Claire's First Food!

On Wednesday, March 28, Claire tried some solid food for the first time! We were having sweet potatoes for dinner, so I just stuck some of them into the food processor & whizzed it up (yes, that's a technical cooking term) with a little water. She ate maybe a teaspoonful altogether, but was pretty wary of them & mainly just looked weirded out by the whole experience! Here's some video footage of the hilarity.

Video of Claire trying out some Sweet Potatoes

Katie & Claire's Vancouver Adventures!

As Zach mentioned in his last post, Claire & I spent March 10th through March 22nd up in Vancouver, while he toiled away in Pullman. We had a great visit with the family, and it was really awesome to be able to spend more than a few days there, since our standard visits are usually pretty whirlwind-ish! We really missed Zach, though!

This time, we had the chance to visit with lots of friends & family. Of course, Claire got lots of Grandma Shepherd time, as well as lots of time spent with my sister & brother, Claire's Auntie Megan & Uncle Dave. We also hung out with my youngest brother, Greg, but he was busy with work & other obligations, so didn't see as much of him as possible. Claire really loved spending time with her cousins, Emily & Matthew, who were wonderful with her & seemed to really enjoy playing with her (except when she cried...then she stopped being cool for a few minutes!). On the family front, we also visited with my aunts & uncles, as well as my brother-in-law & his family. We also headed out to Chilliwack with Grandma Shepherd to see my mom's cousin, Gail, who I hadn't seen for a number of years. Dave is staying with Gail while he is substitute teaching in Chilliwack. While we were there, Claire got to meet her first cat - she only grabbed it's tail once - the rest of the time she just kept an eye on it (as it did the same!)
It was SO nice to see everyone!

Claire got to visit with a number of my friends on this trip, too - she was a popular baby! First, we caught up with my friend Kelly & her 7 month old, Lucas, who is Claire's future husband. They behaved themselves for the most part - Claire tried to pull off Lucas' sock & Lucas tried to grab Claire's face...sounds like the beginning of a beautiful relationship, right?!
Claire & I also got to hang out with my best friend, Linsie, a couple of times and even met Linsie's ADORABLE 1o month old niece, Delyla. I'm sure Claire was jealous of Delyla's abilities to speed-crawl and stand up, but what Claire was MOST impressed with was Delyla's deluxe Jumperoo...at that point, Claire had been away from her own beloved Jumperoo for a couple of weeks, so when I put her into the deluxe Jumperoo, she jumped like a maniac for 15 minutes or more - she was so into it that she jumped both of her socks off!
Another day, my Mom & I took Claire to North Vancouver to have tea with my friend Jenn & her mom (and their huge dog, Holly, who was quite taken with Claire!).
Finally, Mom, Claire & I went to our family friends, the Penafiels. Claire had a great time with Julie (who is a couple of years younger than me), and got to sit in a high chair for the first time - so many firsts!
Again, it was wonderful to have the time to be able to catch up with so many friends!

When we weren't visiting with family & friends, we just enjoyed spending time around Vancouver. We went for walks, played with cousins, and Claire even got to hang out with her D0g-Aunties, Cassie & Sydney!

We capped the fantastic trip off with a fun road trip back to Pullman, thanks to the stellar driving & passengering skills of my brother Dave & sister Meg. They are both SAINTS for putting up with Claire (and me!) for so long...Claire did pretty well for most of the trip, but had a screaming meltdown for the last 45 minutes of the trip. Thank you, Meg & Dave, for not kicking us out on the side of the highway! We had a great time with you!

We had an excellent trip, and just wish that Zach could have been there with us. Next time, he will be!

Here are some pictures (ok, A LOT of pictures...), as well as a few videos for your enjoyment...yes, every single picture & video features Claire...what? Is that surprising?! :-)

Claire March 2012 Pictures! 
Claire Rolls Over Video
Claire in Car Seat Part 1 Video
Claire in Car Seat Part 2 Video
Claire and Emily Video
Claire Raspberry Video
Emily, Matthew, and Claire Video
Claire Bouncy Seat Video
Claire Raspberry Video Part 1
Claire Raspberry Video Part 2
Claire Reaching for a Spoon Video

New Job and Pullman Trip

On March 5th I started a new job as a software engineer at Schweitzer Engineering Labs (SEL), based out of their Boise office.  For various reasons, it was time for a job change.  However starting this new job required that I spend three weeks in Pullman, Washington, for training.  We were able to stay in a three bedroom corporate apartment just across the street from the SEL campus.  We drove down from Boise on the 4th and this was mostly uneventful except for Claire crying during the last hour.  The plan was that the three of us would stay in Pullman for my first week and then Katie and Claire would spend the next two weeks with the Shepherd family in Vancouver (maybe Katie will blog about that?).

My first week at work was dominated by new employee orientation.  We spent some time getting to know Pullman during the week before the three of us left for Vancouver on the evening of Friday the 9th.  Claire cried during the first couple of hours of this trip but went to sleep for the rest of the ride.  We arrived in Vancouver around 1:30am and were tired!  I spent Saturday in Vancouver before heading back to Pullman on Sunday the 11th.

My next two weeks in Pullman were pretty predictable - working, getting trained, and checking out the area as best I could.  It was sad being away from my family for so long but I did get better sleep than usual!  The weather in Pullman was kind of crummy while I was there (lots of cold, rain, and snow) but there was a decent weekend that allowed me to hike nearby Kamiak Butte, drive up nearby Steptoe Butte, and snowshoe Mt Spokane and Mt Kit Carson outside of Spokane.  It's an interesting area for sure but I definitely like Boise a lot more!

On Thursday the 22nd Katie and Claire returned to Pullman after being driven down by Katie's siblings Megan and Dave.  They had a fun road trip together and we had a nice dinner at the South Fork Public House before going to bed.  Megan and Dave left Pullman on Friday morning and the three of us left right after I finished work on Friday evening.  Claire behaved pretty well on this final drive and we arrived in Boise around 12:45am on Saturday morning.  Instead of relaxing Saturday, I spent the day at the Boise Code Camp.  But at least Sunday was a relaxing day highlighted by brunch at Bob's Sunrise Cafe with Gary and Bonnie!

Pullman Pictures!
Kamiak Butte/Steptoe Butte Hike Pictures!
Mt Spokane/Mt Kit Carson Snowshoe Pictures!

Claire Early March Update

Here are a few recent pictures and videos of Claire!

Claire Early March Pictures!
Claire Getting Poked Video
Claire Jumperoo Video

Another Birthday...

My birthday this year was on a Saturday, which meant I didn't need to take off from work.  I slept in and with the weather looking iffy I decided I would plan my day in an impromptu fashion.  With the late wake-up, I ended up deciding to hike some peaks outside of Mountain Home.  I left the house around 11am and headed over.  My first peak attempt failed due to access issues so I moved on to Peak 4008', a barely noticeable top along US-20.  This was a very straightforward hike across sage and grassland.  The "peak" has pretty unremarkable views but it surely is a seldom visited area.  After completing this hike, I decided to head home rather than hike a second peak and risk delaying dinner.

Dinner was at The Twisted Timber, a local place known for good beer and more recently, pretty good pizza!  The three of us had a great meal and we even got Claire home early enough for her usual bedtime.  Getting old is no fun but at least I had fun doing it?

Birthday Hike Pictures!

Claire President's Day Update

On Valentine's Day Claire was officially five months old!  In honor of George Washington's Birthday, here are some recent pictures and videos!

Claire Five Month Pictures!

Claire Bouncy Seat Video
Claire Playmat Video Part 1
Claire Playmat Video Part 2
Another Claire Bouncy Seat Video
Claire Laughing Video

Claire Four Month Update

Another month has passed and it's time to share some more pictures of Claire.  Enjoy!

Claire Four Month Update Pictures!

McAfee Peak Snowshoe

With the winter weather still good, Dan and I went on another winter outing.  This time we selected McAfee Peak in the Independence Mountains of Northern Nevada.  The drive down was a little long and extended by our choice to use Maggie Summit and NV-226 to reach the peak.  After leaving Boise at 5am, it was after 9am before we were hiking.  We were amazed at how little snow there was at the 7800' trailhead!

The route to the peak follows a 4x4 road for awhile before crossing a mix of open and forested terrain to reach the summit ridge.  The forested terrain was bouldery with a thin layer of snow which made things a little treacherous.  It was the annoying "too much snow for boots, too little for snowshoeing" problem - I preferred snowshoes despite hearing them scraping rock much of the time.  Eventually we got above the rocks and into deeper snow near the summit ridge.  Once higher, the wind picked up and it started to get a little chilly.  The summit ridge was even windier but with intermittent patches of bare rock and soft snow.  We eventually got annoyed crossing rock and ditched the snowshoes, instead just hiking the last few hundred vertical feet to the summit.

The peak has great 360° views of a huge part of northern Nevada.  Oh, and lots of brown terrain!  Other than the steady wind at the summit, it was a perfect winter day.  We relaxed for a bit (out of the wind), refueled, signed the register, and identified the nearby peaks.  The descent was much easier and proceeded without issue.  We were back to the vehicle in just over 6 hours having climbed a 10000' peak in January.  Not bad!

On the way out we drove from Jack Creek Summit directly to NV-225 which got us home in 3 hours.  This route was much faster but one that is rarely possible in mid-January!

McAfee Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

Williams Peak Winter Hike

With the winter snowpack in Idaho being pathetic, Dan and I decided to ascend a big peak that is normally inaccessible in mid-winter.  We chose Williams Peak in the Lost River Range, a peak with good vehicle access and a low-angle canyon approach.  We left Boise just after 5am and were hiking just after 9am.

The ascent was very straightforward and the route up the canyon was much less difficult than we remembered from our last visit (climbing Mount Church and Donaldson Peak) in 2003.  The canyon is a little bit brushy and rocky but almost always offers a decent route choice.  The snow was not very deep in most places and we didn't even put on snowshoes until we reached 9000'.  From there the snowshoes were really only helpful until we reached the summit ridge at 10000'.  The final push to the summit was windier but on easy talus which was mostly blown clean of snow.  Temperatures were likely in the low 30s and aside from the wind, it was quite pleasant!

The summit views were a little disappointing due to the clouds shrouding all of the nearby big peaks.  However we were thankful that visibility was never a problem on our ascent.  We retraced our route on descent and made it back to the vehicle before 4pm.  On the way through Arco we stopped at the Deli Sandwich Shop which was pretty decent.  Another dining option discovered! 

Williams Peak Winter Hike Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

Claire New Years Update

Our New Years was pretty uneventful.  On Friday the 30th we applied for Claire's passport which is needed if we ever take her to Canada.  Kind of silly but it did make for a funny photo!  On New Years Eve I hiked with 18 (20?) others to Cervidae Peak just outside of Boise.  The weather was very mild (for December), the moon and stars were out, and there was no snow so it was quite enjoyable!  The past two years I skipped due to snowstorms and subzero temperatures so it was definitely a nice change.

The rest of the weekend was dominated by relaxation, football watching, and decoration-taking-downing.  Also, some more pictures of Claire are below!

Claire New Years Update!

Christmas 2011

Once again we traveled to Vancouver for Christmas.  This time we were traveling with Claire, which gave us some concern ahead of time but turned out to be a non-issue.  Claire was a great traveler, either sleeping or being quiet on all four legs of our journey!  Someone in the Bellingham airport even called her the perfect baby! Megan picked us up late Wednesday evening after we arrived in Bellingham.  Other than Claire crying in the border lineup, our trip to Vancouver went very smoothly.

In Vancouver, we went to the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Gardens for the first time.  It features 1.4 million lights on display in a garden.  It was much bigger and brighter than the display at the Idaho Botanical Garden but way more crowded.  I think I like the Idaho experience better - less crowded, more spaced out, and it has LED trees!  Dave works at the garden and was very helpful in arranging our visit - thank you Dave!

Our visit to Vancouver was dampened by a stomach flu bug that was being passed around.  Dave, Greg, Liz, Megan, and Emily were all affected but somehow all three of us managed to escape.  Despite at least one person being sick for much of the visit, we did a little bit of shopping, attended the Christmas Eve service at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church, and were there for the Christmas brunch and Christmas dinner at the Shepherd house. We had lots of good times with family and had a great time giving and receiving presents!  Of course Claire had a big haul, consisting of books, toys, clothes (thank you Dave for the Santa suit!), and other items.  Everyone was excited to meet Claire and we were very happy that she behaved well during her first trip away from home.

Our return trip was also uneventful (thank you Claire!) and was highlighted by a quick stop at Trader Joe's in Bellingham where we got a few things to cram into our already stuffed suitcases and some food to eat in the Bellingham airport.  We got home late in the evening on Tuesday and I had to look forward to two days of work.

We hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Christmas 2011 Pictures!
Christmas 2011 Video
Present Opening Video

Claire - December 2011 Update

Here are a few pictures of Claire from the past month or so.  The last few are taken from the nighttime Christmas light display "Winter Garden aGlow" at the Idaho Botanical Garden which we attended with Bonnie.  We offer our apologizes for the low quality cell phone pictures.  While the poor quality pictures may not reveal it, the lights were great and Claire was mesmerized the whole time!  Also included are a couple of pictures from downtown Boise.  Enjoy!

Claire December 2011 Pictures!

Christmas Decorations

Usually we don't do much in the way of decoration, but this year we decided to up the ante a bit.  Besides the usual tree and train, we put lights on the house, car, and my desk at work.  I got the idea for putting lights on the car from Ian and it has proven very popular here!

Christmas 2011 Decorations Pictures!
Train Video

Bull Mountain Snowshoe

Dan invited me on a snowshoe trip to Bull Mountain just over the Utah border.  This peak is noted for being a county highpoint and for having substantial topological prominence.  Dan had failed on this peak the weekend prior (due to bad weather and navigational errors) and was ready for revenge.  We met at 5am and were soon heading to south central Idaho to bag the peak.  After a stop in Burley crossed the Utah line and we were at the trailhead ready to go just before 9am.  The weather was pretty good for us - mild temperatures (in the 30s), high clouds, and minimal wind.

We were able to make good progress up the ATV trail and thence to a smaller trail up Lake Fork.  This trail started out good but was soon obscured by blowdowns in several places.  Dan did an amazing job bypassing the obstructions and managing to find the trail fragments, making what would have been an arduous struggle through snowy forest into a reasonable endeavor.  Eventually we worked our way high enough that we could see a clear path to the ridge leading to the summit.  It was a steep grunt up to the ridge top, but from there it was a straightforward ascent to the very flat summit of Bull Mountain.

The summit views were great and took in some ranges I had not seen in a long time.  Due to fog, we couldn't see the Great Salt Lake immediately to our south.  The summit register was filled with familiar names from the county highpointing community and made for great reading.  Other than the flatness of the summit, everything about this peak was great.  Our descent was much quicker than our ascent and we were easily back on the interstate heading home before dark.

On the way home, we stopped at Wendy's in Burley.  This choice was questionable due to the really slow service.  The highlight of the Wendy's visit was the person in front of us who had to wait 5-10 minutes to get his order taken.  After ordering a frosty, the cashier said "That's it?!  If I had known you were only ordering a frosty, I would have taken your order much sooner!".  Fortunately we didn't have to wait as long as he did for our orders but I left with a great memory of bad restaurant service.

In short, this was a very fun and rewarding snowshoe ascent under very pleasant conditions.

Bull Mountain Snowshoe Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

Peak 5140' Hike

A few weeks ago, I embarked on a short hike in the Boise foothills above Robie Creek.  The destination was Peak 5140', a little known peak in a mostly ignored area.  After driving up Robie Creek and over Crooked Summit I parked at a suitable spot and began hiking up up the west slopes of the peak.  The going was easy at first but got brushier as a I got higher.  After slogging for a bit, I eventually reached the summit which was simply a mass of brush with no views.  Disappointing, but not unexpected!

After a short time visiting the high areas in the brush, I decided I'd see if I could find a good route over to nearby Daggett Point.  I quickly found a good trail and made nice progress, however soon I was surfing through heavy brush again slowly descending toward Daggett Creek.  Since I had limited time, I chose to turn around and save Daggett Point for another day.

On the way out I decided to explore a third peak, Zephyr Ridge Point.  A little bit of hiking from Crooked Summit revealed it has a house on top and is part of the Wilderness Ranch subdivision.  At that point I lost interest and returned to the vehicle.  Only one peak, but it was nice to see a nearby area that is seldom hiked.

Peak 5140' Pictures
Trip statistics: 3h, 4 miles, 1600' elevation gain