Arctic Camping

After a one-year break, David decided to re-join Cub Scouts (Webelos).  The Pack 10 Fall campout last weekend got things off to a fantastic (albeit somewhat chilly) start.  We camped in the Stokes National Forest in far northwestern New Jersey.  After we set up camp on Saturday, the pack leader took us on a strenuous 2 1/2 hour hike, the highlight of which was a good 500 feet of rocky climbing in about 1/2 mile to the top of Sunrise Mountain (elevation 1600ft).  After our return from the hike and during the subsequent enjoyment of dinner and the campfire, the temperature plummeted.  Overnight lows were in the mid-30s!  This is quite chilly to be sleeping outside.  But David and I bundled up in the tent and got a good night's sleep (or at least David did).  State of Nature veterans will recall that the last campout in which David and I participated treated us to 90-degree heat and humidity.  I suppose we could be referred to as "extreme" outdoorsmen (although perhaps Uncle Rob would view the conditions as moderate in both instances). 

The next day, the pack broke camp and drove to Bushkill Falls -- a series of eight falls often referred to as the "Niagara of Pennsylvania."  Some additional hiking, again strenuous at times, allowed us views of all eight waterfalls, and a variety of other breathtaking scenery.  It's amazing the things that can be just an hour's drive away that you had no idea were there.

Of course, I brought along my camera and got some nice shots -- enjoy!

Perfect Football Weekend

For all you football fans out there, it does not often get any better than this (with apologies to John):

Tulane 38 Rice 24

Florida 23 LSU 10

Saints 24 Tampa Bay 21

Paris Again

Well, I had business again in Europe last week.  As before, I spent time in both Zurich, Switzerland and Paris.  I'm still having trouble finding a decent meal in Zurich, just as I have been unable to find a bad one in Paris.  I had a little time for sightseeing in Paris, but not much.  The main thing I did was go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which was absolutely spectacular.  I won't bore you with all the pics, but I do have a few really good ones, including an "art shot" of the Eiffel Tower enveloped in fog. 

School Days!

Well, school has finally begun here in Mountain Lakes.  Contruction at the high school delayed the opening about 10 days for the entire system.  The school year did not start a moment too soon for Stephen.  He was as eager to go to kindergarten as any kid I've seen, and he has not been disappointed in his first week.  His teacher, Mrs. Hammer, has a happy, gentle matter that belies here name.  Stephen pointed out that in fact there is no hammer in the classroom, and that is just her name. 

Nina and David are settling in well to their new classes.  Since even I have trouble keeping track sometimes:  Nina is now in 5th grade, and David in 4th.  Matthew is having a little trouble understanding why he is not going to school as well, and seems somewhat nonplussed by the quiet house he is experiencing.  But he is keeping busy with a fun class at the Y a couple of times a week.

I took a few pictures of opening day, which are here for your viewing pleasure.

Vacation 2006 -- Part II

Part 2 of our vacation adventure was a week on the sunny, white beaches of Destin, Florida.  As always, the beaches were breathtaking.  The kids had great fun swimming and playing in the sand.  Matthew is a fish . . . the rougher the water the more he smiled and laughed going over the waves!  David showed a real aptitude for the frisbee, and enjoyed expeditions to the sandbar.  Stephen built sprawling sand forts and had a least as much fun, if not more, destroying them.  Nina put on her goggles and explored what seemed like acres of the Gulf of Mexico floor.  It was a fantastic week of R&R and time together with the family.  And, of course, I had my camera.  Hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Vacation 2006 -- Part I

Well, we've just returned from our 2006 vacation and I've decided to describe it in two separate posts on the website.  The first part of the trip was a three-day stay in Baton Rouge with Mamere and Pops.  After an uneventful day of travel from NJ to Baton Rouge we had an action-packed visit.  First, we brought the kids down to New Orleans for a day of fun.  We intentionally chose to stay in the areas of town that either weren't heavily damaged in Katrina or had recovered.  Because this was the kids' first real visit to N.O., and Lisa and I had not visited in several years, we elected to stick with things that would be fun for the kids, and would remind Lisa and me of all the good times we had in the city.  Highlights were a stroll through campus at Tulane, lunch at Cooter Browns (yes, I took my children to a bar), a visit to the N.O. Aquarium, shopping in the French Market, and beignets to go from Cafe du Monde on the way out of town. 

As you might expect we were exhausted after all that, but intrepid travelers that we are, we soldiered on the next day with a trip to downtown B.R. to explore the U.S.S. Kidd, a retired detroyer that is docked on the Mississippi River and open for tours.  My cousin Karen, her husband Jim and their kids Emily, Elliott and Erin drove down from Vicksburg to join us on the Kidd and for a visit to12669 Mollylea.   Then after a superb  dinner of crawfish etouffee prepared by Pops, we got a good night's sleep and took off the next morning for a week in Destin.  I'll cover that in the next post.

In the meantime, here are some of the better pictures of our trip to New Orleans.

Triathlon Season Finale

Here's a quick report on my last triathlon of the season, the New Jersey State Triathlon, which was held July 23, just outside of Princeton NJ.  It ended up being one of the best executed races I have had.  I had my fasted average speed ever on the bike -- 23.1mph -- and my fastest ever 10K run at the end of a triathlon -- 38:30.  This was good enough for 12th overall out of some 600 participants, but the top 6 in the event were all professionals, so I don't count them!  I could only manage 4th in the 40-44 age group, as this was the most competitive division at the race.  I held second position in the age group almost the entire way, until being passed in the final mile by two guys.  I didn't feel too bad about that, though, as these guys were in the process of running 35 and 36 minute 10Ks!

The results are here for you to peruse if you like, and this link has a nice array of pictures.

That does it for tris this year, and I'm now starting the process of training for my first ever marathon, which will be the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19.  Wish me luck and good health.