Last of the Summer Vacation -- Idaho

You'll have to read this from the bottom up to view the comments with the corresponding photos. I've numbered them from 1-9 to make it easier.






(9) At the end of the second day on the Snake and our sixth day rafting down rivers, we arrived at our destination, deflated the raft, loaded the car and trailer and headed back to Deary to the welcoming home of river rafting company owners Gail and Lonnie Hutson. We washed clothes and ourselves and the next day headed to Walla Walla (or as Wallinians call it, Walla2). On our way we stopped at the picturesque Kendrick, a really small town down the hill from Deary.




(8) On the fifth day the Salmon empties into the Snake River with its wide vistas and occasional tour boat.





(7) Each part of the river was unique, with some part wide and sweeping and others close canyons. The Blue Canyon was close and the rock shiny and rounded. Kelly told us that it is one of the deepest canyons and the visible rock some of the oldest (billions).




(6) First thing on our agenda each day was to locate the head, otherwise known as the "unit" in river guiding speak. Locating a private place with a fantastic view of the river was an easily achieved mission. Here, overlooking the river. Tom heading to another head high, and I mean high, above the river on a barely negotiable sandy path. Our sleeping bag sits against the rock face on that same high ledge. That night we had the most incredible view of the stars and a few bats flying overhead.





(5) For additional entertainment, Kelly brought an inflatable kayak which allowed exploration up and down stream that otherwise would have been impossible in the raft. Every night we had a drift wood fire. Pretty perfect.





(4) On day two, we stopped the boat to hike up to ancient pictographs.





(3) The remarkable thing about the Salmon River is its beautiful white sand beaches; perfect for camping. Every day we drifted down the river and navigated rapids (Kelly at the helm, of course) and each night we pulled up to another perfect, pristine beach to camp. The first and second nights we slept in our tent, but the next two nights we slept in our sleeping bag in the open. We swam in the cool, clear water (a refreshing 68-degrees) and did some exploring. Each morning, noon, and evening Kelly made the most spectacular meals. We ate very well thanks to her.





(2) Near Deary (ID)on the road from Lewiston, we captured this beautiful scene of Palouse wheat fields.



(1) We headed in our tricked-out truck to meet Kelly in Idaho for our river-raft trip down the Salmon River. The road to Deary, ID is dry, very dry. Unfortunately, I did something to our camera because almost all of the photos from our trip have a strange purple hue. In any case, here we stopped to see Palouse Falls (WA).

Why Walk When You Can Run

Yesterday was a rainy Seattle summer day and Shawn called saying that he was heading to the Aquarium with the kids. As the Aquarium is just across the street, I offered to join them. It's so fun to see Sylvia really engaged in looking at the fish. It's as if she just realized that these are interesting alive beings. In any case, she is beginning to walk, run really, and squealing in delight the whole time, with only a little helping hand. Here are photos from our day.

Dissing On Big Oil And Other Topics

I'm getting a lot of emails from organizations protesting oil companies big profits and grab for more land to drill. The following from the Sierra Club.

August 19, 2008: In This Edition of the Insider Stand Up to Big Oil!

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The Drill of It All
Did you know that oil companies are already sitting on 68 million acres of leases that they aren't even drilling? Which kind of makes you wonder: Why are Big Oil and its allies suddenly desperate to get their hands on the last few places that are still protected -- our natural treasures, wildlife refuges, and pristine coastlines? They wouldn't use the concerns caused by high gas prices as an excuse to grab it ALL, would they?

Check out our map showing how much of our country Big Oil has already got and spread the word by forwarding it to friends who agree: Enough is enough.

So far, one woman has stood up to Big Oil. Let's thank Speaker Pelosi for keeping a cool head and holding out for real solutions.

Moveon.org sent one on ExxonMobil's big $13.5 tax break:

Right now, even as they make the biggest profits in American history, oil companies like ExxonMobil are getting $13.5 billion in tax breaks.
But in September, all that could change. Democratic leaders in Congress are bringing a bill to the floor that would strip these tax giveaways. Which means that solar and wind power would have more of a fair chance against big oil on the free market.
Of course, some Republicans are trying to block this from happening--oil and gas companies overwhelmingly support Republic candidates. So we need to make a lot of noise if we want Congress to listen.

They go on to urge voters to make their voice heard with by signing a petition that calls for "No more tax breaks for big oil companies. Invest this money in clean energy sources like solar and wind instead."

And it's not just Big Oil getting big tax breaks. Fuse recently sent an email: Close corporate buyouts tax loophole

It's so beyond the pale that it almost sounds like an internet hoax, but unfortunately its true. The "Buyout Billionaires" tax loophole allows wealthy buyout CEOs to pay a lower tax rate than regular folks like teachers, nurses and firefighters.

Using loopholes in the tax code, the titans of the buyout industry manage to amass incredible personal fortunes while their companies pay a lower tax rate than working class citizens. We believe these kinds of abuses undermine the basic notion of fairness that our tax system should be based on, as well as our country's economic health.


I couldn't agree more.

Finally this from a recent issue of Parade Magazine, The World's Richest Nation?

Despite what the Presidential candidates are saying, America is not the world's richest nation. If you run the numbers, Switzerland has a higher median household income ($62,000, compared on our $48,000). And, at $44,000, our per capita GDP (the amount of national income generated per citizen) has fallen to third: The tiny nation of Luxenborg leads the way, with $78,000; Norway is second, with $52,000. Last year, the number of millionaires in China, Russia, and India grew aster than in the U.S.

Income inequality also is greater in the U.S. than in other developed nations, and some economist believe that makes us more vulnerable to hitting the skids than the rest of the world. "Low-wealth children are unlikely to become high-wealth adults, while high-wealth children are very likely to become high-wealth adults," says Dalton Conley of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank. That should sound alarms for policymakers."

One more article in the Seattle Times: Economy punches hole into American Dream, Standard of living hasn't risen in 5 years for majority polled, worry over kids' future.

Work hard, play by the rules and tomorrow will be better than today. That implicit promise has been at the core of American experience through good times and bad.

But now, whipsawed by plummeting home values, $4-a-gallon gas, rising food prices and gyrating financial markets, Americans increasingly fear that the national bargain has unraveled, that their once-steady march toward affluence has derailed.

And news that confirms everyone's suspicion that the few (corporate executives) are robbing their corporations, their workers, and the rest of American citizens, this from the Seattle Times Business section:

CEO Pay/ The Northwest's five top-paid CEOs last year received compensation worth a combined $93 million; however, the median bonus was down 16 percent, a reflection of the economic slowdown.

It occurs to me that while these CEOs are making obscene amounts of money in flagrant disregard to the well being of their employees, but also to the health of the economy, at the same time they are shipping jobs overseas in the interest of cost cutting and making other countrymen very wealthy. Where is the outrage, I ask, and so does a Wall Street Journal article: Why No Outrage. Through history, outrageous financial behavior has been met with outrage. But today Wall Street's damaging recklessness has been met with near-silence, from a too-tolerant populace argues James Grant. (WSJ, Weekend Journal, July 19-20, 2008)

'Nuff said.

Sculptor James Kelsey

We were checking out property in the Port Orchard area and came upon an artist studio with this Tsunami sculpture and many other large sculptures dotting the large corner yard. I quickly scribbled the artists website into my notebook and visited his website today at www.jameskelseystudios.com.