An ebook and two photos from my friend Jeff for #TBT

| August 17, 2023

My friend Jeff and I regularly talk about the books we are reading over lunch or on the back porch (too infrequent though) and he sent me one to read last week.  I told him I would start as soon as I finished Pappy Boyington’s “Baa Baa Black Sheep” that I’m thoroughly enjoying. “Conservatism, A […]

Archive: Summer vacation and hiking in Zion National Park

| August 8, 2023

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A ‘distance planning’ tip for hiking or backpacking to pass along

| May 23, 2023

My son Taylor has another semi-repeat backpacking trip planned with a friend from North Dakota (he is now in Montana) for the end of the summer in Glacier National Park (different area). The permits were obtained for the “loop” that they wanted … so now the packing and getting in shape begins (it was fun […]

KDAE were hiking in the Smokies as we returned from Florida

| April 27, 2023

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Catching up on family photos from the previous week #TBT

| March 23, 2023

As is the norm for most of today’s families, sending text messages and photos is one way we stay connected. Last week Katelyn sent a photo of the girls snacking out of the back of her Volkswagen Tiguan and it reminded me of the times we did the same with our kids … and  also […]

A birthday weekend in Georgia with the Gerbers

| August 23, 2022

It was a nice weekend to drive to Atlanta, even though it was only for a short birthday visit for Brenda’s sister Ann. As always, we had a very nice time together, had a great day hiking up to Indian Seats (panorama above) and our favorite part, catching up on the life of their girls. […]

Oostra lot clearing has begun, a KETO diet and Fitbit update

| July 13, 2022

Instead of starting a rant on our nightmare return trip from the Canadian Rockies flying Air Canada … I’m going to let the stress dissipate for a while. It was painful travel. So instead I’ll archive a couple exciting photos from Katelyn and Drew as their builder has started clearing the trees from their lot […]

Are you planning to go hiking or backpacking in bear country?

| February 6, 2022

For those of us who have gone hiking or backpacking in bear country before, we have been taught that avoiding trails shortly after bears have been encountered is the smartest approach to avoiding danger.   Of course this doesn’t guarantee not running into a bear on the trail. Having never carried bear spray in the […]

Tech Friday: Keen 1963 portable phone insight Mansfield, OH

| January 7, 2022

Here’s a look back to a Mansfield News Journal article and something a little different for a New Year’s Nostradamus-y Tech Friday post … also in using the word “keen” it reflects the Christmas present/hiking shoes I bought (well Katelyn actually ordered) for Brenda … along with a bed-desk for her “preferred” office. 😉

Catch-up Tuesday personal blog posts are becoming a habit

| October 5, 2021

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What’s new these days: Renting outdoor gear from Eddie Bauer?

| August 1, 2021

Perhaps I’ve been asleep at the wheel, but when looking to buy another pair of Eddie Bauer shorts (liked the lightweight ones I ordered last month – below), I noticed that they are promoting a “Rent Your Adventure” outdoor camping gear program. It caught me off-guard  to see them renting outdoor gear as well as […]

Sticking with what I know: Bought my 4th pair of Vasque boots

| March 24, 2021

The more I think about it, the “lamer” it appears to be talking about shoes … but truth be told, the Sperry Topsider reviews and shoe insole posts still are in the top ten when it comes to blog numbers. I’m posting a photo of my newly arrived clearance priced Vasque hiking boots and previous […]

Archive: Professional Brenda and the Hawk Migration #TBT

| January 28, 2021

When searching for a photo of my 1996 Toyota 4Runner (never found one), I stumbled across a couple personal photos from 1997 and will archive them for today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT. One of “professional Brenda” dressed for the office in 1990’s style (ha!) and the other of our family on an October Hawk Migration birding […]

Thankful to have a long time friend like Jeff – #TBT photo

| December 31, 2020

I had lunch “out” this week with my good friend Jeff, although this routine has become very infrequent compared to previous years. Still, we had a chance to catch up, talk about politics (Ugh), the old-days backpacking in North Carolina (an old scanned photo for Throwback Thursday #TBT) … and I opened his cool gift […]

Archive: Remembering good times with my friend Jeff #TBT

| August 6, 2020

My friend Jeff has been part of my life since college and knows WAY too much about me … both good (which he conveniently forgets) and bad (which he’s remembers all too well). We’ve always have great times together, be it in Founders Hall dorm at ONU back in college or the many years after […]

Looking back 15 years on the blog and wondering what’s ahead?

| August 1, 2020

My goodness, where have the years gone!?! I know that I’m not the only one who asks that question, but when it stares me in the face from 6700 blog post ago … it is a big reminder. I’ve noted in this post that 15 years ago Taylor and I headed up to see my […]

Forgot to archive my 2020 Father’s Day conversation #TBT

| June 25, 2020

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Was life really simpler when backpacking? #TBT

| April 2, 2020

With “stay at home” orders issued for 3/4 of the U.S. population, my good friend Jeff Pitts has been obeying the directive and working from home. It is also giving him time to do those “I’ll get to it someday” chores like cleaning out a spare room and finally throwing stuff away. One of the […]

Music Monday: Green Day and the a US National Park road trip

| January 20, 2020

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Wishing my long time best friend Jeff Pitts, a Happy Birthday!

| November 2, 2019

As we joke every year, Jeff has finally caught up to me in age … and is now 60 years old (he is 6 months younger than me). We do enjoy kidding each other and I know my life would not be as full without him around. He has most definitely in my life for […]

Archive: Photos from Katelyn, Drew & Annalyn’s trip to Yosemite

| April 20, 2019

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Keeping up with Taylor, Megan, Annalyn, Katelyn and Drew

| April 3, 2019

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This beautiful filler photo brings back mountain hiking memories

| October 21, 2018

Since I’m pre-occupied, a beautiful “daily post” filler photo that brings back memories of hiking in the Canadian Rockies or Glacier National Park in Montana works. Enjoy!

Archiving a couple Red River Gorge photos from Taylor

| February 27, 2018

  As mentioned before, it is great to see my son Taylor enjoying a couple of my interests or hobbies like hiking and photography when I was younger (actually I still enjoy them). Ignoring the lousy weather (we had a lot of rain and flooding), he ended up hiking with "a friend" (?) at a […]

Love seeing my son enjoying photography

| October 22, 2017

Taylor went camping and hiking down at Red River Gorge this weekend and continues to impress me with enjoying photography, which was a hobby of mine since 7th grade. So much has changed since “souping” film and spending hours in the darkroom fretting over exhausted chemicals and  expired paper … but the capturing of something […]

The eye of a good photographer and interest to apply the science

| December 19, 2016

Admittedly I’m proud of my kids and enjoy seeing them living their lives … especially when a few of my interests rise to the top. In Taylor‘s case, he has expand on our mutual interest in backpacking and photography on his trip to Hawaii last month.   Memory Road: In 7th grade I had an […]

A sense of accomplishment after the climb

| November 30, 2016

For those who backpack or have planned challenging hiking trips, few offer the impressive views and strenuous  climbs that the trails along the Na Pali Coast of Kauai, Hawaii. My son Taylor has sent back and posted a couple photo from his trip this week. Amazing trip.

A coastal Hawaii hike for the bucket-list

| May 6, 2016

The Kalalau Trail hike along the Na Pali Coast on the northern most Hawaiian island of Kauai is a hike to add to the bucket list. Having seen the beauty “mostly” from the air for the short couple of days we were there, I see this  as a  must return island. Just reading about the […]

Thinking spring and about the good times hiking with the kids

| March 5, 2013

The weekend visit with my daughter Katelyn and her fiancé Drew left me scanning in a few more photos that they want to use in the wedding – yikes, a little more than a month away! The photo above, although not one that they are using, reminded me of the good times we had hiking […]

The Columbia River Experience

| March 11, 2009

Keel Brightman, the son of a friend of mine (Donna Lange’s) is participating in an adventure of a lifetime this spring in the Pacific Northwest. He is part of a small group who has started in British Columbia, Canada this March and is hoping to paddle the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The team […]

Warming up my Trangia backpacking stove

| February 18, 2009

My wife has hinted that she was “ok” with me planning a backpacking trip with my buddy this year, so I started sifting through my gear (we regularly went we were younger) in anticipation of planning a trip to the mountains. One exceptionally great piece of gear that makes a long day of hiking more […]

Last weekend’s visit to Letchworth State Park, NY

| October 10, 2008

After reflecting on the doom and gloom of our economy and state of most investors, I thought I would go back a few days to a nice autumn weekend in western New York. We enjoyed pleasant weather and time with my mother and father-in-law at Letchworth State Park. If you’re looking for a great weekend […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog