Four Days In and Getting Acclimated

Acclimated is an interesting way of saying that we are getting used to the tons of snow we ran into in 2009 as we returned to Idaho. My muscles are getting a little less sore, which means that my wrists don't scream in pain when I hold my electric toothbrush up in the proper brushing position. My back no longer is knotted up to the point that I walk like Quasimodo, and children run from me. All this because I used shoveling my roof to help acclimatize to this Idaho white stuff.

As part of our ten step reentry program we drove out to John and Loretta Sutherland's today and had a wonderful breakfast with them. We talked trips and fishing, then John sprung the surprise news on us. They bought a new boat for Christmas. My kind of present I might subliminally suggest to my wife. They bought a Weldcraft 240 Cuddy King, a fisherman's dream boat. We talked about the boat, John showed me the brochure with pictures and I wiped the drool off my chin, while Linda kicked my shin from under the table.

Once the breakfast settled, we hiked down to the lower storage building and with weak knees I explored the new Cuddy. Did I say that this was a fisherman's dream? They dragged me away after we explored and we donned our snowshoes.

The sun was blazing as we hiked about a mile loop around their property. John pointed out the ridge that he got his deer on last fall and showed me where his property line backed up against the US Forest Service land. We came across several areas where the elk had been bedding down, and there were tracks everywhere. Snowshoeing was great! It was fluffy enough that walking was a workout, but you could go just about anywhere. We were heading back to the house, along the Northeast boundary of their property when we walked down a wind swept slope. I caught my shoe on a branch and launched myself head first down the hill, somewhat like a four man bobsled. At the bottom of the hill, John stood and watched the spectacle. Scout and Kobi, the dogs of the great white north, did not hesitate and immediately licked me in the face. I was a bit tangled and with the wet willies I was receiving it was a bit embarrassing to say the least.

I got myself together and we hiked on, arriving at the house within about ten minutes. Once we stripped off the snow gear, we all gathered around the couch and looked at our Mexico photos. By the time we were finished it was time to get back home, Kobi was beat, I was beat up. Well at least my pride was. Linda and I hiked down to the truck and as we drove out the driveway I looked over my shoulder to where the new boat was sheltered and said to myself, "Now that's a fishing boat!"