INDEPENDENCE DAY!

The birthday's galore! First Cole reaching the heights of 22, he's growing up right before our eyes! Now Matt, almost as if he's insulted by the idea of sharing the same age as Cole jumps ahead to 23. He's our little man. And now AMERICA! This country is getting older and more beautiful just like our mothers. So what did we do celebrate? We shot guns! In Bend our time was spent relaxing, early to bed early to rise. The farmers life, just like our hosts, Gordon and Jeff. But on July 3rd, Matt's big day we woke up and set out to shoot guns to celebrate both Matt's birthday but also the impending freedom of INDEPENDENCE DAY. 12 Gauge Shotgun, .357 Magnum Hand-Gun, and 22... lots of clay pigeons and an intact abandoned TV Set. The only member of the car that had shot guns before was Kate, we all agreed that was wonderfully ironic.
On to Portland, hours after lighting up that TV and pumping clay pigeons full of lead we headed up to Portland to stay with our beautiful friend Sarah. We went out to nice little out door bar called Roadside Attraction and slept soundly on the comfortable futon or couches respectivley.
July 4 Tamale Cookout. Ping Pong, Margaritas and Kiddie Pool. 91 degrees here, bet you wish it was that nice on Lake Michigan. We hung out all day in Sarah's yard meeting many friends and waited til night fell. On to see the Dirty Projectors, front row, great view, bad sound, awesome nonetheless. After that finished around 12:30 we headed back to Sarah's just a three block walk and got back just in time for a screening of 16 candles projected onto the garage. Phew that was a good day!

Missed you all for this years 4th of July celebration.
On to Seattle via Mt. St. Helens.

I'm Back!

So let me jump back in time a bit. The last post included no photos and i know that's what the people want.... so that's what i am going to give you. Photos going from the time we left scottsdale on to los angeles via joshua tree (no photos!!! camera was in the trunk and it was soo early we never even thought of stopping to get that sucker out. I guess that drive is just going to have to be a memory.) from Los Angeles to San Francisco stopping twice to camp once on the beach near Lompac and another in the Santa Cruz Redwoods. San Francisco to Lake Sonoma to Northen Coastal Red Woods to Endert's Beach to Bend. Wow! I have once again neglected this too long and have too much to share. Photos are what the people want so here they are captions and batteries included.
Tilt your head squint hard and you will see Venetian Canals
(Southern Californian not Italian)

Best fire yet.
(Lake Sonoma)

I own this Beach!
(First feet in the Pacific)

Michael Kraus' senior potrait '09

Ha!

I'm not an angry person.
(Through a fallen redwood.)

WHAT A BABE!
(Venice Beach)

As I took this shot a grandmother told her grand-daughter that I should be kicked out of all National Parks for good for walking on the fallen tree. Self-righteous granny! I later found out you weren't supposed to walk on fallen trees.

Oh, young love.
(Endert's Beach)

Captain Mike's Beach Side Discotheque
(Endert's Beach)

Oh, young love.
(Redwood National Park)

View from our Venice Boardwalk Hotel

Oh, young love.

Just us inside a redwood.

Short entry on where we are now. Bend, Oregon. Gordy, Cole's cousin has graciously put us up. I am sitting just outside the kitchen smelling Matt, Gordy and Jeff...(wow if i ended the sentence there what would you think of me)... cooking up supper for us. Smells amazing. Fresh pita baking. I am also baking. It is like 100+ degrees in this house right now. This morning we had a bit of a hiccup, well quite a bit bigger than a hiccup but nonetheless a quick visit to the er diagnosis kidney stone. Kate's a trouper and she has handled herself and her pain with grace, something i am not sure i could do. No one worry. Seriously. Couple days here. Onto Portland at Casa Hudson, celebrating our nation's birthday with a potluck and concert (dirty projectors again!). Wishing you all a great 4th, GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Cole will be making a guest appearance soon. Stay on the edge of your seats.
RIP Michael Jackson you are and forever will be my hero. This is serious. Not a joke.

Don't Be Mad.

Once again there is too much to say. Last place i wrote was Scottsdale... Since then we have driven through the California Desert, Joshua Tree, and into LA. We stayed right on the Venice Beach boardwalk and had a ball. As soon as we got in we walked immediately down to the beach and put our feet into the ocean. We walked and walked up and down the boardwalk passing Santa Monica pier until we were exhausted. This was Monday, Cole's birthday, golden birthday, 22 on the 22nd. We went for a late birthday a great little Mexican joint for margaritas. The service here was amazing all 40 something latin comedians. Exhaustedly we went back to the hotel and collapsed. Next day we slept late and went to LA Farmers Market, it really was more of a glorified food court, and got some lunch. Went for a drive around Hollywood and Beverly Hills and got lost in the hills. When we found our way out we returned to Venice to go hang out on the beach. Cole and Matt threw the frisbee, Kate and I layed in the sand. That night we ended up on the rooftop terrace, talking with a new friend Cedric. The next morning Kate and I went for a nice morning walk through the Venice Canals and went back to the beach. I went for a quick swim and sunned ourselves. We drove out of town up highway 1 through Malibu and Santa Barbara finally landing in secluded beachfront campground just south of Lompac. The next day we continued our incredible drive up the coast finally hitting the hairpin turns and steep cliffs I love to drive. Through SLO and Santa Cruz camping down in the an old growth Redwood Forest 70 miles south of San Francisco. Our tent was in the shadow of a Redwood at least 15 feet in diameter. Yesterday we arrived in San Francisco. Checked in, showered and went up to Haight Ashbury. Continued in Portland... Photos to follow, must check out.

The Castle Moncion

Nothing like dangling your tootsies in this pool.

One sharp looking Man.

Walk like an Egyptian.

First workout in years and i am already ripped.

Cole's last step with pep.

Love this shot and this woman.

At the toppest.

Welcome to Scottsdale, some call it lil beverly hills. We arrived friday night 7:20 local time, and were welcomed immediately into the house with nachos and beers. Matt's father and his wife are incredible hosts. That night we stayed in and enjoyed each other company and made some plans for our weekend together, hiking a small isolated mountain in scottsdale called Camelback, and lounging poolside cooling off from the 100 degree heat. Saturday morning, Matt's dad and us three boys embarked on the hike up camelback (Warnings were given about hiking in the heat and that this wasn't a beginners hike) Cole the weakest link in our troup did his best and made it using mental determination and support from his close pals. The hike took us 2 hours and was a great work-out haven't sweated like that since high-school soccer practices. During our hike Lenore (Matt's dad's wife) and Kate went thrifting and visited a interesting artist commune known for their ceramic bells and fresh architecture. They also took a drive past the mountain we were hiking and toured the celebrity neighborhood in scottsdale. We all met back at the castle moncion and got in the pool, and sunned ourselves. Dinner was burgers and dogs, and best corn of the season yet. Drinks and good company all night. Met Matt's step-sister and her husband, old schoolmates of mine and kate. To bed too late planning on another hike, something a bit easier than the first one. We all slept too late and missed the hike, except matt and his dad, which worked out well as it is fathers day. They returned just as we were applying the sunscreen for a well planned day of poolside fun. So far so good. Mr. Moncion is preping dinner in front of me, looks great, mangoes nectarines peppers. Can't wait.

As it is father's day i want to send out a message to all of our dads who are elsewhere we love you very much. And although we are having a great day i know i speak for all of us that we miss you and wish you could be here enjoying this 100 degree day with us.

Anecdotes Missing!

How Cole saw the Grand Canyon (Through the BlueBlockers)

Classic Matt

Kate wishing I was Thompson

Double Arch

Drive down the Colorado River in Utah

The Res

My Beautiful Baby

This is harder than i thought it might be. Time moves very fast on the road. Days whiz by, experiences add up, photos pile up, stories get filed away in my memory to make room for the present. So i read the last post to see where i left off, rockies game... correction in the last post, that wasn't kate's first MLB game, she has attended a half dozen or so Braves game in her youth. On to what has happened since. The morning after Sanchos and the Rockies game the four of us, rose and mike (our gracious hosts) slept late and went for a great breakfast at the Buff. 99cent bloody marys (best i have had in some time), and big portions filled us up right, not a greasy joint at all phenomal food and drinks. On to the Res... just a few miles outside of Boulder is a man made reservoir thick clay on the bottom. We had a ball throwing the ball with Rose's animal Yeti, he is both a dog and an animal. The weather wasn't exactly beach weather, ominous rain clouds came over the mountains. But never dampened our spirits. That night we went to The Sundown Saloon (where Rose cocktails), a cheap beer and whisky joint, and played free pool until we couldn't stand anymore. (Ran into an old party aquaintance from my less exciting younger years) 7am thursday morning, wake up groggy and get on the road, testing the car for the first time driving through ski country, up into the mountains, she (the focus) handled them like I handle eveything with class and grace. A fast three hours through CO and we turned south onto a state road in UT.. everything turned red and the earth started to turn into layers. As it has done everyday of this trip up into today, it started to rain just as we drove up the steep switch back to enter Arches National Park. Nervously we started our first hike towards the North and South Windows. The rain never really affected our stay in Arches and to try and describe the natural beauty in words is a task i am unwilling to undertake. We headed south racing the sun down, trying to find a campsite half-way between Arches and the Grand Canyon. We failed. Driving into the night, making a few wrong turns (both in the car and in our minds filling the car with 20+ lbs of fire wood and 24 beers). Finally we made it to Grand Canyon National Park, 2:30... no one at the entrance and a sign saying every campground was full, dejectedly we drove around the first campsite and luckily found one availible site. 3:30am cooking pasta, drinking one beer and falling asleep exhausted. We woke and packed up camp (never really seeing the surroundings in our campground) and ventured further into the park driving the south rim stopping often to admired the depth and beauty of the canyon. Wishing we could hike down, but knowing full well we were ill-prepared and chasing the clock again. Me and matt hiked down maybe a 1000 feet. Wishing we could go further. Filled our belly's, bought some souvenirs, mailed my internet bill, and drove south again to Scottsdale, to the Moncion Complex. This post is too long. Must post more often. Best wishes to all who read the whole post.

After the much needed rest (6 hours... not enough!)... We went to lunch at a nice little diner in downtown Boulder called Mountain Sun. Great sandwiches and burgers and incredible house brewed beer. Excellent variety and wonderfully hand-crafted, 6 tanks in the back. That evening we went to a Rockies baseball game. Kate's first MLB game ever and my first since seeing the Tiger's at Tiger stadium when i was in cub scouts. (At that game i wore my shorts backward to show my affinity to the popular duo Kriss-Kross) We brought bad luck to the Rockies they were on a 11 game win streak and just got killed by Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 12 runs on 6 Homers. Oh well. After the game we went to a bar just down the road from the state capital... as we walked past matt asked, "Isn't this Notre Dame?".. The bar, Santos, is a great dive bar, with almost only Grateful Dead on the juke-box. Cheap PBR and games... then bus back to Boulder. Great day.