Hurray For Year Old Cake

Here it is, and yes it is nearly half gone! No thanks to Laura though!!! She hasn't deemed the cake 'good' enough to eat so I have been having some cake and ice cream the past few nights. Oh, I forgot to mention, this is our wedding cake from June 24, 2005 - it's been frozen for the past year. Anyway, I havn't had any trouble eatting it, but then again Laura calls me a garbage disposal because I eat just about anything - like it or not. Notice that the cake is on our countertop, otherwise known to most as a washing machine.

Saturday evening we went to a resturant in downtown Missoula. It was not exactly my type of resturant. $18 for my meal was more than I cared to pay, but I guess that's why we save our money all year and buy the cheap food at Wal-Mart too. Anyway, I had the Roasted Red Pepper Canilloni which looked like, in my honest opinion, two burritos covered in orange bailing twine. The taste was a little better, but I would have prefered unlimited refills of Mt. Dew and an all you can eat buffet. In which case I would have ate until I was sick and been quite satisfied.

I am getting ahead of myself and now I am going to really mess up the chronilogical order of the weekend by telling about our Saturday morning/afternoon drive. For our anniversary we decided we wanted to take a short trip and do some geocaching. So we planned out what seemed to be a remote road with a few geocaches near the road. I decided to take a new way over the mountains via some old logging roads and then the fun began. We took a few wrong turns somewhere along the way - the roads are not marked - and we found ourselves dodging rocks on the road and then suddenly the road ended and we were looking over a cliff... That's when we decided we must have gone the wrong way. Here's a picture of the area we stopped at, notice the nice little rock in the middle of the road. The view was terrific and well worth getting lost to find it, but Laura was a little more worried about going over the edge of the road - which I will give her credit for, it was a easily a few hundred, if not near one thousand feet to the bottom. She likes to worry about things like that though, two years ago when we were near Yellowstone we started up a VERY steep slope and Laura decided to stop half way up because she was affraid the car might tip over backwards.... I will give you a moment to laugh before continuing our trip..

So we finally made it back to the 'main' logging road and found ourselves only 20 miles from home, but we had already driven 50 miles. We continued on our trip and thought we would travel the next 90 miles in about two hours - turns out the speed limit for the ENTIRE 90 miles is 30 mph and that's if road conditions warrant. I found myself doing 45 for a short time, and wouldn't you know it, a police officer was hiding under the shade of a big tree. He flashed his lights as I approached and waved me past, but he pointed out the speed limit sign as I drove by - to which I gave a thankful wave and continued on down the road. Granted, this was at the very beginning of the road and the speed limit sign had not been seen for awhile - so, seeing how we are in Montana and there practically isn't a speed limit, I felt 45 was appropriate.

Anyway, turns out our remote drive was actually along one of the most famous fishing rivers in the Pacific Northwest and people were crawling everywhere for the next 60 miles. We picked up a hitch-hiker who was dropping off his truck downriver and needed a ride 15 miles back up-stream to his raft. At 20-25 miles an hour it made for a long ride because the guy was a talker, and talk he did. After dropping him off and wishing him well on his rafting/fishing trip we continued down the 'highway' - here's a picture of what our highway looked like. This was taken on the Skalkaho Pass summet at 7,200 feet. You can see the road is just packed dirt/rock and it is basically a single lane road.

However, as we drove down the pass we stopped to see a very nice waterfall and find a cache next to it. There were enough people around the falls to keep us from getting too close - lets just say that they appeared to be of a different social class which is commonly known as hillbilly or redneck and we felt our presence in the area was not needed.

We managed to find four caches for all the driving we did - nearly 200 miles in all, and it took us over 7 hours after a police detour which took 45 minutes. After 12 hours in the car last weekend we didn't exatly want a 7 hour car ride this weekend, but now we can say we have been there and done that.

Sunday we spent most of the day around the house. We mostly cleaned and got things ready for the arrival of Andy and Amber who are expected to be here sometime tomorrow. We did go find a few more geocaches in the evening on a nice walk. This evening Laura and I placed a cache in the park next to our house and painted some more containers for additional caches in the future. Temperatures were in the 90's today and are expected to be even warmer tomorrow. It's nice to have the warmer temperatures but it makes work a rather miserable place to be when I am wearing pants and out in the sun.

With that I should go find myself some cake and ice cream before the news and then make my way to bed. We have started work at 7:30 to try to beat the heat by a few more minutes and that means waking up earlier as well. Until again

-=Nolan=-

Let Me Draw You A Map

I nearly forgot to add the new counties to our travel map from our trip! I took the liberty of coloring our new counties green to show what new ones were added. I also forgot to mention that I rolled the odometer on my truck to 123,000 miles. In the 3 1/2 years of driving it I have put 25,000 miles into it. However, just this week for work I put nearly 175 miles in because we are working both North and South of town and we go back and forth which is 23-27 miles apart (in road distance).

Anyway, not much to blog this evening. Had a hot day at work and I am ready for the weekend and relaxing. Oh yeah, it's our anniversary tomorrow as well so I best add that today! We hope to take a little trip of geocaching and then sit down for a nice meal and finally relax a little... Yeah right, like that will happen. Until again

-=Nolan=-

Welcome To Summer

Yesterday was the longest day of the year - that is if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in Missoula we had over 16 hours of daylight. The sunrise was at 5:40 a.m. and sunset was at 9:35 p.m. - however there was still light at 10:30 when I went to bed. Yes, that's right - I was in bed at 10:30 last night and it might have been one of the first times I was there before Laura!

Check out our garden! Somehow the plants are actually growing in the rocky-clay soil... The potatoes are the most abundent and the pumpkins are kicking into gear and really taking off! We have some carrots that are starting and a few cucumbers are fighting hard but they might not make it.. Oh, and there is a strawberry plant in there too that I salvaged from a landscaping job. It was getting dug up and thrown out along with several dozen others, but this is the only plant I managed to save. We'll see how it goes.

Otherwise not much happening here right now. The temperature is supposed to start warming up to the 90's this weekend and a possible chance at 100 on Tuesday... I don't think that will happen but I will let you know. Until again

-=Nolan=-

This Is My Angry Face!

It's a late night for me. I can't seem to sleep so blogging came to mind. I was looking through the thousand-some pictures I took the past two weeks with the new camera and I got a good laugh from a few of them. I am going to share some pictures of I took of my cousin while she was visiting Laura and I while we were in Kearney. She is three now and likes to talk - I hadn't heard her talk before so this was a big change from seeing her at Christmas.

The first picture might make you wonder what is going on, but while we were eatting supper earlier in the evening with her, she made this face and flexed her arms and declared "I'm making my angry face!" to which we all laughed at! I managed to snap a picture of her while she was doing it outside as well. It's one of those 'you had to be there' moments, but if you were there then you already are laughing.The pictures need a little touch-up work, but they are good enough for my purposes now...

Laura got me some new pots for my plants and I have potted plants and hung them from hooks around the house. I nailed a few nails into the balcony on the deck and I also hung a few plants outside as well.... Which reminds me that they are still outside and probably shouldn't be, but I will see how things go tonight with them. I also should mention that our garden has taken off! We have 9 pumpkin plants, carrots, and cucumbers growing, along with potatoes, strawberries and tomoatoes. Quite a variety of plants I know, but a little experimentation was in order to see what we could grow. I bought some fertilizer tonight in hopes to get some better yeilds from the garden and I will be adding it after work on Wednesday. I will snap a few photos as well and show off the crops.

Until again

-=Nolan=-

Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana Travel Blog: The Rest Of The Week

Well I was doing a semi-good job of keeping up with the blog while I was in Nebraska but time continued to tick faster and faster while we were away... Wednesday, Laura went to Lincoln to see some friends and deliver wedding packages for weddings we won't be able to attend this summer. She bought me a book while she was in Lincoln which I am super excited about. It's called Ghost Towns of the West. It has ghost towns from Montana & Wyoming so we will be able to stop and see them when we are traveling now!

Thursday we helped work around the house and then went swimming/geocaching with Andy & Amber (also known as Splat) and found ourselves in the middle of a mighty wind storm. Winds were easily around 60-70 mph and we found shelter from the winds behind a windbreak at a farm. For those who don't know, a windbreak is usually several rows of trees planted along a property line to block the wind - which it did quite nicely for us that evening. I also took some pictures of the lightning from my parents back deck.I forgot what we did Friday so I guess I won't sum up the day - other than my cousin stopped through on his way to North Platte. It was good to see him since we hadn't talked face to face since Grandpa's birthday party last August. I guess the majority of the day was spent doing chores we had to do.

Saturday we went geocaching with Andy & Amber again and then went to a friends wedding before heading to Cheyenne for the night to stay with Laura's parents. We had a great time at the wedding and didn't want to leave all the fun and friends that I was catching up with. One thing about my friends is we can always pick up where we left off, just like we never skipped a beat. Sure, a few minutes of chit chat to catch up with current events, but then we are back to our usual laughing, story telling, jokes and pranks! I guess that is really what true friends are all about - no matter how far away you may be and whatever the amount of time without communicating you never feel awkward when you bump into each other or gather for a party.... I wish we would have gotten a picture with everyone there - nearly all the friends are now married and it would have been neat to get a picture of everyone with their wives. That came as an after-thought while making our way to Cheyenne, perhaps something can be arranged at Christmas... We arrived in Cheyenne around 1:00 am and went to bed to prepare for Sunday!

7:00 a.m. Sunday and it was rise and shine! The morning in Cheyenne was terrific. No wind (rare for Cheyenne) and sunny. Laura made a fathers day breakfast for everyone and I somehow managed to leave the camera in Cheyenne! Ok, yes I was SUPPOSED to leave the camera in Cheyenne for Laura's mom, but I really didn't want to! I showed her how to use the camera and all the great things she can do with digitial pictures and I think she was excited to see all the options available to her now. All I know is I want me one of them picture taker machines! We hit the Interstate North out of Cheyenne at 11:30 a.m. and arrived in Missoula at 11:15 p.m. last night with only three stops totally no more than 45 minutes. We listened to The DaVinci Code on CD while we drove so that took up 6 hours of the trip and helped pass the time.

The highlight of the Sunday drive was in Casper though. After eatting some dinner at Wendy's we drove down the block to the Flying J to fill up the gas tank. At $2.64 a gallon we were filling it to the top! Anyway, while I was filling the tank, a rather strong smell wafted its way into my nose and nearly made me pass out... "Whoa! What is that?" I thought as I scrubbed bug guts off the windshield. I could see through the windshield to where Laura was sitting and the look on her face indicated she had caught a wiff of the pungent air as well. She began rolling up her window as I walked around to the driver side of the car and started cleaning the window. After finishing the window cleaning I walked around the back of the car to check on the gas pump and see how things were going. As I approached the back of the car I noticed the smell was nealry unbearable. I stood leaning against the car with my arms folded and watched the digits on the pump. The number of gallons pumped was slowly climbing as the digits on the price screen were ticking away faster than could be seen - not to mention the smell was STILL terrible. Just then I looked over my shoulder towards the back of the car and also upwind of me. I noticed an older style RV parked next to the car and there was a man washing off the back of the vehicle and spraying down the area he was parked at. Then I looked below the RV where he was spraying and suddenly I realized what that terrible smell was... The RV had dumped the 'waste' right there on the ground and left a rather large pile of nightsoil on the ground. I was nearly sick when I saw that and occasionally throughout the day I would catch a passing smell that would bring that haunting image back into my mind.

Today I went to work then watered the garden which is in need of some TLC. I also potted some plants and unpacked a few more things from the trip. Things are starting to get back to normal around here... At least for awhile. Until again

-=Nolan=-

Nebraska Travel Blog: Tuesday

What a fun filled Tuesday we had. After working on the backyard for the morning we took a break to prepare for the arrival of our 3 year old cousin. She is quite an energetic little lady and she likes to talk and tell stories. We really enjoyed seeing her - little kids change so much when you don't see them for 6 months at a time. We spent the evening with friends by going to Wal-Mart. All and all it was a busy day, but when I put it into words it doesn't seem like it. Until again

-=Nolan=-

Nebraska Travel Blog: Monday

Well, here I am. Back in Kearney, Nebraska. Laura and I woke up at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday to a downpour of rain and fog. I had loaded the car up on Friday evening so we only had to make a few trips to the car with the umbrella. We managed to leave the house by 4:45 and we were on the Interstate around 5:00. After 17 hours of driving in rain, wind and sun, we arrived in Mullen around 9:45 pm after 959 miles. We managed to find 12 geocaches along the way and that helped to break up the drive and let us walk around for a few minutes before we had to move along.

Sunday we ventured south of Mullen to our family reunion. It was neat to see all the family that is related from several generations. After the reunion we went down the road a few miles and saw the new golf course being constructed. It is scheduled to open July 9 and here is the website if you care to see what it's all about. http://dismalriver.com/

Getting up-to-date, Monday we worked on my parents backyard installing sprinklers and laying paver stones for a boarder/buffer around the sidewalk. Laura and I got a haircut as well! Here's some before and after.

















I also did some work on some computers. Slowly but surely things are getting taken care of and done. That has got to be the fastest day of vacation ever though - seriously, we really got a lot done, but at the same time there is a lot we want to get done... In that case I need to stop blogging and start getting stuff done. Until again

-=Nolan=-

Drying Out

The rain stopped yesterday around 11:00 a.m. and then rained at random throughout the day. We didn't work yesterday and we are starting work today at 8:30 to allow things to dry out a little more. Not much to blog today - I might post again this evening after work. In the mean time, Laura sent me an e-mail and I thought I would fill it out and post it up for today for something fun.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1 Detasseling (Agriculture work for kids at slave wage!)
2. Car Wash Attendant (Eye opening experience)
3. Photo Lab (Working on digital prints & retouch)
4. Landscaping (I like being outside)
Four nicknames I have been given:
1. Nalon (Nolan Backwards)
2. Three Sting (My siblings had to find a nickname for me, and I once was stung by 3 wasps at the same time)
3. Swollen Tittle (Nick is to blame for this one - he thought it was funny that it sounded like my name)
4. Shaggy
Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Lord of the Rings
2 Ocean's Eleven
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Saving Private Ryan (Or Band of Brothers)
Four places I have lived:
1. Kearney, Nebraska (1-2 years old)
2. Kearney, Nebraska (2-19 years old - new house)
3. Kearney, Nebraska (20-21 years old - new house again)
4. Missoula, Montana (I broke my streak!)
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Futurama
2. Simpsons
3. That 70's Show
4. Anything on History Channel or Discovery
Four Places I have been on vacation...
1. Baja California
2. Every Province in Canada that boarders the US
3. Las Vegas (Who wasn't be there?
4. Disneyland
Four things I could NOT live without (no specific order):
1. Laura (This one is first though)
2. Computers
3. GPS
4. Duck Hunting
Four of my favorite foods
1. Pizza
2. Pad Thai
3. Smothered Burritos
4. Cowboy Stew
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Nebraska
2. Kearney, Nebraska
3. Hunting in Nebraska
4. Running in Nebraska

That's all for now - I am gonna be late for work!! ha ha! Until again

-=Nolan=-

Rain = No Work

It is 8:20 a.m. right now. I am sitting at home and listening to the rain outside. If it's raining then we have trouble working outside so we usually take the day off or wait a little while and see if the rain will pass... This is the first time it as actually rained during a work day however - it has rained during the weekend or overnight, but not during the day.

Since it has been a week since I blogged I have a lot to say. The most exciting news is what is happening at work. Maybe not what is happening, but the new toy we have! Over the weekend the boss went out and bought a new Bobcat Steer Loader like the one in the picture. So Tuesday afternoon we went to his house and got to play with the Bobcat and learn how to drive it. It's nothing like driving my dad's old tractor - I actually like it better than the Bobcat - but it is a nice little machine to have around the worksite when we have to move rocks and things. It saves a lot of time and my back!

On Saturday, Laura and I joined some of the Chemistry students for some camping. We went to Seeley Lake, which is about an hour Northwest of Missoula. We had a great time and enjoyed being outside and camping! On our way back to Missoula we took a detour past a ghost town called Garnet. The town, or lack there of, is at 6,000 feet elevation and it was a good 10 miles off the highway on single lane, winding mountain roads! The town has been maintained by the BLM so tourist and such can see the town. I really enjoyed the visit, even though it rained on us nearly the entire time we were there. We waited out the heavy rain inside the old jail - which was located a little outside of town and back in the trees. My favorite part of the visit was the old hotel - known as the Well's Hotel. The hotel building was three floors and very elaborate for the time - it rivaled the buildings of Helena. Even though the hotel was run down I could really get a feel for how nice the building was at one time and what it would have been like to be in the Great Hall of the building during a social function. Here are some of the pictures from Garnet.

______________________________________________________________

Here are the buildings the miners lived in.

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A room inside the Well's Hotel___________________________________________________________________
The third floor of the Well's Hotel.__________________________________________________________________

Inside the general storeBirds eye view of Garnet. The Well's Hotel is the large building on the right & the general store is the building to the left of the hotel.

Hard to believe that over 1,000 people once lived here, but at one time the entire area was covered in buildings and homes which were full of people. Hopefully I can find time to go back and see some more things - the rain sped things up and I didn't get to see everything as closely as I would have liked.

In the time I have been blogging I recieved a phone call from work and we are going to try to start at 10:00 but it doesn't look like the rain is going to stop by then. I will cut the blog short so I can get a few things done before then, but I will mention one last thing. Laura and I will be traveling to Nebraska on Saturday morning and will be there for a week before returning to Missoula. As always I will be taking pictures and posting them to my blog - if I get some free time I might blog from Nebraska! Until again

-=Nolan=-

More Pictures

Another week of busy work. Is there an echo??? Here was my work for the week. Well, it wasn't my only work, but it was the majority of it. I worked on building this wall on Friday and Tuesday - we took Monday off - and then I worked on the steps all day Wednesday. The wall was a little tricky to get started. I had to get everything perfectly level and then keep it level throughout the wall. That wasn't exactly an easy task because the blocks are only designed to be stacked a few blocks high - under two feet. This wall is around four feet tall and considering the circumstances it isn't too bad. The stairs were another fun project. I made all of the cuts for the stairs - except two - but otherwise the stairs are my results. I like the smaller paver bricks - they took a lot of cutting, but they were a lot of fun to figure out. I like the middle step - the center line is jagged and doesn't have a defined center. I tend to like that more than a usual look...

That's really all I had to share today. I am making a late night post because I have a feeling the weekend is going to be busy as well. I wanted to share some more pictures from the week so I will just post those and call it good. All the pictures were taken at our apartment.











Until again

-=Nolan=-