Flickr Update

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High and Tight

That's what I usually tell the barber. I like my hair close cropped. But a number of factors led to it getting a little longer than normal, so on a "wild hair" I ended up letting it grow for six months. I fully intended to take advantage of our recent trip to Portland to find a $5 haircut and be done with this experiment/mop. But seizing the only long-haired opportunity she'd ever had in our marriage, Amy convinced me to "get a real haircut." So we headed into downtown Portland and paid too much for too little hair getting trimmed. Amy's curiosity was assuaged and my hair was at least out of my eyes and ears for a few days. But it's been a month now and I need a haircut.

"BEFORE"
"AFTER"

More Birthday Pics

Check the link to flickr for even more Birthday action!

Happy Birthday!

Autumn celebrated her first birthday earlier this week. Here are a few shots of the festivities.
The balloons weren't such a big hit. She busted out in tears when we started blowing them up.
The obligatory birthday cake photo. First sweets ever.
She's really into her hair right now, so these new clips were a big hit. Note rad pink camo pants and "It's a Happy Day" shirt.
Hey, who needs presents when they are rags to pull out of the laundry?
The party raged over several days. Autumn is sporting a new hairdo in this shot.

Killer Boots of Death

Alaska is tough, but SE Alaska takes it to another level. The brush is thicker, the mountains steeper and the rain...good Lord, even the rain is wetter. Think hiking on a slip an' slide set at a 45 degree angle. Throw in a bunch of downed trees and you can imagine why a mile hiked in the SE rainforest is the equivalent of 4-5 miles hiked in southcentral Alaska. With these challenges come some unique gear requirements. After spending way too much time laying on my back on the forest floor I knew I needed to ramp up my footwear. A lot of folks just don their rubber xtra-tufs and call it good, but that hasn't been cutting it for me. Pictured are a pair of boots I've retired from sheep hunting but still have some life left. I sent them to a cobbler in Idaho and had them caulked (pronounced corked). I took them out on a test run last week. I haven't been this excited about new gear in a long time. These boots are like adding four wheel drive to my feet. I can walk across a slimy log with confidence. Paired up with a set of gaiters I now have waterproof traction with great ankle support. They are the killer boots of death because my deer hunting ability just got a huge boost and because you wouldn't want to be kicked in the face with these.

Flickr Update

Here's a super sweet picture of my two favorite gals. I've recently uploaded a bunch of new Autumn pics from our recent trip.

Getting from POW to the Lower 48

0500: Wake up, last minute packing, load the truck.
0630: On the road to Hollis and the ferry terminal'
0715: Check in and board for 8am departure
0800: All Aboard!
1000: Ewww. Seasick baby. Clean up as best as I can.
1100: Arrive Ketchikan.
1130: Carrying baby and 7 pieces of luggage to airport ferry.
1145: Five minute ferry to Ketchikan airport.
1215: Convince Alaska Airlines personnel that your carry-on luggage does meet their size restriction, and that the baby back-pack should count as a "stroller" thus qualifying for free gate-checking.
1245-1400: Hang out in terminal. Thank God for the small kiddie area.
1430: Early boarding for flight to Seattle.
1600: Arrive Seattle airport, lug luggage to awesome kid play area.
1800: In line for Horizon Air Flight to Portland.
1815: Intense conversation with Horizon Air Supervisor about "new" Horizon bag restrictions. Finally get an exception and manage to get all bags and people on board for no extra fees.
1930: Arrive Portland
1945: Meet with baggage claim personnel to discuss missing cooler full of salmon
2000: Scotty meets us at airport for drive to mom & dad's.
2100: Arrive