Dave and Kara Fisher

Life in Washington = Water Fun!!!

2010-10-17T00:35:00.001-07:00

Ok- So I tried to make all of our posts about water - Since there is so much of it here inthis "evergreen" state. However I can't figure out how to change the order of my posts so please know that I intended you to read the bottom one first then all the rest.

Love ya all!

La Push

2010-10-16T23:56:00.001-07:00

For the purpose of showing you all how beautiful this beach is I am combining the pictures of two different trips.

To get to La Push 2nd Beach you have to wlk through a little forest to get there. The forest is so pretty with these huge twisted trees. The kids really like that part of the beach. Anna prides herself in being able "hike" the whole way by herself.

Once you walk through the trees it opens up to a beautiful beach that has these random massive rocks standing watch along the shoreline. they make the coolest sillouettes during the sunset.

Once you get to the beach it is 2 miles of shoreline to explore. The first time here we decided to camp somewhere on that two mile stretch. We were a little unprepared for the trek through the forest to get to the camp and then the jaunt to get to the campsite that Dave picked out for us. We anticipated a "car camping" experience so we loaded the car with loose items and tons of only slightly organized stuff. As a result Dave and Dylan had to shoulder amazing amounts of piles and bags in order to have food shelter and beds.

It was worth it though. Camping on the beach was awesome! the kids palyed in the water and the sand. Anna ran around naked most of the night just so happy at the new found freedom of going potty in a hole on the beach. I don't know what we fed her but there were a lot of holes with little sticks poking out of them all over the beach. Our food was covered in sand because of the wind and we discovered that we forgot utensils. To James this did not matter at all. He was already full from eating the sand by the handfuls. Since Dylan and Dave were growing out their beards it made James look like he was just part of the bearded boys.

Listening to the waves and then the rain throughout the night was so great! When we woke up in the morning it was misting outside. It was raining really but there were not any drops forming. It was just a general wetness in the air. We decided to pack up and head out. The kids clothes were wet and it was cold. We discovered a star fish on the way back to the car and in the picture below Anna is holding it before she sent it back to be with its family. Also in the picture below you can see my sherpa! Isn't he great! I mean look at how much stuff he is packing out of there! What a good daddy!

Mount Rainier

2010-10-16T23:37:00.001-07:00

Ok- so you might think that Mount Rainier does not fit into my "water theme" but it does. First of all there was snow (kinda water-ish), then there was a stream that we followed on our hike, and last of all there is a huge flood/run-off path from the mountain down into the valley it looks like mass destruction.

I really love this mountain (not as much as the Grand Teton-I have to stay true to my roots) it is just so grand and beautiful. We were lucky to go there on a great sunny day. We could see the mountain playing peek-a-boo with us the entire drive there. I would really love if we could and climb it next year or so.

The kids liked the hike. They are so cute. Although Anna is the one who causes James most of his grief in life- she loves that boy! She held his hand for most of this hike. When she was not holding his hand then he was either in Uncle Dylan's arms or following him around like a shadow.

Paddle Kitsap

2010-10-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

Paddle Kitsap has been by far one of the collest things that we have done in Washington. I have never Kayaked before but when I saw a flyer about kayaking in th Ocean for 30 something miles...I thought it sounded like fun! We made it a family function- thank goodness- and set off for an adventure. Jef and Suzy came for the weekend. Suzy took care of the kiddos and we took care of jef (he he. That is a joke b/c he totally rocked the paddling scene. Dylan and I were so grateful for Dave and Jef). The four of us set off on Friday morning having no clue what was in store. The weather was cold and rainy...hmm that's weird- anyway, it started out calm enough but the water eventually got choppier and choppier. It made for an interesting last half of the day. we got to our camp site though and stayed the night. The next morning we set off again with tight and tired muscles. warming them back up felt good. It did not take long though for my arms to be totally tired again. We had a very windy day and at times I would look over at the shore and see a land mark only to look over again twenty minutes later and see the same land mark. Talk about two paddles forward and one paddle back! Thank goodness I had Dave to muscle through it alone when I got too weak and tired!

Despite the challenge it was a great experience and something I would love to do again. It felt like true Washington Coast adventure. (of course I have to mention that this is where we met Hannah...poor girl between Jef and I she had no choice but to hang out with Dylan. Once she did she realized how great he is and now they are quite a pair!)

Fountain Park and the Swimming Pool

2010-10-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

During the Summer we really enjoyed the Harborside Fountain Park and Uncle Dylan's Swimming Pool.

The Fountain Park is located right between the Ferry Dock and the Navy Base. It is a series of fountain that look like the tops of submarines. Randomly the fountains spout water out the top. The kids run around at the base of the fountains in little wading pools waiting for the fountain to blow its top. It is fun to watch because Anna loves the thrill of being caught under the falling water and she screams every time. James opens his mouth, eyes fluttering out of fear and runs to the edge of the pool or to my legs as fast as he can!

The Swimming Pool was acquired by Uncle Dylan during his trip to Montana (you will have to ask him about it) suffice it to say he left it here and it got used everyday during the summer. We set it up in the driveway because we have no yard. The black asphault warmed it up nicely and it worked great.

Singing in the Rain

2010-10-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

So - of all our water type adventures...I have to say that raining is the one that occurs the most often. I really used to love rain. I jumped in puddles, danced and sang I loved it. I have obviously got to find my inner child because I do not seem to enjoy it as much as I used to.

Luckily- my kids are so tapped into their inner children....ha ha! They remind me that getting wet is fun. we can always dry out, and the floors can be mopped up again.

we finally got them some rain boots and a princess umbrella (James in secure enough to flaunt a pink umbrella). They tromp around in them, and not much else, all the time!

Beaches

2010-10-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

This beach is called Point No Point. Ponder that title for a while and let meknow what ya think. This picture was taken in April and it was pretty cold still. I was amazed when we walked out onto the beach and there were ladies laying out...in Bikinis! I had two coats on! It terrified me, I thought- "Oh no! THIS is summer here...and it is so cold!" Luckily it got a lot warmer.

In the distance is the Point No Point Light House. Anna thought it was great to see an actual Light House. She kept singing "It's a Brazzle Dazzle Day" from Pete's Dragon. Dave burried the kids in the sand and they even made a sand castle. It was fun!

From the light house we could see Mt. Rainier. It is amazing! Because everything around that mountain is at sea level...it just stands alone looming over its surroundings. It has become one of my favorite sights. When I see it number one- it means that it is not currently raining (yeah!) and it simply takes my breath away. Anna like to recognize it too. Whenever she sees it she says,"mom, there is that big snowy mountain!"

Here is a video of the kids playing at the beach at Kitsap Lake. This lake is near Dave's Office. We went here to just throw rocks into the water but you can see that did not last long. Anna was running around in the water with just her undies on and James' Diaper was so wet that I thought he might sink to the bottom of the lake. They had fun though, even if bystanders thought we were crazy. Uncle Dylan was with us and he got pretty wet too.

Another new found Beach activity that we experienced was digging for clams and muscles while we were in Whidbey Island. we had the greatest expert explain to us the process. Her name is Maureen and she is a friend of G.ma Nix. She is 104 years old so she did not climb down to the waters edge with us. However her great instructions led us to success! Dave and I agreed that getting the clams is way more fun than eating them.

Life in Washington = Water Fun!!!!

2010-10-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

I decided that since our life here in Washington has orbited around water and all the new components of enjoying water- I would show you some of our new favorite past times....all, of course, having to do with water. (it is a theme- he he! I am not only posting I am trying to be cute about it!)

This picture is of us starting out our hike around Crescent Lake. It is a beautiful lake that is shaped like a big smile- or crescent. This is one of the first outings we took here in Washington. For those of you who might not know we moved to Washington. We have been living in Bremerton since the middle of March. Our move here is temporary and was going to be six months (if you did the math, we are still here and we do not know yet how long we will be staying). We have enjoyed it!

Ok- back to Crescent Lake...we hiked around the lake for a while but it was cold so we settled for throwing roskc into the water until Anna and James had little frozen fingers.

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

Just in case I don't get back to this for a while -highly likely- Consider this picture that we took today our SEASONS GREETINGS to you!

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU - BOTH!!!!!

This year was our first year having a Friend Party for Anna. We invited some of her friends to a place called Jumpin Jacks. It is a bif building full of blow up slides and jump houses. It was so fun. Anna turned 3 on the 5th of december and James turned 1 on the 3rd.

Even though it was Anna's party James just scooted all over the place trying to get in on the action. (for those of you who have not seen James scoot, you are missing out. We have a video but I don't know how to put it on here yet- soon. Anyway, he crawls with one leg and then just drags the other one in the sitting poistion in front of him. It is funny and I can't write the description. He looks like a monkey thought and everywhere we go people comment about it. Dave calls him "the missing link")

Anna had so much fun. She ran and jumped and went down the slide. It was paradise for her and it was worth it to see her so happy. Her hair was standing straight up and her face had a smile on it the whole time (for those of you who know our little serious/grumpy girl that was great to see)!

As you can see it was fun for the all of us!

We also had a family party with G.ma and G.pa Fisher, G.ma Janet, Aunt Rosie. Uncle James and Uncle Dylan. G.ma Suzy made the cakes and cup cakes you can see that James started out slow but soon figured out just how to devour a cupcake!

We love all of our family! We wish that everyone could have been here!

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Dave and I celebrated our 5 year Anniversary this year!!! Yeah us! I really wanted to go and spend some time near the Tetons- they are my favorite! So, we loaded up the kids and spent the weekend camping all together- was not quite the weekend we had planned but it was so great. It was pretty cold but notheing we could't handle (look at James bundled up by the fire- poor kid).
There were several wildfires that we didn't plan on so most of the camp grounds that I knew of were completely full. It turned out to be such a pleasant suprise though because we found a new place that was so beautiful.
We hiked to Inspiration Point by Jenny Lake. This hike has the option of riding a boat across the Lake to cut off a mile or two so we took the boat there but then hiked arounf the lake after we spent some time at Inspiration Point. Anyway, on the boat ride over Anna was delighted to get to ride the boat. She squeeled the whole across and even the grumpy passengers were laughing by the time we got to the other side of the lake. It was so funny.

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

At the end of July or beginning of August my family met up in Island Park for the weekend.
My grandma has a cabin up there that we used to go to all the time when we were kids. It has been too long since we have all been there together. We fished and went boating of course (you can see that James is not happy about his life jacket) but some of my favorite times were when we stayed up playing "Texas Hold 'em" all night long. We always played cards up there when we were young so it brought back fun memories. Aunt Chrisitna came down for part of the trip and played cards with us and went on a hike too. It is always fun to have her around.

This Uncle Nate showing Anna how to fish. She had so much fun trying to catch fish. It is in her blood from both sides of the family and she can't deny the urge to catch those slippery lil suckers.

We love her Uncle Nate and we are so glad that he is patient with her.

I really love this picture..I think it so precious!

This is Anna that same day standing in the water just up stream from the bridge that goes over Henry's Fork right by Mack's Inn.

After she tried to catch a fish on her pole that Uncle Nathan made her out of stick some line and a hook, she just decided to wade out in the water and catch a fish for herself. Really all she did was wade around in very cold water with her dinosaur that Aunt Christina bought her in Montana. She had so much fun with her cousin Stella as they both got soaking wet. James was just sitting on the river bank eating rocks watching the two girls play and splash.

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

Dave had to work a lot this summer and there were a couple of trips that he had to miss. However when he was home he was hanging out with us! The kids love him and enjoy life more when he is around. In this picture we just got home from swimming and are getting ready for bed. Anna knows that she can sweet talk her dad into a bedtime story just by tilting her head and saying "please".

Another fun thing that Anna (and Sorta James- he just supervised this year but next year he will help) loves to do with her daddy is to wash the car. She really loves to help wash the Z car because it is more her hieght and she can reach all the things that need to be cleaned. She scrubs the tires and washes the doors. She is definately her daddy's girl- she will always tell me that my car is dirty and I need to wash it. Thanks that is all I need another thing to clean. Needless to say it is one of their favorite "projects" to do together.

Despite how much hard work Dave did this summer he did get in a good couple of trips. One of the vacations that he got to go on was a fishing trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. He went with his cousins and they flew into this little landing strip in some tiny little skinny canyon and then float down the river fishing and playing and getting rained on the whole way down. He had lot of fun and it was a well deserved trip with the guys!

Dave decided to shave his head to go on his fishing trip. So, we then decided that it would be cute to shave buddy boy's head too. Well, as soon as we did it my heart was sad. It really wasn't cute at all. Well, of course it was cute still but not cute like little baby boy cute it was cute like good thing he has such an adorable face because now he looks like a gangster cute. Anyway, here is a picture of lil bald boy. We went on a family hike that day to Stewart Falls up Provo Canyon. (thanks g.ma Suzy for taking the picture and going with us).

We really loved that days that Dave was home. He got Fridays off most of the Summer and we tried to go on a hike or something fun almost every friday.

We love that we get to live by so many fun and beautiful places.

One of the reasons that Dave was able to get Fridays off is because he worked clear out in Dugway Proving Grounds. Huh, don't know where that is..well welcome to the common population- that is because it is in the middle of NOWHERE! He He He. Dave's family thinks that we live in the middle of nowhere but Dygway is another hour west into the desert. Anyway, since he has to travel so far (actually it is not too far from us because we do live quite west already- an hour for us aint no thang) and he works on a federal government base he gets fridays off. We have tried to go out to visit him s couple of times. This is James in his daddy's office. A Fisher boy on a Job-site...hmm that's weird.

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Goblin Valley:

This Spring we went with some friends, the Saunders, to Goblin Valley. The weather during the day was great but it was a little chilly at night.

So we bundled up by the fire and watched Anna's light form her headlamp bob up and down and she ran around in the dark with her friend. She loves wearing her headlamp and insists on wearing it in the garage when she does projects with her daddy.

James did really well in the tent and even though he was four months old he slept the best when he was in his own sleeping bag.

We spent the most of one day hiking around the Goblins. Anna insisted that the rocks looked more like "Longneck" dinosaurs than Goblins.

After our adventure in Goblin Valley we went on our annual family hike through Little Wild Horse Canyon. I have to say that we are getting batter at carrying our babies through there. Anna walked most of the hike on her own and I carried James, and I did not even bonk his head or anything.

(When we took Anna her first time she was 3 months old and we kept hitting her head on the canyon walls.)

This year there was water a little over half way through so we were not able to do the loop, but the kids really loved throwinf rocks into the muddy water. Anna wanted to swim through it but her mom would not let her.

We had a lot of fun and can't wait to go there again next spring. No matter how many times we go it is always fun!

Fisher Family Fun- A Year in Review

2009-12-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

One of Anna's favorite places to visit this year was the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. She has been with her cousins, both her Grandmas, her mom, and her dad but I think that one of her favorite trips was with her Uncle Dylan...he gets right into the action with her and isn't afraid to get a little wet.

March Madness

2009-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ok- So I am attempting to update our blog!!!! Look outside in the sky....are there any pigs flying around?

So this is my first try at this so please be kind. I had to make my mother in law show me how to do this. She has to help me a lot- pretty much with anything domestic.
Life in the fisher home is going great! Dave got a new job in January and he loves it. It has been great to see him return to his old self again. It is nice what a new challange nd a little appreciation can do.

I have been working on trying to zone again.

Luckily my clients are patient with me as I

try to take care of my kids while I am zoning

them. Actually I usually end up saving James

from his sister, she knows that when I am

zoning she is able to get away with more

stunts- so that is usually when she tries to

see just how tightly those little baby eyes are

set into his head.

Poor Boy. He is really patient with us.

JAMES:

This little boy is my saving grace. He is so gentle and happy. He already seems to be the peace maker. Wheneer I get mad at Anna, he sticks out his bottom lip, clouds up and looks me right in the eye like, "please don't get mad mom". After that I usually end up calming right down and realizing that all is well. He is a happy boy who was smiling right out of the chute!

He loves his sister and spends most of his time watching her with amazement and fear.

Dave can make him laugh. They get along very well - Of course! But for all intents and purposes this boy is a mamma's boy and I LOVE it! He always gives me such special lil smiles that melt my heart. He loves to snuggle and eat! We weighed him at three months and he weighed 17 pounds! My brother swears that he will go pro! Heaven knows that he is built for it and with the help of his sister he will be tough enough.

As of today he has blue eyes. Dave is hoping that they stay blue (to match his own)- I can't say that I blame him- they are quite a pair of beautiful eyes!. I love my handsome boys!!!!

ANNA:
Anna runs the show at our house. Between her

and I there is no lack of cheifs around here!

Dave keeps busy with the two of us bossing

him around. Anna is a determined, brilliant and curious girl . She is beautiful and sassy. We love her and the older she gets the more interesting our conversations are. She does not miss a thing. If I say or do something that I shouldn't you can bet that she repeats it....usually at church!

She loves the garbage truck, snowmobiles, her train set and dinosaurs. She loves to go to the "dinosaurs' house" (the museum)with maura suzy, play with the dinosaurs that aunt Beaner bought her, and to listen to the dinosaur Wee Sing book/cd set that maura janet bought her.

____________________________________________________________________

This month we have enjoyed the fact that the weather is geting nicer it is still chilly but it is getting much warmer. We planted our peas and extended our little garden. we are going to try to grow even more this year! I love it.

I try to go for walks as often as I can and the kids are nice to go with me. Like they have a choice. We love our chariot stroller. Don't they look so cozy in there!

I am trying to walk a lot to loose some of the weight I gained from James. it is not coming off quite as easy as it did with Anna.

Last week for Family Home evening we took the kids swimming. Anna loves to go and is getting so brave. She will float around the lazy river by herself (wearing her life jacket). This was James' first time going and you tell that he took this in stride just like everything else. He is just sitting there chilling with his dad.

We had fun. We have been so happy with the fact that we can take our kids on so many adventures with us. Getting out is definately different and little bit harder but it is still do-able and fun!

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BIRTHDAY FUN

The Yurt-

For my birthday this year dave rented a yurt (a round structure in the mountains that has bunk beds, fireplace and basic amenities). We strapped our kids onto the snowmobiles with us and then attached our stroller to the back of one of the snow machines and filled it with our food and bedding. We got lost getting to the yurt (it was dark when we got there), so when we got there it was really cold- 17 degrees. Anna thought that it was pretty neat that she could see her breath (she kept calling it smoke). We started a fire and all snuggled close together in our sleeping bags and fell asleep. The fire had gone out and by morning it was 20 degrees again. The kids and I all got into the King Soloman (that is Dave's new sleeping bag by Big Agnes- it fits at least two adults and a baby- we love it) while dave rekindled the fire. James and I slept in even longer while Dave and Anna played outside making "frosties". The Yurt got upto 70 degrees and it was a blast.

____________________________________________________________________

Next we celebrated my mom's birthday! We just hung out together and watched the Wizard of Oz. The kids sure love their "maura" Janet. She lives a few blocks from us and it is fun to have her so close. She is always so willing to spend time with the kids. They really enjoy her attention and love.

James Elden Fisher Dec. 3rd, 2008

2008-12-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the newest addition to the Fisher family. James Elden Fisher was born at 7:08am on December 3rd. He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 20" tall. He is a great little guy and we are very happy to have him in our family.

3rd Anniversary - Sept 24-25, 2007

2008-07-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Kara told me that I was in charge of the anniversary plans last year since she had pretty much taken care of it the last 2 years. I told her that that was no problem and went on my way. Since I had a couple of months I did not give it another thought. Of course, as the day was quickly approaching, Kara kept asking me what we were doing. I just kept telling her that I had it all worked out, which she did not believe. As the day got even closer, Kara told me that we could just go to dinner or something since nothing noteable had been arranged by me. I assured her that we were going to do something fun and not to worry. I told her it would be a surprize. Kara really likes surprizes so she backed off a little. A couple of days before our anniversary, I started to hear things like "you really have not planned anything have you", and "I will figure out something since you have been so busy at work". I continued to assure her that it would be a great surprize which was not working as well as it had before. Honestly, my confession to everyone today, including Kara, is that she was excactly right! I did not have the slightest idea what the big surprize was going to be! There, I said it. Whew! That felt good. Now, as the adrenaline started kicking in and the sweat started to pour out of me, I knew that I had to pull off a miracle. It was Friday afternoon and our anniversary was Saturday. With nothing coming to mind, I had pretty much realized that my life was over. I had to come clean and tell Kara that she was right. Driving slowly toward the freeway to go home from work and receive my beating, I saw such a beautiful sight that I almost cried. The sign read: Harley-Davidson. I was saved! I rushed over and reserved a Street Glide for us to take out and cruise on for 2 days. The end of September is not the high season for motorcycle rentals so it was not problem lining it up. My mind was ablaze with the many possibilities that now lay before me. I decided that we would ride it to Snow Basin where we got married, then cruise through the mountains and end up at Snowbird to spend the night. We would then cruise all day Sunday. I made the arrangements for Janet to watch Anna and the room at Snowbird, then called Kara. I was askec again what we were doing and with almost uncontainable excitement I explained that it would be a surprize but that she should wear warm clothes. I was asked if there would be electricity where we were going, to which I answered, "I assume so". When asked about stuff to take, I just said that we would be carrying it so pack light. I had not actually seen the motorcycle and was too excited to ask if it had saddle bags. I told her that she asked me to plan the activities so that is exactly what I did. After all, it is my anniversary too you know. I kept her in suspense that night and the next morning. She did not have any idea what was going on until we pulled into the parking lot of the Harley-Davidson store. That was all it took for her to put all the pieces together. She was now just as excited as I was. Little did she know that I had hatched this plan only the night before. Sorry about the long story, but I really felt like I had to tell it, for my own sake. Here are some pictures from our awesome anniversary planned by yours truly, just in the nick of time. I am going to add "works well with deadlines and under extreme pressure" on my resume!

Snow Basin, Needles Lodge patio exactly where we were I became the happiest man alive! The weather was better 3 years ago. Good thing we did not wait!

Cruising in the rain! The weather was not ideal for motorcycle rinding but we did not care. We knew there would be hot tubs at Snowbird.

Sunday morning riding down the canyon from Snowbird.

Our little "Harley-Anna". We missed her a lot! This was the first time we both left her overnight. (please note for planning purposes: no matter how far it is to go back and get the "pump", DO IT! If you need further info, ask Kara)

Family Pictures

2008-07-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Sitting in my tent office at work the other day a little bored watching a bunch of Bolivians push dirt around, I started organizing my pictures I have on my computer. It was fun to go through all of them and remember how much fun my little family has had over the last few years. One of the folders I thought was particularly interesting was one labeled "family pictures" where I put all of the pictures that we have taken of all three of us together. As it turns out, we have had quite a bit of fun together. These are not the typical family pictures that everyone has grown to hate. Instead, these are pictures of us doing what we love with those we love. Unfortunately, the following pictures are only the ones I had saved on my work computer. I will try to fill in the gaps when I get home from Bolivia. Enjoy!

I guess this constitutes the "3 of us". This is right before we moved from the duplex.

Here we are only a few short weeks since that last picture. Dec 5, 2006

New House, new baby, cute wife, new job, done with school. What more could a guy want?

Millcreek canyon snowshoeing. Feb 2007.

Little Wild Horse Canyon Utah. March 2007.

Denver Colorado. April 2007

James and Rose's Wedding. May 2007

Little Wild Horse Canyon Utah. Second trip right after the wedding. May 2007 Anna's hiking buddies were Sam, Heather and Christina.

Gobblin Valley Utah. May 2007
Yellowstone, May 2007. 4 Generations of Carlson women. What an exciting trip! I was a little out numered as you can see.

Camping in Monte Cristo Utah with our friends Curtis, Joslyn and Braxton. June 2007.

Oxford Peak (approx. 10,000ft) with my dad. June 2007.

Denver Colorado. July 2007.

Lagoon, Farmington Utah. July 2007.
Wind Rivers Green River Lakes canoe trip. August 2007.

Salmon River Steelhead fishing. November 2007.

Chad and Christina's house. Livingston Montana December 2007.

Jordan River Parkway. December 2007.

Snow shoeing with the Saunders. Grizzly Gulch, Alta Utah. January 2008.

Silver Lake. Brighton Utah. June 2008.

Dave in Bolivia May 08 and July 08

2008-07-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

I had the oportunity to work in Bolivia this summer. Yes I said work. It was for about 4 weeks at a time and I went twice. An AMEC office in Canada had done some engineering for a South American mining company called Sinchi Wayra. The company is operating a mineral concentrator in a little town called Don Diego, near Potosi Bolivia. The bi-product of the mineral concentration process is tailings, basically, left over minerals they cannot use. These tailings are piped in a slurry solution to a holding reservoir where the solid part settles out and the water is pumped back to the plant. I know, bla-bla-bla-bla. The point is, I am here overseeing the construction of a earth dike, or actually, the raising of the previous dike since it is just about full. It has proven to be quite an expirience living and working at about 14,000 ft. Between the animal sacrifices, blocked roads and almost getting deported, I have quite a few interesting stories. Come visit us and I will tell you all about it. Here are just a few pictures so you can see what I am doing here working at least 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Not a vacation I assure you.

This is what it looked like when I got here. (this is the existing dike) They are just starting to excavate the foundation of the new dike.

This is what it looks like right now standing on the top of the smaller dike.(July 19).

Different view. Original dike on the left, new big dike on the right. We have placed about 4.2 million cubic feet of fill in front of the old dike and as you can see, still have more to go.

How about this for a ladder? Nothing wrong here OSHA/MSHA, honest.

Here is looking down the old dike. My spacious "tent" office is the orange, half dome one on the left. Nice huh? The workers actually live in the tents and buildings in the middle of the picture.

Me at work.

View from behind the smaller dike of the reservoir.

Here is a picture of our "mascot" the llama who is helping us make sure we have no accidents. Our "mascot" is actually no longer with us but is still with us at the same time on the project. You will have to ask me about this to protect our younger viewers. Nice party hats.

This is a picture of the city of Potosi, Bolivia. Pretty beautiful city don't you think?

UPDATED! House Projects Summer 2008

2008-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

This summer we had some big plans for some

house projects. One of them was puting making access to the back yard and having a place to sit and relax with family and friends in the cool evenings of the summer. There has always been only one way to get out to the back of the house. That was through the garage, having to open the garage door. I have never liked this about my little house so we changed it. Now, at the bottom of the stairs on the main floor there is a sliding door where the window used to be. Since there was not much extra space to hang out we put a huge deck out the door. I goes 2 feet past the side of the house and runs the lenght of the garage. I have not put the top part on it yet but we have

been using it quite successfully without that being done. The door and the deck have really added to our little house and we are very happy with it. Anna has a place to play that she can be watched easily and still be outside. I will post a picture of the finished product soon.

Ok, I finally made some time to update the Fisher family house renovation project post.

Here is a picture of the deck, finished now.

Here is another view. Of Course the deck would

not be complete without its own set of Snowbird wings. Anna now has a great place to play, drive her car and swing and Kara and I have a nice place to relax with our friends and family outside.

Since the Deck was not enough work and money, we decided to put Hardwood flooring in the living room. The carpet had to go anyway so why not replace it with somthing that costs a lot and takes a lot of time. It makes perfect sense. Kara and I talked about it and I made a call to my "buddy who knows how to get things" and next thing I know, he is at my house with a truck full of 3/4" thick natural hickory hardwood, a nice table saw, a fancy Bostich nailer and all the fasteners. Jason, you are my hero! Anyway, Kara had gone to a see Christina in Montana so I had some time to make some noise and work late into the night. I am glad it is done and it was quite a surprize for Kara when she got home. Anna seems to really like it too. I have to give credit to my two helpers, Jason and Sam who burned the midnight oil with me to the point of wall smashing delirium to get this done. I installed new base boards which finished it off quite nicely. When Kara came home, we realized that we could not put the couch back in here that we took out since it fits so well in the basement so a couple new couches, an area rug and a big rocking chair were purchased. For anyone considering doing this, it is the indirect costs that "get you" so budget for those too. I am very happy with how it turned out and so is my family. Special thanks to my helpers and my family for appreciating the work I do. Here are a few pictures.

Spruces - June 26-27

2008-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Since I was home from Bolivia for a few weeks, Kara and Anna and I went and had a little camp out at the Spruces up Big Cottonwood Canyon. It was fun to get out into the mountains and spend some quality time together. Kara really wanted to go camping while I was home. I was assuming I would have plenty of time to take my girls up the canyon but that all changed when I got the call to change my ticket and get to Bolivia as soon as possible. When this happened, I took Thursday and Friday of of work so I could hang out with my girls before my next trip. Of course, I could not have us go camping without the latest in camping gear, so this was the debut of the Big Agnes "King Solomon" and a new 3 man tent, also from Big Agnes. The bag was awesome, but the tent is going back becuse it is too small for 2 people and a little girl who likes to sleep sideways. For any of you who may be in the market for the greatest sleeping bag ever made, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. We hung out and ate hotdogs and smores and had a great time by the fire. Anna really liked to push her little chair around instead of sit in it. She really is little miss independent. Hmmm. Who can guess where that comes from? The roasting sticks I brought were too short and the fire was too hot so I had to improvise a little but is worked out well and we all got full on marshmellows and hotdogs. Hey, is that that guy from Flock of Seagulls? Wait, maybe it is Bon Jovi. Actually it is me. I had not cut my hair for about 4 months so

it was getting pretty long and out of control. I was ready to just shave it all off when Kara said that she wanted to try and cut it for me. That was fine with me so I borrowed the buzzers and scissors from mom (most likely the same ones she used to cut my hair 25 years ago) and Kara got to work.

An hour or so later, this is what resulted. We worked on it a little more and it actually turned out pretty well so I cannot tease her too bad. We set up the tent and got everything ready for bed. Kara had made Anna her own little bed beside us but of course, that was not in Anna's plans for the night. She seems to think that sleeping in a tent means "party all night". She just cruises around the tent laying on Kara and I in different positions, testing out every possible spot (like a little puppy) until she settles for her favorite, legs on dad and head on mom. It only takes about an hour or so for her to nessle in so of course we Kara and I slept very well. Thankfully the new sleeping bag is actually big enough for the 3 of us so at least we were able to sleep a little. When the larger tent comes, Anna will have her own sleeping bag to roam around in and plenty of space to do it. We got up the next morning and made a breakfast of eggs, oatmeal and hashbrowns which turned out pretty well. We walked around a bit in the morning and then decided to break camp. We did not have a ton of time so we drove up to Silver lake by Brighton Ski Resort and made the loop around the lake. It was a beautiful day and fun to just hang out in the mountains with my family. Here is a video I took at our little camp site. It is pretty long but is is fun to watch Anna run around and make a bunch of her animal sounds. Overall the trip was sucessful and all of us had a good time.