Larry Gebert

So, I'm watching the news the other day and of course I'm so riveted about the 15 minute lecture of how hot it's going to be. I'm watching KTVB weatherman, Larry Gebert and I'm starting to notice something. Is it possible? Is Larry Gebert, from the channel 7 news team, really (gulp)...Ron Burgandy??

Please allow me to use visual aides.

Here's Ron Burgandy:



And of course here's Larry Gebert:



I mean, at the least, they have to be brothers. To me, if an Anchorman 2 ever came out and Will Ferell was tied down to another movie, channel 7's finest meterologist could step in and play the part. Ron Burgandy was known to love scotch, play the jazz flute, and chase the ladies. Unfortunately, Gebert seems to be a bit more boring. According to KTVB.com, Larry Gebert is somewhat of a computer geek and enjoys skiing ("water and snow"). Those are fine activities for a normal man, but with that mustache he's sporting I was hoping for more exciting hobbies. You know, like, kickboxing, professional karaoke singer, or at least an avid 7-11 parking lot loiterer.

Either way, I can't watch Larry Gebert in the same way from now on. While he salivates over his new technology in the form of "live storm tracker 7000!", all I'm going to hear is, "you stay classy San Diego."

Failure to communicate

The warden in this movie is such a clod but he has one of the best lines.

We Landed on the Moon!

Jumpers

106. The official documented high temperature in Boise yesterday was 106 degrees. The previous record on July 18th was 103, set in 2003. Now you know in case it comes up in some sort of trivial pursuit game in the future. Our best strategy to beat the heat was to swim at the Boise River. This place has fun written all over it. One of the most popular things to do in Boise in the summertime is to float the river. As you can see, it's a favorite summertime activity.



If you don't have tubes or rafts or any of the other floating equipment, floating the river can be somewhat pricey. So we tend to jump into the river instead. Not only is it free, it's a blast. Becka and I have done it several so far this summer, but yesterday, Eric did it for the first time. There's two spots we mainly jump from. First is a concrete pump right beside the river. It's eight or nine feet high. Here's Eric jumping off. I think it was his second or third jump of the day.



Also, there is a bridge that crosses the river used by bikers and pedestrians. The bridge is a lot more fun to jump off. The jump from the bridge into the water is about 12 feet or so. Not real high, but high enough to make it fun. Here's Eric's second jump off the bridge. You can see Becka jump in shortly after Eric, just in case.



Eric jumped several times throughout the day, drawing praise from spectators and other jumpers each time. He was beaming with pride by the time he was done.

Timo also worked up the courage to jump off the concrete pump. However, I wasn't ready with my camera (because I was convinced he wouldn't do it). Timo was too nervous to make the leap again so unfortunately I have no evidence. What I do have, is a picture of Timo jumping off a little grassy hill.



Next time, I will be camera ready.

Nyquil

I've been on a Nyquil trip all day. Groovy.

Random and trivial Information

Sometimes, when I'm bored I like to stare at maps. I mostly preferred the maps of the United States. I used to be borderline obsessed with maps. I used to keep a large road atlas in the bathroom for reading material. I got excited every year when the new Rand McNally road atlas was released. In fact, I still get excited. The funny part is, I still can't name all 50 capitals. Maybe 40 if I'm lucky.

I invite you to look at this map.

Cheap Swimming...in Fountains

I mentioned soemthing a few posts back about staying tuned for a post with water fountain pictures. When the boys want to swim and we don't feel like making the drive to our other coveted swimming holes, we go to the water fountain in downtown Nampa. The best part is, it's free and it keeps our boys busy and happy for 30 minutes or so. Some may call it "ghetto" or whatever but you can't beat FREE!


Noah still isn't comfortable with running through the entire fountain yet. He walks up to a spot where some of the water is spraying up, touches the water, then runs back to us as fast as he can screaming like a wild man...every time. In the picture he looks like he's making a made face but believe me, it's enthusiasm.


(Timo is really afraid of water. You can see this in my post from a few days ago. "Swimming" in a water fountain is perfect for Timo since there is no pool...meaning, no life vest or pressure from the entire family to actually swim. However, we still had to talk Timo into running through the middle of the fountain, not just the outside. He gets better every time.)





Sometimes, Eric and Timo bring footballs to hold onto as they run through the fountain. It's as if the water is some type of defense they bust through every time they run.


Mikey usually chill-axes on the sideline making cute faces at us.

It's a chopper

It's not a motorcycle baby, it's a chopper.

Mad Face

It's okay Jean Claude. I would also be upset if Chong Li threw powder into my eye making me temporarily blind. The important thing is you prevailed by winning the Kumite anyway.

Did I mention this is the same face I make when I stub my toe?

Swimming at Jump Creek Falls

We've been a busy family lately. Most of our time has been spent trying to stay cool from the hot summer weather. What's the best way to cool off? Swimming of course!

First, I was able to visit Brent in Sun Valley last weekend. It was a great time. I was able to get a lot off my chest. While with Brent, we went to Shelley, ID to pick up Jess and Travis. While we were in Shelley, we floated down some canals in inner-tubes. It was good times, although I accidentaly swallowed some of the canal water filled with pesticides consequentely giving me a brief coughing fit.

(Click Pictures to Enlarge!)


The day I came home from Brent's house and almost every day since we have gone swimming at Jump Creek Falls. Jump Creek is a fantastic waterfall that's 27 miles(I measured it) southwest of Nampa. The bottom of the waterfall pools making it a great place to swim. Of course the water is mostly fresh, so if I swallow any my body doesn't try to hurl the water back out.


Before you get to the waterfall, you have to hike into this canyon for about one quarter mile. It's a pretty little hike but watch out for the poison ivy! There's supposed to be rattlesnakes too but I have yet to see one (fingers crossed).


There's a little ledge right next to the waterfall you can climb onto and jump off. Becka is a good swimmer and a good diver.


I, on the other hand, am not a good diver. My dives turn into painful belly flops that draw "oohs" and "aahs" with grimicing faces from onlookers. For the time being, I substitute my dives with flips. My summer swimming goal is to be better at diving.


Eric is becoming more and more brave all the time with swimming. He'll go almost anywhere as long as he has his life vest on. He says his favorite part is jumping into the water.


Timo is still very afraid of the water. This doesn't stop us from encouraging him even if his panic almost makes Becka drown in the process. Timo tends to be scared of a lot of things but to his credit he always tries. After swimming with mommy to the waterfall he's relieved to get out of the water and makes this face for the next 20 minutes.

However, Timo had a breakthrough yesterday and seemed to enjoy himself a lot more. The panic was at a minimum.

Stay tuned for more updated swimming pictures in a water fountain.