“Groovin’ on a Sunday Afternoon”

OK, so it was morning, but that’s the song that came into my head when I had to come up with a title for this post. Between yesterday and today, picked up a cool 7 within a few miles of the house. There are some others nearby but I need to get my CRV back from Gillian to go off-road. The Jetta just won’t make it

“Start Spreading the News”

The family and I just returned from a trip to NY for my niece’s wedding. Had a great time, went sailing 3 times on my brother-in-law’s 34′ boat and even managed to grab a few caches. The sailing was fantastic even though the winds were light. Just being on the water – Long Island Sound – was soothing to the soul. On one trip we took Kellen who got his sea legs rather quickly. Saw some old friends which is always good including one I hadn’t seen in 30 years, did a trip into NYC, ate great food and in short had a nice, but brief visit to my old home turf. Couldn’t live there, but great to visit.

Kellen Avery Smith 1 year old

Today is Kellen’s first birthday and we had Abigail party at our house for all Gillian and Kyle’s friends and their kids. It was great fun and everyone had a terrific time. It boggles the mind that one year has passed since this great little kid came into our lives.

Pinetop-Lakeside

Spent the weekend in the White Mountains of East-Central Arizona. The community of Pinetop-Lakeside is a favorite getaway for Valley folks hoping to escape the summer heat. Kyle had a disc-golf tournament and Gillian asked us to come up and hang with her and Kellen. Drove up yesterday morning, did a little geocaching and then had a great dinner at Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse, a local landmark since the 1930s. Went hiking this morning in the Sitgreaves National Forest and then grabbed some more caches. Fergie, who came with us, was a trooper on the hike, and Kellen is just an amazing little kid. Gorgeous area, fantastic weather, and hated to come back down to the Valley and get ready to go back to work tomorrow.

Steady As She Goes

I’m not on a pace to get a whole lot this year, and am a little burned out. My searches have only taken place when someone else accompanies me. Today Sharon, Fergie and I spent a couple of hours, picked up 4, ate lunch outdoors at a little place in Carefree, and had a pleasant time. I’m OK with the numbers…for now.