced the most spectacular "sploosh" in the crisp night air.  I did my famous Super Happy Arms-Spread-Wide Spin and whispered "Bring on 2009!"

And then, as the distant rural community fired celebratory gun shots, I dashed back to my truck.  Gotta admit, 

ROCKIN' New Year's Eve celebrations are pretty dark and creepy!

However, I am thrilled my new year began with an adventure of my very favorite kind--both solo and spontaneous!  I am glad I took a moment to remember the past and then give it a mighty release and I am super proud that as I stood there on that dock, alone, I was genuinely filled with peace and contentment.  What a truly amazing way to start a new year!

I can't wait to see what adventures 2009 will bring!