Here is another way to enjoy it… kayak! This looks like a lot of fun, and it looks like it could be done in rec kayaks, which we have. Although those sections they show are harry, I think it would be nice because there are short fast sections followed by big pools at the bottom where you can catch your breath and flip back over. Probably wouldn’t be the best idea for September though… we’ll have to wait till next year.
No for real! A friend sent out an email that mentioned it, and it appears true according to one study. My question is, did they do this test in all the borrows of NYC, or just Manhattan. I can totally see this to be true in the popular areas of Manhattan, but having been in the Bronx and Queens, I have a much harder time believing it. Also I think parts of Manhattan that are not so business oriented or touristy are not nearly as friendly either.
I haven’t done any studies to prove it, but my latest impression of Boston and the people of MA is they are still as wretched as ever. What is Boston without its wretched people?
This weekend my dad and I are planning a backpacking trip out to Linville Gorge from Thursday evening till Saturday or Sunday. I am pretty excited since this is dad’s first time out backpacking since he was in his 20s when he did quite a bit. It’ll be fun for him to get back into it and maybe in the future more trips can be planned.
He still has all of his stuff from back in the day, plus I got him a new stove and the same titanium cooking mug that I have. Its funny how things haven’t changed all that much over the past 20 years. Sleeping bags are smaller now, but they are still basically the same, and new internal frame packs are not all that much better for average backpacking then the old external frames. Its nice to know that the gear i have now should serve me well for the next 20 or 30 years of my life so that when I am 50 I can go backpacking with my kids using the same old stuff I always have.
Our plan is to camp by the road Thursday night, hike down to the river and find a good camping spot there for Friday night, and spend Friday and Saturday tromping around, seeing the sights. I would love to incorporate some climbing into things, but will have to stick to bouldering, since we dont have the ropes and hardware, or the experience. I’ll have to save that for an october trip with others. I do plan to bring my shoes and try climbing around on some of the boulders along the river.
At first when I started this article I was hesitant because I have seen Christianity misrepresented so often. However the more I read the more convinced I became that the guy is right on. I dont know what else he has written, but I can say I agree with most of what he has here. I was going to insert a few of the good quotes, but I ended up inserting almost the whole article, at which point I errased it all and I’ll now say, just read it. It contains an interesting commentary on the Muslims response to what the Pope had to say last week.
NOTE: Ok so since I’m already going on about politics in this blog, I’ll add this. Here is a response to President Clintons appearance on “Fox News Sunday” last night, where he claimed that when he was president he received no support from Republicans while he relentlessly pursued Bin Laden. This article takes a look at what really took place during Clintons presidency. Very interesting.
Wow, did NC State ever pull off a more exciting game then Saturday against Boston College. I have seen some good ones, and this is right up there with the best. With a couple minutes left in the game and NC State down 15-10, and on their own 35 yard line, Daniel Evens, NC States new quarterback, threw an interception. It was not looking good. Time was running out, and BC was looking to score again, effectively slamming the door on the Pack. NC State’s defense was good however, and got the stop on a 4th down, giving the ball back to the wolfpack with only about 45 seconds left. Daniel Evens then marched 76 yards down the field, and connected with John Dunlap on a 34 yard touchdown pass to win the game for the wolfpack 17-15 with 8 seconds left. Talk about cardiac pack. This was exciting.
One cool thing, after watching the first half on ESPN2, I came home and listened to the rest on the radio. I found out that one of the radio analysts, Johnny Evens, who has been around forever and who I have always enjoyed listening too, is the dad of Daniel Evens. I can’t imagine how exciting that is, calling a game like this one in which your son wins it like he did. He was one proud dad.
Its hard to say if this is a turning point for the wolfpack. BC was really good, but I got the impression that our strengths matched their weeknesses and vice versus. We’ll see though. The ACC is week this year, and a win against Florida State and Carolina and Maryland are not out of the question. If Daniel Evens can maintain his confidence and play like he did Saturday, this could be a good year for wolfpack football. Go pack! Here is a link to their schedule.
Here is a link to some great quotes from the past, countered by some quotes from the present. Here is a sampling:
“The said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” ~Samuel Adams, 1788
“Except for lawful police and military purposes, the possession of weapons by individuals is not constitutionally protected.” ~ACLU policy statement #47, 1986
How is it possible that people can be so turned on their heads.
Above is a gun refinished by my dad with his custom “kotoflage” pattern. My dad’s business is called Ko-tonics.
The long awaited call was received this morning. James is finally comming home from Iraq and is scheduled to arrive at fort Campbell tomorrow morning at 9:30. Thank you Lord! James has been in the Army for 5 years, and served 11 months in Iraq during the initial invasion. After a year home, James was again sent to Iraq, and has been serving combat duty as an infantryman there since last October. Although its true that much of Iraq has made huge progress in being restored to health, James wasn’t needed in those parts, and spent the past year in the most dangerous areas, where his life has been threatened numerous times. Needless to say it has been difficult those left at home to know he has been in danger, and sometimes we would go for weeks without hearing from him. But our trust has been in God, that He is in absolute control, and that if it is His will then He will bring James home safely. Thousands of prayers are being answered tomorrow morning as James steps safely back onto US soil.
Lets not forget the men who remain in Iraq, fighting for the safety and restoration of that country. They are men who have stepped up to put their own lives in imminent danger, in order to serve the country that they love, and they deserve out ultimate respect, regardless of whether or not you agree with the President or the war. Our prayers continue to go out for the safety of those remaining in Iraq and for their restoration to their families waiting for them back home.
I have been reading a lot of stuff written by Eric Horst about training for climbing. Here are few things I have picked up that will make you stronger or improve your technique at the gym:
Here is a link to a training center with tons of articles by Eric.
Well I was looking at a map of Boston and MA and started wondering where in the world we used to live in Massachusetts anyway. We moved to NC when I was only 10, and I never had any conception of where we lived relative to the rest of MA. Well finding Norton Massachusetts now I am struck with how we only lived just outside Boston, and only a few miles from the cape. However it would take dad 2 hours sometimes to go to work downtown, if he had to drive, and an hour or so if he took the train.
Although I know its impossible, I would love to be back in Norton now that I’m grown, and experience all the sights and sounds of city living. At the same time I am very apreciative of where I live now. North Carolina is so beautiful, and there are no traffic problems or crowding problems, plenty of excitement, and a 5 miute commute to work in the morning.
I found our old house in Norton on google satellite, and here is a link. What an enjoyable trip down memory lane, or in my case, New Taunton Avenue.
Well the Red Sox might be out of it, but there is still some pretty darn exciting baseball happening right now. I got chills of excitement listening to the recap of the Dodgers Padres game last night. Here is how it went.
Padres are half a game over the Dodgers in the division race. Bottom of the ninth, Dodgers are down 9-5. Jeff Kent, JD Drew, Martin, and Anderson hit back to back to back to back home runs to tie the game and send it into extra innings. In the top of the 10th the Padres score a run so they now lead 10-9. Bottom of the tenth Kenny Lofton gets on base, and good old Nomar Garciaparra hits a walk off homer to win the game and put the Dodgers ahead half a game in the NL west division. To hear the announcer call one home run after another was unbelievable. That kind of late game heroics is what makes this time of year great no matter who is playing.
In other news David Ortiz leads the AL with 49 home runs and is taking a shot at breaking the single season home run record for the Red Sox which is 50. The Red Sox also took 3 of 4 from the Yankees in two days. We might be ten games out, but the games are still exciting.
