8-26-03: Eric and I spent the next weekend camping at a place called simply Horse Camp near Haney Meadows. The trail that leads to this lovely double waterfall is not long, but I think you'd better be riding at least a mule and maybe a mountain goat if you were going to take it on hoof. There were horseshoe prints all along it, though, so some of the rugged local trail horses must have been able to navigate it successfully.

8-26-03: If god created all the animals, he must have had a particular affection for beetles. I must admit that the coloring on this little guy is spectacular.

8-26-03: You're not really going to eat that, are you? Eric decides that he'll get in on the good parts of the marshmallow roasting tradition by making a jalapeño popper on a stick. The cheese became unmanageably runny before the jalapeño was really roasted, but Eric seemed to enjoy it anyway, although he remains befuddled by my fascination with s'mores.

9-14-03: I had tried to grow fuchsias in Missouri, but of course it was far too hot for them there. They thrive in the Northwest, though. This is a mature bloom from my favorite of the ones I grew. My favorite fuchsias in general are a little less spectacular in photographs than this one. Those are the bushes with hundreds of tiny blooms, each with a little bell of a second color inside. Those are hardy fuchsias and often grow as volunteers around here.

9-14-03: The tomato plants did okay this year, as well. Eric is standing rightg behind the plant – it really is a foot taller than he is.

9-14-03: The cat is fascinated by Eric's juggling. I don't think he understands the consequences if Eric drops the ball.

9-14-03: This year my boss turned 40. He hates birthdays and, every year, denies that its even happening, so we figured this year we had to do something really good for his birthday.

First, we dressed up his desk ornament, Darth. Darth has been dressed up many times before (note previous stickies regarding Darth in the background) but in this case he's wearing a Deep Ends adult diaper and carrying a box of Colon Blow cereal. 100% pure fiber – All Natural.

9-14-03: The other thing we decided to do was decorate his car. My staff kept him busy while I slipped outside to do the dirty work. The bumper stickers are just color print outs laminated in mailing tape with magnets on the back. They are very easy to remove and won't hurt the paint a bit... but that's not how it looks! His first words upon seeing the car were, Those had better come off! The look on his face was priceless.

The stickers say:Remember, once you get over the hill, you begin to pick up speed. Everything that doesn't hurt, doesn't work! At your age, forget the natural products. What you need are artificial coloring and preservatives. If they tease you about your age, beat them with your cane. Over 40 - been there, done that, can't remember. Over the Hill If you were a horse, they'd have shot you by now. Life isn't passing you by, it's trying to run you over. You're stuck between "The Young and the Restless" and "The Old and the Senseless"

10-8-03: This one crosses over into the mushroom photos, but Eric looks so proud of himself in this picture I decided to put it in here, too. He found all of these himself! They were growing in a little patch of trees across the street from his work.

10-8-03: More unusual cooking. This time, we're camping at Rainy Creek (just on the other side of Steven's Pass) and Eric's roasting the traditional veggie egg rolls over the fire.

The most useful thing you can possibly bring camping is a Swiss Army knife. After that, though, it's a five-gallon bucket.