gunsight mtn. goat-getting and etc.

kevin, andy, and i went camping last weekend up in the mountains. it was glorious. sunny, breezy, wildflowers in full bloom. we were technically searching for mountain goats to hunt, but mostly we were just gallivanting around our insanely beautiful backyard. here is the three of us on top of gunsight mountain, which looks down on our valley. (you could see mark/tracy's and chris/amy's from the top!)

and here is my oinker of a husband . . . who ate all our snacks in the first night . . . but who also proudly wore the chairman mao hat i made for him.

and here i am, looking professional as i tote a gun . . . while getting a tan - of course!

on our first day we hiked across two passes (of sorts) and camped at a lake that looked down on barabara valley. as we scouted for goats with the binoculars we spied the infamous dump truck that is located at the headwaters of the creek. so cool. we hiked down and explored around . . . and saw FISH! in the creek. (so far upstream seems impossible . . . but, like the dump truck, there they were.)

so good to get out . . . these final summer days are so precious. and i feel pretty damn lucky not to be feeling the pangs of anxiety that usually come before school starts. early retirement rocks! i get to do all the things i want to do at the end of summer . . . pick blueberries, fill the freezer with garden stuff, make jams and pies, stack wood, go camping with friends. it's strange . . . people keep asking what i plan to do now that i'm not teaching. it seems like such a crazy question. i plan to do THIS.