This year, all three of my boys are at camp for a week. My daughter makes almost no sound. It was almost eerie coming home today, knowing there were people in the house.
My cat has been looking for my second born all day. I think she actually likes him.
So at church, I've been asked to do some stuff. Not gonna get specific because, frankly, I can't. I suppose I should have looked for more clarification before accepting a vague responsibility. Meanwhile, I missed the first meeting because if conflicted with a wedding.
Not sorry.
Since then, every other meeting has been cancelled or rescheduled. I'm still not sure what it is I got roped into doing.
So we're planning a road trip at the end of the summer.
Let me back up.
In the summer of 2007, the wife and I went on a road trip out west for her family reunion and saw a lot of stuff on the way back. I blogged about it, but that old blog post was ruthlessly murdered by someone who didn't value a Myspace server. Also, I didn't back it up.
Anyway, I've wanted to do that again for awhile. Having small children makes it both difficult and, honestly, useless. They won't remember it. But now they're old enough and we're gonna do it again. And my wife is getting them ready by showing them movies that take place at the various locations on our trip.
I didn't even know North by Northwest ended at Mount Rushmore. All I knew about it was the scene where he was chased by an airplane.
Most years, my sister hosts a cookout on the 4th of July. The other years she's doing something silly like 'being on vacation' or something. (It's like 1 out of every 10 years she's out of town, so I'm not complaining, just sarcastic). She and my brother-in-law get both sides of the family together and we overeat while the kids soak themselves. It's nice. Then my brother-in-law's parents host whoever wants to go swimming (they have a pool), and we'll go and cool off. The third and final location is my place. We do fireworks at my place.
I like it because I end the day where I live.
Now... New York's fireworks laws are lame. (City has a problem, state gets a law, that's how it is here) We get the fireworks that are legal here and make a lot of noise.
One of my attendees had been out of state, and returned with something that would get attention any other day. Let's just say the 4th of July was a lot louder this year.
My wife was at a garden supply store, and our daughter convinced her to buy an already growing, potted set of sunflowers. I was happy enough to have them, and I planted them in the front yard right away.
They're wilting. I've given them plenty of everything, except whatever it is they actually want. I need the sunflower whisperer. Someone tell me why I can't have any this year.
Nobody knows how to spell it, that's why we all write 'congrats!'
Anyway... my older brother got married this Friday. As he was the last of our siblings to do so, I suppose the theme of the wedding was (on our side anyway) 'Last Man Standing', but I had the good grace not to say that out loud. They're a good compliment to each other, and as well as I know my brother, she checks all the boxes.
And off they go.
For years I've been wanting to hike in the Adirondacks. One thing or another would be planned, then something else would come up and put a stop to those plans. Either it was Canadian wildfires causing the DEC to close the trails, or storms washing out the trailheads, or... either way it was something. Year after year I was thwarted.
I decided to sneak up on them this time. Thursday night I drove up with a friend and we stayed the night, and Friday we started at Whiteface Mountain (you can drive up to the top). From there, we hiked down, then up to Esther Mountain. Then back to Whiteface. Took right around four hours. I managed to only need to stop for a break once, and that because hiking back up to Whiteface, after hiking for three and a half hours, the steep incline was starting to be a bit taxing. I would say it wasn't bad for my age, but there were plenty of people older than I am that were breezing past us.
Goals.
I try to keep active, but that's not the kind of active I'm accustomed to. Maybe I had the wrong kinds of foods, whatever. I'm already planning my next hike. Meanwhile, I spent my birthday laying about recovering. First time I stayed home doing nothing for my birthday.
