500

I'm a pretty casual geocacher, as geocaching goes.  There are many who must eat, sleep, breathe geocaching to have found the multiple thousands of caches they have logged.  To each their own, I suppose, but that's not what it looks like for me.  I'm more of a half-dozen-on-a-Sunday-afternoon geocacher.

So, 500 finds in just over 5 years of geocaching is nothing that really stands out to most.  But I found it kind of exciting!

I hit 499 caches in mid-December and I wanted to find one that was better than average for my milestone find.  I looked through the listings and a fairly nearby cache (about 20 miles from the house) titled "The Hive" caught my attention, based on the number of previous geocachers that had given it favorite points.  It was rated high in difficulty and terrain, and when I read the description, it sounded like just what I was looking for... a fun challenge and not just a quick drive-by grab.

Of my kids, Benny will always go geocaching.  Lily will sometimes go geocaching.  Dylan and Zachary hardly ever go geocaching.  The older boys are bored with it because they say so many of the geocaches are all the same... which is true.  But, I still think it is fun.

Based on the description, I didn't think this one would be well suited for Benny.  He wanted to go, but I told him not this time.  I was debating Lily, but she decided she wanted to stay home... which may have been the best on this one.  I tried hard to entice the older boys out with an unusual and challenging hide.  Dylan was uninterested, but when Zachary read the cache description, he was a go!

It was above fifty degrees on the last day of January, so today was the perfect day to get my 500th cache.  We grabbed some gear and headed out.

The cache description had GPS coordinates for a nearby homeowner that agreed to allow geocachers to park in the end of this secondary driveway.  We followed the coordintes to the location, about 300 feet from the actual cache.  We secured the cachemobile and walked down the road to locate "ground zero" (GZ)... the spot where the GPS indicates zero feet to the cache (which is typically accurate to within a twenty feet radius).  This cache access was underground and the GPS has no signal below ground, so we had to study everything from above and translate it underground.  I spotted something at GZ that would be key to locating things below ground, so we headed below.

*** Spoiler alert:  local geocachers may want to stop reading if you plan to find this one!***

Cachemobile secured in authorized parking

The underground cache was accessed from a concrete culvert (about 4-5 feet in diameter) that carried a creek under a state highway.

We studied both entrances from the road and decided on the upstream end.  Headlamps in place... we're going in!

Walking on the sides of the culvert to straddle the stream

My back is not as young as it used to be!

About midway was a "secret room" that you couldn't see from the ends, where you could stand up.

We found this large icicle (I couldn't get it all in the pic).  We had to climb a ladder (seen here) to retreive the cache.

Log in hand... we did it!  #500!

We took a few back roads home and logged five more finds, mostly cemetery caches.  We had a fun afternoon.  I really enjoy hanging out with this kid and I'm glad he's not yet too cool to spend an afternoon with Dad every once in a while!

peace

Faith is a topic that is woven here and there throughout my blog posts, but I don't over-spiritualize things here... at least I don't think so.  I sometimes write about faith in topical or reflective ways, but I am very hesitant to report "God moments".  However, Sunday past was a bit of a unique day that merits a post.

It started like many other Sundays... getting myself up and making sure all four kids were up and moving in time to get out the door for church by nine.  Once at church, the three older kids went to their classes and I made a bathroom stop with Benny and dropped him at his Sunday School class, then settled into a pew in the sanctuary for the worship service.

I attend a fairly large church where I know almost nobody (because I feel they are accommodating to children with disabilities).  At first, it felt very lonely to attend worship services by myself and be surrounded by hundreds of strangers, but I have mostly grown accustomed to it.  Although I believe interaction with others is valuable and I sometimes wish I had some guy-friends at church, there are times when I like the loneliness.  I can lift my voice boldly in songs of praise to my God because I am joining with hundreds of other voices, yet I am essentially an unknown face and I can just be "me", without any expectations that church folk sometimes place on each other.  At this point in my life, it works.

On this Sunday, I was just a bit earlier than usual, so I took a moment to enjoy the solitude of the sanctuary.  Though there were many people gathered, I was undisturbed as I took in the atmosphere...dimmed lights, tasteful holiday decor, and a soft pre-worship instrumental music.  I quickly felt relaxed and reverent as I anticipated a good service ahead.

I had plenty of time to check my phone and make sure it was on vibrate (in case Ben's teachers needed me).  While on my phone, I decided to do a facebook "check-in"... something I only very occasionally do.  I don't use it often, but I selected the "feeling" option and scrolled through the choices.  I was looking for something like "reverent", but it was not there.  I couldn't find a feeling that perfectly matched the moment, but after debating a few I selected "peaceful".  I hit post and told all my friends I was feeling peaceful at ******** Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  Then the service began.

(names deleted for my own privacy)

My Pastor is currently doing a series on characters in the Christmas story.  This particular day, he featured Joseph and Mary. He spoke of the uncertainty that they both faced when their lives were turned upside down by the news that Mary was with child .  He shared how their initial reaction was fear and doubt, but their turmoil gave way to peace as an angel visited them both independently with the message, "do not be afraid".  Although their path had difficulties, they each chose to respond with acceptance and obedience to the change of plans in their lives.  He then challenged us by asking what areas of our lives do we need God's message of peace in the words "do not be afraid"?

Wow... message of peace!  Ironically, moments before I reported feeling peaceful.  But, as I examined my life in the quiet reflective moments of the service, I had to admit my life is characterized by many fears and doubts... and I actually have very little peace.  In those moments, I felt God's spirit prompting me that I am facing very uncertain days ahead and I am living in fear.  I fear the result of my failing marriage.  I fear the uncertainty of a seemingly unavoidable divorce.  I fear what will become of my relationship and time with my kids.  I fear the finances of divorce and the finances (or lack thereof) after the dust of divorce settles.

I am always very nervous about sharing "God moments" because it's not like I heard audible voices, but at that moment, I felt like the words of those scriptures were put there just for me... "do not be afraid".  It was almost as if God were putting his fatherly arm around my shoulder and telling me, "I know these are uncertain times and it's likely to get worse before it gets better, but do not be afraid... I'm right here with you, son."  I breathed a short prayer and asked God to give me a spirit of acceptance, obedience, trust and peace in the midst of my circumstances.

That afternoon was sunny and in the 50's, which is rare for December in northeast Ohio.  I decided to head out to a local State Park in the late afternoon for a few hours of quiet in the form of hiking and geocaching.  The park was nearly deserted this time of year and I thoroughly enjoyed the mild December day.

Geocaching often brings you to spots like this!

On my return back to the car, I hiked a trail that went along the edge of a cliff that bordered the lake.  The sun was beginning to set and the sky was illuminating with brilliance.  I stopped a few times to take a few photos as I hiked.

Wow!

I thought it couldn't get any better, but the colors just kept improving...

At one point I stopped hiking, laced my hands behind my head, crossed my feet, stretched out on the ground at the cliff's edge and just watched the finale.  I stayed there until almost dark.  There was not another person anywhere around and it was one of the most tranquil moments I have experienced in a long time.  It almost felt like I was the only person on earth.  As I laid there, Pastor's sermon came back to mind and I ruminated on the words some more.  I spent some moments in prayer, which seemed natural in the tranquility of the "sanctuary".  Again... "God moments" aren't abundant in my life, but it was almost as if God once again put his arm around my shoulder and said, "son, you asked for greater peace... I made these moments just for you!"

I drove my old high-mileage car home without mishap and parked it in the driveway.  About an hour later, I needed to pick up Lily at a Bible club she attends at the church up the road.  I jumped back in my car and as I stepped on the brake to put the car in gear, a brake line blew out and the pedal went to the floor... sitting still in my driveway!  In the theme of the day, it was just one more way the sermon and my prayers came back to roost... almost as if the fatherly arm was once more on my shoulder with the message... "life won't always be easy, but I've got your back... do not be afraid!"

I'm still fearful of unknowns... I'm human, after all.  But, my fear won't change any of the outcomes.  However, I am thankful for the reminders that even though there may be storm clouds ahead, I'm facing them with the God who paints sunsets, and in that I can find some peace.  

caching a break

Geocaching... either you get it, or you don't! 

Yep!  Telling others that you use satellite technology to find plastic or metal containers hidden by others, just so you can sign your username on a piece of paper and keep score of how many times you've done that creates one of two reactions... looking at you like that is a VERY cool idea, or like you have two heads.  There's really no middle ground, it seems.

Amongst the geocaching community, though, there is a lot of variety.  There are those participants who eat, sleep, breathe caching; there are those who enjoy it, but in smaller doses; and, there are those that try it a few times and never really continue.  I fall into the middle category.  I cache occasionally, mostly just a handful here and there, and my find score (currently 405) is nothing heroic for someone actively caching since 2011.

My friend, the Father of Five, is also a geocacher, with a caching mentality very similar to mine... just a little here and there.  In fact, our find scores have been running very close for the past few years.  He has been a bit ahead of me for a while, but I've been watching to make sure he doesn't outpace me too much.

Some geocachers, on a regular basis, will spend a whole day caching.  Therefore, they have found thousands of caches.  I mostly just grab a few at a time, not investing any large blocks of time to the hobby... until today.

According to geocaching standards, caches should be placed no closer than 528 feet (.1 miles) from each other.  I recently found a state park not too far from my home that had a cluster of about 60 caches, all spaced roughly the minimum distance of 528 feet.  It was tempting!

I have a few days of PTO left, so I had today off and the forecast was for mid-40's.  I decided to do something I had never done, and spend the WHOLE day geocaching.  I downloaded everything into the GPS the night before and I headed out to the park, arriving about 10am.  This time of year, the park was pretty deserted, and with fog over the lake, it was a very peaceful start to the morning.

 

Some of the caches were within the disc golf course, which is something I want to try

 

The majority of the caches in this park were all placed by the same geocacher, Fourtenner.  While loading the caches into my GPS last night, I read the description for a tribute cache, placed in remembrance of Fourtenner.  The description indicated that Fourtenner passed away December 1, 2014, after battling cancer.  I never met him, but he had found the majority of the few caches I own and he preceded me in logging many area caches.  I was well acquainted with his name, but wish I could have met him.  He owned many caches and they were well placed and well maintained.  He was an asset to the game of geocaching.  It seems a few of his friends will be "adopting" his caches and maintaining them in his honor.  He used many unique homemade cache containers, fabricated from shotgun shells, like the one pictured above.

 

A yurt in the campground... looks like fun!

 

the Father of Five has found 399 caches... I texted him this photo when I found this one to tie his score!

 

Geocachers like to keep track of "milestones". This is my 400th find... not huge numbers by geocaching standards, but fun, nonetheless! 

 

A map of the cache cluster... the smileys are the ones I found today (29 found/38 attempted)

 

I'm still not dedicated enought to geocaching to spend seven hours a day doing it on a regular basis, but I have to admit, it was a fun day.  With them clustered so close together (which is not always the case), I parked the car in the morning and worked my way through the park on foot, 500-600 feet at a time.  It was great exercise and it was very peaceful, since the park was nearly deserted. 

 

I did once get a strange look from a walking couple while I was milling around in the edge of the woods waiting for them to pass.  I thought it was ironic that THEY were looking at ME strangely... they were pushing a dog in a stroller!  I ask you... who was more strange?  I would have loved to snap a pic, but they were already eyeing me suspiciously...

 

Thanks Fourtenner, for all you did for geocaching, and for providing me a day of great exercise and recreation! 

mancation

Last week I did something wild and crazy!

Well... for me, anyway.

But, to tell that story, I have to back up to October 11, 2008.  Yep, that's where this trip began.

Backside of Forty went online August 14, 2008 with a single post (Welcome to "UNTITLED") and a link from my short-term Chinese adoption travel blog, titled To China, For Lily.  In those days, I had a few more readers and a few more comments (and a few more frequents posts) than BoF enjoys now, the majority coming from two categories: 1) friends and relatives; and, 2) having recently completed the adoption of our daughter, those somehow connected to what is known as the "adoption community".  It was rare for comments to show up from strangers unassociated with the adoption community...

...until October 11, 2008.

On that date, an email message indicated that I had received a comment to the post, Great movie!, from a fellow blogger who called himself "The Father of Five" (who we later figured out stumbled onto my blog in a list of blogs with "fatherhood" as an interest).  I clicked on the link to the comment, and this is what he had to say:

 

Intrigued by this Father of Five character, I clicked the link to his profile and found that he was a family guy, a blogger and an outdoorsman from Minnesota.  I further clicked on the link to his blog, read a few posts, and found the "flavor" of his blog similar to mine.  However, since my family had just completed the adoption of our daughter from China, I already had a fairly extensive adoption blog reading list.  While The Father of Five seemed like a decent guy, I did not put him in my reading list, and dismissed him as someone who stumbled upon my blog, commented, and would never cross my path again.

 

And so it was, for about three months, until he showed up again.  Now, I was more intrigued.  Not so much by The Father of Five himself, but the writer in me was intrigued that this stranger must think I have something to write that is interesting enough to keep him visiting my blog to read my content, at least on a semi-regular basis. 

 

At about this point, I put his blog in my reading list, read sporadically, and made an occasional comment.  Over the next few years, we became decent acquaintances through the increasing practice of reading each other's blogs and commenting about each other's posts.  I found he had many similar viewpoints to mine, and we often seemed to resonate with each other's writing.  So much so, that I sometimes looked at the link he provided in the sidebar of his blog to "connect on facebook".  Nah, I though... I barely know the guy... that seems awkward.  Yet, he felt somewhat like a friend.  So, on September 11, 2010, I took a risk and sent the following facebook friend request (to which he favorably responded):

 

 

From that point on, a very strange and unique friendship was built... to the point that he as become one of my closest and most trusted friends.

 

Strange, you ask?

 

Yes, strange... try explaining to people that your best friend is a guy you met online, lives 800+ miles away, and with whom you have only interacted virtually (well, other than one Skype call and, I think, two actual phone calls).  I get some strange looks!

 

For a couple of introverted guys, though, it has worked pretty well. 

 

For some time we have discussed someday meeting each other, but the distance and daily responsibilities we each bear makes that not an easy feat.  This summer's schedule and events did not lend themselves well to scheduling a week's family vacation, as I like to do.  So, I half-jokingly said maybe I'd just take a solo road trip to meet Father of Five.  Jen, being the ever-impulsive one, said "go for it!" 

 

Still not very serious, I inquired about his schedule during my July week off and he had July 21 and 22 open.  I mapped the trip and looked at my aging car and thought better of it.  I then remembered that my brother has often rented a car for road trips, and when I looked into that option, a Priceline deal on a compact car, coupled with the better gas mileage made this fairly feasible.

 

About a week before my vacation, I left it in the hands of Priceline.  I bid on a car, figuring that if I got one at a price I was comfortable with, I would go.  After a few a Priceline trials, a bid was accepted... no turning back now.

 

Mancation!

 

I left early Saturday morning and drove about halfway, camping at Illini State Park.

Illini State Park is on the bank of the Illinois River, where barge traffic is a normal part of the scenery.

 

The small town of Marseilles, Illinois is just across the river from the campground.  An easy walk over the bridge put me downtown for a little geocaching and a car show, where there were many sweet rides to admire.  Being a fan of classic VW's, this one made me smile.  I'd love to own one of these... maybe with a slightly calmer paint job, though!

 

On Sunday's drive, my rented Ford Focus hit an MPG high over 41... I could get used to that!

 

 

I took a freeway diversion and explored some of the backwoods of Wisconsin on the gravel roads of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

 

Because Father of Five and I are both geocachers, a few years ago, I launched a "travel bug", which is a trackable tag that is attached to an object and moved by fellow geocachers from cache to cache.  Travel bugs have an owner-assigned goal and mine was to get from one of my caches in Ohio to one of his in Minnesota, in the most efficient route possible.  Efficiency did not work out, since this bug went everywhere BUT Minnesota!  However, just a few weeks ago, it landed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  The location was 1.3 miles off the freeway, so I diverted into Eau Claire to find the cache and retrieve my own travel bug, taking it on to Minnesota to reach the goal of landing in Father of Five's cache.  Mission accomplished!

 

I arrived at the workplace of Father of Five late Sunday evening, and met him face-to-face for the first time, as he finished up his shift.  After a tour of his workplace, we proceeded to the Minnesota home of Father of Five, where I met his family.  Though I was a stranger to the family, the Mother of Five graciously insisted that I stay in their home, if I wanted to.  Being introverted, I was nervous about this, but being more frugal than introverted, I agreed.  I was treated like family and given 4 of 5's bedroom during my stay, causing her to be displaced to her sister's room for a few days.

 

The obligatory visit of the nearby and HUGE Mall (Maul?) Of America

 

 Minnehaha Falls

We visited Jim's Apple Farm... a local business that claimed to stock Minnesota's largest candy selection.

They also had Minnesota's largest soda selection.  I thought I would pick up some candy to take home to my family... but I was more intrigued by the soda.  Over 175 different kinds of root beer, alone!  I decided, instead, to select a bottle of soda that reminded me of each person in my family and take them home as a souvenir of my trip.  My selections were this:

 

Jen: Chocolate soda.  She loves chocolate... but chocolate soda is not very good!

Dylan:  Buffalo Wing Soda... yep, it tastes as nasty as it sounds!

Zachary:  Because he is 12 and has a decent pre-teen sense of humor, what better than Gross Gus's Pirate Piss Soda?  It was actually quite tasty and, as expected, he thought it was hilarious!

Lily:  Because she like classic musicals, Wizard of Oz Cherry Cola.

Ben: Big Ben's Cola Soda.
 

These are frowned upon in today's society, but my cousin, Mike, will remember, as do I, buying (and "smoking") these candy cigarettes years ago from Grey's General Store.  I found them in the candy selection and had to buy some for nostalgia and to show my kids.

 

Yes, back home with the politically incorrect kids-smoking-the-candy-cigarettes pose.

 

We spent two days seeing his stomping grounds, hiking, geocaching... and talking.  For a couple of introverts, we never seemed to shut up! 

 

Then, it was back to work for FoF and back to Ohio for me.  I drove home a different route through Iowa on the way home and it was a little further... just over 900 miles straight through on Wednesday.

Selfie with the Sinclair dinosaur

 

Yep, a just over 2,000 mile round-trip, solo, 5-day (3 days of it driving) mancation to visit a "virtual" friend is wild and crazy for me... even a little awkward for this introvert.  But, it confirmed that this friendship, though unique, is really not strange.  Rather, it's real, and I'm grateful that the internet made blogging possible, and that blogging made a great friendship possible.

 

The Father of Five

geo-gear

Geocaching. High-tech hide-and-seek. "The Great American GPS Stash Hunt", as it was originally named on May 3, 2000, when Dave Ulmer, a GPS enthusiast, hid the first "stash" in Beavercreek, Oregon. The idea was simple: put some small items with a visitor log book in a watertight container, hide it, record the GPS coordinates of the location and publish the coordinates. Others then use their GPS units to find the container (stealthily, without the muggles knowing!), log their visit, trade a trinket (if they wish), and replace the container as they found it for others to find. Little did Dave Ulmer know that what started as one simple GPS "experiment" would rapidly blossom into the world-wide hobby phenomenon now known as Geocaching, which just crossed the 2 millionth worldwide active geocache milestone on February 28, 2013.

It is a simple idea, but it is not to be taken lightly. There is responsibility involved with being a good geocacher. Geocaches are owned by fellow cachers (I currently own 9), who place them for others to find, which is how the game grows and continues. The caches should always be placed with permission, if applicable, and those who find them should always put them back like they found them, or better, if they have been disturbed, for others to find. Geocachers should respect private property, and abandon a find if they are in doubt about possible tresspassing. Geocachers should also be "stealthy"... trying to find them in such a way that does not attract other non-geocachers to disturb or move them.

It really takes very little to geocache.  The biggest expense is a hand-held GPS, but you can cut costs here by using a smart phone app.  A basic membership to the geocaching website is free, and that is all you need to download cache coordinates and log your finds.  With over 2 million active geocaches around the world, there is a good chance that there are some within walking distance of your home, or at least a short drive.  Just about everywhere you go... you probably drive past them daily.

Here is an overview of my geo-gear:

I recently invested in my geo-pack ($9.99 at Wal-Mart).  I kept switching between a few different packs for my gear, but I wanted a dedicated pack that is just for geocaching.  This one is a perfectly sized fanny pack and it came complete with 2 water bottles, in case I go out for a long day of caching.

This is what I carry in the geo-pack front pocket:

• Pens (for signing logs)
• Paper (in case I need to take notes or figure out a puzzle for a multi-cache)
• Spare batteries (AA for the GPS and AAA for my flashlight)

And, in the geo-pack main pocket:

• My tool kit (black case)
• GPS (navy case)

My GPS unit is a Garmin eTrex Legend H.  I store it in an old cell phone case (from days gone by, when cell phones were a bit larger).  This unit was about $125.00 a few years ago from Amazon.  I have been very happy with it.  It is, by far, not the fanciest hand-held GPS unit available, but it does everything that I need it to do.  This model has a black and white display screen.  Garmin makes a similar unit with a color screen, which would be nice, but the battery life on this one is about 4 hours longer than the other.  I hate changing batteries, so the black and white works fine for me.

Lastly... my geo-toolkit.  It is a zippered travel case from a Schick non-electric razor.  Why a non-electric razor needs it's own travel pouch is beyond me, but since I never throw anything away, it was just hanging out waiting for the perfect use.  It is perfect for my geo-toolkit, which contains everything pictured here (except the Swiss Army knife, with tweezers for removing log sheets from micro caches, which I always carry on my key carabiner):

• Small flashlight
• Small Cabela's multi-tool in nylon sheath
• Telescoping magnetic retrieval tool
• Telescoping mirror
• 4' of coiled sheathed copper wire (for "fishing" caches out of tight places)

The only thing that I should add to my geo-pack is a glove, for reaching in tight places where hazards like spiders lurk.  I have several pairs lying around the garage... I just need to grab one.

 

The only two items that I bought specifically for geocaching is the fanny pack and the GPS unit.  Everything else (all fairly inexpensive items) were items I already had, and compiled into a caching kit.  With the exception of the GPS unit, geocaching is low-budget fun and adventure!

i did... nothing

I recently found myself in our city park on a cold, windy, 20 degree Sunday afternoon.  The park was deserted... or so I thought. 

Deserted is how I wanted it, which is why I ventured out of my cozy home on a chilly day.  I wanted it that way because I am a geocacher, and I was scouting potential geocache placements.  Geocaching tends to arouse suspicion, so it was nice to be there poking around without getting any wary looks.

On this particular day, I was scouting for my "Ballfield Series" caches, which is a series of four geocaches dispersed through the numerous ballfields in our town's main city park.  According to the standards for placing a geocache, they should be at least 1/10 mile apart.  I had already determined the location for Ballfield Series numbers 1, 3, and 4, but was still undecided between a few locations for number 2.

One of my potential locations (and the one I actually chose) was near the dugouts of the field pictured above.  The red arrows show my approach to the backsides of the two dugouts as I looked for the perfect hiding spot for "Ballfield Series #2".  I paused and poked around the backside of the first dugout in the right of the picture (remember this location), then moved to the backside of the other.

When I arrived at the second dugout (with a vantage point that afforded a view of the interior of the first dugout) and started nosing around (and making some noise), to my surprise I startled a male figure, apparently taking a "Sunday afternoon nap" inside the first dugout. 

I'm not sure which of us was startled more, but I quickly took my toys and went home, wanting to avoid any kind of confrontation with the mysterious man in the dugout.

Yet, a confrontation had already occurred, and I couldn't stop wondering... who sleeps in a dugout on a 20 degree Sunday afternoon?

There was a more important question, though (that I also couldn't stop wondering)... how should I respond?

I live in a small town with a population that hovers pretty close to 5,000.  We really do not see homeless people here (if, in fact, he was a homeless man).  But, what are the other possibilities?  He could have been a runaway... he looked like a young adult, from the quick glimpse I had.  He could have been a fugitive on the lam.  He could have been mentally ill, a "missing person", abused, stoned... who knows?  One thing is certain... under normal circumstances, he would not voluntarily choose to sleep in a concrete dugout on a blustery 20 degree February Sunday. 

As I sat back in my warm home, I was unable to forget about him.  Yet, I had no idea how to respond.  Should I take him some warm food?  And then what... just leave him there in the cold?  What if he was dangerous?  Should I call the authorities?  But, hasn't he already had a rough day without that?

I still don't know what was the right answer.  There are no easy answers to the world's hurts, but I was surprised to be confronted with it on a Sunday afternoon in small town America.  I have to admit that I was disturbed by it.  But, was I disturbed by his suffering... or, my own discomfort?  Probably both, but if I am honest, more so the latter.

How would you have responded? 

I'm not exactly proud of it, but in the end, I did...

Nothing.

A good day

Our local Kiwanis Club sponsors an annual Junior Olympics for grades K-6.  It is held each year in May at our high school track, and some members of the high school track team are always there to assist with the events.  I really appreciate the Kiwanis Club for making this investment in our kids, but I also give props to the high school track team members who participate.  The students who are there each year enthusiastically volunteer their Saturday morning, and they seem to really enjoy working with the possible future members of the track team to follow in their shoes.  They are always very encouraging of all the kids, no matter their abilities.

The event was this Saturday, and the weather was perfect.  Dylan, Zachary and Lily participated this year, and both my parents and Jen's parents came to cheer on their Grandkids.  I was never an athlete in school, but I considered joining the track team, and I think I would have enjoyed it.  Jen was taking pictures, and I was supposed to be watching Ben.  At one point in the first competition (Zachary's long jump) I got so involved in cheering for Zachary and Blake (our Pastor's son), that I lost Benny.  There was a moment of panic until we spotted him climbing to the top of the bleachers.  Actually, Zachary spotted him and was yelling and pointing from the field, while waiting for his turn to jump.  Fortunately, the bleachers were enclosed by fencing, but there was still plenty of opportunity for a kid like Benny to get hurt.  That was my "wake up call"... I didn't lose Benny any more, when he was in my charge!

Zachary measured 9'-5" in the long jump, earning him the silver medal, just 3" short of gold.

Lily took the bronze medal in the standing jump.

This was Lily's first year to participate.

Zachary won the gold medal in the obstacle course.

Lily ran the 50M for a silver medal.

This was Dylan's last year to participate and he had a rough and disappointing day.  He signed up to run the 50M, the 100M and the 200M.  He ran the 50M first and pulled a muscle in his upper thigh just short of the finish line.  He was solidly in 2nd place when he pulled the muscle, but limped across the finish line in last place (4th), just seconds away from 3rd.  He limped off the track with a few tears in his eyes, in quite a bit of pain and disappointment, knowing he was out of the competition for the day.  He sat in the stands and watched as the other boys ran the 100M and 200M.

Zachary's third event was the 100M, earning him another silver medal.

 

If you look in the background of this photo, you'll see that Benny was not going to miss out on the running action.  He was getting restless, so Jen's Dad took him out to play on the other side of the field, during the last of the awards ceremony.  At this point, he got away, and ran for freedom across the field.  Here you see him ahead of my Father-In-Law, and about to be cut off by Zachary.

Jen's parent's treated us to lunch at Arby's afterwards and I came home and spent the afternoon working on the final trim needed for the living room to be ready for the soon-to-be-installed carpet.  I knocked off at dinner time.  After dinner, Benny and I took a nice walk to a local park to play and to scout a possible geocache hiding spot.

Early that evening, I casually mentioned that it looked like a good night for sleeping in the tent. I wasn't really serious about doing it, but Zachary latched onto that and really wanted to. Jen wisely reminded me that I shouldn't "put it out there" if I wasn't serious. She was right, so I grabbed the 8 x10 (we own four different tents of various sizes), which goes up quickly. We popped it up in the backyard, grabbed some sleeping pads and bags, and built a backyard fire. After all this, I checked the forecast... mid 40's for the low. Chilly, but the mummy bags can handle that. The last time we tried to camp with Benny, he didn't do so well with sleeping in the tent. Jen suggested that I include him in our "guys night" to see how he would do. I didn't think he'd like a mummy bag, so I put him in a kid-sized rectangular, in his footed fleece sleeper and a fleece hat, with an extra blanket over him. He slept solidly until about 5 AM, when he woke up toasty warm, but wanting Mama. I could have probably got him back to sleep, but he was making a rucus and I didn't want to wake the neighbors, so we all four just grabbed our pillows and went to the house for the last few hours of the morning.

It was one of those Saturdays when it was a good day to be a Dad!