Well, things have certainly been busy lately.
I blame fire season, obviously.
Some highlights from this past spring in the life of Randi:
WORK
Well… fire season! I’m currently up on the Kaibab National Forest for the Hull and Ridge fires, a set of lightning-caused wildfires adjacent to the Grand Canyon that we’re managing for forest health.
My first fire assignment of the summer was the Sedona-area Miller Fire, which I spent Memorial Day weekend cranking through.
Since then, I’ve been formally assigned to three more fires: the Volunteer and the Wilbur — both on my home forest of the Coconino — and the Hull Fire, up here on the Kaibab. Tomorrow’s my last day up here and closes out my 14-day roll, which will be a nice break. I’ve only had two days off since May 22… so I am well overdue for a nice break!
Other than wildfires, I’ve been doing some work on prescribed fire projects as well.
This fire season has been really really interactive compared to last year and the year before, and I’ve been having SO much fun getting out in the field this year! I honestly felt really defeated at the end of last year for a multitude of reasons, so this year has been incredibly redeeming in so many ways.
I’m beyond lucky that I fell into my career in forestry and wildfire on accident because it’s truly the job I didn’t know I was meant to do until I started doing it.
RYAN
Ryan’s been doing enough interesting stuff lately that he gets a section this time around.
First… RYAN GOT HIS PRIVATE PILOT LICENSE!
Yay!
He passed his check ride and now he can fly passengers around when he rents a plane at the Flagstaff airport.
SO, congrats to Ryan on obtaining his private pilot license, and congrats to me on obtaining a private pilot!
Ryan also learned how to brew beer. His brother bought him a kit last Christmas, and he finally got around to giving it a try. His first batch of beer was a red ale. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet because fire, but I’m looking forward to trying it when I get home tomorrow.
And, finally, Ryan celebrated his 31st birthday back in May.
Happy 31st birthday to my favorite person! You make everything better.
— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) May 21, 2023pic.twitter.com/L0AMSrgwHX
HIKING + OUTDOORS!
Well, we found time for several hikes during our trip up to Washington.
Back at home, I finally made it out to the Crack, which I’ve been wanting to go to for years.
And, it was just a quick little trip, but I had a second to hike out to Shoshone Point here at the Grand Canyon during this fire assignment.
It’s also finally paddle boarding season up here in Flagstaff! I took my first paddle trip of the year out at Lower Lake Mary… which is awesome, because it’s the first time we’ve had a Lower Lake Mary in years.
And, finally. I mentioned that I had two days off over the past month-plus? I spent both of those days camping down at Fernow Cabin/ Edge of the World with some really great friends.
DINING + FOOD
Dining-wise, I finally got around to checking out the Mead Hall downtown, which is the only new restaurant I’ve checked out as of late. Flagstaff problems.
But, plenty of cooking and baking at home!
First, I’m trying to get better about sharing what I typically eat. Grated, lately, it’s mostly been calorie-dense catered fire food OR (still calorie-dense) backpacking food (Tusayan is a food desert, all), but I’ve picked up cooking as a hobby within my past few years of living in a non-foodie city (my time in Chicago spoiled me, yes) and love sharing that in any way I can.
With that said-
Ryan turned 31 which meant… my (third) annual attempt at his birthday cake!
The decorations change every year but the recipe at this point — this one from Sally’s Baking Addiction — is a keeper.
Otherwise, we’ve tried a few new recipes. We made tofu teriyaki pineapple bowls (modified from this recipe) which we’ll definitely do again, and maple miso salmon with roasted broccolini (modified from this recipe) that we absolutely love.
HOME
We planted our garden!
We made a few adjustments following last year’s gardening season. We ditched a few things and added a few, so this year, we’re trying spinach, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, kale, beets, peas, pole beans, zucchini and pickling cucumbers in the raised bed, and we’re trying tomato plants in separate planters.
So far, a critter got to half my lettuce and all of my kale… so I’m not too optimistic about my garden this season. It also doesn’t help that I’ve been gone most of the past month due to fires.
BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC + TV SHOWS
You can check out my March, April and May reading via those links. No books yet so far in June, unsurprisingly. Hey, I’ve been busy.
YUKON
Oh Yukon. I miss him tons!
We get asked a lot what happens to Yukon when Ryan and I are out on fires. We’re so lucky because Ryan’s parents spend their summers living in their cabin in Parks, Ariz., and they’re gracious enough to watch him for us as much as they can while we’re both out on fires.
MISC.
In some sad, tragic news, Jane moved to the East Coast. We threw her a going away party at Mother Road (which she picked solely because it closes at 9 p.m., a girl after my own heart) and then I cried my eyes out afterward.
As if Jane’s departure wasn’t enough… my friend Sarah-Louise, who I taught at YogaSix with, also decided to abandon us! She moved to Gilbert, but had a ton of yoga friends join her for a going away party at Delhi Palace.
Other than that, fire season hasn’t left much room for a social life. I’ve been to a few get-togethers and bar nights, but my social life has been pretty limited lately.
Well, we’ll see you come fall! Hopefully I get a little more time to balance wildfire with my social life in the coming months. We’ll see!
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