David Multer

Gabe always has the biggest smile with either a big fish, or a nice toad of any size. The small ones are tony toads, medium are two ton toads, and the big guys are ten ton toads. Welcome to the Bootjack family Mr. Toad.

A few buffalo in the morning before leaving South Dakota. Not a lot to see in Minnesota. I guess the crew is getting anxious to finally get to Michigan. A quick stop in Ashland, Wisconsin just past the Apostle Islands. A good chance for Gracie to stretch her legs. Looks like a little ear stretching was going on also.

Our travelers next stop is Devils Tower in Wyoming. Somehow I suspect the photo loses some of the imposing presence of the real thing. I can’t help but hear those sequence of tones before a close encounter. That’s one doggy whose logged a few miles. Nick really enjoyed the prairie dogs. Especially the barking guy spreading out in front of his hole. Then it’s time to visit a few old presidents that actually made people proud over at Mount Rushmore. ...

The next stop is one of my favorite areas, Grand Teton national park. It was quite a few years ago when Charlotte, Lynn, and I went backpacking up in these mountains. They’re still just as amazing as I remember, though these recent photos do a much better job of capturing just how beautiful it really is. One of these days I need to head back there with Charlotte. Is that a moose I see? ...

Charlotte, Nick, Monica, and our dog Gracie are taking the long road to Michigan this year. Gabe already flew there with his aunt Val and some of his cousins, and I’ll be flying out to join them in a couple of weeks. Charlotte thought a nice road trip would make for a chance to take the dog and to visit some great sites along the way. First stop is Twin Falls, Idaho and the site of Evel Knievel’s famous Snake River jump site. ...

The last time I was up here was with Gabe for our backpacking trip about a year ago. Charlotte’s been looking forward to trying out some of the trails one day, and that day is today. We did the full loop in about three hours, and my legs are pretty tired. Some spectacular views that really brought back a few of the backpacking memories. There were quite a few people rock climbing the numerous cool rocks. As far as cool rocks though, nothing compares to the Moon Rocks in Boony Doon. ...

Tonight is the final concert performance for Gabe’s band. He’s all dressed up and looking like quite the professional trumpet player. I know he’s also looking forward to moving into advanced band next year. Nicely done.

Today is the result of the biggest fundraising effort on the SVEF calendar. Charlotte has been working her booty off preparing for today. It will be very nice once we’ve gotten through today’s big event. Meanwhile, Gabe just can’t help staying focused on his discus throwing. Stephen doesn’t seem to mind Gabe’s one track mind. Gracie is such a cutie! SVEF’s fearless leader in her cute pink hat. ...

I unfortunately missed Gabe’s track meet, as I was heading down to San Luis Obispo, but Charlotte caught all the action. The telephoto does a nice job of catching people at the meet. Our discus star shows off his style. He’s quite the natural. Now it’s time for the 400 meter relay. Here comes the big man on the first leg. That must have hurt. ...

Today I’m heading out for a three day bike ride down to San Luis Obispo. I was lucky enough to be invited by Craig and Matt to join the “core” of this great 15 year old local tradition. The fifteen of us get it all together starting at Craig’s house before heading down to Big Sur. A big thanks to Dave for driving sag. Here’s the group all with fresh legs. And it’s great to see Erik (The Bike Doctor) helping out with a little last minute maintenance. ...