Cal and Irene's Favorite Things to Do

We'll add some good pics of our kids, their spouses and children, and other friends and family over time. These are just starters. (Well, I'm probably past starters now... headed to the photo albums and slides soon.)

403 files, last one added on Jul 12, 2010

I'm trying to do a better job of taking pictures of our friends now, but need to "mine" our slides and boxes of prints for the special people that have touched us over the years. There are many, so far we have only a few to put up here. More to come.

72 files, last one added on Dec 15, 2007

Hunting with our dogs -- can't think of any thing we'd rather be doing (well, maybe one other). Our dogs have become very important members of our family, second only to our parents and kids. We're probably obsessive about them, but they give us a lot in return. Their lives are so short, that's the tragedy...

190 files, last one added on Aug 27, 2010

We spend most of our vacation time with the dogs and horses at field trials in the Pacific Northwest, travelling for 3- and 4-day weekends to desert areas of WA, OR, ID and BC. Occassionally we do a 10-day trip linking in a visit to Mike and Lori or elsewhere. We're lucky it's something we both enjoy that allows us to do something with the dogs and horses at the same time.

76 files, last one added on May 28, 2010

Manette and Mike Jones host us up to Calgary this spring to judge and run dogs. Getting there and back was a scenic wonder, and the grounds were fabulous. The site north of Bragg Creek on the Elbow River is a transition zone from prairie to foothill terrace, about 3500' elevation. We had cool mornings and warm afternoons, with only a few hours of wind, rain, and cell activity. Lots of wildlife were scene, including elk, whitetail, wolf, and moose. The trial was well-run, with 109 dogs in three days (one course). A memorable treat alll around.

55 files, last one added on May 28, 2010

10 files, last one added on Aug 27, 2010

This is a collection of photos of our journey to customize a new Volvo to a 33K "straight truck" for hauling our 32' 4Star gooseneck horse trailer with living quarters, and later perhaps a large fifth weel. Bruce Casebeer at Husky Trucks in Seattle, WA (800-325-4709) did a super thoughtful and patient process with us to be sure we spec'd what we would want long-term. I'd also be remiss if I didn't credit the folks that post on the Escapees.com HDT forum for ideas and inspiration to go to this truck. Visit them at Escapees.com.

30 files, last one added on Oct 18, 2008

We had Ken Rush and Tyler Boote at The Fab Shop, Edgewood, WA, build the bed based on a design I came up with, stealing many ideas from other HDT folks on Escapees.com. Jeff Frey is the craftsman that has done all the work, meticulous I might add!

87 files, last one added on Jun 22, 2006

We installed a Voyager system purchased from RVCams.com. It is of superb quality and amazing image resolution. We installed 3 cameras: 1 in the hitch trough 13" in front of the g/n ball, 1 in the horse compartment, and 1 on the rear of the trailer. Contact Tim Lazore at RVCams.com, 877-378-2267.

16 files, last one added on May 24, 2006

We spend a lot of time with our horses and dogs in the desert field trialing and hunting birds. 4Star is a long-time Oklahoma manufacturer of high quality custom horse trailers, for whom my wife is a dealer specializing in customization of living quarters trailers. We'll put some photos of our two 4Stars here, plus some of her clients' trailers. More information at C and I Trailer Sales or email Irene at irenepalmer@hughes.net.

19 files, last one added on May 08, 2007

We use my work truck to also pull our small horse trailer locally for training and pleasure riding.

3 files, last one added on Mar 23, 2006

My "classic" 1984 BMW 533i was in the shop for minor annoyances five times last year... And I have another 5 years or more until retirement. I needed something reliable for my trips to the airport and travels around the Northwest, so we sold the 533 to Justin and have a new one.

13 files, last one added on Mar 26, 2008

I started a new category and will put some of our pics from around Orting in here. The eagles the last few days have been spectacular!

206 files, last one added on Aug 27, 2010

This was our first vacation after marrying in January 1971. We borrowed Dad's pickup with canopy and travelled first to Bellingham and Vancouver BC with friends Rick and Lori Andersen, then on across BC to Lake Louise, the Banff Jasper Parkway, and back around through the Okanagon country to home. One night we camped in 80's at Columbia Icefields, to then wake up to several inches of snow the next morning.

17 files, last one added on Mar 03, 2006

We took 11 days to do a couple field trials, see Mike and Lori, and enjoy the horses and dogs in the Owyhees. I ran Guy at the WBC Goose Butte trial while Irene hosted the GSP trial at Anderson Ranch, then I joined her to help finish it off. Drove the next Monday to Milepost 9 for the IBC trial and start of the Gun Dog Nationals. We visited Mike and Lori's house under construction at Kuna. We ran into one of the WBC judges at an Oregon rest stop, and he let us know Guy had won that 35-dog stake, which finished his FC.

5 files, last one added on Apr 26, 2005

Irene and I visited Garry and Susan for our 35th anniversary, and travelled with them in their large RV to Sedona and Jerome, AZ. A highlight was the Camp Verde Railroad trip down the Verde River Canyon.

89 files, last one added on Feb 20, 2006

We stayed a week at Mike and Lori's new home in Kuna, ID. Spent a good deal of time driving the countryside, both north of Emmett and Boise, and south around Grandview and Murphy. Enjoyed their company and home, was a great set up for our dogs and theirs to get some exercise, and was good for the horses and would have been better if Ben wasn't such a boss!

42 files, last one added on Apr 24, 2006

Irene and I joined Garry and Susan in their RV for 3 nights at the Grand Canyon, staying in the Trailer Village a half-mile from the south rim. Spent four days taking several hundred pictures of pretty much every angle from east to west - good thing it wasn't film! Saw bull elk, big deer, big horned sheep in the parking area, two herds of antelope on the way, and even a full-curl ram on a rock ledge about 2000' above the plateau. Finished up in Garry and Susan's backyard watching the quail, thrashers, hummers, and cottontails - what an oasis it is!

100 files, last one added on Dec 06, 2006

Irene and I spent 16 nights in our trailer -- personal record for consecutive nights -- starting with the Washington Brittany Club trial at Ritzville, then on to Mike and Lori's for 7 days, then to Arlington for 5 days while I worked at the operations, and finally to Madras for the NWPDA Spring Classic trial. Justin and Amber plus the kids came over to Mike's on Friday, drove much of the night and stayed up the rest. We all had a family union and fun outings in the Kuna/Boise area until they left on the following Saturday. It was a great trip!

32 files, last one added on May 08, 2007

We spent several days on San Juan Island with Susan and Garry, while our Great Kids Justin and Amber watched four of our dogs and our other Great Kids Mike and Lori called Dan a few times to check up on our other two youngsters! Made for some carefree vacation time (we could get used to that!). Got to see some great whale play, including the album shot of a mother Orca and her calf, calf's head resting on her back as she swam. I can't believe we've lived in Washington State all our lives and not taken advantage of the San Juan Islands until now!

70 files, last one added on Jul 15, 2008

We had plans to combine some business in Scottsdale with a few days with friends camped in the desert, and with Susan and Garry in Phoenix. The business trip was canceled (along with my membership) but we went ahead with the fun stuff. We had a great time with Dan Hoke and Brian Hill in the desert between Safford and Wilcox, and with Susan and Garry at the Mining and Minerals Museum as well as the Desert Botanical Garden and elsewhere around Phoenix. Each was so generous with their hospitality and friendship. A great trip all around! Justin "valet'd" us to the airport, then Mike surprised us and came over to join J picking us up. What a treat!

117 files, last one added on Feb 05, 2009

Irene's a life-long equestrian, but had never participated in a cattle drive. Friend Renee Hoke invited her to Cheney for a few days including driving 300+ pairs from one ranch to another near Sprague. These are a few of Irene's snapshots.

11 files, last one added on Jun 03, 2009

Cal was able to take 5 days off between projects, and we hauled the horses and dogs to Mike and Lori's. While mostly a hunting vacation, we did a number of things with them and generally hung out at their place in between sorties into the mountains and canyons. The dogs were in paradise -- within 50 miles of Mike and Lori's we had at least 16 coveys in maybe 12 hours on the ground. All the dogs were steady to wing and shot, every time! Pretty amazing, really. Irene even drove the Volvo with the trailer on about 2 hours from Selah to Hermiston. Great trip.

52 files, last one added on Nov 11, 2009

Seems like in our life we always have an "Other"... like an "Other" drawer in the kitchen, an "Other" file on the desk, so why not here?

48 files, last one added on Jul 12, 2010