Oh the adventures never cease…

Another short week (a 4 day-er) meant that we were back on the water in no time. But with one short delay (which was a sign of things to come).

But let me back up. This trip came on the heels of the most relaxing and spectacular trip (due to birds, fish, and rain; see blog below). Thus, one expects that the next trip ought to be of similar enjoyment and fulfillment. Well, you could say this trip didn’t have much chance of living up to my expectations from the beginning.

Carrying on…Usually what happens on our ‘Fridays’ (this case it was last Monday) is we pack up around 3ish and hit the lake as soon as we clock out. However, as we were in our trailer finishing packing the food we heard a common sound (at least this summer, up here): thunder. It had stormed the day before, and was sunny in the morning, but the storm still dumped on our plans. So we waited, and watched some episodes.

Let me back up one more time. From back in my Wildhorse Canyon days, it seemed that once or twice a summer I would lay down for my customary post-landscaping nap and then wake up at about 2am. It just so happens that I was reminiscing about this at lunch. So our waiting out the storm turned into a nap, that turned out to me being in bed for a combined 17 hours.

In short, we didn’t leave until the next morning. Which was perfect because it turned out to be the best weather day of the summer. I say weather because a few things didn’t go as planned. We had gotten our third choice of permits off of Poplar lake. The Skipper/Portage lake’s entry point (#49) is the red headed step child to the prom queen Lizz/Swamp lake, and sufficient, though not preferable Meeds lake entry points. And we definitely found out why. After a few minutes on Poplar we undertook our longest portage of the summer to Skipper, 320 rods (remember 1 rod = 1 canoe length = 16.5 ft, thus, 320 rods = 5280 ft or 1 mile). It was hard, but that was to be expected. At the end of the trail we ran into an old-timer who told us that we could skip the next portage because a beaver dam had made the creek from Skipper to Little Rush lake paddle-able. Thank you beaver!

It was nice to skip that portage, and Little Rush was, well, Little and we were to the next portage in no time. However, the next portage was somewhat missing. There was the normal landing site, but instead of a path we found a rushing creek. Beavers! We weren’t sure what to do, so I continued on up the creek. When I got to the end, I decided that it was manageable (barely) but I left my back on a mound of sticks so that I wouldn’t have to portage it twice. As I backed away from the mound, I wondered why so many sticks would be piled together. Yup, it was the beaver’s den. And I left it there; why not?! Needless to say it was a difficult portage, and when we finally had the canoe and packs ready to continue on we encountered another road block. Make that lake block; the beaver dam was across the way we needed to paddle. Eventually, Kirsten muscled the logs out of the way just enough to slide the canoe past.

But it was worth it. Rush Lake was perfect for us. On the south side it was still heavily burned, and we camped on the north side with a little rock island off of our campsite. We actually spend more time on that rock then at our site, mostly resting and reading. After heading back to our site to cook dinner, we grabbed all of our sleeping gear (minus the tent) and headed back to our rock for a night under the stars. Good thing I backed mummy bags because the bugs were thick until the moon rose, but the stars were worth the effort.

The next morning we again awoke to loons cruising the lake. After an adventure of trying to cook pancakes without a griddle and with a stove that didn’t want to cooperate, we headed further west to Banadad lake. It is a narrow lake with some islands, and it, like Rush lake, is not often traveled. As we finished circling the first island, we saw more logs across the lake. Beavers! Once we made it to the second island we found another little rock which was perfect for lunch and sun. We relaxed the afternoon away before we headed back to camp to back up for the trek home.

As mentioned earlier, entry point 49 has two entry lakes: Skipper and Portage lake. Since the Skipper lake route was dammed, we thought about trying a different route home. But our car was parked at the public access to Skipper so we found a short cut. Instead of taking on the beavers, we took the north portage to One Island lake, which was also a swampy path due to the beavers mess. Once to one Island lake we were just about out of the Boundary Waters when we heard a rustling on the shore. Maybe it was more of a thudding, followed by a snort. A moose! We stopped paddling, and turned around as quietly as possible. However, the stumping moose never did show its head, and we paddled on.

Our short cut was a forest service road that cut the portage to Portage lake in half and headed back to where our car was parked. Once at the road we dropped our gear and headed out on a 2.5 mile walk to the car. Well it turned out that the road was more of a muddle puddle with a few boulders scattered along our trip. Oh, and the mosquitoes liked to hang out there too. Frustrated and nervous that the vans wouldn’t be able to make it back to pick up our canoe, we finally made it to the safety (from the bugs) of our car and headed back to get some help. Thankfully our boss has a better (off) road vehicle than our sturdy 15 passenger vans. So we sloshed through the puddles and over the boulders to the canoe, fought of the bugs and made it back to Trail Center for a takeout order and some more episodes on the laptop.

Maybe we should have just stayed in bed.

(here's the link to the pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/willo11/SkipperBeaverTrip )

Clearwater to Mountain

As for our actual anniversary, we did get a trip in on that day too. Thanks to a four day work week, we got to head out on our actual anniversary, after work. It had been very rainy previously, so we were a bit anxious to head out into impending storms. However, we got a great start which mainly held throughout. Clear skies and clam waters which we hadn’t seen in weeks. It was also our first trip off of our own lake, Clearwater. It’s a pretty popular lake, and this year permits dropped to 3 a day (down from 4 daily).

Once we got to our site, we hurried to set up camp, cut firewood, and cook dinner before the storms. However, things never quite go as planned. We got great firewood, but it was all soaked. But we got everything done before the rain, and had plenty of time to enjoy nature before dark. First, with rain pending, the sky was an incredible range of pinks and purples at sunset. Then the loons and fish entertained us. The loons, which we’ve mainly seen traveling solo, were four to six in number in our bay all weekend. They were playing, calling, cleaning, diving, and flying over head. Just before the rain started, the fish started to feed. Our bay became a sea of splashes, as each surface for a bug bite. Finally, the rain came. It was intermittent and we were prepared so we just sat and enjoyed the third part of our nature show. The lake became a strobe light as the rain splashed down, the lake’s surface became a trippy speedy of splashing. It was all incredible and much too hard to recount.

The next morning, as all of the rain had cleared the skies, we laid out and enjoyed another loon show. Clearwater is also quite clam and clear in this bay (near the portage to mountain) and so we watched fish play in the rocks and take down dragon flies. And thanks to Mark’s binoculars, the wildlife shows were up close throughout the flight patterns.

After lying around, and catching up on our naps, we finally did a portage. Without a pack, it was a breeze. Mountain lake, a border lake, is a larger lake with the Border Route Trail following its rocky south shore. While we tried the trail, it is pretty over grown, and we gave up on our search for vistas. But as we entered Mountain, we were surprised to find two more loons just playing in the entrance inlet. We followed them from about 50 feet for a good while as they were fishing. Once we got too close they started calling to each other, which was breathtaking as their voices echoed off of the surrounding cliffs. After we gave up pursuit we headed to the land to the north. We turned into one large inlet in order to relax and read in the lake. As we did we came across what appeared to be an abandoned campsite. Later we also discovered a Canadian back road that cut the inlet in two. Mountain is a pretty lake and the loop trip off of Clearwater looks to be the perfect week long trip for those interested.

The next morning we woke up early to the sounds of motors; our lake permits motors and our coworkers were towing a group to the portage by our tent. We packed up and headed home on a glassy Clearwater lake. Once back we headed to town to visit our favorite Grand Marais café, Blue Water. It was a fitting end to another wonderful weekend up north.

(more pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/willo11/ClearwaterToMtnTrip)

2 years in Duluth

Unless you are family (and have it written down on your calendar), you probably didn’t think much of July 15th (last Tuesday) as it came and went. To be honest, I didn’t think to hard about it either, despite it being our second anniversary. Before you get excited, let me explain. Kirsten and I aren’t too big on actual dates of annual events (e.g. birthdays, etc.). While we did go out on a BWCA on our actual anniversary after work, we celebrated our anniversary the week early….in DULUTH! We weren’t planning it that way, we just were going to get rained on so we decided a crappy weather weekend would be better in town then on the trail.

So we hoped into the car after work on the 9th, and drove for 2.5 hours to our nearest, big, American city/town. Since we made plans last minute, we had to scramble for a hotel. Canal park, which is the tourist joint, had one good find: the Suites. It wasn’t to spendy either, perhaps having no windows in our room helped drive down that figure. The Suites is a converted warehouse on the water, which has condos on the top, and lots of high ceilings, and odd shaped rooms. But it was a fit. And the windows thing helped as we slept a lot later than was planned (definitely needed though).

When we showed up the tourists were walking around in beach attire. Not strange for a town on the water, but Duluth is still cold in the summer so it was a bit of a surprise. After a shower, and a shave! (finally...6 weeks later) we hit up a Midwestern fave in Famous Dave’s. The ribs must have been laced with tryptophan because we passed out (or maybe it’s just the work load here). The next morning we hit up Little Annie’s Cantina for lunch, great Mexican. Then we preceded to one of our favorite summer activities…a street fair. I’d never been to the downtown part of Duluth, so it was a pleasant surprise. My personal favorite was lanky high schooler on stage performing kids songs about sharks in a N. Dynamite-esque shark polo with an electrical tape shark mural on his acoustic guitar. After the fair, we hit the water front where the Duluth dog show was just warming up. I’m not sure who was more excited, Kirsten or the dogs that she was petting. As mentioned in the rambling post below, we hit up the Great Colorado Adventure about the Colorado River. It was a lot of fun, especially since I didn’t need any Dramamine to avoid motion sickness. Finally to top off our day of craziness…we went to TARGET!!! It’s been awhile since we’ve enjoyed the big box, anti-wal-mart. Unfortunately they were (badminton) birdie-less. When we got back to the hotel we waited over an hour for Green Mill delivery, which has always disappointed, and again were let down.

On Friday we milked the noon check out time, since it has been awhile since we’ve had a room bigger than a double-wide. But when we finally got moving, we headed to Amazing Grace bakery, a bustling but quaint little coffee house/bakery in the basement of the canal park shopping center. Mom, who had tracked ‘em down via Google (impressed), had put together a nice little surprise of anniversary themed cupcakes. Huge and tasty, great place to visit on the trek up the northshore. Then we set off on our second most important mission of the weekend: new birdies. But on the way we made a pit stop in honor of Donny, our fast food loving co-worker, at Mickey D’s. After we found some excellent birdies, we stumbled upon Plato’s Closet, and Kirsten came out the big winner of the weekend with a new wardrobe for the fall. Unfortuantely the loser in the situation was the fitting room hanger, which came out of the plaster due to our haul. Find a stud people! Before we headed back we had to stop at Best Buy, another MN corp. gem, for some movies. The two TV show seasons (see below) were clutch.

As we headed home, the storms were ragin’ and we knew that we had made the right decision. An ancillary benefit to the trip was that we finally got to see the rare Northshore surfer. The waves were decent and the dry suits were out in force. But that wasn’t the only rarity we saw on the way home…another moose sighting on Clearwater road. And with that another anniversary weekend concluded on a high note.

(more pix (including beard disappearance) here: http://picasaweb.google.com/willo11/2YearsInDuluth )

CW blogs

For those of you not named mom or dad :) …

if you haven’t been tracking with our Clearwater blog, here are some of our recent post on our lodge’s blog:

Will’s recycling project post:
http://www.clearwateroutfitters.com/2008/07/ramblings-from-greenhorn-about-our.html

Kirsten’s report on Boss Mike’s 60th birthday extravaganza:
http://www.clearwateroutfitters.com/2008/07/mike-turns-big-6-0.html

Will’s gunnel pumping video posts:
http://www.clearwateroutfitters.com/2008/07/gunnel-pumping-video.html

http://www.clearwateroutfitters.com/2008/07/gunnel-pumping-trilogy-lundeen-style.html

Will’s loon call video post:
http://www.clearwateroutfitters.com/2008/07/loon-calls.html

Ramble on lil’ doggie...

Ramble on. Sure I will; glad you asked. It’s been a few weeks since I just mindlessly typed about the summer’s on-goings. Rusty I might be, so please bear with…

We have been continuing in the tradition of lots of summer lawn games here at Clearwater. Okay, maybe just badminton. But there had been a hiatus due to insufficient birdies. We tried many, and killed most of them before a night was over. However, we finally found some that we will endorse. We had to venture to Duluth for them, but they are a major score. One birdie lasted two nights worth. Here’s to you durable birdie makers; you get the Clearwater Canoe Outfitters and Lodge Staff seal of approval.

Maybe you caught Kirsten’s blog about our boss turning 60. Well at least we think so. The aged kept changing. That is, he said 59, others claimed 61. Who knows, maybe the Clearwater blog will again read Mike turning 60 next year; or 62 for that matter. Nevertheless, we still celebrated it in style, with a feast that all contributed to, and some funny stories from the birthday boy himself. (I told you this post would be random).

For those of you new gunnel pumping enthusiast (I at least know that my brother (Matt) is all for its inclusion in future Olympic games), a quick update on the Gunflint Canoe Races results. Per usual, there were shenanigans. Our lodge’s hope, Kevin, was bumped out of the gates by an also ran. And while he finished strong, it was too much to overcome. However, the winner was not a purist; he stood on the back seat. Now I’m not one to rise a fuss (well, electronically is okay, I guess), but gunnel pumping means gunnel pumping, not back seat pumping. The race is not called ‘back-seat-pumping.’ What is the world coming to?

Another thing that has been bugging me, and the rest of the staff has been…the bugs (sorry, had to). However, the tides are turning, the mosquitoes are fading. That’s not to say they are a city levels yet, but significantly down since late June. However, the BWCA ecosystem can be unforgiving, and now the flies are out. While mosquitoes are pesky and typically swarm in masses, the black flies are stronger flies and harder to kill or be deterred by a head wind in the boat. So I guess pick your poison. (personally, I think I’ll take the flies).

People always ask, when we ask them when they will be getting back from their trip, what do we do if they don’t make it back on time. Well, we wait longer. But not too long :) We did have a long wait a few weeks back. A couple of day trippers, big gents, dumped a canoe a few too many times in the strong winds that we’ve been having this summer. The decided to split up. Bad decision. One stayed with the canoe, the other tried to hike back. A closing time, we hoped into the boat to look, and found the one who stayed with the canoe immediately. However, the hiker was nowhere. So what do we do when they don’t make it back on time? We call search and rescue. Fortunately, by the time they had assembled, we had found the hiker at a lakeside campsite. He had hiked all day, but only made it about ½ mile (out of the 4.5 miles back to the lodge).

Some of you may have caught my recycling project blog post on the lodge’s blog lately. Yes, 2008 is my green year. I tried to be better with recycling, consumption, and energy conservation around the apartment this spring. Perhaps I made a difference; most likely I just annoyed Kirsten with my random efforts. However, this summer I have had the chance to make a tangible difference. Without bothering Kirsten. I’ve taken to improving the lodge’s recycling system. I am a systems guy, and I am always looking for improvements. While I’m not done here, the recycling van is filling to the brim, and the dumpster is filling out applications for a second job, and posting personal ads on eHarmony. But seriously, green is the new black and conservation one thing that you can see the results (well at least if you can see the ozone, and visit landfills regularly).

The dog days of summer are here, sort of. The weather has been every changing up here. Sunny. Hail. Wind. Clear. Cold. Humid. We’ve had a bit of it all. While it’s easy to dress for it, and manual labor keeps one warm… the lake temperature has been suffering. It had been getting up to nearly 70* before a cold spell kicked it back down below 65*. Now it’s back up near 70*, and on a warm day it is perfect for a post work dip, or not as shocking during a gunnel pump fall. So if you visit, bring your suit for a dip in a pristine lake. Just check yourself for leeches when you can’t stand the temperature any longer.

Besides becoming addicted to blogging this summer. And actually updating my facebook account. And emailing a bit (who knew it would taking being away from broadband to actually improve my e-communications?). I’ve also started a youtube account. So far it’s mostly gunnel pumping videos. And it’s only taken with my little Canon Elf camera (not the best for video). But hopefully I will keep it going strong. Doubtful, but hopefully…so check periodically for our lives, in motion.

While I am out in the wilderness this summer, the office is still in my blood. That is, I’ve learned a new tool and I’m addicted: the laminater. I could buy one for myself. Have you ever laminated something? Or should I say, have you ever made paper invincible? It’s beyond words. Try it, if you dare.

We saw an Imax/Omnimax (is there a difference, besides the dome part?) on the Colorado river in Duluth. It was good, great cinematography and captivating storyline, but there were some questions about this ‘save the planet’ film’s claims. However, I recommend it, if only for the intense draw to now float the Colorado. Or go back to my first love, and raft the John Day river in Maupin (just outside of my beloved Wildhorse Canyon). Also, the movie may also get me to again set foot in my birth state, despite Bronco fans.

A big congrats goes out to my former roommates (or current roommates if you are Comcast), Tory and Jill on their engagement. Hopefully a wedding means moving out of our old townhouse, no matter how cheap it is (now). But in all seriousness, congratulations, we are very excited for you two!

For those of you thinking about visiting, the clock is ticking. Less than a month left to check this O’Brien duo in the great north. We’ll be back on the 17th (of August) and we’ll hit the ground running looking for a new apartment, dog, job, etc. (and if you know about a good part time job for me, send it my way!). And just so you know, our weekend days have been shifting around some. We are off on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, and that trend may continue. So just give us some notice if you are headed north.

Hopefully you caught the lodge’s post about the huge hail storm we got here on Monday. (the photos are provided by yours truly) I’ll try to post some more photos, but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to it. For me, a life long Washingtonian, I’ve never seen hail so big, and near has my car, but we both survived unscathed. Thunderstorms are fun, and definitely are a plus for MN and a minus for WA.

Besides just birdies, we also picked up some DVDs for quieter nights out here (which are rare). But big recommendations for How I met your mother Season II and the Tudors. While both a bit crude in their own way, HIMYM is easily the funniest show on network TV (consistently funnier than the Office, hands down) and the Tudors is another great historical(fiction) drama in the lines of Rome, the Sopranos, and other high quality HBO/Showtime series.

And finally, last but not least, Tuesday (the 15th) marked 2 years. 2 years married, and basically 2 years in MN (or just 2 years away from SEA). We hit up the big northern lake city of Duluth (more on that trek later). It’s been fast, but action packed for sure. New state/city, jobs, grad. School, friends, experiences…for me it starting to feel more like home (who knows, I may even change my Facebook network). Wow, 2 years, maybe a whole ramblings post on that later…(but for now this has been long enough).

Loonie Video

Here's a video from our recent trip. At first we were just getting photos and videos of them swimming, diving, cleaning themselves, etc. but then as we got closer they started calling to each other.

Words and my camera do not capture them very well. This is definitely not the best video on youtube, so check out some others if you are interested.

Sans the beard

Well it's time to stop living a lie. Many of you have facebooked me, about your love and/or disgust with the beard. I must put it bluntly...it is no more. RIP six weeks of no shaving. Back to supporting the Mach 3 monopoly. Here are some pix to capture its demise.

New Pix

I know, I know...not enough bloggin lately.


Well until I summin the strength to write again, here are some pix from our last two trips:


We went to Duluth to for our 2 year anniversary (2 years, I know):
http://picasaweb.google.com/willo11/2YearsInDuluth



Today we got back from camping on....our own lake, Clearwater (but we did portage to Mountain lake for a day trip):
http://picasaweb.google.com/willo11/ClearwaterToMtnTrip

Gunnel Pumping Video

I have been a youtube-ing fool today. We went gunnel pumping again today since the weather was finally decent (and by decent I mean that the winds did not necessitate a small craft advisory). Here is a video of my return to shore after a g.p. session.

Today we had a fearsome foursome; newcomers AJ and Kirsten joined Kevin and I on the calm waters of Clearwater lake. We got some videos of Kevin, and posted them on the Clearwater blog. Kevin goes for the glory at the Gunflint Canoe races this Wednesday.

The misrememberings (Bengtson visit, too)

(editor's note: these pix are completely random)

The blogging has definitely been slower lately. Been busy. After the state park camping, the week flew by (because it was a 4 day work week), and then the Bengtsons arrived and all hours of the day were packed. Hopefully this post will quench your thirst for recent O’Brien activities but if not… too bad, because we are going on another trip on Wednesday and won’t be blogging again anytime soon!

I can’t quite remember all that happened between the waterfalls and the Bengtson’s visit. That might be a combination of lack sleep, my old age (well, relative to my coworkers), too many badminton birdies to the head, or simply the length of time between now and then. Anyway, the ramblings from that dead period included a big feast of hard boiled eggs after cabin cleaning, adventures with the BakePacker (a bread maker for the trail), lots of grad. Readings, moose hunting (with a Canon, camera that is), a hook through Kevin’s finger, and a whole lot of badminton birdie destruction and campfires.

Perhaps my memories was have also faded due to the wild and crazy moose hunting adventures with the Bengtsons. The times were so crazy that I had to take a nap before they showed. But then it was off to Trail (Service) Center for a Goober Burger. That’s right, a Peanut Butter and Mayo hamburger. It wasn’t as great as I expected, too sticky so I added ketchup. Try it and let me know what you think. Then we went driving the Gunflint (Hwy. 12). We popped our heads in at the ‘Walmart’ of the ‘Trail, Gunflint Lodge, which just happens to be a year (1926 vs. 1927) younger than Clearwater. We win. After doing some burn area viewing, we headed over to Honeymoon Bluff, a great little hiking trail on our lodge’s road. We got to enjoy the sunset with some real honeymooners. But then it was on to the trip’s real purpose: moose hunting. We had seen two a few nights before, so we had high hopes. And a plan. Kirsten driving, me shooting the pix (based on our reaction times). Night one was moderately successful: one fox, multiple turtles, a bear’s head. But no moose or pix.

The next day we started with a boat tour of Clearwater. Though navigator Mark missed one rock, we enjoyed burning off the clouds on the picturesque tour. Then we headed to town. First stop, lunch at the Wild Onion. Good, unique menu; but with only one server on the end of a 10 hour shift, the service was slow. Or maybe it was just that we broke the no cellphone policy. Then it was off to the beach to join the rest of the tourists. With the week leading up to the fourth, town was getting busy. It was actually hotter in town then on the trail, which is a rarity (in the summer). We shopped, visited the lighthouse, and wore ourselves out on the Streets and shore of Grand Marais. On the way back to the lodge we grabbed some BBQ fixin’s and had a nice dinner, with some surprisingly good corn. It turned out to be the highlight of the night as moose hunting was again an exciting let down (don’t let the Moose Viewing Trail sign fool you).

It is officially summer up here (which has likely jinx the weather for tomorrow’s trip). The next day we salvaged some well used birdies (for those of you one the outside world, this is an SOS for good birdies, the kinds that don’t break after a short rally). After the vigorous game was punctuated with another busted bird, we tested the waters with the Bell 4 man Kevlar. We headed to the palisades for a ‘high payoff’ hike. The trail has grown a lot with our summer’s rain volume, but the Deet 100 was superb (and the wind at the top helped). After managing not to dump the canoe, we continued to sun(burn)bathe before heading back to Pigeon river for another visit to the High Falls and Naniboujou’s restaurant. Both unique and enjoyable, but the binoculars gave the falls visit the upper hand. Then it was back to the lodge for funny stories about 90 year olds and their driving adventures. Unfortunately there were no moose to be seen (although rumor has it that Mark and Nora got to see a swimming cow and calf on the way out).

Then it was the fourth. While we didn’t brave the crowds at the Marais Marina, we did put on our own show. Salvaging more birdies, even creating some hybrid shuttlecocks at times, we played and grilled the night away.

And that leads us up to now. Besides a solid 3+ hour nap (definitely need a few more), search and rescue for a lost hiker (don’t worry, happy ending), funny cabin cleaning finds, Tory and Jill getting engaged (congrats!), going swimming (for the first and second time), finally getting a Sven and Ole’s bumper sticker, working on a recycling project (more on that later), and learning to gunnel pump (to bad I won’t be around for the Gunflint races) not much has been going on.

We are headed out tomorrow, and hopefully will have some more pix and stories soon.

Thoughts

I drove to town alone today. In the car I realized that this was probably the first time I had been alone since the beginning of the summer. I was not longing for time alone, but it was a good chance to daze in and out of thought. When imagining my summer up here, I pictured a lot of time to reflect; a time to think about what’s important in life; a time to soak up the peaceful surroundings and appreciate its beauty (and maybe even time to come up with a good dissertation topic!). Well, as many of you I’m sure could attest to, planning for revelations or epiphanies about the meaning of life does not always work. At least, that is, not as we imagine it.

The reason time alone is rare up here is because we work with such a great staff. The opportunities are most definitely here to seek solitude and to access incredible places in nature, but what good are these places when you know you are missing out on badminton or a campfire? These events may sound trivial or silly, but I think my time up here really illustrates the great value of relationships. Spending time in a beautiful location is amazing and does definitely do something great for the soul, but speaking for myself, it can only go so far. Even if I intentionally sought out solitude, I doubt that it would have the same centering effect, if I knew that I was missing out on spending time with people. I was struck by this thought today. For all that we do to seek out natural beauty, the value of simple togetherness…interaction…..connection still is at the base of our lives (regardless of how strikingly beautiful your surroundings may be). On the flip side of this reality then, does it really matter if you are not in a place of beauty, but are in good company? I think about this often when people have a hard time imagining living in particular towns or states (including myself). But really, isn’t that the great thing about relationships? When you are around good people, the surroundings matter very little. Life usually ends up revolving around the people you know no matter where you live. So while it does sadden me a little bit that I haven’t had this deep, reflective time up here, it would sadden me much more to miss out on spending time with the friends we’ve made here.

So maybe what I needed wasn’t time to think, but time to NOT think. Maybe peace and restfulness can come from either reflection or just living in the moment. For now, though, I have been enjoying myself too much to do much deep thinking. I guess that sounds like a good way to live.

-Kirsten

P.S. The Clearwater Blog is a good way to get a sense of the fun staff up here- everyone blogs about their trips and the random stuff going on around here. www.clearwateroutfitters.com

Pix from Mark and Nora's visit

The dog days of summer...

It's been awhile since I've blogged. Hopefully over the next few days that trend will change. But until then here are some pix from our latest weekend. We were pretty busy over the weekend, and not much down time to catch up on sleep. So my blogging time has become nap time over the past few days. Until I catch up on my Zzzs (or Zeds), hopefully all these pix will tide you over.

http://picasaweb.google.com/willo11/BengtsonsInTheBWCALookout