FLE

I initial attacked a fire about a week ago and it grew to 35 acres overnight in heavy timber. I spiked out(camped) on it for 8 days before heading in for a shower and a day off. I got to do the coolest thing perhaps ever on a fire, Fire-Line-Explosives! So, three of us packed 55 lbs each down the mountain to blow up a tree that was unsafe to fall with a chainsaw. We then stuffed 165lbs of explosives into the tree. Then, the blaster let me touch it off. So enjoy the video and the pictures. The video doesn't do it justice, the shock wave was so intense that it took the air out of my lungs and shot stuff to the east a half mile. If you listen after the blast, you can hear it hit the ridge to the north. By the way, I love my job. It must suck to be a desk jockey.

Erich Gets a Little Break

After spiking out on a fire for 8 days Erich got to come home for a little break in between fires. It was so miserably hot down here that we headed up to the mountains. We took a couple of guys from Erichs' fire crew and drove to an ol' ghost town called Florence which is up by the wilderness area. There wasn't a whole lot to see other than swarms of mosquitos, a few grave sites, and a couple of collapsing log cabins, but it was interesting nonetheless. On the way back we stopped to go clay and pistol shooting. My marksmanship was less than impressive, but oh well. Baby Gleckler got his first introduction to Shotguns, a noise I am sure he will hear a lot of in his life :)

(Erich and Roberts faking an ol' Western Shoot Out)

(One of the many gravesites. On the sign it said someone was killed in the bars basically everynight...what a lifestyle)

(At one time there was over 5,000 people living in Florence. Now it's completely desolate and over an hour and a half drive from the nearest town. It's crazy how things change with time. For awhile there it was quite the lucrative spot. They found millions and millions of dollars worth of gold before the place was abandoned)

It was great getting to see Erich for a little bit. We even celebrated my b-day since he was gone for the actual day. We went down to the river with the Petersens and had an ice cream cake.

Lots of Changes

Erich is off on fires again and we are at a stage of the house where I can't do much until he finishes some sheetrocking. Which means that I was forced to take a Saturday off of housework, and man did it feel fabulous!!! For a really long time I've been wanting to visit the gospel hump wilderness which is only about 30 miles away. So Saturday morning I called my good friend Terri Petersen and her daughter Kelli to see if they were up for a little adventure. Thankfully they were feeling spontaneous and they joined me for a picnic lunch and afternoon hike in the mountains. It was a perfectly beautiful day...sunny, a nice cool breeze, not too hot, and I quickly remembered how much I love hiking and being outside. Here are a few pictures from the day.

(Terri and Kelli Petersen at a scenic overlook)

(Libby, very happy that she got to join the little road trip)

(Libby and I at Upper Gospel Hump Lake)

(Looking down from the top of the six mile rountrip hike we took into Moores Lake...if you look close you can see the lake in the distance.)

(A nice mellow part of the hike right before the real elevation change begins)

(Dropping down into the canyon...isn't it spectacular?!?)

Well that's it for the fun hike day.

For those who have requested here is a full on prego shot. Clearly I have arrived at that "very pregant" stage. The side profile view says it all!!!
And now for the big Change in Life.... I had my last day of of work on Friday because my one year contract as a law clerk ran up. Since the baby is due in a month I have no new plans for employment. I am going to focus on living the "stay-at-home mom" life for awhile. Before teh baby arrives I plan on spending some time reading instructional books....maybe I can learn a thing or two about being a mom before our little bundle of joy arrives. I definitely feel in need of a lot of help and instruction! Anyhow the following is a picture of me with Judge Brandbury and the clerk Kathy whom I adore. Clerking this past year has been a really great experience. I will definitely miss it but I am excited about our new adventure.

Girls Camp

Well for those who didn't know I was called as the Girls Camp Director. This year it was ward camp year which meant I got to plan everything from location to theme to activities to menu....just everything! It was a huge responsibility but oh so much fun. I used a survivor theme so I could incorporate certification challenges and tribal councils for firesides. It was fun to break out the tiki torches and to add an element of tribal competition.

Anyhow this week was a blast--we had our own little section of the lake at Dworshak Lakeand we went swimming every day, had a big boating party on the last day, a big faith walk Tuesday night, a game night Wednesday, and a sunrise hike and service project Thursday among many other things. I just really enjoyed being camping (minus the hard ground for sleeping as pregnant lady). I am so proud of the girls of our ward they are so amazing and the YW presidency is so inspired. I felt like I spent the week among some of the most talented woman and teenage girls. Not a day went by that I wasn't in tears from laughing so hard and from feeling the spirit so strong. I feel much closer to my Heavenly Father after spending such a spiritual, fun week with the girls on the mountain. Although I am physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted I am so grateful for the experience and the friendships.

Anyhow here's a few pics.

(As you can see our campsite was right on this gorgeous lake)

(Which meant we did a ton of swimming and activities in the water, including this early morning challenge. You can't tell from the picture but it is 6:30 a.m. here. Let's just say it was an invigorating way to start the morning)

(Kylie Ashley and I were determined to make a raft out of the drift wood. We never quite dominated the raft building skill...it looked pretty sweet but it didn't float so well).

(Of course the girls used the lake for a little beautifying. This here was part of the "stellar hair" contest we had one afternoon. I saw some pretty impressive mohawks).

(No camp is complete without some crazy games...like this one where you try to move m&ms by sucking through a straw. I was at a distinct disadvantage due to my limited air capacity as a pregnant woman. I think I only moved 1 m&m while others moved an entire cup full!)

(And of course there were skits)

(If you can't tell the leaders' skit was on the YW values. My part was on the value of knowledge...hence the glasses and dorky pigtails).

(For a service project we mulched the playground at the main campground. The girls are not wet with sweat...I'm not that big of a slave driver. They are wet because us loving leaders kindly sabatoged them with a water fight!)

(This was one of my favorite nights when we had a picnic dinner down on the beach)

Well it's back home and real life now. Although it felt great to shower and sleep in a bed and see the husband I sure miss the beatiful trees, the lake, and the fun girls. What a great time!