King of Thieves

Many ferrets are 'fetishy', where they'll get abnormally attached to some item and be distressed if someone else handles it.  Some more so than others.  Some about one item in particular and some about a variety of things.  Orson's particular fetish was for my pencil case.  His first order of business when he got into my room was to retrieve said pencil case from my schoolbag and haul it into his hiding spot in the closet.  If I needed something from it, I'd have to go and fish it out with him climbing all over me the whole time trying to pull it back again.  I'm not sure what it was about the pencil case but if you ever want to see an accusatory look from an animal, man, did he ever have a good one.

In any case, his affection for hauling the pencil case around gave him pretty good technique when it came to carrying things bigger than he was.  He'd kind of grab the item in his mouth, tip is head way back and feel his away along the ground in a sort of prance.

He was also fond of raisins and a master of seized opportunity.

Ferrety ambition knows no bounds!

Me, Bob Ross style

I even added a little cabin in there.

Speaking of which

Remember I said we (well, mostly I) liked taking pictures off our balcony?  I present for your viewing enjoyment snow off our balcony.  Probably winter 2004/2005, but maybe earlier.  Actually that looks a bit like Scarlett Rd. at the bottom (see the street lights?) so I suspect this was more like 2002/2003.

Still snow off the balcony, though.

Deluxe apartment in the sky

When we lived up on the 30th floor (like real apartment/condo buildings have, not what they have here), we had quite a view.  You could actually look down from our balcony and windows onto the roof of one of the neighboring buildings - that building in the foreground was about 25 stories tall.  It was good stuff.  I would like to go back there...

Anyway, good view made for good picture opportunities a lot of the time.  Snow, rain and sunsets were particular favorites.  Makes me wish we'd had a more sophisticated camera at the time because these pictures never really did them justice.

Still waiting on this one

This remains on the perpetual list of things I'd like from Walt Disney World.  We took this picture in 2004, I believe, and it was still there last December.  I think the first time I looked at it it was $20,000, but last time I looked, it was up to 25.  Can't wait much longer to get it, obviously.

Going places in the pre-digital camera era

From NCAR (the National Center for Atmospheric Research) in Boulder, CO in December 2003.  I don't have easy access to the scanner at the moment, so today it's a picture of a picture.  The actual facility isn't quite this grainy (nor is the original picture, to be fair to the old camera).

You'd think they'd have a lot of interesting exhibits in the lobby area since they get a lot of visitors, but they really only have this one.  Fortunately it's a pretty interesting exhibit.  The rest of the tour they took us on was pretty dull - lots of 'here are our banks of Crays' and such.  And all of our paunchy scientists in their denim shirts and brightly colored ties.

The facility is up onto the side of the Front Range, though, so going up the stairs out front was an adventure when you consider that Boulder itself is already 5400 feet and we drove up a winding mountain road (covered in ice, no less) to get there.  You never miss oxygen is until there isn't any.

Cherokee's Thought of the Day

It requires a significant amount of cuteness to get away with sleeping right beside the stain you  made in the carpet when you tore through the garbage and spread sweet and sour sauce all over the place.

I recommend making it look like you're prancing like a deer if you can.  I find it suitably distracting.  It also helps if you can look like you're smiling.  Of course, I am a professional at this so you may want to get some practice in before you go for the red food coloring stain yourself.