Ground Glass

Mt. Heyburn

2011-09-05T23:03:00.000-06:00

Mt. Heyburn in the morning from the lower Bench Lake

Every summer, my wife's family goes camping to Redfish Lake. So, subsequently I have gone (nearly) every summer since we have been married. We stay at the Point Campground at the north end of the lake, and while sitting on the beach, we look across the lake at two mountains--The Grand Mogel and Mt. Heyburn (or Heyburn Mountain as it is on all maps). Part of the Waddoups' Redfish trip is always the hike to the Lily Lake and water fall at the south end of the lake. When we hike up to the Lily lake, we get an impressive view of the south face of Mt. Heyburn. I have always wondered if anyone has climbed it (I still don't know if there are any routes on the south face). This weekend with the company and help of my friend, Kevin "the Ropegun" Hansen, I climbed Mt. Heyburn.

My daughter, Creedance (Right) and her cousin, Audrey at the Lily Lake at the south side of Mt. Heyburn.

I have always wondered about climbing the mountain, but it wasn't until a month or two ago that the idea really sank in. After our week at Redfish Lake, we stopped in for a visit with Kevin and his family as they just moved back to Idaho. While visiting, I pulled out the topo map I had of the area and Kevin got very interested and let me know that whenever I wanted to climb it, let him know. After some convincing myself and research of the route (the photo above is no where near where we climbed) we got it set up to climb.

I got off work early Friday and headed West to meet Kevin in Hailey. I was very excited and probably could have left a little later as Kevin was coming from Burley but would not be off work until 2:30. I got to Hailey about 2 or 3 hours before him, but it was nice to visit with Jessica's Aunt & Uncle (Thank you Matt & Tana for the overnight parking space!). When Kevin got there he first asked for earplugs as his '80 VW diesel Rabbit truck was VERY loud and we would need them, this is just the beginning! So we got my gear into his truck, and we headed out. As we approached the base of Galena pass, he noticed that his fuel needle was in the red and said, "When do we drive through Sun Valley?" I thought for sure he was pulling my leg and that he knew that his gauge did not work and had pleanty of fuel. I said that he passed it 45 minutes ago and the next fuel was not until over Galena summit at Smiley Creek....the likelihood of said location having diesel was very slim. Also, did I mention that at this point we are running not on diesel but rather waste oil (smells like french fries)?! It is always an adventure with Kevin! Well we made it over the Stanley, only 25 more miles, but past Redfish. So we headed strait for Redfish Lake Lodge as it was getting late and we wanted to catch the boat to the south end of the lake to the transfer campsite.

We made it to the lake without incident, parked, bought a few things at the lodge store (the kids would be jealous as they ALWAYS have to go to the lodge store!), paid for the boat ride and took the ride to the south end campsite. We were planning on staying the night there at the Redfish Lake Transfer campsite, but when we got off the boat it was still (a little) light and I was very excited for the next day so we headed off for the 3-mile hike to the bench lakes at 8pm. The hike up the switch-backs wasn't too bad, it did get pretty dark and between us we had my headlamp, Kevin stayed in front to keep a good easy pace and my light behind seemed to work out well for the both of us. We reached the lower bench lake around 10. We boiled water for dinner, set up the tent and went to bed. I had to laugh, just as Kevin fell asleep, I hear about 3 or 4 heavy steps outside...oh Crap! I didn't fall asleep nearly as quick as he did as I was straining to listen outside the tent for anything else....nothing. In the morning I didn't see any signs of bear, so I don't know what I heard...probably just in my head.

Because we didn't sleep at the transfer camp we didn't have to get up before the sun to head out, so our morning was a little easier. I got up and filtered water from the lake to fill our camelbacks and water bottles, ate breakfast and got our day packs ready for the hike. We had to hike south past 3 more bench lakes to the base of Mt. Heyburn, then up to the saddle on the NW side of the mountain, from everything I had read up on, this was to be a mile and a half....tell you what that is a long mile and a half! It is especially long when you cannot keep track of the trail! I don't know why, but we could not stay on the trail. We would see carins that other hikers would leave to mark the way...but we came to the conclusion that they were just as lost as we were and just didn't know it! Even though we were lost and making pretty poor time, we had a wonderful time. It is VERY beautiful up on those benches. Not many people hike past the first bench lake, and so the impact of man is not very evident. We had the mountain to ourselves! We did not see another person until after we got back to our camp Saturday evening.

We did finally make it to the up most bench lake. Right at the base of Mt Heyburn. It was beautiful! There were several nice campsites around this lake. I read that other climbers have hiked to this lake to make camp before making the climb. When I do this climb again (if I do), I will try to get an earlier start and camp there too. The only downside would be that I would have to carry all my gear an extra LONG mile and a half. At this lake we hiked along side the East, then south shores. From the north shore it was hard to make out where the trail was, because the trail is through a scree flow, which is like walking on ball bearings. Side-hilling it isn't too bad, but when the trail went up-hill, it became very difficult, 2 steps forward and 1 step back all the way! There is also a couple of boulder-fields along the south shore, and they were a little difficult to navigate, but the carins we could find helped lead the way. We finally made it to the saddle to find the mother of carins on the route at 11am. It was Huge! From this we saw where we needed to go to find the Stur Chimney route...it meant more scree crossing. And some bouldering up a little scramble. I tell you what, it was scary! I think the hardest part was the approach for this climb. It's funny on how the height had me worried. I could see myself sliding down 200' and smacking into a boulder, and it made me very nervous!

We roped up just shy of the first pitch, not for Kevin's benefit but mine. The last little scramble had me worried, so we tied into either end of the rope (50 meters) and Kevin took the sharp end up a little 30' crack to the face of the mountain without fixing any protection. He then belayed me up and I saw why he didn't set any pro, it wasn't too hard but I was still a little edgy about it. I'm glad he led it and not me. We then had a 40' traverse to the base of the chimney. There are 3 simple pitches in the chimney. The first isn't too bad, there is one sketchy part just before the slings (at the top of each pitch there is a series of 10-15 pieces of webbing run through a rappel ring or quick-link that climbers have contributed to over the years). Kevin had a minimal (5-7 cams and 5 Yosemite draws) rack, and so placed gear sparingly, there are about 3 or 4 pins/pitons that are hammered into the wall, so we used them as well. He was really excited on the 2nd pitch when he came across the ring pin from the 1950's, he said he felt like a 50's climber! The 2nd and 3rd pitch were slightly more difficult than the 1st, but overall the entire chimney was about a 5.6-5.7. Not really difficult, but I am not going to lie....I was scared! We were WAY the crap up there! And at the base of the chimney was a steep slope of scree. I think I only looked out over my shoulder once, and it scared me!

When I got to Kevin at the top of the 3rd pitch, I thought we were at the summit, but there was still 20 or so feet to go. He said, "OK, I'm going to keep belaying you go on to the top." I replied that he was crazy, he insisted and assured me that I had it in the bag. So I sent off with only the part of the rack that I cleaned from the last pitch (a #5 cam and #1 or 2 alien). In hindsight, I didn't need to place anything, but the bomber placement I made with the alien was the coolest and made me feel better. I got to the top, threw my sling over a flake and belayed Kevin up to me, it was 1:15. It was really great of him to let me have the chance of topping out first. We took pictures, enjoyed the calm peace that was there for a while, he got to the top of some neighboring pinnacles, and I even joined him on one. It was an incredible experience...and we were only half way there!

We down-climbed to the top of the 3rd pitch and rigged our rappel, and on down to the base of the chimney. Across the traverse from the base of the chimney there is a vertical boulder jutting out of the ground that makes for a beautiful anchor, almost as if the Lord placed it there for just such purpose. We ran the rope through the slings there and tossed the ends down the steep slope to the next rap-station. The two ends JUST made it to the little tree (more like bush) that is the anchor for the 2nd rap-station. We decided that this little tree is probably 100-years old, but because of the elevation is small, but roots run deep through the cracks and that the Lord probably placed it's seed here and blessed it to grow just for this purpose as well! Ha Ha! We couldn't see the end of this rappel, but assumed that it made it to solid ground....well, it almost did. 50 meters is just long enough to make it, only because of elongation of dynamic rope.

The hike back to camp was somewhat easier, scree is fun to ski down and much easier to do than hike up. We did loose track of the trail many times, but knew that if we stayed somewhat east and go down, we would make it back. We did around 5pm, and we were TIRED! I pumped some more water through the filter, we loaded up the tent and our packs and headed for the lodge. We had a great 3 1/2 mile hike down the ridge! The trail travels along a narrow ridge as to give you a view of Redfish lake to the right and a valley and the Sawtooth range to the left. We made it back to the car just as the temperature started to cool. Dinner was at the Lodge Bar...very good food by the way. and that Pepsi couldn't taste any better!

We still weren't done yet. Remember our fuel issues? Yep, we were low and only had grease in the tank! The temperature was low and that meant that the grease was more of a solid than liquid. But with some chugging, coughing and coasting we made it to Stanley to put 15.1 gallons of diesel into a 15 gallon tank!

It was an amazing 36 hours! I was dog-tired by the time I climbed into my bed at 2 am Sunday, but I was still very excited about the adventure I had just experienced. I have NEVER done any climbing like this. Up until now I have only done sport-climbing. I think I have cleaned one trad route, and only done one multi-pitch climb. To add to that, it was over 10 years ago that I did any of that! I just don't make much time to do it anymore. Usually I will climb one or two sport routes a year, and now this....it was AMAZING! I will feel the pain for several more days, but hope to remember the joy for many more years.

Summer wind blows through the trees

2011-07-25T22:05:00.006-06:00

This summer has been a lot of...fun? Well, yes it has. It has been very busy and crazy, but all-in-all it has been very enjoyable. Work picked up, which is very good. However this summer's activities outside of work picked up as well. I spent all week at Scout Camp with my scouts. That was VERY tireing but even more rewarding. We rode those boys all day long. I was going from 6am to 11pm nearly every day. Thursday night we sat around the campfire and told jokes at 9. It was the first and only night we were back to camp by then. But like I said, it was very rewarding. All 11 boys that came up earned at least 4 merit badges each. One earned 7 (3 were required), and it was his first year.

I went back to work for a week and a half after that and we had a project in Twin Falls, we were able to get it completed less the caulking. Then I headed back to Island Park for our Hopkins reunion. That was great fun to see nearly all my brothers and sisters and their families. We rented a cabin with 7 rooms (one for each family) and a large common area for all the kids to crash in. We saw some of the sites in the Island Park area, and even caught a play at the Playmill in West Yellowstone. We saw Joseph and the Amazing Tecnicolor Dreamcoat. It was great! Jess and I were amazed that our kids loved it too. Even Pearson was glued to the stage. It was so wonderful to be there with so much of my family too. Friday night Mom & Dad gave some family history too. They talked about Dad's mission to Austraila and different stories growing up, and I heard for the first time how they met and their first date. It was then that Dad knew that he would marry her....Mom has still yet to have that conviction in the decision! That brought a lot of laughs! 7 kids and 25 grandkids later and she still isn't sure huh?!

So then we came back home for the weekend to regroup, do laundry and repack for our trip to Redfish Lake with the Waddoups family the following week. I went to work Monday and helped to finished up a project in Rexburg at BYU-I, then Tuesday morning we hit the road. We had planned on taking the bus, but after realizing that the engine is "tired" (the #3 cylnder has a burnt valve) and probibly would not make the trip without limping home on the remaining 3 cylnders, we took the minivan. Not as much packing space, not as "cool", but far more comfortable and more cool....as in AC!

Redfish was wonderful! It always is. We spent time sitting at the beach, waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, hiking, eating, and even sleeping. One morning I just could not wake up. and then another afternoon I got to sit in the tent while Pearson took a nap....well I could not pass up the chance to take one with him! The week of Redfish was very relaxing...and yet I still came home with aches and pains! We had new company at the lake with us this year too, which was a treat. Jessica's older sister's in-laws came for a few days in the beginning to experience the essence that is Redfish Lake. Her younger brother, Nate, brought their new baby, Lilly, for her first trip to the Sawtooth mountains. We also had a future family member come for a first time--Jake brought his fiance, Stacie, as well. Our kids could not get enough of playing with their cousins. It was very sad when Jen & her family left Friday afternoon. We all stood along the road and cried and waived as they drove by and bawled. It was good that Brant was driving, he has the capability to maintain his composure. We will miss them. We did miss having Sam & his family (but understand that it is difficult to travel and camp when about to have a baby) as well as Sean (we also understand the importance of work and school--I think I have missed 2 or so Redfishes since joining the Waddoups Family).

I love spending time with our families and with my wife and children. I love to see the beauty that is here in the West. And I love to go to places that are so dear to my heart to remember the past and create new memories there. But I always am happy to come home, because vacationing is pretty darn hard work! We still have some excitement this summer (Jake and Stacie get married in less than a month!), but the bulk of it is behind us, and now treasured memories to tell our children as they grow.

I love the sound of summer wind through the trees.

It's the little things

2011-05-30T20:58:00.012-06:00

The kids made a Watermelon Juice Stand--50 cents a cup...they had 3 customers.

So it is sad how long it has been since my last post. I don't ever seem to sit down and gather my thoughts into a post anymore. I just don't make the time. It is funny how when things get busy, we neglect the little things. Sometimes they don't make much difference, but other times those seemingly little things can have great impacts.

I have been very busy with work. The past year I have been given the responsibility of estimating/bidding (luckily, I am not the only one doing these bids for the company). Lately, it seems that we have a job to bid every week or two and they always give us only 3 days to pull together an accurate bid. We win some and loose some. Just as long as we earn a little money on the ones we win, we are happy. We did get a couple that we will be doing this summer.

Then there is my Scoutmaster calling in the ward, we are gearing up for Scout Camp at Island Park. We will be there in a month, I hope that we don't have to dig the snow out of our campsite with how the weather has been. We will be taking 11 boys up this year, a few greenhorns and a few seasoned boys. It should be fun to go to Island Park again. It was, after all, my home for 6 years.

The basement is a never ending task as well. We have just about got Creedance's new room finished. Jess helped me sand and texture today. It will be ready for paint this week. It seems that the mudding always drags on...mainly because I don't want to do it. We also have the electrical and sheet rock up in the 3rd bedroom (or office) in the basement. I don't think we will be getting to the mud in there this summer...maybe the fall. Slowly but surely the house is getting finished.

As I said before, it seems that we neglect things that matter most. With all my responsibilities I feel that I fall short when it comes to being a husband and father. But tonight while packing my bag for a week of work in Twin Falls, Pearson grabbed my attention...literally. He knew I was packing, so he demanded I play with him. It was so wonderful to get him ready for bed, play cars, and sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." He loved it, and so did I. He screamed and cried as I put his PJ's on, he did not want to go to bed and he knew pj's meant bed. It was fun to spend this day with him and Jessica.

It's the little things.

November 2010

2010-11-27T22:02:00.004-07:00

The front of the UL1 house

Work has slowed down to about normal finally. The long back-to-back days were wearing on me quite a bit. But with the colder weather and jobs completing, it is nice to be back to regular hours. We have a couple loose ends to tie up and a little job here and there to take care of, so I think we are settling in on a good winter of work. Nothing major on the horizon, but we are keeping our fingers crossed for the spring. This is a house I have been working on in Salt Lake City...yea that far away. We finished our part about a week ago, and I'm pretty happy to be done with it. It is an odd one, wouldn't you say?

This is the back "yard" of the house, we did the storefront and venting window.

We went up to the Waddoups' cabin with some friends and played in the snow...just before we got a bunch of snow. But there was a little for the kids to sled in and we pulled them with the 4-wheeler.

Creedance concocted this chair to watch Beauty and the Beast.

How does that pine cone taste, Topher???

My niece, Jessie, and Pearson. The oldest grand kid and almost youngest.

Thanksgiving was definitely enjoyable. My brother, Travis and his family came from southern California. We always love it when they come. Toph, Creedance & TJ relly love to play with cousins, and Jake and Sarah are close in age too. They couldn't stop talking about them coming for about a week before. We had a great dinner at mom & dad's and then visited and played board/card games. We also went to the Collectors' corner museum with them the day before. That was a neat little gem in Idaho Falls that I never knew was there. A large variety of collect ables. Kind of fun to see.

Topher was very excited for his first pocket knife.

Topher also turned 8 at the beginning of November, started Cub Scouts (a few months ago) and was baptized just after his birthday. I can't help but feel old, but I am really excited to see my son progressing and growing up. I know it will all seem to go by so fast, I hope that I can remember to slow down and savor having them my kids while I can. We saw a movie a week or so ago (admittedly quite dumb), that had a good line about raising kids "having kids is AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL...and then something wonderful...AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL...and then something wonderful." I need to forget the awful and only see the wonderful. This month had a lot of the wonderful.

TJ playing soccer this fall

Nearly all the grandkids that were at mom's (only short Logan in the picture), this is half of the grandkids.

Topher, Jake & Hunter. It is great that they have cousins close in age...so fun for them.

Life is crazy...so here are some recent photos

2010-06-03T22:32:00.008-06:00

No I haven't vanished, I have simply been overwhelmed with work and all my projects that I never have time to photograph or post anything...OK so I never seem to photograph in the last 3 or 4 years, but time seems to be in short supply. Does anyone know where I could find 30 hour days?

Jess has been trying to get me to do a new family Portrait for a while now...here it is sans-touch-ups

Photos of Creedance usualy don't require touch-ups, she's just cute.

I apolagize for the cliche photo, Jess really likes it, and part of me likes it too.

Driving home from the Father & Son Campout was really pretty...and cold too.

Dispite the cold and the snow, the campout was fun

Work has been consuming a lot of my time, I have been arranging with architects, general contractors, and vendors for 3 jobs, 2 of which are quite large. I have also started working on the estimating and drafting of shop drawings. I am wishing that I studied construction management and learned auto cad drawing in college. But hey, I get to do it now and I got to study my passion in college instead. These jobs that have been coming up are now here, however I feel pulled in so many directions to get them taken care of. But it is nice to be doing the work, and putting the pieces together. I'll have to try to get photos and post them as they progress. What adds to some of the stress is that they are spread out geographically, Jackson, Rexburg, Sun Valley, and then little ones here and there in Idaho Falls.

TJ has grown out of that innocent stage when children don't know what your are 'suposed to do' in front of the camera. It is rare that I can get a photo of him like this, without a forced smile.

Our 4 happy kids.

I also will be taking the scouts to Scout Camp in just over a week. It is still cold here, so that should be interesting. I won't be able to stay the whole week, because of the workload, but I will take them up and then go back up at the end of the week to bring them home. I hope that they get along and work hard on their merit badges and advancement. It should be a good week, they are a good bunch of boys.

I was very greatful for the Bus when I woke up and saw this out the window!

Speaking of camping in the cold, 2 weeks ago was the father & son camp out. It was a lot of fun, it was quite rainy and windy heading up, but the bus did just fine. We were the first ones from our ward up there so we picked out a good spot for the bus, and got it set up and hung out in the bus as the rain came down for a while. The boys had fun exploring and playing with friends, and poking sticks in the fire. The bus was nice and cozy, especially in the morning when we woke up to 3 inches of snow. It was funny to have snow in the middle of May on a camp out...boy winter just won't let up!

Pearson

2010-03-19T09:28:00.003-06:00

Pearson has been growing like a weed. He is starting to roll over and skoot around in circles. No crawling as of yet, but I don't think it is too far off. He is a happy baby, except for this last month as he has had an ear infection that we can't seem to kick. We are on another round of anti-biotics and hopefully this will clear it up. He is very smiley and loves to play. Night time is our struggle...ok so it is Jessica's struggle. I must admit that once I am out, I am out cold.

He looks like a thinner version of TJ at this age. I must say that the Waddoups genes are very dominate. I couldn't be happier.

Back to the Symes project.

2010-03-19T08:49:00.005-06:00

So I have been neglectful of my photography and this blog lately, among other even more important matters. I seem to be so busy with work and my church calling that I am just so wound up with them and don't make the time for other things. I need to find better balance.

We did go to Shriner's with TJ to get his foot replaced. The socket still fits (for a little while anyway), but the foot itself was too short and the length overall was a little short. Eric (the Prostitist) put on a new foot that is the same shoe size as his right foot that makes the length perfect. It worked out really well. Eric is such a great guy, he works very well with TJ and plays with him while measuring and making his prosthetics. He is also very personable and always takes an interest in us and shares his interests with us. The people there at Shriner's Hospital are Fantastic!

TJ thinks it is so cool that Eric keeps his pencil behind his ear just like his daddy. Eric is so good about having the kids play with is stuff. They usually end up with his marker, measuring tape or whatever else he is working with. He is so great with kids!

TJ was so intent on watching and helping Eric work. I love how intense his expression is in this shot. It's hard to see here, but there is a difference of about 3cm in the length of his femur, but to this point we have not seen it affect his gait. It it gets too bad sometimes they recomend lengthening and shortening to equalize it. I doubt we will go that route. We met a guy at Hastings a month or so ago with the same condition and there was a big difference in the length of his femur, but he opted not to have the surgeries and he is happy with it as it is. Yes every situation is different, and we will find our answer when we cross that bridge.

All seems to be well

2010-02-04T19:41:00.004-07:00

So the foot surgery went well. The most difficult part was figuring out the pain management meds. At first they made me very sick...more trouble than the pain. It healed up very well and I was back to work a couple days later...then off for a week and a half for Christmas.

Work has seemed to pick up again. At least getting ready for upcoming projects. Trying to get everything lined up so that when we are able to start we will have all the correct material and hardware. I am learning quite a bit about the project management end of contract glazing, rather than just the installation end of the business.

The kids are growing and growing. Pearson changes everyday. Topher loves school, Creedance is learning more and more and TJ is a fun challenge...no he really is fun. We are all excited for the warmer weather to come so we can camp again.

Third time's a Charm?

2009-12-07T20:53:00.004-07:00

So some of you may remember some time back (Like TWO YEARS AGO!), I got some glass in my foot. Well, it started to hurt (more than normal) on Saturday. As I have worked with glass all my life, I know what it feels like to be cut, and that was the feeling in my foot again. So I went in (same place and same Doctor), and got x-rays. lo and behold, he had left another piece! All I could do was laugh! I could tell that he was worrying about malpractice...again. I just want it taken care of. So sometime in the next few days I will get it out...hey it has been in there for two years, it isn't going anywhere right?

Aside from the first x-ray with the big arrow, can you find the 'foreign object'?

Pocatello Pump 2009

2009-09-18T20:20:00.003-06:00

Hansens, Hopkins & Earls with "Helga the Bus"

Last weekend (12th & 13th) was the Pocatello Pump. I have been going to the Pump for the past 7 or 8 years or so...I think I only missed the year I cut a tendon in my hand. Anyway, it is a climbing competition that the ISU outdoor program puts on at Ross Park. This is their 30th year (or thereabouts)! It is a blast.

Kevin--oh yea...he's still good!

They have a top rope set up on the SunnySide for every climb, and you have an hour and a half to climb as much as you can. Most of the time I am completely burnt out in the first 30-45 min. that I can't climb anything in the remaining time.

Me on #68...I can still TR a 5.10! Wahoo!

I climbed with Milton and Kevin this year, and I think we did pretty good. We never go to compete, mostly because we don't score anywhere near the points the winners do, but mainly because it is just fun to climb a lot in such a short time and not have to set up a rope ourselves. It also gives us a chance to top rope climbs that we wouldn't have the guts to lead. The door prizes make it worthwhile too!

Milton...Yep he's still pullin' them down too!

The climbing is primarily on Saturday morning, and then some lead climbing for the top 10 climbers in each of the upper divisions on Sunday morning.

Ted & TJ digging in the dirt.

There is also a children's division on Sunday, then Sunday evening is when they announce the winners (each 1st place winner gets a hand made mug), and everyones name is pulled from a hat and you get to pick out your door prize...so everyone walks away with something. It is a lot of fun, I have gone home with some really nice stuff (I got a new headlamp this year!).

Topher--he is downclimbing...he climbs great but rapelling/being lowered..not so much.

We used to only go to Pocatello on Saturday, and then drive back down Sunday afternoon for the awards, but for the past few years, Jess and I have taken the kids and camped Friday and Saturday night. I think they really like it, we try to find a church to go to Sacrament meeting (it is nice to have my sister down there--Thanks Julie!) It is a fun little camping trip to look forward to.

TJ--he was doing pretty good...he does not like being lowered either!

Friday night we had a little trouble with the VW, the starter decided that it did not want to turn the engine over...so we resorted to parking on hills and push-starting it (until I had time to troubleshoot and fix the problem-rusty solenoid needed tapped with a hammer). Then after finding a camping spot (the one we wanted was closed for soil conservation stuff) the bus sputtered and died! CRAP! We were way out in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark. We were able to roll and start the bus, but the only thing keeping the engine running was the wheels turning. Worried, we decided that we would just do all we could to get back down the mountain to town (or close to) no sooner had we decided that we were coming up to a small rise that I knew we could not coast up. I put it in gear, let out the clutch, and she fired up and we have had no problem since. I think that the Lord did not want us camping up on that mountain! We decided to just stay at the KOA, which was very nice to have restrooms and showers (for Sunday) and we were able to split the cost with Kevin and Tammie (who were able to come up from Southern UT).

Our trips to the Pocatello Pump have changed in the past years. As we have had children, we don't seem to go to the Pump to necessarily climb. Yes we climb, and then set up climbing at the ShadySide for the kids, but it is so much more about getting the kids out to play.

Creedance--She finished the climb before I knew she started!

While their dads climbed they played in the dirt mounds on the SunnySide, while we ate lunch on the ShadySide, they scrambled on the boulders and met new friends (we need to keep an eye on their friendliness), and at the campground they loved to chase and play and swing.

Walker (Kevin & Tammie's) & Pearson--our future hippies!

It seems odd to think of how I used to think of climbing and compare it to how I approach it now. I love to climb, I have a blast, but it is such a sidebar to what is really important. Even when we make a trip 'centered' around climbing, it is still not the center of what we are doing. I love to go and do things like this with my wife and kids and our friends. It was so great to visit and hang out with the Hansens, Beasleys & the Earls while we were down there. I am so glad that Tyson had the idea to get the 'van picture' (at the top of the post). From our trip to Little Cottonwood Canyon in 1996 we have always taken a picture of our group in front of the van that got us there...the group of 6 used to fit in said van (Kyle's or Kevin's VWs or my parents Plymouth), now I can barely fit my family of 6 in my bus (the cabinets are going to have to go in lieu of more seating--oh yea I have great plans for the bus!)! It is great to be surrounded by a wonderful family and wonderful friends!

The kids playing at the KOA...I made this swing last year and just keep it in the bus for wherever we set up camp...they love it!

Pearson Dean Hopkins

2009-08-08T21:03:00.008-06:00

On July 28th, we had an addition to our family! Our fourth child, Pearson was born. Jess and I went into the hospital around 7 am and Becky (Jess's mom) got us all situated, started Jess on 'Pit' and hooked her up to the monitors and IV. We kind of hung out, then the doctor came in around 8-9-ish and checked everything out...looked good and said that we should be having a baby that afternoon. Next came the epidural and Jess was feeling great! Jessica's brother, Sam, and his wife, Emily, came and visited as they were in town from Virginia. It was a lot of fun to visit with them and just chill while we waited for the contractions to get closer...the contractions that Jess did not feel at all. I think it was nice for them too, as they are having their first baby soon. Around 1 Jess was starting to feel a little pressure, and we knew it was time. The doctor got in just in time. Jess gave two good pushes, and Pearson was in the world! quick and easy! Of course I am not the one that gave birth, I simply held her hand and encouraged. Way to go Jess!

Our other kids have been so happy to have Pearson home! They love to help out and hold the baby, and try to do more than they can. It is very exciting to have another. He is bright-eyed, and seems to have dark hair, which will be fun in our family of toe-heads! Jess is recovering well, and we have gotten help from our families nearby, we cannot thank them enough! There is nothing that can bring more happiness and joy than an new child in your home!

The week before Pearson was born, Jessica's family was going to Redfish Lake. I was planning on taking the 3 kids myself in the VW bus as Jess was so close to delivery. However at her check-up, the doctor said that Jess would be good to go, and that nothing should be happening in the next few days, and besides that we would only be an hour away from the hospital in Ketchum/Hailey. So Jess decided to go too (Her dad had a motel in Stanley already for her). Well, the Bus only made it 20 miles out of town and the fuel filter gave out. We were able to limp most the way back to town, where my dad met us with a new filter, I changed it on the side of the road, and then we drove back home and changed vans. The Bus will have to wait for 2010 to see Redfish! Anyway we made it there eventually, and enjoyed our 2 days there so much, and did not have the baby there, he waited just a few more days.

We love the chance to go to Redfish with the Waddoups each year and appreciate Chris and Becky so much for their great love and effort in this tradition. I know that the children are creating many wonderful memories of time with family there. They will always treasure them.

Floating

2009-07-17T23:12:00.006-06:00

Our family at Redfish in 2008...photo by Brant Avondet-Thanks Brant!

The past few months just seem to have just gone by so quickly. Last week I got to go to scout camp with the young men, then also had our Hopkins reunion. It was really good to see my brothers and their families (my sisters' too but they live nearby and we see them often anyway). I have also been working on the basement. I finished the bathroom in the basement(less a mirror, shower curtain and some trim) and have one bedroom about half done. I think we were a little over ambitious in working on the basement. i just planned on doing the bathroom, but we thought, "hey while we are at it we might as well do two bedrooms..." yea, it ballooned! And we learned that bathrooms are quite pricey in and of themselves. I am very happy to have the bathroom done, but I think that the timing was bad as work has been slow all year. Good time to do work on the house...but bad time to work on the house with little cash flow.

TJ got a new foot without a cord tether...he likes that he can put it on and take it off himself now.

We are expecting our 4th child any day now. August 4th is the due date, but Jess has typically been a couple weeks early and this weekend would be a great time to have a baby! The Waddoups family is going to Redfish Lake this coming week and I am planning on going for a couple of days with Christopher, Creedance & TJ. Jess is planning on staying home, but any of that depends on when this baby comes and how Jess is feeling and coping. If she has the baby she may come and camp with us in the bus for a night...but even that is up in the air.

He was very excited about the new foot!

We are very excited for another little one, however are very lost as to what to name the little guy! There are some names that we like, but have too many other relatives with those names. Then there are some that we seem to really like, then we hear someone call for their child with that name and it just sounds a little off...the name works in theory but not in practice. There just doesn't seem to be anything that feels right yet. A bit frustrating.

Slickrock Practice Loop at Moab-Rusty is riding near the bottom.

Life just seems to be moving on as a blur. I do fun things (Moab with Tyson, Rusty, Kevin, Kyle & Dave in May), accomplish challenges (house projects, garden, little on the bus), go to work, and take care of church callings. Life is crazy. I don't really ever slow down. However the last two nights I did sit in the backyard after dinner and watch the shadow of the house grow...and slowly move over the garden and up the fence. That was nice. To sit and watch the garden and grass grow. I worry that while doing this I am missing something else grow, or that I am not growing myself. These weeks, months and years feel (to me) to become a blur. I feel that I need to slow down somehow and absorb what is happening, to be an observer and active participant in my life...whatever that would mean.

Overlooking castle valley along Porcupine Rim.

Nearing the end of Porcupine Rim

Busy weekend

2009-05-19T20:18:00.006-06:00

Friday and Saturday were very busy, and very fun. Our Stake had our Father & Son/Priesthood commemoration camp out at Camp Cumorah. I took the boys and we camped in the bus. It was pretty sweet. Saturday morning we walked around a little, watched boys swing on the rope and Topher even swung (a lot) on the rope swing, he didn't even fall into the lake.

On the way home we drove up an old farm road up to the new windmills near Bone. Topher shot his new BB gun at some paper cups and I photographed this old windmill that had fallen down. I thought it was quite interesting. It looks like it was used to pump water from the well. I also shot some with the Holga and 35-year-expired film...I will be surprised if anything comes from those shots, but they could be fun.

Saturday night was the Dance Tech recital at the Colonial Theatre. TJ and Creedance both performed. I was quite impressed with how well they both did. This year has been very good for TJ, I think he had a lot of fun doing it too. I have also noticed an improvement in Creedance.

Having the performance at the Colonial Theatre was a change after years of having it at the Civic Auditorium. I was a bit nervous on it running smoothly. But it seemed to go very well, and Jess said that it went great backstage too. The dancers at the studio seem to get better and better every year. I really enjoyed a lot of the dance numbers...go figure.

Sheetrock!

2009-05-14T18:29:00.006-06:00

Closing off the wall really makes the family room take shape.

We have been going pretty strong with the Sheetrock the last week or so. It is nearly done, just a few little pieces left (for the bathroom and one bedroom), and then the fun of perfataping starts. I haven't really done that before, it should be interesting to see how I do at that. I just hope I can get the joints somewhat smooth. As you can see we are still using the rest of the basement to play and watch TV. The kids are great at wreaking havoc downstairs.

The nice little hallway, this would be a great place for elegant sconces and a hall table...but it will most likely be a dumping place for some of the kids' toys.

The bathroom with mold resistant Sheetrock on most of the walls.

Little Bathroom closet...both are very little.

We are insulating the ceiling in hopes to cut down on noise transfer from floor to floor. If it doesn't it will help the heat from dissipating, and keep the boys room (upstairs) warmer. Doubling up the R-13 is just a little more expensive than R-19, and it gives an R-26! I am going to look into sound-blanket R-11 for the rest of the basement...I understand that it is supposed to work better. The family room is where I really want the sound to be cut down.

Topher & TJ's room with walls and a ceiling!

It has been a challenge building these rooms, but a fun challenge. I am really excited to have a bathroom downstairs, and to get the basement moving closer to done. I plan on having the bathroom and this one bedroom done (less carpet I think) by July when family is coming to visit.

Moab: Midlife Crisis Tour!

2009-04-27T18:06:00.005-06:00

All of us on Porcupine Rim. Castle Valley behind us.

Last weekend I was able to go to Moab, UT with some friends I grew up with (Thank you Jess, Tammie, Michelle, Suzanne, Brandi and Kathy!). It was Such a great time. Not just the riding, but the time with them.

Tyson looking out over Slickrock.

We left home Thursday morning; Rusty from Mt. Home, Tyson from Houston, Kevin from Fredonia, and Kyle (he flew in from Eugene Wednesday), Dave & I from Idaho Falls. We met up in Provo and headed for Moab. The first, and only, time I had been to there was 8 1/2 years ago. This was the last time we all went down there. Tyson and Rusty have been there several times, but not the rest of us.

Rusty on the Slickrock Practice Loop (Can you see him?).

Kyle climbing slickrock...tires just grab on to it like no other!

Kevin on Porcupine (he was fearless on the full suspension!)

We were all quite a bit out of shape. When we got there Thursday night we wanted to get a quick ride of the Slickrock practice loop in just for a warm-up. That really opened our eyes as to just how out of shape we were! We hurt a lot! That ride is only 2 miles, and we still had 14 miles for Friday and about 10 slated for Saturday!

Me, Kevin and Tyson on the edge of Porcupine Rim, looking at Castle Valley below.

We rode Porcupine Rim Friday. It was an adventure getting to the trail head (we missed it, but that took off 3 miles of rough climbing. I really liked most of Porcupine Rim. Fast, technical, and great views of Castle Valley. It was really cool riding along the rim of a 2000+ foot drop! There were some really fast stretches and some really technical areas that were fun negotiating. The last 2 miles however were very difficult and I ended up walking the bulk of that.

Kevin after another jump on Porcupine.

After finishing Porcupine, Kevin realized that the keys to his car (the only one at the bottom) were in Rusty's van (at the trail head). We ended up hitching rides back to the trail head in order to get enough drivers to recover the cars and get us back to town. It was an adventure that will not soon be forgotten.

Tyson on Sovereign Single Track

Saturday, we rode Sovereign Single Track. It was very technical, but not as difficult as some of the stuff on Porcupine. After we got out on the trail a way, we noticed the storm clouds rolling in (the weather report called for thunder storms) and made the decision that we needed to find our way back to the parking lot and off the plateau! The return route was not the best way as there were a lot of sand traps, but we were not familiar with the trail and did not want to get struck. We did get a few drops, but nothing major. Definitely a trail to ride again!

After our first trip to Moab, we all thought that we would make it an annual trip together. However shortly after that first trip (14 days for Tyson!), we all got married, and it became more difficult to make the time to go. An annual trip is not realistic at this point, as well as all of us going, but I surly hope that it is not another 8 years before I can make it to Moab for riding again.

Yes...this is me...don't laugh too hard!

Moments of our children

2009-04-18T22:55:00.004-06:00

Our kids are so funny. This morning, Creedance was upset because Topher was sitting on the heat vent by the table, she didn't realize that there was more than one that she could sit on and be warm. So she went and sat on one for a few minutes, I thought that the morning light coming through the patio door created great leading lines to her tiny body sitting in the corner of the large space (not to say that our living room is a large space, but to our little girl, it is HUGE).

She just sat there for probably 5 minutes before she realized I was photographing her. She looked up once and smiled and then just kept sitting there doing her own thing; looking at her hands in the lights and shadows, playing with the door hinge, admiring her new Easter pajamas, just being a child.

Today was haircut day for the boys. Topher wanted a shaved head for summer, and as a tribute to Kyle, we started off with the horse-shoe. What a great sport. I think I will bic his head for Church tomorrow!

TJ has been improving with his balance and agility. Dance class and gymnastics have been a big part of that. He also just started seeing a new physical therapist. This guy has experience with pediatric amputees, and has been a big help and has given great advice. It is still funny to see how people react when his foot falls off, or when we are swimming and they can't figure out if his leg is broken and it's a cast...or what it is. They are curious, but don't want to seem rude and ask...for our family: Ask, we are not bothered by his foot, we are not afraid of it, we try to make it fun, and just normal life.

TJ's friend, Ted is also in the dance class...he likes to do his own thing a lot of the time. The beat of a different drummer!

Finishing the unfinished basement

2009-04-05T21:28:00.003-06:00

So we have started to make a bathroom in our basement. It was roughed in (mostly) for a bathroom, we just had to make it so we could hook the sink, tub and toilet to it, now we are building the walls and running electricity to it. While we were at it (and with lumber so cheep) we figured that we would build the remaining walls too (add a little hallway) and wire the two bedrooms for light and power. We will finish them eventually too. I would like to have the rest of the basement all done within a year or so, but we will see how the cash flow looks for that.

Jess gave me a budget of $600 for the bathroom, which wasn't too bad. We have nearly met that amount and only have the bathroom roughed in, but have the bulk of the things purchased (the only larger item we have left is the toilet now). However I am trying to convince her that we need to heat the tile floor of the bathroom as it will be tile, and such a small space would be (relatively) cheep to add the heating element before the tile ($260 with a programmable thermostat!) She has yet to budge as we will not be the ones using the bathroom in the mornings, just the kids...how mean. Ha Ha!

The kids have had a fun time "helping" me work on the walls and everything. They pick up a hammer and bang on the stud walls and act like they are working hard, then ride scooters around and around the basement. Jess even made a little ramp so they could go through one of the walls.

The first wall I built was a bit tight (only a 1/2 inch!), and I really had to beat it to get it upright and plumb...what a royal pain!

It is moving along really swiftly and I hope to have it nearly done (the bathroom anyway) before I go to Moab (hopefully I can go) near the end of April. I really want to have it done before July, and I mean the bathroom completely done and maybe one of the bedrooms.

Very small bathroom, yes, but it does have it's own linen closet.

I like this little hallway we added, it is actually a bit wider than normal, and also gives us a great place to mount a flat screen TV and creates a place to the side to have a cabinet for DVD, surround sound, satellite...whatever some FUTURE owner may want to have their TV hooked up to. We are too cheep to have any of that fancy stuff, our flat screen tube TV and digital antenna is just fine, I am thinking RESALE.

Here's the wide-ish hallway, room for the kids to stash a few toys and not be in the way (too much).

New carpet for the Bus!

2009-01-24T21:31:00.003-07:00

Lately I have been wanting to do some improvements to the bus, however there are no funds to allocate for such projects. I have been doing little things here and there, installing parts that I bought a year ago and have yet had the time to install ) spedo cable, radio antenna, lights in the dash. I also have made a few custom things that I can salvage at work, and fix little things here and there that have simply been neglected (I think that a lot of this car's life it has been neglected...poor thing!). So any expenses have been very minimal. This latest project represents about $16 out of pocket, for floor mats in the front and rear to protect the coolness!

When I worked on the Rexburg temple I was able to salvage a few pieces cut-off of carpet big enough to re carpet my Bus. I have had it kicking around the house for quite a while now. I thought I would just do the front seat area but got on a roll and did the whole bus today. I really didn't think that I would have it all completed today, I thought I would be driving around for a week or so with a bare bones cargo area. It looks really good...the carpet does the bus still looks like crap. I really dig the vine design in the carpet (maybe I'll use it as inspiration for the outside painting of the bus! Those of you who have been through the Rexburg Temple will recognize the design...that is if you ever look down while you are there.

It is obvious that I need to replace the kick panels (beneath the dash), simple masonite or thin wood paneling will be what I use, I also plan on doing the door panels and headliner with the same. I think the blue Vanagon seats need to be recovered in a green pallet, but they are much better than the original seats that were in the bus when I got it.

To get the carpet out of the back I had to remove the rear bench/bed and all the cabinets. You can see how nasty the original carpet was (30 years of neglect). It is very obvious where the cabinet was, and what the carpet once looked like.

Here's the "Kitchen" with the new carpet. I bought a nice, clear, plastic cargo mat to lay down to protect it for the winter. I want to keep the nastiness off it for as long as possible. Note the "Mr. Heater," it is really great for camping!

When I started tearing out the rear seat, I thought that was all I would have to take out, and that the carpet could be just pulled out from under the ice-box and cabinets...

...nope! I was sorely mistaken (very sore! Try working for 3 hours bent over lifting and moving cabinets...I even had the pop-top up!). I really liked the space inside without the sink! I am thinking of building a custom bench that is the width of the bus and eliminating the ice-box, sink, and cabinets (closet is questionable). I could easily use the existing hardware and just build it out of plywood like Westfalia-Werks did. The cabinets just eat up the space.

Here it is all done! I really like the look, and it feels great on the toes! I can't wait to camp in it...I just worry about the dirt. This carpet is really thick and has pad too, better insulation and much softer. I will mull over the idea of a wider bench and less cabinets, but that means more carpet, this carpet just barley goes under the cabinet now, and a farther departure from an original westy (not that the Temple carpet is OE!). All in all I am very happy with it.

Christmas & New Years

2009-01-02T13:09:00.003-07:00

This holiday has been great! We spent Christmas at Island Park with Jessica's family. That was a lot of fun. I really do enjoy spending time with them. My kids really like spending time with them too, they really look up to them.

Christmas day we got more than 30 inches of snow! It came down all day! You can see how we had to dig out the cars the day after. We went into West Yellowstone to swim at the Days Inn (they have a pool with a slide that the kids LOVE!) on Friday, then after we got back we were socked in for another 2 days...it was a lot of snow in just a few days!

Christmas morning was a lot of fun for the kids. They got way too many presents...I think so anyway (we had to bring it all back home from Island Park).

Jessica's little brother, Jake, is leaving for his mission this month so this week (while his brothers and a sister were in town) he went through the Temple too. That was a really great experience to be there with Jessica's family in the Temple. I was very touched! It has been a great vacation!

Shooting with the kids

2008-12-20T20:28:00.004-07:00

You can see we didn't shoot a whole lot...it was cold out!

So for Christmas this year Jess and I decided our family needed a gun...yea baby! I went and picked it up a couple of weeks ago and today we went out shooting with Milton. I took Creedance and Christopher while Jess and TJ hung out at Milton and Liz's. We tried out the shotgun a little, but couldn't really shoot any skeet...it was too cold to load into the thrower, they kept breaking. The shotgun came with 2 barrels, one 28" and one 18 1/2", I tried out both to see the difference in the shot...either way I don't want to bet peppered with it.

My boy is a marksman!

Milton brought a couple of his rifles too, a little 22 for Toph to shoot, and a SKS (7.62x39mm caliber). The SKS is pretty cool, Milton's has a decent scope, a sight for a grenade launcher, and it even has a bayonet (just in case the deer charges)! Milton shot his first deer with it about 4 years ago. Anyway so Toph shot a few rounds with the 22, then Milton helped him steady and aim the SKS (it's quite heavy) with a mono pod. The picture above shows Topher's first and only shot with it. HOLY CRAP! He was sighting it in and Milton was only helping steady and take the weight. You can't hit the center any better than that! The other shots within the center are my second grouping with the mono pod, and the ones below (suck don't they!) are my first attempt. I was really proud of my boy after he shot that bulls-eye!

I think it was good for Toph and Creedance (she didn't want to shoot, just come and watch) to understand a little about the guns and about gun safety. Not to say I'm going to go out and buy them their own gun anytime soon...but I want them to understand what a gun can do and how to be safe with them. We had a fun time today!

Billy's Giant Burgers

2008-11-24T21:18:00.003-07:00

For much of the summer and into the fall, I have been working in Jackson Hole, WY. We were working downtown and parking there really blows. Once we get a spot right close to the jobsite, we don't want to move and loose it. So we started finding good places to eat lunch within walking distance. We are also sick of Wendy's.

One place we found that we really like is Billy's Giant Burgers. Oh they are good! I had another today, and they are great. I usually can't finish a 1/2 lb burger...the flavor fades away and it just isn't worth the pain. But these are great! If you dind yourself in Jackson Hole you must stop there. It is a great burger for just a bit more than Wendy's or McD's...but by far MUCH better!

Family Home Racing!

2008-11-17T21:24:00.003-07:00

TJ has a funny run...he really gets his shoulders and hips going

The kids were racing across the living room tonight, and thought it would be a good chance to photograph...maybe a shot or two for the Symes project. Regardless they are fun to have. It was fun to watch!

On your mark....

Here's his shoulder and elbow really swinging!

TJ

2008-11-16T15:00:00.002-07:00

We were able to spend a few days in Salt Lake and Provo while we were down there.

So I have not been photographing much lately. I think that it has been about a year since I shelfed the camera. I do get it out when I am able to go to Shriner's Hospital with Jess and TJ. A couple of months ago I was able to go with them...and I have not looked (really looked) at the pictures I took there. I kind of like how they came out. I like the direction the images are going.

Clowns from Barnim & Bailey were at Shriner's That day too!

My primary concern (for the time being) is that the images will become too much like snapshots of my kid. I am always trying to think of compositions and emotions that are beyond that of the sappy snapshots or portraits of a parent's child. (I hate sappy photos--yes I have made many myself).

I think that the older two kids like it better when we take them with us...dispite the waiting...

I also forget to photograph TJ more. When we are working and playing in the yard I don't take the time to go get the camera. To add to that, TJ has began to mug for the camera...dang! He has moved from the innocent time when children do not acknowledge the camera, I love that time. I love the genuine expressions, the openness to be themselves, and never..."Can I see the picture?" as they pull the camera from me.

TJ is getting quite agile with his foot. He can get around where ever he wants to...with or without it. It has been really great to see him develop and grow. His prosthetic doesn't seem to bother him at all.

GRASS!

2008-10-26T17:04:00.004-06:00

Testing the sprinklers in the front yard.

Friday afternoon Jess and I decided that this weekend would be perfect and the last weekend for us to put in the grass. So I called an ws just able to get our order in (they usually want 24 hr notice). It was delivered Saturday morning and while I was helping with Scouting for Food, Jess and the kids started rolling it out.

The kids would have us load a roll of sod onto the wagon or skateboard so they could bring it to us.

By the time I got home, they had just about half of the front yard rolled out. I was impressed, so we kept rolling it out and we had the front and a good bit of the back done by 1 or so. I called Steve (I work with him) to see if he and his son could come help too. So between us, my dad and Steve & Stevie, we made a lot of progress.

The front yard DONE!

Dad was a lot of help...we were really moving.

When we were just about finished, Topher called Jessica's dad and asked if they would come help too. They got there and helped with about a half a pallet. I didn't think we would get it done, but we did. We actualy ran out of sod (6500 square feet). We will have to go get about 100 square feet or so to finish up a few edges. We are really happy with the grass and very excited to have it in. Our yard won't be a muddy mess this winter and spring, and we won't have to worry about it in the spring.

Now I have a big back yard of grass to mow

...I didn't have to mow a lawn once this summer!

I just have a few adjustments to make on the sprinkler systems and hook up the electronic control box. It has been a lot of work, but our house finally LOOKS like it is finished, and not ALMOST finished.

Ready for a BBQ next summer...who's coming for lime steak and salsa?!?!
...who says we have to wait for summer?

Jessica's Birthday!

2008-10-12T21:19:00.002-06:00

Saturday was Jessica's birthday! Whoo Hoo! We started the celebration on Friday by me being home from work at a normal time...isn't that odd. Also, Jess picked up the new minivan (as ours broke down two weeks ago), Her first birthday present for the weekend. Then we had a BBQ with friends (Jake and Kristie Maughn) that live across the street. I thought Hey, what a great time to have cake (when we are more likely to eat most of the cake) and give her her presents. So she got her Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit board and we had to set it up and play it with the Maughns, as they have never played. If you haven't played a Wii...they are fun! And your arm is sore the next day too. Tennis really takes it out of you.

Saturday, being Jessica's birthday, we took the kids to my parents so we could go to a movie and dinner. Now this next part comes with a disclaimer: THIS IS MY WIFE'S BIRTHDAY! So It is about her...and so we picked a movie that she would want to see...so no action or satire comedy. I took her to Mama Mia. Feel free to groan, laugh or sigh. I have to say that I felt a little awkward...but at least I had my WIFE with me, and wasn't alone...that would have looked BAD! When we got into the theatre, (The Centre--a small theatre downtown) there were THREE other guys there, and just about every other seat was filled! I thought of Dwight's line in the "Boys and Girls" episode of "The Office" about getting all those women in the same room..."It's going to wreak havoc on our plumbing." So I did survive the ultimate chick flick and have to admit that I did laugh A LOT, and I do like ABBA music (I do have nearly a dozen of their albums on vinyl--some of you may not know what that is, it's like a big black cd).

I am not really one for musicals--as I am attracted to women--but this one was funny, however I have to point out that I have a problem with the ending. Sorry I am going to ruin it for you here, but anyone reading this is very unlikely to see the movie anyway! At the alter the bride says to the groom, "Let's not get married. You don't really want to anyway. Let's just travel and find what we want in life." Then, later you see the mom and the 3 possible fathers waving goodbye to the non-newlyweds at the boat dock as if to say, "Congratulations on not getting married and have fun fornicating on your non-honeymoon and as you travel around the world!" I paraphrased and took interpreted liberties of course, but that is the just of the story. It was entertaining, and I typically do not go to movies to think of life's big problems (or possible big problems--thank you very much "Happy Feet!")...I do enough of that on my own.

So take your wife or girlfriend to see the movie (at a cheep theatre!)...or rent it in a few months. You will score big points for being considerate and the music is good (Disco will live on forever! HA!). Jess had a fun birthday I think...but you may want to check her blog to hear her side of the story though.

Overnighter with Varsity Scouts

2008-09-21T16:27:00.003-06:00

Friday I went camping up near Kelly Canyon with the Varsity Scouts. It was a lot of fun. I took the bus (of corse), and it was nice to have as it was raining when we woke up. We ate our breakfast in the bus...yep we all fit inside.

Friday night was a nice night for nocturnal photography, so I got the camera out. I made one simple exposure, then the young men & Jake (the other leader) were curious as to what I was doing. They were really suprised that I could get such a bright exposure in so little light. So I showed them some other fun tricks with low light and a flashlight. They had a lot of fun, and came up with some really funny and interesting shots. Here's one of all of us. (They were all single exposures, 30 sec each)
Saturday morning after breakfast the rain stopped and the wind picked up. It dried it just enough that we could go climbing and rapelling at Heise Rock. That was fun. It was a long time ago that I rapelled last, and I have to admit that I was a bit scared looking over the edge. The boys did quite good and rapelled weveral times. We also set up a toprope and they did pretty well considering it was their first time and did not have climbing shoes. I also was able to climb. I did a lead on 'Devil and Ms. Jones' (my first lead ever--and one of my favorates), I had to hang on the last bolt to work up the confidence to go up to the chains (it is a bit run out and a tricky mantle off a small overhang). It was good to lead again.

It's getting there

2008-09-08T21:19:00.001-06:00

So the job at 30 King street is getting there. They took down the plywood wall in front of it. I thought it looked much cooler.

What a week!

2008-08-31T21:06:00.003-06:00

This week didn't start off too bad, I was able to work the normal 8 hour days on Monday and Tuesday...for my day job anyway. Monday night I moved mirrors for Dance Tech (the dance studio that Jess teaches at) until 9:30 or 10. Then I went to the mutual activity on Tuesday night, Wednesday was spent in the shop, but it was a long day fabricating four huge chapel windows for a church in Pocatello. I had to finally take off at 7 so that I could go finish a shower door for a friend. Then Thursday and Friday I spent long days tearing out and installing those chapel windows. Friday we left at 6am and I was pushing the last pieces of vinyl (rubber gasket that holds the window in) after the sun went down...we still had to clean up, tear down scaffolding, load the truck and drive home.

Ahhhhhhh.....the work week was over.....as far as working for Jenkins Glass goes anyway.

Monday morning my Dad and I headed up to Rexburg to install 17 windows in a home there. Not a new home mind you, but we did have to tear out the old windows as well. That job went quite well, we were able to finish it all in one day...one long day! The home owner did not think we could do it, but it is all done. Sweet a little extra money...nope Jess has already earmarked every bit of it...I think she will let me get a soda or two. Ha! yea right!

This has been a really tough week. It is hard on Jess and the kids when I can't be home in the evenings. Maybe having a day off tomorrow will make it up...nope! I am working on the sprinkler system most of the day. Yes more fun for me!

30 King Street

2008-08-20T21:38:00.003-06:00

The Tyvek covered wall is only temporary and will come down...we have a lot of windows behind it too.

So this is the job site in Jackson Hole I have been working on for the last while. It seems that we go there for at least part of the week each week. I would like to just hit it hard one week and then come home for a week then back again. But there are other pressing jobs and things at home that we have to divide our time up there. But for the last three days, Steve and I (and a new part time guy, Duncan) were able to get quite a lot accomplished. We set the last frame on the job and the rest of the glass (almost). We are waiting for a couple big insulated units, doors, and operable windows. It is coming along. We do have a lot more to do, but it is good to see it progressing, curtain wall (this is curtain wall) takes a lot of time to install. The break metal trim, surface applied grids and caulking caulking caulking will take a long time. I hope there is no snow on the ground...it really sicks when the caulk is too cold to tool.

Topher starts school tomorrow...his first day of Kindergarten...I must be getting old! We went to back to school night today and saw his classroom and met his teacher. She seems very nice. I like the old school building he goes to. It reminds me of Emerson School that I went to grade school. I am excited for him.

The Pocatello Pump is coming up! We are planning on going...and maybe in the Bus!!! That is what the kids (and yes even Jess) want anyway....OK so me too.

Busy working

2008-08-18T22:37:00.001-06:00

The past weeks I have been very busy working in Jackson, Bozeman (a day or two I think) and here in town. I am very tired.

Redfish Lake

2008-08-01T21:24:00.003-06:00

Last week (July 21-25) we went to Redfish Lake with Jessica's family It was incredible! I really needed a vacation. I was able to get away for the whole week this year. Last year I couldn't go with them at all, and before that I usually only go for two or three days. It was a lot of fun to spend time with Jess and the Kids as well as Jessica's brothers and sisters (and their families).

This waterfall feeds into Redfish Lake. This is the highest I have seen it running.

Creedance at the Lillies

I was able to finally figure out wakeboarding (I am able to get up and stay up for a while anyway). Toph and Creedance really caught on to kneeboarding too.

TJ had a BLAST PLAYING ON THE BEACH.

Keeping Busy...Really Busy

2008-07-12T21:45:00.005-06:00

The big open spaces will have glass in them.

This past week has been really busy...OK so the past months have been very busy, but this week was really tough. I was working in Jackson for almost the whole week. We are working on a big-ish building right in downtown Jackson. The first floor will be retail, the second, offices, and the third will be a fancy apartment/3rd or 4th or 6th home. It has a lot of curtain wall (big, fancy, difficult glass system), similar to some of what we did at the Grand Teton Park Visitor Center. It is very slow moving. This week we focused on the tallest and most difficult frames on the job.

Tuesday we left early and came home very late...then again on Wednesday we left early but stayed over in Jackson and came home very late on Thursday...just to turn around on Friday and go up on Friday very early. I am very tired.

This is about how the visitor center looked the last time I saw it.

When we stayed on Wednesday, Steve (a guy I work with) and I took Justin (a kid I work with) up to see the Teton Park Visitor Center. I had not seen it in over a year and not after it was finished. It was really cool to see. I can't believe all the glass and how good it looks. The guys I work with did a great job on it. I didn't do much as far as the finish work, because I was pulled to do another job...but I know what they were up against, not to mention that it was 2 hours away.

This is how the Visitor Center Looks now...Isn't that cool?!?!

Friday I was finally able to be home before dark and spend some time with my wife and kids! It was good to play with them. I realized that I had not seen them since Monday night when I put them to bed. Sure I slept in my bed most of the nights, but I wasn't there to really be with them.

TJ had a blast helping me on the little yard tractor...it did a good job once I got the hang of it.

I also wasn't home to take care of things around the house, but Jess wasn't about to let me just work on projects all day...untill the guy who offered to grade our yard called. He came over with a tractor and a yard tractor and we leveled out the dirt in our yard. That was good to get done...but I don't think Jess was happy that we didn't go play with the kids at a park. Instead I got to make myself more tired and ride a cool little yard tractor with my kids. It was fun, and now we are one step closer to sprinklers and grass.

We are in!

2008-06-20T22:38:00.004-06:00

24 November 2007

So we moved in...OK so nearly two weeks ago we did, but everything has been really crazy.

6 June 2008

We moved on the 9th of June. Jess and Dad started moving the beds and a lot of the boxes through the day, then that night we got some help from some friends. We still had to make little trips throughout the week but by Saturday afternoon, we were all out of the townhouse. We still have a lot to unpack and finish up (the sprinklers, grass and fence), but it is great to be in and to be able to enjoy the house more.

Bear Lake, an old TV & vacuum

This week I went the Varsity scouts to Bear Lake. I was only able to stay for about a day and a half, but while I was there I got plenty sore from beach football (yes I actually did play football), and had a fun time getting to know these young men. We also had the tour of the Minitonka cave. That was really cool. I had to leave before we put the boat in...but I think I would have been far too sore to ski.

We're moving in!...not yet

2008-06-07T21:43:00.004-06:00

We had our final inspection on Friday to get the C.O. so we could move in today. There were only 5 issues to take care of. However we cannot get even a partial unless we took care of 3 of them. We needed a hand rail (just a temporary would do) in the garage, a minor electrical thing with the jetted tub (I can't wait to use it...the kids have but I haven't!), and we needed a little deck with steps out the back door to the patio.

This was the little deck we built...it did get composite wood decking (like Trex) on top, just no picture yet...

So Dad and I spent the day getting those issues addressed. He fixed the electrical thing yesterday, then today we built the little deck and a temporary railing. So we will try again on Monday to get the partial C.O. then take care of the other little things after we get in.

TJ watching the cement guy work on the front porch...I like how Jess designed the flooring in the living room

One of the problems was that the final grade around the house has not been completed... this will be completed more when we get the sprinklers and grass. Then we also need to extend the basement hand rail all of 10 inches at the bottom...D'oh!

We were really disappointed that we could not move in today. It would have been much more convenient to do it on a Saturday than on evenings next week. We would like to be out before the weekend, because I have windows coming on Friday to install on Saturday, and Creedance has a cheer camp thing (fun for her). Speaking of Creedance...here's her VERY PINK room:

The pink may be a bit strong.

So we will try to get all the big stuff and boxes moved Monday night (unless I am working in Jackson)...maybe I will have to take a day off to move. Fun for me?

I am very pleased with how our bathroom turned out, especially after the tile job I had to install a shower door on yesterday! It was really bad! There are a few things I would have done better on my tile. Jess tells me I am too picky...but I want it to be done how I see other tile jobs I work around are done. She thought I took too much time on it. I probably did...more than anything I was putting it off for longer chunks of time, and just plain procrastinating what was hard...setting tile blows!

It is finished...

2008-06-02T22:09:00.004-06:00

OK, so the house isn't but at least the bank in Victor is. We did have a break from it for a week or so...but that was only because we were hitting a job in Jackson really hard...like 12-16 hr days last week. But today we went up to Victor to finish the last remaining things on the bank. I am really glad to have that job out of the way. Not to say I am really excited for this one in Jackson. At least we won't be staying up there for weeks on end working on it like the visitor center at Moose.

Steve caulking the last little bit.

The new job in Jackson is right downtown (just half a block from the Town Square). We can tell when it is 6PM...we hear the street show with the singing and shooting...stupid street show!

The house isn't quite done, but very close. The big thing we are being held up on is still the cement. That is quite the mess. I am not sure we will have the same guy do it. He has been yanking us around with getting it done, and what he has done is pretty crappy. I hope we can get a better price (I am sure we can get a better product) from another contractor tomarrow.

While we were working on Saturday, Jess put the kids in swim suits and filled the tub. They had a blast! I can't wait for my turn. That will feel so great after the LONG days I have been putting in at work.

We also sarted going to our new ward. We went once or twice becuse of other things we had going on and wouldn't be able to go to the current ward we live in. Well that got them really excited and they requested our membership records! So a last week the Bishop called and asked if we would come visit with him. I was thinking just a "we'd like to get to know you" type of thing...OH NO! They gave us callings...OK they gave me a calling (Varsity Coach) and said that Jessica's was coming (there was a 'glitch'). Even though we aren't moved in yet, we have been welcomed into the new ward with open arms...and callings. Let's hope the talks in Sacriment Meeting will be held off.

My 2 big jobs

2008-05-15T22:05:00.002-06:00

Lately I have been very busy at work and then come home and if there it time in the day I go to to the house and work. Last week we worked on the laminate flooring in the kitchen and into the living room and entry. Satruday the vinyl floor was installed in the laundry and bathroom. Then on Tuesday the carpet went in. It is looking really good.

Most of my time at the day job has been spent in Victor working on the 1st Bank of the Tetons. It has been a bit of a pain in the butt. However it finally is getting done. We have it just about all done. We should have it all done tomarow. That will be great...until the job in Jackson starts. We got the metal for that two weeks ago...that was one huge shipment. But that shouldn't be every day... just every other week up there or so...I hope.

Merry Freakin' Winter

2008-04-24T21:28:00.002-06:00

Outside the bank in Victor...it was fun...

OK so winter just won't let up! Yesterday was rainy with hail and quite cold. Luckily we spent most of the day working in the shop getting ready for a day working in Victor. Today we were working in Victor at the bank. I thought it would be cold with rain off and on...basicly kind of crappy. But instead we had snow...wet...blowing snow.

This job has been a bit of a pain. Some things have gone well, and others seem to drag on. Today we were working on trimming out with break-metal, which each piece is custom and a pain. So we didn't seem to make much headway.

An interesting thing about this job is that it is the same bank and basicly identical to the one I did in Jackson when I worked with Cherry Glass (Here's a link to that post in 2006). The design on this one bypasses problems that we faced on the one in Jackson...so that has been nice. Also the contractor has a lift for us to use on this one whereas the Jackson bank was all off of scaffolding.

I haven't abandoned the project

2008-04-20T08:49:00.003-06:00

I have not completly given up on photography. Just slowed down A LOT. As I said earlier, we have been very busy with the house and so that has been forefront on our minds.

However last Sunday I had a nice break and was able to relax with Jess and the kids. While hanging out around the house, TJ was playing with his prosthetic and putting it on himself (without the liner) and waking with it...ok so he would step right out of it. He is also starting to walk just on his stump...it looks just a little odd when he walks that way.

He really is very animated. In the morning I hear chairs and the bench scooting accross the floor, and I know he is getting up on the counter (more often than not he does this without his foot on yet). There is no stopping that little boy.

Yesterday we went to the park and he still has a little difficulty walking on uneven ground. It throws him a little off ballance. So walking on grass and gravel will take a little practice. He will get it this summer when we go out camping.

Long day...ok...Long week(s)

2008-04-19T21:42:00.004-06:00

I was pretty proud of this (I have never done tile before), So I'm posting 2 photos...most likely with more to come.

I did this with photomerge...very rough.

If you couldn't tell, working on the house has been forefront on my mind. Lately the project on the house I have been busy with is tiling the master bath. I think I started about 3 or 4 weeks ago... at least... on the floor. That wasn't too tough, but once I got into working on the shower it was another story.

I think it turned out pretty good, it will be nice to get the grout and shower door done.

Making the slope to the drain, then the pvc pan (to make sure that my floor does not leak in case my grout does), another layer of cement to lay the tile on, and then finding tile that went with the floor tile that we had. We had a hard time deciding on how to lay it out. Once we had an idea and had the tile, it seemed like I could never get over to the house for a long enough time to get much done. I got the shower floor and some of the walls done last Friday, but then it just seemed to sit there with no progress. Today I wanted to get it out of the way, and so spent nearly all day there. I am happy to say that all the pieces are set and will be ready for grout in a day or two. I want it to set up really well, and then I need to clean out all the joints, grout, clean (again) and seal.

After that I can move on to something else in the house...like the laminate wood floor, window sills, doors and hardware, touch-up paint, trim, mirrors...Fun for me!

2008-04-06T21:45:00.004-06:00

I really like the newel post and balusters we went with.

Our stairway railing got built this last week. We really like how it turned out. We still have some finish sanding to do on it and one more coat of lacquer. We have the window sills to do next, they will be of the same wood and finish. I am excited to see them done too. We had a guy in my ward install the railing...in fact our architect & electrician are in our ward too.

The counter tops also got completed this week. We had to get the sinks on site so the cutouts could be made. Our plumber gave us a sweet deal on this granite(ish) kitchen sink. It is a composite that looks and feels like granite. He sold it to us for the cost of a stainless steel sink. I think that we are able to do little things that are giving our house a distinct character and style. I hope it doesn't become too eclectic...I think that I have been able to maintain a consistent design.

Cabinets and counter tops are finished.

In some of the design Jess and I have made compromises. I let her get less expensive faucets throughout the house that still look nice (which saved us around $500), and she is letting me buy tile to finish the shower and tub deck. The wall tile we got for free doesn't really match the floor tile we put in. So I had a modest budget to buy something that compliments the floor better. So I have been working on getting the shower pan sloped and sealed, then I can start working in there again.

Shower floor ready for mortar and tile

I have got to say that this has been an adventure. I have never done much of what I am doing on this house. I have never laid tile and I think I did OK, I am however nervous about the wall tile. I am glad that we hired subcontractors for what we have. We would not be nearly as far along if we had tried to do a lot more ourselves. The hole was dug on December 12, 2007...we are almost at the four-month mark, and very close to done. Maybe by the end of the month we will be.

Moving along

2008-03-24T18:10:00.003-06:00

So things on the house are really progressing. This weekend we started getting the bathroom tiled. We finished painting the bedrooms and only have a few touch-ups to do in them. We will wait on that for a while on that.

The cabinet guys and electricians were there really moving. The cabinets should be finished up in a day or two and the electrical won't be far behind.

We got the tile cut and set in place today, tomarrow I will morter it down. It has been very busy the past weeks.

Busy with house

2008-03-08T21:53:00.004-07:00

Our kitchen with all the tape and texture done

So this week we have been very busy working on the house. After work I go over and work here and there, or go to Home Depot to get stuff to work on at the house. The drywall, tape and texture was finished early this week so we were getting ready for paint. I spent a lot of time masking off the windows, figuring out how we would have the shelves in the closets and pantry and doing what I could to move things along.

The front door waiting for paint

The siding also started this week. Most of the siding is done. They have the front of the house and garage left. It would be nice if the lake that is our driveway would go away, I bet these guys doing the siding are sick of wading in the mud by now. In a few weeks we should be ready for our garage floor, at least it is not as muddy as it is outside.

The location of our BBQ this summer...hopefully there will be grass and not mud!

Dad and I thought that we could start painting Friday night (paint a coat of primer), but we had to get part of the closet shelving done first. We worked on that last night, and finished that today. Then after cleaning up all the floors we were ready to spray the primer. We bought 15 (1 gal cans) for a killer price ($35...for all 15!) and unfortunately ran out before we could finish the laundry room or even start the garage. So we went back to Home Depot tonight to get 10 more gal. at the same price...they were all out of the stuff on sale, so we had to buy a 5 gal. bucket for the regular price ($80), bummer. So we will get that sprayed some day this week and then get the white sprayed and then roll the colors in the bedrooms. We should be all done painting just in time for the cabinets to go in. It is moving along very quickly....I just hope I will still have time to work on it in the next weeks (more than just on Saturday).

The house

2008-02-27T19:59:00.007-07:00

Sunrise at our new house.

The last few weeks I have been working on the house quite a lot. after working my 8 hours at Jenkins Glass I go over to the house and work some more. I have gotten the house wrap done the exterior doors hung, and just about ready for the siding. The drywall has been going up this week, and we will be ready for paint by Monday. The cabinets are being built, and the tile is getting here on Monday too. Then I will have a lot of work to do inside. We are doing the paint, trim, hanging interior doors, and the tile...and most everything else inside and outside.

It has been making for long days, but we are getting closer.

The living room and into the kitchen. Drywall going up.

Our kitchen pantry.

Temple Dedication

2008-02-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today was the Rexburg Temple dedication. Because we worked on the temple we were able to get tickets to the dedication. What was really great was that we were in the temple! There were so many people there! We were in the third of four dedicatory sessions. There were flat screen tv's and chairs in just about every imaginable corner of the temple for people to sit and watch the dedication in the Celestial room. Jessica and I were in the Baptistry, almost in the font. If I leaned my chair back I would have fallen down the steps into the font. There were even chairs set up in the Baptistry foyer.

It was a very spiritual experience. It is hard for me to put my feelings into words. It was amazing.

Raise the Roof!

2008-01-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Friday was a beautiful day. Our roofers must have thought so too. They got on our house and really got busy. The shingles were delivered on Thursday, and by Friday night nearly all the roof was done. Only half of the front was left to do, and that was finished Saturday. They sure did hit their window of opportunity because we woke up to snow.

It is really moving along

The back corner...I also installed the patio door on Friday night.

After putting in the patio door on Friday night, we headed up to Island Park. Saturday morning we slid down the hill, played in the powder with the kids and Star, and rode snow-machines. I went with Chris, Jake & Dave on the Lion Head Loop, and to Hebgen Lake. I took along the camera and got some cool images along the way. Hebgen Lake looked really cool, mostly because not too many people had been out that way, you could see one set of tracks out on the frozen lake...I don't think I would push my luck doing the same.

Campsite #21 Picnic Table, Hebgen Lake.

Cement and Windows

2008-01-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

The house is coming along great! This week framing continued, rough-in of the plumbing started on the first floor, the basement floor was poured Friday, and Dad and I installed the windows on Saturday. We are really excited! We need to get our roofers and heating contractor started soon, then once the plumbing and electrical are done we can insulate it. I will have the doors hung in a week or two...as soon as we get them.

Looks great with windows doesn't it?

The back of the house. The funny little windows are in our closet and bathroom.

Our basement...with a floor, not just mud!

One month along

2008-01-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Jan 12, 2008--One month after the hole was dug.

Construction on the house has been going for one month now. It has really come a long way. December 12 the hole was dug and the foundation was poured. This last week a lot of framing has gone up. The outside of the house has really taken shape, as well as the interior walls (aside from the basement).

The muddy basement--each step makes your feet heavier.

I spent much of the week working on melting the ground of the basement and getting the water and sewer lines buried. Tonight Jessica's dad and brother helped me get the rest of the trenches filled in and mostly level. We hope to pour on Thursday or Friday. Our windows will be coming on Friday, so I will be installing them on Saturday morning.

Jess and the kids in our back yard--the kids want to keep the dirt mound there.

The plumber came back today and started roughing in the plumbing and even delivered the jetted tub and kids' shower/tub. In the next few weeks should see the plumbing and electrical get very far. Then the insulation and exterior...it sure is exciting!

House Progress

2008-01-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Backfilling the foundation

With everything else that is going on, our house is also progressing. We started about three or four weeks ago, and it is really progressing. The framers we got are great. They started on Christmas Eve...well, they intended to but the lumber wasn't delivered, so they started the day after Christmas. We had to get them a generator, and thankfully dad had a friend that loaned us his and my boss let us use a truck to haul the generator back and forth. They even worked New Years Eve and New Years Day.

Our new house...so far.

With the set backs we were still able to make some progress. As you can see, the walls are up. We should get the trusses done this week, and the roof sheeted. We have the basement windows installed (temporary, so that we can pour the floor through them.) I will be working on thawing out the basement so that we can pour the floor. I've also got the windows ordered and we should have them soon...needless to say, we are very excited.

Shriners

2008-01-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

TJ can really get around now...he sometimes even asks to have his foot put on.

TJ is just about grown out of his first prosthetic. He got it back in August, and you know how kids grow. So Wednesday night we drove down and stayed at the Crystal Inn so the kids could swim in the pool. It was a lot of fun. We were letting them stay up a bit later to swim and get worn out with the hope that they would sleep in a bit...nope! TJ was up a lot of the night, then up at 5am, and Topher was up at 6! I was not a happy camper Thursday morning.

TJ loves this car at Shriners...even if it is just pushing his sister around.

We got to Shriner's early so that the kids could play in the cool big playroom before TJ's fitting. Then I took him in for his appointment. We thought he would be fine...but again our notions were wrong. He wanted his mom! So Jess and the kids came down to join us. He was much happier.

TJ thought it was funny to have his leg wrapped in plastic.

I've tot to say that the people who work at Shriners are really great with kids!

The prosthetic tech (I don't think this is his official title) wrapped his stump in plastic wrap then in fiberglass and he has to hold it while it sets up. Then he uses that to make a plastic sleeve to test the fit before he makes the actual prosthetic foot.

Eric making a fiberglass mold

Bla Bla Bla....anyway that was our trip...We will go back in a week or so to get the new one.

New Year Day Photos

2008-01-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I went photographing with Andy Duncan, a friend from college. He showed me a great place southeast of Rexburg. We took my father-in-law's Saburban (and just about got stuck in the snow...FUN!) It was great to get out and make some images. I haven't seen Andy in a long time and it was great to catch up too. Check out his blog for his images from this trip...I think his are a bit better than mine. I feel that he is a more successful landscape photographer--Go, Andy, Go.

This is the shot we made from the roof of the Saburban

I think that maybe part of the reason I have gotten away from photographing is my lack of spending time with other photographers. I do get with Theo now and again, but I think that one may need several others in which they can work with to share ideas and thoughts with...to feed off each other. These last two little photo trips have been great...I need to go more often.

I thought it would be fun to take our dog, Star, out with us too. She had a blast! She ran and dug in the snow. I was quite suprised in how good she was too. I didn't have to chase her much, and when it was time to go she would get right into the car...we really lucked out with this dog.

The house we are building is really coming along. The walls are all framed and just about ready for the trusses. We should be pouring the basement floor next week (yea a little backward).

We also went down to Shriner's today to get TJ fitted for a new prosthetic. I'll get photos of that and the house posted soon. Things are just a bit crazy.

Return to Photography

2007-12-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

I even got out my 4x5 for this trip...I hope there isn't any camera shake (fat chance) from the wind.

On Saturday, I went out photographing with Theo. It was a snowy, windy day...beautiful for photographing...ok so the wind wasn't so great, but it was fun to go out and photograph in the weather.

Theo has been wanting to photograph a dam on the southe side of Idaho Falls, so we explored around there, We couldn't get quite where we wanted to be to photograph the dam, we just need to wait for the river to freeze a little more solid.

We also drove out to New Sweenen school and shot a little. I have been there quite a bit. I really like the old playground toys there.

Christmas!

2007-12-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

We are really excited for Christmas! I have a week and a half off work (paid!) for the holiday! So I am trying to figure out what to do. I have a few things here and there to do through the week, but nothing big. I hope to make the time to finally get my website updated...but I am still struggeling with Go Live. I also want to get the brakes done on my Bus...that will take some ambition, the garage is cold this time of year. Then there are some windows I am doing for a friend (if they come in). And there are always the honey-do's and things that I want done that come up (honey-can-I-do's). One thing that I am pretty excited for is on Wednesday night I am taking my family to the Rexburg Temple. The open house starts Saturday, and they are having tours on Wednesday and Thursday for the sub contractors and their families. Maybe I can even get away and photograh for a few hours...give me a call.

We have a hole...and something in it!

2007-12-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our back yard...atop a huge pile of dirt

Yep, it has begun. The hole was dug on Wednesday, the footings Thursday, and the basement walls (foundation) was poured today! Sometimes it seemed as if it would never happen, but now it is. We are working on getting bids from framers, electricians, plumbers and other trades. After the framing is up, we will be able to start doing some stuff ourselves, doors, windows, roof, siding....you get the idea. Needless to say, we are very excited.

Jessica and Dad talking with the excavator...they are right in front of what will be our front door.

After the walls set up, they will pour the basement floor...that is if the weather is warm enough...so we've got to pray for mid-30's. I hope that that can get poured next week and then have the holiday to cure...then the framers can do their thing.

Just after pouring the foundation. Jessica just outside the back door of the house.

Thoughts of Elvira

2007-12-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

ROADTRIP! Driving down Hwy 93, Summer of '04

OK, before I get nasty comments about the busty 80's 'actress'...Elvira was the name of my '72 Bus! Yesterday, I was looking back through pictures on the computer and came across a bunch of photos of Elvira, the 72 bus.

Sure did take a nice picture

I do miss that one. I am happy with my new bus (I think her name will be Helga), and excited for her potential, but sometimes I get a bit discouraged by her appearance...she's a bit ugly...and I worry that it will be a long time before I can get er painted. I may have to resort to the ol rattle-cans to get by for the coming summer. It will be fun to take the kids camping in Helga like we did in Elvira.

Shouldn't need to take the tent anymore...it's part of the bus!

Rexburg Temple...just about there.

2007-11-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weeks I have worked at the Rexburg Temple. We haven't really even worked on our stuff. We have been doing add-on stuff. Just this week alone we were 'loaned out' to a caulking contractor to help out with caulking A LOT of interior stuff. It takes a long time to get a little headway.

It has been an incredible experience working on the Temple. I have had fun, had challenges, and met some nice people in other trades. There are great craftsmen and women putting their skills to work there.

It is also great to be able to see it come together. They are finishing up the murals, and even photographing the interiors for church records and the brochure for the open house.

If you can, make the time to go to the open house (Dec 29-Jan26)

Glass in foot...still

2007-11-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

OK, so almost a month ago I got injurted at work right. Well I got the boot sewed up just fine...oh and my foot too. My foot healed up just fine and the stitches came out great. Now the glass entered my foot on the side in the top of the arch, and so that is where the cut and stitches are.

So while it healed I noticed a tightness on the bottom of my foot and it was more tender...in fact, the cut hurt very little. The majority of the aches came from this hardness on the bottom. I just thought that it was damaged tissue or was tight and would heal in time. Well this morning when putting on my boots, I had an INCREDIBLY sharp pain shoot through my arch and up my leg. Then most of the morning and into the afternoon the pain continued ramdomly. So tonight I went back into the community care to get it looked at.

The same doctor that sewed me up before was there again...cool! They took an x-ray, not expecting to see anything as glass will very rarely show up, and there was something there that wasn't suposed to be. So we did a couple more angles, and sure enough there was a piece of SOMETHING there. In the first shot it looked as dense as the bone! Because it was a side shot of it.

OK, so an inch may not seem all that big, but when it is a sharp piece of glass in your foot...it is!

My options were: Amputation...No, just kidding; cut it out there and hope that the huge piece (see photo above) was all that was there; Monday go into a Pediatrist where they have equipment that can see a 3-d image at different depths, to get out all fragments. So, we decided to cut me open and get it out tonight. I don't want to risk breaking it any more, and if need me I can go to a specialist later.

So again I was in pain as the local anastesia went in and I could feel them opening up my foot looking for the glass. Then I heard a distinct tap-tap-tap. I knew that sound! He was very careful not to move it too much as to cut any unnessary tissue or tendons, however he did have to sever one tendon in order to free the piece of glass. But he did manage to get it out intact, and it looked that there were no fragments (cross your fingers!).

A rare photograph

2007-10-27T15:50:00.000-06:00

I was going through some of my slides from when I took color photo a few years ago, and found a sweet image. There is not anything phinominal about the quality or subject matter other than it is my two busses. At the time, I owned the red '72 and the green '79 was my friend's. The green one is now mine...and sadly I don't have the red one anymore. I think I was without a bus for about a year and a half. When I had the red, I never thought that I would sell it or that I would end up with the green westy. I was really excited about the slide, I had forgotten about the shot, and wanted to share my discovery with everyone else. Notice that this photo was before the mural was painted, and also before I got the VW for the front of the '72.

What looks better? The spare on the front or without? I am debating on taking the spare tire bracket off and putting on a VW emblem. I want to paint the '79 like the '72...but with green and white. Think it would look good?

"The Cat" and the "Things"

2007-10-26T22:02:00.002-06:00

Tonight was our ward's Trunk or Treat activity. We had a potluck dinner (soup and bread), games for the kids, and trunk-or-treating for the kids too...rrright! This year we dressed up our kids as The Cat in The Hat and Thing 1 & Thing 2. Creedance's hair turned out really cool. I was surprised how good TJ was when Jess painted his face. He was even excited to have it done! I thought he would have been kicking and screaming. They had fun, and just think...we get to do it all over again on Wednesday.

Yet another injury

2007-10-26T21:49:00.000-06:00

I really need to find better work. Don't get me wrong, I do like working with my hands and building things. But this has got to stop happening!!!

My stitched-up, swollen foot.

We were loading up to take garbage to the dump at work on Thursday, and I stepped on a piece of glass with one foot, and shoved my other foot onto it...accidently of course! Yes I do enjoy hurting myself just to get time off work....I don't think so! Right after doing it, all I could think was "Why can't I just stay not hurt!?!"

I managed to get my boot (which the glass shot right through) and sock off before going to the emergency care center. There was a piece of the glass about the size of a quarter sticking out, I wanted to get some pressure on it, so I pulled it out myself...that bummed Jason...he wanted to pull it out (SICKO!). So the doctor cleaned out all the glass (I HOPE!), sewed me up (8 stitches), and sent me home. Jason got some killer shots with his camera phone in the exam room of them fixing me up, If he can get them off his phone I'll post them.

I was able to borrow some crutches, as I can't stand on the foot at all yet (the cut is on the bottom) and they hurt the pits! I didn't go to work today, and I really hope I don't have to stay home on Monday too. I get really stir-crazy!

She's Alive!

2007-10-07T13:11:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon, I got all the vaccum system figured out and the westy fired right up! Wahoo! I can't believe how strong this engine runs! There are still a few electrical and heating things to work out, but she's running good and it feels good to have it in. I can't believe that I was able to put an engine into a car and it WORKS! Kinda cool, I think that I need to take her for a cruse today.

My 100th Post!

2007-09-29T23:13:00.001-06:00

Lime Steak with Chips

On Friday night we had lime steaks with salsa. I got this from a guy that is working on the Rexburg Temple too. He is a Brazilian guy, doing the finish carpentry, so maybe this is a Brazilian dish??? Anyway, we really like it, and I wanted to show what it looks like. I am still playing with serving ideas. Like maybe with a pasta, or a rice side....anyway you have it you need the fresh lime salsa to dip the steak in. YUM! Jason tried it as a wrap, he liked it that way. I still haven't nailed the amount for spices (Lime and Kosher Salt) for the steak every time, sometimes it is better than others. We've got the Salsa down pretty good (Tomatos, bell peppers, white onion, chives, cilantro, lime juce, & Kosher Salt), the secret is to let it sit overnight (in the fridge), it gets better when all the veggies have soaked together.

Dutch oven Breakfast.

Another one of my favorates. Whenever we go camping with enough other people to validate filling a 10 inch dutch with food. Two weeks ago at the Pocatello Pump, we camped with Milton and Liz, and we made breakfast. A while back I started adding the peppers for looks and smell, then decided that I like the flavor too. It is hash browns & egg topped with cheese, bacon and peppers. There are a lot of variations that can be done with this. Jessica's uncle added pieces of sausage into the poatao & egg mix. It is gooood! But you need at least 6 adults to finish it off, we still had too much.

Topher had a blast and can't wait to camping there again!

Where we were camping (Mink Creek) there was a little stream and a rope swing. Milton was helping Toph and Creedance on it...hung just inches from the water. I am suprised they didn't get more wet than they did. They had a blast!

Progress on the Westy!

2007-09-29T22:46:00.001-06:00

Friday night. The new(er) engine on the stand, and my new (sweet!) exhaust below the old nasty stock exhaust.

So today was pretty exciting. Mike Oswald, a fellow VW junkie from Rexburg, came down and helped me switch out my Bus engine. I worked on it last night pulling all the wires and disconnecting the air cleaner and vaccum lines. Then today we got the old one out and the new one in. This was an adventure whereas the floor jack I borrowed from my dad leaks--a lot! We had to keep pumping the arm while trying to shift the engine into place. It looked like 2 monkies..........

Where did the engine go?!? Just before putting in the engine.

We could only get it in and bolted to the transmission, couldn't put the rear cross member on because the engine mounts that are on it were trashed...both pairs. So I got that ordered, and next week I will put them and the exhaust on. After Mike left I worked on new fuel lines (gas on the arms burns a little bit!) and wiring. Now I wish I could remember where ALL those dang vaccum lines go! I can't believe the cluster they are!

New(er) engine on the leaky jack. It's amazing that we got the engine in...at one point I bench pressed it while under the bus, just to get it into place.

I also have a Eberspacher BA6 gas heater coming next week...I have no idea when or how I am going to install that. But when I do...Goodbye to Cold winter drives in the bus...in fact--Hello winter camping! (I hope!) That would be pretty cool!

There will still be a lot of work to do on this bus...which I think her name is Helga (thanks Andy)...Like paint (The mural has to go, sorry), a new pop-top tent (I'm going with a Hemp/Cotton Blend), Wood panneling on all doors and headliner (sweet!)...and I'm sure there will be MANY MANY more things that I want to do with it, but first I have to get it up and running, it will be my daily driver too.

Wish me luck!

Busy Month

2007-09-23T17:38:00.001-06:00

So I have intended to post for the last month or so...but have been too busy. A week after the really great ride down Wolverine, Kyle, Dave (Kyle's dad) and I rode it again. That time we rode the trail that Kyle and I attempted when we got really lost. We didn't get lost, but it did get dark much quicker than we thought it would. We rode all of wolverine in the dark. I ended up using my cel phone as a flashlight...that kind of sucked.

I got injured at work again...ouch! I was cutting a 2x4 on the table saw and the cut off piece was kicked back at me and (I think) broke my finger. It swelled up a lot and still hurts. It only took a week for the flap of skin to heal up, but like I said...it still hurts.

That caused problems for the next weekend at the Pocatello Pump. I did have fun climbing and then camping at the Pump. I got a couple of t-shirts and a gift certificate for new climbing shoes. Milton & Liz brought their little camper, and it was great to have to sleep in that night. Maybe next time we will have our westy up and running and we can camp in it.

Over the past 2 1/2 months I have had nose bleeds EVERY DAY. I got a little tired of them, so went to an ear nose throat doctor. He said I had a deviated septum and so On Thursday I got a nose job. I had a long weekend, I spent it being doped up and a little out of it. While I had time on my hands...even though it felt that my hands were detached, Jess and the kids and I went to Divide, Montana to bet the engine for my bus.

Next Saturday, a guy is going to come help me install it. So...I am really excited for that. The bus has sat in the garage for too long. It is time to start cruising in it. Come to think of it, it still needs a name...any suggestions?

2007-08-25T21:31:00.000-06:00

Kyle on one of the VERY FEW SHORT climbs on the trail (maybe 200 yards along the 5 miles).

We went for a ride down Wolverine Cr. again this morning. I really like the morning for a crisp ride, however I don’t think that this particular trail is the best for an early ride (we started down it around 7am). The sun glared through the trees making it difficult to see the trail a lot of the time. Other than that it was a good ride.

Rusty and Kyle...

I rode it with Kyle, Rusty (in town for the weekend for his brother, Chaun’s mission farewell), Juan (Rusty’s brother-in-law) and Chaun. They were good company to have. I was able to get a few quick shots, I would like to get a wider lens and spend more time up there and get some action shots of riders coming around the hair-pin turns and off the jumps…there are some good ones. However there are many spots where the later precedes the prior by very few feet. Enjoy—I did!

Chaun...don't know if he will get to do much riding like this on his mission.

Wolverine Cr. Trail

2007-08-19T08:13:00.000-06:00

Kyle on the first run, just 1/2 mile to go

Last night we went bike riding with Kyle again. This trip was much better. We knew where we were the whole time. Kyle found a map that helped us understand where we were lost last time...we still don't see how we eneded up where we did when we did. The only explination that Kyle can come up with is Devine Intervention.

At the end of my 21 minute ride. The snake River in the back. (Camera-phone picture)

We got up there a little earlier than originally planned, and we were waiting for Milton and his family to get there. So we did a run of Wolverine Cr. Trail as soon as Jess and I got there. Another guy, Adam, came with us on this run too. We started right at the Wolverine trailhead (as to avoid ANY climbing), which gives us a killer fast ride. The three of us got down the trail pretty good. It had just rained and so was a bit muddy, I wish I had some clear lenses to keep the mud out of my eyes, but the rain knocked the dust down nicely. At one point I was coming up to two muddy ruts (double-track), and opted to ride the center as to stay out of the water. Just as I was almost past my front tire slipped into the left rut and my rear went to the right! I was able to get my pedal unclipped just in time to avoid spilling over. It was a good run. We did have to ride up hill for about 2 miles to get back to the campsite.

When we got back, Milton had just gotten there and we loaded up for another run. So we got dropped off at the top again. It was beautifull weather but by the time we got to the top again it was starting to get a bit chilly. So I turned on some good tunes and headed down. I wanted to see how quick I could get down. It was a blast! I was flying around corners, over rocks and stumps...it was great. I miss that feeling of finding that flow with the trail. When I got to the spot I almost ate it on the first run, I opted to stay on the right side of the right rut. Well I hugged it a little too far right and went over pretty hard. The ground was nice and soft from the rain, but I was a bit muddy...oh well. Then just as I was coming out the bottom of the trail (It gets REALLY rocky and loose at the bottom), I lost control and slammed my leg hard into a wall of rock and heard a loud pop (over the music blasting in my ears). I rolled down the last 50 yards of the trail and realized I blew the rear tire. I hit that rock hard. But hey! I got the flat at the end and not the top.

From the trail head to the bottom--21 minutes--5 miles. It was a blast! I'd love to try it on a long travel full suspension bike and not my hard-tail...

We got a ride back to the campsite and hung out and cooked burgers. It was a great night. We still got home earlier than the last time too.

My Thoughts on my Symes Amputation Project

2007-08-19T07:24:00.000-06:00

Waiting for his new foot. The little thing on the end attaches to the prosthetic and holds it on.

So here I am laying on a sofa and you all are sitting in a big leather chair writing in a notebook...likely drawing picutres and not really listening...Ha Ha! Anyway. So I do continue photographing TJ's experience with his amputation and prosthetic. But I worry that the images seem or will seem like just snapshots of somebody's kid. I always want my portraits of children (and candid images) to be more than just snapshots. It is easy for them to become snapshots...

Playing out front. He rides this backwards all the time. It seems easier for him to get on this way.

Also it is difficult for me to go with Jess & TJ to Shriner's hospital for the visits. I can shoot his life here at home...but then those begin to look like the snapshots. Then when I am at Shriner's with my camera I feel a little funny with the camera, kind of like when a new father is videotaping his wife in Labor. Not too many people at that hospital worry about photographing their experience there. Maybe some of the people think I am a little morbid? I know I shouldn't let that bug me, but sometimes I think it does a little.

Topher and TJ playing in "Their Bus." Topher is always telling me that it is his...not mine.

This project is also such a long one, and I don't know what I want for the final result will be....maybe there will not be a FINAL result. This seems to be a project that will simply continue. Maybe I am to photograh this only for my son to have for himself. Maybe the presentation will be his to create.

Bad Ride at Kelly's

2007-08-16T21:54:00.000-06:00

OK, so...get this! Last Friday night, Kyle and I wanted to ride Wolverine Creek Trail up past Kelly's Canyon. So we go up with the families, our wives and kids would drop meet us at the bottom of the trail and we would have dinner and hang out and throw rocks at the river. While we are riding they will drive down (it takes a while by car--bumpy road), and wait a little bit. Well, Kyle and I also wanted to do the Buckskin-Morgan trail, then connect to Wolverine via part of Hawly's Gulch. Kyle printed off some pictures of the area on Google Earth. Really cool. So when we dumped out at Fenceline onto the road, rather than backtracking onto Hawly's, we (after checking out the Google earth pics), that we could cut strait East (we think it was strait East) along some other roads and trails to the road to Wolverine. Well, I have no idea where we ended up...but it was thick and not very used. Somehow we ended up very lost, when Jess called to find out where we were...then my phone died...then we got back to a place we had been an hour earlier...made our way back to Fenceline...then made our way back up the road to get to Kyle's truck or Hawly's...well we ended up at Hawly's...but at a TOTALLY DIFFERENT place along it than we thought we would hit....WEIRD! So we rode down to Table Rock Camp Ground, got onto the road and got down to our wives at the bottom--at 9:20pm. It was quite dark by then and we were very tired...rode 20 miles and for more than 2 hrs. It was a long night. And the kicker is that we didn't even get to ride Wolverine...what we really wanted to ride!

Here's a completly unrelated photo...well, it is kind of nearby where we were riding. The week before this fatefull ride I shot this while out with Theo...I kind of like it. But lately I have been quite discouraged with my photography. So I haven't shot much. I have been quite busy with work and side jobs this summer too, so there has been little time to go out...I'm about ready to put my camera on the shelf for a while...

TJ's first prosthetic

2007-08-16T21:41:00.001-06:00

Monday we were at Shriner's Hospital with TJ so he could get his prosthetic foot. We were very excited. He thought it was pretty cool too. But he is a bit frustrated with it. He seems to get really upset when he has it on. He can stand up with it, and take a few steps with help. He needs to get used to having it on long enough that he will get up more and move around on it by himself. But he seems to get upset quickly. He will catch on soon enough.

I came home on the Salt Lake shuttle Monday night so I could work, and Jess & TJ stayed for therapy until Wednesday. It is always tough with her gone. It is really hard on the kids...yea dad is great, but I'm not Mommy. It was good to have both of them back home.

Redfish Lake

2007-08-05T21:07:00.000-06:00

Just two weeks after getting back from our trip to Michigan, Jess and the kids went to Redfish with her family. They go every year...in fact I think that there has only been two summers that her dad, Chris, has not gone up there...in his life. Jess missed it the first summer we were married, that was not much fun. Anyway, I had to stay home and work. I took off enough time for the trip back east. It was a lot of fun for them. They loved the beach and water. Topher even knee-boarded! I was impressed, I wish I could have been there to see it. I guess he was really enjoying the ride, waving to other boats, and checking out the scenery. I'm proud of my boy!

Family Reunion Time!

2007-07-07T10:54:00.000-06:00

So it is family reunion time. This year our family is traveling to Detroit, Michigan. We decided to leave a little earlier, Sunday morning rather than Monday night. We wanted to take our time coming as we knew that it would be much quicker going home. We stopped in Nauvoo and Carthage Jail on Tuesday and Wednesday. That was really great. The last time I was there I was 13, and Jess has never been (needless to say neither have the kids). We saw the brick yard, blacksmith shop, Brigham Young's home and a few other places. We also got to see the Nauvoo Pageant, that was really well done. The Temple is up the hill behind the stage, and they have all the lights on the temple turned off. At the end of the show, they light up the Temple while playing audio of Pres. Hinkley speaking of the Nauvoo Temple. It was a really great experience. I hope that our kids will remember a little of it at least.

At Carthage Jail.

We then drove the rest of the way to my Brother's place in Detroit, we got here really late, but then we were done driving...at least until Sunday morning. We will be driving back in hopefully 2 days...maybe 3. We will see how far we make it Sunday night. I would like to be through Iowa...but that is a lot of miles!

Independence Day Ride

2007-07-07T10:02:00.000-06:00

There is some sweet single-track at Kelly's

We started off our Independence day early with a ride at Kelly Canyon. It was a great ride! Kyle even pulled his 5-year-old son on a trail-a-bike. We had a lot of fun...until we got home. We were later getting back, and Jess was quite mad. It seems that we never have good a good July 4th. Looking back it seems that we have always had a rough time that day. I guess I should just work on all holidays...maybe not....anyway it was a great ride.

Tyson at the end of Hauly's Gulch

After getting back we took the kids to Jessica's aunt's in Blackfoot for a get-together there with her family. That was fun. They had a pool and slip-n-slide for the kids, and lots of Jessica's cousins for Toph & Cree to play with. We got to visit with her aunts & uncles & Grandpa. It is always fun to see them and catch up. I like Jessica's family.

Some of Jessica's cousins: Sadie, Grace, McCade & Austin

We also went to the fireworks... not really my favorite, I hate being around that many people (things like that really seem to bring out the rednecks too!). But it wasn't too bad, the kids had a lot of fun, and we got out just as they ended, so the traffic wasn't too bad.

Two temples in one day

2007-07-07T09:44:00.000-06:00

Tuesday was pretty cool. In the morning, Jason and I were at the Idaho Falls Temple installing art glass in the top of the Celestial Room. You see they are raising the ceiling of the celestial room 30-40 feet from where it was, which is where it was before...like a long time ago. In addition to raising the ceiling, they are adding windows on all four sides (which can barley be seen from the ground) and windows that will be back-lit above that. These upper ones shine into the Celestial Room...to add more light and beauty. Too bad there will be a big chandelier in the line of sight, and so these will be a little difficult to see from the ground. We were only there to install...the contractor would have guys to get the glass up to us...I don't really like that. Sure, it is less packing of heavy glass for me, but inexperienced guys carrying glass that is $150/square foot--not a good idea. So needless to say some of the pieces got broken. Long story short, it should all be none...eventually...by the time the Temple opens back up on Tuesday.

When we got to the point that we were waiting for them to get the big pieces up to the top of the scaffolding, we left to install a window in the Rexburg Temple. This window was very pricey. It is fire-rated glass, it creates a 2-hr fire wall in between the 3rd floor and the Celestial room. It was really heavy, and we were able to pull some strings and use the elevator (yeay!) to get it up to the 3rd floor. After getting it up there, it then took 30 minutes to determine exactly where in the opening it had to be set. Then Jason and I slapped it in...really fast. We had a BBQ to get to! It is great to have jobs pressing just before a holiday! It is also amazing how fast we worked, knowing that we had to get home to play. It was also really cool that in one day, we worked in two temples, installing glass in two celestial rooms!

That night we had a great time at our BBQ. Tyson & Suzanne; Rusty & Michelle; Milton & Liz; Kyle & Brandi; and Jason & Carol all came. We had 12 adults and 15 kids (7 and under) at our place. It was pretty crazy....but it was a blast. I did stakes with the lime and kosher salt...they turned out great! Yum Yum Yum!

Jess & TJ back from Utah

2007-06-30T22:37:00.000-06:00

TJ was glad to be home too.

Wednesday night, Jessica and TJ drove to Salt Lake. TJ had a check up on Thursday morning at Shriner's, then Jess had a family reunion. They came home Friday night. I had the two older kids with me Wednesday, Thursday and Friday...and I gotta say I really missed Jess and TJ. Ok so my parents had Toph and Creedance Thursday and Friday...I had them each evening, which isn't difficult, but I missed my wife and baby boy. Here's a few more images in my ongoing photography project.

Tim, a wound care specialist at EIRMC, cleaning up TJ's stump...I love Jessica's expression in this photograph.

The trip was a bit frustfrating for Jessica. We were thinking that in 2-3 more weeks we would be back down there to start the prosthetic, then just a week later would have it and TJ would be learning to walk on it. But now we are looking closer to the end of July that we will be down to cast for the prosthetic, and another 2-3 weeks until we will have the foot. So it will be closer to mid to late August. TJ is so ready to walk...but he can't. He can't even step on the stump because it is so much shorter. It is tough for us...but it is also difficult to 'look a gift horse in the mouth.' Shriner's has been such a blessing for us, and they have been so wonderful to us with everything. Just kind of hard.

We have a very active little boy!

The last window...almost

2007-06-30T22:00:00.000-06:00

The last window to install. 10' x 11'...quite big.

Friday we headed up early so that we could get the last window finished. Well so it is the last except for the storefront entryways. We have been holding off on this window because the general contractor needed to use the opening to get the lifts out of the building. Well, we were told that they would be flying them out first thing in the morning. We had at least 2 hours of preparing the frame to install it, and we wanted to use our lift to get the glass up to the second floor. We had to get the window closed up by the end of the day, because they did not want to temporary it closed again. Well, as construction projects go, things did not go according to plan. The crane that was going to be used to fly the lifts off the second floor, was not available until about 3:30. It would then take an hour or so to move the lifts, and another hour or two just to get our frame set...let alone the time to glaze it (install the glass in it). We were not about to stay that long on a FRIDAY! So as far as I know they had to put a temporary in. So Monday we will tackle it and get it all finished. Then we can focus on the entry ways, and Gary can finish caulking the exterior.

These insulated units were quite heavy to pass up through the window. That's me in the red hardhat.

Temple

2007-06-27T22:14:00.000-06:00

So I finally remembered to take the camera up to the job site. This shows the big window in the front all done...except for one of the largest insulated units. Today we installed 6 window frames that will not have glass...they are in front of louvers and kinda silly to have but whatever. We are now down to just one more door frame with a couple of sidelights and the big window on the 2nd floor. It is really great to see it nearing completion. Everyone who can should go through the open house.

Almost There!

2007-06-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

We are nearing completion on the Temple. Last week we installed the BIG frame on the front of the Temple--about 8' wide and 30' tall, and today we installed a tall narrow window that is on the northwest corner--about 3' wide and 40' tall. They were challenging.

We had a lot of difficulty setting the final insulated glass in the large front window. My boss, Gary, was on the lift with the window (4' square) and Jason and I were inside in a very precarious position poking our bodies out of little excess holes. The top section of this large frame is not in a room, more like a crawl-space that will be lit at night to shine out the stained glass window...anyway so only 18" from the inside plane of the window is a painted wall with two small cut-outs. We could not get the glass to the frame from the inside but all the glass sets into the frame from the inside. The plan was that Gary would lift the glass into us and we would take the balance, then get the glass inside on an angle, and set it from the inside. But Gary could not even get under the glass to lift it. So Jason and I just looked at each other and out the window I jumped onto the lift with Gary to get the glass up. Did I mention that this was at 6:30pm after starting at 6:00am. We were tired and had to get this frame closed up before we went home, and we wanted to get home.

The frame I am talking about is the large area of plywood in the center of this picture. That whole area is in one room (for the most part) that is 2 stories+ tall. Beautiful! I will post some pictures that show the glass soon.

We are now down to one more window, 2 entry-ways, and 6 frames (with no glass) left to install. The last window we have to wait on as that opening will be the exit for the lifts on the 2nd floor. We have started on entry ways, and we are also waiting on other junk to get done for the 6 frames. There are also other things here and there that have to be done there, but we have really gotten a lot done in the past months. It has been really amazing to see so much transpire there. It will be a beautiful building.

One more cool thing I was told today... Gary told us that we will be able to get tickets for the Dedication! We can get one for ourselves and a companion. So Jess and I will be in the temple for the Dedication. What an opportunity!

TJ is home!

2007-06-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

I stayed at the hospital with TJ again last night, I wanted Jess to at least have the chance to sleep through the night. He did quite well, he was a bit grumpy, but slept for most the night. His fever did not spike once, and so our family doctor released us this morning. It took a while to actually get out because they had to arrange an in-home IV, but we were able to get home before 2pm. It is nice to be home with him and not confined in the hospital.

The in-home care nurse came to get us set up with the IV stuff and so for the next week or so we will be giving TJ his medicine ourselves. We also will be going into the wound care specialists to have his dressings re-done each day. It looks so much better than it just 2 days ago. The wound care doctor removed all the excess skin and got it all cleaned up today. We may be back to doing the wrappings ourselves soon.

This has been an anxious few days, but we never felt really scared. The doctors and especially the nurses made us feel such at ease. One nurse in particular, Mickey, was just so wonderful to us. I havecometo really respect nurses and all they do...they are the ones that make the difference! The doctors are great, but the nurses are the ones there right when you need them.

TJ Update

2007-06-02T19:38:00.000-06:00

This last week Jessica was worried about how his leg looked and so took him into the doctor to have it checked out. Well, it has gotten infected. Our doctor prescribed an antibiotic, but he couldn't keep it down. So Thursday night, after a wound specialist in our ward took a look at it, we took him into the ER. They put him on an IV to get the antibiotics into him, and we have the wound care specialists working on it topically. It is looking so much better, and TJ is in much less pain. He is doing much better and we may be able to bring him home Monday--unless we go to Shriner's then. We have a check-up scheduled for Thrusday, but that may be moved up...we will have to play that by ear. Everyone has been so wonderful to help us through this...our family and friends near and far...Thank you for your prayers.

Here are some more photos:

Our little TJ is such a good sport

Sometimes it is difficult to wrap, because of TJ's "help."

"Hand, Foot & Leg"

Wow!

2007-05-25T22:24:00.000-06:00

Hello, my name is Tyler Hopkins...(Hi Tyler...) and I love the Simpsons. I don't think there is a 12-step program for me...but the movie coming out this summer is for me.

Stealing Homer's Popcorn

Jess and I went to Shrek the Third tonight (wow a date without the kids!) and there was a life-size+ Simpsons family at Edwards Theatre. This picture was Jess' idea, I thought it was kind of fun.

TJ at 6 Months

On a completly different note, TJ is doing very well. We were a bit converned with his stump continuing to bleed, but it has slowed and still looks ok. We go back in about 2 weeks for a check-up, then a little after for a prostetic to be made. He just wants to go go go, and I think if frustfrates him that he can't. Thank you for the touching comments and support.

I have been photographing him playing and moving around. I think I would like put together a body of work of this experience. Along with prints of the x-rays. I don't know if it would amount to an exibit of sorts, but that might make an interesting project. Any suggestions for images or presentation (NOT A SCRAP-BOOK!) would be appreciated. I would like to see some of the images in simple black frames (like the ones I built for my BFA show)...I don't know. I am not sure about where to exhibit--if I would exhibit. I would also like to have images of us taking care of him...it's a bit different than before the symes amputation, wraping his stump...how he holds up that leg when he stands...other ways he is learning to adapt to it. What do you think?

TJ at Shriner's

2007-05-20T21:20:00.000-06:00

We made the trip to Salt Lake for TJ's surgery this week. Monday was very nerve wracking simply because of the anticipation of the whole thing. We got checked in and into his room, then they checked his vitals...and all that stuff. Then we just had to wait. The doctor came to visit him a little. Tuesday morning he went in at 8:00, and we got him out of the recovery room about 10:30...so quick!

TJ is such a happy boy. He did so well through the whole thing. He was grumpy when he came out of the anesthesia...waking up in a strange room, with strange stuff around, and strange people. We were able to get him fed and calmed down quickly, then he was really good...restless but good. He wanted to go play as much as he could. He didn't realize that his leg should hurt and kept trying to stand on it, so we had to slow him down a bit and limit what he could play on out in the big play room.

He does not like having his arms held down or being confined. He did not like having his blood pressure taken (on his arm) or the IV. It just made it too hard to get around! But we were still able to let him play a little, just had to adapt.

We discovered that TJ can throw balls very well. He soon got tired of throwing them into the little tub and started throwing them at us and across the room. Not much slows him down.

I am not sure if he has completly realized what has happened. When we change the bandage he has started to look at his stump a little funny, but I don't think he as caught on completly yet. At this point he may just think that it is a sock that we won't let him pull off...he loves to pull his socks off. He has pulled the wraping off once already.

We are very proud of our little boy. It is amazing how this has strenghened us as a family and our faith. I know it was our family and friends' prayers that got us through it all. During and after the surgery we were at such peace and I know it is because of all the prayers...THANK YOU!

Temple Progress

2007-05-09T19:29:00.000-06:00

I was about 40' below Moroni's feet

We have been making a lot of progress on the Rexburg Temple. I counted today and we only have 15 more window openings to do...never mind that some of them are 35-35' tall. It truly has been an incredible experience to work on it.

This is looking down on to the roof of the front entry...the lift is fully extended

Monday, we set the highest frame. It is right below Moroni, the 105' lift just reaches it. That was really cool, I was up inside the spire. Highest place in Rexburg.

Matchbox cars!

While glazing the glass in that high frame (glazing is when you put the glass into the frame), I snapped this last shot with my camera phone. I thought that the shadow of the Temple looked really cool...and that you can see the window opening in the foreground.

So we are getting close to being complete...there is much more to do yet, but the road behind is longer than the road ahead. There is a lot of caulking and some interior stuff as well as entry doors. We have made a lot of progress in the past month.

My new "Westy"

2007-04-29T22:43:00.000-06:00

Milton at the 2005 Oktoberfest with his (now my Westy)

So some may know that I am a VW junkie. For those who don't...I'm a VW Junkie! I did have a '72 Bus for a while...that was an adventure. She was a red & white beauty! But we had to sell her to buy our minivan when we had TJ. I have always loved the Bus, plenty of room, you can always turn heads (usually away), and they are a blast to drive (when they run). For a little change, I have been toying with the idea of getting a Beetle or a Ghia to satisfy my VW craving, but haven't came accrost one yet. Well about a month ago the opportunity found me. My friend, Milton, has had this great '79 Westfalia (Westy--a camper) but has decided that it needed another home. After much much negotiation (me telling him that he could not just give it to me)we settled on a trade: his Westy (that didn't run) for my 79 Honda Trail 90 (that likewise did not run). As of yet it has not left his garage...I haven't had time to start working on it, but I just could not pass it up! My kids are excited...can't say the same for Jessica.

Toph is very excited for the Westy--he can't wait to go camping in it.

As for now the plan of action is to first get a battery to check compression. If that shows bad valve heads (as I am told main the problem is), then it will be a trip to Gate City Repair for engine work. Then I will focus on cleaning up the inside (not too bad), removing the 5 gal propane tank on the back and spare tire mount on front, installing a gas heater (Eberspacher BA6), then patch and paint. I think I'd like to do a two tone like my '72 with a dark green and white...then there's the idea of rhino lining. Any ideas? As cool as it is, I think the mural has to go...not quite my personality.

Who's ready to go camping?!

Rexburg Temple, Shoshone Falls & Sand Dunes

2007-04-28T14:23:00.000-06:00

The last few weeks have been pretty wild....like always. It has been a huge blessing to be working on the Temple again. First off it is wonderful to be home in the evenings, and then...it's the Temple! It is really enjoyable to work there. I enjoy it-dispite the little setbacks that you encounter (all jobs have setbacks). This week we finished all the windows on the south elevation. This photo is the south elevation...but you can't really see the windows that well. Next week we will either start on the east-or front, or the west-back. These windows will be quite the adventure, very tall.

Rexburg Idaho Temple. 27 April 2007

On the 21st, my dad's brother passed away, so we had a funeral to go to in Boise on Thursday. We drove there on Wednesday, after work then back Thursday. We stopped and saw Shoshone Falls. We needed a break, Jess and the kids had never been there, and the last time I was there it was just a little trickle. It was very nice. Nothing like when Timothy O'Sullivan was there, but nontheless I took a few pictures. Likewise those are nothing like Timothy O'Sullivan's or Mark Klett. That would be a nice place to fisit and photograph more.

The Family at Shoshone Falls April 25, 2007

Friday it was back to work...but afterwards I got to go photograph is Theo and Darren. We went to the Saint Anthony sand dunes. I had never been there to photograph, but I am sure I will go there again. I really liked it. The sun was a bit too intense when we got there, but as the evening progressed, it got much better. I was very happy with the results, I will be making some small prints soon...I think they will even be worthy of the Museo Silver Rag paper I got for my birthday.

Dunes & Motorcycle Tracks April 2007

Island of trees at St. Anthony. April 2007

Rexburg Temple

2007-04-19T19:23:00.000-06:00

So the last week we have been working on the "U" windows. Nothing special about the letter, just how each window opening is designated. There are 4 "U" windows. Tomorrow we will finish the last one. They only 20 inches wide...but just over 26 feet tall (devided into 4 sections). This first image was taken Wednesday (with my camera phone--sorry for the nasty color), looking south into the freaking cold wind from the top of one of the "U" windows.

Just before we finished for the day, Jason and I started the last frame. I had to run the lift up to the top to get a measurement of the opening and determine if the opening is out of square and if so how much. While there I made a couple snaps with my camera phone. So my lift is at the level of the basement...then the bottom of this 26' window is at chest level on the second floor...so how high off the ground am I??? I'm on an 80' lift...but I don't know if it is completly extended. On Tuesday I was on the 105' lift, and did have that extended all the way out...any gust of wind or a sudden movement of the lift was a bit freaky.

Work on the Temple

2007-04-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

Just when I thought Jessica was about to kill me, we had a great suprise. I got to work on the Temple this week instead of the Visitor Center in Jackson. It has been a great to be able to be home at night. And working on the Temple has been fun too. Yes there are still problems and it is hard work, but I do enjoy it...and the atmosphere is much better too. Today was interesting working in the snow, rain & wind.

It was also a blessing to be in town this week because on Monday, TJ went to a ear-nose-throat doctor. He advised us to have his tonsils and adenoids removed to help him breathe clear and not be so stuffy all the time. They were removed this morning, and Jess and TJ are staying at the hospital all day today and tonight for observation. The sergon said that his tonsils were "HUGE!" Is that a compliment? "Holy cow! You've got huge tonsils!" So he's been miserable all day today, I just hope he can sleep tonight...so that Jessica can too. I also hope this will clear him up so that he won't be so gunky before we go to Shriners...that's less than a month away.

I have a few snapshots of the Temple on my phone...but no way to download them right now. I'll have to remember to take my 10D tomarrow and Friday. Were making some good progress.

Like I said it has been so much better for our little family to be home this week...such a blessing, and the Lord does hear our prayers.

Back to Moose

2007-03-30T13:40:00.000-06:00

This week at the visitor center was an adventure. On Wednesday we had strong winds and the tenting started to come down. We were trying to brace it from the inside but the wind was too strong, and the braces that were in were 'exploding.' No, I mean it, they just exploded in the middle. So we took the two gradall lifts out and tied the tent to them and pulled it out a bit while we re-braced the inside. It was kind of scary. This picture shows one lift still tied there the next day.

I have said before that this will be a beautiful building. Even the ceiling is beautiful.

The most exciting thing is that we finally set the first bit of glass in the big curtain wall. The glass is also big. The typical size (the glass that is not in corners or on the top row) glass is 64" x 109". In other words BIG. This is the first one we set. Next week we should have a lot more set. It will be really cool when it is done.

Two Thumbs Up!

2007-03-24T16:19:00.000-06:00

So here's the damage, 10 Stitches in one inch. It looks pretty bad 'eh? It has been quite painfull the last two days. I am getting a bit more movement now that the swelling is going down some. I hope that It is more usefull on monday. There is just way too much work to be done to be taking time off right now.

Careful for what you wish for

2007-03-23T13:51:00.000-06:00

This week in Jackson was rough. We worked 12 hr days, which isn’t too bad, but a day and a half of that Steve and I were having a hard time making this one particular elevation work. After getting all the aluminum in, set and started bolted into plane, we realized that the plane was determined (for us ) just a little off…3/4 of an inch in 40 feet. It will work…but it will still work.

This is the elevation Steve and I fought for so long

The week was really hard for Jessica here in IF too. The kids were difficult, and that got her to the end of her rope. We were both thinking that I could be home Thursday night (with me working 12 hour days), but with what needs to be done on the Visitor’s Center and by when, I would need to work Friday too (I think Cory and Gary will be staying through Saturday too).

Our glass will set on these stones...and will have to be cut to follow them too (see the jump?)

I did still come home on Thursday. However because of why I had to come home…I would have rather stayed. Around 4:00 Steve and I were cutting a few custom pieces to go on the north elevation. I was cutting a piece on the table saw, and it got away from me, the blade caught my thumb and just made hamburger out of it! OUCH!!! After 15 minutes I finally got it to stop bleeding through paper towels, and at that point I had to decide if I would be any help the rest of the day…let alone another day.

Cory suggested I go into Jackson and get some gauze and super glue and make a “cast.” I didn’t like that idea too much. It didn’t hurt too much yet, and I thought maybe I could help the rest of the day a little. But as I thought about it more, I realized I wouldn’t be much assistance…plus I needed to get it cleaned out and looked at—what if I got the tendon?

So Gary had Steve drive me home, and I went to the family emergency center. They cleaned it up (that hurt so bad I was levitating off the bed) and numbed it (that hurt far more than cutting it did!). I didn’t get the tendon, thankfully, but it did make a mess. The doctor cleaned it out (there was a lot of aluminum shavings in it) and sewed it up. I should be OK, I am hurting quite a bit now, but should be able to work next week. It obviously didn’t effect my typing ability…how much do you use your thumb when typing??? OK so both your thumbs?

I did take a few pictures before going to the doctor...but I'm not posting those. They are far nastier than the ones I posted in november, the last time I got cut bad.

Busy Week

2007-03-22T21:57:00.000-06:00

I tried to publish this post Sunday, but Blogger wasn't working quite right...so here it is a few days late:

So I was lucky enough to work closer to home this week. I worked on the Rexburg Temple Tuesday & Wednesday and got a whole 9 windows installed on the 3rd floor (This is a stitched photo of our progress). They take a bit of time, and I don't want to rush it anyway...It's got to be done perfect. I did mess up on one piece of glass...I installed it upside down! But as soon as I get a suction cup up there we can re-set it...oops! This picture shows it. Can you find the oops?

It was great to work on the Temple, and it was also really nice to be so close to home so I could be home each night.

Thursday Jess and I went down to Salt Lake with TJ for a clinic at Shriner's Hospital. We had a some more questions before his surgery in May, and wanted a few more x-rays of his foot. The x-rays showed a lot more and just what we wanted to see than those before and helped out a lot...they look really cool, I want to make some images of them...Cyanotypes or POP prints would be interesting.

We also did a little shopping and walked around Temple Square. I got some new photo paper to print some images on…I tried it out on Saturday…looks like a silver print!
On the drive home, TJ slept for some of the trip. But as those with children know, that never lasts. We were able to keep him entertained with licorice. Yes he was a mess when we got home...but that way we got home without exploding!

We also spent much of this weekend looking into a home loan and looking for a home. That has been a bit overwhelming for me. It is hard to find a home that will meet our needs...that won't completely break us.

We've set glass!

2007-03-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Work on the Rexburg Temple started Monday! Jason and I set the first window in the Temple! That was pretty cool. But then on Tuesday I had to go to Jackson to work on the park visitor center. That is where I spent the rest of the week. progress went quite slow, but we do have a bunch of glass set. Each frame has to have end dams put in, be caulked and vinyled (rubber gasket) before glass can be set, so it is a slow process. These frames were set before I started working with Jenkins...They are big, but not as wierd as the big stuff we have been installing will be to set glass. The glass we set this week is all plumb.

It has been a very long week. I am very happy to be home for the weekend...and I think I may be working on the Temple next week. Jess and I are going to Salt Lake on Thursday with TJ, so It would be silly to go to Jackson for just two days (everyone is staying here on Monday). Or at least that was the plan the last I heard.

This is the material that we are using for the big sloped curtain wall...I have never used such an odd curtain wall system...lots of different pieces! The whole system seems to be over-engineered...but who am I? I'm a photographer and a glazier...not an engineer.

This space will be a gallery. The room strait back will be a classroom. It will be a beautiful exhibit space...but I don't think that they will really use it as an art gallery...probibly more for perminant pieces??? Who knows.

This is looking into the Gallery. I don't quite understand what the holes into the crawl-space are for. There are a lot of them. Something to do with diaramas and exhibits on hydraulic lifts??? Don't step in! They are normally covered, but they just got done pouring concrete (a second layer).

So that has been my week.

Another week in Teton Park

2007-03-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Another week of working at the Visitor's Center at Moose, WY has ended. We wroked 3-12's and a 'half-day.' The half-day became 10 hours. But the long hours were not too bad, we started earlier and we were able to keep busy and get a lot accomplished. One day the clouds even broke up and I got this shot of the Tetons from just outside the building. This will be the view from inside the building.

This shows our curtain wall in place, almost ready for glass...I stitched this from 3 photos (I need a much shorter lens!)

It felt so good to get so much done on it. We even started setting glass on some of the frames that were set before I started at Jenkins Glass. But Mostly I felt good about getting so much of the big curtain wall done. We are almost ready for glass on a lot of it. I don't know if I will be up there all of next week. I think that there could be about half of us up there setting the base for the next run of curtain wall. Our material is the smaller black stuff that sticks out from the bigger black stuff. We are now waiting for some stone boulders to be set so we can build off of them...again this is a really wierd design for a building. When it is done everyone that gets a chance must go see it. It will be beautifull!

This shows the only 90° corner on the system...it still leans into the building at 9° though...I stitched this from about 10 images...kinda messes with your eyes 'eh?

Cory's Question

2007-02-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

So a friend called me with a question about the last post...too long of a question for a comment, I'll summarise: Look at the chain-link fence on the left of the spillway. In the 'close-up' (color) picture the fence is much shorter than the monochrome, which seems to be taken from farther back. I hadn't noticed this at all, but after Cory drew my attention to it, I was amazed. I looked back into the metadata to see what focal length I shot them at...this solved it. The 'close-up' or color image was actually shot from much farther away and at 145mm, whereas the monochromatic was shot from closer to the structure and at 50mm. From farther away the fence was foreshortened and more background was visible (look at the power lines on the right!). But when I moved in closer to the structure, and shot at a wider angle, the power lines were not visible and the fence appears to get longer. Thanks Cory that was fun!

On other notes, I was in Jackson most all of this week again. We made progress too! It felt so good to get something standing! This is an image of the first elevation we got standing. I shot this with my camera phone and stitched it together...roughly. It is kind of hard to see...you know black aluminum frame on black iron structure...and hey, it was shot with a camera phone! I'm taking my 10D up next week to get some better photos. It feels really good to be making progress!

The new guy (newer than me) grinding off studs

Teton Dam Spillway

2007-02-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Theo & I went out photographing. Friday he got a GMC Yukon, and wanted to give it a shake-down run...you know test out the off-road capabilities. He also wanted to get to the Teton Dam spillway, on the NW side of the Dam. We had a fun time finding it, driving through a field and through a few drifts, not too bad, but we didn't know exactly where to go. We did find it and got a few good images. Do you like the color or monochrome better?

Once we got there, we weren't quite sure how to get down into the spillway...we found a better way out, but this is how we got down.

On another note...Friday I found out that I am not getting paid what we agreed on! I am getting paid $1.50 more! Yea...so it was a good job move. I guess they have been happy with my work

Teton Park Visitor Center

2007-02-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

So I've been working a lot in Jackson the past 2 weeks. Jenkins Glass has a pretty big job there, the new Grand Teton National Park Visitor Center at Moose. It is a really wierd building! Right after I started, we began work on the main curtain wall (really big window framing system). It has strange angles all over (the building mimics the teton ridge) and the entire system leans into the building at 9 digrees. However it is nice to have the whole area tented off so that we can work in 40-50 digree conditions. This is an inside view in the main area...this will look out directly to the Grand Tetons...it will be a beautiful view! The black vertical posts are the steel structure that we will attach our aluminum structure to, that will have the glass in it...our windows. It is pretty tough just getting the base, head and wind-load clips (attached to the steel) ready and in the right place. The posts are not plumb...well yea they tip in 9 digrees, but they are suposed to be plumb left to right, but our aluminum must be.

You can see our wind load clips and our base here...as well as the tenting that keeps it a nice 45 inside the building.

Anyway so I have been pullng long days working on this and a little bit of stuff here in town. We have only spent 3 or 4 days in a row in Jackson so far, but those were 10 hr days...so most of tomarrow will be overtime $$$. I haven't had much ti me to photograph lately, but I did make some images of the Tetons that I plan to put together in a mosiac/collage...we'll see how that turns out.

Weekends sure have taken on a new meaning for me and the family. It is spent finding ways to have fun with the kids and spending quality time with them and Jess. So far we have done good by going out on dates together too. It has been tough to be away for much of the week. But the pay is already helping pay off some bills and start saving more.

New Job

2007-01-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

So I started the new job this week. It is sure different to start over after being with one company for so long. I did have kind of a cool surprise, I got to work on the entry doors for the IF Temple. We changed out the frames and doors and put in leaded glass. Very beautiful. It will also be nice for elderly and handicapped patrons, there are now automatic doors...Not like at a grocery store, but push button operated. I worked on that most of the week, in and out of the shop. I'll snap some shots and post them soon.

On the cover of a magazine!

2007-01-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

So I have been working out a lot lately. In fact Runner's World magazine asked me to model for them....Ok so that is total BS. Duh!! A guy in my ward asked me to put his face on this picture and it turned out really cool. Jess wanted me to do it with my face too. What do you think? I think it just makes me look like a shirtless pedophile! Good for a laugh!

Unemployed

2007-01-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Toph at Starlight Skating

Well, I’m unemployed…until Monday that is. After 5 years at Cherry Glass I decided it was time to move on. I didn’t see myself earning enough there to get into a house. They just weren’t willing to pay me what I need. So Monday I start working for Jenkins Glass. They do only commercial work, and some euro shower doors. It will help to have a little more $, and It will be interesting to try out something new. What I am excited for is that they are doing the windows in the Rexburg Temple. The glass and frames will be here around the end of February. That will be great to be a part of that. I am also looking into other, more long-term, jobs. I just need to find something that will help me meet my goal of getting a house this year—wish us luck.

Creedance had a lot of fun.

We have been out playing with the kids. We went ice skating and roller skating. I think they liked the roller skating more…a bit easier and a lot warmer.

Jess also had a project for me in the kids’ closet. She wanted to have some shelves to put their toys in. There always seemed to be a big pile of toys there. Here's the kids testing the structural integrity of them.

It has been a few crazy weeks.

More Christmas Photos

2006-12-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

Looking North towards West Yellowstone from Lion's Head

So here are the photos from Jessica's new camera...pretty nice. I am not too pleased with how it does in low light (indoors/night), but that's what you get with point & shoot I guess. Other than the long delay to take a picture with a flash, it is not too bad. It will take come getting used to...but it isn't for me anyway.

Jess and Creedance sledding on Christmas Eve

Playing in the snow with TJ. It was so much fun to be a kid with mine.

Christmas in Island Park

2006-12-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas at my in-law's cabin in Island Park this year. We go up there as much as possible (especially in the winter), but this has been the first time I have been there on Christmas. It was a lot of fun! We went up on Christmas Eve and had a very nice Ham dinner (Thanks Jessica!). Sam & Emily went up a day earlier and cut down a tree, so after dinner, we popped pop-corn and decorated the tree.

Nate & Kim stringing popcorn

Chris read Luke 2, Becky recited "The night before Christmas," and Sam read a poem about a Grandma's first Christmas after passing away...it was very touching as Jessica's grandma passed this year.

Sam & Emily (Jake & Dave too) working on Popcorn too

The kids had so much fun! I think they would live up there year-round if they could...Hey I would too!

Dave and his popcorn string

Today we played outside. Sledding, jumping in the snow and a quick snow-mobille ride. I loved sledding with Toph & Creedance...and TJ even made a few runs. The hill was FAST!!! Toph is getting very brave, and Creedance loved going fast...the snow spray in the face didn't bother her too much....TJ didn't like it too much when he fell face-first into a drift (from sitting)!

Rachel made some sweet ornamants

I had to come home a day early to get to work tomarrow, so after Jess gets home with her (new) camera, I'll have more snapshots to post.

I hated to come home after only one day...but I am thankful for the time I could spend with my family and children...I can't wait for next Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still alive! The monts of November and December have been very wild and crazy...and I'm not quite sure why. A few weeks ago we went to Island Park to get our Christmas Tree, and while there we made a nice family photograph for the Christmas Card. In this Photo, Creedance is 2 1/2 years, Christopher is 4 years, TJ is 7 months, and...well that's all the ages you need to know. Not much snow up there yet, hopefully we will have more for this weekend. We will be spending Christmas there, we are looking forward to it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!!