It's been awhile since I've blogged. I'm watching the Mets game instead of reading, drinking a beer, kicking back. Jackie is in Jackson with Micah for a soccer tournament. Howie's buddy Jackson is going to sleep over - they've been together all day and they get along great. Howie had a flag football game at 8 am this morning. They played well - Howie had an interception, which is a word he probably didn't even know a few weeks ago.

The Mets suck. I figured they could be fun to watch, but they are pathetic, it's been a season of playing lousy baseball always screwing up on the fundamentals. Wright doesn't hustle home, Franceour tries to stretch a single into a double, and gets thrown out before Wright touches the plate so a sure run doesn't count. They have been figuring out new ways to screw up all season long. I should switch the game to the Rockies, but I like watching the Mets cause I know all the players. Marlins 9 - Mets 3 ugh.

So after flag football we did some chores around town, picked up giant boxes for Box City, then headed home.

Around 2 pm we headed down to the river to fish, to look for cool rocks, and to look for my dead elk, who was gone. completely gone, there was a stench but the elk was gone.

About 2 weeks ago I headed down to the river and approached one of my fishing holes. There was a giant bird sitting on the rocks in front of my fishing hole, when it saw me approach it took off giant wingspan, black and white wings, glided over the river, magpies and ravens following behind. In the water a dead elk, his rib cage opened up and cleaned out, antlers and head, hind legs in tact dead in the water. It was weird, there was an orange tag in its antlers, I am not a hunter so I wasn't sure what it was, but it was cloth, it was orange, it looked like a strap of some sort, it was definitely synthetic. The big bird, which at first I thought was a giant hawk perched itself in a tree. I continued up river and fished some more - I was unusually fishing dogless - Jackie had the dogs, I was alone. After catching a fish or two I headed back to the elk carcass and then to the tree where the bird was. I walked right under the bird, hooked beak, looked like an eagle, but it's body was not golden or brown, it was gray and black. I fished some more and then walked under the tree with the bird again, it took off giant wingspan, black and white, circled me and then perched again in the tree. I walked back home.

A week later I went fishing again, the dead elk was still there - head and antlers still there.

And then today, the only thing left was a stench... no bones, nothing I could see. Maybe in the woods somewhere the carcass was dragged. I think something was fishy here, but seeing the bird was the best. From what I understand the bird was an immature golden eagle. For whatever reason I didn't have my camera with me so no photos of the cool majestic eagle which I thought was an old eagle, but the coloring describes an immature golden eagle - maybe 3 year old?

So today, I was hoping to show the carcass to Howie and Jackson, but it was gone, but the boys had fun finding rocks, Jackson found a dead sculpin, some cool sticks, I caught a few fish which Howie and Jackson helped release. When we got back from fishing Andrew was looking to borrow a suit - he called me while I was standing in the middle of the river. He has the homecoming dance tonight which he's not going to, but he and his friends were going to go out for dinner and wanted to where suits. So I let him borrow my suit, I'm sure he'll look sharp though it's a little just a little big for him... We are practically the same size. Then I sat down to watch the Mets and decided I wasn't tired enough so I went for a bike ride to work my knee. Back at the house, Hannah is over playing with Jackson and Howie - it's now after 7pm I really should make us all some dinner.

Buddy just walked in and sat behind the door. Unusual spot for him, usually he would be up on the couch with me, getting in my way, but usually i don't have my laptop on my lap, I usually write at the kitchen table, but tonight I'm kicking back watching the Mets and blogging at the same time.

It's been quite a September. Gorgeous weather. Busy at the store with employee evaluations, and busy in the community with the new high school and some crazy relationship/marriage issues. Big Sky has finally caught up with the national averages and there seems to be a separation or a divorce or a marriage in counseling - a new one every other day.

Busy with Micah's Bar Mitvah year, meeting with the rabbi, planning ahead, thinking about the life of the spirit.

I'm just plodding along day by day, trying to figure out what I want to read, what I want to write, where I want to go. In the meanwhile, I take care of my family and my business day by day and spend a lot of time thinking. Looking for Mark. Spending time with Jackie, loving Jackie, loving Mark, loving Andrew, Micah and Howie and the dogs of course, Murray and Buddy and even the cat, Ziggy.

I've been reading the short stories of Shalom Alecheim and loving them.

just loaded some photos to remind me of all the fun we had this month. For Micah's 13th birthday after Rosh Hashana services we headed to the lower Madison and floated with a ton of Micah's friends and Kelly and Curly. Then a couple of days ago Jackie and I hiked with Denise to Golden Trout Lakes, fished a little and the bushwhacked to Eagle Head and then back down through Windy Pass. It was so clear and beautiful we could actually see the Grand Tetons. It was a wonderful hike.