The Kid

My wife's been away on business having left the very next morning after our vacation (which really sucks but it's our life). This has meant the kid an I have been spending a lot of time together. Although I shot this at the Carnegie Museum of Art while we were in Pittsburgh, it captures what I have to say about being with her. Being her father is the simply the most amazing thing I have ever done. Last night after dinner we spent a good bit of time outside. First we played tennis in the driveway, hitting balls off the closed garage door. She then scootered while I walked and we went to the playground at the schoolyard about 1/4 of mile from here. After that we watched a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, "Manos: The Hands of Fate" while she took a bath and I just relaxed. As I sent her off to school she was shuffling around like the crazed Torgo. She's just such a clown! I'm a very lucky man.

Isn't It Flat Out There?

It felt good to get back to some of my routine after having been gone. A good friend of mine lives about an hour northwest of me. He's a brand new father, doing the daddy daycare since he works at night. His Brown Belt test in BJJ is coming up soon so I have been going to his home training room to act as an "Uke." In other words, a practice dummy.

As I drove home I found myself winding along the ridges of the Driftless. I stopped to take this photo of Blue Mound State Park from the west. I cannot think of a better way to answer the common question I get when back in Pennsylvania, "Isn't it flat out there?"

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Trail Through the Clouds

With an elevation of around 2,700' (835m) the Laurel Summit rises like a wall running North-South. The clouds bunch along the ridge line, shrouding us in mist. The continuous sound of dripping water from the trees into the many standing, tannin stained pools tattoo out a rhythm. The soft, diffused light emphasizes the vibrant greens of the many mosses that cling to the trees and line the trail. They muffle our steps so we can hear the tiniest of birds as they flitter through the damp forest winds.

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Wolf Rocks

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Wolf Rocks in the Laurel Highlands is a locations we'd not been to in over a decade. The last time we hiked here we were just dating ​and the thrill of a new love must have clouded our memory of just how far of a hike it can be. We'd asked a ranger about the shortcut route, but ended up taking the longest way possible to get there. The most interesting thing about our journey together is that there were many times we discussed turning around and going back, but the thought of the possibility that it was "just around the bend" kept us going. The mysterious beauty of hiking through a flooded mountain ridge, breathing in the clouds and wondering where we where seemed to draw us closer. It's funny how such an innocent attempt at a romantic hike can pretty much sum up our marriage. Oh, and when we were ready to leave we easily found the shortcut trail!

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Saying Goodbye

As we drove away from my father's after our week long visit home and with at least 11 hours of driving in front of us I asked, "Who wants to see Slippery Rock Creek one last time?" Outvoted by the gals I realized I still held the steeling wheel in my hands, so a short side trip seemed like a good idea to me at least. The warmer water was throwing off hints of fog under the falls at the bridge, carrying with it all the smells of the forest. For nearly 40 years this has been where I'd go to just be "me." So many manifestations of myself have walked the shore, waded in the pools, and breathed in those fern scented smells. My soul is mottled dark green, gray and brown. It sounds of rolling water, drumming of rocks, echoes with cries of birds and smells of leaf litter, ferns and hemlock.

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Mi hitotsu to/ narite kunpū/ arishi kana

"Bereft of belongings
Yet blessed by the touch of the
Early summer breeze."


~Isao Sato

Early Spring is Here

Northern cardinal

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