"Camping"

(This Coleman stove is at least 20 years old - it was my dad's)

Buddy Ryan McMonagle and I have had the weekend of July 25 slated in for camping for over a month. Preparation began soon after. I prepared Austin's mind - talking about camping with Johnny McMonagle, having a campfire, cooking smores, and sleeping in a tent together. I prepared by finding a location, researching on the internet, and talking with friends. And come the Friday night before the trip, I spent 3 or 4 hours preparing our stuff to actually go camping.

*****Saturday morning arrives, the day of the scheduled camping trip. I checked the weather forecast early in the morning, only to see an unusual weather summer-weather pattern predicted - storms moving in from the North, with a high likelihood of showers and possibly severe thunderstorms. I wrote Ryan McMonagle that morning to tell him that the weather forecast wasn't inspiring much confidence in me.

*****But with all the preparation that had gone into the trip, I didn't feel like backing out, and didn't want to let Austin down, who was extraordinarily excited. I told him Saturday morning that we were going to leave for the trip "after naps," so all morning he kept asking me if was naptime yet. Finally naps were done and over, and we set out for a campsite we had located south of Kenosha Pass.

******Most of the 2 hour trip to get there was in the rain. We arrived at our location, only to see more and more rain clouds moving into the area. By now, it was 6 pm at night. Ryan M and I decided we had 3 options: 1) Set up the tents and call it a night; 2) Try to make a campfire and cook our hotdogs and make smores and then leave; 3) Leave immediately. We chose the 4th option, which was to skip trying to make a fire, but cook the hotdogs in the rain over my Coleman stove, let the kids play in the rain, and then head home.

******Option 4 worked out pretty well. The kids didn't seem to mind that it was raining, and ran around stomping in puddles, playing with Ryan's hiking sticks, and just igorning the not-so-perfect circumstances and playing, a good lesson for all of us. We loaded up the car at 8:15, not wanting to sour the kids on camping by spending a night in the cold rain, and drove back to RM's house, where we all spent the night.

******We got up in the morning, made french pressed coffee, and RM cooked a delicious campfire meal of bacon, eggs and pancakes. The kids delighted by running all around the yard in their pajamas, and just having a good time. Johnny and Austin are natural friends, each possessing a similar happy-go-lucky, not-too-hyper tempermanent, and both very curious about the world.

In all, it was not the camping trip we had envisioned, but we still a great time enjoying each other's company, and part of God's wilderness, even if not smores over the campfire. Is it nap time yet?

Here's Austin drinking his "coffee" at the McMonagles in the morning.

Look kids, a bear! Playing with their sticks

Stoking the campfire!

Austin on the ride home when it was all said and done, now, truly, ready for a nap.

My Dad Writes!

My dad is a man of few words, but he's precise with them, and packs much meaning into each. He sent me an email, a longer one than usual, about the blog. I thought I'd share, much more for what the email says about my dad than what it says about me or the blog. In short, I think you'll agree that 1) my dad is hilarious 2) my dad is thoughtful 3) he's adventurous and 4) he may very well die in an accident. Three things, at least, that I love about my dad! His email: Hi Ry: I was looking around for something to read tonight, and just could not face Lady Chatterly's lover that I had begun last week. I was looking then at my email and realized that I had a column called blogs, that I had not tapped in some time. (See, this stuff was not around even 10 years ago, so it takes awhile to catch on). I absolutely am enchanted with yours and feel so blessed to have you share your thoughts and feelings on same. Thank you for being you, and making my night. By the way, I am babysitting, while Rachael is with her friend Dr. Cleary, and mom is at a council meeting. We went to Grant's farm today and sampled the brew ha ha. Then came home and almost killed myself twice. Once while mowiing Greg's laww with his tractor, and the second time afterwards going for a run with 3 beer in me in the hot late afternoon sun. Ah well, survived both and now on to Lady Chatterly and bed. I love you. DAD

Boys Weekend

This weekend Gayle went to Boise, Idaho to visit the McClellans (Erin and John) and their 6 week-old baby boy. Gayle left Friday, and came back last night, leaving me with the boys for two nights and two days. As it turned out, brother Marty was in town for the weekend, making for a much easier time than anticipated. While I could spend my blog post to rave about Marty, I want to use the time I have with my speedy caffeinated fingers to write about my (usually) sweet little boys, capturing some of the moments that I should never forget, but may, if I don't write them down. We spent part of both Saturday and Sunday morning at the pool. With no prodding or prompting, Austin turned the corner from timid splasher to eager swimmer. "Watch this, Daddy" he must have said, literally, a hundred times as he held his breath under water for the first, and then hundreth time. As he jumped from the side of the pool to underwater and back up. "Watch this, Daddy," he said in his high pitched, look-at-me-I'm-awesome voice. Oh how sweet. Once at the pool during adult swim, veritable torture for kids wanting to swim, Marty and I did some push-ups on the pool deck. Austin spontaneously jumped on my back to ensure that I wouldn't do more push-ups than Marty. Little did Austin know that I probably couldn't have done more push-ups than Marty even if Austin had jumped on Marty's back. We had our first boys-night-out ever, at least if you define eating out at a restaurant as boys night out. After church Saturday night, Marty departed for a wedding, it was 6:30 pm, and I remembered the gift certificate to Brother Barbeque that I had in my wallet that my former secretary Fern Spangler had given me. We selected the two-meat special, complete with 1/4 pound pulled pork, 1/4 pound brisquet, a bun, beans, and french fries. The fries were outstanding and Austin ate mostly fries. Everything else was great too, most of all the company I kept. We all loved every minute of it, laughing at and with each other. Wyatt and I deepened our love affair, as I was unable to simply leave his tantrums to Mommy. While he did have a few of those, he was mostly happy the whole time, thrilled to be in the company of Marty and Austin. He sticks his nose right in the middle of any action, even if it means getting mulch dumped on his head - yes, Marty helped me spread 2 yards of mulch. We also played guitar, read books, watched the British Open, cooked waffles, ate chocolate, played soccer, and the boys, of course, played in the dirt. Admittedly, I had my moments of exasperation when Wyatt wouldn't stop crying, or Austin would not listen or obey, or where I looked at the living room and was overcome with how messy it was, and wondered "How does Gayle do it?" Indeed, we were all looking forward to mommy come home. The house was a little dirtier than normal, the boys were way dirtier than normal, the laundry was unfolded, Austin was wearing Wyatt's clothes, and Wyatt Austin's. But all in all, we boys proudly held our own. More than anything, and sometimes it takes this, I was forced to be with the kids all weekend and not devote any time to my work or other usual distractions. All with and for my sweet little boys. One more picture, here of Marty dressed up to go to a wedding Saturday night. Looking fine bro!

Saxbys

Two weekends ago (running a little behind on the posts) the Saxbys came into town with one of their four kids, this one their beautiful adopted daughter Anabelle, the most recent addition to their family. Saxbys came in on Friday night, and were gone by Sunday late afternoon, but we jammed lots in in that span of time. The Saxbys brought a whole lot of love, laughter, and adventure. As I wrote the Saxbys after they left, good friends love and encourage one another, and build each other up. The Saxbys took great interest in our lives, and affirmed us in a way I strive to do for others, but often fall so patehtically short. Dan was like a magnet to Austin, and never hesitated to embrace him in his arms, carry him around, and generally treat him as one of his own. I want my kids to feel such love from others than just Gayle and me, and it was very nice to see Amy and Dan both love on the kids in such a way. Gayle and I have often commented that we're good with our own kids, but not as much with others'. Dan and Amy have never been that way, so it didn't surprise me to see Austin and Wyatt take to them as they did. We had a good time sharing child-rearing stories with the Saxbys, and assuredly took in more helpful tips than we gave out. I really enjoyed listening to Amy talk about Anabell's adoption, and the unique struggles and joys she's brought them. Dan is a phenomenal guitar player, and I tried to pick up a few tips from him over the weekend. More than anything, however, I realized how much I stink and how much more I need to practice if I ever want to be any good. Dan is also a cyclist, and therefore understood me waking up early on Saturday morning to get a long ride in before our hike together (I made my goal of getting a 3 hour ride in, and back by 8:45). We hiked in Boulder, and then enjoyed a great lunch at Sunshine Cafe (I think I totally got the name wrong - Gayle, please edit). Saturday night we ate dinner at Protos Pizza with Amy's brother Chris. Sunday morning was Church at City Pres. I came home immediatey thereafter to cook dinner, give the boys a nap, and do some cleaning, while the rest of the gang headed to lunch with Amy's brother Chris and to see his condo. Photo shoot with Anabelle, then quick dinner, and the Saxbys were off. Gone, but not forgotten. Not even close.

Lessmann Visit, Father's Day, and Sprint Triathlon

Gayle got me some pictures, so I'm catching up with my blog posts. Mom and Dad (Lola and Papa) came into town for Father's Day weekend. They knew in advance that I had a Sprint Triathlon scheduled for the Sunday, so I had to pick up my race packet on Saturday in Boulder. Dad accompanied me and we went for a tour of foothills, looking for some property that my Dad had his eye on.

Time with Mom and Dad is always busy when they come, as they are trying to spend time with grandkids plus Rachael and Brian next door. But they manage to cram many activities and much love into a short period of time. Dad mowed the lawn with Austin, and Mom was ever willing to read yet another story that Wyatt carried over to her (precious!).

The real highlight of the weekend was celebrating Mom and Dad's 35th anniversary with them. Rachael and Mom cooked a DELICIOUS Crab Imperial, and after dinner, my dad whipped out of list depicting everything he and Mom had done for their anniversary for the 34 years prior. Talk about a stroll down memory lane. Somehow their anniversaries coincided with free meals dolled out by the drug companies, but hey, they sounded good!

The other highlight was that Dad and Gayle got to accompany me to my second ever triathlon, this one a sprint triathlon in Boulder, Colorado - a 750 m swim, a 25 mile bike, and a 5k. Sounds easy, but pretty gut-busting actually. I swam the whole time on the swim, which isn't to say I had a great swim. But I had a very solid bike (on my road bike), averaging 22.9 mph in somewhat windy conditions, and then managed to run 6:48 miles off the bike - I'm capable of faster, but not bad. Best of all, Gayle and Dad cheered me out of the water, through the bike transition, off the bike, and twice during the run. And better yet, at the 3 mile marker, Dad took off in front of me and willed me to the finish line. What a Father's Day moment!

They say you watch a triathlon and either want to do one yourself, or say hell no. No surprise, Dad found himself in the former category, and was already looking up times in his age group when we got home.

Gayle took some pretty sweet pictures, including of me and my training buddy Dan. After the triathlon, we cruised home and played with the kids, did a drainage project in the backyard (thanks to Brian's genius), and had bbq ribs for dinner - my favorite - thanks to the Pritchards.

Getting ready for the race - 6:15 am. Cool artsy shot by Gayle. Dan and me before the race.10 seconds before the gun goes off I gather my thoughts.

That's me in the middle.

I will never forget this moment with my dad. Every triathlete has people who aid and inspire them. Here's a perfect example.

My precious boys and me on Father's Day.

Reunion Reunion (5k)

This morning Gayle represented the family in the first ever "Reunion Reunion," our neighborhood's version of the "Bolder Boulder." This was a 5k that cost $25 bucks. Gayle and I were hesitant for either of us to enter, thinking that $25 bucks was a lot to pay to run 3 miles. But upon further reflection, we realized that it was cool that our community had put a race together for the 4th of July, and that we should support the same.

So we ran to the park this morning at 7:30 - Gayle worked up a good sweat and was ready for the start. Her goal was to finish high among the women. The course was 2 1/2 laps around the park. After the first lap, Gayle was solidly in third - overall. There was a good triathelete in first, then a tall athletic looking basketball player, and then ... Gayle! "Go Mommy. Go, Go, Go!" Austin cheered. I pushed the stroller back and forth across the park, cheering Gayle on at every possible turn. From a distance, I was proud to see Gayle cruising around with a long, fast stride. After the second lap, it was clear that Gayle had first overall woman solidly locked up. But there were 2 good-looking runners closing the gap. I encouarged Gayle on, telling her that she looked strong and to keep turning her feet over. With a quarter mile to go, I saw the first guy behind Gayle turn on the jets, and I told Gayle he was coming. While at first Gayle didn't respond, she suddenly found another gear of her own, and cruised to a third overall finish, and FIRST WOMAN OVERALL.

For her efforts, Gayle won a free round of golf at Buffalo Run (golf course near our house), a free bucket of range balls, and some other things valued at about $40 bucks.

Congrats to Gayle! She's just thankful for a body that allows her to run; we know how fragile and fleeting our bodies are. But while we can, we're going to enjoy them - I'm so very proud of Gayle.

Below is the first place finisher with Gayle. Great way to spend the 4th of July in the great country that we live in.

Happy 4th!

Eating the Carrots

Austin continually amazes me with his imagination. I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine things growing up like he does. He's got an imaginary friend, Jackson, who he usually talks to when he's either playing basektball or guitar. "Good shot Jackson," he'll say, or "play louder." He's turned his own toothbrush into an "electric toothbrush," and forces me to turn the button on when I brush his teeth, and turn the button off when we're done. Last night he put the toothbrush away without turning the "button" off. I told him he forgot to turn it off, to which he responded with a smile "It goes off automatically." Oh, now I know.

Yesterday Gayle took the boys to the zoo and bought them a package of zoo animal figurines on their way out. 12 bucks. Are you kidding me? For figurines? I'm certain that these figurines will soon wind up all over the house, scattered, lonely and forgotten. But for now, they are the center of Austin's imaginary world. Last night, Austin was lining up the animals for a "race." They were in a perfect line across the counter, all facing the same direction. Later, he had them standing in a line, one behind the other, and that was because they were waiting in line for a baseball game. As I was cleaning the kitchen and putting away carrots, I asked Austin if he wanted one. He said yes. After I gave him one, he asked for another. Then he asked for "six more." Why I asked? It was then I noticed that he was trying to give a carrot to each animal to eat. I told him "No, two's enough." He pouted at first, but came up with a brilliant solution - see picture.

Gotta love the imagination.