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Traveling in Tennessee, Virginia and Wednesday Weigh In

May 7, 2009

2009 05 04 039small

There are more images at Out ‘n About

We are currently camped near Staunton, Virginia. Tomorrow we will be camping in a small campground in Virginia Beach and will be visiting my Mom in Norfolk.

This hasn’t been the greatest week for a traveling and camping trip. When we are camping, we like to take hikes and we only got a couple in. It’s been raining every day and every night — not continuously, but heavy at times and often enough to make things a little difficult.

When we’re traveling, we stop every couple of hours or so and find some place to walk.

Sometimes, we are able to walk at rest areas. When we are able to do that, we make from a couple of “laps” on the walkways to several if the walkways are limited. It helps loosen us up and makes the trip go better. Today we were able to walk at three rest areas. One of them had a “pet trail” that turned into a half mile loop trail into the woods and we had already done the generous rest area walkways.

Off the interstate highways, rest areas are few and far between. We’ve found other places that work well for walks. Shopping malls, of course, are good. However, we’ll often stop at a “big box store” like Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot, and make several laps around the inside of the store.

We also walk at campgrounds. Walking the entire campground that we were at in Great Smoky Mountain National Park was probably about a mile, which we did 3 evenings, I think. The campground we are at now is at least that, but also has a rather generous uphill section.

We did get several short walks in that on a couple of days when we were able to dodge the storms. Yesterday afternoon when we the campground, the rain had stopped, so we decided to do one of the closest trails, a 2.6 mile round-trip hike to Laurel Falls. It was nice. I’ll post pictures later.

blogtofitwedweighin-small

So far as food, I generally don’t overeat too much when we are traveling. We’ve eaten out twice, McDonald’s and Subway. We’ve been eating sandwiches mostly for lunch and regular food for supper. I’ve been eating less snacks, I think.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Wednesday Weigh-In – May 7, 2009, exit78.com

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Recycled Tip – Think About The Audience That Reads Your Blog

February 8, 2009


posted on flickr by jot.punkt

Note: This post was originally published August 4th, 2007. With it’s publication, Exit78 saw its first “spike” of comments — all 10 of them plus several link backs. Check the end of this post to see how many of them are still active on the blogs they linked from.

I was a sailor. Spent nearly nine years in the US Navy – fifteen full months under water.

Have you ever heard the phrase, curse like a sailor?

Even though I spent what seemed like a lifetime around other guys that did, I don’t curse like a sailor. On a few occasions when I did use a choice expression, I can recall a few raised eyebrows.

The reason I don’t often swear is that I considered who my audience would be if I slipped up and let my bad nature show. I really didn’t want to be sitting down for Christmas dinner with the family only to blurt out something in front of my Mom that would embarrass both of us and others.

It was a conscious decision to take into consideration possible audiences and change bad habits that were already developing before they became very difficult to alter. It’s worked.

I believe the same concept goes for blogging, whether it’s for blogging for money or blogging for fun. Will your blogging voice, your blogging personae attract your audience or will it drive your audience away? There are some internet income related blogs that I have tried and then left because of what I perceived to be the attitude of the authors.

For me, it comes down to:

  • Be yourself,
  • Be nice, and
  • Be family friendly.

In the last few months, I have decided to really be myself.

I’ve stopped being anonymous online. I use my name when I blog and when I comment. My family, friends, and former co-workers are welcome here, though they may not agree with some of the opinions expressed here.

While I’m not a blogging expert nor an expert about making money online, this tip is just good old fashioned common sense. You are a part of what you are trying to sell online.

The comments and link-backs for the original post provide an interesting indicator of the life-cycle of blogs. Below, I’ve shown the most recent post date or status for the link-backs and commenters to the original post:

  • 8/21/2007
  • blog no longer exists
  • blog no longer exists
  • current — but confusing
  • current — but confusing
  • closed “in light of recent events.”
  • current — but confusing
  • February 7, 2009
  • Dec 10, 2008
  • February 2nd, 2009
  • February 8th, 2009
  • January 20, 2008
  • blog no longer exists

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Opportunity in Unsettled Times

November 25, 2008


One of my favorite places in the world is 20 miles from the nearest town and seven miles from the nearest road.  Nearly treeless except for those few planted to provide breaks from the harsh winds of winter, it is a broad expanse of lush grass covering the dunes of an ancient desert — land unforgiving of those who tired to break it to the plow — land perfect for ranching.

I never knew the whole story of how the ranch came to be.  All I can remember of it is that a farmer in the days of the Great Depression, with no market for his crops and beef, was able to save his land and his herd by being able to buy a large supply of grain at extremely low prices.  As a result of taking advantage of an opportunity in an unsettled time, the family was able to make it through the hard times and, a little later, buy 21 square miles of range land where the farmer’s son and his bride settled in 1941.

The ranch hold significant positive memories for me. Experiences associated with the ranch, its owners and their family helped shape who I am.   The ranch — a result of a farmer taking advantage of an opportunity in an unsettled time.

The world again faces unsettled times — and opportunities.

What kind of new opportunities might be on your horizon?

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We did everything right…, and now we may have to pay anyway!

September 22, 2008


To support his family during the
Great Depression, my wife’s grandfather
had to travel to places where there was
work.  He built this small “camping
trailer.”

We did everything right…, we thought.

We “bought” a house that we could afford on our budget and never re-financed, though it probably would have been smart in order to get a better interest rate…, or to pay it off earlier.  But now it’s paid off and that doesn’t matter.

We never bought more on credit than we could afford…, but sometimes it was close.

We did without the toys that others bought…, no bass boat, no four-wheeler, no recreational vehicle — until recently.

However, we did travel, sometimes on our own dime and sometimes on company business, with us paying Karen’s way and the cost for the side trips that we made.

And we saved, saved, saved — most of the time on a single income.

Our vehicles — except for one — have always been new, never used.  But we always drive them until they are just about falling apart — except for one, a different one — , so we generally get decent value out of them.

And we always, always pay our bills on time — except for that one bill that fell behind the couch back in 1978.

Creditors usually like us — we did everything right.

And now it’s likely we’re going to have to pay because others didn’t do it right…, and I’m just a little upset about it.

I’m not upset at the people who were able to finance more than they should have been able to.

Its.. not… their… fault!!!

I’m upset at the greedy bastards that let them finance more that they could pay for — the people who came up with variable interest loans and other creative financing schemes that were going to make the loans possible for those who were too close to the edge — the regulators that deregulated — the politicians that made it legal to deregulate.

I’m upset at all the people who worked to change the rules that said you had to live within what you could afford, that said you had to be able to afford whatever debt you took on.

The way we did….

Damn greedy bastards!

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Life expectancy — 5 years.

August 28, 2008

CanyonlandsThat would have been the average life expectancy of a person diagnosed with lupus 40 years ago — 5 years.

Twenty years ago, when my wife was diagnosed with it, the life expectancy was — possibly a normal life expectancy.

Karen was in pain, she was weak, she tired out quickly.  One doctor dismissed her symtoms as being “in her head.”  She made an appointment with a different doctor in the same clinic.  He didn’t know what it was for sure, but he was suspicious of the rash and sent her to a dermatologist.  The dermatologist identified the disorder and lined her up with a specialist in Little Rock.

She was diagnosed with lupus and other related disorders, including fibromyalgia and polymiositis. Fortunately, through the care of this doctor and doing what she is supposed to do, she has been in medicated remission for many years.  When she backs too far off of the meds, symptoms start to reappear, so she must maintain a low level dose of them.  She does have pains related to the disorders and she isn’t able to build strength easily — it has to be slow and gradual.  Other than that, though, she lives a normal and healthy life.

Today, she went to a dermatologist for a small rash that has been rather stubborn.  It turns out is is probably related, so she is going to have to be a little more careful with staying out of the sun and/or using sunscreen.

It was the same dermatologist that diagnosed the lupus on August 23, 1988.  It was the first time she’s been back since he referred her to the specialist.

How cool is that?

Note: the picture above was taken last September about a mile out on a trail in Canyonlands National Park.

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Way Too Close to the Edge! — or, Holy C__p, What a View!

February 28, 2008

Karen on the Edge -- Grandview Point Trail, Canyonlands National Park
Karen on the Edge — Grandview Point Trail, Canyonlands National Park

The Grand View Point Trail begins as the end of Grand View Road on the southern tip of Island in the Sky Mesa. It starts at an approximate elevation of 6,100 feet and heads one mile southwest along a level path.

September 23, 2007 at 11.56pm CMT
Camera: Pentax K10D
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/350)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Flickr page

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I don’t talk about politics much, but…

February 21, 2008

obama

This year is a very different political year.

I’m still not going to talk about my own politics here — that’s personal.

The politics of our grandchildren — that’s interesting.

When Obama made his speech in Madison, Wisconsin, on the evening that he won the Potomac primaries, our grandchildren were in the audience.

Emily Mills, the lady who took this photo, observed, from her vantage point in the press area:

When Obama himself finally made his grand entrance, the handful of young college girls standing in front of me (on the other side of the fence) started screaming and jumping up and down like there was a dreamy movie star in the vicinity. That sort of reaction is fascinating to me, and, I think, somewhat unique to the Obama candidacy. I don’t suppose McCain or Clinton elicit similar reactions from their supporters. My blogger friend leaned over to me at one point and asked, “Since when did politics become cool?”

The following week, our grandson was so interested in the process that he asked his dad to take him to the polls when he went to vote — before school.

My earliest memories of politics are from when I was the same age, seven years old. It was during the campaign of another very charismatic president. All I really remember is kids playacting the Kennedy vs. Nixon contest in the playground.

The campaigns this year have been far more interesting than most in the past. I think turnout has been extraordinary for a large percentage of primaries. My wife and I voted in primaries for the first time ever.

Maybe it’s because of the the writer’s strike and — now that it’s over — politics will go back to norrmal.

naaa. – I don’t think so.

(photo by Emily Mills – There is a Creative Commons license attached to this image. Attribution, No Derivative Works)

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I know a very special Cover Girl!

January 7, 2008

our little catalog girl - Demco 2008 catalog

our little catalog girl - online photo at Land’s EndOkay — so it’s for a catalog.

And she’s only five — and our granddaughter.

We think it’s very cool.

It’s a school and library supply company and she’s on the cover of the 2008 catalog. The website description of the catalog says, “…. thousands of quality products in one place. Library supplies, AV supplies, and equipment, signage & display, furniture, Library Promotions™, learning materials, and more. A huge variety to choose from!”

Coincidentally with this, her mother found a picture of her in a Land’s End ad that she hadn’t seen yet. We’ve seen the picture in catalogs, just not in this location online. I think they’ve had this picture in at least two catalogs, except it had been photo-shopped with a different color for the coat.

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We got FED UP and LEFT Wisconsin EARLY!

December 23, 2007

Actually, the head-line is intentionally misleading. We “fed up” pretty good with an early Christmas dinner, but we found it prudent to leave half a day early.

Our daughter actually was the one that suggested that we leave early.

The weather was a bit disappointing the entire time we were visiting. It was very foggy the entire time we were there, so much so that we were not able to see any of the countryside when we went anywhere except just what was right next to the road. With the amount of snow that was on the ground, it would have been really pretty — if we could have seen it.

We’ve been watching the forecast for this weekend since we got there on Wednesday and making contingency plans just in case. Saturday morning, our plans were to leave the hotel Sunday morning and go over to our daughter’s for a few hours, giving the road crews a chance to do whatever clearing they needed to do. At that time, the forecast was for two to four inches of snow. As the day progressed, the forecast changed to three to eight inches of snow overnight with widespread blowing snow and a chance of additional snow during the day on Sunday.

After our daughter suggested that we leave early, we decided that it would probably be prudent to cut the trip short and avoid potentially snowy roads combined with holiday traffic. We left the hotel at 3:40 P.M. and spent the night in Springfield, Illinois. We’ll be home some time late today (Sunday).

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Six hundred miles without stopping for fuel… and the tank is still full!

December 9, 2007

We’re on the east side of Knoxville, Tennessee. In the morning, we should be heading pretty much the opposite direction of rush hour traffic.

Today… Long day, Long drive, two extended periods of fog and terrible traffic for a Sunday. Since 2001, I don’t care much for flying. Probably should have made this an exception. Too late now.

One bright spot is not having to stop for fuel. While we did stop at gas stations and truck stops, it was to use the facilities and fill up my coffee cup.

We’ve got about 500 more miles to go tomorrow and will be able to make it all of the way without refueling.

There’s no trick. We’re in the truck and it has a 45 gallon auxiliary fuel tank. We’re getting right around 20 miles per gallon of diesel fuel, so we have a range of about 1300 miles when we’re not pulling the trailer.

I used Priceline.com and got us a 3 star hotel in the Norfolk area for $65 a night, so we should have wireless capability.

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