Almost Heaven...

I couldn't resist the cliche for a moment. I will try to be more resolute in the future. We have made it, safe and sound, to West Virginia. It wasn't always clear that this was going to be the case. We had numerous false starts and challenges to this trip, and I thought for a little that it wouldn't get done.

But we are here, and we will be rafting in a few hours, along with our old friend from Napaskiak, Adam Bode. He has traveled down here from his home in Ohio to visit and spend the day. I know that my wife is looking forward to seeing him, and I hope that Diego enjoys his company as well.

It promises to be a wet and sunny day, so the sunscreen will have to be a necessary part of our travel gear. We are driving down to the rendezvous point, and we checked out the route last night. It is definitely tucked back down in the mountain hollows. We were trying to imagine getting out in the winter, and what a challenge that would be. The road is narrow, twisting, and steep. And it gets more so as you get closer to the destination. There is a camp back into the wilderness where President Truman apparently liked to come in the past. This is where we will meet up with our trip leaders. We will then be transported in some fashion to the river, where we will embark on a day of rapids and fun.

The other two travelers are still sleeping. They will awake for their day of fun in a couple of hours...more from the road tonight.

Self Improvement!

The summer has tended to be lazy and unfocused, when it wasn't frantic and busy, and my partner in crime finally indicated her frustration with this state of affairs yesterday. Although I may not have liked the criticism, I had to acknowledge its accuracy. So, as of today, we are going to be on a Schedule from now on. A little structure is in order, and it will help to get back into fighting trim for the upcoming school battles.

We have a month left before we depart for the sunny climes of Western Alaska, and we aim to spend more of it on the bike saddle and in the gym. Today's festivities begin with the running of the dogs and a bike ride for yours truly before I take it to the shop for a few adjustments.

We have the super grandson, Diego, with us, and we are taking this show on the road. Off to Southern Michigan to visit my parents, and ultimately to West Virginia, where we will sample the whitewater delights of the New River Gorge. I haven't been down there in about twenty years, and I am excited about the return.

I suspect that any serious attempt at self-improvement also means more meaningful entries in this blog, although " we went here and there" is kind of boring after a while. Still, this is an ongoing project that enough people apparently enjoy enough to complain when entries are scarce. My lovely presented me with a bound and printed version for our anniversary, which will be nice to share with my parents, who tend to be technophobes of the first degree. Yes, and they also will get some snickerdoodle cookies...

It is a little after 7 am, and coffee has been consumed, morning reading is nearly finished. Time to rouse the sleeping, and get them on Schedule...

More Visiting...

We got together with an old friend that I had not seen in years for lunch yesterday, and it was fun sharing memories and catching up on life. We later visited Traverse City to look at tattoo designs, eat cupcakes, and visit with our pals Andrea and Derek and their kids, Griffin and Taylor. I even spent some time watching a Detroit Tigers baseball game with Derek, which was very enjoyable even though they lost. They are in a tight race for first place in their division. It almost makes me miss television. However, it doesn't take a lot of exposure before my tastes begin to shift again...

There is a pool party at our friend Ann's house today, and we will get over there in a while. Fireworks tomorrow night, and a busy week before we leave. It is July now, which means that we will eventually have to think about getting ready for our return. In a couple of weeks, that is...

Family and Friends

We saw a continuing-to-expect Ashley and Kevin last night. Her due date has passed (yesterday), but the doctor appears to be unconcerned. My understanding is that all of those predictions are kind of conditional anyway.

Today is a catch-up and consolidation day in advance of the holiday. We will also be taking Diego for a whitewater paddling trip to West Virginia in about a week. I have not done this in years and it should be fun. It will be a long car ride kind of weekend, for certain. I will advise all to bring their appropriate time wasting devices on this trip.

The sun is shining, and it should be a good day for biking and gardening. It is always a good day to pet a puppy dog, as my constant companion is currently reminding me. I must attend to that now...

A Slow Summer (for blogging)...

Much happening, but not a lot of reporting in this space. Mostly because it is summer stuff and not terribly dramatic. The real drama happened in the past couple of weeks, and things have been pretty quiet since then. Mostly summer stuff.

I survived the estrogen onslaught of the all-girl (mostly) birthday party/sleepover in Grand Rapids. We took the kids to the childrens' museum, which has all kinds of stuff to keep kids busy for an indefinite span of time. We also made time to take the girls swimming and keep them generally busy, which always makes for sound sleepers at the end of the day.

Poolside entertainment has also taken place at our friend Ann's house, on a couple of occasions. I am chipping away at the homework assignments for my summer course. I have finished making submissions for the AKT2 program and am awaiting notification of the date for my exit interview. It is gratifying to feel this close to having finished the program.

The weather has been beautiful, except when it has been rainy and cold. I find that I don't mind the contrast nearly as much as I might have in the past. On the nice days, we seem to find our way onto the bikes or the walking paths. On the rainy days, we get wet.

This week probably represents a breath of quiet before things get busy over the 4th of July holiday and afterwards. We still have people to see and things to get done. It will be time to sit down and plan the rest of the vacation in the next day or so, and, of course, we will have to start planning for our return to the north. I am quietly excited, but that can wait a little while yet...

Summer Continues...

We have been on the run. Mostly to Traverse City, for family and friends to gather and celebrate. There was a briefly frightening brush that my grandson had with viral meningitis, but he was here Sunday for Father's Day, looking as if nothing had happened just a few days previously. In the meantime, his sisters met the daughters of my wife's cousin, when we took the little girls to the park and away from the hospital emergency room for a few hours. Friendships have been kindled, and now there shall be a sleepover on Wednesday night in Grand Rapids. At least five girls, moms, and cousins. And me. I will surely be outnumbered.

We went riding out in Leenanau county while visiting friends in Traverse City, and had some laughs pedaling up and down the hills there. At least we had some gasps of laughter after panting up them. It was good to see old friends again.

My poor little puppy dog got tangled up with one of the others and ended up with stitches for his troubles. He should be out of the Elizabethan collar by Friday. He is doing well otherwise, which would not necessarily have been my prediction on the way to the veterinarian's office with him in my lap.

There have been some scrapes, and falls, and scares, but it has all worked out. The summer continues, with more adventures to come...

Improving...

That was the weather picture today, although it was windy. We got in the second bike ride in two days, and I am pretty happy with the new equipment. My new bike has a different set up from the old one, although the frame is the same. I also got a new pair of bike shoes that are stiffer and more efficient. Nice going, even in a stiff breeze up a hill. I think that this will be fun this summer. I hope to be done with bike adventures for a while. No more accidents, no more robberies. That is it.

This week is going to busy up toward the end, with a night spent in Traverse City and biking with friends on Friday and not one, but two parties to attend on Saturday. Just the same, it feels a lot more leisurely than it did at this point last summer. This is really nice...