They're DONE!

All eight herd reports. Data tables, graphs and printouts all in today's mail, and just sent off the last narrative by email. One more year's annual reports gone (well, except for the sage grouse annual reports, which are due next month. More of the same.)

Now the monthly, administrative reports. Gotta be in before I head to camp in Colorado on Sunday.

And my vacation technically started today.

Ahhh, aspens and ponderosas. That gorgeous, iron rich, red granite gravel of the Front Range.

Columbines.

Brushing and shaving out of doors, washing clothes in a sink and "spin" drying them in the air.

Identifying and removing spiders from young campers' tents at bedtime. (Has never failed. At least one spider panic attack a year.) Or better, telling them to just move their cot away from the wall, then it won't climb on you.

Hiking the quarter mile to the showers at midnight or at 0500, because that's when the crowds are gone and the water is hot. With bear stick in hand, because you have to go past the electrified "Jurassic Park" enclosure around the mess hall garbage bins.

Or taking the shortcut over the ridge by moonlight.

As you can tell, I have been sitting here much too long this month.

Reports took a lot more time than I planned, so I screwed up. Only have one morning left, and two breeding bird survey routes to run. (They're already a week late.) Will sacrifice the easier one, and run the one with the longest years of continuous data.

Hate leaving holes in data. They come back to haunt you decades later.

Other good news.... Badjuju is back on line, and Lio Sha gets to move into her house soon!

And most of the diaries I caught up on were upbeat, as am I.

A week without Dland! Every year it is tough enough to last the week without the wife. Now double withdrawal symptoms.