esterday we scoured Lewiston for tiny house counter top options and failed. Cement is too labor-intensive and we'd have too much left over (etcher, sealer, etc.)--we're talking about 15 sq. ft. Not anything you'd need a GALLON for. We hit Habitat for Humanity's store and struck out, too.

Except I found a couple of photography books. Out of the 800 or so they had from some sort of "compulsive buyer." One is a brand new copy The Great LIFE Photographers. $10. And another one on shooting portraits. Which I thought would come in handy since I'm thinking if I can get any takers I can make some money this summer shooting photos of people. If you're local and this sounds intriguing at all, hit me up. I get a beefed up portfolio and you get some prints.

So, assuming TurboTax isn't lying to me... (please don't, TurboTax, or I will have to hurt you), I want to spend some of my (our) refund on a new digital camera. The one I have is on its last legs. Too much dropping will do that. I am just torn between getting a better "professional-looking" one (like this) or one that's small and sleek and can hide in my pocket (like this) so I don't look like a tourist later this year when we go to Mexico-Belize-Guatemala. I don't want to spend too much and I really can't justify getting BOTH...?

Keith talked me into this last week.

It was only $200 including the trailer and it's sea-worthy, we think. It needs a lot of cosmetic help, but it will be a fun summer project. We might try to float it down at the river tomorrow if the weather is decent.

There's a lot of people fishing for steelhead right now. Not that we'll be fishing. Probably just rowing. But the waters can be crowded. We walked the railroad tracks across the river from the end of our road the other day and saw several boats hanging out there.

(wishing he was out there in his boat)

Including a guy with a propane heater and his dog.


Planning for our trip toward the equator is well underway. I am the Researcher. I think we'd be going there blind if I left it to Keith. But the more I read, the more I'm becoming enamored with Belize. I'm even checking into volunteer opportunities there (through WWOOF). And Keith wants to be sure to hit the Oaxaca--the state, if not the city--for culinary reasons. A month sounds like a long time, but I think we'll find our schedule pretty full. I'd like to make it to Guatemala, but I don't want to rush and their infrastructure is infamously bad. It might not be worth it this time around.

Keith accidentally broke the news to my parents last night, about our trip. The first thing my mom wanted to know was, What are you going to do with the dogs? His timing was not the greatest because the dogs had destroyed The Dog Chair earlier that day and she was a little annoyed about that. So I said, Well, we can board them to give you guys a break. She's thinking she's going to be working at the restaurant full-time and then dealing with our dumbass dogs... We'll have to butter her up.