Archive for July, 2007
Last weekend we were in Spokane again, this time for my brother-in-law's homecoming speech. He just returned from a two-year mission for the LDS church in southern Spain. He also spent time in the Canary Islands, so he had a very diverse cultural experience.
A couple of weeks ago I found a very cool sailing kayak ("sailyak") online that I wanted to test drive. So last Saturday I stopped in Sandpoint and rented the Hobie Mirage Adventure Island for four hours. It's a very cool boat because in addition to being a kayak, it also comes with sail, outrigger, and pedals. The pedals fit into the bottom of the boat and power two little flippers that act as a propulsion system. It's really an ingenious invention: I was cruising quite a bit faster than I can paddle, and using my legs (which for most people are much stronger than the muscles in the arm). If the boat didn't cost $3k I would already own it.
Most of my time in Spokane was spent indulging in a 24-hour Harry Potter bookfest. Book Seven was quite a bit different than the previous ones, and I'm still not sure I liked the ending, but it was good to put the final cap on the series.
July 29th, 2007
We spent the weekend in Spokane, visiting family and enjoying the 100 degree weather. My brother Jonathan and his family are in town, so we went on a walk, kicked the soccer ball around, and gawked at David's sweet computer. On Saturday we went to Hauser Lake, one of several beautiful lakes scattered around Spokane's East Valley near my parent's house. Hauser is on the Idaho side of the border, which means it's free where other lakes like Newman require a Washington permit. We had Jon and Stephanie's three plus my two boys. Kayla was up here coordinating a river float for her church group. We swam around and took turns on the tube with Grandpa towing in his little fishing boat.
After lunch I convinced David to hit the Spokane River with me. The water was perfect and the rapids were excellent. We took turns piloting my kayak with the other person on a tube behind. It worked fairly well, though some the rapids were tricky with the two craft tied together. We did wreck several times. Dipping into the water was just beautiful in contrast to the heat of the sun. It was the first time that I've floated the entire stretch from Harvard Road down to Sullivan Road.
With the persistent heat we've officially moved down into our basement. The temperature is about 85 upstairs and something around 70 underground. Our lawn is really taking a beating... there's no way to keep up with the watering with our very low water pressure. The city has promised increased pressure but the project was delayed, and I'm not sure when that will happen. I have to water everything at least every other day to avoid parching... and that includes three garden areas and who knows how many soaker hoses, sprinklers, and flowerpots. I'll be glad when it cools off!
July 15th, 2007
Saturday morning I woke up with my back covered in what looked like black fly bites. I immediately suspected that some renegade insects had penetrated the defenses of our house and feasted on my flesh while I slept. However, beyond some paranoid swatting at the lone fly I did find buzzing about the kitchen, I forgot the incident. Then Kayla took me up to the Moyie River to kayak. It was a great trip--about an hour and a half from near the border station at Eastport down to the Moyie Crossing picnic area. However, at the end of the float I realized that my legs were covered in welts--just like the "fly" bites I had earlier. I was justly outraged and wondered vaguely if I had contracted some sort of parasite.
Since Saturday it has been like a detective's mystery, trying to sort out the pieces of my new "disease". After several experiments I determined that the welts were caused by an insect, probably wind-borne, which attacked me within minutes of stepping outside the house. Liberal applications of DEET and complete clothing coverage helped, but if there was so much as a button hole not covered and sufficiently sprayed, the little buggers found their way in and began wreaking havoc. Welts sprang up all over my body, wherever the insects found passage.
Monday evening I decided to offer my body up to science in one last-ditched experiment. I would mow the lawn (a two-hour job) with no insect repellant and wearing only shorts and a tee shirt. This was my way of plumbing the depths of the problem, to see how nasty the critters could be. I had also decided that I couldn't stay indoors the rest of the summer, and that this would be my way of standing up to Mother Nature's assaults.
Well, the bugs won that engagement hands down. When I returned to the house my upper body was completely covered in red welts, big bumps the size of quarters merging around smaller bites that wove a tell-tale path from my belt line straight up to my neck. I conceded defeat and called a dermatologist.
Luckily, before I could shell out hundreds of dollars in medical fees, I began reading on the internet to try to self-diagnose. Based on my research, I believe that the culprit is some form of mite (tiny arachnids like chiggers or miniscule ticks). We are all being nibbled on constantly by various mites and other invisible creatures, but my body was having an allergic reaction to either a new pest or an unusual population explosion of the mite. The hives on my skin were my body's overreaction to the mite's nibbling. So, Tuesday morning I bought some strong antihistamine (Claritin), popped a tiny tablet and... was immediately healed. It's actually quite miraculous in my opinion. I go from complete misery to absolutely no sign of welts or bites anywhere, within 24 hours.
It's been like a rebirth. I spent all evening outdoors tonight, soaking up the beautiful summer and enjoying everything with new eyes. Being stuck indoors is akin to a serious disability for me... and I've been spared. I can't express how grateful I am for the miracle of modern medicine.
July 11th, 2007
We spent our mid-week Fourth of July holiday in Bonners Ferry this year. I got up insanely early (at our house the sun comes up at 4:15 a.m.) and ascended Fisher Peak, elevation 7480'. Fisher was the first mountain I ever hiked two years ago when we had just moved to the area. It's a great climb with some nice views of the Kootenai River Valley. You can clearly see Creston, BC across the border and also get glimpses of Bonners Ferry and areas to the south. The best view is into the Selkirk Mountains to the west, where you see several peaks very clearly across the valley. The weather was warm and a little hazy. When I climbed Fisher Peak two years ago I got to the top in 3 hours 15 minutes. This time I did it in 2 hours 30 minutes. Amazing what being in shape will do for your performance!
Click on the photo below to access my photo album from the trip.
July 7th, 2007
We returned from our week-long vacation in Utah last night. It was a great trip. Click on the slideshow to play through the photos, or you can visit our Picasa album.
We left on Friday morning and drove through Montana to Rexburg, Idaho where we met up with my sister Cindy and brother Phil, with all their family. They were staying at a friend's house so we played soccer in the back yard and went to a playground at a nearby school. We hadn't seen Cindy and Dan's family since we moved from Kansas in 2004 so it was a nice reunion.
Saturday we drove to Blackfoot, Idaho to visit with a cousin of Kayla's mother, then on to Provo to pick up Megan. She accompanied us down to St. George where we spent several days visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Green. We had some great hikes in Zion National Park as well as Snow Canyon, where Hyrum went on his first desert hike and explored a lava tube. My sister Amy met us in Zion and we had a fun day together. Grandpa led an expedition up to Hidden Canyon that included some amazing views.
Wednesday we returned to Provo and camped out at my brother Ryan's house. His wife Sarah is having a baby in August. Ryan and I had an excellent bike ride out to Utah Lake on Thursday. We also visited with cousins in Springville. Friday we spent in Salt Lake, ending up at the house of Kayla's Aunt Lila and Uncle Mark. Uncle Mark took the boys on a trailer ride with his cool recumbent bike. Then Saturday we spent with my brothers Matthew and Ryan and their families up in Grantsville, Utah. Kim's parents have a great homestead with a basketball court, and between bike rides we played basketball, soccer, and ate Matthew's spaghetti. Sunday was an all-day pull to get home. Although Utah was nice and sunny, we were glad to see some trees again!
July 2nd, 2007
