Re-emergence

So, I'm sitting here thinking that letting this space go to waste is less than brilliant. Especially since most days I have some pretty genius thoughts - generally wasted on my kids. They'll realize how cool their dad is someday. For sure.

The point is, the time has come to dust off the ol' blog and get back to putting some thoughts out there. My dad has suggested that this time in my life is a great opportunity to get back to songwriting, but up to this point that has been a creative bust. I gotta start somewhere.

Let's get an update in on what's been going on since my last post:

The Trip: Roaring success. Overall,the family had a blast, we made great memories. Can't wait to do this again. Here's what I learned: My family functions with much less frustrations when we spend lots of time together. I really thought someone would end up maimed after us all being jammed in the car for 3 weeks. I was wrong. Here would be a great place to comment on my apparent genius.

Nell: Somewhat shockingly, I haven't heard from Birthmom Nell since July. Was I too much for her? Maybe the meeting was boring. Maybe she's just got a lot going on. The Christmas season is coming up, so it's a great time for me to bug her. I'll do it... eventually.

Jonathan: That's right folks... The 5th (and hopefully final human) member of the Irmiter family arrived in late August. If you haven't caught up on the news or pictures, check here. He's an awesome little dude and he's doing great. I'm sure there will be much more on this here.

Job: Nope. None. I'm sure there will be much more on that too.

The Band: The rumors are true, Bluestone Moon is no more. There are a number of reasons for this, but at the end of the day, the whole thing is just over. Bummer. There's good news on a couple fronts: First, it ended amicably enough that I'm sure some or all of us will work on projects together in the future. I'll be sure to keep you posted on what everyone is up to as I hear. For starters, check out singer Ali Washington's new band The Movement. SECOND: The Bluestone Moon album Tomorrow's Trying To Breathe has finally been released. It's packed with all original, soulful pop tunes with serious groove. You can hear clips here. You can order your very own copy from CD Baby or drop me a line, and I can hook you up. It's good stuff, so don't miss out and be all bummed later.

So that's the haps. Stay tuned for more important and maybe more well thought-out stuff.

Captured....

So, I'm pretty sure I left my heart at Lake Tahoe.

This is the view from one of the overlooks as you drive down to the lake. It may be the most incredible natural site I've ever seen. Everything is pristine, and I can't begin to describe the exact shade of clear blue the water is. I almost felt bad swimming in it. As part of our week long Reno stop, we spent a day at the lake just checking out the scene. If I had a couple million to sink into real estate right now, this would be the spot.


So we spent the afternoon buzzing around the lake at high speed, and found a nice quiet little spot to catch a little sun and some crawfish.


All thanks to my bro-in-law, Darin.



As a side note, this guy is an inspiration to me as someone who is starting to see the karma come back around. Without all the details, his life was coming apart at the seams a few months ago, but just this week everything started to change all at once. He's got a lovely new lady-friend as you can see, and was just handed keys to an entire 47 acre mountain (and house), and a crazy low price. I hadn't really gotten to know him much until this week, but I quickly learned he's one of the most genuine, generous people around, who just can help but give you the shirt off his back. If you ever wonder if that kind of living pays off, I'll give you his number.

If that's not enough, I'm pretty sure Jack would like to be adopted by his super-cool uncle. I mean, he's got a super huge boat, and super cool 4-wheelers, and an entire mountain to explore. I guess I can't blame the kid...




Today, we spent the afternoon checking out Yellowstone. My only regret here is that we didn't have more time. Check out my sweet mountain climbing skills ----->

I'm a whole 12 feet off the ground...

Here's my travel tip: IMHO, the fountain geyser is a much better investment of time than the whole old faithful thing. It seems you can get much closer and get a better experience. Granted Old Faithful is a national landmark, blah blah blah... But trust me on this one. Unless you're the type that loves parking in a gigantic parking lot a mile a way, and fighting your way through 8,000 tourists who got there before you did. Yeah... take my word on this one.


By the way, apparently geysers stink. Take Jaelon's word on that one...


I'm writing this from "suite" 133 at the luxurious Antler Inn, in Cody, Wy. Out my window is a lovely view of a rapidly deteriorating asphalt lot, and about 73 rusty pickup trucks. Yay.

Yeah, I said "Antler Inn". Sounds shady. It looks shady too, and I think they ripped me on the price. Triple A rate my butt... Anyway, its surprisingly clean, and nice considering. Especially when it's 10:30 Pm and you're in a car with 2 whining kids, a pregnant lady, and its the only open room in town. Trust me, we only stopped at 40 places. Ok 3, but still... I was tired.


As I sit here, I can't help but keep thinking about Nell. I was only able to spend a short while with her, but I really miss her for some reason. Maybe its that little part of my spirit that finally found its final connection. Maybe because I wanted our meeting to be a little more dramatic. Maybe I didn't get all my questions answered in the time we had. Or... maybe you're just supposed to miss people when they leave.

Nell doesn't really return calls, but I'm going to leave her a message I think. Just to say hi or something. Maybe she listens to them... maybe not. Its almost like "Birthmom" became a real person for a second and then she's disappeared into the mist again. I feel like I'm craning my neck to catch another glimpse. I hope she knows what a big part of my life she's been.

Guess I maybe shoulda told her that...

Like I said, I was pretty sure I left my heart at Lake Tahoe...


I may have to go back and get it. Yellowstone was pretty all right...

Misc Pics

My apologies for the lack of blog posts this week. We are in Reno, NV and have been without reliable internet connections for a while. I hacked a little workaround tonight, so BAM!

Just for bragging rights, this is the view from the living room window of the house we stayed at in Steamboat.



Ok, so no bragging rights. It's not my house (clearly) , but I did enjoy the view for a few days. So there...

After leaving Steamboat, we continued West on our way to Salt Lake City where we spent the night. The next morning we got back in the trusty Durango for another 8 hour drive. When we stopped for gas in the the middle of nowhere, the kids asked us why there was so much "snow" while it was so hot. Being good parents, we educated them on the geography known as the "Salt Flats", across which we were traveling.

The idea of having a vast expanse of land that tastes like salt was too much for our kids. So they asked to go play out there, and have a taste. Being not-so-good parents, we agreed to let them go, and subsequently fired up the ol' camera to see what would transpire.


Oh hey, this salt flat stuff is cool! Let's taste!



Yep. Take a good lick.

Ever the trusting little sister, Jaelon gets in on the salt action....



I think she loves it...




Or not...




Like I said. NOT the best parenting, but it's funnier this way. Well worth it.


Here's a few Reno pictures. This lake is the Boca Reservoir, where we spent most of Tuesday. Yeah, it's that nice...

peace...