Where in the world are Steadee & Deal??? That’s a good question. For the last two days, we’ve been in one place–my parents’ house in NJ. A record for us. We are actually staying here for the next 7 days. It’s a very good thing. We needed to catch our breath. Plus, we reunited with…
Goodbye Chicago. You have been good to us for the past 3 weeks, but it is time to move on. In Chicago, we played lots of games. Sadly, the boys dominated. Deal, who is the worst speller in the world, but best strategist, won every game of Scrabble. My BIL, Russ/Napolean Dynamite, won every game…
We have been off the AT for more than a week and you would think now that I have easy access to cell service and computers, I would be blogging more often. Clearly not the case. I’ve been so busy … doing practically nothing! Well, we did have the wedding, which was not just a…
We spent 3 wonderful zeros at my parents’ … Saw lots of friends and took care of all our bizness. Of course, the last 3 days were gorgeous … In the 70s, low humidity. Today, torrential downpouring. Thank you Mother Nature. Anywho, we are hitting the trail. I am not excited at all to hike…
Guess what we have been doing the last few days?? NOT HIKING!! I’m excited to tell you all that we are enjoying a few zeros at my parents’ house in NJ! We had this planned in our heads for a long time and actually, we haven’t taken a full day off since Hanover, NH, just…
Today we hiked into New York. This is our 6th state (out of 14)! Unbelievable! Connecticut was a good state to us. Similar to Mass, it was relatively flat. The climbs were steep, but the good thing is they are quick. Surprisingly nice vistas too! Overall, the trail is nice and friendly. Hopefully someday, we…
Today, we got trail magic. This time, though, it wasn’t from a stranger, but from our family! My sister QuickQuestion, brother-in-law Yankee, nephew Bones and niece Curly Locks picked us (including Fire Marshall – we have reunited!) up from the trail in Kent and took us home to shower, launder and eat home-cooked goods. It…
My mom turned 66 today!! However, she has the energy of a 46-year-old! Maybe it’s from all the coffee she drinks … I wanted to give her a shout out because she is always a very thoughtful and loving person, but she is especially important to us while we are on the trail. She is…
A few months ago, my dad suggested we (us, my parents, my sister’s family) take a vacation before J & I hit the trail. So we (I) planned it all out to coincide with the kids’ spring break and to take place up in the White Mountains of NH. My sister kept saying, “why can’t…
Before I get into the Christmas festivities, I have a BIG announcement to make. SILMeow and Napolean Dynamite FINALLY got engaged!!!!!!They have been dating for something like 15 years (okay, not really, but play along with me here). We all thought they were a good match, and they knew it too, but they chose to…
We’ve driven 670 miles so far, and this is what we’ve done. We packed up pretty much our whole house to take with us across the country. We even brought Mr. McKinley’s Christmas stocking with a new toy so he wouldn’t feel slighted that we left for the holidaze. The night before we left, the…
We spent the day (weekend) of Thanks with J’s family, including his grandma, who flew in from Cali, and SILMeow & Napolean Dynamite, who flew in from Chi-town. Lots of highlights to mention . . . I consumed approximately 29,635 calories this weekend. And didn’t exercise one bit.I succeeded at making 2 pies. I think…
We had a very important visitor this weekend, but before I get to her visit, I can’t keep the news in any longer. I won a game of Scrabble!!! (Did you think I was going to tell you I got a job?) I RARELY beat J at Scrabble, as in every 3 years or so.…
Three guesses where I was today? My sister and I met up in NYC on this rainy, yet humid, fall day. Growing up a stone’s throw from the city still means you can play tourist, which we try to do together every once in awhile. And we did what most NYC tourists would do. We…
Well, there was not ANY traffic this past Labor Day weekend on our drive to Jersey. Which forces me to ask, where all the people at??? But, no traffic=happy road trippers. The purpose of the trip … you guessed it. A concert. It looks like J’s all-time favorite band, From Good Homes, is semi-back together…
This weekend was a big ‘ol family reunion of sorts. Mostly with J’s sisters and significant others coming to New England and wreaking havoc. J’s sisters (SILAdventure & SILMeow) live in Denver and Chicago, respectively, so we don’t all get together often, aside from occasional holidays. So it’s nice to gather just for the hell…
For the third summer in a row, QuickQuestion, Yankee, Bones and Curly Locks made a vacation out of visiting us in New Hampshire. And we all survived for the third year in a row. Adults, kids and cat included. We jam-packed the weekend with fun and new things around the state! And because I know…
So it has been a week since my return form Colorado and it has been a busy one. My wife, “the blogger” has been bugging me to write a post so you all can understand the “Festival”! It was my sister’s (SILAdventure) 30th bday June 19th and I told her I would party with her…
My dad came out of surgery and is a-okay! I didn’t get to talk to him yet and I only talked to my mom briefly, but all went well so thanks for any good thoughts you sent our way. To lighten the mood, here is a picture of a “sit off” between Mr. McKinley and…
I think everyone knows that J loves Alaska. It’s in his top 3 (Me, Music & Alaska-in no particular order of course!). Part of the reason he married me was because I had family that live in Alaska. Last weekend while we were in Jersey for the awesome Indian wedding, so was my family from…