Climbing at Vantage, backyard barbecues, skateboarding, bike riding, and hanging out downtown. Must be spring!

Skateboard gang

Side note: Evelyn took her driver's test and passed, so she officially has her driver's license now. She already has big plans for the Durango and for trips that she wants to take.

I get a certain sense of pride when our family shows up to the crag- especially when other people are around. This is because I know the first impression we make; we're a big loud family with a bunch of kids. Now, I believe that everyone has to start somewhere, and that kids definitely have a place at the crag. I also understand that it can be super annoying to be around these families if you are out for a day of climbing with older, more experienced friends. Families, and especially kids, tend to set up eternally long top-ropes. They tend to take a long time coaxing people (loudly) to just trust the rope, or to step up to the next hold. There are often a lot of tears and frustration and yelling and a complete misunderstanding of crag etiquette. Sometimes there are even legitimate concerns about safety that put people in awkward positions. All of this can be especially frustrating when they are hogging a route that is clearly above their skill level, and that you and your friends want to be on.

Which is why I like our family. I mean, we have been those people in the past. Everyone has. But not anymore. When we set up next to a route that is on the harder side for the area I can almost hear people's eyes rolling into the back of their head. Especially when things are as busy as they were on Saturday. But then I also catch their glances and raised eyebrows when we go into choreographed action in a way that clearly speaks to our experience. In no time, someone has flaked the rope, someone else has tied in to lead, and someone else is ready to offer a belay. Parents (Rach and I) are sitting back and smiling as kids belay each other and efficiently clip their way up climbs. Any talking is either curt safety checks, or friendly banter- the same as the other people in the area. Most of the time, the competence of these kids surpasses that of the adults nearby. In short, I think that we often defy expectations and it's fun to be a part of.

Of course we have fun too. Kids bring a joy and playfulness to everything they do that just can't be matched.

Have a good week!

I hear that sometimes when people retire from a career without any future plans, they might wake up in the morning and feel a profound sense of aimlessness. The world is at their fingertips, but the paralysis of having too many options is a very real thing. To add to it, they can't simply fall back on established routines- forcing them outside of their comfort zones and into new adventures. I'm told it can be scary and exciting and wonderful and unsettling all at the same time. And I believe it. Because on Saturday morning I woke up and didn't ski. It was kind of interesting. Like waking up from a dream or something.

Okay. So...our week. It was a little bit eventful. Let's do some photos:

These first couple of pictures are from the high school talent show. Ev and her band opened the night with a lot of energy, including a cool drum solo during an amped up version of "Poker Face," by Lady Gaga.

Also, this week was the first time that Ev and I played together in a band, as we were both scheduled at the same time at church. It wasn't super sentimental or anything, but I did think it was kind of neat. 

Jack, Lindsey, and I went climbing on Saturday. Other kids were doing things with friends, but we had a great time together in the warm sunshine. Later that day we all got together and brought skateboards to the the park downtown in Coeur d'Alene where they had live music and the season opening of their open-air restaurant. I really love how, where we live, there is always a party going on somewhere. The advantages of a resort town, I guess.

We spent some time working on the project in Wallace. It is coming along...a little at a time. By next ski season we will have transformed the attic into a nice bonus room though. Most of the kids hung out in town. Jack helped a lot and the three of us walked down for a nice lunch break at one of our favorite places.

Another advantage of this nice weather has been outdoor picnics. There are no pictures, but Rach and I have started to enjoy sunsets and deck nights again around our fire table, and we went to an outdoor patio for lunch yesterday. Some of our kids have also planned and executed picnics at the park with their friends and it is generally just a nice time to be outside.

Have a good week!

Ski season is over. 49 days over 15 different resorts- and it is done. Makes me want to cry.

We all shed a little tear on the gondola ride back to the car last Sunday. It had been a perfect day of t-shirt weather and soft snow. On the way down we talked about memories. It's been a really good year. 

Though I am excited for all that warm weather has to offer, I can't help but look forward already to next winter. To long car rides and cold wind on the face. To stories on a chair lift, or the anticipation of a scary run. To fresh powder on the steeps, or to fast, icy groomers. To pizza and cosmic brownies. To being together with friends, or to being completely alone in a blissful state of flow. To hot tubs after a long day and movie nights in the hotel room.

Man, I love this sport.

Silver Mountain Pizza still holds a special place in our hearts. I think our family could single-handedly keep this place in business.

Addy and Jack lapped the park most of the day in the soft snow

They didn't always land their jumps though

The joy of skiing

Lil' pond skim

Ev made the biggest splash. Apparently it's all about getting just barely enough speed to make it across

Wet and sloppy fun

This is a picture of the best skier in the family. The person next to them doesn't want to admit it though.

Within minutes of arriving home, a group of us grabbed climbing stuff and got back in the car. The end of one season and the beginning of another. It's going to be a good year.

Look closely and you'll see Addy and Maren peering over. They walked around the back just so they could heckle Jackson as he worked his way through the crux of his lead.

Have a good week!

PS: This has been going through my head. It seems appropriate: Good ol' Ranken and Bass Christmas movies are never too far from my mind: "Too late? Why, nonsense! Oh, don't cry, Karen. Frosty's not gone for good. You see, he was made out of Christmas snow, and Christmas snow can never disappear completely. Oh, it sometimes goes away for almost a year at a time and takes the form of spring and summer rain, but you can bet your boots that when a good jolly December wind kisses it, it will turn into Christmas snow all over again!"

I've been a little bit busy at work, and we haven't had any real noteworthy events to blog about lately, so we're just going to do a quick photo caption post here.

Have a good week!

Addy and Rachel went up for a day of skiing by themselves at Silver. I was at a different resort with Maren, and nobody else wanted to go. Addy convinced Rach to lap the park all day, and they both report tons of fun in the spring slush. 

Update on the rats: We have sold almost all of the baby rats, and will soon be down to just the original two. Maren is going to make a good try at keeping them and their space super clean so that she can keep them without getting rashes, but the jury is still out. Maren understands this, and I think will be ready to accept whatever outcome there is knowing that she did as much as she could.

Not a great photo of us, but the only one we have from this night. Rach and I went to see "I Thought I Knew You," a play about a family where one person goes down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theory and ends up negatively affecting many others as they try to do "the right thing." It was a serious play, and sparked some interesting conversation.

We spent this last weekend skiing at Big Sky. The first day was suuuper firm conditions, prompting Rach and I to spend some time together on a "lodge date." Thankfully, it snowed overnight, and the next day was a ton of fun.

We were skiing through the trees in unmarked territory and we came across this little Easter egg- an old gondola hideout with a bunch of stickers on it. Kind of neat. Also, we should never forget watching Addy fall off backwards from the two-foot wooden platform that this was on. If you look in the bottom right of this photo you can see the evidence, in the form of wild scratch marks, of her final moments. With her skis in the air and arms out to the side, she looked a little bit like a squashed bug. 

Inside the gondola fort. I am sure that many substances have been consumed in this space.

This is Lindsey at a Mexican restaurant that we went to in Butte. That is all.

And again- have a good week!