I love having a camera with me all of the time - even if it's my phone! The fact that my phone has a built in 2MP camera is great...
Note the shadows on the right as well - I almost missed them when I spotted this shot. They are caused by the convex design and curvature of the windows.
Last night, we had dinner with my brother-in-law (wife’s brother or B-I-L) and his wife. That is always an experience. My B-I-L is fine. He’s fairly laid back, although he’s retired and opinionated at times. I guess when you get to be his age, you can be. His wife, on the other hand, is oblivious to her surroundings. She apparently needs to talk non-stop. We vacationed with them last year and planned a good bit of time apart – there is only so much I can stand and stay relaxed on vacation. My relaxed state changes completely when she enters a room. Therefore, my understanding wife keeps us apart as often as possible during the few and far between vacations.
We are currently in northern
One of the things I really like about this camp is that our son always comes back a stronger, more confident person. He’s really growing up, and I feel better about this after sending him to camp in the woods for almost three weeks. His leaders were so impressed with him and his confidence and his skills. They have recommended that he attend the ILS (intensive leadership session). This would prep him for actually being a counselor during the summer sessions. He would love doing that – as he excels in the outdoors. His near-photographic memory comes in very handy with both skills and new activities that he has only read about. For example, he was “the” go-to person for this experience. One of his counselors indicated that at times, she needed to push the other campers to actually figure it out, rather than just ask our son. We received a call about a week before picking him up and the other counselor said the same thing – great kid, the strongest one in their session. There are times like this that I realize just what a great kid we have – and that maybe his mom and I haven’t completely failed!
This blog has been quiet for a while. There has been too much going on, with not enough time for sitting at the computer. We have pulled all of the wallpaper from the kitchen (one of our largest, but poorly laid out rooms). Then, retaped and mudded the corners, primed, and painted with multiple coats of latex paint. We still need to add the border and put the outlet covers back on, but it’s mostly done. We still have the ceiling to do, but need to get a professional to tape and mud them. The downside of replacing our windows and heat pump is that we now have a much drier house. The dry air has dried out the seams and the drywall enough that the seam paper is pulling away from the drywall. It is just part of the joy of owning a 25 year old house. The one thing that I have learned from this experience is that I hate to fix drywall seams and am glad for my white collar job!
I have continued to run a couple of days each week, although not as consistently as previously. My excuse? The heat… I hate to run when it is so hot, so have rescheduled the runs for early in the morning or on the treadmill. I have not been good about going to the gym over the past few weeks. I really need to get back into the weight lifting I had started last year. My upper body strength has started to wane, and good upper body strength actually helps you run better according to a couple of articles I have read. I have a series of exercises I can do, but the sheet is sitting in my truck… great place, huh?
I ran the first of a series of races (the cul-de-sac series) last Monday. This is a series of 5K (3.1 miles) races that goes in and out of neighborhood cul-de-sacs. When we took off at 7 PM, it was still 97 degrees and approaching 90% humidity. It about killed me. This was definitely not about fun, but survival. I thought, only 3 miles, no need to bring fluids – but I should have. I don’t think I have perspired that much in many years. This week, I missed the race in prep for my trip to pick up my son (we were leaving at 4 AM). I could have run it, but with the heat and humidity, it would have been a very difficult recovery enough to get any sleep that night. I choose sleep (sort of – in bed at 11:30 PM and back up at 3:50 AM). I wonder how my friends did!
