Monday Night HOCKEY!?!

The weather may have improved significantly with temperatures 30 degrees warmer than late last week, but ironically we now have ice at Centennial Arena. A day after they expected to get up and running, Nolan's IP (Initiation Program) got underway Monday night.

Above is a zoomed in picture of Nolan (through the glass so that also diminished the quality, but that really is him). He worked very hard and had a great time! They really had the kids skating A LOT, so he is definitely sleeping soundly tonight. The approx. 20 kids range from 4 years old to probably 12, as this program exists to open up hockey to a wide range of kids. The kids played a cat and mouse like "tag" game, started to learn how to "hockey stop," gliding on one skate, and did a lot of superman slides (skating and then falling forward and getting right up and continuing to skate). Once he got the idea that he was supposed to fall down, he did great on this. This was a lot of getting up off the ice, which even made Mom and Dad feel tired for him! Mom, Dad and Barrett are VERY proud of Nolan for having fun and trying his best! If we can avoid any more compressor failures at the ice rink, he'll get to skate again Friday evening...before the Bulls home opener.

I also participated in a 2 person scramble golf tournament for the church youth group Sunday at our local par-3 course. I ended up with a decent partner and we "pulled a Mickelson" with a one shot lead on 18 and double bogeyed to come in 2nd overall. However, at last check I had earned two flag prizes, including one closest to the pin (2nd of these this year in only two tournaments!) and one longest birdie putt!!! Not bad for my first time on that course this year! One of the flag prize sponsors was the hospital gift shop, so we'll see if I win a teddy bear or a Get Well Soon bouquet! Kelly and the boys will have to pick up any prize at church next week, since I'll be sleeping off a last midnight shift.

Hopefully will have more to post soon. We hope you are all well and having a nice early autumn.

How do you spell relief?

Kelly's geometry class continues to go well, and she even administered her first test to the kids this week. She also is teaching Sunday school again this session.

I'm in a stretch of evening shifts that ends Friday night, so it will be nice to have the weekend off this week, even if it will be wet. Too bad the boys and I won't be able to skate due to the loss of ice. Work is great, but very busy as we prepare to host the Director of the National Weather Service during his early October visit. He is coming out for our presentation to KOA campgrounds national headquarters as a StormReady Supporter Corporation. KOA will be the first nationwide corporation to be deemed StormReady in the country. I am proud to say that I've been involved in leading the team to work with KOA on this. I'm also involved in leading our involvement in an aviation and technology outreach event to around 11,000 school children in MT, northern WY, and western ND next May. And I've somehow turned into a producer of brochures, designing a new Billings NWS Office brochure and another for distribution with weather radios to local public schools.

Nolan and Barrett...
Barrett started Sunday School last Sunday and is still really excited about that! His teacher (and my co-worker) reported that he really likes glue and stickers!

With two ages in each Sunday School class, Nolan has graduated to being one of the "older" kids in his class and is liking that a lot too!

Barrett started his latest music class on Wednesday, "God's Children Sing," which is part of the MusikGarten program. He did great and is already enjoying this class. Nolan started his latest music class on Tuesday. Both boys enjoyed the week of nice hot weather playing with friends at Rose Park and elsewhere.

Barrett has grown enough to be able to wear the actual seat belt when in his booster in the cars.

Update on Nolan's Hockey starting: Maybe late next week if Centennial Arena can get the new compressors up and running by then.

Weather...
Thursday night finally brought rain to the Billings area and conditions are much cooler with much greater humidities for the wildfires to our southwest. This is the first instance of receiving more than 0.10" of precipitation since August 12th, MORE THAN A MONTH!!!!!!

After skies covered in smoke two days ago from an explosive Jungle Fire, it is great to see "real" clouds and rain falling instead of ash.

This storm system is so strong though, that we now already have a Winter Storm Watch in effect for parts of eastern MT and the Big Horn Mountains of north-central WY. Never a dull moment lately.

Derby/Jungle Fires

On Wednesday 9/6/06, I and 3 co-workers were able to make a trip to the Derby Mtn Fire Complex and observe a burn-out designed to stop the westward progression of the fire. The frequency of helicopter traffic from where they picked up new loads of water or retardant was incredible. The best description of the experience was like being in an episode of "MASH."

This fire and its sister-fire, the Jungle Fire continue to burn today. In fact today, the Jungle Fire really erupted and reports are that it may have moved east enough to actually reach the burned out area of the Derby Mtn complex. We have had so much smoke from the Jungle moving over the Billings area today and on east into N. Dakota. This plume of smoke is actually producing showers of ash over at least the Columbus and Billings areas and presumably everywhere in between and points farther east.

Big cool down (and hopefully precipitation event) in store for Fri/Sat/Sun so we're all hoping this is a season ending event.

SJC