Bull Run Mountain

Last weekend we took a hike up Bull Run mountain to check out the amazing fall color this year (cold snap really brought out the color!). The park is about 15 minutes from our house yet this was our first trip! It was a lot of fun, though we ended up with both boys in backpacks for most of the hike.

Memorial Day Weekend

This memorial day we went fishing....  Seems like we have been doing a lot of fishing lately!  It was a great trip, with Maranda outfishing me quite effortlessly.  We caught a total of 23 keeper size crappie, 8 bluegill, and 1 perch.  Kieran did a masterful job of fighting the perch, bluegill, and several crappie.  Maranda could be considered a show off after she hooked four crappie in under three minutes.  We were also accompanied by our friend Bruce from a church we have been joining fellowship with.  It was a fun time to swap tales and he kept the boys entertained while I ran to retrieve Maranda's frequent fish.

Here is Kieran proudly showing off our catch

A trophy bluegill

Our friend Bruce with Tristan

Weekend Fishing

Friday evening Maranda caught a nice red eared sunfish (Shell Cracker), about 3/4 pound.

Saturday I tried out my new spot and caught and released a wopper large mouth bass.  She was in full spawn, estimating she weighed 5 pounds!  Check out her fat belly. 

Physicality

I have been pondering recently how important the physical world is to our health, both "physically" and emotionally.  In a world where we are increasingly detached from the physical, this need seems to be growing in intensity.  For instance, buying a head of iceberg at the store is a far cry from raising a bed of lettuce, cultivating the soil, fighting the insect and weed populations, etc.  While both examples are physical, they are quite different in degree.

In our busy, Web 2.0 world there has been a reduction in physical interaction.  This has been a huge advantage in situations where physical interaction is impossible (like our family back West), but I wonder if it actually harms my relationships where it might replace the need for physical interaction.  For instance, I might see someone briefly on the weekend, but instead of spending time conversing in person, I might just confirm that I "read your blog this week," with a knowing nod, a reassuring glance, and then I am on my way.

A wise person recently likened experiencing life electronically as "pornographic" in nature.  In the sense that "real" life for this person is always NOW, always PHYSICAL, and necessarily always PRESENT.  This person is someone I hold in high esteem, both for their wisdom, but more importantly for their authentic life.  I should clarify that this person was not denigrating the internet, computers, blogging, facebook, etc.  Rather, they were making the point that whenever it replaces the REAL THING, it has become a way to meet a human need in an unhealthy manner (hence the pornographic metaphor).  I think there is truth in this.  

Certainly for me a big part of my discontent in life stems from a sense of detachment, a lack of meaning in life.  Some of my greatest joys of late have come from getting my hands dirty in the garden, working on an engine, taking pictures with a camera, or just hanging out with friends.  I honestly can't remember the last time I experienced a lot of "joy" sitting in front of a computer.

It seems to be a fact of human history that people used their bodies in far greater degrees than today.  People had to do things MANUALLY all the time, whether harvesting vegetables, washing clothes, or even walking to the neighbors.  Today it seems that the "white collar" professional is rarely forced to use their body out of necessity (hence 2/3 of Americans are overweight) .  Even the working class are mostly running machines these days, not actually crafting or building something with their own hands.  I think a great deal of unhappiness comes from a life that treats the body as a holding place for our brain.  Our grey matter does all the work, and the body simply serves to facilitate its needs. 

As enchanted as my generation is with novelty and technology, I am certain that there will never be Physicality 2.0.  We are stuck with hands and feet, dirt and trees, and a physical world that we were once far more a part of.  It is no wonder that I hear that there has been a recent trend of young folks abandoning their high paying jobs in the city and looking for life in a more rural setting.  That doesn't mean you can't live a physical life in an urban setting, but I am finding you have to be even more intentional in order to achieve this.  I find it much easier to read someones blog than to try and meet them for coffee, yet I wonder how much life I am missing when I choose that option. 

Upside Down

I have been thinking a little today about my life. Spurred by a Lenten challenge from friends in our church community, I have been thinking about how upside down my life really is.

For instance, my values tend to be: Family, Friends, Helping Others, Spiritual Seeking (not in any order).

Yet my time allotment tends to be: Job, Personal Interests, Family. These days I have little time for friends, helping others, and spiritual seeking, and even Family is subordinated to my Job and my personal interests.

The vicious cycle seems to be something like this: I work a demanding job in order to pay for things that really don't directly address my values (my values are actually pretty cheap to engage when I really think about it), the resulting emptiness of not living a life I "value," drives me to personal interests to try and maintain my sanity, many of these hobbies cost money, which feeds back into the perceived necessity of a high paying, full-time job in order to maintain happiness.

I know people whose values and time commitment are better aligned than mine (at least I suspect so), yet I struggle to see a good way forward to get out of this damn cycle. I never wanted to be the busy suburban Dad with a boring but well paying job and a neatly groomed lawn, but it seems that before I turned around I have ended up there (well, except for the lawn, it is in terrible shape!). So what the hell happened?

First Couple Minutes of Christmas Morning

Here is a video clip of the first couple minutes of Christmas morning showing Kieran discovering and then opening his stocking.




And here is Kieran unwrapping the "big" present, which he exclaims "I hope it is a rocket, I always wanted a rocket" during the clip.

Welcome Baby Tristan!

Tristan Riley Tennyson was born on 11/01 today, December 16th. He was 7 lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches long. We are so excited to have this little boy join our family! Maranda and the baby are doing fantastic, thankfully labor went fairly smoothly (if such a thing can be said!). Our midwife was fantastic, a wonderful experience to be sure!





Baby Tristan at just over three hours old. Family friend Deanna is holding him at the start of the video clip.




Video of Kieran "helping" the nurse to move baby Tristan from the birthing room to the recovery room.

Peace Truck

So Kieran had been asking Maranda the other day what the words on the bumperstickers on our truck said. She explained that one of them talked about peace, and that peace means no fighting. The topic came up again this morning and here is the story Kieran relayed to me:

"Dad, since our truck has peace words on it, when a white truck comes and wants to fight, after a while it will go away because our truck does not want to fight."

Okay, so far so good, Daddy is nodding approvingly at Kieran's application of an important concept.

"But then, the white truck will find a different truck and they can fight!"

Note the itallicized words were said with much exuberance... Oh well....we got half way there :)

Obama Rally in Leesburg

Hearing that Obama was coming to Leesburg, Virginia, I decided to take off work and go up for the rally (Leesburg is about 25 minutes away from our house). After 7 hours of standing and waiting, I managed to get a front row spot for the speech! It was a very good event, with his typical, yet powerful stump speech. I even got a hand shake for my efforts! :)

Here are some of my best shots.











My ugly mug with Obama in the background.


In this short clip of Obama's entrance, the guy next to me yells "we love you" at the end and Obama retorts "I love you back!"



This is a really good clip on the importance of our time in history and the critical issues facing our nation and our world. At the end I pan the crowd briefly.



A short, but very good clip on healthcare. Obama gets personal about his Grandmother and her death from cancer.

August Camping Trips

Well, we have a lot of fun camping in August, finally getting some time to put some pictures up. Our first trip was to Trout Pond in West Virginia, a small, family friendly campground in the rolling hills and hardwood forests of WV. Kieran had a fantastic time and was shaking with excitement as we unloaded the gear and setup the tent. This trip he got his FIRST SLEEPING BAG and was absolutely thrilled! It was a wonderful time with dear friends, although the three days went by far to quickly for me (as it always does).

Here are our best shots (our second camping trip is after these photos).

click on any image for larger image

The beach at the small lake, love the richness of the colors in this shot (hat tip to Maranda). Kieran is in the center.



Kieran straining to carry his load of water, his friend Mike in the background joining the cause.



More water carrying with his friend Keenan.



What used to be a sandcastle!



A boy pile, Kieran and the three Doan boys. Kieran's head is the bottom right. Looks like baby C.J. needed a snuggle!



Cute shot, kudo's again to Maranda.



Kieran and Keenan playing together.



Kieran and Ethan playing together in matching outfits!



Canoe time! From left to right, Sam, Keenan, Kieran, and Ethan.


Our second camping trip was to the Lake Erie shoreline in Marblehead, Ohio. We had a great time with friends Maggie, Schuyler, and their son Levi. Although Levi and Kieran had not seen each other for over 8 months, they instantly bonded over their mutual love of monster trucks! Levi even brough the ICE CRUSHER, which was a new one for Kieran and had him enraptured immediately. We were also able to attend our friends Joel and Kate's wedding which was a beautiful and meaningful affair.

Here are some of our best shots:



A happy boy watching the CARS movie on Daddy's iPod.









Oops, boy had a time out discussion with Daddy...



At the wedding reception.






Levi and Kieran just floatin' around.



Levi and Kieran attacking Ken.

Second Visit to the Fair

See our best shots, and a great short clip of the demolition derby at the bottom!

Eagle eye Kieran shot his way to a prize stuffed animal.



Could barely tear the boy away from the tractors....



Notice the hand on the gear shift....he is ready for some plowin'



Good lucking truck! Who is that hillbilly next to Kieran?



You can see Kieran cheering the cars on toward the end, lots of good impacts on a very fast, dry track!

It's a Boy!!

Here are some shots of Kieran's brother at -5 months. Doctor and ultrasound tech said he looks perfectly healthy!! Due date is on Maranda's birthday, 12/10.

Hi Mom, Dad, and big Brother!

He has Maranda's refined ears and nose, just like Kieran!

Bluegill Fishin'

Kieran, Mommy, and Daddy went fishin' this past weekend at the Shenandoah river in Northern Virginia. We were visiting a friend in Front Royal, and decided to throw our fishing rods in and try our luck. Kieran was really excited at the adventure, insisting on packing a rod over his shoulder and hiking with Daddy to find a good spot. We tried our luck in a little slough off the side of the river, and within a cast Daddy and Kieran landed a mighty bluegill. Joined shortly later by Mommy and our two friends Rod and Mercedes, we proceeded to "slay" the fish, landing fat bluegill and green sunfish on every other cast.

Kieran did a great job helping to land fish, holding the pole and turning the reel handle, as well as proudly lifting them out of the water. We caught several dozen sunfish, a little bullhead catfish, and three good sized small mouth bass! We took the big ones home to eat (this area is actually overpopulated, so thinning the fish out is a *good* thing biologically speaking).

The picture above is one of of the green sunfish we caught, a close relative to the bluegill with beautiful markings! Needless to say, both Mommy and Kieran caught the fishing bug (Daddy has it permanently), so this should bode well for other fishing trips in the future (inbetween our toading trips that is!)

I shot the following picture in the car after Kieran passed out. Clear indication of a little boy that had a good day! :)