Charlie Loesel, Westfalia, Seattle WA

Our good friend Charlie Loesel just released his new CD - Westfalia. Its a great listen. You can check him out by clicking HERE. His music is available for purchase by CD or mp3 through Amazon. We wish him the best of luck with his latest project. Charlie hails from Seattle Washington and is my brother-in-law's good buddy. They met while working together for the Peace Corps in Benin, Africa. He's a good guy and very talented.

Duncan Knob, Page County, VA

It was an absolutely perfect weekend for backpacking in the Shenandoah this past weekend as my friends and I of Troop 976 in Vienna VA hiked our way through to Duncan Knob, just outside of New Market Virginia. Many of our boys were out for their very first backpack overnighter including my son....and myself. The boys as well as adults had a blast of a good time deep in the woods, pushing ourselves, enjoying ourselves and learning many lessons along the way.

(Click on the picture for a larger view)

Trustworthy Navigators.

The effort.

The reward.

The boys built a massive, and one of the best, fire rings I've seen. We were in for quite a blaze.

An interesting story began to emerge late in the day. We were in the middle of no where, roughing it, with no water source. Everything we had we brought with us. We were all patting ourselves on the back for our 3-4 mile up hill journey. Around 4 pm a man with a camel back, trail shoes, and bib number on his shorts came racing through our campsite. Later another man, and another. Then some women. It didn't take us long to figure out we were on a major artery for an endurance race taking part that very day. These folks were participating in the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run and we were sitting at about the 70 mile mark!

All afternoon and late into the night these folks came very quietly up and over the crest where we camped. Every time one came through, the boys would pause to clap and cheer and wish the runners luck. You can see the smiles on their faces below as they ran into this unanticipated welcoming party. It was a hoot and a very positive inspiration for all of us. All night long we saw little LED lights come quietly through our camp. It was humbling and (almost) made us feel guilty for curling up in our warm sleeping bags and snoozing the night away.

(If you are curious about this event please see this race summary by race sponsor Virginia Happy Trails Running Club. I contacted their webmaster and they included a link to this blogpost. Make sure you read the comments below this post.)






As we broke camp and headed down the mountain we were still occasionally passed by the ultra runner who had literally been up all night running through the forest. Many appeared to be in their 50s and 60s. Every time they passed, the Troop would part like Moses parting the sea and cheer the runners on. I hope they all reached their personal goals and got home safely.

My son and I sharing in another beautiful view brought to us by Boy Scouts of America. You can't find moments like these in a video game.

Do You Remember Your First Concert?

Today is a great day as my son has turned 15! Happy Birthday Danny. He left for school with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye. Last night his Dad treated him to his very first rock concert, and what it show it was. We ventured out to the Jiffy Lube Live Arena (formerly Nissan Pavilion) in Bristow Va to see none other than Pearl Jam, featuring Eddy Vedder (see review and more photos HERE). I had not been to a show like this in years and was very impressed. Getting to and from the venue was very easy. No problems what so ever. True to its form it was an eye opener for Danny and he seemed very entertained all night. He had our little Canon SD-1000 with him taking pictures of all kinds of things interesting only to a 15 year old (redneck girls, tailgating, beer lines, $35 t-shirts, you know the drill).

He seemed quite fascinated that you could find Beer at every turn.

I only had one moment of anxiety. As we sat down, there was only one row of empty seats in front of us before the aisle. Two no shows and our view would be spectacular. Within 60 seconds of the opening song in walks a guy and his girl. He looks like a cross between Howard Stearn and Weird Al Yankovich, and must have been about 6'10". Sitting down he was still as tall as me standing. All Danny and I could do was laugh and he snapped this shot.

My view.

Needless to say I was doing a little head bob dance through most of the night. Not to fear, we saw and heard plenty.

Eddy on the big screen.

Dad and son having a conversation. Only problem was Danny was conversing with someone else. I think it is safe to say we made it through the night without me embarrassing him. Actually, he thinks I'm pretty cool for taking him :) Now I have a concert buddy!

Our budding musician's collection of guitars. He added a bass for his birthday. We are extrememly proud of him in every aspect. Perhaps he will be on the big stage one day. As I told him last night. Every famous musician once sat in the audience holding onto a dream. I think the kid's got talent. Time will tell.

Silas Burke House; Burke VA

I had a recent opportunity to tour around the Silas Burke House on 'Top O' the Hill' in Burke Va. The house is owned by my father's friend Susie Fowler and her husband. Susie grew up in this house with a large family and has many great stories to share. The house is relatively unchanged from her childhood and included a working Edison Phonograph from the early 1900's. For reasons I can't explain I walked away with out getting a shot of that wonderful piece of machinery.

You can read more about Silas Burke at this LINK. Or in Wiki HERE.

You can see a few more of my images from the day by clicking HERE.

First Communion Fun

This past weekend was a triple play as my son, Reilly, and gorgeous nieces, Rachel (below) and Bridget (below Rachel) made their First Holy Communion in three separate parishes. However the party was one big gathering of all cousins at the Glass home in Vienna. Our kids are great cousins and even better friends. The pictures tell the story. We are very proud of them. Congratulations kids!