With my birthday looming around the corner,  I say thank you to all my friends for what is the greatest gift, your friendship. Seriously, you have all helped to get me through some of the toughest times and shared some of the ultimate moments of my life. All the moments we have experienced have made me who I am. You have put up with me at my worst and enjoyed me at my best. Even if we don’t see each other that much, remember that our friendship is like the ocean tide, it ebbs and flows and we will eventually see each other again, to take part in each other’s lives.

     After three weeks I got the Bold Venture back on the water. With a three person crew, we rafted the Chili Bar stretch of the South Fork American River. It had been a couple years since I boated this part of the river and I had been looking forward to this trip all summer. The scenery was fantastic, with sightings of several fawns, still with their spots. At Triplethreat the boat popped a wheelie. Going through Troublemaker was fantastic. We went to the right of Gunsight and over the drop.

     I did a bit more trail work this week as well while I was out enjoying what’s literally in my backyard. It’s amazing what spending time outside can do for you. For me it helps to clear my head and forget about things that may be stressing me out, at least for awhile. Of course sometimes it’s also nice to just unwind by losing myself in a book. Lately I have been reading the Divergent series. I won’t go into details or spoilers but I will say that I first thought it was just a fun read. Then I really started thinking about some of the messages and themes. It could be where I am at in my life, but this series has got me contemplating how we live our lives and how things aren't always what they seem and how to deal with it when what we thought mattered is all an illusion.

Until next time my valued readers,