Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Restricting calories means you live longer
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/10/31/health/20061031_AGING_GRAPHIC.html
Monday, October 16, 2006
I love Camp Luther
tamara got a weekend cabin rental at Camp Luther for my birthday. Wow, what a thoughtful gift.
The weekend was awesome. We went for a quick walk to Five Pines before dark on Fri night. Then spent the rest with a fire at the cabin and played games with Max. It snowed on Friday night a bit more and Sat am we woke up to another inch of snow on top of the couple they had the past few days. The woods was beautiful and peaceful. No other folks were at a cabin, just us. It was a different feel than any other time I was there. We went with a sled down the tube runs.... got full of snow. Max was the smart one since he didn't want to go. It was pretty steep. We did throw snowballs though and Max climbed up with me to the treehouses. He also like the Ark.
Dad and Judy stayed on Sat and we walked some more in the woods and had fun. On Sun am we made it just in time to the guitar church service. It was us and a few counselors and a few left over kids from the weekend retreat. Very nice. "'Bullfrogs and Butterflies', We've both been born again" is a song we sang and that sums it up. :)
I discovered the x-country ski trails on the far end of camp. Looked to be some logging roads converted. Those trails and the managed forest were so nice. It was slightly white and wonderful. Stunning to be honest. Some very nice older growth red pines and a few birches and white pine. Some conifers. And everything was thinned very well. I saw 8 deer 3 different times along with countless other tracks. Some bear tracks I'm sure, too.
A very peaceful and wonderful weekend! I'm getting on the list to get another weekend. Maybe early Sept or late May. This place exists for me to know God exisits.
The weekend was awesome. We went for a quick walk to Five Pines before dark on Fri night. Then spent the rest with a fire at the cabin and played games with Max. It snowed on Friday night a bit more and Sat am we woke up to another inch of snow on top of the couple they had the past few days. The woods was beautiful and peaceful. No other folks were at a cabin, just us. It was a different feel than any other time I was there. We went with a sled down the tube runs.... got full of snow. Max was the smart one since he didn't want to go. It was pretty steep. We did throw snowballs though and Max climbed up with me to the treehouses. He also like the Ark.
Dad and Judy stayed on Sat and we walked some more in the woods and had fun. On Sun am we made it just in time to the guitar church service. It was us and a few counselors and a few left over kids from the weekend retreat. Very nice. "'Bullfrogs and Butterflies', We've both been born again" is a song we sang and that sums it up. :)
I discovered the x-country ski trails on the far end of camp. Looked to be some logging roads converted. Those trails and the managed forest were so nice. It was slightly white and wonderful. Stunning to be honest. Some very nice older growth red pines and a few birches and white pine. Some conifers. And everything was thinned very well. I saw 8 deer 3 different times along with countless other tracks. Some bear tracks I'm sure, too.
A very peaceful and wonderful weekend! I'm getting on the list to get another weekend. Maybe early Sept or late May. This place exists for me to know God exisits.
Monday, October 02, 2006
What a day
I had one of the nicest days ever yesterday...
Started at 5am with duck hunting day 2. Day 1 starts at 9am and it was nice as well, but by the sounds of it, day 2 at dawn is a real _blast_. And was it ever. :)
Had gone out the night before with Steve and cousin Scott. Scott is a real party animal and it was an interesting time. I was driving so drank water at end of night and was fine in the morning. Steve was trashed and puked and had a rough morning.
But for my starting at 5am and getting into 'Oxcamp' before sun up was awesome. Got the decoys out and got to the blind as it started to get light. I bit of haze lifting off the water with the temp about 40. It was beautiful.
Then I heard a shot in the distance and another and I knew we would be starting soon. I heard Scott across the slew shoot and then Butch/Steve. And a few targets in the mist were moving around the lake. Nothing close enough to shoot yet. A few more minutes and a 'bill' was low moving right to left in front of Doug and I. He shot and I shot a split second later and splash, got him. Not sure if it was him or me, but I think it was me. Doug tells the duck: "Welcome to Oxcamp". I had led that one a little more than the ones I shot at on day 1. I think I might be getting it, I told myself. Wow it was cool. Then more birds. And like Scott said the night before... it will be 'fast and furious'. Yep.
A bit later, a couple more bills sat down right in front of us. We whispered, I got the one on the right, I got the one on the left. Aimed, pulled the trigger. 15 yards or so, mine was dead meat. Dougs was crippled and got finished off across the 'draw' and got shot by Butch and Steve.
A few minutes later, the moment.... 2 bills were coming at us from the main part of the lake, they ended up flying by me left to high about 45 degrees high and 20 yards. First one, aimed and led it a little, pulled the trigger and down it went. Tried another shot at duck 2 and missed, but wow, was that great. I had nailed 3 of the last birds I shot at and now I think I get it.
Things slowed down a bit after that, but a great thing was seeing 2 geese fly over head and Butch calling them and they turning and thinking about landing. They circled twice and were directly over me. I don't think they were that high either. 25 yards maybe. But Doug didn't shoot at them so I didn't either. We were thinking that they were going to land. They came lower into the Draw, but didn't land and then took off. They were looking for those decoys that weren't there I think. I was beautiful to watch them circle and try and stay hidden.
Duck hunting... can't believe I waited this long. I love it.
My neck hurts a little today... Time to buy a gun :)
And that was just the first few hours of the day. Then finished up and had a beer in the woods and made it back to the Butch's... Max asked how I did and I told him I got some ducks. Day is now sunny and 55 and looking great. Max and I played some football. We picked a 5 gallon pail of apples for applesauce. Then ate lunch with grandma and grandpa and headed for home. [ Tamara was on her way to MSP and then to CO for work].
Kept Max awake and stopped quickly at Menard's in Brainard and then headed to Mille Lacs. It was 70 by now and we saw a bunch of sail-boarders in Garrison so we stopped. Watched them and played in the sand picking flat skipping rocks to save and it was so nice out. Knew I wanted to check out the 'sand beach' on the north shore because the day was perfect for it. Drove there and a dozen folks on surfboards with kites were hanging in the wind. The sand bar there is un-believable. 20 kites total and some bikers and folks hanging around watching. I was great. Max and I played in the sand for a while and then Max took off his shoes and socks and ran barefeet into the water. Got his long pants wet at the bottom and then more and more wet. Then we was laying in the water. He was having a great time playing. Finally got him dry with new clothes and we sat in the back of the Aztek tailgate in the sun looking over the water in the sun. 75 degrees and windy so it was perfect. We were at that sand beach for 90 minutes before we finally headed home.
Max napped and so did I on the way home... :) So now it's me and Max for the week. I can't wait!
Started at 5am with duck hunting day 2. Day 1 starts at 9am and it was nice as well, but by the sounds of it, day 2 at dawn is a real _blast_. And was it ever. :)
Had gone out the night before with Steve and cousin Scott. Scott is a real party animal and it was an interesting time. I was driving so drank water at end of night and was fine in the morning. Steve was trashed and puked and had a rough morning.
But for my starting at 5am and getting into 'Oxcamp' before sun up was awesome. Got the decoys out and got to the blind as it started to get light. I bit of haze lifting off the water with the temp about 40. It was beautiful.
Then I heard a shot in the distance and another and I knew we would be starting soon. I heard Scott across the slew shoot and then Butch/Steve. And a few targets in the mist were moving around the lake. Nothing close enough to shoot yet. A few more minutes and a 'bill' was low moving right to left in front of Doug and I. He shot and I shot a split second later and splash, got him. Not sure if it was him or me, but I think it was me. Doug tells the duck: "Welcome to Oxcamp". I had led that one a little more than the ones I shot at on day 1. I think I might be getting it, I told myself. Wow it was cool. Then more birds. And like Scott said the night before... it will be 'fast and furious'. Yep.
A bit later, a couple more bills sat down right in front of us. We whispered, I got the one on the right, I got the one on the left. Aimed, pulled the trigger. 15 yards or so, mine was dead meat. Dougs was crippled and got finished off across the 'draw' and got shot by Butch and Steve.
A few minutes later, the moment.... 2 bills were coming at us from the main part of the lake, they ended up flying by me left to high about 45 degrees high and 20 yards. First one, aimed and led it a little, pulled the trigger and down it went. Tried another shot at duck 2 and missed, but wow, was that great. I had nailed 3 of the last birds I shot at and now I think I get it.
Things slowed down a bit after that, but a great thing was seeing 2 geese fly over head and Butch calling them and they turning and thinking about landing. They circled twice and were directly over me. I don't think they were that high either. 25 yards maybe. But Doug didn't shoot at them so I didn't either. We were thinking that they were going to land. They came lower into the Draw, but didn't land and then took off. They were looking for those decoys that weren't there I think. I was beautiful to watch them circle and try and stay hidden.
Duck hunting... can't believe I waited this long. I love it.
My neck hurts a little today... Time to buy a gun :)
And that was just the first few hours of the day. Then finished up and had a beer in the woods and made it back to the Butch's... Max asked how I did and I told him I got some ducks. Day is now sunny and 55 and looking great. Max and I played some football. We picked a 5 gallon pail of apples for applesauce. Then ate lunch with grandma and grandpa and headed for home. [ Tamara was on her way to MSP and then to CO for work].
Kept Max awake and stopped quickly at Menard's in Brainard and then headed to Mille Lacs. It was 70 by now and we saw a bunch of sail-boarders in Garrison so we stopped. Watched them and played in the sand picking flat skipping rocks to save and it was so nice out. Knew I wanted to check out the 'sand beach' on the north shore because the day was perfect for it. Drove there and a dozen folks on surfboards with kites were hanging in the wind. The sand bar there is un-believable. 20 kites total and some bikers and folks hanging around watching. I was great. Max and I played in the sand for a while and then Max took off his shoes and socks and ran barefeet into the water. Got his long pants wet at the bottom and then more and more wet. Then we was laying in the water. He was having a great time playing. Finally got him dry with new clothes and we sat in the back of the Aztek tailgate in the sun looking over the water in the sun. 75 degrees and windy so it was perfect. We were at that sand beach for 90 minutes before we finally headed home.
Max napped and so did I on the way home... :) So now it's me and Max for the week. I can't wait!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)