Almost perfect

     The cloud of dust following me up the gravel road had settled around the camper upon my arrival and just like that my elk hunt had begun.  Dad, Curt, and Ryan had all been here most of the week and each had hiked arguably more miles in this one week than they would for the rest of the year, all to no avail as they had yet to get a shot off at an elk.  They had successfully put themselves in the right situations nearly every day, but if you've ever hunted elk with a bow before you understand how the cards must all line up perfectly just to get a shot.
     The three of them had gotten into the elk earlier in an area not too far from camp so Curt, Ryan, and I decided to head back into the same are Friday night in hopes of finding the elk again.  Action was going to go check out a different area that he and Curt had tried early in the week.  We walked through some of the same area they had seen the elk before and found nothing, bugling our way through the trees in hopes of hearing a call back we got back to camp just after dark, Curt was so tired from the week of walking that he was already talking of throwing in the towel for this season.  That all changed though and Curt's legs received a boost of energy when Action returned to camp with some inspiring news, he had spotted 30-40 elk in the area he was at!  The four of us ate dinner as we devised a plan for the morning, all of us as giddy as teenagers on their first hunt!  The plan was simple, given the location of where Dad found the elk we would locate them again right at daylight, watch them go to bed, then sneak in on them.
     The following morning I awoke from excitement around 4:30 and lie there trying to force myself to get some much needed rest until Action got up to make coffee.  The four of us headed out in two different pick ups and just as the sun began lighting up the sky enough to see clearly we spotted them, they hadn't moved through the night!  The elk appeared as though they were in a location where they could feed and bed so we decided that Ryan and I, the two guys with the freshest legs, would hike in the 2 miles along the willow bottom and try to get on top of the elk.  Meanwhile Dad and Curt were going to go back up the bottom and find a good high spot to sit in anticipation that if Ryan and I spook the elk they would come towards them.  Much like every single elk hunt I've ever been a part of devising this one seemed fool proof in my head!
     So Ryan and I took off and very quickly our estimation of two miles felt a lot more like ten!  Once we got into the willow bottom we slowed down and began creeping from tree to tree, trying to stay hidden as well as keeping an eye on the elk to make sure they haven't spotted us.  What little bit of morning breeze there was blew directly in our face which helped is get as close as possible to the elk.  We finally approached the end of the willow bottom and now there was nothing standing between us and the elk but dry grass, if we were to get a shot now we would have to call one of the bulls down to us.  The elk were positioned in the perfect spot for their own safety, they were on top of a grassy hill with nothing but sagebrush flats behind them and the willow bottom in which we sat below them.  From their perch they could see for miles in every direction and they had an extremely accessible escape route behind them.  
     There was four or five bulls in this herd and Ryan had picked out the best one, a nice full racked six point.  He ranged them at around 300 yards and I could tell by the way they were acting that it was going to take some luck to get this guy to come down the hill to us.  I began calling and every time I would send out a note al of the elk would turn our direction, the six point began to come towards us but after he stepped away from the cows a short distance he decided against coming down into the willows to see what I wanted.  The longer we sat there calling the less interested he was, I could almost hear him telling me to come up the hill if I want to play that bad!  They slowly fed their way over the top and out the escape route previously mentioned and just like that our chance was over.  We stood up and looked back at Ryan's pick up, which was so far away we could barely make out it's shape, and our legs immediately got tired!  
     We regrouped at camp and Dad decided to head back home, Curt officially became camp cook, and Ryan and I decided to give it one more shot that evening.  We headed up into the national forest, an area that none of us had hunted before and Ryan and I made about a 4 mile loop through some of the best looking country we'd seen, only to find old elk sign and fresh wolf sign!  We came back to camp where our cook had prepared dinner for us and not long after dinner our bodies shut down for the night.  The following morning we broke down camp and headed home.
     Every time I leave elk camp, I am somewhat depressed form our lack of success.  But then as I'm driving down the road thinking about the time I spent with my family and the encounters we had with the mighty whapati, I am thankful for the opportunities I have.  SOme of my most memorable times in life have come from a long walk in the woods with a bow strapped to my back.  I realize every time I go elk hunting that I don't simply hunt to put meat in the freezer, I am equally as satisfied with the chance to spend some quality time with the ones that I love.  During a break in a spot so deep in the woods we were nearly on the Idaho border, Ryan and I questioned if there's any place one could feel closer to God than the serenity of the woods surrounded by a stillness so quiet the only audible sound being the beat of your own heart.  Sharing a passion of the outdoors with those that you love, that is the measure of a successful elk hunt in my book!

Remember, sometimes almost perfect is exactly what is needed!

Back to reality!

     Well our trip to Seattle is officially over and we have settled back into reality.  While we were away no one had left a couple million dollars in our mail box, so Kelli and I both had to get back to work.  Getting back to your daily routine after a fun relaxing vacation such as that is always hard but it must be done!  Our last couple of days in the big city were amazing!  We wont talk about the game much because the wounds are still a little fresh from our terrible loss!  I will say however that we had a really fun time, the only truly bad thing was the hearing loss we all surely have because of how loud it was in there!  The Seahawk fans are always loud, their noise level just reaches unspeakable levels when they are winning!
     After the game was over we had dinner at the cheesecake factory, followed by watching the sunset on the city from the North side of lake Union.  This created some unforgettable views and when it was completely dark the city lights glowed with a fascination form this small town boy that won't soon be matched!  On our way back to the house we stopped and listened to the Gregorian chants at the Episcopal church, this was an unbelievably moving experience!  The church men's choir has done this every Sunday night for over 50 years and they open the entire church to seating however you wish.  The four of us laid out a blanket and lie on the floor looking up at the 30' tall ceilings, letting the soothing hymns cleanse our souls.
     Our drive home the next day went pretty fast, we stopped in Spokane and had dinner with my parents, it was great to be able to see the Spokane clan both on the trip over and our return trip!  JAG's world famous clam chowder hit the spot as we'd all been in desperate need of a hoe cooked meal!
     Now that our work week is coming to a close I am getting ready to head out this evening to meet up with the rest of the guys at elk camp down in the Bighole valley.  Dad, Curt, and Ryan have all been there most of the week and I hope to get down there and get a chance to fill our freezer!  If things go well I will return Sunday night with a really good story:)

Remember, the easiest way to cope with reality is to immediately plan another vacation!:)

Game day!!

It's a beautiful fall morning in the big city of Seattle and the four of us are preparing ourselves for the big game!! The last couple of days have been amazing as we spent pretty much the entire day yesterday taking in all of the city life time would allow! We spent the morning down at Pike market watching the fish get tossed around, saw the very first Starbucks but passed on a coffee as the line was roughly 45 deep at 8am. This was followed by some downtown shipping which Kelli hated, if you know my wife you know that's a joke:), then we headed to the university district for lunch and more shopping. Bryant and I spent close to an hour in the Microsoft store playing Madden '13 while the girls heated up their credit cards in Pottery Barn! Then our evening finished off with a fancy dinner at Purple followed by a stroll through the lobby of the Fairmont in hopes of spotting one of the Cowboys! Now we're heading out the door to catch the bus for the game, I'll post the next chapter of our adventure after our win this afternoon!:).

GO COWBOYS!!!!!

First time for everything!

     Yesterday brought with it my annual visit to the dentist for a check up, or as I like to refer to it, how many do I have this year!  You see I am what you would call a cavity head, I don't know if it's the fact that I floss about once every ten days or that all 32 of my teeth are sweet ones and I consume sugar on a rather regular basis!  Whichever the reason is I typically don't go into the dentist very optimistic that I won't have to return for some fillings.  Even though I married a woman in the dental field who has tirelessly pleaded for me to take better care of my teeth, I still seem to find a way to slack off on my oral care.  
     This past year however I have made some significant improvements, I now floss a lot more regularly, and I have drastically cut down my sugar intake.  I also had Kelli clean my teeth and take x-rays last week and she couldn't see any noticeable cavities, so I went into yesterdays appointment with a slightly better expectation than normal!  My dentist probed around, looked at the x-rays, probed some more, took another x-ray forma different angle to double check a spot, probed around some more, and told me I was good!  I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, other than are you sure?!  Maybe it happened when I was younger and just don't remember, but this was the first time in my memory that I was cavity free!  I was so thrilled I nearly skipped out of the office!  As I waited for my bill to be processed I thought about going back and having him check one more time, this was such a foreign concept to me I wasn't sure how to react!
     So I guess the moral to this little story is, listen to your wife when she's giving you advise because she more than likely has your best interests in mind!  It only took me seven years for Kelli's advice to sink in, I can be a little stubborn, but I sure am glad I listened!  I know one thing, if there ever was a good reason to take my flossing from a few times a week to every day, this is it!  
     We are off to Seattle early tomorrow morning, should be a great time, I know were both really looking forward to it!  No cavities and a live Cowboys game, next weeks going to have to work pretty hard to live up to this one!:)

Remember, theres a first time for everything!:)

Happy customer

     Just in case you haven't heard, Kelli and I cancelled our dish service back in May, which means I have to plan ahead if I hope to watch my beloved Cowboys games this season!  When we decided to cancel it I had no problem though because living up here in Seahawk, Viking, Packer, nation we only get to view about four games a year anyway!  The fact that the  Seahawks-Rams game is televised over the Cowboys-Eagles game simply because of geographical preference will never make sense to me!  So for the first game of the year we headed down to the Dobsons for some steak and a well received victory from the 'Boys!  
     Tuesday and Wednesday were exceptionally bad days at work, you know the kind where nothing seems to go right at all, and I made the mistake of telling Kelli that I could handle bad days at work if it means the trade off is a Cowboys win:)  Well the work week kept up it's end of the deal as I swear I was under more trailer houses than real houses, but for the sake of my own personal sanity I won't relive the work week again!
     Instead I will focus on the positives, that's what an optimist is supposed to do right:)  So when I got back to the shop yesterday afternoon I went to get into my personal pick-up and noticed my back passenger side tire was about half flat!  I know what your thinking, I thought he was going to focus on the positives, don't worry, I am.  I grabbed the air compressor and pumped the tire back up then called Bitteroot Ford, where we bought the tires, and asked them if they did free flat repairs on the tires they sell.  They told me of course they do and told me to bring it down.  When I got to the dealership I went into the service desk and explained my issue and he looked at his schedule and told me "Sorry, I don't have anyone here right now who can do that".  Needless to say I was slightly agitated!  I went into a small rant on why the heck they told me to come down if they didn't have any tire guys there, and asked him if I was supposed to believe that the technicians he had there could rebuild a motor but were incapable of busting a simple tire!  I nearly offered to do it myself using their tools!  Surely that would have ended in disaster, but I was a little upset and willing to try to prove a point.
     So I stormed out of Bitteroot Ford, remembering that when we bought the tires we had a similar experience and vowed to never use them again, and drove down the street to Les Schwab.  I'm sure you've all heard their latest ad campaign using real stories to depict how great of a service they provide, I figured if I was going to have to pay for a repair I might as well give them a shot.  Well they treated me with the best customer service possible from the start!  I told the guy about my experience down the road and he tried to hide his smile and simply said, "we hear that one a lot".  They wheeled my truck back, pulled the screw out of it, made the repair and when I went to pay the guy told me this one was on them!  Now granted it was only going to be a $16 repair, but if your wondering how to improve on return customers take a page out of the Les Schwab book, they took a ticked off customer and completely turned his day around!  I can tell you this, we won't have any questions about where to buy tires ever again!  
     So with the work week behind us and no plans for the weekend, we look forward to a couple of days to unwind and recharge for another busy week!  Kelli starts a new job on Wednesday, she was putting in more hours than I was at work so she's going back to hygiene part time so she'll have the same income with much less hours!  She's excited about it and looking forward to utilizing the degree she worked so hard for!  Just two days after she starts her new job the Ralstons and us our heading West to Seattle to watch the Cowboys!!  I haven't seen the 'Boys live since Action took us to the game in Arizona, that must have been about 1994!  I still remember that day and how giddy I was and I fully expect the same level of excitement next Sunday, I would love to see another win so I guess I better mentally prepare myself for another week spent underneath trailers!  Oh well, it's totally worth it!:)

Remember, if you stop and think about it, even your worst of days have good moments!

How 'bout them Cowboys!!

     As expected our Labor day weekend was a blast!  We took off with our good friends Hailey and Bryant to Haileys family cabin on Flathead lake Saturday night, where we spent the evening hanging out listening to music, playing board games and enjoying the spectacular view!

     We then headed up the west shore to Dayton where we met up with Haileys parents, drove over to Big Fork to listen to the Singing Sons of Beaches, then came back to take a little dinner cruise on their 1971 lobster boat!  We dropped anchor in a calm bay off Wildhorse island and barbecued burgers before heading back into the marina just before dark.  The four of us then slept on the boat, which was possibly the best sleep any of us have had since we were babies, the boat rocked us to sleep like an adult sized cradle!  

     We woke from the boat Monday morning and drove around the lake and down to Helmville for our second annual trip to the rodeo.  I love the Helmville rodeo because they still do things the way they were done 50 years ago, no smoke and fire, just rodeo!  Of course they do some sheep riding but in Helmville it's referred to as "Championship mutton bustin'". This is always a crowd favorite and it was made even better this year as the rodeo secretaries little boy helped one of the bullfighters out.  He got into his stance every time and was right there to help the riders up and encourage them with a high five.  

     The only lowlight of the entire weekend was the phone call from the Dobsons Monday morning telling us they came home from spending the weekend in Glendive to find a broken water line under their kitchen sink!  We went down there Monday night to cap off the water lines so they could have running water again and the better part of half of their laminate flooring had to be removed by the restoration company because of water damage!  Luckily I'll be able to do the plumbing repairs for them, which will help the cost a little bit.  They're dealing with this in the best of ways however as Dan told us that night, "things could be worse they could be dealing with cancer or something much more difficult than this".  I couldn't agree with him more, even though watching your kitchen and living room be turned into a construction zone for a couple weeks is pretty tough to deal with, there are far worse things to have to tackle in life!  
     So we are having our weekly dinner get together down at their house tonight which won't hurt my feelings at all, we don't have cable anymore and the Cowboys open the NFL season tonight against the Giants!  It's the first game of the new season and of course my hopes are just as high as they are every year, sometimes I think the only person in the world besides me who has as much faith in his team going all the way every single year is Jerry Jones!
With that todays closing is simple.....how 'bout them Cowboys!!!!!

Remember, hopeful optimism can only go so long before it's deemed desperation!