Colter and (John) Colter

There's nothing as soothing and relaxing after a day of camping and hiking and driving as the sound of my boy falling asleep next to me in the tent. He's even done it in the middle of a sentence, just drifting off in mid-word. Colter and I spent three days in Yellowstone last weekend. That brings the total of nights he and I have slept on the ground this year to seven. Which beats 2008 by six. Due to bad timing with work and the weekends I didn't have him, we only managed to camp one night last year, and I came away with a bout of the flu that kept me out of work for two days after that.

This weekend was one of the best we've had yet. On the first night, Colter got to sit by his first campfire. On the second day, Colter remembered something that I had casually tossed out on the day before. After we had walked around at one stop, I asked if he was ready to head to Canyon.

"But what about the Tetons?" Colter asked me.

"Uh, what about them?"

"I thought you said we could go to the Tetons."

"I was just saying we could some day if you want to."

"Let's go now."

About two and a half hours later, we were driving by Colter Bay and getting close to Jenny Lake (his mom's name--ok well, her name's not Lake like Verionica Lake, but Jenny. Jennifer, really. But, I digress). I had to explain to Colter that the bay, marina and lodge weren't named for him. They, and he, are named for John Colter, the first white man to see Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and generally regarded as the first mountain man. Then Colter started asking me questions about, well, Colter. I told him about John Colter being an explorer and how when he was bigger, we'd trace some of John Colter's footsteps across the west. Something I've been looking forward to since the day we decided on his name.

We took the drive up Signal Mountain and saw a black bear foraging. Took in the view of the Snake River Valley from the top, and on the way down, scared the hell out of the black bear so badly, she ran straight up a tree. Colter had wanted a picture of the lake that was covered in lillypads. As we were walking the short distance to it, I told him to hush. There was a loud racket, and across the small lake, that same black bear was hauling ass running away from us. She went straight up a tree and stayed there for a few minutes before coming down.

On the third day, we stopped at Chico Hot Springs for a swim on the way home. Two weeks ago, we soaked in the Boiling River (not my video), a first for me as well as Colter.

Colter's going camping with his mom this Saturday, and with her again in Oregon in August for a week. Before Kindergarten starts, he'll have logged 14 days on the ground. And he loves every minute of it.

Maybe one day soon, I'll start to read a book I have about John Colter to him, so he can learn more about his namesake and the land that he's growing up in, and about how damn smart beavers really are.

Here's some pictures from both our cameras from this weekend. Click on the link to take you to the photo album.

It All Started with the "M"

Colter and I were planning on camping on Saturday, but the weather didn't look like it would cooperate, so I began making a mental list of places we could go hiking around Bozeman, maybe hit the Bozeman Hot Springs on Sunday. While I was making breakfast, Colter asked, "can we hike up to the 'M' today, Dad?" I thought, why not? While we were coming down, I decided we were going camping no matter what the weather was. We have been trying to get out of town for the last four weeks, and I decided we were going. Once we got down, it was a quick trip to the library for some books for Colter, and a quick trip to the grocery store. We were on our way out of town and headed towards Red Lodge by 3:00. He didn't quite make it to Red Lodge, but he's turning out to be a great traveller.

Here's Colter's first trip over the Beartooth Pass. There's another one coming soon, since there was so much fog (well, at 10,000 feet, more like clouds, really), that he didn't get to see much when we were at the top.

(click on the slidseshow to see the gallery)

Horses & Longhorns in April Snow

Just a little bit of snow in the Gallatin Valley today. Took these on the way home to lunch. This is a mile south of Huffine on Cottonwood. Longhorn steers in the left of the closeup.

"Try facts next time...." - I stand corrected

In the interest of fairness, I feel I should post this correction that was e-mailed to me this evening from (Name):

Subj: Try Facts Next Time Not your made up story...first of all, I've never been on Yahoo personals, Jay. It was Match. Not that it's a big deal...but if you are going to blab all over your blog, then at least get the facts right. And speaking of that...the fact that we lived so far apart had *nothing* to do with it not working out. If you recall (which I'm sure you do), *I* was the one that said I wasn't interested anymore.  Now go ahead and post this on your kid's blog....I'm sure all your "friends" are just *dying* to know more about this interesting story. LOL And BTW....don't you worry about me falling for a single father or anything like that. I love kids, and wouldn't mind dating a single dad at all. Sorry if you can't handle that I wasn't interested in an arrogant and needy jerk like you.

The part about (Name) not being interested in me is true. The part about me being needy and an arrogent jerk, at least in this case, for posting yet another e-mail that you've sent me after blocking me on Facebook and saying you're not going to read my blog anymore after clicking on it "just for kicks" earlier in the week. Yeah, ya got me. Probably true too. My apologies.

"No one gives a shit about conversations you have with your kid."

If you read my previous post this morning, you know that I was having a discussion about how different Facebook users who aren't on Twitter are different from those who are. (Name) sent me an e-mail this evening in response to the post:

So I was just going through my bookmarks, deleting ones I never use. I came across your Colter's Blog. Just for kicks, I clicked on it. To my surprise, you created an entire blog about what happened? My God....I had no idea you were so needy and starved for attention.

And yes...you *do* need to grow up. :)  Bye bye little boy...and believe me, no matter what your other "friends" say....no one gives a shit about what you do every second, and really....no one gives a shit about conversations you have with your kid.

My first reaction was something along the lines of, "oh yeah?!" But then, that would feed into her "little boy" line of thinking, and there's nothing I can say that would change that.

There's 474 people (plus or minus with some spammers I may not have gotten to yet) that apparently do give give a shit about what I do every second, many of whom I truly consider friends. There's also 323 people that *I* give a shit about what they do every second. In fact, I've managed to meet a small handful of them that I consider to be very dear real life friends, and one very very special one.

It should be pointed out that (Name) contacted me via Yahoo personals some time early last summer, based on our mutual attraction to Yellowstone. However, (Name) lives in Virginia, and since there was very little chance of us seeing each other very often, it wasn't going to work out. (Name) has no children and from what I can tell, it's going to stay that way. It's a damn good thing, too, because I'd hate to see what she'd think of, or how she'd treat my son. 

A word of advice for you, (Name)? If you happen to fall for a single dad, you are never going to get anywhere with him if he's a dad that's worth a damn, and for those kids' sake, I hope you don't. The last line in your e-mail will make sure that you never, ever come anywhere but dead last.

I May Have Lost A Facebook Friend...And Jimmy Cracked Corn

I've been going back and forth the last two days with a friend of mine on Facebook about sending my Twitter feed to Facebook. Every time I post on Twitter (provided it's not an @ reply to someone), it goes to Facebook as a status update. I've made no bones about who I will and who I won't "friend" on Facebook. Of the 66 I do follow, only 17 aren't on Twitter (that I know of). Those 17 likely have no clue about Twitter, and in fact a few pointed that out. On the other hand, one of my friends did join Twitter and seems to be enjoying it now!

Twitter is a great way to just say what's on your mind. Little thought bubbles that now have a way to escape. At least, that's what it's like for me. I've always had these little non-sequiters floating around in my brain, but until last year, they simply died after a quiet little giggle right after I thought of them.

Yesterday, I was apprently a little too prolific. I had 16 posts go from Twitter to Facebook. One of them was about a service called Twibes which allows you to promote up to 10 of your Twitter friends. I commented that it's a good way to piss off all but 10 of your followers. The comment I got on Facebook was: 

Another good way to piss off your friends is to update your status every 5 minutes so you can't read anyone else's.

Another friend thought it was a funny comment and I agreed:

If you're kidding, then it was funny. If you're mad, (name), there is an "off" button on your feed. ;-)

I thought nothing more of it and even made this post in jest on Twitter last night:

Got chastised earlier on Facebook because I tweet too much. Try the "off" button. Just like on your TV. Good Night, (name)! :D

Was I picking on (name)? Maybe. Was it a little immature? Likely. Do I care. Not at all. Especially after I got this response a short while ago:

Grow up. Sorry, no one cares or wants to know what you are doing every second of your life. Oooh, you ran out of detergent....oooh you made chicken, etc etc, how exciting!

That in a nutshell, is what I think the difference between Facebook people who aren't on Twitter and those who are. I don't write what I write on Twitter thinking about anyone else's opinon. Hell, I just go blocked by a writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who's political opinions are the opposite of mine, because I called Fox News a bunch of worthless fucks over a piece they did on the Canadian Military.

My reply this morning to my friend was:

(name), that's my point about the off (or mute) button. It's ok you feel that way, doesn't offend me, and I can understand. But remember, you have the choice to not follow me. It's not a question of "growing up" it's a question of if I want to stop sending my Tweets to Facebook, and frankly, I don't. I don't know how many of the friends I have on FB may have stopped following me because of the Twitter feed, but frankly, I don't care. I do this for myself, to entertain myself, if you will, and not to please or or displease anyone else. Like I said, you have your opinion, and I certainly respect it. I have stopped following some people on both Twitter and Facebook because I either didn't like what they were saying or how much or even how little they posted, and you have that right as well.

Remember, you have the choice. Follow me, don't follow me, read my posts, don't read my posts. I don't care. I'll listen to what you have to say, I'll think about it if it has merit. But remember, it's still my feed, and if I want to talk to the grapes in my fridge, by god, I'm gonna do it whether you like it or not!

What do you think?

Spring Back, Fall Ahead! Wait...what?

I've been catching some (good-natured) flack for the following post I made on Twitter: 

Have you been drinking tonight? "Make sure to turn your clocks BACK one hour tonight! Get an extra hour of sleep! BACK one hour."

I've gotten responses like:

donthorp@JayHMT you're gonna mess up a lot of messed up people. Good Job!

QueenofSpain@JayHMT now that's just mean Jay. lol

goaliemom31@JayHMT LOL!

wrytir@JayHMT LOL! Keep it up. In a couple of hours, you'll get more ... takers.

(edit: a few more added)

shannonpoole@JayHMT what about the drunks at home? hmmm

thattalldude@JayHMT somebody is going to hate you in a few hours. LOL

and,

Hergett@JayHMT That's just mean.

Truth be told, three years ago, I did it to myself. I had to go into one of my radio stations early to make sure that a brand new program was running correctly off the satellite on a Sunday at 6am. The same Sunday that Daylight Savings Time took place. I had myself so worked up/psyched out over what the time change was supposed to actually be, that I ended up at the studio at 3am instead of 5am.

What I'm Doing With The Chicken Carcass

In a fit of creative passion, I decided to put together a terrific recipe that I could make that would make about six servings, and therefore, I could eat it all weekend long!

Not really. I went to Costco Wednesday, got a rotiserrie chicken, and after eating just the drumsticks and half a breast, I'm making a dish I got from Lawry's.

Santa Fe Casserole Bake

Prep Time: 10min  Cooking Time: 20min  Makes: 6 servings

1lb hamburger or chicken

1 package Lawry's Taco Seasoning

2 cups water

2 tsp chicken bullion

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

1 can diced green chilies

1 bag of tortilla chips

2 cups (8 oz.) grated cheese

optional things I add: green pepper, green onions, black olives and dice tomatoes on the topping

Brown the meat, add taco spices.

In small bowl combine boullion, flour and water. Add to meat misture; bring to a boil to slightly thicken liquid. Stir in sour cream and green chilies; blend thouroughly. In lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish, place 1/2 of chips. Top with 1/2 of the meat mixture, 1/2 of cheese, and half of the pepper/onion/olive toppings. Layer again with remaining ingredients, ending with black olives and diced tomatoes on top.

Bake in 375 oven for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

I'll be making this for supper tonight and eating it the rest of the weekend.

I'll have some pictures later as I "build" it.

Time to move on...Goodbye TCP, Hello MSU

When we moved to Bozeman in April, 2000, we needed to find daycare for Colter that didn't consist of me being a stay-at-home-dad or bringing him to Grandma Sue's. His mom did the searching and found a wonderful place called The Children's Place.  Colter took a few days to get used to it, but began to flourish as they recognized how smart my little guy is. The hardest part actually had more to do with all the of new germs he encountered (and brought home--how many of you can say you've contracted "Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease?" Well I can!)

The school always seemed to be just on the edge of financial disaster. First, they lost the lease on the original building and found temporary shelter in the basement classrooms of a Baptist church (always wondered how they got away with dancing down there). Then some intrepid parents formed an LLC and bought a house right behind the church. They gutted it and turned it into a great preschool. There was an infant room, one for toddlers and the main area for the preschoolers.

Unfortunately, it appears that no one actually knew how to run this little non-profit. We got word last week that the IRS came calling for over $12,000 in payroll taxes due within a week or so. There was an emergency meeting of the board on Thursday night and it was decided nothing could be done  and TCP would have to close. Well, no one but the board found out until Friday morning when kids were being dropped off. Jennifer and I had decided already we were going to look for a new place because we didn't see how it could continue, but we figured we'd have a couple of weeks to get something together. Jennifer and I went to two places Friday morning, she called the Child Development Center at MSU and I called another one. We looked at those two over the lunch hour, and decided on MSU. I left work at 3:30 to get Colter and his stuff from The Children's Place and take him to the new one so he could get a look at.

He seemed suitably impressed, even found out a couple of boys he knows are going there. But when I take him on Monday, we'll see how prepared he is. When I went to pick him up, I didn't want to spend much time there. I just wanted to get his stuff and get the hell out. I was too mad to talk to anyone. Too mad that such a great place was essentially run into the ground and yes, that a week earlier, we had paid the whole damn month's tuition. About $780 (split between Jenn and I) right down the fucking toilet and now we have to come up with another $543 (pro-rated) for the new one.

On the whole, maybe it won't be such a tough transition. After all, he'll be starting Kindergarten in the fall, and he would have been split from at least most of his friends anyway. We're very impressed with the facility and the teachers. I've already warned work, that after spending only about four hours there Friday, that I have no idea when I'll be in on Monday after I take him to the new place.

Our Consecutive Game Streak Is at an End

This morning when I dropped Colter off at pre-school, it marked the end of our longest consecutive-day-spent-together streak. He was with me for seven(!) consecutive days. Momma took a little vacation herself after I got back from Boston. We've never spent more then five days together in a row since the separation last year. I'm not complaining, mind you, we had a great time together. It's just that we have a very unique custody arrangement. Colter's mom actually lives in the same building as me. He's with one of us for two days, back to the other and back again for the weekend, and then it repeats. So while his days away from me are not very far, neither is he; he's literally sleeping two floors below me when he's not in his own bed here.

I have the utmost respect for you single moms and dads who must do this day in and day out, and many with more than one child. I couldn't imagine not having the help I do with C's mom here, and even my own mom when she's not playing snowbird and hiding from the snow and cold. Had I known he was going to be this much fun and this wonderful, maybe we could have brought him in the world when I was 25 instead of 35. Maybe I'd be able to keep up with him a little better!

I love you buddy. See you Wednesday night.
Love, Dad.

Last One Out, Close the Gate

Yellowstone's roads will the be closed on November 4th, so I thought I would take the chance to take my last available weekend to go to the park. One of the best things about this time of year is the crowds. As in, there are none. It's you and about six other people. No crowding, no traffic snarls. Just you and the animals. Except I saw almost nothing today. Nada. Not one wolf in Lamar Valley, no bears. Just two different coyotes. One of which was, of course, mistaken by some flatlanders as a wolf. I hate to shatter their illusions sometimes. I did see Dr. James Halfpenny out today, but I don't know if he was waiting for a pack or watching one. There was nowhere for me to turn around and go back and peer over his shoulder. The full album can be found here.

What Colter & I Did Today - Colter's Perspective

All of the pictures from our hike up the Middle Cottonwood Creek trail in this slideshow are from Colter's perspective. You can see the album here.

What Colter & I Did Today - My Perspective

All of the pictures from our hike up the Middle Cottonwood Creek trail, were taken by me. You can find the album here.

Gallatin Valley Pics - Take 1

Abandoned homestead in the Gallatin Valley, north of Bozeman. Bridger Mountains in the background.

Hiking on the Last Warm Day

This time of year, in Bozeman, you have to assume every day that's fairly warm and with sunshine is the very last warm day of the year. After last weekend's 30-degree temps and three-plus inches of snow, I didn't want to take any chances of this day going to waste. We were on our way to the car for Colter's swim lessons, when he commented on what a beautiful morning it was. I agreed and told him we need to go on a hike today.

There's a new trail across from the "M," Drinking Horse Mountain. We decided to try that one. It was a fairly steep climb, but we did it in about an hour and had burgers for lunch afterward. From the top, we could see the Bridger Mountains (the range we were in), the Absorokees, the Gallatin Range, the Madisons and the Tobacco Roots.

Seventy-seven and sunny today. Next week, who knows?

a) looking west to the Tobacco Root Mountains, about 75 miles away

b) Colter at the summit, Bridger Mountains in the background

c) C and I at the summit

Only Four Months to the Day...

...since our last snowfall in Bozeman.

These pictures are a real good example of why I don't want to leave the house today. The snow started late last night and as of 9:45am, it's still going strong, and expected to continue through Sunday. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for us to get snow in the valley. The mountains have gotten snow already, four or five times, in fact.

It's only 67 in my place right now (I know, because that's what I have the thermostat set at and the heat just kicked on), and a brisk 33 outside. I spent most of the night watching TV sitting next to the fireplace. Yes, it was on. I also got out the BIG down comforter last night. A little bit ago, I saw one of the snowplow/sander trucks out. The dogs at the vet clinic across the street are not outside in the kennel. I have a craving for chili, or possibly vegetable beef soup. All sure signs of winter starting to make it's way to my neighborhood.

This also means that in about two days, it'll be 60, sunny and we'll forget all about the snow—for a few days.

I just realized I do have to leave and brave the cold. I have to get groceries. Especially if I want to make some chili. Darn it.

My Boy's Coming Back Home

Just got off the phone with the Ex. She and Colter have been in Minneapolis since Wednesday. They've hit the half-way point on their way home (Bismarck, ND), and Colter called to say good night. I told Colter to give me a call when they got home tomorrow. Colter's always been more of a Momma's boy, and I didn't expect him to say yes, but this surprised me, and I could hear Ex laughing loudly in the background:

"Give me a call when you get home tomorrow, ok, bud?"
"Ok, Dad."
"You know, you could stay with me tomorrow night if you wanted." ( I could hear him smiling)
"Ok, I'm sick of Mom having me."

Slideshow from Mt. Washburn Hike

Parting is a Bitch

Now that was tough. Colter and his momma are going to Minneapolis today. So I let him sleep in my bed the last two nights. The alarm went off at its usual time this morning, but since I was already cuddling with him, I hit snooze. Then again. And one more time. I couldn't let him leave my arms. After three "snoozes" we finally got up, I got him breakfast to eat while I showered. Made sure he had all the things he needed for the long drive and we headed to school.

I don't think I was doing it on purpose (or at least consciously) , but I had to go back to the car three times to get stuff we forgot to bring in. Then when it was time to say goodbye, I couldn't stop hugging him, kissing him or rubbing noses. I think he knew, because he wasn't letting go either. We'd talked about how long he was going to be gone, and I think dropping him off today, he finally realized it.

Bye bye, bud. See you in a week. Love you, Colter.
Daddy.

Why I Should't Always Drive Alone

I finally made a trip to Bannack. Bannack is a well-preserved ghost town in Montana. In fact, it was Montana's first territorial capital. It was a two hour drive, and took about two hours to tour the town. Then, faced with so much time on my hands, I decided I should probably drive to Idaho. I went south of Bannack to Lemhi Pass. I went over the pass and came into Idaho about 19 miles south of Salmon. From there it was a short 140 miles back to my campsite, up over and around the Chief Joseph Pass, back into Montana, past The Big Hole National Battlefield (which I would have stopped at--again, if it weren't already 8:00pm), through the Big Hole Watershed and back to my campsite. Only about a 180 mile trip over three mountain passes. But worth every minute. My pictures from Bannack are in the slideshow below, or you can find them here.