Category Archives: Projects and Reflections

Risen from Its Ashes: Bastrop State Park

In 2011, a major wildfire consumed most of Bastrop State Park and Texas’s Lost Pines Forest. We checked out how it had recovered when staying there in our motorhome while visiting with our friend Doug. The trip also allowed me to check out a 150-600mm camera lens that I had rented to evaluate. It wasContinue reading “Risen from Its Ashes: Bastrop State Park”

The Ask

For several months, Samuel had been reflecting about where to propose to Kylie. Having been dating since high school, Samuel’s two and a half years at university in Colorado had cemented their love of mountains with Kylie’s visits to Samuel in Golden. Visiting Banff was already on our bucket lists, and a visit during Samuel’sContinue reading “The Ask”

Giving Bailey Away: Phase 1

I didn’t think “The Lying Can Finally Stop” was the best title for my daughter’s engagement story. While this phrase had been lurking in the back of my mind until Jett escorted his new fiancée into the party room, it was quickly overwhelmed by joy from seeing their ecstatic smiles while sharing the moment withContinue reading “Giving Bailey Away: Phase 1”

Knebford Circle

A neat line separates green grass and stacked oak leaves. The cluster of twenty deciduous trees defines the copse with green pine trees poking through the canopy but with indistinguishable trunks. An evergreen magnolia proudly stands separately, showing off its abundant foliage to the bare oak branches. The oaks know they’ll be clothed in greenContinue reading “Knebford Circle”

A PhD in Bible Exposition at Liberty University

TL;DR: I completed a master’s in theological studies and a PhD in Bible Exposition over four years at Liberty University. The post below outlines the timeline, shares my experiences, and makes some recommendations. I recently completed my PhD, and perhaps the lack of writing assignments has caused me to blog more! In this instance, IContinue reading “A PhD in Bible Exposition at Liberty University”

Organizing A High School Theatre’s Wardrobe – Part 2

It’s almost a year since I penned “part 1” of our journey organizing “The Warehouse” for our high school’s theatre department. Now that we have completed the project as best as we were able to, and learned some essential lessons, I am writing the follow up with reflections and lessons learned. If you are readingContinue reading “Organizing A High School Theatre’s Wardrobe – Part 2”

Samuel and Kylie’s Alaska Cruise

On this trip, I went on a cruise with Kylie and her family to Alaska on the Norwegian Bliss! Leaving port from Seattle and visiting the southeast portion of Alaska, such as Sitka, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan including a short stop in Canada. It was an 8 day cruise including the send offContinue reading “Samuel and Kylie’s Alaska Cruise”

Remembering D Day

On 6th June 1944 when I was cycling along the Bath Road, near Hounslow, with a big field of cabbages on my left, little did I realise that in the future that site would become Heathrow Airport. As I cycled, hundreds of aircraft, all towing gliders, flew overhead going southeastwards. Little did I realise thatContinue reading “Remembering D Day”

Organizing A High School Theatre’s Wardrobe – Part 1

In helping our son’s high school theatre company, Janet and I identified the need and challenge of organizing the costumes. Before starting the organization project, I researched online and found nothing close to a solution for our challenge, so I am writing this to help others. (Note that I wrote a follow-up blog about ourContinue reading “Organizing A High School Theatre’s Wardrobe – Part 1”

The Theatre Journey of a High School Graduate

Preparing to send one’s youngest child to college triggers an array of hopeful forward-looking expectations and pensive reflections. These converged when I wrote an introductory email about Samuel on the Class of 2027 Facebook page of the Colorado School of Mines where he will study Engineering. I proudly introduced Samuel, describing some of his hikingContinue reading “The Theatre Journey of a High School Graduate”

The Eagle Rock Loop in November 2022

The 27-mile Eagle Rock Loop (ERL) in the Ouachita National Forest in southwest Arkansas has been on my “list” for several years. At nearly 400 miles from Houston, it is our closest multi-day trail in hills. I was thrilled in early November when I suggested to Samuel that we do it over the Thanksgiving breakContinue reading “The Eagle Rock Loop in November 2022”

Coast to Coast Day 18: Grosmont to Robin Hood’s Bay

This is what we set out for when we left St. Bees. With the finish this close, my family’s primary focus was finishing. With what looked like being the longest day with plenty of climbs, we decided to leave early at 6am. Of course, it was very light, but everything was very peaceful. The initialContinue reading “Coast to Coast Day 18: Grosmont to Robin Hood’s Bay”

Coast to Coast Day 16+: Sunset Drone at the Lion Inn

I’d looked forward to capturing the sunset from the Lion Inn since before the trip started. I had done a recce flight with my DJI Mini 2 earlier which was part of the day’s post. This evening adventure deserves its own blog – not least because the day’s post was already published and I wantedContinue reading “Coast to Coast Day 16+: Sunset Drone at the Lion Inn”

Coast to Coast Day 1: St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge

It took us just over 7 hours to walk these 14.5 miles. The weather was kind, providing some beautiful views while also giving us a taste of how English rain can be cold and wet. The highlight for everyone was the walk along the cliff tops of St. Bees Head, looking out over the IrishContinue reading “Coast to Coast Day 1: St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge”

Barker Dam: Checking out my drone for our Coast to Coast trip

After our Grand Canyon trip of 5 days, it took me another 5 days to sort through the footage on my computer and post on Instagram, Relive, and this blog. That’s an issue for England where I want to post daily about each of our 10-15-mile days. In addition, I hope to get some greatContinue reading “Barker Dam: Checking out my drone for our Coast to Coast trip”

Grand Canyon Day 3 – From the Esplanade to the North Rim

The overnight wind had amplified the chilliness of the ~50 degF overnight temps. We’d chosen down blankets over sleeping bags to save weight, and I’d got a bit chilled a couple of times, but Samuel had been fine. The “5.4 degF per 1000 ft” rule seemed to be applying well. The day was bringing aContinue reading “Grand Canyon Day 3 – From the Esplanade to the North Rim”

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Grand Canyon Day 2 – Deer Creek and Night Hiking

The night had been filled with thousands of stars. The temperature had dropped from 80 degF when we felt asleep to a refreshing 60 degF when we woke, but the ground was still warm! We had both slept well and felt surprisingly refreshed. Our plan was just a 4.5-mile hike along the Colorado to DeerContinue reading “Grand Canyon Day 2 – Deer Creek and Night Hiking”

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Grand Canyon Day 1 – Bill Hall to the Colorado

Hiking from the North Rim to the river in a remote corner of the Grand Canyon National Park was a daunting prospect. We were packed with the lightest and least equipment that we could, and a new approach to food that I hoped would work. I found the best overview of the route at AllTrails.com,Continue reading “Grand Canyon Day 1 – Bill Hall to the Colorado”

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