I do plan on moving a few posts from twocentsworth over to this one so that I can keep family life stuff here and the more geeky tech stuff at twocentsworth.

Here’s what our little family looks like as of April 4th, 2010.

Last week I took him without his bike so that we could scope out the competition and find out if he was old enough.  They said three year olds that can ride without training wheels are welcome and that their first time is free.   He met those qualifications and now I’d say he’s hooked.

Jenny and her mom captured a lot of video footage and this single cut of his 7th and last lap turned out the best.    I think his 3rd lap was his best riding requiring only the slightest push from me.  (see video for what I mean).

I really am hoping to post more entries to this blog soon.  More family updates and some personal stuff.  Stay tuned.

I’ve actually gotten quite a bit of hiking in this summer. Several long –very long– day hikes and a backpack trip or two.

This particular hike was mostly a scramble down Pine canyon in the Santa Catalina mountains. We started off heading down the Palisades trail and then dropped into Pine canyon. Lots of cascades, falls, and pools of precious water made the hike extra special. After a slight detour we connected with the East Fork trail and made our way past Sycamore Reservoir and on out to Prison Camp (officially named Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site).

Another great adventure here in the southwest.

Jenny and I recently took a trip to Flagstaff where we hiked to the highest point in all of Arizona.  Mt. Humphreys tops out at 12,633 feet and on a clear day provides views all the way to the Grand Canyon and beyond.  It was a beautiful day and though we weren’t setting any speed records for the 9 mile hike, my lungs and heart told me I need not go any faster.

This was the highest elavation hike we had ever done.  Someday we’d love to hike Mt. Whitney or Longs Peak.  Someday.  For now we’re happy exploring the peaks and canyons here in our own great state.  California and Colorado will wait.

The adventure today was all about the costume.

We went to the 17th Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival dressed in costumes we bought on our last two or three visits to the Ohio Renaissance festivals. The Arizona one was at least twice as large, but I’d say they are equally enjoyable. Lots of crafts (which start to become redundant), lots of food, and plenty of “shows” scheduled at half-hour intervals.

After an akward moment while fueling our car at a busy gas station, my nervousness melted away during our actual visit. There are too many other people dressed in strange costume to feel weird. My outfit was practically too normal.

All in all, we had a good time and will probably make the trip again next year.

The one thing I forgot was the fact that I’ve been biking a lot with the guys over these past few months and Jenny is still very new to the sport. Chiva Falls might not have been the best choice of trail for Jenny to go on at this stage. A few miles into the ride she took a spill over the handlebars. It shook her up a bit, but since she wasn’t seriously hurt and we hadn’t seen the actual falls, she decided to ride on. I love this woman.

The falls were fantastic, just like the day before. Unfortunately, right before we were getting up to head back to the car a few people showed up and before we even realized it, they were shooting guns at the falls. It was surreal. I couldn’t believe how loud it was. I’m not afraid to say that it scared the crap out of me. We quickly gathered our things and left the shotgun toting people to themselves.

Chiva Falls — Thanksgiving Day
With Friends — Day before Thanksgiving

I hope that Jenny might grace us with her perspective on some of these adventures, but for now it will probably be just me. She’s a busy girl, it’s hard enough just getting her out there for the actual adventure.

Our latest bit of fun was a mountain bike ride on Thanksgiving day. I’ll put some photos up soon. Just like my other weblog, this will be somewhat sporadic, but the good news is that this will be focused on our vacations and trips, even if it’s only a day trip.