Anniversary Summit

Part of being a stay at home dad is keeping mom happy. My wife decided several years ago that we should climb mountains for our anniversary. So this year was like the last several years and we climbed a rock. Now my wife doesn't appreciate this but I like to say we argue our way to the top and she just claims the summits. We have agrued our way to the top of Round Top, Pyramid Peak, Elephants Back all provided much entertainment for bystanders. We decided to add backpacking to the mix last year when my wife grew tired of me going by myself or with friends.

This year we chose to hike in from Fallen Leaf Lake and hike into Desolation Wilderness. Our first night had us eating dinner at the car, leftovers of carnitas and rice with homemade tortillas and a Coors. Many people give you a strange look while your enjoying a cold beer while backpacking. I always assume its jealously. Our first night we hiked to Lake Gilmore it was 2k of elevation gain in about 4 miles most of which came in the first 2 miles. We arrived before dark and set-up in time for me to catch a small rainbow trout before the sun set.

Romantic Dinner at the Car

The next morning we awoke to beautiful weather and a summit to tackle. My wife had decided on Mount Tallac the night before. Off we went, Mt. Tallac was about 2 miles from camp. There are certain things one learns in life, one of them is never pick the closest ____ when choosing a destination. This applies when fishing, camping and as we were soon to confirm it also includes summits. The reason to avoid them is simple,  other people. The easier it is to access the more boneheads will be there. We hike the very nice trail from camp to the summit of Mt. Tallac. Once at the top we were joined by 20 of Tahoe's finest tourists. These included a very loud and whiny lady complaining about the bugs, several women whom appeared to have gotten lost on their way to yoga and a couple of people who thought everyone needed to listen to their Pandora station.  The view of Tahoe was spectacular but there is a reason we look annoyed in the picture. We quickly left and once back at camp we packed up and were off to the next lake. Becky had decided on Half Moon Lake the night before. While on our way we came across 2 younger guys that begged for a "huge favor". These two self proclaimed newbies had forgotten a fire source. No lighter, matches or even flint and steel. They had asked us if we had any spares and as I am never without 3 ways to start a fire I gave them our matches. They were very appreciative since they were "really tired of eating bagels".

Breakfast with Mt. Tallac in the background

Far from lonely at the top

Half Moon Lake way beautiful. We had the lake to ourselves complete with a waterfall. We swam and relaxed in the afternoon sun while watching a thunderstorm in the distance. My lovely wife was very skeptical of dinner , SPAM and rice. I know most of you are thinking the same thing she did. You expect me to eat this? Turns out grilled SPAM and rice is pretty good. We ended the night like a couple of octogenarians in bed at 7 reading.

I swear I'm not as tired as i look

Better than it looks

We awoke to revenge of the Chipmunk. My flip flops and hat were eaten during the night. We packed up and started our off trail hike to Lake Susie. Becky has never ventured off trail and was amazed that nothing bad happened and she hadn't died. She actually enjoyed our hike to Lake Susie. Once there we found someone had left a broken fishing pole and their nasty dirty socks. They were left in a spot that seemed to scream someone else will pick this up but I'm not going to carry it. We stopped and picked it up then set out on a new mission. Find the SOB that left them. After a few minuted we came across a group of 3 and 2 of them had fishing gear. They swore it was not theirs but Becky had overheard a " you have got to be kidding me". We finished the hike rather uneventfully, much to my dismay as I had quite a lecture brewing for the culprit.

She's Alive!

Eight years in the book and another mountain summit hiked. I think I will chose our next mountain and I can promise it won't be as easy as Mt. Tallac. That said if your in love with Lake Tahoe and have half a day to kill Tallac is worth it. It might be the easiest summit in Tahoe and the view is great assuming you can deal with crowds.  Hope you enjoyed our trip.

Kaelin made for this for me several trips ago. Its always with me now.

Very hazy view of Tahoe

Foothill Foraging

It's the middle of July and for a lot of areas in the county that means wild berries are starting to ripen. Some see wild berry bramble's as an awful invasive weed, I see them as free food. As far as invasive weeds go I haven't tasted star-thistle but I'm willing to bet they taste much worse. We happen to have a fairly good sized berry bramble behind our fence. On a recent afternoon my wife and I spent a little over an hour picking berries we ended up with several pounds of them. In very little time you can fill as basket large or as small as you like. The best part (or worse if you own the property) is there everywhere, just waiting for some happy bloke to come along a feast upon them. Look a little closer next time you are driving down a foothill road and I shouldn't take long to spot some. Recently on a mountain bike ride I filled up a water bottle with them on a 5 min break. There is a technique to picking them pain free, I haven't the slightest idea how I do it though. I have zero scratches on my hands and arms while my wife appears to have gotten in a fight with a box of razor blades. I don't know what we did differentially but clearly my way was a bit better. We made some homemade blackberry jam with them and I also makes a great topping to some vanilla ice-cream.  My lovely wife will be posting the directions a recipe for that goodness.

Himalayan Blackberries ready to be picked

Berry Foraging Items One Might Want

• Long pants and shirt (the thicker the better and they will get stained)
• Multiple storage containers
• Boots
• Hand pruners ( helps cutting paths deeper into the bramble)
• rubber dipped gloves ( I don't use them but it certainly could help)

Good example of what the larger plant looks like.

Random Funny Kid Story

Kids really do pay attention to much more than some give them credit.  While running errands recently my oldest starts singing along to "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses. When asked what she's doing she replies " getting down with my bad self dad, oh and I'm playing the drums too". The rest of our day was spent listening to G and  R at her request. Later in the evening my wife asks me why is Kaelin singing "the girls run crazy"? The good news is she sings about as well as Axle so if hair bands ever make a comeback look out!

Check out a Library

Libraries can often be overlooked as an entertainment venue. I realize that sound strange but your local library most likely has a lot of fun activities for kids. We have been going to the library regularly on Thursday mornings for preschool story time. Most libraries will have a story time that fits any age from 1-5 years old. The story time we attend does weekly crafts during the school year and has various fun events during the summer. Last week we were treated to the Wild Things show. Not the R rated 90's movie but actual Kangaroo's, Pythons, Lemurs and several other wild animals. It was really fun to watch the kids reactions to a 15 foot Burmese Python with nothing between them and certain doom.

There are also lots of educational and not so educational toys in the kids sections of most libraries. The are always other kids to play with and its a nice place to spend a hot afternoon. Your kids will love picking out new books every week and mom and dad need not worry if there bad. Its also helpful when your child starts asking more thoughtful and in depth questions. We recently checked out a body book because Kaelin was curios on how muscles and bones worked. I would suggest mom and dad proof read body books because babies do come from storks and will until both of my daughters are nuns.

Next time your bored on a scorching hot or rainy day check out you local library. Your kids will love it and if you go to the right one there might be some cute nannies there. Just remember to proof read that body book.

Dad's Restaurant

My wife and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary today. Like a lot of people reading this we are on a budget. That doesn't have to prevent you from having a wonderful and fancy meal on special day. My wife wanted Rib-Eye steaks with potatoes for dinner. A nice rib-eye at a good steak house is gonna be out of our price range so we brought the restaurant home. Our night turned out great the "girls" got dressed up and were waited on by dad. I love my family and there faces all night made it special for everyone.

Guys this post isn't meant to brag or make anyone look bad. It's just what our budget allowed and regardless of your budget this would make you wife feel like a very special person. It also demonstrates to your daughters how they should expect to be treated. Which makes things much easier later in life. If you had none of the ingredients at home this meal can still come in under $50. Ours cost nothing close to that since we had a lot of it already. Most of this should be self explanatory, your anniversary is just like your wedding. It's her day, let it be special to her.

Prep Work

1. Make sure the house is clean. It's hard to have a nice meal at a fancy restaurant if its a pig-sty.
2. Set the table with a full set of silverware.
3. Have her favorite drink ready. Kids too, remember that if you make it special to them they help you make it special for mom.
4. Know your customers. Taylor your menu to your wife and kids. Include things in the menu they like such as mushrooms.
5. Have your kids make a "menu". I had our daughter write the menu on construction paper then she decorated it. 
6. Have on music. I realize that the US men's soccer game is on in the background but I promise Swing music was on. It was swing because that's what she likes.
7. Flowers and candles. Seriously if I need to explain this your hopeless.

Meal

1. Our first course was Vanilla Covered Strawberries. They were served by the "waiter" while the girls were getting ready. All you need to make them is Almond Bark and strawberries. Heat the almond bark in a bowl and cover the berries. Let solidify then serve. You may also take there drink orders now.
2. Seat your guests at the table. Make sure you pull out the chair like a gentleman and seat them. 
3. Salad's and bread came next. Serve to them like you are the waiter. Our bread was homemade french bread that my 4 year old made but grocery store bread will  work fine.
4. While there eating there salad's you should be making the rest of the meal. Cooking mushrooms, warming the corn and potatoes and cooking the meat. 
5. Clear the plates then serve dinner. Remember that presentation counts. Also remember to keep there glasses full as they would expect at any restaurant.
6. Join them. Once everything is served and all  are eating "dad" can magically appear and join his family for dinner.

Clean Up and Dessert

1.  Buss the table once the guests are done eating. 
2. Prepare desert and once again know you customers. I had bought my wife's favorite ice cream in advance so I could make sundaes.
3. DO THE DISHES. 

In summary this should just be a reminder to use your imagination.  Don't let life's little things like money get in the way of doing things that make your ladies feel special. My wife and daughters loved our evening and I couldn't have been happier.

Primitive Camping with kids

Camping for many is still a great way to spend a weekend. Most people remember trips when they were kids and hold very fond memories of those times. I am no exception, I love the mountains and I try to expose my children to them as often as I can. While planningg our most recent camping trip we settled on going to the Silver Fork area outside of Kyburz. For reasons I can't exactly explain I have never taken my children there. This may not seem strange to some as there are many places I haven't take my kids yet. This to me was blasphemy, I grew up camping there and had been there in every era of my life. I went as a child, as a punk high school student, a know it a high school grad, and with my wife before our kids were born. So how in the hell had I not taken my own kids here?

So there's a catch. As with most things there has to be a catch and this was no exception. The catch is this we would be "dispersed camping". For those of you unfamiliar with the term it is camping outside of an organized campground.  No running water, no toilets no tables or fire rings. I personally do not mind not having those things All of those problems can be solved very simply and inexpensively.  We bring our own water and had a total of 13 gallons with us. That's plenty for our family and will last 4-5 days if you use it wisely. We also bring our own potty. Its a 5 gallon bucket with toilet seat inside is a puncture proof bag with a special powder that solidifies all the nasty stuff. We had 2 tables one fold up camping table and the other was fashioned out of plywood and 2 sawhorses. Unfortunately there is no solution to the fire problem if the forest has restrictions in place, no campfires only propane. You must also have a fire permit, though they are very easy to acquire.

The trip it self was wonderful. We were able to camp at the very same spot I camped as a child. So the trip was very nostalgic for me which is not usually something that effects me. My wife and kids loved the location as it was 10 feet from a creek and 50 feet from a waterfall. There was swimming holes galore at this particular spot so the girls spent 3 afternoons playing in the creek. I was able to sneak out on thursday a fish a little and couldn't help but laugh when I can across a particular boulder. There are several of you that should recognize this and why I found it funny. My how things change.

Sometimes its amazing I'm still here.

Our trip was not without some drama. There was a couple of kids walking through our camp with firearms that received a very stern warning. The next day my composure way tested to the max when a group of 12 had decided that of  all the miles of river they could access they would party right in front of our camp. I resisted my internal urge to make a scene as we were already planning on going home. Stupid and inconsiderate people make my life very hard sometimes.

I suppose what this rambling post is about would be to take your kids to a spot that's special. Special doesn't have to cost a fortune. This trip cost gas money.  Take them to that fishing spot your dad used to take you, go camping at a spot with special memories. Whatever it is pass those memories on to your kids. I smiled every time my daughter asked "daddy did you swim here when you was a little boy?"

Not a bad breakfast nook

Links to some primitive camping necessities we currently use.
water container
http://www.rei.com/product/777828/reliance-jumbo-tainer-water-container-7-gal
toilet and bags
http://www.rei.com/product/679029/reliance-luggable-loo
http://www.rei.com/product/771485/reliance-double-doodie-waste-bags
fire permit
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5395989

Cheerio Smore's

This is more of a chose your own adventure than a recipe. Our house was hot today and my daughter really wanted to make cookies. I did not want to use the oven and heat the entire house up. So off to the makeshift pantry to check for ingredients that could be used in anything not involving the oven. We found 3/4 of a bag of melted together marshmallows, cheerios and semi-sweet chocolate chips. We were going to make some smore's cookie, we chose an 8x8 pan for ours

Ingrediants

• Cheerios or other cracker type base
• marshmallows (we used about 3/4 of a bag)
• chocolate chips (we used 1 1/2 bags)

Prep

• Crush enough cheerios to cover the bottom of the pan (graham crackers would be more fitting than Cheerios however we did not have any so Cheerios won)
• A sealed plastic bag works great for the crushing and the kids can do it while you are melting the other ingredients
• Melt the chocolate chips til liquid (chocolate almond bark would work better but once again we were out)
•  Melt the marshmallow into a liquid form
  

Assembly

 This is where my initial idea started to spring leaks. I had planned on pouring the hot chocolate mix  onto the cheerio base and just assumed it would hold it all together. When it began to appear that wasn't going to be the case i just mixed the cheerios into the chocolate. I'm sure it would have worked either way.  Proceed either way but i chose to mix the chocolate mix with the cheerios.

• Spread the Cheerios onto the bottom of the pan
• Pour chocolate over the Cheerios
• Sprinkle whole cheerios over the chocolate 
• Pour the marshmallow over the top
• Top with crushed Cheerios
• Place in refrigerator till chilled and solid

 Summary

As I warned it would be this was a kitchen adventure. In the end the kids and mom all loved the creation. There was no formal recipe used or even really one consulted for this just a quick once over of the pantry and some imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment with your kids in the kitchen. Life doesn't follow neatly arranged plans so why should our food.

Hot Weather Fun

We recently went to the Promontory Community Park in El Dorado Hills. Now that im a "blogger"  that means i get to tell all of you about it. We have been there twice now and the park is very nice. It has two different playgrounds at the park itself. The playground nearest to the spray park has some neat stuff that you don't usually find at parks. An old fashion tire swing, a multi seat teeter-totter and some other cool stuff my kids seem to love. The main reason for our outing was the spray park. These seem to be popping up all over the place lately so they all seem very nice and very clean. This one was no exception, every thing is newish and in working order. The spray park itself has a large butterfly shade structure in the middle so there is some shade for the kids.  There is a bucket drop that one of the kids was calling "the buckets of doom", a snake the sprays water, a rainbow spray tunnel and various other jets and sprinklers. Shade is limited for the parents but i've been able to find it both times. My only issue has been a little boy trying to play prince and princess with my daughter. He didn't know the King was watching him like a hawk. Give this park a try the next time your kids a bored and its hot.

THANK YOU!

I would just like to thank everyone that has supported me in starting this. I have seen many people over the long weekend that have been very kind and supportive in me doing this. I must admit and have to many of you that this a different challenge for me and its a bit embarrassing to be blogging. So thanks for ignoring my spelling errors, poor grammar ( Go Lancers!) and keep the feedback coming its appreciated. I have been asked how to subscribe to the blog and there is now an option on the right side to subscribe by email. You can also subscribe by using a Google+ account.

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day! Today is hands down the best holiday of the year. The day we get to remind the British, WE WON! Flags are flown, parades marched and kids get to wear awesome patriotic clothes. We get to puff out our collective chests and be belligerently patriotic.There are other holidays where you are expected to drink too much, eat till your pants no longer fit or blow things up. None of them involve all 3 simultaneously. There are no crazy lines at the store tomorrow, no cat sweaters to return or hung over trips to church. Just beer, fireworks and hotdogs. We will eat 155 million hot dogs, and 25% of them come from Iowa.  68.3 million cases of beer will be sold today alone.  Happy 4th of July, now go drink some beer and eat some processed meat.