Listen to me. NEVER buy a home that doesn't have a garage

I'm kicking myself for it right now. If I had a garage, I'm positive I could get both of our cars back up and running. But as it sits, the wife's '04 Altima sits immobile in the driveway with no way to get it to a buddy's garage. Wind chills in the single digits are condusive to 7pm tune-up and diagnostic sessions.

But thanks to computers and the internet, I am actually gaining more confidence in working on my own vehicles. Apparently, all newer vehicles have really simple, metal pieces and really complex computer pieces. The metal pieces tell you they're done with noises. Computer pieces tell you they're done when the car does NOTHING. Going to the auto parts store to buy a code reader today.

Anybody got a tractor?

Every one of my neighbors has a tractor with a scrape blade on it. The neighbor who illegaly cuts across my neighbors property line to access his property was even so arrogant as to scrape the 40 feet from his access to the main road. He apparently built a garage on the end of his house and started using it when the previous owner was very sick. He never got a right of way, so it's not on a deed and my neighbor hasn't pursued getting him blocked legally yet (don't think she's got the money). Absurd!

Anyway, our driveway is about 150 yards long and there's no way the wife can get her car out. My 4x4 gets in and out fine, but not without alot of technique. It's times like this that I'd love to own a little garden tractor to not have to depend on others. But that's not the case, so it looks like I'll be approaching a random neighbor (not the one mentioned) and begging an assist.

I really hate inconveniencing others in times like this, but it's not something a shovel will take care of. Say a little prayer. Weee!

Cassidy's birthday party tonight!!!

Banged out a little trail play/exercise at lunch today and had one of those hilarious, awkward moments with a trail runner. He had his headphones on and head down, then looks at me with a big rock in my right hand that I've been tossing for "core" strength. He looked back down.

After work, I'm headed to Little Crappy pizza for some $5.00 larges for the party. I then hope to hide anonymously in the background as my daughter relishes her special time with a "Dinner & a Movie" them. We are using our churches Family Life Center to view UP on the big screen and dish out pizza, cupcakes and popcorn. The wife is a little genius!

Time to get the tiller

Wanting to play in the yard now that my first little turn "turned" out fun. I'm up to my neck in ground cover and bittersweet though, so the shovel is not cutting it. I'm going with the earth eater tiller to get the ground right. Feel free to join me.

Getting the itch to dig

All this fall weather and soft ground makes me want to dig. But is it worth it to make a little play area at my own house? If I had a couple buds who lived nearby we could have an awesome little pump track. Any takers out there?

Lunchtime HiJinx

For 3-4 days a week, I go to the Mountains to Sea Trail to do a little "play" at lunch. I work right next to the Parkway and it's a good 20-25 minutes of monkeying around in the woods. I started doing it back in the spring when I read about a guy in Men's Health who trained athletes in South America to use their bodies they way they were meant to.

It's called MovNat http://movnat.com/ and you can google it, YouTube it or whatever. The great thing is that you can do the movements anywhere, anytime. It's great for me because the foundation is to NOT have a structure. Just find things to climb, crawl under, jump and sprint. The guy's name is LeCorre and the videos don't do it justice. I'd recommend reading the Men's Health article more than any other on him because it gives you a better grasp of the concept.

So today I spent 20 minutes "playing". I started by jogging down the trail for a second, then trying to climb a pretty big tree with really deep grooved bark. It was hard to hold onto..more of a bear hug. But it leans a little, so you can hook onto it. I realized I could use my feet on both sides to inch up it and man did it work me. Suddenly I was 9 feet or so up and just hopped down and sprinted down the trail.

I charge up a steep little incline and grab this big, flat, triangular rock that I leave laying off the side of trail and do a squat then launch it in front of me like a 2 handed shotput a bunch of times. Then get on the ground and do crab walks and switch into a spiderman crawl. Hop up. Grab the big rock over my head and walk with it about 40 yards and go back. Chuck it off the trail.

Next is my favorite...a skinny, angled tree that I can hang on for chin ups, pull ups, hang upside down on no handed, even jump off of. Then climb onto a 6 foot high angled boulder on the side of the trail and do offset push ups to help my balance. Jump to the ground. Jog up the trail back to the entrance, climb two tall skinny trees (one with a great limb to hang on) and drop from about 10 feet to the ground.

Stretch. Eat a sandwich. Work.

Cassidy, 5 yrs old, stomped the VA Creeper Trail!

That's right. Saturday, we went with a large group from our church, Trinity of Fairview, and drove 2 hours to do the VA Creeper Trail. Apparently it's pretty long, as in epicly long, and we did the most trafficed section. It runs from Whitetop to Damascus and finishes out in the town right behind all the bike shops. http://www.adventuredamascus.com/CREEPER.HTM

You pay $11.00 for a shuttle to the top and are unsupported for 18 miles on a converted railroad bed. It's such a gradual grade that you don't ever use your brakes. Ryane pulled Charisma in a buggy behind her and took off at her own pace. I followed Cassidy and cheered her on.

Event highlights include Cassidy slipping off her bike and Ryane running into her with the wheel of the buggy, Cassidy doing tricks with daddy and wrecking, Charisma being relaxed, stopping at the river and eating lunch on these fantastic little docks and incredible scenery the whole way.

Just go do it. It beats a lame cruise on the parkway in a car any day! Any bike can do it.