Yep - it's time for yet another annual "Alek's Ramblings" email with a bunch of misc. links and pics at the bottom.
For 2017, misc. items of interest in random order ... except for the first item! ;-)
- Wendy and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary scuba diving in Belize. Plus on her birthday in December, we skied a big pow-pow day at Copper Mountain - glad we are both healthy & active so we can continue to do fun things like this.
- I'm guessing many people saw the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st, 2017 - wasn't that wild! Click here to read about the nifty experience we had on 40 acres of farmland 10 miles South of Tryon, Nebraska - population 157. While it was cool in 2012 to see a partial Solar Eclipse set over Longs Peak, Colorado, the difference between that and a Total Eclipse is ... well ... night and day ... ;-)
- Had a fun family trip up North where we started with the Alaska Trifecta with my sister's family. We first climbed to the top of Lion's Head overlooking a river and glacier, then went white-water rafting down that river, and then finished by putting on crampons to go out on that glacier. After that, we flew down to Kodiak and spent several days with the Katmai Brown Bears. Yes, at times, we were 20 feet away from "North American's most feared predator" ... while on foot!
- On the home front, my older son Dirk has started classes at the University of Washington. That's my alma matter from a "few" decades ago - anyone remember the CopperTone Girl?
- My younger son Kyle now has his driver's license (even after blowing through a stop sign on his first (failed) test - D'OH!) and continues to do well as a Junior at Fairview High School. Wendy and I even dressed up and went to his school's prom as chaperones.
- After Alek "Grizwold" hung up his Santa Hat in 2014, I figured my 15 seconds of fame was over. But after a decade of mowing the lawn for the Internet, there was a resurgence of interest in my alter-ego Mr. Grass at the website Watching-Grass-Grow.com. Those of you who flew Southwest Airlines may have seen the 9-page spread about why people are ... well ... watching ... grass ... grow. And then the "Crazy Old Suburban Dad" got featured on the local TV news. That was the first (and LAST) time I'll mow the lawn in my HULK outfit complete with purple skirt and HULK Hands!
- And for another HO-HO-HO, you can still (virtually) control my Christmas Lights ;-)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
alek
