Cliff Lake, MT

Erin and I rented a canoe this past weekend to do a little "relaxed" camping. I thought the canoe would be a good way to get away from the crowds of car camping while having the comforts of decent food and gear that is too heavy to carry in a backpack. We actually fit all the gear, ourselves, and Kaya in the Canoe all at once; which was good because the campsite I was told to paddle to was a mile into a 20mph wind and I didn't want to do it twice. Kaya didn't love the boat ride too much. I don't know why, she didn't have to paddle.


After setting up camp we went down to the lake to set up the hammock so Erin could take a nap while I tried to fly-fish in a tropical storm. While I was looking for the two trees of ideal separation for hammocking, Erin was alert enough to notice that the boat was no longer where we left it.


I started running down the shoreline, knowing very well that the most likely stopping place of the canoe in the now 30mph wind was at least back at the car where we started, if not further down valley. As I was turning around to tell Erin that I would be back to camp in July some nice people yelled from down the shoreline that they had intercepted an unmanned, quickly moving canoe. I was greatful.

I did get a few minutes of sort-of calm to fish after the 75+mph winds.

Kaya ended up helping out around camp.


But it took a lot out of her (that and her staying up all night defending us from every grizzly bear and squirrel in a 10-mile radius).


All in all it was fun. Windy. But fun.

Extravaganza revisited

We went back up to the same job site near Big Sky today and saw three bears (no days). My coworker was able to get a bunch of pictures of a little bear cub that I think has been abandoned. It looked like it was doing OK; it was eating and looked healthy enough but I don't know how screwed up it is for bear cubs to grow up without parents. Maybe it will make it, though it will probably need counseling later in life. That's all for now. . .small blogs are less intimidating for me to create.

Wildlife Extravaganza

Wednesday was my first field day at my new job. We spent the day in the Big Sky area. It was fun and I definitely have a challenge ahead of me in learning a bunch of new skills. The highlight(s) of the day was seeing a TON of wildlife. It started with Big Horn Sheep, then Elk, two Black Bears, and a couple of days. The guys I went up with saw a moose when I wasn't with them, too. My co-worker was quick enough to get a photo of the second bear we saw on the side of the road, near a gated community development. It was pretty sweet.

The North Country, and SUNY Binghamton

Hi everyone. The last couple of weeks have been pretty eventful so I thought I would put up a couple of pictures from my trip with Erin to visit her family in "The North Country" of New York State. She grew up (and her folks still live close to) the St. Lawrence River that separates New York from Canada. It's rural, and very pretty. I realized this when I visited Western New York where Dad and family lived and am amazed that the rural areas are in the same state as New York City. Erin's dad built the log home where they live now out of the forest that they live on. It's a great place and I think it's so cool that it came from the property where it now sits.

We hung out there for a few days and then headed down to Binghamton where Erin's younger sister (Aliesha) just graduated from SUNY Binghamton in Human Development. It was fun, a lot of ceremonies and restaurants (not a bad thing with the restaurant part). You will be happy to hear that Erin and I have taught her family Nerts (as well as various Bozemanites). I've had a lot of fun with Erin's family. On the way to Binghamton her dad put on a Crash Test Dummies CD, they were both singing along to the "Hmmm mmmm mmmmm mmmmm" song. It cracked me up that they knew all the words (actually, they knew the whole CD) and did actions that go along with the lyrics like I do when I'm messing around. We had a pretty fun time. Here I'll put a picture of them all here (notice the USU sweatshirt Erin's sister is wearing?).

Sorry, I'm going to end this abruptly because I'm done writing but I'll try to give more details about the trip and/or my new job (or something else) later.

P.S. Erin wanted to make sure you all know that her dad is laughing, not just a weirdo.

Erin's free too!

Hi Moore's and associates across the land.

I've been reading up on everyone's lives and noticed a reference to me coming out of my hole, so I thought I should confirm that I am alive and well and out of my hole officially (as of Wednesday at 4pm). I realize that's not nearly as exciting as Joel finishing his thesis and getting a job, but this semester was especially stressful so I'm thrilled that it's over. I get to be worry-free for a whopping week and a half until my summer class starts! Ahhh....

There's not a whole lot more going on with me. I love having Joel back, of course, and I am so relieved that he got a good job. That's not an easy thing to do in this town and his particular field is very competetive here. So he must have knocked their socks off. As you probably know, we're off to NY on Tuesday for my sister's college graduation. I've never even been there before, so I'm excited to see her life and spend time with my family. I usually only make it home at Christmas each year, so it's a huge treat to see everyone twice this year! I can't wait. One of my aunts just started chemo treatments and my older grandpa has been struggling lately, so it will be especially good to be with them for a couple of days.

Summer has arrived in Bozeman so things are hoppin'. I always love this town, but summer is especially amazing here. Now I just need to find a beach that features couples in matching thongs! :) Thanks for the entertaining pictures, Kendi.

I hope you're all well and enjoying warm weather. Take care!
Love,
Erin

Job Offers

Things seem to be falling into place . . . finally. After the thesis approval my next big stress has been finding work in Bozeman. I've been combing through want ads for a while and last week interviewed with a couple of potential employers. One seemed like a great fit but couldn't promise that the work would be available beyond a three month project, and couldn't offer to take me on as a salaried employee. They offered me the position last week. I've been buying time with them while I wait to hear from another possibility that is more stable, and offers benefits, etc. I was offered the more permanent job this morning and I'm planning to take it. It will be a lot of work as I'll have to learn a number of new skills, but I'm excited about it because the company seems to be growing, and there is opportunity for advancement (non-existent in academia without a PhD). Anyway, thought I would share the good news.

I AM DONE

Well. . . pretty much. I found out this afternoon that all of my committee members have signed off on my thesis. I have some details (paperwork and such) to take care of but it should all be over by the beginning of next week. I can't even begin to explain what a huge weight feels like is being taken off of my shoulders. No more stressing about it before I go to sleep, no more calculating how many days I'll have to do any needed revisions, no more worrying about how much more tuition I'm going to have to shell out, no more of any of that.
My job is over soon and I'll be moving back to Bozeman at the end of the month. I'm looking forward to a little more carefree summer. Hopefully I'll get a good job, but that's a worry for another day.