March 3, 2017

     Okay, so it has been a while since my last post.   Let me try to catch up.  It seems like time has really gone by so quickly.  Just yesterday was Christmas but somehow January and February came and went and I sort of missed them.  During that time we did take Max to obedience school.  We were sure that he would flunk out since he is so hyper, but he passed and we have a certificate to prove it.  Of course he did try to eat the certificate.

     Although he passed, the trainer called and would like for us to repeat the course in April, at no cost, so we signed up for another 6 weeks.  Max did learn a few commands, like ready, sit, down, stay and heel.  It is hard for us to be consistent and train everyday.  

     One of the highlights of February was that we got to spend a day with some old friends, Paul and Harriett Lawrence.  They were missionaries to Gaza and are now retired and back home.  It was good to catch up with them.  Also, the weather warmed up with several days in the high 70's, and my thoughts turned to gardening.  I thought that I would try starting some plants from seeds, to transplant into the garden.   I usually just buy tomato plants to set out, but I was going to do something different this year.  My son does this every year and said it is cheaper.  He is set up to grow seedlings in his basement and has a lot of success.  But, for me, that did not work out too well.  I only had a couple of seeds sprout, so I decided to start over.  I have been getting my garden spot ready for planting though.  I am considering buying a small greenhouse so I would have a place to start my plants instead of putting them on the dining room table.

     I also have been hiking a little.  Went for a 7 mile hike on the Pinhoti Trail with a friend of mine, Larry Shirley.  We intend to hike some more soon.  We have made the trip to Virginia for the birth of our new granddaughter.  We came a few days early so I could hike with a group of men from the church my son-in-law, Scott, attends. We hiked a section of the AT from Keys Gap to Harper's Ferry. 

Of course the weather when we left Alabama was 70, but steadily dropped the further north we came.   A winter storm on Friday sent me looking for an insulating base layer, gloves and toboggan.  The temperature was 24 when we started out, but warmed up to 30 during the day.  The pictures below were taken from the hike yesterday.

This group picture was taken overlooking the bridge into Harper's Ferry which is the unofficial midpoint of the Appalachian Trail.

Of course I was bringing up the rear.  Do I look cold?

Break time about 4 miles in.

I can now say I hiked the AT in Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia.

     All in all, I had a great time and met some good people.  I was glad they let me come along.  The whole hike was fairly easy and rocky.  After we hiked across the bridge then we traveled along the road back to the Harper's Ferry National Park Visitor Center.  The last climb up the mountain was a killer.  It seamed like about 1000 rock steps up to the top.  Each of those steps were about 18" high and that was a little high for an old fat guy, but I eventually made it to the top.  In all about 7 miles.  Maybe they will let me hike with them again.

     I have to add that the delivery date for the new baby is Tuesday morning, right in the middle of another winter storm.  The current prediction calls for up to 6 inches of snow.  Looks like Amy and I will be keeping the other grand children at the house if their schools close.