TEST

This is only a test.  But the above picture is of one of June Bug antics.

Christmas 2012

What a holiday this has been.  Three days before Christmas, I came down with stomach flu and for the next three days I could not eat anything without upsetting my stomach and had no energy.

So for me the holiday did not start until Christmas Day when I was able to eat and I did.  We had homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast and biscuits with deer sausage gravy for dinner.  Mmmm, our first Idaho Christmas on Colorado Ave.
June Bug did not wait until Christmas to open presents though. She had one of my Secret Santa gifts open before the eve: a spice rub for Salmon Filets.  Her favorite "gift" was a wine cork.

Henry was all pent up 'cause when I was sick he did not get enough exercise.  So, Todd and I took him on a hike up to Table Rock.  It was a windy 2 hours with phenomenal views of the Boise area.  The hike combined with the package of new Kong tennis balls from my mom, Henry had a great holiday too.
The holiday is all about the kids, right?  In our case, it is about the pets.

Happy Holidays from Cindy, Todd, Henry and June Bug.

Buxton-Jung Family visit

Okay, this is from late July and I am finally getting pictures posted.
Steve (Todd's brother) and his wife Shanna arrived Friday night.  The Jung clan (Todd's sister Becky, her husband Jon, and children Emma, Sarah, and Samuel) arrived Saturday night.  We had a full house and back yard.  The Jungs camped in the back yard, brought their new kitty, Percy, who played with June Bug.
We hiked in the foothills of Boise, tubed the Boise River, and found time to be lazy. 

The Jung and Adams-Buxton clans went north to Riggins and enjoyed a few wonderful Idaho summer days riverside, playing in the water and sand.

Review

Here are some odd photos from this summer and fall.
Todd and I scored on gathering firewood.  This picture is of one load.
We went back later to get the rest and filled the Tundra, Tacoma, and trailer.  Big rounds!

Henry and June Bug sure like each other.  They enjoyed visiting Marv's place in Sedro Wooley.

This was our garden spider who set up her web near the side door.  Watching her eat and grow was entertaining.  Then, one day she was gone, her web in disrepair.  Maybe a bird got her.

Mr. Todd in the news

Todd is in San Francisco this week, attending the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting.  His research, along with others whom he works with, has appeared in the following article:

HERE

So proud of him.

Birthday fun

This year was my 40th Birthday.  Milestone?  Only if you abide by decade jumps.
Todd really did this one good.  While on the coast we feasted, twice, on seafood.  He got his sister and nieces to bake me a cake, red velvet cake with no food coloring!  Sarah did awesome on the frosting which I am not good at.
Here is one of the seafood feasts...fresh Hama Hama oysters, sauteed in butter and garlic, succulently enjoyed in the warm, dry confines of the camper while experiencing a heavy downpour and wind storm outside!

Holiday travel

This Thanksgiving, we took the zoo over to the Puget Sound and the Jung's.
June Bug is the adventurer.   She enjoys watching water, especially moving water.

The day after the holiday feast, the Jung family, Todd and I went for a hike to waterfalls.  The skies have poured out its liquid joy so the falls were putting on a show.  
 

June bug milestone

Our little girl is growing up.  Tonight she brought home her first mouse.  I am impressed with the size of the fuzzy rodent.  Happy Halloween!

October!

Change of seasons has occurred and the days are gray and cold here.  Luckily we have finished painting the house exterior.  Wow, what a transformation this place has undergone:
Before:

After:

We replaced two windows on the house and I used one of the old ones to build a cold-frame.

While I was constructing the cold-frame, Henry was enjoying a gift from Ryan.  Henry has had a great week.  Earlier he had a playmate, Blue, a crazy spaz dog who my neighbors were taking care of.  The two played by chasing, wrestling, and chewing each other. And that is how blue her eyes are, nearly white!

 

Our Ark is still afloat!

Today we have been experiencing a great rain.  Thunder serves as the bass beat with the tapping rain. The rain barrels have overflowed.  Now we will know how well our roofing job went...or not.

Poaching Post

I would love to take credit for these awesome pictures, but all I did was bring the photographer to my backyard.  Move over Vermont- Idaho has some prime peeping to do!
Misadventures of the blue box

He loves it!

Thank you Cindy D for the excellent photography! SF Salmon River, Idaho.  Sept 2012.

Bonaminio wine stomp 2012

Saturday, what a fun day.  I met up with Gina at her parent's house for the annual wine stomp.  So fun seeing the family and friends there.  The 2010 blend was delicious!

Just call me Lefty

Todd and I shot the rifles the other day so I can get ready for my first deer hunt.  The box labeled "cindy" was shot at 50 yards.  the other box labeled "todd" was at 100 yards.  Since I know my left eye is more dominant than my right I decided to take all shots left handed.  whoo-hoo, guess who got a bulls eye at 50, but does not have as good a shot at 100?

Summer in Idaho Part 1

This post should have been posted at the end of July, but better now than never!

 

Gina and I took Henry and Shiva's ashes to the Salmon River for a float trip.  We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and attempted to find a beach to camp at, but alas, like a summer day in a river canyon, there were no spots available on the road side of the river.  Soo, after a tasty lunch, we rigged up the boat with our camping gear and set off to find a beach on the opposite side of the river.  Even with this option, there were few beaches to choose from so we settled on a steep small beach.

Gina cooked dinner of delicious sausage she made from a friend's deer.  Henry played fetch of course. I drank beer while hiding from the sun and throwing Henry's stick.  Shiva rested in the sand.
We slept under the stars half out of our bags as it was a warm summer evening. 

Morning came and we had yogurt, cereal, and fruit for breakfast.  Broke camp and set off, me with my coffee still in hand.

Gina hula-hooped on top the raft while we passed under the Manning Bridge.  Shiva was released just past the bridge, in a very deep, calm part of the river.  The white bone fragments flickered as they dissipated into the clear depths. 
Afterwards, Gina was at the oars for a while and did a great job maneuvering the Partridge Bridge rapids.  She is an excellent rafting partner.  She cooks and wants to oar.
The trip was short but all of us were glad to get out for a girls weekend on the river.