Blue Dragonfly

The following is a post I wrote on Atlas Quest last summer. I was telling a co-worker friend about the post and told her it was here on my blog. Well, until now it was only on Atlas Quest. I hope you folks like it as much as my other friends did. I wrote it in response to some complaints about new letterboxers and the efforts some seasoned letterboxers take to prevent new letterboxers from seeing the clues until they have some finds under their belt.

You give me inspiration. We all need one another.
Many times while kayaking, blue dragonflies have flown to me and rode on me or my kayak. Sometimes it was when I was sitting quietly near a marsh, but other times too when I was making good time paddling out in open water. Over time my friends started talking about how the dragonflies were attracted to me and not to others. It is more common to have blue dragonflies accompanying me than not.
Last year while paddling with Kathryn, I spotted a dragonfly in distress. This dragonfly had gotten too wet to return to flight. It was a long way out in the lake. I doubled back to it and slowly lowered my hand under it and lifted slowly upward. The dragonfly was perched on the tip of one of my fingers. It did not try to fly.
To get the dragonfly to the shore required the use of both hands. So, I gently moved my hand near to the lashing in front of my cockpit. As I rotated my hand, the dragonfly, sort of, hopped onto the lashing. I continued paddling the course I was originally on. When the nose of my kayak slid onto the shore, the dragonfly flew to some rushes. To me, it seemed this creature recognized my good will and made use of it.
I suppose if we could understand dragonfly language, we would hear a lot of discussion about how horrible boats are. Well, this life lesson suggests there is at least one dragonfly voice saying that not all boaters are bad.
And I say, newbie letterboxers and letterboxers that have restrictions are not bad either.

Kayak Bandit '(*!*)'

Donkey

Recently, an on line conversation reminded me of the game we played called Donkey. I cannot find the rules to the game, but am pretty sure I could play it again. I decided to write the rules down here on line for anyone to use.

• Players---four to eight
  
• Cards---A standard deck without any Jokers. Aces are high.
  
• Object of the Game---is to take as many tricks as possible. The more tricks you get the higher your status in society. The highest society member is the President followed by the Vice President, Secretary, Teacher, Plumber, Carpenter, Chimp and Donkey. You can rename these to any names you like.
  
• Deal---The deal rotates around the table, dealing one card at a time until you do not have enough cards to deal another round and have at least one card left. In other words, if four people are playing you will deal out 12 cards with four cards left not dealt. When younger children played, we would make trump stay the same. For example, we would always have hearts be trump. Otherwise, we would turn up one of the left over cards and that suit would become trump.
• Play---The first hand will establish the hierarchy. The person to the left of the dealer leads any card they want. You must follow suit if you have the suit that was lead. If you do not have the lead card, you can trump or not trump. You are not required to beat a card unless you want to. The person who took the most tricks is the President followed by the Vice President. The person with the least tricks is the Donkey and next to that is the Chimp. The following hands are played the same except that the President chooses two worthless card to exchange with two cards from the Donkey. The Donkey must give Aces first. If he has multiple choices, he must give Trump over non trump. It is acknowledged that trump is more powerful than Aces, but the rule is to pass Aces, Kings etc. At the same time the Vice President exchanges one card with the chimp using the same criteria. If there are ties, the person with the higher rank before the hand began retains a higher rank over the person they are tied with. With the established persons getting more good cards, they often hold their position for a while. When they slip down, they are usually treated with the same kindness, or lack thereof, that they doled out earlier.
  
• Between hands---you always take a short break to exercise your authority. The President can choose anyone he wants to do one errand for him. At the same time, others that have rank over others can ask for one favor from someone that is lower in rank. You can only ask for one thing per break. If you have no one beneath you or if you have been asked to do a task, you cannot ask anyone to do something for you. You must do what is asked of you. You must not ask for anything unreasonable. Typically a request is something like "Please bring me a napkin" or "I would like a cheese sandwich" The fun is taking liberty with the request. The cheese sandwich could be blue cheese, or something. So, the person asking must carefully ask for his wish, or he may end up with something completely different. Those not asked to do something can get something for themselves, or just watch the fun.
• Winner---There will be lots of winners even though you do not keep score. You play this until you tire of it or someone notices that the sun is coming up.

I hope these rules make sense. If not, call me and ask for clarification. I will gladly explain it to you and also return here and edit the rules.
Kayak Bandit

Check out this video

Thinking of Bandito

http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/

Red Lion Man

Snow, Snow, Snow

It is now Thursday afternoon. It has been snowing here in Spokane, Washington since early yesterday morning. I have 29 inches of snow in my yard. We broke the all time record for largest snow storm in our area.
The snow is beautiful. I love it, Bandit loves it and Allie hates it. Allie has an inside litter box, so she does not have to go out into the snow. I do not think she could get anywhere if she did go outside. It has finally gotten so deep that Bandit stays on the paths I have shoveled.
Earlier this morning, I watched bandit go outside for his usual outing to relieve himself. He ran back and forth on the trails and then leaped up over the pile beside the trail into show so deep that he disappeared. His nose pops up above the snow and he leaps ahead looking for an appropriate spot to poop.
Pretty soon his back arches and this causes his butt to be plunged into the snow. He leaps a few more times and tries again with the same result. On the third time he apparently could hold it no longer.
I may set up a camera and take some video of him cavorting in the snow. He went to work with me until they sent us home. He got cursed out for not being on a leash. I was at fault. I thought it would be okay since it is so hard to walk beside each other.
I told everyone that his name is Bandito the Mexican sled dog.
Well, I think I will go rest before doing some more snow management
Kayak Bandito

Where's the new post?

Steve

Haven't seen any thing new for a few days.

Got Shot

I have allergies. They are a problem. Allergies prevent enjoying the special time known as spring. I love spring even with allergies.
I love getting the kayaks out for the first time. I love going for long leisurly walks in warming weather. I love the smell of earth as I prepare a garden. I love watching the transformation of trees from skeletins to fluffy orbs. Spring is great, even with the negative part of pollen.
I used to get shots for my allergies, but decided to get off the shots a few years ago. Gradually, my allergies worsened util last year when they were intollerable. I went back to my allergist and am now working my way back up to the maintenance dosage that I will need to combat allergies in the coming years. Whenever you go in for a shot, you have to wait in the waiting room for one half hour after the shot. This is because there is a slight chance that you may have a reaction and go into anaphalactic shock (spelling?).
Oops, I just now posted this blog before I was done with it.
While I wait, I use my laptop to come to this site and write to you. My time is up and I am off to other things. See ya later!
Kayak Bandit

Grocery Shopping

A new supermarket opened near my house.

It has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh.

Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain.

When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing
And you experience the scent of fresh mown hay.

In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks with onions.

When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle,
And the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of Bacon and eggs frying.

The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread & cookies.

I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

To Fish or Not To Fish

Saturday morning, my friend, Sam, got up early, dressed quietly, made a lunch, called his dog, slipped quietly into the garage to hook the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.

The wind was blowing 50 mph. Sam pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad throughout the whole day.

Sam went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. There he cuddled up to his wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, 'The weather out there is terrible.'

His loving wife of 20 yrs replied, 'Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that terrible weather?'

I still don't know to this day if she was joking, but my friend has stopped fishing.

Kayak Bandit

Another Mouse

Last night, about one in the morning, Bandit woke me. He was making a fuss. He usually can go all night before needing to go outside. I cannot go all night without visiting the bathroom, so I got up and let him outside. He was happy to go outside. While he was checking out the back yard, I did my business in the bathroom.
My cat, Allie, eats her cat food on the back of the toilet tank. She was up there munching and crunching away. Shortly after sitting myself down, Allie jumps down and immediately jumps into the bathtub. I never noticed her go into the bathtub before.
It became instantly apparent why she jumped into the bathtub. There was a mouse in the tub. Sure enough. I assume the mouse climbed the cloth, outer shower curtain and into the tub, but could not get back out because the inner shower curtain was plastic and the mouse could not get enough traction to climb back up.
Well, Allie would go up to the mouse and the mouse would run for his life. When the mouse had no other option, he would just sit there in desperation. Allie would sit near the mouse and bat the mouse with her paw. The mouse would take off again, only to get tired and have to sit for the cat to again torment him. After a little while, the cat just laid down. The mouse sat in terror for a little bit and then ran to the cat and dove under the back end of Allie. Allie tried scratching it out while laying down, without success. Eventually Allie would get up and start a new cycle of terrorism.
I could not take it any more. I put the mouse out of it's misery and flushed it down the toilet. Allie jumped out of the tub as though it was just another day at the office. Nothing can be as nonchalant as a cat!

Post Election

As for me, I am relieved that the election is over. Now we can spend a lot of time listening to news about how poorly run the McCain campaign was managed. Let's face reality. My president, Barac Obama, organized and ran an amazing campaign.
There were factors that neither camp had any control over:
1) McCain is old.
2) Barac Obama is bi-racial.
3) Biden talks before he thinks.
4) Our economy was headed for a melt down for many years because of risky loans.
5) When things are tough, the public only blames the President's political party.
6) Palin is real.
7) McCain has principals that he refused to compromise.
8) Bi-racial in this case was perceived as black.
9) Obama is a great orator.
10) Young voters are influenced more by hyperbola than by contemplation.
I admit that even though these things were beyond their control, the campaigns could, and in some cases, exploited these phenomena to their advantage.
Now, how do we move forward? Let's all agree to get behind our new president. Let's pray for his success. Let's, constructively, suggest the ideas that will give him success. The only way that our country can be successful, is for our leadership to consolidate us behind a plan that can succeed. My role is to work as a team member of the greatest team ever formed. That team is the United States of America.
GO TEAM!

Halloween

I have to say, that Halloween and Trick or Treat is getting better. Some will say that it is dieing out. Well, last night, I completely forgot about Halloween until my neighbor came over. Barb, you know this neighbor. He is the one that has epilepsy, caused by a high fever when he was a child. He is now about twenty-six.
Yep, Dave rung my doorbell even though the porch light was not on. Dave got into his sasquatch costume specifically to come to my house and show me. Dave does not have many friends because of his learning disability. But we are friends because of his learning ability. You see, Dave and I became friends when I had a rather new Dodge Truck that impressed him. Dave and I would wave to each other as he passed by, with Dave always pulling a wagon. If I were out near the sidewalk, Dave would ask how many miles on my Dodge. I would go and read the odometer and he would almost instantly say how many exact miles I had driven since the last time he had asked.
One day, Dave pointed out that I had allowed my licence plate to expire on my fifth wheel. Sure enough, it was expired. Since then, Dave lets me know well in advance when one of my vehicles is about to expire. Last night, he reminded me that my Jeep is due in two months.
By the way, Dave says hi to you Barb. He is certain that you want to know that he is okay. I told him you were headed to Branson today.
Well, back to Halloween. After Dave reminded me of Halloween, I turned on my light. Right away the grandkids of my neighbors, Joe and Terry, came over. I like how the parents come up within view of the house to keep their younsters safe. This year, every trickster that came to my home was a small tike and their parent was with them. Most even had both parents.
Happy Halloween
Kayak Bandit

Eleven Boxes

Last night, Stormcrow hosted a letterboxing party. It used some of the methods used at Live and Breathe.
I snagged all eleven boxes and had a great time.
Thanks Stormcrow.
Kayak Bandit

How to draw a boy 3

How does your picture look? Mine looks a little old fashioned. You can add a nice looking hair cut, or a nose ring, or ear rings or whatever. I think he needs a neck.
When you get yours all done, be sure to send me a copy. I will post it on this site if you do.
On a side note, Allie is really stressed out. She is sitting on my desk while I am writing this blog. The sun is shinning through the trees and casting a shadow onto the window in my computer room. There are a lot of birds in that tree. They fly around and Allie can see their shadow. It is driving her nuts.
Kayak Bandit

How to draw a boy, 2

I bet your picture of a boy looks better than my picture of a boy. Oh, wait, we are not done yet. Can you see the basis for a picture of a boy? If, you have done what I wanted you to do, your boy picture should be looking to the side. The stem of the b is one side of his head and the stem of the y is the other side of his head.
If you want to see what my picture looks like at this point, go back to yesterday's post and look. I added a picture to let you see what I meant.
Well, now it is time to finish the boy's face. To make a nose for your boy, just set your crayon down between the two eyes. Go down the page and to the left for a short distance and then go to the right. He needs a mouth. A simple curved line makes his mouth appear closed. Remember, this is your picture and you can make his mouth open or closed. Don't forget to add eyebrows, lashes, ear rings, nose rings, or whatever else you think he needs.
Oh, we forgot to fill in his eyes. Now, this is a little harder than the rest of the picture. You can make his eyes look to the side or up or down. With some practice you will get pretty good at it.
Here is what my picture looks like. I bet yours is even better!
Kayak Bandit

How to draw a boy

Okay, all of you artists out there, this is a series of lessons on how to draw the face of a boy. My granddaughter, Sophia, and I were discussing her art class. Sophia loves to draw cats and frogs. She has tried to draw horses and dogs, but admittedly they could have been better. When I asked her if she can draw a boy from the word boy, she said I had never shown her before. So, I said I would post it on this site.
So, today, class, start with a clean sheet of paper and write the word "boy". Be sure to use a small letter "b". Now draw a small letter "o" without crowding the o next to the b. Now, again without crowding, draw a "y". But, I want you to draw the y by starting out with a curved bottom u. Yes, begin with a u and add the downward stem to make it a y.
Well, gather all your stuff together so when I write the next installment of the series you can keep up. You are going to love the picture you create.
Kayak Bandit

I hit a moose

Have you ever noticed how a once in a million chance happens at just the wrong time? Well, I had gone up into the woods for a load of firewood. As I remember it, it was Penny, Stevie Joe, Gary and myself. We had my big Dodge one ton and my big trailer. With all the help, we had loaded the old girl pretty heavy. It had been raining and the roads were very muddy.
We were coming out of the mountains, following a creek. We came to this spot that I especially liked to look at. It was where the creek sprawled out into several ponds. The grass was tall on the edges of the ponds and there was a mossy bottom. We always had seen moose tracks in the area. Well, this time the tracks still had moose standing in the tracks.
There was a cow and two calves. I guess they are called calves. Anyway, they were youngsters. We sat with the truck running and watched. It seemed the mom told the youngsters to head for the hills, as they rambled up into the brush on the far side of the creek. The cow continued to stand in the pond and lower her head under water to come back up with a mouth full of the mossy stuff from the bottom of the pond.
I got out on the far side of the truck and clapped my hands to try to get the moose to move around. I was hoping to show the others how tall a moose is when not in the water. It seemed to me that moose look very low to the ground unless on solid ground. On solid ground they look more like a horse, because of their long legs. Well, clapping my hands meant nothing to this moose. She did not even turn to look at us. It was frustrating.
So, I picked out a rock smaller than a baseball. I planned to splash the rock near her. I reared back and threw the rock. Oh, no! It headed straight as could be, right for the moose. It hit the moose right on the ear. I about crapped my pants. I had no intention to hit the moose, I only wanted to make it move around. Well, it moved. It moved about ten leaps and went back to eating moss.
I swear it is true. Especially the part that I did not mean to hurt the poor thing.
Kayak Bandit

Introducing Allie

Drum roll please!
Here is Allie!
Allie is the greatest cat ever. She was never trained to stay off a table, yet, is accepting my efforts to keep off the table. I get up each time I see her get up on the table. I usually just sweep her off the edge and let her jump down to the floor. If she is not prepared to make a safe landing, I pick her up and turn her loose on the floor or a chair. She, already notices me heading for her and jumps down, rather than being forced to get down. I think, too, that she gets up less often with each removal.
The funniest thing is that Bandit realized that I will remove the cat from the table, when caught. So, last night, Bandit came to me and nudged my hand. I petted Bandit and returned to the computer. Bandit immediately nudged my hand again. I looked at Bandit and he turns from the room and leads me into the dinning room to where Allie was sitting on the table. Bandit and Allie lock eyes and I remove Allie from the table. The exchanged looks between Allie and Bandit were priceless. Yes, Bandit is a tattle tale.
Kayak Bandit

Running over a deer

As many of you know, I used to live near Green Bluff, Washington. Green Bluff is an agricultural town and a suburb of Spokane. It is well known for it's fruit and vegetables. My home was one of the farthest up the hill toward Mount Spokane. I had a garden and fruit trees, but mostly I raised alfalfa. The deer loved all of these crops, especially the alfalfa. It was fun to sit out in the evening and watch the deer arrive in the field. One evening I counted over sixty deer in the fields I farmed.
There were so many deer in our area that this truism was coined: There are two types of people that live in Green Bluff - - - people that HAVE hit deer with their car and people that have NOT hit deer - - - YET!
I have to say that I was pretty lucky in that regard. One deer was pretty traumatized though. You see, one morning on my way to work a deer bounded up over the bank from a neighbors field. I slammed the brakes and slid to a screeching stop after tipping the deer over. I could hear and feel the deer under my pickup. Apparently his hooves were thrashing for traction to get out from underneath. I got out of the pickup, just as this scared and humiliated deer bounded back into the field it had come from. I watched it as it ran to the trees on the far side. I am pretty sure it was okay.
Kayak Bandit

Good Kitty

I think all of my problems in life have now been solved. I got a cat. So, Sharon, I followed your advice. Thanks.
Sophia and Shirley M, I am sorry that you have cat allergies. I hope we can figure out how you can safely visit here without suffering too much.
Allie is proving to be very smart, confident, warm and brave. Bandit is very curious about this new "friend". He wants to investigate Allie, but Allie wants to set the terms of when they are near each other. If Bandit come toward Allie, Allie will start this low growling. It does not sound very menacing to me, but Bandit gets the message real clear to stay back. But when Allie is walking around the house, she always goes very near to Bandit as long as Allie has a quick escape in mind. She likes to keep a chair or something in between herself and Bandit. Her favorite trick is to walk straight toward Bandit and then spring up high above his reach. It appears to me to be a show of superiority.
And, we made it through our first night without any disturbance. I do not know where Allie slept last night, but this morning, Bandit was not beside my bed. He apparently wanted to be near his new friend. Who care? Oh, yeah, I do.
Kayak Bandit

Yum

Tonight, after work, I took my friend Jim out to eat at the casino in Worley. Yum! All the seafood you can eat. Monster king crab legs! If you bump into Jim, be sure to mention that you are aware he is now older than Kayak Bandit. Happy Birthday, Jim! Actually, it is in two days on Monday.
I am bugged, are you?
Sorry, I could not resist.
Kayak Bandit