VLAT Drop

This is not a video I took…it came from the Forest Supervisor on the Sawtooth…I think she got it from someone off the Minidoka RD…but it’s cool and Jack keeps asking me to play it so I thought I’d share. There are some other little boys we know that will enjoy it.

This was last week on the Cave Canyon Fire (part of the Minidoka Complex) near Oakley, Idaho. Yes, that means it is on “our” forest. Thankfully, the fire seems to be coming under control with only moderate losses (no homes lost, but some of the ranchers took big hits to their livestock).

What you see in the video is a VLAT – stands for Very Large Air Tanker (creative, I know ;-P) making a retardant drop. I think the video said it’s a DC-10 airplane, but I’m no expert ….and I prefer the ‘VLAT’ acronym so that’s what I’m going with.



Seeley Fire

As many of you know Kevin has been gone since last Saturday on a BAER (Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation/Response) assignment. BAER is essentially ‘First Aid’ for the land following a fire. This assignment was the Seeley fire on the Manti-La Sal National Forest near the towns of Price & Huntington, Utah

As Roads Engineer, Kevin’s part on a BAER team involves treating a protecting the roads infrastructure. He helps assess and repair roads, bridges, culverts, etc. He helps keep things like this:

from becoming a problem. These are both photos from his trip. Above left is a mudslide. There had been a lot of rain in the last week and with the vegetation that normally holds the soil in place burned away….welllll….thing slide. The picture on the right is a log jam.

I think one of his favorite parts of doing BAER work is seeing different parts of the country. He always takes the camera along and ever the hunter/wildlife enthusiast, this was his favorite shot. Kevin always sees Moose. No matter where he goes Bullwinkle always seems to show up.

Bullwinkle was not alone either. There was a young bull down in the brush with him but he was staying in the willows hidden from the camera. You can just make him out in the center of the shot below (right below the tall clump of willow), and you can also see how they were hanging out right on the edge of the burn.

Kevin was supposed to come home Tuesday, but ended up staying an extra day. He got home last night around 7. This morning he was out the door at 5am to head up to Stanley to check on a trail bridge that was placed while he was gone. Proud of my hard working husband as always, but I’ll be very glad for the weekend.

The Wrap Up

Kevin comes home today! He swears he’ll be on the noon plane, despite much grumbling of how early he’ll have to get up so he can drive the hour from Wilcox to the airport in Tucson. I have missed him sooooo much, and not just because I’ve been alone with the kids for 17days.

Yup, that’s right 17 days. He was supposed to be home after 14, but he extended for a few days so he could wrap things up with the contractors. When he told me he wouldn’t be home until Saturday it was one of the few times I rued his strong work ethic. Normally, it a great quality, but when it adds three more days away from his wife and family I admit I get a little perturbed.

Due to this whole experience I have a new found respect for the strength and ability of single parents, military spouses, and other individuals who care for their children without a significant other to help or while their better half is away. It takes a lot of energy, a lot of prayer, and some tears, but it can be done. Its sure not easy though! Those of you who do it completely rock!!

Still, I found I could do a lot more than I thought I could with two little kids in tow. I mowed the lawn (with a 1.25 acre lawn that’s no easy feet), I took both dogs to the vet, I did swimming lessons with Jack, and I managed to keep up with my Couch to 5K running program. That and the house doesn’t even look like a complete disaster! I will admit we ate out a lot more than normal, and I was a little lenient with Jack, but we made it!!

I wish I had some swimming lesson pictures for you, but with me and Jack both in the pool there was nobody to take photos this year. He had a blast though and will probably be disappointed on Monday when we don’t get to “go swimmin’” He loved going down the slide and jumping off the side as usual, but he also was dunking his head under the water and blowing bubbles. He even consented to laying on his back and kicking his legs as long as he was angled such that the sun was not in his eyes.

Emilie has discovered her feet and spends much of her time hanging on to them with both hands. So they don’t escape I guess? Plus she is a rolling queen front-to-back and back-to-front with ease. She can even sit unassisted for about two seconds before falling over.  The big accomplishment of the week is that since Monday she has been sleeping in the crib in her room with Big Brother!

Originally the plan was to have her sleep in the Pack ‘n’ Play in our room until she was six weeks or so and sleeping in longer stretches at night. Well, she’s 15 weeks so as you can see that timeline went right out the window. I kept worrying Jack would climb in her crib and wake her. Well, I finally decided to bite the proverbial bullet and just put her in there. I put her down around seven, so she was already in dream land by the time Jack went to bed at 8:30. Then I turned on the monitor and listened. Jack didn’t climb in her crib, but I learned he stays up for another hour or so playing with his toys before he goes to sleep. It explains a lot.

Well, I’d better go. The kids are calling and the floor needs vacuumed…again.

Horseshoe 2

With the summer fire season fast approaching we’d been discussing for some time whether or not Kevin should make himself available for assignments. 14 days alone with two little ones seemed a bit daunting to both of us. However, the overtime would be nice and it would help the budget at work.

I told myself that military wives make it through deployments of a year or more with their kids. Surely I can handle two weeks! Right?

So last Wednesday Kevin left to do BAER (Burned Area Emergency Rehab) on the Horseshoe 2 Fire in Wilcox, Arizona.

Almost a week on my own and I’ve found that I can handle much more than I thought. The key seems to be staying busy. We’ve gone grocery shopping, took the tricycle down to the park, took a trip to Arctic Circle, and just played around the house. I even got the back yard mowed. I’ve also been doing all of my household chores along with Kevin’s and  keeping up with my Couch to 5K program. Jack has been going to preschool. Tonight we (Jack & I ) start water babies at the city pool (Huge THANK YOU to the Robnett girls for watching Emilie during classes. You are lifesavers!) 

Kevin calls first thing in the morning and again before bed. Jack is missing his Daddy a bit. He keeps saying things like, “I go town and pick up Daddy.” or “Daddy get off plane!” A week from Wednesday will come soon enough and he’ll have his wish.

Las night Kevin sent some pictures from his fire and I thought I’d share.

The picture on the left is my handsome hubby in his Nomex. *sigh* Something about men in ‘uniforms’……. Top right is the Coronado National Forest where the fire is located. Bottom right is a mudslide they are working on fixing. They have entered the rainy/monsoon season down there and often have rain squalls in the afternoon. On the burned landscape that means mudslides as there is nothing to hold the soil in place.

He also mentioned that they have Killer Bees down there. (Seriously, I wish he’d just leave me in the dark on some of this….bees YUCK!) I guess you are not supposed to swat at killer bees if you disturb a nest. You should just run like crazy and not look back.

Kevin also, said they saw a really big black bear yesterday. Not as up close and personal as the one he saw last fall when he was hunting, thank goodness, but he was rather unhappy and rumbled off up the hillside when he saw them coming.