Back in Sioux City

Last friday we had to leave Des Moines behind.  We will miss our daughters' families there and our friends and co-workers at Saylorville Lake.  The lake was flooding from all the rain when we left and the level is still rising.  This is a picture of our campsite taken by our friends next door.

This is the level of the lake when we left, it was a swimming beach extending out beyond the trees.

On one of their last visits to the lake, our grandchildren presented their grandmother with this hand picked and beautifully arranged bouquet.

The kildeer nest that was in a previous posting now has 3 eggs.

It was common to run into deer sharing the hiking trails there.

We have been busy since we got back to Sioux City, reconnecting with our daughter's family here and a few friends.  We have a few repairs and some work here to do in the next two weeks. 

     It's also time to say goodbye to an old friend.  Back in the fall of 2006, in preparation for a 12 day backpacking trip in the mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico, I was doing a lot of online research for the proper equipment.  When it came to boots, one name came up repeatedly.  Vasque Clarions.  Seeing the price tag of almost $150.00 made me pause.  I don't think that I had ever paid more than about $35.00 for a pair of shoes in my life.  Knowing that I wasn't going to be able to complete the once in a lifetime trip without keeping my feet in good condition, I took the plunge.  As the young people say now, OMG!  They fit like a glove and it was like walking on a cloud!  Miles and miles of training hikes in them without any blisters breaking them in.  I should have been spending more on shoes a long time ago.  They took care of me on that trip and on many hikes afterward, always sitting there ready to go when I was. I sat around many scouting campfires in them and one even has a little ax wound.  

One of the Philmont traditions is to get your boots branded with the Philmont brand when you have the opportunity there.  So one afternoon at Beaubien camp, I sat down for a visit with one of the staff rangers and while we were visiting, I got my boots branded.  After returning home it was quite often a conversation starter with other scouters when they noticed the boots.

Lately, however, the heels have broken down and my ankles get sore after even a short time in them.  I have purchased a replacement pair, but these have a lot of memories attached.  I guess I will leave them at the house for awhile, I don't seem to be able to put them in the trash.