The last days of summer

A summer evening drive into the hills.  It has a few purposes; time with a friend, shooting practice and driving my beloved Jeep.  I think about how wonderful these last few weeks have been.  The nice warm weather has been a great taste of summer and I think of leaving it for the Alaskan rain and it's a little depressing.  We had such a late spring here that the little bit of summer here just doesn't seem like enough.  It's what I've got though so it will just have to do.

Do brain farts come with the amount (or lack) of time left?  When we drove up to go shooting last night, I pulled my gun case out, reached into the bag for the key and it was not there.  Gut check.  Ah, are you kidding me, I just drove all the way up there and didn't have the key so I could shoot?  I'm glad Katie had her gun though.  We had fun with that and the old beer cans did explode with ease!  It was a great night and the drive home was under the stars and a beautiful moon.

Most of the packing is done.  I'm living on a few selected outfits here while the rest is packed.  The final packing and checking of the packed items will be today so that tomorrow I won't have to worry about it.  Pillows still have to fit too.  A dog would like to stow away but I just don't think the airline would like to find a puppy in the luggage.

So for now I have a breakfast planned this morning and family time for tomorrow.  It's hard to think that I'll be leaving for 1500 miles away in just two days.

2 days and counting.....

Busy Busy

For having "almost no plans" this holiday weekend is turning out to be pretty busy for me. I now have a few minutes to hop on here while I sit in the darkness of our front room with my husband as we are both exhausted from a long day.

Yesterday was another day to practice shooting. Eric went out with me and we had a good day. The view from the hilltop was fantastic and the weather didn't get too hot until we were about to leave. While Eric didn't like my idea of a great view, from the cliff, he still walked down the pathway a bit with me to snap a picture but made a hasty retreat.

Going out early was a good idea, it also gave us the rest of the day. Eric had fun shooting his guns and then learned what I'm shooting. I really enjoyed our time together and I must admit, tossing him around a little bit in the jeep was kinda fun! (Sorry about that one bump hun!) Next weekend will be busy all the same but I need to get out and go shooting for practice, I'm thinking Saturday night after the garage sale is over.

Last night was fantastic! My friend Charlene and I took our yearly trip up to the side of the road next to Detroit Lake to watch the fireworks. We get the same spot every year and know that we have to be there very early. This year I think we drove in at 7pm, 3 hours before the fireworks started. After taking out the chairs, drinkables and our dinner, we settled into the few games of Rummikub. Upon finishing that, my iPad was stolen from me as she discovered a new game. It's ok though, I went and took some fantastic photos of Mt. Jefferson and set up the equipment for some firework photography. We enjoyed the shortest fireworks to date and then beat feet home. Below are some photos from our evening.

Today was a bit busy as well. I know I'll miss days like this where I can just go about the canyon whenever I want and see people in my life I know I will miss. I got to hang out with Jenn and her son Zane when we went out fishing. Her daughter, Jax, stayed at home today with Grandma so it was just the 4 of us.

I caught my first frog ever today. We put him in this container so we could get a good look at him. Then not long after, Jenn decided he needed something to eat and hop, hop, hop. He was gone never to be caught again. It was ok though, that was his home. He was a big guy though and I didn't want to touch him...in fact having him in the net was close enough. I think I already feel a wart coming on!

Zane was bent on catching frogs today and was intense in his quest for the 4 legged creatures. His determination wasn't rewarded very well today but his enthusiasm was fantastic! He did enjoy some fishing but I think Eric was the only one today with much luck in that department.

While I did not fish, I enjoyed the day and even got this pretty enjoyable picture of some flower coming up. I guess I need to research that because this one might just get blown up and framed. I really like it.

And now for the scary part....

July 3rd, 33 days......

First Trunk Packed

Oh goodness. I know today was day 1 that I could start sending stuff out. If I sent it out today, it might get to Salem by tomorrow and then sit over the long holiday weekend. So, no big deal, it didn't get to the post office today. I had some other pressing issues to take care of.

Price adjustments at Kohl's, done. Check out a new lens for my camera, done. (No, I didn't buy one but we thought about it) See's candies, check! Ok, so maybe that last one wasn't a pressing issue but it was right there and I know I won't get fresh See's when I'm in Alaska, why not indulge a little now?

Upon returning home, I had a little bit of time left before going and seeing a movie with Mom, my aunt and cousin along with my hubby. The hometown theater was nice and cool today and was a good break from the warm weather. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather as does my jeep!

When I came home, it was time to pack at least one bag. After going through a TON of things upstairs this morning I was ready to have at least one package ready to go. Something accomplished and finished was what I was going for. Well, mission accomplished.

The trunk is cool, I can't wait to have it there for a piece of furniture. I still can't believe it's 10lbs. under the weight limit, it's so heavy! A big thanks goes out to those in Egegik who will be handling this beast!

35 days.....

Goodbye Check Engine Light

For years my check engine light has been on. It's also known as the idiot light. Everyone has told me it's no big deal, probably just the O2 sensor or something minor that's no biggie. So, the jeep kept running and I kept looking at it, people would ask and I would say, it's no big deal. Well, today a friend of mine helped fix a little vent tube that I noticed was broken, he cleaned off the engine (it's more than one color?) and as I started up the engine, the light was off! I think after so many years of driving around with it on, it will be weird to look down at the dash and have it be gone.

It was a great day for the jeep, sunny with some patchy clouds. The problem, I didn't get to drive it all that much. A trip to Salem to see Bad Teacher with the hubby was nice but we took the car. It gets much better gas milage and Eric doesn't have to worry about his allergies. The movie was ok, many of the good parts were already in the previews but the movie as a whole was a little slow. Plot line, eh. Funny though because secretly in many teachers minds, just once, you have thought one of those comments to a response on a test. She's just taken it to the front. Never would that really happen, but you knew who the teachers in the theater were, they were the ones laughing.

This morning I went garage sale shopping with one of my best friends, Charlene. I found a few things to bring with me to Alaska. Some Tupperware measuring cups that are like the ones my mom has hanging in her house, an old fashion potato peeler, a sandwich container and a flashlight that didn't work. Ya, so much for the new batteries idea! Lunch was great, Panezanellie's breadsticks were great and it was a good day.

A short stop this evening was at Ugo's. Yes, that is two pizza places in one day. Though I didn't get anything to eat, I did purchase a nice T-shirt and get a picture from a nice local man. I'm sure you have seen him on TV. He's on the Deadliest Catch. It was great to get to meet him, provide support from the hometown and I got a little gift for my students too. I got him to pick his favorite picture and he made it out to the kids of Egegik! I can't wait to hang it in my classroom!

Tonight will be a welcome rest as tomorrow will bring another day closer to the day I leave for a wonderful adventure. We'll watch another new movie, Cars 2! I'll practice again with the gun and work some more on getting myself ready for shipping my things off to the Last Frontier or ready for the garage sale that's planned in a few weeks.

42 days.....