A little afraid but slightly stronger than some of my excuses

 

That doesn't sound like me.

Another towhee sighting

I finally saw my dream scooter from a decade ago.

Cross Training

Disorganized chaos

Dam!

I do love ska and I'm enjoying BMX again after 40 years away

Still loving the e-bike after 4 years

Kaiser

Schwinn Typhoon

It's good to be back. I hope you are well and better than your circumstances.

Thankful (with birds and turtles)

I returned to the office this week, but the office is now in a different place.

And this office has a park across the street.

Life is better with a park across the street.

I had lunch and snapped some pics today at the park.

Enjoy!

Lots of red-eared sliders

Not a bad day for a grackle bath

Stealth dove

Kingbird

The kingbirds showed up in town about three weeks ago. These cousins to the mockingbird are great fun to watch and they are amazing fliers. If you are lucky enough to see one chasing a flying insect, you are in for a show.

Recent rains brought a lot of trash up.

A male house finch

Lots of carp grazing newly flooded grass

It started and ended with a turtle.

May you be well and joyful and close to a place teeming with life.

This Year's Earth Day Post - Keeping it simple

Every year, I start planning a big, complicated Earth Day post. This year I had the same plan, but here it is Earth Day and I have not made the time for all the planning, research, curating, and composing. So, I will try distilling rather than complicating.

To celebrate Earth Day, first ask yourself a question:

Do I care enough about preserving the earth and the creatures (including but not limited to people) living on it to change my behavior?

Me in the early days

I started this journey years ago when I realized that operating most of my favorite things (gas-powered vehicles) caused an astounding amount of destruction and harm to something I dearly love - wildlife.

And I answered that question above and answered, "Yes!"

Then I looked at ways to stop and even try to reverse the damage I had been doing. That lead to a whole plethora of other similar discoveries:

• I consume (and throw away) way too much stuff.
• My diet (which was none-too-healthy for my body either) was contributing a lot more damage to the earth and life upon it.
• I also came to realize that this world is a gift from our Creator and that I had/have been trashing that gift rather than caring for and maintaining it.
• And that most of the destruction I was creating was in the name of my own lazy, selfish, convenience.

So, on this Earth Day, please ask yourself that same question. I pray that your answer leads you (and all of us) to a much healthier, happier life. For those of you who crave more distractions, I am including a simple video that had a big impact on me several years ago.

May you be well, and thank you for reading!

A few old friends and a new bird digs - Clapp Park, 16 March 2021

 I hopped on the Huffy for a short ride to the park this week. I'm thankful to see spring returning.

I rode around for a bit and stopped in the rose garden to do a little writing, but birds kept distracting me.

I've been seeing more cardinals over the last few years. This one was a nice surprise. He kept watching me closely. He had a mate, but she was much more camera shy.

I never tire of watching mockingbirds. This one was quite the character.

This one was a shock -  a bird I had to look up - spotted towhee. (Click the pic to see a short clip of it digging.)

Pic taken on Mar 12 - nothing but mud in the big pond.

It rained on the 13th.

May you find wonders no matter where you are.

Be well, friends, and leave each place better than you found it.

MIWB Rears its Ugly Head Again

It's been a month of crossroads.

In the past, a regular part of this blog was a pursuit of defining and working toward being the man I want to be. So it's time to go back to those roots.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I see this typewriter I found near a dumpster this week.

So, what do I want to do?

I want to be immersed in nature and bicycles. I want to be a writer whose life is a series of projects and experiments in better living for us and all the lives around us. I want to be a teacher who impacts lives for the better and constantly learns. What kind of career would that be?

Who do I want to be?

I want to be a man who loves and serves the Lord.

I want to be a man who adores, cares for, and supports my wife.

I want to be a man who is kind and care-filled toward all around him.

I want to be a passionate steward of God's natural creation.

And finally, I want to be a man who earns the trust, respect and affection of dogs.

Can anyone recommend a template for that resumé?

As always, thanks for reading and being a part of this journey!

PS. I also want to make videos like this one in my spare time. (What a slacker I aspire to be.)