We got Borris when I was in sixth grade (1992).  He lived outside with Booboo, our other cat, for a couple years while he was a fierce kitten and kept her on her toes before she passed away.  He was an avid hunter, catching anything from baby birds to full grown rabits.  When he was younger he would deposit his trophy in an obvious location for everyone to see.  As he aged he hunted for his own pleasure.  He would come from his trips over the cliff to calling his name, clapping, and whistling; but I swear he was one of the only cats that would actually come when you called him.  I don’t think I will ever have another cat quite like him and I will always be a cat person at heart.  There is something to be said for their regal indifference that no other animal can compare to, Borris epitomized this best of all.  Here are some of the few pictures I had handy.  I have some other great ones that I will track down and post when I find them.  Borris is an irreplacable loss and we will all miss him.

Borris

Ashlee just cooked a tremendous pheasant dinner. I can’t wait to go hunting again not only to see one of these beautiful birds up close but also to enjoy their most savory flesh. This bird was farm raised so it had just the right amount of game flavor. Here is the recipe, we highly recommend it. Click any of the ingredients to be taken to the full recipe on Emeril LaGasse’s (of the food network) website. Truly delicious.
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 orange, halved
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half
1/4 cup Madeira
1 cup rich chicken stock
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted

I rode the Metra commuter train into Chicago this morning. I took a couple photos through their green tinted glass. It is a pretty efficient service and is not too expensive and a lot more fun than sitting in traffic. I also uploaded a picture of union station at 10 to 8. It was pretty busy.

I spent several hours at the trap shooting range in Naperville called sportsman’s park.  I participated in 3 rounds of 25 each.  The first round was really tough and I hit only 9 of the clay target.  I did the best in round 3 when I hit 16.  Now my shoulder is a little sore.  My Remington 1100 doesn’t have too much kick but enough that I will remember what I did last weekend for the rest of this week.  Can’t wait to go out and bring some ducks home with Nadia.

Maybe I will wear one of these more often than not in my career.

9/7/08 – About 30 minutes before a sixteen mile run I got stung by a bee, on my toungue. I went to drink a can of soda that was sitting outside on the table and it had a bee in it. Needless to say it hurt some. The worst part was my tongue got huge and continued to enlarge throughout the run. It eventually started to go down with some advil and benadryl when I got home. Sorry no photo, but imagine a huge swollen tongue with the stinger still in.

Backpacking in the William O. Douglas Wilderness

8/11-8/14/08 – The original plan was for my Dad and his dog Buckwheat to join in the trip as well. Unfortunately there was some extremely bad luck (or good luck depending on how you look at it) and my dad developed appendicitis the morning were supposed to head out. He made it through without complications, and we were lucky it didn’t come a day later in the middle of nowhere. I decided to head out a day late and basically followed our original route which is outlined with thumbnail images below. Click on any of the images to get to the full album containing a total of about 80 photos organized chronilogically.

8/11/08 – Dad parts with one of his most beloved and useful organs, the appendix. How could anyone not love and organ that does nothing but cause pain and keep doctors in business.

8/12/08 – It is now the day after the appendicitis. Dad is out of surgery and recovering. I decide to get the doggies and go for a 3 day version the trip we had planned. I basically do the same route we had planned on. It is on the eastern side of Ranier in the Wenatche National Forest in a portion called the William O. Douglas Wilderness. I start at Dog Lake and hike to Frying Pan Lake approximately 13 miles in. The first photo is my view from the campsite, not really, but it was just outside the stand of trees I was in. The weather was bad and I opted for cover rather than pretty views.

This second photo is in camp with my two canine companions. We encounter hordes of mosquitos that are relentless in their pursuit of a meal.

8/13/08 – 9:30am I Depart Frying Pan Lake and head for Two Lake, the long way. I get lost in some poorly marked meadow trails near Cougar Lake and lost two hours, but eventually made it out and still got into camp with an hour of solid daylight left. The first photo is of Bumping River, I had to ford it. It was knee deep and not nearly as serene as it appears frozen in time.

As you can see, I set up camp virtually the same as the night before, but I can’t even get the doggies to sit and pose. They are so tired the only position they will accept is with their heads resting in my lap.

8/14/08 – Leave Two Lake for Dog Lake and head back to Steilacoom. This day had was largely along the Pacific Crest Trail and of course had spectacular views of Ranier, Adams, and St. Helens. Photo number one is proof of the horendous mosquitos the morning that I leave Two Lake. All those little bright flecks are horrible biting insects. Me and the dogs have bites to prove this was some of the thickest skeeter country I have ever been in.

Cinder and Nadia take a short break and play king of the moutain.

At one point on the trail, in one field of view I could see Adams, St Helens, and Ranier. Unfortunately I didn’t have the proper lens to catch it so you will have to settle for two amazing views.

I enter the national park and encounter a sign that says no pets. I figure Cinder and Nadia are closer to stock since they have packs on and keep going.

I keep telling Nadia this is hiking not hunting. I guess she didn’t understand and just had to fetch some sticks.

We finally finish and pose for one last photo op in front of Dog Lake and Spiral Butte.

To leave you with the view I spent the most time looking at…Cinder’s butt. I do have to admit she did most the pathfinding and pacesetting. She had no mercy on me and Nadia. She was out to prove she was number one and set a grueling pace for 3 days.

8/15/08 – Here’s Dad, 2 days post-op. Feeling better, but no where near 100%. Buckwheat makes a cameo as well.

8/24/08 – The Chicago triathlon was today. I finished with my neighbor in 2:40:07. This was 15 minutes faster than my time 2 years earlier. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with us. We finished in the top third in our age group. Not bad. 734/4103 overall. Click on the photo to link to the full album.