Dipper Creek, British Columbia

If this doesn't get your heart pounding living vicariously, I don't know what will.

The Chicago Blizzard-3rd Biggest Since Recordkeeping Began

I didn't grow up in Chicago, but I do recall the ginormous blizzard we had in Illinois in 1967 as a kid. We lived in Decatur then but my older brother was at the University of Chicago in graduate school. They got close to 3 feet in that storm and we got similar at home. School was closed for days while everyone dug out. Here's some of my favorite photos taken by Chicago area locals of the storm today on 02_02_2011.

A Fireplace for All Time

Many people, myself included, love nothing more than to be warmed by a roaring campfire outdoor under the stars. At this time of year, the end of January, in most locales tending an outdoor campfire in the cold air has about as much appeal as tending a trash can fire in downtown Detroit in the middle of winter. You may have alcohol and friends and companionship but it's still frickin' freezing out there. Here in Boise much of this winter we have rarely had a day above freezing. So, that said, I've been enjoying my evenings at home with a politically and environmentally uncorrect fire in the fireplace.
With over a cord of wood stacked for use for indoor winter fires, and use for summertime outdoor campfires at home and while actually doing official camping, I feel blessed.
Last nights fireplace enjoyment was highlighted by reading Bill Bryson's book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" about when he returned to live in Hanover, New Hampshire after residing in England for 20 years. I especially liked his chapter called 'Hail to the Chief' about the next upcoming holiday--President's Day.
Most of us, over the age of 50 grew up with two holidays in the month of February. One was Feb 12 to celebrate Lincoln's birthday and the other on Feb 22 for Washington's birthday. Somewhere along the line they merged the two into one so everybody could have a 3 day weekend and multinational business conglomerates could induce you to "Save like Honest Abe" or "Washington Would Never Tell A Lie-Trust me and We'll Save You 100's on this New TV You Didn't know You Needed" or some such.
I've always used this holiday as an excuse to either go skiing, ice skating or if I'm really sick and tired of Idaho winters; to go someplace warm, like a hot springs or Hawaii.
Some of the the things I learned from Bill Brysons's book include these gems: Herbert Hoover, who is reviled by many because people think he gave us the Depression, much as many think somehow Obama gave us socialism, the current recession and two wars that continue to kill our citizens and the citizens of the countries they reside in; Hoover, like Obama, was actually a remarkable person. Herbert Hoover put himself through college and graduated from Stanford's first graduating class, despite having been orphaned at 8. He was an outstanding engineer (I always thought Hoover Dam was just named after him, I didn't know he helped design the damm dam), started the mining industry in Western Australia and was even invited to join the British Cabinet. He also directed famine relief throughout Europe during the first world war and was highly respected and venerated--purportedly saved ten million lives. He was elected by a landslide in 1928 and then Wall Street crashed in the fall of of 1929. Ironically he spent $500 million assisting troubled banks and public works projects and unemployment (this was more than all the prior administrations combined), donated his entire salary to charity and alienated the electorate by suggesting recovery was around the corner. He was soundly trounced in 1932. Does this sound at all like what may be happening to our current President? Americans would be wise to review the history of our past. But I digress.
Bryson goes on to tell stories of all the truly worthless Presidents we've had lead the country, or should I say, failed to even show up for the job. Millard Fillmore probably gets the award for most ineffective leader right after Zachary Taylor who he succeeded after Taylor died in office. Fillmore is only slightly more obscure than say, Chester Arthur, who is reputed to have shown up for his Presidential Photo and never seen again until the end of his term. There are many other neer-do-wells amongst the "Most Ineffective Presidents Sweepstakes", but you'll have to read Bryon's book about them.
In the meantime, Reuben the wonder dog slept on the ottoman in front of the fire as I finished off this book and told myself it was time to seek out another Bryson book from the library. It's my second book by him and I'm told that "A Walk In the Woods" about his misadventures hiking the Appalachian Trail is truly a classic.
Besides, campfires are an impossible place to read a book by.

Midwest Artificial Intelligence

http://studentexpert.blogspot.com/2010/11/22nd-midwest-artificial-intelligence.html

Okay, I’m not kidding, there is conference for this, and it’s in the Midwest. Talk about an oxymoron.

Spudboater Meets Johnny Montezuma

Back in 1979 I worked on the Rogue River for the BLM as a River Ranger with a real cast of characters. Chief among them was Fred, my boss. It seems Fred had previously worked in Grand Canyon for the National Park Service before getting a "real job" as a permanent river dirt bag for the BLM in Grants Pass, Oregon. Meeting Fred and working for him led to me meeting a group of fellow kindred souls, many of whom to this day remain friends. Amongst this crowd of miscreants with qualities ranging from dubious, doubtful, double trouble, dumb and dumber, DINKS, donuts, doozies, dangerous, and downright silly is Johnny Montezuma, Dr Yoda, and Bryan T Brown. This photo is a blast from past sent to me by BTB several months ago. There is J Montezuma in his Hawaiian shirt and yours truly in the worst looking pair of shorts on the face of the planet, my white visor cap on and an equally offensively ugly bikini top. We had landed at Lake Mead/Mud and it was a Sunday as I recall. One of the trip brethren conducted services on the beach as we ate ice cream bars and drank cold beers we purchased there at the marina. Those were the days when a private river trip could be had for a mere $100 per person for 3 weeks, all the food, shuttle and about 20 cases of beer for the trip. Johnny and I were the trip dirtbag kayak scum by and large, though I rotated rowing duties with my husband Scott. At least until everyone got over us flipping at House. I pretty much stuck to the kayak, knowing I was responsible for no one but myself.

Sunrise Over Boise_December 27, 2010

A beautiful Sunrise in my town, Boise, Idaho. Photo taken by an aquaintance. Stunning!

Moo Cows Over Arizona

My dear friends John and Susun live at Montezuma Well area near Sedona, AZ. One thing Johnny Montezuma loves is cows. It's not that he loves what grazing cows can do to public lands; but rather he, much as I, appreciates that cows can be one of the great charming domesticated animals that can provide milk, meat, veal and comfort from a truly genuine MOOOOOOO!

I personally came to love cows when I lived in Scotland my senior year in college and thought Highland cows were heaven on earth. But cows , being cows, are bred to be eaten or give milk. I confess I am an unadulterated cow eating woman who loves red meat and thinks TOFU is a huge waste of time, actually.But I do understand the down side to eating beef, especially industrial bred beef.But that is not the purpose of this discussion, so we'll save that for another day.

My love of cows and cow humor ( I own a potato cannon to shoot at cows, mind you), led me to send John and Susun the ultimate cow humor book by Boynton, the cartoonist.