Broke, Brown, and Barefoot: Catch-up 2019

I've had a few people ask for an update, and since I'm not on social media (nor was I ever good at it), I suppose I ought to put a few thoughts and happenings down here.

Talon is now 4, and thank God. Three was awful. Terrible two's my ass. Two was terrific. Three was throw-down tantrum tornadoes. So happy to get into where we are now. The highlight of his 4th birthday was drinking his first glass of real milk. He was severely allergic for so long, he's finally grown out of it. He was weary at first, but realized it's much better than the hippie cashew milk mom used to make him drink :)

I've really enjoyed the small moments. I used to only write and post when there was something going on, but you come to realize that's not real life. The internet has become a place of distraction to look at how great the lives of others are. My life is pretty great and that alone is enough to brag about. My kid is healthy (kind of), I have an awesome house in the mountains next to great people who I've surrounded myself and lean on as a community. We take care of each other. I've become a bit tired of the cold here in the winter, and I'm ready for summer. It wasn't as cold as years past, but we had constant single digit days. Coldest it got here in Tabernash was -37°F. My pipes didn't freeze though so I've got that going for me.

So, Talon asked me if he could have hair like Maddox. This was difficult to answer, because Maddox is black and I was trying to explain to a 4 year-old how a white kid can't have hair like that. He said, "no, I mean his hair doesn't get into his eyes when he runs, but my hair gets into my eyes." Well that was easy enough, though I was sad to see it go. I love his hair long, but he wanted it short. So that's what he got one day when he walked down to Morgan's house and asked if she would please cut his hair.

It's time to get back on the river this year, and I'm really excited for what's to come. Morgan and Riley have two boats now, so she and I are going to use the raft, while Riley uses the drift boat. I have to learn how to row for fishing, so it should be a good learning year! I went to the Arkansas River a few weeks ago, and even though the water was a bit low, Browns Canyon was still really enjoyable. Here's a shot downriver looking up at Zoom Flume.

I've been craving the ocean. I can't believe I've been gone for so long. Last time I surfed was in southern Baja last February and the waves were mediocre at best. I had a great time but I'm ready for Trestles and sunshine. I had a trip planned for the Middle Fork of the Salmon but decided it's best not to go on that trip, so I'll go home while I have a sitter and get my fill of salt water and tacos.

There's my update. All is well and I'm pretty content here. I miss the ocean, but that will always be there and somewhat attainable. Back to the simple life of me and Tman. Here are some photos from the past couple years since I haven't posted anything (sorry).