Summer Already

It's in the 90s here in Boise, and it's been that way all week. This weekend will dip back toward normal and into the 80s, which will be much better. All this means that summer has hit our doorsteps with all the force of the Sunday Times.

It's good. Winter has ended with a bang. Last weekend I spent all day Saturday riding the IF in the Danskin Mountains, a tough and vertical trail system mainly used by dirt bikes and ATVs. It was fun and challenging and just damned hard. When 4.5 hours on the trail yield you about 18 miles of terrain covered you know it's either tough going or you're taking too many breaks. We did both, but mostly it was tough going.

On Sunday the wife and I floated the Snake River through the Birds of Prey area. The water was moving at a good clip, though about 3000cfs less than the previous evening. Still, the whole 10-miler took us about 2.5 hours. Saw a mess of falcons along with a handful of hawks and a load of turkey vultures and a good number of waterfowl. Very sunny and hot but the up-river breeze kept us pretty cool.

Change in seasons usually means a change in hours and habits for me, and unfortunately the blogging has suffered. I'm re-engaging once again, though, and will be more regular with this. Again.

Happy Spring.

Round 3

And just when you think you're out of the woods, that the dark and gloomy canopy crowding out the sun of total recovery is behind you, there it is--another goddam forest.

Tony Pozeck is currently at St. Alphonsus hospital here in Boise getting prepped for what will be his third surgical procedure. Over the last week and a half he's been dealing with swelling in his head that his docs attributed to accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid. The solution? Wrap it tighter and keep at least a 30 degree angle at all times. When these conservative measures didn't help, he went back to the hospital and they determined he had an infection.

Infection at a surgical site is never anything to be scoffed at. Infection at a surgical site following brain surgery--nevermind multiple brain surgeries--is worrisome. We're worried. Tony's strong like bull, but now he's contending with some nasty invasive shit, and he'll need all the help and discipline he can get to sail through this one.

Tony's at St. Al's in Boise, room 660. If you read this, give a call and see how he is. Or send flowers. Or a postcard. He's been a trooper and a rock so far. We saw him last night and he had a few visitors, so his spirits were up, though it was not difficult to tell that this shit is starting to get to him.

Here's to a successful surgery and a quick and FULL recovery. It's time.