Thanksgiving at St. Joseph

Well, technically we didn't have Thanksgiving this year at the new house. It would've been too difficult to do all the cooking at our current home and then transport the food to the new one. Not to mention plates, silverware, glassware, extra chairs, etc. But we did spend a good bit of time over there during the week. Mom and dad came up on Mon, and we put them to work. We had a list of things that dad was anxious to dive into. Mom helped Sonia with some pressing decisions regarding paint & carpet colors, window treatments, decorating idea$, and planning and cooking the all important Thursday meal! In preparation for the carpet, dad and I worked on the fireplace and put new slate down on the hearth area.
Sonia tackled the dining room with a daring choice of green. Early Thanksgiving day, dad & I were at it again, while some of the best cooks that I know took care of preparing the meal. We broke for a spectacular dinner. On Friday, Sonia's brother, Phil, and his wife & son came over from Springfield. Phil does custom cabinetry and countertops. He gave us some idea$ for upgrading the kitchen. At the end of the week, with mom & dad's help, we can mark the following off our list:
- Slate in front of fireplace.
- Heating ductwork patched.
- Water heater elements replaced.
- Ceiling fan in living room fixed.
- Light hung over stairwell.
- Dining room painted.
- Window shades purchased.
- Painting started in Jesse's room.
- Carpet order for living room and two bedrooms.
- Some equipment moved from old garage to new.

Updated pictures posted here.

A new journey - part 2

(Continued from part 1)

08/26/08 (+262 days) - We have an appointment with our Realtor tonight to put our house on the market. We've been working hard to get the house ready for pictures. You know, doing those small things that we've just lived with for years! Doesn't make sense, does it. On this same day, the company I've worked for for almost 5 yrs, WD Partners, has a "reduction in force". Their second one this year. This time it includes me, along with 20+ others! I'm devastated. They take my BlackBerry (okay, it was theirs, actually) before they see me to the door.

It feels like a longer than normal hour long commute, or so it seems. My head is spinning. I need to tell Sonia. Wait! I have no phone! I need to call a few contacts to get the job search rolling, but I have no phone. I'd like to call some friends to support, but no phone. It was just me and God.

God's timing is impeccable! Knows the "end from the beginning". We, in our finite minds, couldn't understand why there were so many negotiators, roadblocks, delays. Things were now slowly become clearer. What a predicament we would have been in had this moved ahead on "our" timetable.

08/27/08 (+263 days) - So, the job search begins. We're grieving the loss of the house. Sonia doesn't show it, but I know she is hurting. This house really did fit what she had always dreamed about. Our bank says that if I can find another job with comparable pay, we could still go forward with it. I'm cautiously optimistic.

09/05/08 (+272) - The bank assigns a new negotiator (#8!). Hey, they can take as long as they want now! :-) We haven't told them that I am unemployed. We'll wait until they are ready to move forward and hopefully by that time I'll have another job.

09/13/08 (+281) - Pretty bad storms roll thru. We loose some good sized limbs. Fortunately, no damage to our bridge or shed. But, now we have more work to do to get our house ready to sell. But, hey, I have no job, so I can work on clearing the yard!




09/21/08 (+288) - I get a call from a friend at 64 Metals. They are interested in talking with me about a position. They are located in St. Louisville, OH. I've heard of it, but not exactly sure where it is. I look it up on Google Maps. "A" is the house we've put an offer on. "B" is 64 Metals.


View Larger Map

Just amazing! After almost 20 yrs of driving to Columbus (~35 miles each way), here is a possible opportunity less than 2 miles from the house we wanted to buy! Doubt God? Are you kidding?!

09/23/08 (+290) - I have my interview with 64 Metals. It goes well. They are doing some great things, but realize to they need to begin bringing on more "professionals" to grow the business the way they want to. I'm humbled to be someone they consider one of these "professionals".

Sonia and I talk, and pray, about the decision. It is a cut in pay, so the new house is questionable. But getting a job is our first priority. And we're convinced more than ever of God's providential hand. So, "What? Me worry?" :-)

After some negotiation, I accept the position.

09/30/08 (+297) - I start my new job. Its a refreshing change of pace & people. I love the 15 min. commute! Sorta. My hour long commute each way, each day, was "my time". It was time for me to unwind (if traffic cooperated!). It was time to listen to books on CD, music, make phone calls, or just turn off the all the noise completely to just have time to think. I'll miss this.

10/01/08 (+298) - We contact our bank to discuss the new job and whether my adjusted pay will still work with the new house. Our Realtor says that the other bank said the still needed about 2 weeks. We've heard that before! :-)

10/06/08 (+304) - Our bank says that we can still make it work. We can't believe it!

10/10/08 (+307) - Our Realtor calls at 7:30pm. The other bank (on the west coast) just called her and said that they accepted our offer. Wait, can you repeat that?! Can someone pinch me? Only 172 days (almost 6 mos) since we made the offer, but who's counting?!


10/12/08 (+309) - We obviously decide to move forward with putting our house on the market.
Today is Sonia's 40th birthday. Not sure what that has to do with this whole story, but just wanted everyone to know! :-) 40 never looked better, though (IMO)!


11/07/08 (+335) - We closed on the house today. Wow! So, when I said "...we've bought a house! It sounds easy and straightforward, but it has been far from it", now you know what I meant! Over 11 months since our first look. Almost 7 months since our offer. "And now you know the rest of the story!"


That night, we were honored to have our first guests! (technically, others had visited the house before, but tonight it was officially ours!) There was a little contention regarding who was invited first, and who actually arrived first. The list of guests (in no particular order!) was: Kevin & Tanya Bergenthun with their daughters, Kayla & Kenna, Karl & Yvonne Lohr, and Eric & Kelly Wallace.

---

If you followed along thru this lengthy journey, thanks. Please stop by if you are in the Newark, Ohio area. I will continue to chronicle the journey ahead. I promise they won't be this long!

We've got some work to do. Bring your work clothes!

A new journey - part 1

I'm going to take a detour from the normal hiking posts for a while (as if I'm been really busy posting lately!), and allow you to journey with us on a new venture if you want. In short, we've bought a house! It sounds easy and straightforward, but it has been far from it. It's already been quite a journey up to this point. If you're interested, I've chronicled the path leading up to where we are now.

---

We've lived in our current house for almost 17 yrs. It has been a great place to raise the kids; wooded lot, creek, dead end street, tree house. But Sonia had been hinting at getting something different for a couple years. Always looking, but never serious. That was about to change.



12/08/07 - Sonia reads thru the Homes section of our paper, as she normally does on the weekends. Before I realize what has happened, she has contacted the Realtor and set up an appointment for later that day! Here we go! It was a "short sale". The previous owners had moved out and it was listed "as is". Oh boy! :-) It's well built, laid out nicely, but hasn't been taken care of.



12/09/07 (+1 days) - We go to see the house again. Since it's a "short sale", the seller's bank is wanting an offer by Wed (12/12/07). Yikes!

12/10/07 (+2 days) - I go out again, with a friend who was a building inspector. We love the house, but it just seems a little quick to make such a big decision. We back away reluctantly.

03/30/08 (+113 days) - Fast forward to Spring Break '08. We're driving home from our trip to South Carolina. Kids are asleep. We're making small talk, discussing the spring, plans for summer, etc. Sonia comments, "We shoulda bought that house." Oh well. But we began discussing what we would like to look for in a home. Sonia wanted a house that was laid out better for entertaining (she is a wonderful host!), with a little more space (perhaps for grand-kids someday?). We also have to consider caring for our aging parents. The unavoidable steps in our current house just weren't suitable. She also mentioned that it would be nice to get something that had not been taken care of; one she could go into and put her magic touch on. Hmmm. Sounds like the one that "got away"! We decide to make it a matter of prayer.

04/14/08 (+128) - Sonia drops Jesse off for a Young Life meeting that happens to be "in the area". She decides to see if anyone has moved in yet. As her headlights rounded the corner, she catches a glimpse of the For Sale sign. It's still for sale!

04/21/08 (+135) - We contact the realtor, Debbie Northrop, again and take another look. This time, with less deadline pressure, we decide to make an offer. Realtor says we should hear something within 2 wks. We're excited.

04/27/08 (+141) - The bank decides they want another appraisal, and assigns the case a new negotiator. It will take about 3 wks for the negotiator to review the case and respond.

05/30/08 (+174) - The realtor tells us that the bank has assigned another negotiator (#3!). You guessed it; another 3 wks. It is frustrating, but we continue to leave the process in God's hands, knowing that His timing is not always our timing! This will become quite evident in a couple months.

07/07/08 (+212) - The realtor tells us that the bank has assigned another negotiator (#4!). Yes, it was another negotiator. Yep! Another 3 wks.

07/15/08 (+220) - There is another offer made on the house. Uh-oh. And, we find out that the house us scheduled for Sheriff's Sale on Sept 12th!

07/16/08 (+221) - Another negotiator (#5!). Another 3 wks! It has now been almost 3 months since our offer. We're learning patience the hard way! Maybe the only way, actually; through uncontrollable delay. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Cooperate with the inevitable".

07/24/08 (+229) - The other offer is withdrawn for lack of funding. Whew! But the bank declines our offer.

07/29/08 (+234) - We decide to counter.

07/31/08 (+236) - Let's see. We haven't had a new negotiator for a few weeks. Never fear! Negotiator #6 is assigned! But this one starts off the process by asking for a "payoff letter" from the mortgage company. This is a good sign, actually.

08/08/08 (+244) - Another negotiator (#7)! Another 3 wks. We're learning that "short sale" doesn't short time!

08/22/08 (+258) - We feel we are getting close, so we set a date for the realtor to come by and begin the paperwork for listing our house. The date we pick is Tues, 08/26. We're finally making progress. Or so we think...

Read on...

A "new" twist on hiking - heli-hiking!

One a recent business trip, I saw a short article about a new sport: Heli-hiking! In a nutshell, you got ported via chopper to some obscure location and get to hike out. Hopefully! :-)

I called it a "new" sport. Well, if you ever think you've heard (or thought) of something new, just go to Google to be humbled! My Google search for "heli-hiking" returned 163,000 hits! Okay, so it is new to me.

The one I read about on the plane was by a company called Canadian Mountain Holidays. They've been around for 40 years. So much for "new"! They offer other heli-sports; heli-skiing & heli-snowboarding. Pricing ranges from about $1700 to $4400. I'm sure the sights are spectacular, as a quick search on Flickr can attest.

You can also do some heli-hiking in the Rockies and at the Grand Canyon.

Maybe someday. Meanwhile, I stick to hikes I can drive to! Gas prices are bad, but I can drive to a lot of nice hiking spots for $1700!

Happy hiking (or heli-hiking)!

Dad's Walking Stick

While writing the recent post about my hiking stick, I was reminded of one that my dad had years ago. I found out soon after that he still had it! I asked him to bring it on their next visit, which was this past week. I'm honored to have a guest blogger for this post, my dad. Enjoy.

My Vine Twisted Walking Hiking Stick Cane
By Arnold Lindner

“Words dissemble, Words be quick, Words resemble walking sticks.”
An American Prayer – Jim Morrison

In the early seventies, we rented a tenant house on a large farm in central Virginia. This is probably where I found and grew fond of my twisted walking stick. At that time, I was agile and was not in need of the steady support that I now need in hiking or walking on uneven trails. However, thru the years this tool has been my companion on many hikes, most of which were with church youth groups that I led. I have no idea what species of tree it is from. But, what I do know is that sometime in it’s early life, this vine grew around it in a spiral climbing pattern, eventually snuffing the life out of the tree.

My walking stick is twisted at each end and straightens itself out in the middle. This is sort of like my life. During my early years my mother died leaving me with a twisted beginning. Fortunately for me, I found a wonderful wife who has helped me straighten out some of the twist that came during those formative years.

The fact is I just like the feel of a walking stick in my hand. I don't actually lean on it like a cane (not yet, at least), but I find that swinging it lightly, touching down every few steps, gives a light assist to my balance and helps me keep a nice rhythm to my walk. "A hiking stick helps make the miles glide by," wrote Robert Birkby in Boys Life magazine. "It swings comfortably in your hand, offering balance and a rhythm to your gait."

For me, it's not a matter of using hiking poles as a "popular" or "fashionable" thing, it is just common sense. This walking stick has given me balance as I trekked the trails. In the Psalms, King David referred to the walking stick in the 23rd Psalm as a support through the valley of death. Like David, I have found stability and balance by relying on the scriptures of God’s word. Without which it would be easy to loose ones balance and perhaps not move in a straight line. Ross McCague writes, “Death haunts and curses lay. I only ask to emerge before it is too late, The bony stick holding up my tattered fate.” One can only speculate how old age will also add some twist at the end of my life.

A Nearby Hike

I decided to enjoy my lunch outdoors the other day. While out there, a co-worker came walking by. He had just walked over to visit his parents, who live across the street (Post Rd.) from our office. I commented about the wooded area next to their property. "Oh yeah! It's a great place. We used to sled down that hill over there!" He then gave me a tour of his childhood stomping grounds.

"Indian Run creek", a tributary to the Scioto River, meanders alongside of Post Rd. Sheltered from the road by a line of trees, the banks of Indian Run are marked with Cypress trees (the Baldcypress, I believe) and "their distinctive knees" are visible along its banks. I will certainly be revisiting this area again with my camera soon. Stay tuned...

The name "Indian Run" is quite commonly used in the city of Dublin (schools, parks, churches, etc.). And Dublin has a number of parks, some with hiking trails, that I'll have to spend some future lunches exploring. Indian Run Falls looks like a must-see as well.

Disclaimer: Duration of lunch "hours" subject to change without notice during future visits to these locations.

Hiking stick

It's been too busy to hike, although the Ohio weather is finally more suitable. Hope we can get back out again soon. Until then...
You may have noticed a walking stick that appears in some of the Rock Dam Trail photos.




I found it a couple years ago on a previous Spring Break trip to South Carolina. It was a neat branch, shaped by a vine that had once grown around it. I started carving on it during that trip and have continued to carve on it off and on since then. Over the years, I've worked on a few different ones. The carvings aren't particularly elaborate, but it relaxing to do on camping trips.





This year, during our visit to Mistletoe State Park, I noticed that they were selling hiking sticks at the Ranger's office. I was surprised to also find that they were selling hiking stick "medallions" for their park.

As I later found out, these medallions are common among hikers. HikeAmerica carries a good selection, as does Northwest Territorial Mint. Makes me wanna go hiking more!

Walking/hiking sticks/staffs/poles are a part of many a hiker's gear. It really does help, but some die-hard hikers snub them while other hikers use two at a time! Also known as "trekking poles", there is quite a range of types. They range from handmade & free (relatively), nice & affordable, elaborate & pricey (but beautiful), and high-tech & high-priced. Just pick your price range. I did! :-)

There is even a cool challenge, sponsored by Hiking Upward (neat site!) where you can go on a hike and find one for free! They "plant" one on various trails in Virgina & West Virginia with longitude/latitude about it's location for anyone to find. Finder's are expected to report it so Hiking Upward can update their list. It's a neat idea. Makes me wanna go hiking more (again)!

Hoping to use my hiking stick again soon!

Spring Break - Rock Dam Hike

Wednesday after breakfast, Sonia & I headed for Rock Dam Trail, the parks longest trail at 6.75 mi. To get to Rock Dam Trail, it required taking Cliatt Creek Loop, a 3.75 mi trail. The trail descended gradually, winding alongside dried creek beds, until we reached Cliatt Creek.

Sonia & I learned a few things about hiking over Spring Break. I mentioned in an earlier post about "blaze", the markings to help keep you on the trail. We also learned what the phrase "stream crossings" meant. The Rock Dam trail map listed that the trail had 4 stream crossings. I mistakenly assume this was just a rustic way of saying there were four bridges. It means what it says. If there had been a bridge at each of these "crossings", they would not have been mentioned at all. They were literally stream crossings! Fortunately, we were able to either find a log or some strategically placed rocks to make the crossings dry.

Rock Dam Trail had a variety of trail conditions, rocks, (relatively) deep gorges, open areas, plenty of trees. One section in particular was lined with tall, young pines. The bed of the trail was so thick with pine needles, it felt like we were walking on carpet.




We finally reached Rock Dam and took a break, soaking in the scenery. The water levels in that region were very low. I can only imagine what this would look like with normal water flow. But, then we'd have probably gotten our feet wet at the "stream crossings" for sure!

After a short snack, we made the return trip. We crossed Cliatt Creek again and picked up the return loop of that trail. The entire hike, which was our longest so far this year, took about 3 hrs.

More pictures are available here!

Spring Break - Mistletoe State Park

Monday, we took off to Mistletoe State Park. It was about an hour and a half drive past into the edge of Georgia. We drove past acres of blossuming peach orchards, rows of large pecan trees, amazing southern-style homes with huge front porches and large columns, and, yes, even with rusted cars in the yard!

When we arrived, we sent the kids out to gather wood for a campfire while the adults unpacked and "set up camp".

Afterward, Sonia, her mom and I hit the nearby 1.5 mile "Loop Trail". All the trails in the park were well marked with blaze (trail markers either painted directly on the tree or nailed to tree to help indicate which trail you are on). Part of the Loop Trail (white blaze) joins the Beach Trail (yellow blaze) indicated by both colors on the trees (see picture below). The "Carolina Jasmine" was in full bloom along the trail.

Tuesday morning, Jesse & I got up early to catch the sunrise over Clarks Hill lake. It was chilly but worth it.

The rest of the day consisted of fishing (not necessarily catching), enjoying the water and sunshine.

That evening, Jesse and I headed off across the park to catch the sunset.

More pictures are available here!

Spring Break - part 1

We kicked off Spring Break with a 10 hr drive to the in-laws in Batesburg-Leesville, SC. Uneventful for the most part. After arriving, the girls decided to work off some stir-crazy from the trip and "take a hike". Jesse snapped these shots along the way.

Saturday was a relaxing day, just thawing out, catching some sun. Travis & I ended the day helping my father-in-law, Roger, and some men from the Hulon Baptist Church get ready for the Easter breakfast the next morning. For over 40 yrs, the men of the Hulon Baptist church have made this breakfast for the community. Travis & I were tasked with cracking egss, all 200 of them! Sunday started with a Sunrise Service followed by the Easter breakfast. It consisted of scrambled eggs (skillfully cracked), locally-made bacon (amazing), onion sausage (different), biscuits (bought; none of the men knew how to make 'em!), and grits (or "gree-ats", as they say down here)! The kids decided to pass on the grits! :-)

Here's the "extended family" shot, with Emily and Lea. Happy Easter!

Spring Break hiking...

Jesse is off school for Spring Break right after Easter, so we are off to warming weather. And new hiking trails! We will spend a couple days with our in-laws (who live in South Carolina) at Mistletoe State Park in northern Georgia.

BTW, Travis is home from Air Force Basic Training, so he will have a chance to go along too! We're excited. We weren't sure if he would be able to go, so Jesse had already invited a friend, Emily. And Travis has decided to bring along his girlfriend, Lea. It will be a loaded van, and loads of fun.

Stay tuned for riveting play-by-play updates. Oh, wait, I'll be at a State Park, so:

• chances for taking breathtaking pictures: high
• my ability to actually take breathtaking pictures: average
• taking time to "blog" from Mistletoe Cottage #8 on Clarks Hill Lake: average
  
• chances of even finding a wireless signal in order to blog: low
• chances of me wanting to get on my laptop: average (depending on the signal strength)
• chances my wife will let me get on my laptop: low (regardless of signal strength!)

Night Hike

Last night, Sonia & I went on the "Night Hike" at Dawes Arboretum. We were accompanied by our friends Bob & Linda Zaborski. On the way there, we joked about not having brought flashlights, but our guide informed us that were supposed to use our "night eyes" and other senses for the hike. Our eyes did adjust. The snow helped reflect some of the light night sky. Since I didn't want to disturb our "night eyes" by using a flash, I was somewhat limited in taking pictures. I was able to use the crusty snow as a make-shift tripod to capture some shots.

For most of the hike, it was overcast but the moon did show up while we were hearing about a 200 yr old Black Maple. While there, the guides had some of the hikers make a ring around the tree to "see how big it was". It was a little too close to tree-hugging for Bob, who couldn't help but start humming "Colors of the Wind" in honor of Grandmother Willow from Disney's "Pocahontas". That's Bob, Linda & Sonia on the far right below, from right to left. Trust me. :-) Along the "Maple Trail", many of the maple trees were tapped for gathering sap for syrup. This "Spring House" was located near the "Sugar shack" where they will boil the sap into syrup during Dawe's Maple Syrup Madness in early March. At the end of the tour, the guide commented about the "order and predictability in nature". For me, nature has God's fingerprints all over it. While we appreciate the "creation", we must not ignore it's creator.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Romans 1:20-21

At the end of the trek, we shocked our eyes back to normal by capturing this shot of the four of us. We thawed out at the local Tim Horton's. Thanks, Bob & Linda, for an enjoyable evening.

Fisherman's Wharf

After a week's worth of Board meetings, we decided to reward ourselves with a venture into downtown San Francisco, to Fisherman's Wharf. The "crab stands" along Jefferson Street with the smell of their freshly prepared seafood were amazing.

We enjoyed a meal at Nonna Rose's Seafood Trattoria (lower left, below). Very tasty.

On the return trip, we had to stop by the bridge one more time to get some night shots. The hike up to the Battery Spencer was tricky since there were no lights, and the entire trail was in the shadow of the hill. Once at the top, the lights of the bridge helped to light the area. Cell phones had to suffice for make-shift flashlights!

More pix...