The New Boss

Name: William Rosh Chapple
Alias: Aakash (Nepali for Sky)
Status: neonate
Mission: eat; sleep is optional
Language(s): no hablo
Height: 22"
Weight: 9.3 lbs and gaining
Eye: blue at present; undetermined 
Hair: limited. color is questionable. Unusual balding near occipital region of the head.
Other: holds late night parties at his crib, consumes inordinate amounts of fresh milk er' day, mimics the call of a young pterodactyl or a cat in distress when feeling ravenous, finds amusement in releasing bodily fluids on mom, maintains ability to woo parents and all passerbys with impeccable gummy smiles (read: no teeth).

 

San Juan Islands

Man, this is quite the place.  

Parker and I have loved being up here, and we plan on coming back at some point. 

Working up here is rather awful, but vacationing would be spectacular!

After driving from Seattle, we hopped on a ferry headed from Anacortes to Friday Harbor.  

We're staying at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in some housing for Friday Harbor Laboratories. I'm not complaining about the view from our deck.

 

Our bosses were here with us the first week, but this week and next its just Parker and I.   

Heather aka "Boss"

We were glad they worked with us for this reason:

Our work entails bushwhacking through brambles 5-9ft tall.  Oftentimes the brambles are hearty rose bushes and trailing blackberry.  

I'm afraid I'm not too fond of wild rose bushes any longer.  I hope these ones get eaten by slugs.  All of them.

This has been the hardest mapping Parker and I have ever done.  We've had to go through walls of vegetation.  I'm not joking when I say walls.  We literally kick and struggle and push through vegetation that in any other scenario would be termed impassible.  

On the upside, we get to ride on a boat daily and the views are beautiful.  

Bet you wish you could wear one of these every day, don't ya?

We map islands that others aren't allowed onto, excepting a few.  

 

Seals are usually surrounding the islands, lounging on rocks or popping their heads up from the water to check out what we're doing.  They're such curious, playful animals.  Its been great seeing them swim, nurse their pups, splash, and lounge. 

Yesterday the fog was so thick we didn't make it out to map.  With cloud cover, it was difficult to tell where the water, fog, and sky were separated.  It was an incredible feeling.

 

So we came back to Friday Harbor and set out to explore the island.  

We drove past Whale Watch Park at the perfect time to see Orca whales breaching in the water.  What a sight!  They're HUGE! 

 After Whale Watch Park, we continued down the road to Lime Kiln State Park and headed out on a trail we found.  These trails are what you'd imagine in a perfect trail -- moss on the sides, tall trees, leaves littering the ground.  Oh it was gorgeous. 

Slicked back hair from the rain.  Nice.  Real nice.

We've found some random things while mapping.  I found this onion on an uninhabited island in the middle of a patch of brambles it was nearly impossible to go through.  Full grown, nearly a pound in weight.

Whaaaaaat??

This is Patos Island.  We came to look for plants, but the island was impressive over by the lighthouse -- the grass, the ocean, the lighthouse, the salty wind.  

These islands are sweet.  I can't wait to come back and vacation here.  It will be epic.  I'm bummed we're headed back in a week.  This is one beautiful place.

starting over

It's been quite some time since I posted on here.
Here's to starting over and trying to be a little more diligent in updating this blog.
Tidbit updates for Parker and I covering the last, oh, 5 years:

• We got married! Married life is the best thing we could ask for!

• We went all over the place with our summer job, including: Rhode Island, Boston, D.C., NYC, Maine, Outer Banks, etc.

• We graduated from the U of U with our Baccalaureate degrees -- hooray!

• Parker decided he couldn't keep away from school and began his Masters of Public Health the following fall. What a trooper. Thank goodness for summer to keep him sane.

• I began teaching at an elementary school, and have loved it ever since. I teach 4-5 year olds, and they are sweeter than you can imagine. I still cannot believe I was blessed with that job.

• We wish we had a dog, and constantly plan for when we get one. Hoping for a Bernese Mountain Dog. Oh for the love! 

                                         

• We decided we're infatuated with Banff, Canada.  If Parker ever gets a job up in Alberta, man oh man we're headed there quick!

• This summer we've worked in Utah and Nevada. I'm feeling blessed because I've hardly seen any snakes, which sends me into panic mode.  We'll spend a three weeks in WA, which will be heavenly after Nevada. We're stoked.

• Parker and I were lucky enough to be a Ma and Pa on our Stake Trek, and it was a marvelous experience.  I can hardly use words to describe the experience -- we all grew, and we love those "kids" of ours so much! 

• We have tickets to Norway in October. We wish we were going to stay for good, and that all our family would follow suit. I could definitely be Norwegian.

• We are officially adopted into this family, and are learning Nepali slowly.  We visit them every Sunday since we don't have family down here in Salt Lake.  

                                                     

We're feeling happy.  I'm glad school is starting soon, I love those little people!
For now, we're off to Washington for the remainder of August.  Its going to be a vacation after Nevada.  :)

I drove home this afternoon to discover this! Fall!
The colors simply astounded me!
I could hardly stop myself from grinning uncontrollably. This is just inside Wellsville. goodness what beauty! it made me want to whip out some paints and begin painting immediately!
This is a few feet away. i think i'm obsessed.
Oh but look at that bounteous color! and notice the nice road and mirror.
This is part of my familia and i outside my casa. i love my house!
Here's Tiff and i in front of our house again. we have 2 sets of front doors like that, as the house used to be a duplex. our doors are awesome.
I looked over at Tiffany one day to see this curl sticking out from her bun. it created such an unusual picture, i couldn't resist trying to capture it.
I love the Farmer's Market. Love it, love it, love it.
This is the pose i was trying to get Lizzie to do. she did it rather well for being such a little person. oh, and notice my chacos. thought i wore them a lot before? they are almost the only pair of shoes i now wear.
this leaf was stuck on a rock that i saw in a stream. the camera couldn't come close to capturing the colors, but it was an amazing thing to behold.
Lizzie wanted to learn how i did my little jump and pose. so we practiced, and practiced, and practiced. it was hilarious. she's such a doll. and notice soph soph. goodness she's adorable in her little pink jumpsuit!
The 4 of us ran the Founders Day Fun Run, and had a blast! i was so proud of all of them! the 3 of them decided to do it on a whim, and did awesome! Way to go!
Here is my room in my casa down in Salt Lakey. Mom, Sarah, and Sophie came to visit, and we had such a nice time! they couldn't stay long, but i was glad they came down. Tiffany is on the end, my roommate. we're opposites, but suit each other perfectly for roommates!
My house is old, huge, and gorgeous! the art in it creates a bit of envy that it isn't owned by me. but i love where i live! i have the best roommates, and we have such a great time always! our stairs are not the normal 13 steps, instead there are many more. i sometimes have to rest when i am going up them. and notice the bannister. there isn't a time that i'm going down the stairs that i don't think about sliding down it.
So here's the people i hiked the glorious Wellsvilles with. i tried to take a timed picture and to my embarrassment, forgot to set the timer. so we all sat there for awhile with smiles plastered on our faces all for nothing. and i didn't even make it into the picture. heh.
this is at the the ridge. goodness it was beautiful up there.
Cole Parker and i were the only ones who wore chacos, and i was so proud of our tough feet. i thought they deserved a picture.
Jamie somehow got free tickets to the Jack Johnson concert in salt lakey, so she and i went. this is our incredibly excited faces. we were practicing for when the jack made his actual appearance.
I thought this picture of Jamie was rather incredible. the sun rays, her look, her hair, the sunshine on my neck.....mmmmm. its just good stuff all around.

So here are some pictures i finally got time and means enough to post. enjoy!