Clover in October

CLOVER in OCTOBER

Our new family photo...

A few very busy months have brought us smack dab in the middle of Autumn. While there are few deciduous trees here to provide us with the colors of Autumn, the weather has made it abundantly clear that the balmy days and nights of summer are over. Cold, windy nights and frigid mornings have arrived, and are here to stay.

In the past few months we have been extremely busy with work, and busy with raising our very first puppy. I am a 6th grade classroom teacher at Canyon de Chelly Elementary School, and I have also recently started a school newspaper after school with 15 5th and 6th graders. Jillian is as busy as ever in the Rehab Dept. of the Chinle Hospital. Being a Physical Therapist in this area has given Jillian a new outlook on health care, public health, and who she is as a therapist.

Adding a puppy to our household was a huge decision for Jillian and I to make, but after much deliberation and research we settled on getting a Labradoodle. We then found a small, family labradoodle breeder in Pueblo, CO which breeds smaller litters. This required an application, deposit, and the waiting for the litter to be born.

We waited months, and then the day finally came when we could leave Chinle to go pick up our new family member. We couldn't wait to meet this brown and white, fluffy puppy that resembled a tiny bear cub. Well, she has indeed grown in the past 2 months since we have had her, and she is all at once a wonderful, playful, hilarious, and stubborn dog.

Here are some pictures of the newest addition to the MacDonald-Hammontree Wolfpack.

Her name is Clover and she just might be the greatest puppy of all time.

Here is the first picture we had of her before we picked her up... she is 6 weeks old in this one

Our journey began after work one day, and we hit the road for Pueblo, CO

on a beautiful summer day.

She was amazing during the entire 6-hour drive home...

but she didn't know what to do about her leash.

We were excited to get her home

goofy

Mcphee Reservoir, CO

Spring and Summer 2009: Part 2

Spring and Summer 2009: Part 2

In the previous post I included photos of our trips to Moab, Utah and climbing pictures we have taken in both Arizona and Utah.

Thus far in 2009 we have been fortunate enough to visit two different music festivals, spent a wonderful weekend with Jillian's sister Anna, and gone on a guided hike on private land...

It has been a busy year thus far!

The Countdown is now in its final days as we await picking up our puppy at the end of this month. He/She is currently 6 weeks old and we will be picking up the newest member of our "wolfpack" July 31st. Check out the litter here. We have the 3rd pick in the "draft" and will know this coming weekend which of the puppies will be ours. We did some research and found a reputable, small-scale family breeder who socializes the puppies to other dogs and children from an early age. We can't wait to pick him/her up!

Now if we could only settle on a name...

In other news... After many ups and downs, a great deal of uncertainty, and much hand-wringing I learned this week that my teaching contract with the Chinle Unified School District has been renewed for the coming school year. I was thrilled to find out I will have my own classroom of 6th grade students at Canyon de Chelly Elementary School here in Chinle.

School starts August 3rd and I am excited to begin my first full year of classroom teaching.

Here are some more 2009 photos in Part 2 of our Spring and Summer "mid-year" blog

McDowell Mountain Music Festival

April 24-25th, 2009

We ventured down to Phoenix one weekend in April in order to refresh our souls with some live music, sunshine, and shiny happy people. We drove the customary 5 hours down to Phoenix where we stayed with our most gracious host on many occassions Anna MacDonald. Friday night was all about Michael Franti & Spearhead, too much dancing for many pictures from this show, it was incredible!

On Saturday we hung out in our camp chairs and on our blanket listening to great music from Railroad Earth, Matisyahu and The Flaming Lips. It was a gorgeous day, and we left the venue on Saturday night with our eardrums ringing and our thirst for live music thoroughly quenched. For a little while...

The Flaming Lips wrapped up the festival on Saturday night.

I have never seen a musical performance like it in my life...

Opening song and Wayne Coyne is crowd-surfing and singing inside an inflated plastic ball...

for real

Confetti Cannons

Telluride Bluegrass Festival

June 20th, 2009

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival by our good friends Mike and Andra. They have lived in Chinle for a few years, and own a home 2.5 hours from here in SW Colorado. We stayed with them Friday night, and drove to Telluride early the next morning. We weren't blessed with the greatest weather (many hours of rain) but the music was sensational and everyone there was in great spirits. We had a blast!

See you next year!

The aforementioned Andra & Mike, these guys rock for being so amazing in making us feel welcome since we arrived a year ago in Chinle. Thanks guys!

Telluride lies in a box canyon formed by the San Juan Mountains in SW Colorado. If you have never been there, think about a visit at some point in your life. More info from wikipedia here

An awe-inspiring place in any season.

The rain and clouds settled over the audience, and the bands played on...

But the clouds eventually cleared for a sweet sunset.

Telluride's Gondola

Peace Train

Patricia, Ryan, Julie, Dave (left to right)

Trip to Ogden, UT

We took off for a long Memorial Day Weekend with Cam and Kelly for a weekend of catching up and hanging out. We had a great time getting to know their new location, eating and cooking good grub, climbing, hiking and biking along the river trail. Most of the climbing pictures from Part 1 are from this trip, and what a great day that was. We hiked out the front door of a friend's house to the end his street, which then turned into a trail up the mountain.

We branched off a few times (always uphill) to the crag, where there were a dozen or so bolted sport routes. Good level of challenge for beginners, and Jillian topped out every route!

A beautiful place, and perfect for two of our favorite people... we are heading back to Ogden for Thanksgiving this year and can't wait!

The valley behind Snow Basin

Spring had just arrived in the mountains, emerald green

Sisters MacDonald Weekend

Jillian's sister Anna came up for a nice long weekend in early June to escape the Phoenix heat and spend time with her sister. On Friday we had the opportunity to go on a guided hike in a canyon 30 miles or so from Chinle. We saw some incredible petroglyphs and some well-preserved cliff dwellings, and our guide talked to us about the history of the canyon, his family, and even the invasive plants that had infested the canyon in some areas.

We then drove up to the Four Corners National Monument where the borders of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah all meet. We continued on Telluride, Co once again for some sights and a great lunch, and stopped in Dolores, Co for a river festival and some live music.

It was a great weekend with laughs galore!

We are looking forward to the rest of the summer, and the rest of 2009.

Look out for puppy pictures in August!

Spring and Summer 2009: Part 1

Spring and Summer 2009: Part 1

With only a single blog post to our credit for the current calendar year I have finally decided to do my part, and update the world of the web with some of our recent comings and goings. The days seem to fly by whether we are having fun on the weekends, traveling to get groceries, visiting our family in Michigan, or grinding it out during the work week...

We are ecstatic to report that we were recently engaged to be married! I couldn't imagine a more amazing person to spend the rest of my life with. We are still in the planning process, but hope to schedule something for the summer of 2010 as soon as we can. Suffice to say it has been an incredible and interesting year thus far.

We have spent the last year in Chinle, AZ adapting to a style of rural living that lacks many of the amenities we had grown so accustomed to before moving here (the list is too long to include here). However, we are also learning so much each day, and growing in so many ways through our experiences with the great people of our local communities. Not to mention the natural spectacle and grandeur that abounds and surrounds in the Southwestern United States.

We have shared many good laughs thus far, made new friends, and gotten to know some truly fantastic people. The breathtaking scenery here in the Southwest has also provided the backdrop to the fun we have had with some of our greatest friends and family. Our location has offered us so many accessible outdoor adventures throughout the first six months of the year including gorgeous snow-capped mountains during the Winter, blooming deserts and seeping canyons in the Spring, and now forests and alpine meadows during the Summer.

Climbing

We have recently started rock climbing which has been a physically challenging and mentally technical (not to mention potentially dangerous) addition to our lives. It is something we are getting schooled in gradually, and hope to continue improving on as we gain more experience (and strength).

Action shots!

Jillian scrambles up a route at Jack's Canyon, AZ

Evan inspects a dripping leg while clinging for life

Left: Jillian works the belay device

Right: Kelly Schmuckal reaches for some chalk and takes a peek around the nose

Friends and "climbing mentors" Ellen (left) and Natasha

Cameron Mcleod cooly belays a climber above

Meanwhile, Jake is skeptical of the entire business....

Jillian works to solve a difficult route...

and conquers!

Moab, Utah

The state of Utah is a world-class venue for outdoor adventurers and enthusiasts of every ilk. Whether one seeks thrills or otherworldly views and geological spectra, he or she are surely not to be without options. Among the most popular places to visit in the state is the town of Moab.

Located in SE Utah on the Colorado River with both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in the immediate vicinity, this oasis provides as base camp for hikers, bikers, campers, rafters, climbers, and everyone in between. I have been fortunate enough to visit Moab on two different occasions this year with radically different experiences. It happens to lie nearly halfway between where we live and where our friends Cam and Kelly live in Ogden, UT and also where our friend Dominic lives in Breckenridge, CO.

Here is some visual documentation......

Our campsite on the Colorado River

Happy crew at the sound of the breakfast bell...cold morning called for copious cups of coffee

We witnessed the glory of Spring and that magical color of the season.

A refreshing morning hike along a stream in Negro Bill Canyon with the warmth of the greatest friends in the world and some sweet sunshine... The hike ended at Morning Glory Natural Bridge, tucked deep into the canyon above the source of the spring we had been following up the trail. You could hear the water rushing below the fissure in the canyon wall and floor.

Morning Glory Natural Bridge

Source of Spring

Just outside of Moab is an area we stumbled upon known as Castle Valley. Within view of some incredible mesas, and the La Sal mountains is a small canyon called Onion Creek. A magnificent dirt road takes you past backcountry campsites, and winds through towering sandstone figures and across a shallow stream numerous times with each curve revealing another geological marvel to gawk at.

If only photography could do justice to this stuff.

And beyond Onion Creek lie the massive Fisher Towers, where sandstone spires reach up hundreds of feet overhead. The wind was whipping and whistling through the rock as we hiked.

The hike takes you up to the base of the towers and around the geological complex to panoramic views of Castle Valley, Onion Creek, and the Colorado River.

Fisher Towers

...even the dog is doggin' it

Spiral Spire

(if you were wondering, that guy is not one of us)

Mountain Biking Moab

Moab is undoubtedly one of the most renowned mountain biking destinations in the Southwestern United State, if not the world. Its unique sandstone, known as slickrock, provides a one-of-a-kind mountain biking experience.

Again, we camped along the Colorado River, this time with more of a slant, but also much more shade. I met my good friend Dominic Baker for a weekend of mountain biking, campfires, and catching up.

The Slickrock Trail is an extremely popular trail, and was our target for the first morning's adventure...

D. Baker points out our trail

Huffing and Puffing, I am glad to pose for some pics....on top of the world with the La Sal's in the background.

View down the Colorado River

Top of the Trail

Slickrock Trail: Epic Ride and highly recommended

Our second day's main event was the Porcupine Rim Trail. A combination old jeep road, and singletrack that climbed a few tough miles, and then descended for the next 11 miles down to the Colorado River. An exceptional trail that challenges even the best riders, with very technical sections throughout.

We had to shuttle ourselves to the trailhead, and arrived early in the morning to beat the heat.

From the trailhead...

The view from the highest point on the trail

D. Baker navigates a tricky descent...

We were also able to explore a little in the afternoons...when the sun got HOT

Weaving through rock formations at Onion Creek area

I hope you enjoyed checking out some of my photos, and a little insight into some of what we have been up to so far in 2009. We hope that you and your family are enjoying a happy and healthy 2009, and would love to hear how everyone is doing. Drop a comment at the end of the post, or email us @ either,

etree22@hotmail.com OR jillianmac@gmail.com

In order to keep things organized this blog post will be in two parts. Coming Soon....Part Deux!