first post

So here it goes ...
I've been thinking about blogging for a while, but never really knew what I wanted to write about. After spending some time today looking at some blogs, I decided to just start writing ... anything.

I could write about the weather ... the wind is howling, again, if we had a windmill in the yard we'd be generating some watts of power tonight! Come to think of it, it's been windy quite a bit this winter, lots of cold fronts passing through it seems. We have snow, although half of what it once was, but still there's nearly a foot in the backyard.

Snow and winter. I'm one of those strange people ... I really like winter. The cold doesn't bother me all that much, and I love snow. Snow gives me the opportunity to snowshoe/hike into places that are fairly inaccessible in the warmer months because it's too wet/boggy/overgrown. And you can cross lakes and streams with relative ease, and explore places that can be tough to get to in the summer. I used to downhill ski a lot, but that's changed since my older son moved to Alaska. My younger son wasn't much of a skier, although he's shown interest in recent years, but just not with me. So I've gotten away from it, and my equipment is pretty old-fashioned by the current standard. And snowshoeing is definitely cheaper! I would like to start x-country skiing again ... probably next year.

I haven't bought x-country skis because I've suddenly gotten frugal/cheap. Not all that long ago I would have just gone out and bought the equipment. Or a new flat screen tv. Or or Wii. Or a new computer (younger son upgraded the old one with new parts, far cheaper). When I shop for hiking clothes/equipment, I'm always looking for sales and bargains, I seldom buy anything for the 'regular retail' anymore. Even shirts and pants for work ... all from the Van Heusen outlet (it's cheaper than any WalMart and certainly better quality)! Go figure.

Wandering. I would love to take some time off from work and just wander around for a while. I'd love to go visit the southwest again, and explore. On foot. Or Colorado, maybe hike a portion of the CDT. Or back to Alaska ... I had so much fun hiking the Chilkoot. I was drooling when looking at my son's photos from his Pinnell Mtn hike last June ... even if it was only a weekend hike. I fell in love with the Homer area in Alaska, and I would love to explore more of the area across the bay. Or hike near or in Denali. I think it would be awesome to wake up to the sights of Denali on a clear blue day (and those days are actually few and far between).

Writing. I wish I could collect my thoughts together and just write. A reflective journal to publish. Some sort of travel narrative. Not that I could be funny, like Bryson or Cahill ... but something. Maybe this blog is a start.

Well, this is enough for tonight. I don't when I'll return to write again, hopefully, very very soon.