Someone thinks he’s old enough to shave

Mason asked me to teach him how to shave. I got my shaving brush, C.O. Bigelow shaving cream and Dollar Shave Club razor. I showed him how to shave while I shaved my head. I had to think about it since I haven’t shaved my face in more than three years. How did he get so big?

Rock jumping on the McKenzie River with Mason

Cousin time

DeLana, Mason and I drove to Sweet Home to see Shalene and Danny. Matt and Sean were in from Arizona, so we had cousin time. They took us to the river to fish and swim. Mason caught five fish.

I watched Mason baiting his hook on the rock by himself, and I knew that alone was worth the effort it took to get us here. I wanted my kids to grow up like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. We’ve never lived by a river, and we have taken advantage of the river in Roseburg.

I love how the rivers change when the water levels change. The trees are so thick.

This is further upriver. Mason and I did a rope swing and jumped off a rock to the left of this picture.  The water was so clear.  And so cold.

Sean, Matt, Shalene and me. It was worth the drive to spend time with them. Especially in such a beautiful place. Spending time is always worth the effort.

Fishin’ with Gavin and Sidnee

Gavin took me and Sidnee to the Umpqua River for free fishing weekend. This is looking downriver, about 102 miles from the coast. We went upriver to try for salmon, but the water was too shallow.

We went downriver and switched poles to try and catch shad. Sidnee was the first to catch a fish.

Sidnee ended up with four fish.

I think this was my second and biggest fish.

This was my last fish.  It wasn’t the biggest, but it put up the biggest fight.   It was fun to try fishing from a drift boat. We expected more boats on the river, so we were pleasantly surprised. We ended up with eight fish and at least that many that got off the hook. It was a great fishing day.

Hammocks at Susan Creek Falls

Harbor Freight just opened in Roseburg, so Mason, Jaxon and I got some glow-in-the-dark rope for our hammocks. We continued our quest to explore new waterfalls, hiking just under a mile to Susan Creek Falls. This is just passed Tioga bridge, which is one of our favorite spots. We set up our hammocks close to the waterfall. We wished he had a fire and some hot dogs, but it was fun to relax and listen to the water. Hammocks were our Christmas experience, and everyone seemed to like it. We will be adding more pictures and the year progresses and we explore other areas.

Polar bear swim

Sidnee, Mason Jaxon and I did a polar bear swim at Colliding Rivers boat ramp.  It was 34• F.

2016

It is almost 2017, and customary to reflect on the end of the current year. “Change” would be our theme, and we were able to do some great things.

-Snowboard with Mason at Sundance
-Raven’s St. George softball tournament
-Riding JEM and Bearclaw Poppy with Mason and Jaxon
-Provo City Center Temple open house
-Riding at Trailside in Park City with Mason and Jaxon
-Anniversary Inn in SLC
-Raven graduated high school
-Cascade Springs and Squaw Peak
-Roseburg, Oregon trip to visit the Clark’s
-Cavitt Creek swim hole
-Heceta lighthouse in Florence, Oregon
-Moving to Roseburg, Oregon
-Tioga bridge
-Colliding Rivers
-Mountain biking and hiking the North Umpqua Trail
-Seeing Megan Asregadoo before she finished her mission
-Bandon Beach with the Hull’s
-Fathers and sons outing at Steamboat
-Sidnee’s 16th birthday
-Going back to Utah for Cari’s wedding
-Adventure day with Jeff K
-Seeing the elk herd near Singleton Road
-Feeding Nash’s animals
-Having Raven come home for Christmas
-Fish tacos at Bandon Beach
-Swimming in the ocean with Raven at Bandon Beach

It was stressful at times, especially moving to a new area, but it has been a year full of growth and new experiences.

Beach day

Raven wanted to take Max and Bay to the ocean since they have never been there. Bay loves to stick her head out the window.

Sidnee bought me a fish taco and Fish & Chips Chowder Shack. It was really good.

This is a bench on the pier. Max is our black male and Bay is the chocolate female.

Raven and I are brave.  It was 42 F outside.

Adventure day with Jeff K

Jeff K and I went on a manly adventure on Tuesday. It’s Saturday, but I’ve been a little preoccupied this week. We took the logging road above Cavitt Creek. We found ice on the rocks before we hit the snowline.

This is the lake with no name.

This is the frozen lake near Red Top before we dropped down to Myrtle Creek. It was a manly day filled with chainsaw action, grouse and broken snow chains.

North Umpqua Trail at Swiftwater

I tried a new section of the North Umpqua Trail system yesterday.  This section is seven miles from the house.  The trail was really smooth, so Mason and Jaxon should like it.  I saw this tree on the way back.  I don’t have the luxury of riding from the house like I did in Eagle Mountain, but the scenery is worth the compromise.

 

This is Fern Falls.  There are several waterfalls along the North Umpqua Trail.  I look forward to seeing this one in the Spring.