I am so fat...

After indulging myself for Thanksgiving, I have found myself heavier than I've been in years. I haven't been able to sustain a regimen of exercise or eating since I finished the MCM in 2012. But I have to now. I am exceeding my clothing. So I can't continue to slack. I'll come here and post daily to see if I can get my thoughts together. I'm like a Sisyphus who's rock has rolled all the way back down the mountain and landed on top of me.

Marathon of fun...

With this last campout, the marathon of summer fun is done. We started with a trip to Disney. Then an overnight backpacking trip for each boy. Then an overnight canoe camping trip for each. Then we camped at Monte Sano and visited Huntsville. Now finally we camped at Gulf State Park and played on the beach. I am very tired. Last night I hobbled off to bed to rest in my memory foam mattress. I had a bath for the first time this week. Showers just aren't the same. I still have a lot to do to clean up our equipment. I'll probably get started soon.

Sipsey River...

\

This past week, I made good on a promise to take Max and David down the Sipsey on an overnight campout in the canoe. Early last week, I started by using stripper to remove the duck hunting camoflage I added so many years ago to the outside of the canoe hull. It was down to the silver it originally was. Then I put together my supplies and did the research to figure out where we could put in and take out along the river. That Wednesday we drove up to Cullman and then on to the high point along Sipsey. CR 60 was where we would begin. I drove the van across the river and put the canoe and supplies in the low waters of the river. Max and I then bid David and Grammee farewell and started out. Despite the hardships I think Max did very well. He went through a stormy, rainy night and then a day of pouring rain on our way to CR33, where we would swap boys for the final leg. We were overdue to the exchange point and caused a little worry but we made it. With David onboard and Max safely in Grammee's care, we pressed on. From CR33 down, the campsites are a little less frequent. But we found a beautiful spot with a waterfall where David and I made camp. The final leg of the trip covered flat water with some headwind. It was quite a feat of endurance for me. After the workweek, then the work to prepare, then driving, then pulling the canoe down the lower water shoals of the creek and then straight on to hours of flatwater paddling, I think earned my "S".

Singularity

The AI singularity worry in a nutshell:

"The bad news is, robots can do your job now. The good news is, we're now hiring robot repair technicians. The worse news is, we're working on robot-fixing robots and we do not anticipate any further good news."

Graduation day May 2014

Today was the culmination of many years of work. Sara graduated from Troy University. Back in 2006 I found myself in a position where I blamed myself for the way things had turned out. I felt that I had failed them. I thought of all the things to lack talent in, parenting had to be the worst possible deficiency.

The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes, none remain.

  I heard this line from the movie of Memoirs of a Geisha. It captured the feeling almost perfectly.  My failure to inspire my children to an education and successful life left me with tremendous sadness. I lost hope. As we matriculated those

difficulties of 2010, things changed. There was no alternative. But the real credit goes to Maw Maw Ruth. When she died in July of 2010, it had a profound sobering effect which propelled Sara toward a better future. What I've done, I did for our family. The sacrifices, the patience, the expense have all been made for the sake of my Mom, Tom and Amanda, Bev, and of course, Sara. Mother loved Sara so very much and always believed in her and would have wanted me to do all I could for her.Tom and Amanda love her and I hoped we could see Sara succeed for their peace of mind. And of course Sara was so very dear to her Mom. Right now when I see the pride and satisfaction in their faces, it let's me know it was worth it.

Our little Sara has become the kind of person I had expected she would be and more. She will be a source of strength to David, Max, and Nikki. She will go forward with confidence and goodness.

Florida Bike Safari 2014

This year's Safari was dampened with rain on 3 of the days. Bev's ride over to Cherry Lake was marred with an episode where she overheated and had to get a ride for the last 5 miles. She had some good rides on the first 2 days. Tuesday's ride went well down to Madison but the weather caught us a little distance from the cabins and we endured a soaking. With the forecast calling for 2 days of thunderstorms, I elected to ride over to Live Oak and retrieve the van. I made most of the 50 mile trek with only a light rain but it finally caught me and I got soaked to the bone. Bev's bike parts finally showed their age and I have ordered all new components to build up her steed. But since then she's had some problems with breathing. Right now they're treating it like asthma so we will see how much benefit that protocol provides.

Getting things going...

Although I've felt pretty weak from my return to cycling, I've managed to drop 5 lbs so far this week. I got started back on Saturday with the scale at 230 and last night I was already at 225. Still a long way to go.