My Monthly Posting

Actually, I hope that won't be true, but lately it has been. I will not bore you with excuses, instead how about the hiking report? February was a better month for me and I even managed to make up a bit for my slow start in January by coming in with 52 miles, bringing my year-t0-date total to a whooping 98 miles. Still a couple miles shy of what I need to average, but I'll make those up this month. Been on a weekly routine now of hiking with my friends Mike Wingfield and Jeff Maisey. We are in-training for a trip next month to hike Mt. Rogers in the western part of Virginia. Down here on the coast, we don't have many or any hills to climb, so in preparation for the mountain, have been hitting the stairs and once a week paying a visit to Mt. Trashmore to march some laps up and down that hill. My legs and lungs felt solid today and I know I'll be ready for Rogers.

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Good Morning Sunshine

This was breakfast the other morning. I was half asleep when I laid the plate out and didn't see face until I sat down, but when I did register it I had to laugh out loud. Good beginning to the day.

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The Hiking Report - 2007 Wrap Up and into the New Year

Yes, I am still hiking. If my blog were your only indication of what is going on in my life, then you'd think I was in a coma. Not true, not true, loads of stuff happening on this end of the glowing screen, I just have fallen out of the practice of relaying out into the many tubes that make up our fine internets system, what those events are.

2007 is shrinking fast in the rear view and all I can see are the road signs of the future up ahead with the present a purring blur moving too fast to get a proper bead on. Some of you, ok, maybe one or two might be wondering, "Did he do it? Did he actually reach the ambitious goal of 600 miles in 2007?". Yes, well, I'll tell'ya, it was close literally down to the wire with the final six miles falling beneath my boots on December 31st. I entered that month with 534 miles, leaving 66 miles between me and the goal and despite the short days and holiday distractions, I pulled it out.

So what of 2008? How many miles shall I try for? 600. Yep, not going to increase it for now, but not backing down either. 50 miles a month average works with my life and work style for now and in January I managed to clock in with 46 miles, so already a little behind, but the days are growing longer and I am in training for an April trip to hike Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia (5729) feet, so it won't take long to make that up.

Happy Trails,

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Happy New Year

...so, what can I say? Been a long time and I see from my stats that some folks are still carrying a torch, still hoping that I might find my way back to the keyboard and here I am. Much has happened in the last few months and part of why I haven't posted is I've felt overwhelmed by how much stuff I had to write about. Well, one step at a time. I don't know if I'll "catch-up", but I will try to pick back up on posting something. Here's the latest African Mask drawing I'm working on. It's nearly completed and I hope to finish it off before the ball drops tomorrow night and we roll into 2008.

This is from the Kra in Liberia, a small (4 inches) brass lost-wax casting.

Happy New Year!

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