been working 9am to 9pm shifts and studying for her exams in between so I've been doing a bunch of hanging out with Isis and
making dinner for myself. This picture is a shout out to the guys back at ISO, I won't say why but they will appreciate
it. Jealous? We took Isis rollerblading with us last weekend, it was about 90 degrees but we were at Alki beach so
we had a great breeze off the water and it was really comfortable. Isis did well on the leash with us and was so tired
she could hardly jump back into the Element for the ride home. Hopefully we'll get to go out again this weekend.
I've been doing a little biking too, I should be meeting up with a couple people that Kim hooked me up with later this week
to check out some new trails. Anyway, I'll get some pictures up of the blading tomorrow, watch for them under 'Adventures'.
Have a great week!
July 21, 2006: Well, we're still here and as busy as ever. The weather has been incredible
pretty much ever since we arrived, it's probably only rained a couple times, very dry. It has been hot as hell this week,
95 degrees today and they say even warmer tomorrow. Lisa has been working 12 hour shifts three days a week and bouncing
around a couple of different of stores. My work is getting kind of crazy, I've had to come in a few nights to do after
hours work, I actually have to go in this Saturday night at midnight, fun. Lisa is all sighned up for her exam, now we
just have to wait to hear from the WA Board of Pharmacy for the dates she can take it. She's started to study and plans
on spending a bunch more time in the next few weeks. I've been out mountain biking only once since we got here, it's
tough with Isis and Lisa working so late each night. Hopefully things slow down a bit I can get out a couple times a week
after work and ride. The riding was great that one time I went, nice singletrack, a little technical, some roots and rocks
but no mud, nice clean trails. Hopefully I'll be able to get Lisa to join me next time. We've been trying to take
Isis to the dog park every Sunday afternoon for a swim and a good run, try to beat her down to start the week, she seems to
love it there and gets along really well with all the other dogs. We have to find her a new kennel so we can go on a
weekend trip here or there. We have one in mind but she needs to be interviewed first, I think we're screwed! As
for the Rincon, my parts came in this week and I have it all back together now, seems to be running better but I've only had
it around the yard a little. While it was in pieces I ended up changing the oil, filter, coolant and differential
fluid. According to the service manual that should all be changed at the 2 year mark, which is basically next week.
While it was all apart it got the best scrubbing it's ever had, the thing basically looks like new now. The people I rode
with last time are riding on Sunday and I'm supposed to go. I'd like to go but it's going to be so hot and dusty, which
would be a good test for my machine I guess. We'll see how it goes I guess, I'll probably go, Lisa will be here studying
so I'll have nothing else to do anyway. Well, have a good weekend, maybe I'll post some pictures of something next time,
the house is a wreck so we are avoiding taking any pictures of it. Talk to you all later.
July 9, 2006: Last weekend was great, we got a ton of stuff finished around the house on Saturday
morning and we made a trip into the city for a late lunch and to pick up a few things at REI. We got lunch and
a couple drinks at Kells, a pub that we really liked last year when we were here. After that we went rollerblading
at Alki beach on the west side of the harbor. I forgot the camera but we got to see some really cool views of the city
from the path. Sunday we kicked back and did some more stuff around the house. I had to work Monday but Lisa
was off, it was a quiet day and I ended up leaving early. Tueaday the 4th we just hung out here again, Isis has a real
issue with the fireworks, which are totally legal here, so we played it safe and stayed. It's a really good thing that
we did because it sounded like a war zone here until 2am! Lisa worked three 12 hour shifts at a really far away Target
for training. She had a long drive each day and was pretty beat by the end of the week. I had been speaking to a
few people online about doing some 4wheeling this weekend so Friday night I spent a while getting the Rincon ready to
ride. I drove about 75 miles to meet them and ended up having serious overheating issues with the Rincon and leaving
early. When I got home I tore the machine apart from top to bottom and found that the radiator and oil cooler were
clogged up with some kind of super mud that high pressure water wouldn't even remove. After a few hours I was able
to get the radiator clean but will need to replace the oil cooler. It will probably be a week or two before I get it
all back together again, I need to change the oil, oil filter, and the coolant. I ended up going out drinking with
Pat that night, it's been a while but we had a good time and didn't hit it too hard. Lisa got started studying for
her boards so she didn't come along. This morning I went on a quick mountain bike ride with Kim at a park in Kirkland,
it made me want to ride again soon. When I got home we took Isis to the dog park in Redmond, 40 acres of off leash dog
area with 5 swimming areas, trails and huge fields to run in, she loves that place. Lisa just got back from doing
groceries so I'm off for now, have a great week.