We were excited that Carson City was in the 85 percent path of the 2023 annular solar eclipse on October 14th. It was a lot of fun watching the event unfold from our back yard and coming up with different ways of "looking" at it.
In this picture Bob set up his spotting scope to project an image of the "ring of fire" on Lisa's cheek. Too much fun!
Here is what the "ring of fire" image looked like when projected through our spotting scope onto a piece of paper.
This is a picture taken through Bob's welding helmet of the early stages of the eclipse.
This was the 85 percent view of the "ring of fire" we had here in Carson City.
The eclipse towards the end.
Another great thing to see during an eclipse is the crazy shadows that are thrown. Here is a picture of the "eclipse light" that was filtering through the leaves of our apple tree onto our sidewalk.
It was really a fun experience!
On October 8th we took a fun day trip to Fort Churchill State Park.
This is a great historical park only an hour or so from where we live along the Carson River. It was built in 1860 to protect the early settlers, westbound emigrants, and the Pony Express trail and telegraph lines. This seldom visited park is one we highly recommend stopping to see.
On September 18th Bob joined Fred Steinmann, Director of UNR's Center for Economic Development and Terry Reynolds, Executive Director of Nevada's Division of Business and Industry to be part of an economic forecasting panel in Elko, Nevada. It was a great opportunity for Bob to spend some time with friends working in rural Nevada.
On September 28th Bob was asked to do an interview with the international news outlet Al Jazeera at the State Capital to discuss the growth of the Lithium industry in Nevada. It was an honor for him to talk about all the great things going on in the state from recycling to extractive mining of critical minerals to battery processing and manufacturing to the production of the Tesla Electric Semi.
It has been a remarkable career for Bob over the past 12 years being part of building out industries like this while working at the Governor's Office of Economic Development.
Bob presenting at the annual Nevada Association of Counties meeting on another trip to Elko on September 27th discussing the history of economic development in the state. Bob has gotten extremely good at presenting. He enjoys educating and informing audiences on the work he does with the Governor's Office of Economic Development.
The purpose of this presentation was to discuss the positive impacts tax abatements have had in supporting Nevada's economy. This is always a hard topic to discuss, because it involves giving companies tax breaks to get started in exchange for much larger returns in economic activity in the future. As Bob says, "So far so very good to the tune of 150 times return on investment."
Bob was joined by his colleague Melanie Sheldon who leads the Business Development team for the agency they work in. Melanie is one of Bob's most valued colleagues and friend.
Bob's time off often finds him at the shooting range perfecting his precision shooting. This is a picture of his setup at the range sighting in and getting ready to develop the best handloads for his new 6.5 PRC Seekins Bravo rifle.
(BTW, PRC stands for Precision Rifle Cartridge)
Another view of Bob's range setup and the favorite rifle his Dad gave him, a .300 Winchester Magnum Remington 700.
On September th Bob and Lisa enjoyed a day at the Reno Air Races. It was a great time on a beautiful day.
There are always an amazing assortment of aircraft at the Reno Air Races, but what the U.S. Air Force brings out always trumps them all.
September 9th our family enjoyed another wonderful local event, the Great Reno Balloon Race.
It was held soon after both Hannah and Caleb left to start school at the University of Nevada, Reno and it was so fun meeting them in Reno early in the morning to see the wondrous variety of hot air balloons taking off to navigate as best they could through the course the had to follow. It is a real test of the all the pilot's skills and abilities as they seek the right air currents at different altitudes and directions.
This event is the largest free balloon race in the world.
A very fun "his and hers" pair of balloons
At the beginning of the launch.
It's said this is the most photographed event in Nevada and it's not hard to understand why. It is an amazing and beautiful event.
Beautiful!
September 1st - 5th, Bob flew to Bozeman to gather with family members to celebrate his Mom's 90th birthday.
It was a wonderful time of fellowship and love. Here is Bob's Mom, Evie, flanked by her two brothers, Jim Danhof and Andy Danhof.
Bob stayed at his Mom's house and took good care of her - making her breakfast every morning. She loved every minute and morsel!
The Danhofs are known for their love of fun. Here Evie is reading one of the funny birthday cards she so enjoys.
Bob and his brothers had a great time at their Dad's old shooting range in the wheat fields near Churchill, Montana.
Waving grass and guns against a gray Montana sky.
Shooting clay pigeons out in the field is such fun and such a great memory.
Andy Potts, Bob's youngest brother, taking aim.
The siblings and their wives and children that were in Montana gathered for a special birthday dinner out with Evie.
Evie with her birthday dessert, still looking pretty spry for 90!
On August 13-15, we headed to a nearby local campground, Kit Carson, beautifully situated along the Carson River for a fun weekend camping.
Like most dogs, Chester loves to have the wind in his face.
Hannah was able to come camping with us on this trip, between her summer internship and the start of her graduate program at UNR. We sure love times we do get to spend with our girl!
We were glad to have such wonderful weather for our weekend camping trip.
Bob, our camp chef, made Hannah and I his traditional blueberry pancakes and bacon. Boy, were they good!
Chef Bob cooking some chicken over the fire, as Chester anticipates any tasty tidbits that may come his way.
A shot of our nightly Scrabble game - we almost made it to all four corners!
Bob and Hannah thoroughly enjoyed a hike to nearby Winnemucca Lake.
There is nothing like hiking in the Sierras - sunshine, beautiful views and no bugs.
And the wildflowers were amazing!
A panorama shot of Winnemucca Lake with our "otter", Hannah, taking a swim in the cold, clear water.
Indian Paintbrush
The granite landscape of the Sierras is truly a special place.
A wildflower bouquet picked for Lisa with a Sierra mountain backdrop.
Hannah loved the funny shape of this tree.
The bouquet of wildflowers Bob and Hannah brought back for Lisa with a cup showing the geology of the Grand Canyon, a cup we received when we went on our family's 2015 Grand Canyon River Trip.
Our love of outdoor spaces covers the whole range of God's fabulous creation.
And, speaking of Grand Canyon River River Trips, Bob drew another permit that launch's next year on April 16th, 2024.
Bob and his dog enjoying some camping companionship.
On August 12th Bob and Lisa helped Hannah move up to her new rental house in Reno. Here is Lisa and Hannah at her kitchen table with our family's housewarming gift to her, a Lego flower bouquet.
We are excited for her great set up with a nice house in a quiet neighborhood, close to campus, good rent and a couple of great gals for roommates.
It's a bit of a bittersweet time for us as parents, because you love to see your children succeed, but also miss them when they move out of the house.
Just a couple days before moving Hannah to Reno, we helped Caleb move into his dorm room at Great Basin Hall at UNR. He will be an Resident Advisor on a floor with 60 freshman he'll be in charge of. We are so proud of him and excited for his new job.
Caleb in his new dorm room. He is excited that his payment for the Resident Advisor position includes room and board and his own singe room.
Way to go, Caleb!