Hunting Season Starts Tomorrow

Well, the guys are off at their moose camp, hoping to score for the season. Keeping the fingers crossed here at home. I'm hoping the weather starts to cool off soon. The mornings are cool enough, but when you have to be at work early in the morning, it's just not possible to train dogs at that point. So, evenings it is. The weatherman is saying the first frost could hit tonight in the low lying areas. We're more up on a hill, but still...it's great to hear that the colder temps ARE coming. Lots of plans this winter...we now need Mother Nature to cooperate.

My Intern is GREAT and it seems to be a good fit. I hope that I help her on her road to being a good teacher. It's rather odd to think about me having an intern, particularly since I can remember being in her position not too many years ago. It is pretty cool! And, the coolest thing is that she will take over my classes right when I'm racing this season. That definitely works!

Well, I'm off. It's been a long week and I have to be up early in the am for the Wes Rau clinic at Mushers Hall. As soon as we start training, I'll try to post more frequent updates on here. Not too much happening at this point...just waiting for the coolness to arrive.

Later!

First day back at work

Today was my first work day back at school. I'm looking forward to a great school year. I have a wonderful intern who will be observing my classroom, lessons and other teachers in the building, while she's learning "the ropes". This program is good in that it gets teachers-in-training in the class so that they learn in a hands on environment. I was very glad to have been able to be with a great mentor teacher, as I learned a lot more than I ever could have from books and lectures. Right on!

The weather is getting cooler....I'll be glad when it freezes, as the little gnats are driving us crazy! And it'll be nice to get out with the dogs...though that will be a little tricky while Manny's still working so much. We're hoping they'll back off a little on the hours so that we won't be out there at 9pm running the dogs...but if that's what we have to do, so be it. We hear our neighbors back behind us hooking up, already starting their fall training. I'm anxious to get out there...but have to get that darned atv stuff done. Grrrr.

I'm off. Have a good one and get out there with those doggies!
-Tam

Future cowboy

Ride em, Conor! This is Conor up on Bismark. Yes, that's Manny behind Bizzy's head...that shows you how big Bismark has gotten. Manny is 6'1".

Quest signups, the fair and other happenings

Opening day for sign up at the Yukon Quest Cache!!

This has been a whirl wind week, as it usually is right before school starts up again. Devlyn and I have been helping out at the fair, which started last Friday. Then, Saturday was CRAZY! We had Quest signups at 9am, then a soccer game at 10am, then the Pet show at the fair at 1pm. We were running from here to there, getting things done.

Here I am with Devlyn and Kim, being the first to sign up for the 2008 Yukon Quest 300. It's official! I'm hoping that this third time on the trail will be a success (I tried to run the race back in 2003, but we had so many problems that I never made it to the startline and had to withdraw). In 2006, the blizzard took us out on Rosebud Summit. In 2007, the trail was an icy highway after we had been training through powder, breaking trail all season, which put us out at McCabe Creek, just 90 miles from the finish. The dogs just had too many injuries, and though I was managing them, the vet said it just wasn't good. On a positive note, I've gained tons of experience and feel sooo ready to hit the trail for a successful season. :)

Devlyn's soccer team won their tournament...I mean they won EVERY game! It was great to see those boys working together out on the field. They really came together as a team this season...right on!! Devlyn is so proud of the medals that they all got. Very cool!

Now, I'm hoping to just enjoy my last week of summer, before I start work next Monday. It's hard to believe that the summer is about over, at least for me. But, that means that it's time to start running dogs again!!! :) Yahoo! We could have done so today, as it's a nasty, raining, chilly day. Unfortunately, the whole household is in various stages of illness...I have achy joints and sinuses; Manny has a sore throat, achy body and headaches; Devlyn is getting over strep throat; and Conor has a case of snail trails (really snotty nose...but don't you love the visual you get from snail trails?? Tee hee hee!!). It figures!! Still, the lows are supposed to be in the mid to upper 40s this week. So, it's time to do the maintenance on the ATV, get the ganglines and harnesses out to go over, and scout the trails. ;o)

Ciao!!