Now I know what to do with Sparky...

Sparky is my yellow barn cat that sometimes has WAY too much energy. He climbs up my leg all day long to get me to play with him. Perhaps he needs to go to cat agility...

The Bowl's Always Half Full...

I was practicing with a new lens on my camera today. Matt got it for me for Christmas after reading a Merlin Mann's 43 Folders (now one of my favorite geek "e" sites). The lens is a single focus 50mm. It is great for portrait photos. It actually forces you to be a little more selective and creative with the close shot. Here's one I liked of Sparky doing his favorite thing... eating out of the big kitty food bowl which always seems to have food in it for him. He's an appreciative little Michigan barn kitty.

Wicked Smart....

I saw this Smart Car ad and HAD to put it on the blog. Certainly when I get a Smart car I can feel GOOD about this!

Back At The Farm

I went back to the farm in Michigan to spend Christmas with my parents. It's always a good experience and a reminder of how quickly times goes by when the work day consists of farm chores such as taking care of animals and cutting wood to keep a big old farm house cozy in the winter.


Winter lamb. It's a good thing they have wool coats!


Giving me that sheepish look.


My Dad as a lumberjack.


Mom treating the farm dogs.


Farm dog Zach after getting a "snow" drink.

Chopper Dan

My B-I-L Dan used his helicopter to drop a guy off whose dirt bike broke down in a remote area. As there were no flat spots for landing, he had to do a "drop" literally. Check it out.

I'm NOT good about these things...

Ok folks... I have a SIN for which I must confess. It's the "Oh I'll remember to..." one. You know when someone you REALLY want to contact leaves a message on your phone... and then you proceed with deleting BEFORE you've written the number down. You know-- the long lost high school buddy.

Well long lost high school buddy/probably would be more if I hadn't well.... lost your phone number way back when....
I'm REACHING out to you via the web. Google up! You'll find me and if you could just call one more time, I won't be so quick to DELETE!

Oh.... I'm a bad friend. Ok, I'm NOT if you actually touch base with me. Or better yet, REACH for me.

So if you've called--please call again. I really DO want to talk to you.

And if you don't reach me--I'm sending you brainwaves...

"E" or as a slight few may know "Betsy" (Don't even think you can go somewhere with this unless you KNEW me in high school....) is here. I really DO want to talk/see you again.

Makenna Cares...

Here's a pat on the back to my cousin Todd (Steve) and wife Heather for teaching their kids about charity and compassion. Their daughter, Makenna, tossed aside vanity to get her long locks cut off for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program. This program allows one to donate their beautiful healthy hair to create free wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

I received her haircut photos in an e-mail and thought that it needed to be blogged and shared. Perhaps you are considering a shorter hairdo, but have been hesitant to see those long strands falling to the floor. You can follow Makenna's lead and give something back and feel good about getting a fun new short style. See the link above for details about the program.

Makenna--AWESOME new hairdo. You GO girl!

When Cats Talk...

Yes, cats DO talk!

All Things Ancient

I'm back from my Black Sea Cruise with a cajillion (that means A LOT) photos. This weekend I'll be sorting through them all and posting a few on my blog and web gallery. However, to appease those that are already asking why I haven't posted anything, I'm posting a few from our last day that we spent walking around Rome.

First, let me say that our Cruise took us to many places of ancient and historical interest. "Must see" places as far as I'm concerned. Both at the beginning and end of our trip we spent some extra time in Rome. Two days still wasn't enough. Rome is one of those cities where you just start walking and around almost every corner there is some marvelous piece of art and beauty. I'm kind of a fountain freak so I got an overdose in Rome.

Our last day in Rome was beautiful. Crisp cool air with gorgeous blue skies. Everyone was out enjoying the day.


Token "old guy" photo taken by the Pantheon.


Wanda and Julie (Greenbank) at local market. We bought some really cool spice blends for Italian cooking. I always love the markets with fresh fruits, vegetables, olive oil and more.


Up close fountain photo with fresco buildings for contrast.


The Pantheon. This photo doesn't do it justice. I'll have more photos of the Pantheon when I get them uploaded to my web gallery.


When in Rome... you MUST have gelato!

How Cats Wake Up Humans....

This is so funny... Matt's the official kitty breakfast feeder and I think he will attest to the persistence of cats when they want to be fed!

Mr. Whooooooo...

Jan and I were out walking the dogs when we saw our neighborhood Owl. He was perched on the house next to mine (my other neighbor). I heard him in the wash area behind my house last night. It's been awhile since he's been around and I'm glad to see the owls coming back. I was worried that they had left us for good as I didn't see them much last year. Needless to say, Jan kept him there (using her small dog, Teddy, as bait) while I got my camera. He's definitely a beautiful owl.

Marina Needs A Home of Her Own

If you haven't read how I obtained this cute little cat, please read previous Marina entries (They are tagged "Marina" and you can do a tag search to pull up all the entries on one page). I really love this little kitty, however, I've finally come to the conclusion that she will have to be confined to her guest room OR I must find her a really good home. There is discord between her and my other Siamese (Pepper). I've broken up a few cat fights (so far no ones been hurt) and I worry when I have to leave them alone in the house. Marina gets along fine with Kobi (the dog) and seems to like my other cats, Chili, Figaro and Sparky (although she screams bloody murder when Sparky pounces on her without warning--he does that to all his family).

Anyone who knows me--knows how much I love my pets. I've never given a pet away and I'll probably shed some tears when I do. Marina is a loving little blue tipped traditional Siamese. She loves people. Every morning when I come in to say good morning (she isn't allowed on the bed as Pepper will go after her), she talks up a storm, purrs and begs to be picked up. She loves to be brushed. I bring her out during the day and she lays on my desk and purrs everytime I pet her.

So my dear friends, family & kind hearted animal people... I'm hoping you can help me find a home where Marina will be the "queen", spoiled and be able to roam about her Castle without fear of being beat up by another cat. I think she was already terrorized in her previous outing, when she found herself amongst a group of feral cats (thus the little tear in her ear you can see in her photos).

I would like to GIVE Marina to someone who can provide the following:

• An indoor home. She is not an outdoor cat, nor should she become an outdoor cat. She shows no interest in going back "out there" after spending days, weeks in 100+ degree weather. She is small and would be owl, hawk and coyote bait. In fact, I'm not a fan of anyone letting their cat out.


• Preferably a home without children and if there are children, they would need to be mature enough to handle her with loving care.


• A home where she may explore freely.


• Owner/s who will brush her, pet and hold her, talk back to her when she wants to chat and will spoil her rotten.

In summary, my ideal new home for Marina would be a mature couple or owner, who is retired or works from home and who can provide this loving little girl with the attention she deserves.

Marina has had all her shots, tested negative for feline leukemia and appears to have been spayed (She has shown no signs of going in heat (see my previous entry about taking her to the vet). Just to be on the safe side and to make sure she has a good start--I will include all her toys, kitty house, food for a month AND should there be the remote chance that she is not spayed and goes into heat (which you will know from the "yowling")--I will pick her up and take her to the Humane Society and get her spayed at my expense, and return her to her new home. All vet bills and record will be given to new owner.

Please pass on to anyone you might know that may fit the above criteria and who loves cats. I have no stomach to take to her to the Humane society or even put her on Craigslist as I worry that may jeopardize placing her in a good home.

It's been almost 2 months since I found her and so her fur has grown back where I cut all her matted fur out. She's an absolutely beautiful kitty. She is small, weighs 7.5 lbs and the vet said she is likely only a year old.

Arizona Outlaws Erg Marathon

Last year you might recall that I posted some photos and a blurb about participating in the Arizona Outlaws Erg Marathon. It's a 42,195 meter (26 mile) rowing session on a rowing machine for which we rowers call an erg. This year I did a good deal of organization as the previous organizer, Ted Paxton is in the Netherlands and soon Taiwan. Being a tad heavier than I was last year at this time-- and not erging for almost a month--I was really dreading getting on that ominous looking machine. The week before the event, I was in Seattle/Bainbridge Island visiting my friend Mary. I jokingly told her at least 10 times "I'm going to die" when discussing what I was doing the next weekend. It's probably good that self fullfilling prophecies are not that prevalent. I finished the erg marathon and somehow managed to improve my time from the previous year by a little over 3 minutes. Go figure!

That being said, my achievement was small compared to others. So I think a recap of the day from "E's eyes" is in order. First I want to say--this erg marathon is NOT easy. It sucks all the energy out of you and when you're done you can barely stand up. It's painful (especially the day after). Keep that in mind when reading on.

Last year we had 14 people but this year there were lots of conflicts. Hopefully, next year we'll pick a weekend where more people can participate. Nonetheless, there were some great results and I know that all of us went home with a sense of satisfaction (and soreness).

Here's the things that stick in my mind that made the difference:

Jim Harrison drove up from Tucson with his son Calvin--who became our super helper. Calvin got the movies started, shut garage doors and practically saved me from the super bonk by bringing me a Gatorade from the cooler full of energy drinks they brought. Jim was the first to finish in 3 hours 3 minutes 29 seconds. He is also the leader of our virtual C2 roster to date. Was great to have both Jim and Calvin there.

First time Outlaw erg marathoner, Laura Erhart, was the last to arrive but one of the early finishers. An amazing time of 3 hours 6 minutes and 48 seconds. Certainly an inspiration and an awesome row. I expect she will be in the C2 C.R.A.S.H B sprint event in Boston and finishing up at the top. Her family, friends and even her coach, Dan Duxbury showed up to root her on. Her daughter and 3 Tempe Jr. Crew rowers passed out ice cold wash towels to all of us. That chilly towel on my neck was a temporary distraction from the fact that my legs were like concrete. Thank you!

Then there was Rebecca Clark . A month ago, I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to attempt the Marathon as she was still battling constant chronic fatigue from a case of Mono and/or Epstein Barr. She mentioned before we started that she may opt out at the half marathon mark. She completed the entire marathon AND improved her time from the year before. Ordinary people would not have made the attempt--but that's what I like about Rebecca--she's not an ordinary person. She's extraordinary!

Art Reimanis had e-mailed me before the event that he didn't expect to do well as he was getting over a respiratory illness. He said he was going to try and do it in 3 hours and 20 minutes or better. Well he chose the later and ended up with a time of 3 hours and 10 minutes, 12 seconds. He's been at the last three erg marathons and is always a consistent performer. Another fine marathon for him.

I remember Kathy Moum telling Ted Paxton last year that she was going to get the exact same time as she always does. Well Ted wasn't there this year--so maybe not saying it allowed her to put in her best marathon time--improving by almost 6 minutes from the previous year. She seem's to get better as she gets older (I have more to say about that... so keep reading).

I first got caught up in rowing with a beginning rowing course taught by "Okie" or Joe "Okie" O'Connor. He's in charge of Tempe Town Lake rowing and everything boating on Tempe Town Lake. Needless to say, many of us admire how much enthusiasm he's fostered about rowing on Tempe Town Lake (TTL) and all the great events coming to TTL because of him. We also admire his super overall athetic abilities. That being said, I'm glad he was there. He's done the event "virtually" in the past, but hopefully he now feels like all of us-- that there is comfort in toughing it out together. He finished behind Jim Harrison by only 2 minutes and in all honesty I think he may have helped us all get a better time than we thought we could just by being present.

Then there is Kat Soderberg. This was Kat's first marathon. Here is where I get back on the subject of age. I don't know how old Kat is... I just know she looks younger than she is. She doesn't know it--but I want to be HER when I'm her age. Kat did the marathon in 3 hours 44 minutes and 6 seconds. Only a couple of minutes slower than my first marathon last year. I do know she is likely more than 10 years older than me and I bet you she will have an even better time next year. So awesome Kat. While still on the subject of age--Laura, Kathy & Kat are all older than me--but they keep rowing better and faster. That's what's so great about this sport-it makes me look forward to getting older!

Great job Erg Marathoners. I hope to see you all again NEXT year!

Here's a few photos (Click for bigger less fuzzy view). I'll post more as I get them from other people. I didn't have my photographer (spouse) there until the very end, however, I know there were lots of camera shots from others.


The Outlaw Erg Marathoners from left to right (If you're reading my blog you already know I'm the short one in the front). Jim Harrison, Art Reimanis, Kathy Moum, Rebecca Clark, Kat Soderberg, Laura Erhart & Okie O'Connor.


Calvin--our "Superboy". Thank you Calvin! Come back and erg next year.


Jim has his system down. Hmmmm, I think the fan made him go faster. I better get one of those for next year.


Kathy and Rebecca establishing their plan to get through another marathon.


I think I'm looking at the erg monitor and thinking "Will I ever finish...) Meanwhile, Laura, (with fan club) is looking at her monitor like "I can't believe I'm going this fast..." Ok, I'm not sure what she was thinking--but she was WICKED fast.

Marina Update

Well... it's almost 2 weeks now since I picked this little Siamese stray up at Tempe Town Lake Marina. I thought I would give a brief update on her integration into Diethelm "Pet Central". Today I spotted her sneaking down the hall and going into the bedroom. She eyed the big bed but noticed there was another BIG kitty on it (Figgy) so she opted not to go there. She went underneath and checked that out--hissed a little at Sparky who really wants her to play with him (he keeps taking all his toys in her room and dropping them). I think she's content to be another "Queen" in the house. Each day she warms up a little more and extends her territory. For the first week we couldn't get her off the carpet cat house set up in her own room. Now she's checking out the "mod" canvas fleecy cat condo I bought at Target. Her eyes match the fleecy material perfectly!

Every night she's spending an hour or two watching a television show in my lap. She's still growling and hissing at the other cats at first sight but settles down after she gets comfortable. Chili, Sparky & Figgy are allowed in her room without any confrontation but she and the other girl cat, Pepper (Lynx Point Siamese), are still not sure who's going to boss the boys around.

Regardless, she loves to talk to me as soon as I walk in the room. She's purring more, running to greet me and loves her brushings. She is quite joyful for the always full food dish and water with ice cubes. Not to mention the moist kitty food breakfast and dinners. Such a life of luxury after laying on cement under sailboats in 100+ degree weather with no food available and her only shelter a cement ditch area. Her hair is starting to grow back where I cut mats out and she loves to clean herself now. She's had all her tests and vaccinations at the vet--no parasites & no diseases. Each day she grows a little closer to her family and reveals a little more personality. I think she's beautiful and certainly she's becoming my "little" girl.

Update on Jerky Treats

After fuming about how insensitive Adi Pet was about the crap product I bought today (see below) I did what I usually do—I "Googled up". Then I got mad because I found that over the last few weeks many, many, people have had sick dogs or still have sick dogs. They're having seizures, vomiting are lethargic etc and they all have one thing in common—they've been giving their dogs Waggin Trails Chicken Jerky Treats.

I immediately called my Mom & Dad as their border collie mix, Zach, had been having seizures recently. They've been giving their dogs these very same treats. They had no idea that others where having similar problems. I'm lucky Kobi has shown no signs of illness—although admittedly he's vomited a few times for which I attributed to eating grass.

If you have been feeding your dog Waggin Train Chicken Jerky, please visit Newsdays Forum and be astounded by how many people have written about what these treats have done to their pets. If you give your pets these treats--STOP immediately. If your dog has experienced any symptoms, do not throw out your bag with lot number ect. You may want this evidence later. Waggin Train/Adi Pet is certainly in the defense mode phase and perhaps in denial as anyone who e-mails will get the same canned response that I did. Obviously, there is a breakdown between the so called irradiation that is done and packaging. I believe this to be the case as the package I bought was completely sealed with no holes anywhere. I think my package was easy to detect a problem where previous batches may have not gotten to the point of noticeable bacteria, mold build up. Thus why pet owners unknowingly gave their dogs these treats without concern.

The last thing I would like to say is.... I learned something today. Our world has changed—we can not trust big companies to look out for our well-being. We have to do it ourselves. Please reward your small local businesses that want your trust and business. Reward those that keep their businesses close to home and who want to know you by name. Reward the businesses that use healthy products and ingredients. Cook meals with love and whole, organic ingredients. Do the same for your pets. They're family too.

My Consumer Alert...

Ok, maybe I'll vent a little bit about an annoying e-mail response as well.

So the story goes...
I may be kind of a bad doggy Mom. I've been feeding Kobi these chicken jerky treats that he got addicted to after he was given one by his doggy Grandparents. They're like "doggy crack" or something. The only problem was--you could only get them at Sam's Club or Wal-Mart. I'm not a big fan of Wal-Mart for the reason that they drive so many local trades and business' OUT of business... but I love my dog and he loved these treats. So I reluctantly went to the EVIL EMPIRE to purchase them. Only recently have I noticed that these treats were imported from China. This has been making me wonder what I'm feeding my loving, almost 14 year old, best buddy in the whole-wide-world dog.

Well today something happend that pretty much convinced me that buying CHICKEN Jerky Treats from a company that sources it out to China is really wrong. Below is short pictorial of the said event and then some more commentary after.


Here is the product. Waggin Train Chicken Jerky.


This is what was INSIDE said product. It not only looked bad--it smelled rank. Certainly, it would not have "tasted like chicken".


The lot number--just in case you have an unopened bag laying around that you might want to check.

Being the good consumer that I am, I immediately called the Wal-Mart store and spoke to the manager on duty and explained that I would be returning the product. I have to say--even though I was talking to the "evil empire" they at least apologized and thanked me for letting them know so they could go pull the product from the shelves to check it. I returned the item a half hour after purchasing and even the customer service desk workers were nice, polite and incredulous when they looked at the open bag. I noted the girl wrote in huge letters with exclammation marks MOLD!! on the return slip.

So I'm all cool with what transpired at Wal-Mart. It's the actual treat company that's giving me a rash. I sent an e-mail to the address listed on the package waggintrainbrand@adipet.com. I explained that I had been a buyer of their product for some time and explained what I found in my most recent purchase. Of course, I'm doing this to be nice as one would think they would want to check it out to be assured it was an isolated bad bag or batch. Here is their word for word response:

---

Dear Concerned Pet Owner:
-- NONE of the Waggin’ Train Brand pet treats have been recalled --

Regarding our Chicken Jerky Tenders:

Waggin' Train Brand Chicken Jerky Tenders are completely safe and should not be confused with the other two brands of chicken jerky that are being pulled from Wal-mart’s shelves. We have NO association with the Pingyang Pet Product Co. or Shanghai Bestro Trading Co. nor do we purchase our ingredients from the same supplier.

As American joint-owners of the factories, ADI Pet is completely familiar with and confident in the exceptional quality-control protocols that we have in place for the processing of our Chicken Jerky Tenders and other Waggin’ Train Brand products. We are intrinsically involved in all aspects of the manufacturing process.

Please be assured that we sell thousands of bags of this product each week and have never had a recall on our product. Over the past five years, approximately 50 million pounds of the Waggin’ Train Brand Chicken Jerky Tenders have been consumed (without incident) by thousands of dogs nationwide. Based upon this excellent track record, we truly regard this product as safe for pets of all sizes.

All of the raw material that we use to make the Chicken Jerky Tenders is fresh, 100% premium chicken breast tenderloins and natural seasonings. Our "natural seasonings" are simply apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt.
The Chicken Jerky Tenders contain no grain fillers, no wheat gluten and no rice protein additives. Nor do we use artificial preservatives, colorings nor flavorings of any kind.
All Waggin’ Train Brand products are sterilized by irradiation, based upon USDA safe sterilization guidelines. The sterilization process eliminates the possibility of contamination by any potentially harmful microbes including E.coli and Salmonella.
Because chicken is a regulated product, the USDA regularly pulls samples from incoming containers of product, for laboratory testing. We have never had a positive test for product contamination.
Our facilities are regularly inspected by SGS, which is one of the largest international inspection companies in the world. Costco, Sam's Club and Wal-Mart contract with SGS, for inspections, to ensure that the products are being processed, based upon USDA processing guidelines.
Please be assured that when you give your pet Chicken Jerky Tenders, you are providing your pet with the highest quality chicken pet product that is available in the marketplace.

For more product information and to view our current Press Release and FAQ's, please go to our website: http://www.adipet.com/

To speak to a Customer Service representative, please call (864) 622-0101.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
Waggin' Train Worldwide LLC

---

This kind of made me a bit PO'd as the tone of this response is "it couldn't possibly be our fault". Geez, I was e-mailing the e-mail address listed on THEIR product afterall. My response back was dissappointment in their response and that one could respond without even saying "We're sorry and we'll check it out".

And then their response....
See response above. It was the SAME exact response. This pompous response is an auto responder --which tells me they don't even READ their e-mail. I could call them, but now I'm at that "it's their problem" point. I'm not ever buying their product again and I won't be buying pet treats made in China anytime soon. That being said, with all bad experiences comes good. On my way home from Wal Mart I stopped by "Bonnie's Barkery". It's a small holistic/organic pet food place right across the street from my house. There I found some chicken jerky/good-for-you treats with the stamp of the USDA, organic and made in the good ol' USA. Kobi loves them! They cost more—but believe me—he's worth every penny. By the way his new favorite treats are Plato Smart Dog Treats. So away from the EVIL EMPIRE and the big cheapest route to make money company and back to the small local business I go. I feel much better about that!

The Cat Named "Marina"

Yes... the little cat pictured below is at my house. There's a story behind this kitty as there is with ALL my cats that have been Humane Society or midwestern barn kitties (Sparky). I've been calling her Marina as she found me at the Tempe Town Lake boat marina. On Saturday I went to take my scull for a row. While I was getting my slings out of my gear box, I heard it... the meeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooow! Uh oh...

You see, there's quite a few strays and some feral cats hanging out by the marina. They like to lay in the drainage ditches to try and cool down. It's been easy to look the other way as they tend to run away from me. But this meow was getting closer... until she was smack dab in front of me. Looking up at me and meowing. I looked down into those big blue eyes and immediately felt a tug at my heart. She was hungry, dirty and her fur was all matted up. Then she "head-butted" my leg and I squatted down and pet her. Here was this small friendly cat out in what would be a torturous hot day. I gave her some water from my water bottle in a make shift bowl that I made out of the bottom of a soda bottle. She was thirsty...

I came to row and I told myself that she would be gone or somebody would take her. She was too friendly to be left out in the heat. So I rowed and the entire time I thought about her and started thinking about all the people I knew that could give her a good home. I finished up and carried my boat back... secretly hoping she would be gone. But she wasn't. She was laying under the sailboat next to my gear box. I had some granola bars in my bag so I got one out and she sniffed it and decided that she was hungry enough to eat this strange object. She snarfed down a good quarter of the Clif bar, purring and twitching her tail.

"NO... I cannot have another animal. I have too many." I kept telling myself this and mustered the strength to pet her and tell her someone would find her. Someone would give her a home.

All the way home, I felt terrible for leaving her. I went home grumpy and mad at the world. Mad at people who don't take care of their animals. They count on us. How can anyone be so cruel. I told Matt about it and he didn't say anything. I didn't blame him--we have 4 cats already.

On Sunday, I went to row again. Matt was helping me pack up the car and asked "Should I put the cat carrier in the car?"
I got to the marina and there she was—laying on top of my gear box. She chose me and I knew it. She even walked right into the carrier when I opened it!

After I got her home, I cut all the mats out of her fur. Her back looks a bit like a really, really bad haircut at the moment. My neighbor Jan came over and we bathed her. I thought she was all gray. But after her wash she had cream colored fur.

Today she went to the vet. That was really scary as her tummy was hard and they though she might be pregnant... I left her to get x-ray and blood tests done. They called a half hour later and I was SO relieved that she was not pregnant. She was instead a little bloated and there was a object in her stomach that looked like plastic or some other foreign material that she likely ate while scrounging for food. She had no ear mites, tested negative for feline leukemia or kitty AIDs and they couldn't tell if she had been spayed or not. So the vet said to wait and see if she goes into heat. If she does, then she can get spayed.

Tonight is Marina's integration into the household. We'll see how that goes. I think there will be some hissing but at the moment the other pets seem to be keeping their distance from this stranger. Kobi layed down on the floor in front of her and let out a sigh. He likes his kitties.... and now he has one more.

Here's some photos of her. Mind you, she had lots of shots today--so she's not too spunky. One more kitty with a good home. I wish they all could be so lucky.

Matt's In-Between-Jobs Motorcycle Ride

I should have had this blog up a couple weeks ago, however, I got a bit side tracked with a temporary office management job in which I had to drive to work on a day to day basis. I forgot how little time one has before and after work when you add in drive time etc. Needless to say, I'm happy to be home working today and so are my animals—many animals—more on that in a subsequent blog.

For those of you that still don't know. Matt decided that change would do him good. He resigned from his job at Honeywell after 20+ years and started working for Kutta last week. His first week of work was spent in West Virginia helping to test Kutta's subterranean radio in some mines. Prior to that he took his new motorcycle on a pacific northwest swing to visit relatives and friends. He went to Portland, Seattle and then stayed over with his Uncle Jim and Aunt Gaylene in Wenatchee, WA. Matt Sr. and I caught up with him for the weekend in Moscow, Idaho. It was a full house at Gary & Marilyn Pope's. HIs friend GK (Gary Kindorf), Jim Pope, Matt Sr., Matt and I all stayed at the Pope B&B. We had such a great time going fishing, hiking, going to get Huckleberry shakes and playing Texas Hold'em. I particulary love Moscow as it always reminds me of how much I like being in a small town. Thanks again to Gary & Marilyn as well as Alice & Erol Barbut for the hospitality. Also thanks to Jim for trying to get me to fly fish correctly. I still need to WORK on that.

Photos are on my web gallery. CLICK HERE for that.


Matt (a.k.a. Cricket) catch.

I'm sure this will be me when I get my Smart Car...

Milwaukee

I'm finally getting around to posting some photos from the Milwaukee part of my vacation. I stayed in Milwaukee before and after my Michigan excursion. It's very easy to take the Lake Express Ferry across Lake Michigan to Muskegon (Michigan side). I find this more of an adventure than just flying into Detroit. Admittedy, I really don't like the Detroit airport and flying into the smaller Milwaukee airport for less money was WAY better.

My Uncle Tom and Aunt Kathy were their usual awesome host. They made sure I got in a long bike ride along Lake Michigan and another to see more of the city (We found a nice little Inn and had an icy cold Milwaukee brew on the latter trip--that was an added bonus!). They also booked me on a schooner outing which was a nice way to see Milwaukee from the lake.


Milwaukee's very cool Art Museum. We saw the Pissarro exhibit here on my last day.


The schooner we sailed on.


Huge sail on schooner.


Uncle Tom & Aunt Kathy at one of their favorite local dining cafés.


Sychronized duck competition.