Neeland

This weekend was beautiful! It was sunny and warm and Alex had duty... figures right! So we planned to head out to the river when he got home on Sunday. But Sunday was crappy! On his afternoon flight he flew over the river we wanted to hit and said it was still covered in fog/clouds and that he didn't want to go. So after going over some other options we decided to drive up and over Neeland Mountain and see what the trail down to this good camping/swimming hole looked like this year. We went here the other year with some friends, and the trail down is quite rough. But we made it down just fine and found that the rope swing was still there! The sun was out and it was nice! The water wasn't even that cold (you have to cross through the river to get to the good spot). So we stayed for about an hour, playing with the pups and having a snack and then made our way back home stopping along the way to check out some fields! I want to move out to the top of Neeland! It's always so quiet and peaceful! We joked that if we ever get stationed here again we'll buy a house up there along with a plane and then Alex can fly from the small mt top airport down into work every day! Since I didn’t actually get my camera out till the ride home here are just a few shots...
Daredevil Ned was making me nervous at the edge of the cliff!

Way across the ridge you could see this huge area of purple wildflowers!

We also watched 2 of the neighbor munchkins over the weekend and will have some cutie patootie pictures of them up soon!

The Wetting down and a bounce house!

We threw Alex's wetting down party this past Saturday! It was a blast, but unfortunately I got so wrapped up that I forgot to get my camera out! We had lots of good food! BBQ pork, shish-kebobs, grilled salmon, bean salad, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, bruchetta, chips and lots of different dips, and I can't leave out the desserts! Mini pecan and key lime pies and cupcakes! YUM YUM! We rented a bounce house for the kidos (even though I spent most of the time in there with them!) That was a blast! They had so much fun! And boy oh boy is that ever a work out! The guys entertained themselves with a few rounds of croquet and some Frisbee golf! Good food, good company, good fun! What more could you ask for! OH... yea pictures! LOL!

We actually had 3 parties this weekend. Friday as a Hail and Farewell... it ended up just being a farewell! But it was a great time! Pirate themed, with a Capt Kangaroo Court, and plenty of Roasts for all those leaving this transfer season! We're loosing like 1/2 the wardroom!

Then on Sunday we had out last soccer game. We had planned to have a BBQ with the whole team, but unfortunately only 5 of us were able to make it to the game! (Thankfully there were some guys from some other teams that stepped up to play with us so we were actually able to get a game in!) We ended up ordering a few pizzas and finishing some of the left over food with the five of us, as well as some other neighbors for some added fun! Alex took a dip in the hot tub with Steven and Madison and then I went over to have a chat with the new Capt and his wife! They both seem really nice! We have the change of command tomorrow! It will be interesting to see what he's like once he gets into the swing of things up here! It's a pretty big transfer season, so on top of a new Capt... We’ll have lots of other new faces around!

This weekend probably won't be as exciting as last... but we'll see what we can come up with!

Memorial day- Birthday- weekend!

We had a pretty laid back Memorial Day weekend. The weather wasn't fantastic so we mostly just hung out. The huge Kinetic Sculpture race was this weekend and my work sponsored one of the sculptures. So I got some overtime hours taking pictures of the race! It was nice because we were going to go check them out anyway! We spent Saturday watching the sculptures trudge through the sand and down "Dead Man's Drop" and hiked around on the dunes at the beach (after Alex let me sleep in and went out to get my flowers and an apple pie for my birthday! he's so sweet) We were so exhausted from going up and down all the huge sand dunes that we opted to grab some steaks and make a nice dinner at home, instead of getting ready and going out! Our friends Mike and Shak stopped by for a little and brought me a chocolate chocolate cake that Shak made! It was very yummy! Sunday the race was in the bay so we grabbed the boats and headed out on the water for a few hours (until Alex had to go to work) I spent the rest of the day futzing in the garden and then went out to dinner with the girls! Here is the poster I made of the race for work...

Here's one of Alex that I liked....

Thanks to everyone who sent me a card/called for my Bday!

Meet Diego!

Charlotte and Brendan got a puppy!

I can't wait to meet him... he's so stinking cute!

Banana Slug!

Look at this big guy I found hanging out on our ferns by the pond.....

Banana Slugs are very common in the Pacific North Coast, and leave their slime trails everywhere!! They are the second largest slug in the world, growing up to 25 cm long. They are so named because very often their coloring resembles a banana, bright yellow body with black spots. EEWWW!!!

Now here's a pretty picture of one of my calla's to distract from the banana slug!

Canoe Trip!!!

So with all the hot beautiful weather we've been having we decided to skip out of the CG yard sale (which made our neighborhood a madhouse) and take the boats out. We decided to try a different section of the Mad River that we had yet to be on that was around 5 miles or so long. I (alex) was abit nervous about taking our wood canoe down given the prospect of potential rapids but it faired fairly well with only some minor scratches. On the up side with all the heat the river still had a good bit of water on it (snow melt), and was even moderately warm considering. We also brought Ned's good friend Maddie with us as well. She wasn't quite sure what to do about the boats, and wanted to hop in right off the bat so she couldn't get run over. After a few pictures she was back in the water and joined our two monsters for the swim the rest of the way down. Aside from all the people at the different swimming holes, we ran into some turkey vultures, and a whole flock of ducks. By the time we finally closed into the end of the trip all three dogs were exhausted and needed a break, so we managed to fit them all in the boats for the final stretch. We ended with a run-in with a hot-air ballon; which oddly enough was the first one we've ever seen in humboldt county.

This has got to be some kind of world record!

it is HOT HOT HOT today! It's NEVER this HOT in Eureka! Bring on summer!

So Sad...

Dan was our Sales Manager here at Tomas... and an all around great guy! He was biking home from work Thursday evening when he had a sudden heart attack and died. We all went to a memorial service yesterday for him, and was totally overwhelmed by the amount of people that were there- who all had their lives touched by Dan! Here is his obituary from the paper....

Allen Daniel (Dan) Gunderson went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on May 8, 2008. Dan loved the Lord with all of his heart and was faithful in sharing his faith with everyone he encountered. Dan was born August 5, 1959, in Inglewood, California, to Allen and Pat Gunderson. He had a younger sister, Laura. Dan just celebrated his 22 wedding anniversary with his loving wife, Cheryl, and their four children, Sarah, Amy, Heidi, and Adam. They will deeply feel his loss and always feel his love. The family attends New Heart Community Church where Dan was actively involved in many ministries. He loved working with children and would share the Bible with them sincerely and often times through humor, which Dan had a lot of. He was involved in small group and men’s ministries where his presence will be dearly missed. Dan died suddenly while bicycling home from work. He loved being outdoors, especially loved being with his family and dogs at the ocean. His passion was his family and his Lord. He loved nothing more than to spend hours with his kids in the snow, at the beach, or just playing games. Prior to his death, Dan worked for Tomas Jewelry in Arcata. Dan leaves behind many family and friends who will hear his laughter and miss his tender caring way. Dan always had time to listen and give of himself. He truly loved people and people truly loved him. In lieu of flowers, an account has been set up at Coast Central Credit Union, in Allen Daniel Gunderson’s name. We all love you Dan and will miss you always.

Rhododendron's and Smores!

So this past weekend was the annual Rhododendron Parade! We've missed it the past 2 years (man has it been that long that we’ve been here!) So I was sure to make it this time! Alex unfortunately had some work to do... so off I went with my 2 Coast Guard mascots!

We had a lot of fun! The sun was out, lots of friends, a beautiful day! Boy was it a long walk! I don't know why I didn't think it would be that long, afterall it is a parade route! The dogs were plum tuckered out by the end!

Alex finished his work and met up with us just in time for the end of the parade! We spent the rest of the day bumming around downtown for lunch and then a sat around the fire pit with the neighbors for some smores at night!

ONE whole year!

Man this year has just flown by! Monday April 21st was our one year wedding anniversary! The restaurant we wanted to go to is closed on Mondays so we went last night... to the Sunset Restaurant at the Casino in Trinidad! The food was good and scenery as always was great! Alex got me a beautiful shell necklace on a string of dark fresh water pearls! And I got him some plants for his office and a light for our grill!

Paint the Day Away....

Charlotte's Bridal shower was a BLAST!!! We went to a paint your own pottery studio and made her a "party" set! I had each lady paint an appetizer plate and the bridesmaids and Charlotte painted some bowls and large platters! I made a design to stencil on each plate so they all matched and Charlotte picked out her color scheme! It turned out FABULOUS! Congratulations Charlotte and Brendan!!