Happy New Year...

Dressed in the year of our birth, we partied like it was 2009 with Andrew & Rachael, Jeff & Melissa, and a bunch of tight asses!!! Happy new year everyone...

Happy New Year 2009

BONZAI !!!!!!!

First day of the season at Bogus!!! With 31 inches of new snow in the last 5 days, the call of the great white was just too irresistible. The great snow conditions were a nice compensation for the fog, slight breeze and 15F (-10c) temperature. Sid picked up right where he left off last year with some nice measured turns on blue runs while Colin was just out of control straight down the hill, BONZAI !!!

The Boys at Bogus

Ho Ho Ho.....

Guess what Colin and Sid received from Santa? Here is a hint: the Lego company is not going out of business any time soon...

Ho Ho Ho.....

Air time

Laura went sledding with the boys and the cousins by Hilltop cafe on Highway 21...

Air time

Claus n Paws

Off we went to the annual "Claus n Paws" at the Boise Zoo. Today, Santa was just a fixture as Colin and Sidney were way more focused on the animals. Sidney was very impressed by the new giraffe, Julius Longfellow. Julius, a 3 year old male, is replacing Shingo who unexpectedly died last month. Luckily for Joseph, the other giraffe at the Boise zoo, a companion was quickly found and transported from Ohio in order to keep him company. It is very important for herd animals like giraffes to have a friend. Colin particularly enjoyed the Snow Leopard and the Red Panda. Here are the few photos that turned out.

Clause and Paws

Science night at Liberty

On Monday, Colin, Sidney and I went to our first "Science night" at Liberty. It was organized by Mr. Taylor, the science teacher, and the students of the Science Club. The object of the contest was to build the highest standing structure with 30 straws and one meter of tape. The building could not be taped to the ground or could not lean on anything. First, we brainstormed some ideas on the different shapes our edifice could take with the advantages and drawbacks of each layout. Then, we drew a preliminary plan on paper and finally we attempted to deliver our brainchild. In 30 minutes, we managed to build a self-standing tower measuring 194 cm (76.38 inches or 6 ft and 3.38 inches). The winner's tower reached an impressive height of 217 cm.

Happy Halloween...

For this Halloween, Colin decided to dress as a "pirate" and Sidney as an "Ambulance man"... Well, that's before he switched to a "Police man." Luckily, we still had Colin's police costume from last year.
While drinking our traditional pumpkin soup for dinner, we handed out some bouncy balls and pencils to the early knockers (Laura's idea). Then, it was our turn to ravage through the neighborhood like wild predators in quest of our next prey. Eventually, the boys collected enough candies and chocolates to open their own candy store. Unfortunately for them, the junk food Nazi struck down. Laura only allowed them to keep 15 pieces each. The boys happily obliged and after a few minutes of careful deliberation, they reached the magic number. Without a fuss, they witnessed the candies' fateful ending. Yes, our boys are clearly brainwashed. Luckily for us, they are not able to compare their 15 meager pieces of candies with the mountains other kids get to keep. Otherwise, we'd probably have a little revolution on our hands.

Halloween

Laura's vegetable garden

Laura had a pretty successful vegetable garden. She planted and harvested tomatoes, lettuce, mache, green onions, carrots, cucumbers, zucchinis, string beans, red and yellow beats, peppers, parsley, and thyme... Here are some early July photos:

Laura's vegetable garden

Fall soccer

This Fall, Colin played in his second soccer season with his "Thunderbolts" U8-9 team. With eight games and just about as many practices, the nine boys improved tremendously. The team had a French rookie assistant coach who did not contribute a lot but, he greatly enjoyed the experience. In an effort to have all boys play an equal amount of time, the coaches rotated the boys from goalie to defender to striker every games. Colin scored a total of five goals in those eight games.

Harrison Classic

Sidney ran his second Harrison Classic one mile run. Colin decided to skip the race this year. He was probably feeling a little tired from a long soccer season.
The whole weekend had been such a deluge with snow on Friday and a storm on Saturday. Then, 30 minutes before Sidney's race on Sunday, the clouds parted, the sun showed up and we enjoyed a great afternoon on Harrison Blvd with temperatures in the 70s.

Harrison Classic

Sidney ran a great race and did not stop until the finish line. He was focused on his competitors and consistent in his stride. We think he reached the finish in about the top 5 for his age group (5 to 6 year old boys).
Finish Time: 9:00:18 for 1 mile.

Just call me Pythagore!!!

Sidney doing some math work at school during his Kindergarten year.

Sidney at School

Gunfighter Skies 2008

On Sunday, we drove to the Mountain Home Air Force base for the Gunfighter Skies 2008 Air Show. The base was first built in 1942 to serve as training ground for the WWII bombers. It is located 55 miles to the South East of Boise in the middle of the Idaho desert.

Gunfighter Skies 2008 Sept 14, 2008

The show, which only happens every few years, is extremely popular. Besides witnessing the plane’s gravity defying acrobatic moves, the 60,000 visitors could also climb into the cockpits of 6 fighter jets, 4 helicopters, and dozens of monster military planes. There were also tanks, rockets, civilian airplanes, and historic war bombers lining the landing strip. The highlight of the show came from the five Thunderbirds performing tricks at 500 miles per hour within literally arm’s length of each other. The deafening sounds of the jet engines and the agility of those metal birds flying so fast and so close to the ground mesmerized Colin and Sidney for hours…

Fall pool rats...

With the days quickly getting shorter and cooler, we are making the most of our last pool escapades for the year...

Fall swim

Boys in the hood...

Our trip to France, in August, was filled with emotions and fun. Laura was MIA on our trek back to the old world since she was starting PA school. Although her absence was hard on all of us, especially on Sidney, my mom filled the emotional void quite well with her motherly instincts.

Boys in the hood

After an uneventful flight taking us from Boise to Paris CDG via Seattle, we jumped in the car to pursue our journey to the Auvergne region. We finally arrived to La Prulhiere, a tiny countryside village, 28.5 hours after leaving home. It was a very long trip for me. The boys, however, did just fine thanks to many naps on the plane and in the car.

Over the following week, we explored a farmer’s market in Cunhlat, visited a honey bee keeper, and toured the town of Thiers which is world renowned for it cutlery. We also hiked to the Martinanche castle and down to the Mindiolet stream, visited Madame Flot and of course watched a lot of the Olympics.

After a week, we drove back to Willems. On our way, we stopped at the village of Pierrefonds and visited its fortified castle. It was first built in 1393 by Louis of Orleans to keep an eye on trade between Flanders and Burgundy, which were the fiefdoms of the Dukes of Burgundy who were rivals of the Orleans. In 1616, Louis XIII laid a fatal siege to the Pierrefonds Castle. Over the following two centuries, the structure deteriorated to the point of becoming a ruin. Spurred by an interest in medieval castles, Napoleon I bought it in 1810. It took a few decades before the castle was fully restored to its genuine state.

After a few days in Willems, we headed to Braydunes, the northern most town in France, on the English Channel (La Manche). Our life there is pretty simple. We spend our entire days on the beach or in the dunes. On the days the weather did not cooperate, we went to Veurnes in Belgium for the farmer’s market and Bergues for lunch. Of course, we also visited Tonton and shared a meal with him at the restaurant “Le beau Site.”
Before heading back to Willems, we stopped in Westvleteren at the St. Sixtus Abbey. Lost among the farm fields and little villages of the Westhoek, its austere buildings exude simplicity and tranquility. Don’t let it fool you, though. The Trappist beer brewed by the Cistercian monks living behind these walls is considered to be nothing short of the best beer in the world. The abbey of St. Sixtus first received its brewer’s license in 1838. The monks inhabiting the abbey completely devote their life to god. This is clear, among other things, from the botherly unity, solitude, tranquility, prayer and…work! Indeed, manual labor is held in special esteem within this tradition: the income from the sale is used for their sustenance and for helping others. It is a symbol of solidarity with all those who work for a living. They therefore brew to live and not live to brew. It is therefore extremely hard to purchase St. Sixtus beer. Only a limited quantity is available for sale at the abbey, once every few weeks, and only following prior reservation by telephone. Trappist Westvleteren is only available for sale for private end consumers whereby all buyers agree not to sell it on. However, the abbey has solely contracted with a café called “In de Vrede” (In the Shadow) to make the beer available for consumption only on location. Three brews are produced: a blonde 5.8%, a dark 8.8% and the world renowned dark 10.2%. At the café, you can savor this nectar of gods with a pâté and cheese sandwich and then you can let yourself be tempted by beer flavored ice cream… A true taste bud orgasm!!!

We also managed to take a trip to Lille where the boys rode shot gun in the first automated subway built. They also got to see the TGV (fastest train in the world: 357mph) up close and personal in the Lille train station. A week earlier, driving on the freeway, we had witnessed the TGV’s tremendous speed as it was traveling the same direction as us. Considering that we were driving at 85 mph, it was simply amazing to be passed by a train travelling more than twice as fast as us (200mph as commercial speed).

On our last weekend in France, Dimitri and Caroline Dupont drove with their family from Brussels to spend the day with us. We tried to wear out the kids by playing a little bit of soccer, but I think the opposite was achieved: I was cooked.

It was a three week trip that seemed to go by as three days would. After saying our emotion filled good byes, we hopped on the plane and flew back to Idaho on a Wednesday. We were back to school and work on Thursday. Tough reality check!

Camping at Iron Creek

We managed to squeeze in another camping trip with the Fowers family before the boys left for France. Venturing away from the welcomed amenities (toilet, showers, etc.), we set camp at a remote site next to the creek at Iron Creek campgrounds.

Hike to Alpine Lake

At the Campground

Playing at Red Fish Lake

Some of the activities we enjoyed...

• 8-mile hike to Alpine Lake
• Roasting marshmallows
• Paper-plate target practice
• Rustic tic-tac-toe
• Feeding almonds to the chipmunks
• Dutch oven dinners
• Playing in the creek
• Riding the paddle boats at Red Fish Lake
• Fishing for minnows
• Catching frogs
  
  Some of the memories...
  
  
• Witnessing a car driving off the road
• Sidney's mosquito bite between the eyes that warranted the nickname "elephant man"
• Fowers' girls being less sore than their dad after the hike
• Jeff telling scary stories around the campfire as a deer peaks his head around the tent
• Caterpillars dangling from the trees from what would become their cocoons
• oh, and our car getting a flat tire at Redfish Lake on a saturday evening!!!
  
  The pictures tell the rest of the story. Enjoy!

A Bucket of Crappie Fish

We attempted our first fishing trip with the Wendrowski family at CJ Strike reservoir just south of Mountain Home. We may not have been so eager to jump at the opportunity if we had known wake up call was five o’clock sharp, but good fishing only happens in the early hours. Besides, the anticipation and excitement kept us wide awake during the drive to the reservoir.

A Bucket of Crappie Fish

Once boarding the boat and finding our fishing spot, pure silence was required if we wanted to catch anything for dinner. As you could expect with four kids, this was quite a chore. There was constant “shhhhing” throughout the day, but we still managed to return with the storage bin full of beautiful fish. The majority of the fish caught was Crappie, (pronounce it as you wish) a highly regarded game fish and often considered the best tasting fresh water fish. We can vouch for this! We also managed to catch two Bass and one Perch. We returned home with a grand total of 18 fish with the Poly family contributing only six. Not bad for city slickers! After a long day in the sun and the temperature reaching near 100 degrees, we were forced to end the fishing trip with a dip in the cold water.

Upon our return, being the rookies that we are, Chris (the fishing expert), gave us a lesson on how to scale and filet the fish. Once the filets were cleaned and dried, they were battered and fried to perfection. And yes, they were absolutely delicious. What a fabulous way to end the long day. Thanks for the experience, Wendrowski family. The city slickers are ready to go again.

Sidney's 5th Birthday

Here are some photos from Sidney's birthday:

Sidney's 5th Birthday Party

Sidney's Birthday Dinner

Fourth of July Camping: Blast in the Wild.

With the Fourth of July falling on a Friday, we had long planned on making it a special extended week-end by taking Colin and Sidney camping. The popularity of camping during this annual holiday prompted us to reserve a campsite as early as January. Our destination was Stanley Lake, Idaho (elevation: 6,513ft or 1,985m). We started our journey on Thursday afternoon after successfully managing to pack food, clothes, camping gear, Dutch oven cooking set, bikes and four bodies in our puny car.

At Stanley Lake Campsite

The drive from Boise towards central Idaho traverses a multitude of landscapes with magnificent scenery. Starting the drive north, we pass the top of the Boise Ridge just before the quick dive down to Horseshoe Bend from where the winding road takes us along the Payette River. At the Banks intersection, we veer East and now follow the South Fork of the Payette River and its white water rapids on the edge of a steep rocky canyon all the way to Lowman. By then, the tall and skinny Ponderosa Pines become more abundant as we enter the Boise National Forest. The climb up Banner Summit shows glimpses of the snowy peaks to the East through the dense forest. Up and over Banner are a couple of long straight stretches of road with tall pines towering the side of the road. It is very reminiscent of driving along the Alaskan highway. Then, appears Valley Creek, irrigating the Cape Horn Valley and its gardens of blue and yellow flowers. Finally, after 2.5 hours of driving, we noticed our turnoff to Stanley Lake. Nestled in the Sawtooth National Forest at the bottom of the Sawtooth Range, Stanley Lake and its clear waters offer spectacular views of McGown Peak (elevation: 9,860ft or 3,005m). The moist winter and cool spring had brewed an above normal spring runoff that started late and produced high water levels and brain numbing water temperatures. Yet, as soon as we had pulled in our campsite, Colin and Sidney were already in the cool lake water knee deep hunting for frogs and other water creatures.

With camp set and our stomachs appeased, we enjoyed a calm evening by the campfire with our friends, the Spanneuts. Our eyes bewitched by the flames, we were listening to the crackles of the burning logs while roasting marshmallows. It was quite a contrast to the start of the day, rushing to that sea of concrete buildings, working on the computer and attending meetings, and then finishing the same day in the middle of the tranquil forest by a campfire and a pristine mountain lake. We are very lucky to live so close to such magnificent endless beauty. In fact, StanleyRiver of No Return Wilderness Area is considered to be the gateway to the Frank Church – At 2.3 million acres (9,300 km²), it is the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness in the continental United States. Together with the adjacent Gospel Hump Wilderness and surrounding unprotected roadless Forest Service land, it is the core of a 3.3 million acre (13,000 km²) roadless area. The wilderness contains parts of several mountain ranges, including the Salmon River Mountains, the Clearwater Mountains, and the Bighorn Crags. The ranges are split by steep canyons of the Middle and Main forks of the Salmon River. The Salmon River is a popular destination for whitewater rafting, and is colloquially known as the "River of No Return" for its swift current which makes upstream travel difficult.

This relaxing evening would quickly become the calm in the proverbial “calm before the storm” idiom. With the approaching dusk and its blood sucking mosquitoes, we decided to call it a night and retire to our tents. But first, I had to extinguish the campfire. As I was smothering and spreading the ashes, I took a glance at the sunset and the colorful sky through the trees and noticed some dark clouds luring in the distance. They seemed to be traveling our way so I told everyone to put all their shoes, towels and other water sensitive equipment in the cars or tents. Then, I walked to the animal proof garbage container at the entrance of the campground to deposit our trash bag. On my way back, I started hearing a humming sound in the distance. The sound quickly grew louder and soon was as loud as a locomotive coming in the distance. It couldn’t have been thunder since the sound was continuous. For a few seconds, I had absolutely no idea as to what could cause such a deafening noise. It was not until I saw in the distance the Lodgepole Pine trees moving that I understood the cause of the noise. A wind storm was coming! It was a very surreal experience to see in the distance 60ft (20m) trees flapping back and forth like wild grass in the wind while the trees within my proximity were simply standing still. My moment of stupor did not last long. The wind was traveling so fast that in the blink of an eye, I was in the midst of a dust cloud with flying particles whipping every exposed parts of my body. There was almost no visibility as I was running back to the campsite. I jumped into the tent to thankfully see Laura and the boys tucked into their sleeping bags. The wind was so fierce that it was lifting the bottom sides of the tent. We decided to strategically place the heavy items like clothes bags in the corner of the tent in an attempt to keep it anchored to the ground. To no avail, the tent was rocking like a boat. Dust was coming through the tent mesh. The tent ceiling, normally standing at 60 inches (1.5m), was occasionally making contact with the tent floor under the strong wind gusts. As our last attempt at keeping the tent stable, we positioned ourselves in each corner of the tent. It was now raining. The winds were still very strong. The rain drops were now coming through the same mesh that previously had been coated with dust. It was transforming our tent into a mud bath. We attempted to see if the Spanneuts were ok in their tent, but it was impossible in the dark and in the middle of the storm. Laura and I tried to keep up the mood in our tent with some humor. I asked Colin where the tent would land and we started listing far away places like China and Australia… Those summer mountain storms are usually powerful, but short in duration. Sure enough, within 1 hour of the storm starting, it was back to complete calmness. After verifying that the Spanneuts were fine, we got back into our sleeping bags and eventually fell asleep. At 1:00am, a family of South Koreans was still making noise in the next campsite watching a movie on their laptop!. I played cop. I told them to go to sleep or else I would confiscate their Kimchi!;-> It must have worked because they quieted down quickly. I walked back to our tent and jumped into my sleeping bag for some peaceful sleep. Take two! Asleep I was, until suddenly I was woken up by a flash of light. It was our campfire burning and it was not a dream. With the confusion caused by the storm, I neglected to drown the campfire coals. It was 3:10am. I raced back out, bare foot and all, and poured a couple of gallons on the flames. I eventually crawled back into my bag for another attempt at some sleep. Take three!

The next morning, we woke up to the disaster the storm had caused. Some Lodgepole Pine trees, which were already weaken by the mountain pine beetle infestation, were laying in the middle of the dirt road. One tree had fallen on a camp table and another right on the center of a tent which was luckily empty at the time. At another campground located a few miles away, camper trailers were turned over by the strong winds. The damage in the area was mostly contained to the vegetation since the worst injury suffered was a broken leg.

After a hearty breakfast, we headed out for a hike to Bridal Veil Falls by following Stanley Lake Creek upstream. The first mile is a flat stroll through mountain meadows decorated by heavenly fields of beautiful wild flowers. Larkspur, cinquefoil, and penstemom by the thousands paint a multicolor carpet laying at the feet of the tall, snow patched McGown Peak. What a sight! This is truly eye candy. After another mile, the trail ascends a rocky hill, bends left through trees swept down by avalanche, until it reaches a granite chasm. We then dropped down to the Stanley Lake Creek crossing at mile 2.4. Off came the shoes and socks. We took our chance by wading through the glacial and fast current. Knee deep in the numbing water, stepping on unstable rocks and stones, we concentrated on reaching the other bank safely. The kids were entirely captured by this moment of extreme adventure. Alive on the other side, we took a moment to watch the torrent while the kids played captain with a piece of wood turned into an imaginary boat. Onward soldiers. The trail kept hugging the creek until we reached a clearing in the forest. This was our final destination. In the distance, appeared Bridal Veil Falls cascading down the west mountainside, fed from Hanson Lakes 1000 feet above. We ate our packed lunch while enjoying the view and promptly turned around to make the trek back to camp. The return trip was especially long for Colin as we found out later, his complaining during the hike was due to a mild fever. He even took a nap in the tent that afternoon.

Back at camp, Laura treated us to her first Dutch oven meal: Roasted chicken with peppered potatoes for the main course and a cherry clafoutie for dessert. A camping Dutch oven pot has three legs, a wire bail handle, and a slightly convex, rimmed lid so that coals from the cooking fire can be placed on top as well as below. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an oven. Laura’s mix of food and spices in the cast iron pot was perfect. Dinner was absolutely delicious!! Besides the great dinner, we also had entertainment brought to us courtesy of the boys. Julien, Colin, and Sidney were racing their bikes on an out and back loop in the campground against other boys. The competition was so fierce that it soon drew the attention of all the campers. People were cheering on the side of the dirt trail for those little kids racing against each other. It was hilarious to see them fighting for the finish through an Alpe d’Huez worthy crowd of fans… We finished the evening by driving to Stanley to watch the much underrated Fourth of July fireworks. On our way out of the campground, a deer almost ran into the car while crossing the road. A fraction of a second sooner and we would have had an extra passenger in the car! For such a small town, the show was a long and spectacular display of pyrotechnic. Add to it the Sawtooth range as heavenly background, and you have a very inspirational sight.

The next day, we traveled to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery which is operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game five miles south of Stanley. This facility was built in 1984 in response to the Chinook and Sockeye Salmons along with the Steelhead Trout being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. These fish perform staggering feats during their lifetime. From birth in the headwaters of many rivers in the Northwest, they travel downstream to the Pacific Ocean where they can swim thousands of miles. After a couple years, depending on the species, nature prompts them to head back to their natal streams and lakes. An incredible journey upstream of 900 miles (1,500km) and an elevation gain of 6,500ft (2,000m) used to be accomplished in as little as 30 days. Sockeyes historically returned to lakes in the Sawtooth Valley by the tens of thousands to spawn. Redfish Lake got its name because there would be so many fish spawning there, it appeared to turn the lake red. Unfortunately, with the building of 8 dams along the rivers linking the Sawtooth region to the Pacific Ocean, the journey became close to impossible. The implementation of fish ladders and catch-releases around dams did not help the situation since only 1 adult sockeye returned to the Sawtooth Valley in 1994. In an attempt to restore the presence of these endangered fish in the ecosystem, emphasis has changed from production of large numbers of fish to conservation of the gene pool. A portion of every season's adult harvest, as well as eggs and milt are examined, treated, and cured of fish disease. Fish health and reproductive performance are also studied in order to optimize the hatchery process. The Idaho Department of Fish and Games' goal for salmon and steelhead is to restore their populations to harvestable and self-sustaining levels. All the regional players are recognizing the need of a consistent and healthy salmon population and the impact it has on the ecology and economy with thousands of anglers and tourists spending millions of dollars every year in central Idaho. At the hatchery, we witnessed the daily counting of the adult fish caught at the top of the fish ladder. Some of those fish are very impressive in size considering that they lose up to half their weight on their journey back up the Salmon river. The highlight of the visit was without a doubt when we had the opportunity to cast some lines in the ponds that are stocked with Rainbow Trouts. Out of all eight of us fishing, Sidney was the only one able to catch a trout. And, who said fishing had nothing to do with luck?!

The afternoon was spent at Stanley Lake. The cold water was a nice refreshing contrast to the warm temperatures and mountain sunshine. The kids enjoyed stumping in the water and building sand castles. Spanneut’s inflatable boat was quite the hit.
That evening, we had planned to take the kids to a hot springs but they were all fast asleep by dusk. So, Eric and I left Rachelle and Laura with the kids and drove to Stanley to take a dip into an hidden pool of hot water smelling like rotten eggs. With the sun setting on the Sawtooth peaks, it was a very memorable sight.

Before heading home on Sunday, we spent the day at Redfish Lake playing in the water and enjoying the sunshine. Unfortunately, the bliss had to end much to soon.

Emmett Cherries

Saturday morning, we decided to brave the heat and go to Emmett for the annual cherry harvest. With temperatures predicted to reach the century mark (38ºC), Laura and the boys left town at 8:30 with the Spanneuts following. I had decided to skip the 45 minute drive and bike there. Boy, was it a mistake! Not only did the morning humidity make the heat feel that much worse, but I also had to ride my mountain bike while the road bike was being serviced.

Emmett Cherries

Despite a couple of late season frosts and some strong wind storms, there were still plenty of cherries to pick. Of course, the boys did more eating than picking, but nonetheless, we ended the harvest with a strong sunburn, a half dozen mosquito bites, and about 45lbs (20.5kg) of delicious red cherries for $45. Note that the price per pound increased by 33% from last year.

The following day, Colin and Sidney sold 1lb (450gm) bags to neighbors and friends priced at $3 a bag or $5 for two. They eventually collected $60 after selling about 25lbs (11.5kg) of cherries.
We finished the remaining 20lbs (9kg) over the following week and as you can imagine, we experienced a few misfirings in the afterburners…

Colin's first grade class at the Boise Zoo

Colin's First grade class at the Boise Zoo

Colin's 7th Birthday

Here are some pictures from Colin's birthday party:

Colin's 7th Birthday Party

Just for Laughs

Colin's Funny Glasses

Colin attempting to do homework, but giggles took over.

Old wives' tale

For about a year now, Colin has been sporting warts on his two big toes. These little growths have never been too concerning since Colin had not complained about them. In fact, Laura has experienced warts for most of her life, as well as my dad. Our families must be prone to catching those ugly suckers. Still, with one wart gaining size over the last few weeks, we had to face the invader and destroy it. The typical weapons are cryosurgery, laser treatment, salicylic acid or other chemical applications. Oh yes, there is also Duct Tape occlusion therapy. I swear, every American has a PhD in Duct Tape Engineering.

Anyways, with the beast getting bigger, we were ready to hit the store for some OTC acid pens when I mentioned the problem to my mom. She then told me about an old proven remedy to treat warts. It consists of cutting an onion in half and rubbing it directly on the wart. Then, the patient has to throw the onion half, backwards, over their head, without looking where it lands… I also laughed when she explained this Voodoo-like remedy. She insisted that I try it…it will work. Ok mom!

A few days later, and in the mood for a good laugh, Colin and I went out on the patio and methodically performed every step of the remedy. Of course, I had to restrain Colin from looking at the flying onion and its landing spot. Amused and skeptical, we were hoping for a surprising result.

Two weeks went by before we remembered to look at Colin’s toes. We were cutting toe nails when the wart issue came back to mind. I searched for them on one toe. Then looked at the other toe. And another. I couldn’t find any warts. None. I thought I was looking on the wrong foot. Yet, no signs of warts on the other foot either. Colin and I asked Laura to investigate and see if she could find the warts. Nothing in sight. She was as perplexed as we were. It was official, no it was a miracle! The warts had disappeared. We were in for another good laugh. Believe it or not, the onion rub or the no-look throw must have worked a certain kind of magic. This old folkloric lore held up to its reputation. In fact, a by-product of this ancient remedy is a guaranteed giggle party. So much for modern medicine!

Colin's wart free feet!!!

Boys and Bikes

The Boys Bike Shop

Morning or night, rain or shine, you can always find the Poly boys with their bikes.

Colin playing on defense

Colin played in his first soccer season this spring. He particularly enjoys playing goalie. Here he is on defense...

Pizza or French Fries?!!!!!!

Pizza or French Fries?!!!

With winter upon us and plenty of snow in the mountains, we are now spending most of our Saturdays and Sundays at Bogus Basin. Loading the skis, boots, snacks and bodies in the car to make the trek to Bogus has quickly become a weekly ritual. How can you resist the temptation of a ski hill located within 45 minutes from your house? Or a season pass offered to adults for a mere $199? Let’s not forget that kids ski for free until 7 years old!
The first few times, Sidney’s ski experience was limited to just a couple of runs up and down the 100 meter, flat-as-a-pancake, Magic Carpet. I even had to bribe him with a hot chocolate for “one more run”. However, the reluctance of the beginner soon turned into anticipation. He can now ski by himself on easy runs.
Colin is on his second year of skiing and he is very dangerous. He thinks he is the king of the hill, but it still takes him 50 meters or more between the time he decides to stop and the actual stop.
As for me, teaching the boys to ski gave me a fantastic opportunity to stretch the limits of my patience to the edge of human ability.

By the end of the season, they were both enjoying their time, to the point of begging for “one more run” before going home. They have become addicted to the sense of flight experienced while riding on the chair lifts, the chill of the wind blowing on their cheeks as they slide down the mountain, the freedom to endlessly waltz from one side of the hill to the other…

Ok, they are not about to be in the Olympics, but they have made good progress in 10 days of skiing. Can’t wait until next winter for more French fry action!

Ironman Wannabe

Last year in August, I participated in a 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon in Antwerp, Belgium. It consisted of swimming 1.2 miles (1.93 km), biking 56 miles (90 km), and running 13.1 miles (1/2 Marathon or 21 km) for a total distance of 70.3 miles. I had previously raced in some Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons before but never had a chance to test my legs on such a long-distance event. Considering that we were all in France visiting my parents at the same time of the race and the proximity of Antwerp, it was an opportunity I could not avoid. And what a race it turned out to be. I was very fortunate to have the presence of Laura, Colin, Sid, my parents, my godson William and Nono. The organization was impeccable with many feed zones, the entire bike course closed to traffic and the half marathon course of 4 loops on each side of the road bordering the Schelde River in downtown Antwerp. Let’s not forget the ideal weather conditions for a mid summer race (blue sky, 26C, 80% humidity) the thousands of spectators and the finish in the historic "Grote Markt" center square. I ended up finishing the race in 5:02:56 (Swim: 35:45; Bike: 2:52; Run: 1:42). Not too bad for a first time and of course lots of mistakes like getting kicked in the face and losing my goggles and not finding my running shoes at transition 2! The whole experience left me hooked. I couldn’t wait to do it again.

Antwerpen 70.3 Triathlon

It didn’t take long to mark the next challenge on the calendar: June 1, 2008 for the inaugural Boise 70.3 Half Ironman. Having such an event here in Boise is a real treat. A lot of racers can only dream of being able to sleep in their own bed hours before the race and again crash in their own litter the very same night. Since racing on home soil, I can no longer afford to look like a fool so I’d better start to do some serious training…

Week-end Warriors!

Dining room tiling job

We have now been living in our house for two and a half years and since day one we have been wanting to replace the carpet in the dining room. It took us about a year of searching dozens of tile stores to finally come up with a design and pattern Laura and I both liked. We eventually settled on a combination of 18X18 ceramic tiles with inserted mosaic travertine tiles. The work itself which included the carpet removal, installing the cement boards to the wood sub-floor, laying the tiles , and grouting took us about four weekends. Our smartest decision was to cut all the tiles and lay them dry over the entire area. This provided us the opportunity to make adjustments without having to deal with the mortar.

Is the outcome matching our ambitions? Well, considering that this was our first tiling job, the final look is not too bad. Of course, as creators we are able to see many imperfections in our work, but hopefully you won't notice them!

An evening with raptors

Bald Eagle named Liberty

Yesterday, thanks to our friends the Calvins, we had the chance to attend a presentation on birds of prey also known as raptors. Not only did we learn about these wild birds and their essential part in the ecosystem, but we also saw some amazing real life specimens within arms reach.

Jane Fink, a raptor biologist and Master Falconer, transported four magnificent birds all the way from Coeur d'Alene to Boise for Bald Eagle Days. A sparrow falcon, a red-tailed hawk, a great horned owl, and a bald eagle. These four species can simultaneously be seen around Boise and more specifically in the Barber area where bald eagles nest during their winter migration.

You may be asking why these birds are in cages and not in the wild. At one point in time, they were in the wild, but after falls from nests, failed poaching attempts, or human imprinting, they have all been rescued from certain death. Scientists, like Jane, provide these birds of prey with medical treatment and rehabilitation with the ultimate goal of returning them to the wild. The birds we met were unfortunately unable to return to the wild. All four of them were found injured and then fed by humans, which lead to an irreversible condition of human imprinting. The birds identify humans as their food source and can no longer feed themselves in thewild.

Although now permanently cared for by humans, these magnificent creatures have wild instincts and we were all to keep quiet and still during the presentation. Usually, the bigger the bird, the more frightened of humans they are. Jane slowly opened the last box containing Liberty the bald eagle and enticed it to her leather glove. As soon as the box's wooden door was fully opened, Liberty got spooked, spread her wings wide (6 feet wingspan), and tried to fly away. She was quickly pulled back down by the chain linking the ring around her feet to Jane's leather glove. After five seconds upside down, Jane managed to pull the bird back up to a normal stand. Liberty's wings were so powerful. It felt like a giant fan was turned on in the room during those five seconds. All the kids were impressed by the display of power. Later, as Jane was narrating the story of Liberty, the bird suddenly squawked at the audience causing everyone to jump from their seats. She finished the presentation quite nicely.

For more information on Jane Fink's organization "Birds of Prey Northwest" check out this link www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org/index.html

New Year's Resolution!

Well, here I am trying to fulfill my new year's resolution of starting a family blog, maintaining and updating it with relevant posts. If you know me, the mere act of typing these few sentences is a miracle in itself. Happy reading...