Pic dump: May and June at the river (mostly)

6th grade graduation.

Alex visited for a few days. We rode bikes mostly, but I got him fishing too.

Beth and Mike came up and we made food. We've discovered these little gnocci packages at the $1 store (!!) -- they're from Italy and they are great as breakfast potatoes -- just soak them for a minute or two in hot water, then fry them up in butter. That's what's under the eggs... among other things.

South Boulder Creek. I've been fly fishing this year. Mostly, I've been working the Kettle with some slow and steady success, but these little creeks are rad. I caught a few super bad-ass little Brook trouts in this one.

Maddie and I went on a bike camping trip on Shaw Island. This was the ferry ride out.

We did a tiny bit of churchin' in a tiny church -- which is an odd west side rural phenomenon: tiny little roadside churches where people stop and pray and then write notes in a guest book.

Maddie's room in the new place at the river.

She made that stainglass window with our friend Christa.

Bets and Liza chillin

Maddie after a long weekend. She was attempting to read on the drive home. But pretty much slept with the book propped up

Fishing with Don at Fish Lake. He went on a tear and caught a bunch of these super pretty Brook trouts.

Selfie.

OMG it's Maddie!

Poor only child... the object of an obsessive photo-taking-and-posting father. 

Clearly, she's unhappy. But tall!

On the beach at the Kettle River.

Walking the tracks on a local adventure.

Running.

Zen'ing.

Maddie's selfie method: take a movie. Then a screenshot. Sort of brilliant.

Dork.

This is where the trailer once stood. And the shed. And the porch. 

No mas.

1st River Hang '15

(g)Hat 2014

Hat Island was, as usual, super fun...

Alex showed up on his big sailboat -- this is his tender for the big one -- and this little thing rules. He showed me how to sail and then let me loose for a half-hour or so. It ruled. I shall procure one for Lake Roosevelt. Verily.

Clearly, it's a workboat too. 

My crab goal every year is to eat enough crab at Hat to make me sick of it for a year. Betsy made some excellent crab cakes and Z made some crab and avocado sushi rolls that were the bomb, but my favorite way with crab is right out of the shell: no butter no nothing. 

This is a picture of me taking a picture of Betsy taking a picture of Alex taking a picture of the sun.

As for pictures: this is Best of Show. 

I don't have a picture of Gina: but this is her. No one, and I mean no one, jams out a fresh fruit pie like Gina. On the left: Hat Island Blackberry. On the right: Hat Island Apple. The blackberries were perfectly tart and Gina showed the perfect restraint with sugar'ing them... Genius.

Evening jam session. 

Bugs and fat bikes and Nonna and skulls...

Grasshopper (Maddie pic).

Little fishies.

Fishing is rough rough rough at the river right now. 

I put in at the end of the river road to see if the fishing was any better.

Five otters visited as soon as I got my boat in the water.
That pretty much kills all the action.

I minor highlight was getting Liza on a fat bike. Glen let me use his small Pugsley for the weekend. I think Betsy needs to try one and I think Glen's would fit.

The major highlight of last weekend was a Nonna visit. She loved Betsy's new cabin. Here they are playing scopa, an Italian card game that's pretty damn fun, especially Liza's mom. She gets really excited. She also says that in Sicilian, the game is called "scupa," not "scopa," so that's what it is in Ferry County.

I was skunked most of the weekend. Then I caught this beaut -- a fighting rainbow early on Friday morning.

We had it for breakfast with some fried new potatoes.

Maddie and I took the little boat on the Columbia and did some exploring. We're going to do a lot more of that. And maybe some camping too.

Deer head.