Skelton Family Rafting Trip

The first annual Skelton Family Rafting Trip was a success despite losing the rear end out of the Durango on the first day. Hope you enjoy the photos and descriptions of our trip.
-CLINT






Rented a raft from EWU for a great price. This is the only way to go.









Look at the love!












Trap Creek is a great rapid. (Just ask Brooke) she went out of the boat right over the front on the second day.










The Best Western in Riggins is nice. Beats a tent any day!

Paige Off to BYU-Idaho

Labor Day weekend we drove Paige and most of her earthly possessions down to Rexburg to start her first year of college. It was a great trip and Paige seems to be doing just fine.

Paige's Senior Year

So I just decided since I'm graduating next week to put some pictures up of my last year in high school. More from graduation to come!


Bench 2009! "The Dark Titan"

Dying the wig for the joker for bench

Kirk and Cara Palooza

Stinky Sneaker! We Won!





Prom 2009



The Senior Officers



Senior Awards Night

Rain!

December Spokane Valley Snow Update

The snow just continues here in the south Spokane valley. I took these photos when the sun finally showed itself on Friday, December 26th.

Cole and I went for a little hike up Tower mountain and skied down. Not the best skiing
conditions, but we never hit any rocks!































Kim took this picture of her "Carhartt" men. She insisted I post it.
















Paige and Brooke ready to go face the elements.

Winter has come to the Skelton homestead. I measured twenty-two inches after the first twenty-four hours of the storm. Since then we have received another six inches. It's not even Christmas yet! Anyway, hope you enjoy these pictures of our record-breaking snowfall here in the south Spokane valley.

I snapped a pic of a very worried looking whitetail doe slogging thru the backyard. Paige and Brooke sledding down the driveway

Brooke standing in twenty-two inches of snow

Had a little trouble with the snow blower. But the gang knows Dad can fix anything with a little baling wire. After some help from the neighbor and a little "Tim the toolman" modification, we were throwing snow twenty feet. Nice hat, eh?

The birdhouse has plenty of insulation now. Might need to shovel off the trampoline.

We were able to locate Paige's car when we spotted this mirror!

One of the best investments I ever made!

Merry Christmas!

Elda May's Birthday (aka Brooke)

Today is Brooke's 14th birthday, so I'm copying Hillary and making a post about Brooke.

Roundup at Ray & Pooty's

Well, Paige is too busy to update the blog tonight so the duty falls to Dad. Hopefully readership won't fall off dramatically due to the change in authors!

The news of the week is the continuation of our October tradition of traveling to Oroville to help with the fall roundup at Ray & Pooty's (My youngest brother and his wife). This tradition started back a few years ago when Hillary and I went up for the weekend to do some cowboyin'. That year Hillary and I got to reenact one of the scenes from Lonesome Dove, when we rode across a hillside in a driving hailstorm.

This year Paige, Brooke and I had a good time playing cowboy and touring some of the pioneer ranches in the area. We got to spend some time with Ray & Pooty, Charlee, Gramma Dagnon, Ray's dad (Don) and Ray's volunteer cowboy, Dale.

Ray & Pooty, you are the best! We appreciate your hospitality. Thanks for letting us be cowboys for the weekend. We can't wait until next year!

Paige mounted on Pooty's mare, "Sophie".

Brooke rode both the tallest (Tom, pictured above) and the shortest horse (Peanut, seen below) in the same day.
Pooty made sure the girls were looked after.

Dale, our favorite unpaid cowboy, owns "Peanut". Here Dale adjusts Peanuts cinch.

Charlee stayed home with Gramma. Maybe next year you can chase cows!



The cattle we gathered are headed to the corral.

Brooke Skelton, future NRA president.

Me and Ray

The view from Ray & Pooty's deck. That's Don's ranch on the opposite side of the Simalakameen river.Brooke wanted to ride "Smokey". I explained that he had bucked off a good cowboy (Don) several times in the last year.That's Ray & Pooty's new house, with the Canadian border just out of the picture to the right.

Ray wants to make sure Paige is having a good time. She did!

We hiked up on the mountain above Ray & Pooty's on a very nice October night.

Gramma and Charlee

Paige takes in the view of Nighthawk and the valley

I even came home with a winter project. That's my 35 year-old saddle that is in need of some work. I'll be riding broncs with it next year!