Sweden

I am heading off to Sweden on a business trip. One of the manufactures of our core drills is head quartered in Stockholm and I get a free trip to see the drill selection. Sounds pretty cool, although November wouldn't be my first choice of a month to do this. We fly to Paris and on the way back get a day there. The skirt is very jealous and I wish she could come with me, especially in Paris. But some other time I'm sure. I will be gone a week and that comes right after we move out of the Hayden Lake house. I am going to miss living there although I didn't spend much time there the last six months. We will be homeless for the winter which is freaking us both out a bit. All our stuff is going in storage up here in North Idaho. In the spring we will decide where we will live, Hayden or St. George. This Obama like decision is the best we came up with after months of discussing it. At that time we will go with the public option.

Yakutat

Just got back from a few days in Yakutat Alaska. I had a great time. The weather was perfect and the fishing unbelievable. Had a fun time seeing Andrew and going out in his boat. We did a fly out in the bush in a small plane and had the best fishing day of our lives. See the fish in the picture, I caught him and about 50 of his buddies on a fly rod (which I broke) Out in the middle of nowhere and had the river to ourselves Just a great experience.

24 Hours In Elko

A day in the drilling game. Got up at 4:30 as usual. Stopped at our office in Elko and checked on the inventory (which I'm in charge of now for some reason) Drove the 45 miles to the mine for shift change. Got the crew lined out and underground. Did reports for four hours and then went underground to check on the 6 drills and crews. Had a drill broke down and helped the mechanics get it back up. Came out of the mine and stayed for shift change, left the mine at 7:30 got back to Elko at 8:30 Went to the Red Lion and ate dinner, was going to play some Blackjack but the tables were full, so I played 3 card poker for a while. (stupid ass game for people that can't count to 21). Lost 40 bucks and left. Got back to my room and talked to the skirt for a while and got to sleep at about 10:30. Woke up with a phone call at midnight, one the helpers got hurt and needed to go the hospital. Got up and met them at the office, took the dumbass to the hospital did the paperwork and dropped him off at home. ( Hurt shoulder my ass get back to work this is drilling not banking. ) Got back to the room at 4:30 slept in until 5:30 and went back to the mine, one of our drillers didn't show. Found out he was in jail, got pulled over the night before and had a warrant, tried to run and got tasered. We thought about bailing him out but decided to hell with him. Found out one of our drills is done out here for the year, have to lay off 6 people. I'm a little tired but don't remember why.

Dead Sexy

Admit it, you'd hit it.

My Wolf Pack

Pretty great ain't it?

UnderWorld

Tonight I start my first hitch as a crew foreman in the underground mine here near Elko. This is not what I had mind. But as the industry has contracted with the investor money drying up there is very little surface drilling (exploratory) going on anywhere. So that leaves the underground core drilling we do for clients with active underground gold operations.
I have very little experience underground so this is perfect that I am in charge of six drills and a crew of 15. This should also make the drillers who have spent years underground more than a little ticked off that I am their fearless leader. Oh well, tough shit I guess.
This mine is huge and I am pretty sure I will get lost down there tonight. I know where three drills are for sure the others not so much. We drive into this mine and our first drill is about five miles in and the furthest about eight miles, with hundreds of miles of roads and drifts all over the place. It is a busy mine and you constantly have to get out of the way of mining equipment. Noisy, dirty and dark. The other mine we are drilling in is closed down right now because of a major cave-in of the portal. Yee Ha.

Cowboy Logic

I have a driller on my crew that is an old Nevada cowboy that has been drilling for 30 years. He is the orneriest most cantankerous guy I have ever met. But at the same time he cracks me up with his profane tirades that usually have some gem of logic and wit to them. Like this one.
They had broken a mounting bracket for a water pump and it needed to be welded. I told him where the welder was and he informed me that he knew where it was but that there wasn't a welding helmet there. And he couldn't weld without one, so having a welder didn't help much -that having one without the other was pretty worthless and if we were going to have just one he preferred it be the helmet as it was lighter and would be easier to haul around.
I told him I was picking up on the sarcasm.

Balloons

Have you ever got balloons for a special occasion? It's real special. I remember once as a kid having 50 cents burning a hole in my pocket while I was watching some lame ass parade in Utah. I decided I needed a balloon. A few hucksters were wandering around selling them and I approached one old guy who had a few and asked him how much. A dollar he says. I grimaced and turned away crestfallen. I might add that was when I was 7 or 8 a dollar was still a substantial sum. That would be like paying five bucks for one now I would assume. I must have made a sorry impression on the old dude because when the parade ended he found me and gave the precious helium filled orb for free. Worthless to him of course with the festivities ending, he probably thought I was an orphan or something and thought he would make my day. I took it and held it and looked at it for awhile, not that great I had to admit. The best thing was letting it go and watching it climb out of sight. This was before I learned to inhale helium and talk like a chipmunk for hilarity.
I believe the experience left a lasting impression though because I don't much care for the things now. And I have a sweet wife that likes to give them to me for some reason. I finally told her straight up I didn't like them, don' want any, do not give them to me. Period. Harsh I know but enough is enough.
This past Valentine's Day I was working in Nevada like last year. I sent the skirt a gift and told her we would celebrate when I got home. I get back to my motel room that night and my message light is flashing. I call the front desk and they tell me I have a delivery. I walk down to get it and there behind the counter is a gigantic display of balloons - shit. They hand them over and I walk down the hallway dragging the thing hoping none of the drillers would see me.
This bouquet as it were was attached to a nice bottle of vino but it also had a big ass balloon that every time it was bumped burst into an annoying version or Roses Are Red My Love - really loud. A new level of hatred was achieved. I was going to let the air out of them when I remembered one of the drillers had just been dumped by his girlfriend and was sulking around. I tied them to his motel door and let him wonder who the hell they were from. He probably thought his girlfriend sent them. Haha. He never said anything so I don't what happened.
Anyway I love you baby but please, please no more balloons.

Josie Maiz Larsen

Our new granddaughter has arrived and she is cute as they come. We had a great time seeing her and her family last week. She is really sweet and we never put her down for four days. Now she is good and spoiled so we went home.

Bodie & Jett

I had a blast with my grandsons in St. George over Christmas. The smartest, funniest, cutest kids on earth. Soon to be joined by their little sister. Can't wait to hold her too.

Let It Snow My Ass

The view from our front door. 100 inches of snow in December. It ain't funny.
I spent our first day home from Utah digging out with a backhoe. More snow coming this week.

Midway Homestead

I just spent another night in Midway at this home. I have never lived here, didn't grow up there, but it still is very special to me. It is a great old home, rich in history and full of charm. In the winter, like this picture I just took, it is the epitome of a country Christmas. In the summer the lush yards, trees and pasture are perfect for being outside.

When we arrived on New Year's Eve it was lit up with Christmas lights and inside a fire was burning in the potbellied stove in the kitchen. Everyone is always welcome here. The extra bedroom is sometimes free but more often than not it is being occupied by one of the grandkids or whomever might be needing a place to stay or a hand up at the time. But no matter, people might shuffle around but you can always find a place to sleep, mom will even try to give you her bed if you don't refuse. But you will be welcome, always.

This is the house where my children spent summers and holidays. Where they took their first piano lessons. had great times with their cousins during the infamous 'Cousin Week' , where they petted their first bunny, took a pony cart ride with Grandpa, jumped on the trampoline and threw frisbees to Molly the dog for hours.

Over the years Midway has changed, like everything does. It has grown and people have moved there. The funny thing about change is we usually don't like it and sometimes for good reasons, but the most important things if we really cherish them don't change all that much. Yea, there is a tire store across the street (which seemed like the end of the world at the time, but is trivial now) and there are houses out back where hay fields once were. But in the confines of this small property, the trees are still tall, the grass green, the flowers still bloom, children still laugh and play and the beautiful old rock home still stands, full of love. My grandchildren go there now and I hope they always can.

Polka, Polka, Polka

On the way back to Coeur d'Alene we stopped in Midway on New Year's Eve. Dad was able to get us into a party at the Zermatt and we ended up having a great time. Incredible food and a polka band variety show that was very entertaining. ( things I can cross of my bucket list - spend New Years with a polka band ) And then they had music with a demented DJ who made me and some other dudes come up and dress as one of the Village People and do the YMCA song. Many peoples laughed at my expense, even though I nailed it big time. All in all a good time.