Westmoreland Asays

If you had asked me yesterday what my chances of meeting the President of United States were, I would have laughed in your face. Ask me that same question today, and I would tell you to sit down, for I have a story to tell. But sometimes, it's best to step away from the words and let the picture explain the story.

Meg finally followed through on one of her threats: she took the kids and left me--for her parents' house, of all places. At least she let me drive them to the airport and say goodbye--none of this flee-in-the-middle-of-the-night crap. Of course I jest in my tone: Meg had planned this trip several months ago, and I will join her and the boys after spending a few weeks alone. Well, I still have my housemates, but they aren't much fun to me. I have been looking forward to this day for some time. Visions of projects I could accomplish, epic rides I could take on my bike, the literary blog entries I could whip out, and the freedom to do whatever I wanted flashed through my mind daily. Two years ago Meg left me for a week to visit friends and family in Utah, and I fondly remembered having what seemed the time of my life. If one week yielded that much awesomeness, how much could four weeks bring (so much it just might make my head explode!)? I don't know what has changed in t...

I'm not a big fan of cub/boys scouts, but as long as my children want to participate, I will support their desire and strive to make it as fun as possible for them. I drew the Thursday assignment of chaperoning the boys at the yearly day camp. Aaron had never been before, and I think his enjoyment far exceeded his expectations. My Thursday assignment proved ideal: the boys already knew the lay of the land, had forged relationships with the other boys that had been assigned to our group, and they knew the answers to all of my questions. It also helped that the my co-leader from the other group had been there all week and was great at directing everything. This left me to do what I do best: fade into the background so I can observe and lead from a distance. Our day included BB gun shooting, skit practice, obstacle course (of which I set the record for the day, but which the leaders denied announcing to the entire camp--I was robbed!), frisbee golf, and learning about Oregon an...

Continuing a tradition I started in 1999--the grandest of all years to date--I went on a hike. And for the first time in a while, we went as a family. We headed out early Wednesday morning before the sun and the crowds could beat us to Multnomah Falls. We hiked to the bridge, called it good, ran back for the car (but not before Meg got sidetracked and bought some fudge), and drove a few miles east to our true destination: Horetail/Oneonta Falls. The parking lot was already full when we arrived, but luckily there was still space available on the side of the road. Our goal was a three-mile hike that looped through the Oneonta Gorge, passing three different falls, one of which we could actually walk behind. Three-year old Ian showed his toughness by hiking the whole distance. I did have to coax him with lifesavers and oodles of fudge to keep his legs moving, but he did so all on his own, making this the first hike in memory where I didn't have to carry him some distance. I don...