The Birthday boy's perfect day...

It was my strong silent mysterious mans birthday on Saturday.  He came home from work on Friday boasting that he was going to do his very favorite thing every on his birthday this year!

I guessed a few favorite things, hunting, shooting, archery... and then he told me he was going out arrowhead hunting.  Well the weather was supposed to be 50% rain on his birthday, but I guess we could all bundle up and go in the rain.  You know for the sake of being together, okay I am in.... that could be fun!  

He was sure the teenager would NOT want to go, but much to our surprise he really wanted to be together with the family as well.  I convinced them to let Rudy and Morgan go too... they LOVE to go, but because they leave large amounts of annoying dog hair, and Morgan whines in the car... they get left behind if it is a super long drive allot.   But I agreed to clean out the truck afterwards, so they got to go too!

Morgan did sooo good.  She didn't even whine in the car until we got off onto dirt road.

  

 My Strong Silent Man could not be happier! 

 Everyone else was being good sports about it and cherishing the family together time!!

We drove sooooo far... I began to worry when I saw this sign.

Rome??

We were only in Oregon, but after being couped up with the seat pushed all the way to the dash because I had a hundred foot teeager behind me, it felt like we might have driven to Europe.  I am sure it wasn't much better for him, even with the seat all the way up, his knees were in the seat, and he had both dogs and all their dog breath to enhale.

 And well, Taylor, she is kind of clingy!

But after driving for hours... we finally made it to the biggest wide open space I have seen in a long time.

(The term "Middle of KNOW WHERE" comes to mind)

We got out and the dogs were so happy to stretch their legs and run, and we and walked and hunted in all different directions with not particular plan for a while.  Then after an hour or so we discovered that it was better to stay within talking distance of each other.  Even though it was flat, you couldn't go very far and not see each other... that was so weird.  I guess there were some valleys that would disappear in the landscape.  The dogs would try to run and keep tabs on all of us and getting worn out running from one to another.  Plus, it was really fun if you found something worth picking up to share the excitement with everyone.

It is such a weird thing for me to wrap my mind around thinking about the Indians being out there for hundreds of years chipping out an arrow out of rock to hunt with.  But when you walk along looking at the ground for hours and then see one laying right on top of the dirt that has probably been there untouched all those years, it just boggles my mind.  But that is exactly how it happens... I didn't find any myself, only chards of obsidian that might have been chipped from making them.  But the boys both found several really nice  partials and broken ones.

 We found a watering hole and Morgan went flying in to try it out!

Taylor jumped in right after her, but after sinking completely to the bottom over her head on the first leap, she ran up the bank and watched the rest of the time, only getting her feet wet in the creek after that.

Morgan was happy to swim, and swim and keep on swimming!

But for the serious hunter, play time ended quickly and we were off hunting again. 

 And he couldn't get too far, until the puppies were right on his heels again!

It was a really good day.  It was so nice to get out in nature and think of the history and the past from this beautiful area where we live.  Often, city life takes over buries the past and we think nothing more about it.  But today I thought allot about it, it was nice to have quiet time to think.  Although it was quiet from car and city noise, the dessert has it's own noise.  The birds could not be seen, hiding amongst the sage bushes, but they were very loud and squawking... and the howl of the wind was a different kind of distraction.

I did learn that I would have probably made a terrible Indian princess... because I am pretty sure Pocahantas never asked

 "are we there yet"?

Happy Birthday to My Strong Silent Mysterious Man!

To him there is nothing better than walking around in the dessert...  with no concrete in sight, and the rush of channeling an Indian warrior and finding traces where might have camped and hunted, for some birthday fun!  I bet he would have stayed out there all weekend if he didn't have such a "motley crew" tagging along.  But we are happy he likes to come back home with us to our concrete jungle, and puts up with us and our high maintenance ways of living.