The Fate of a Holiday Tree

We finally did it.  We got rid of our Christmas tree.  We make an effort every year with our holiday tree to either get a live tree we can plant, or if it's a cut tree, do something special with it after it's bathed in it's decorated glory. This year we dropped our, and a neighbors tree off to the NC Museum of Life and Science so that it could continue being enjoyed by their resident red wolves.  We've donated our cut tree to the museum before but i think it was pre-red wolves.  Maybe the bears got it last time?

This year seemed to have a little less pomp and fanfare for our giving-of-thanks to the tree.  In previous years we've tried to make a bit of a to-do of things when we retied it.  We'd make an event out of digging the hole to plant the live trees, or go as a whole family to take the tree to the museum, and we've also had a number of bonfire gatherings to welcome in the new year with friends and family (and whoa! let me tell ya, Frasier firs or white pine can be exciting ways to start a bonfire).  However, this year our undecorated tree was placed out in the front yard and waited there for about 3.5 weeks before my daughter and i unceremoniously shoved it into the back of our van with our neighbors tree.  We drove it over to the museum where we dumped it outside of an access fence to be taken away at a later time.  ...I had a moment of sadness thinking about how we didn't create a special, joyous moment with our children or friends, and then my daughter, who had been uncharacteristically quiet through all our endeavors, stepped up to the trees and said "i love our christmas tree."  and then turning to me asked, "now the wolves will love our christmas tree?"  ...little tear ...special moment achieved :)   ...and quick photo op.   Thanks Zella!

Water is the Source: Trash Pick Up on the Eno

Just thought i'd test out how to share posts from one blog to another... think this'll work?

Water is the Source: Trash Pick Up on the Eno: So, here i am after over a year since last trying to keep up with a blog, trying it again.  Well, we'll see.  I figure the beginning of a ye...

I was just looking at my other blog (my other neglectiblog wateristhesource) and saw this post i put up about an old family camping trip...good times.  If you're considering getting into camping with your family ... and you should be.  This offers some interesting perspective.  Also, just as an FYI, we camp as a family quite a bit now-a-days, probably about one a month on average.  Have a read... 

FROM WATERISTHESOURCE in 2010:

This past weekend we went on a family camping trip to Goose Creek State Park.  We try to take one camping trip a month with other friends and families.  My family consists of my amazing wife, Andrea, and our two beautiful children Miles (almost 6) and Zella (1 year, 4 months old).  These trips always have some sort of interesting challenge associated with them.  This particular trip was one of the most difficult we've had.  Things started off rough with us rushing to set camp before dark on Fri night, plus Z had some funky snotties, the temps were some of the coolest she's ever camped in (high 30s), plus she has no love for blankets or anything else over her when she sleeps, on top of this she has 2 new teeth coming in ...it was a relatively sleepless night, for us as well as our friends (sorry y'all).  The following evening we moved to a campsite further away in an effort to save our friends from the late night howls, screams, cries and other noises of discontent from Z.  However, the second night Z actually slept pretty well but we quickly discovered we were so far from our friends that we hardly saw them the remainder of the trip.  ...sad for us ;-(

All these aspects of the trip made it one of our families most challenging yet.  But taking a moment to step back during the trip as well as reflect on things a bit afterward, we were reminded that this trip was actually quite excellent despite our immediate perceptions.  First of all our whole family was camping!  That in and of itself is awesome.  We paddled our new-to-us family canoe for the first time, taking it out on 3 different little trips through both brackish and freshwater wetland swamp areas, and the open water of Goose Creek. One of our paddle trips was Miles very first night paddle and the moon was absolutely amazing! Miles also went fishing with a good buddy and caught his first fish, which we cleaned cooked and ate (awesome full-circle sort of moment)!  One of the families brought pumpkins (thanks M&M) that the kids designed jack-o-lanterns with and got to take home.  At night while trying to sleep we heard all sorts of wildlife (great horned owls, screech owls, and something that made a completely bizarre flapping noise as it flew right over top of our campsite). And finally even though we didn't see all our friends as much as we may have liked, we did still get to see them some and hang out in the woods together!

So, i suppose the take-away lesson here is that while creating these sorts of family outings has the chance of being difficult and challenging in certain ways, they also offer amazing educational opportunities and life altering moments for our kids and our family as a whole.  ...we'll keep doing 'em ;-)

Sweet!  I'm getting up my annual post!  :/
Well, here we go again.  Gonna try and get things back up and going again with the blog...  I've got a few ideas on my brain that i'd like to attempt in 2013 and i'll put them out on the interweb for all to see (really the very few, since who's looking at a totally inactive blog) and judge.  So anyway, here are a handful of things that i'd like to try and do this year with the kiddos and family (more definitely to come :)

1) Build a homemade fire heated hot tub out of an old claw foot tub i found in the woods.
2) "Faux-Woody" the the work van.  I'll get Miles in on on the action.  And, just because...
3) Create a cable swing between two trees on either end of our yard.
4) Create a solid plan for a house addition (master bedroom and bath, with basement play room, and a screened in porch)
5) Whitewater kayak with my 8 year old son in the Jackson Dynamic Duo 
6) This Fall/Winter, begin planning a family cross country road trip and let the kids help determine our destinations and routes.  I'm gonna guess one of Miles' (will be 9) choices will be Dinosaur National Monument.  As for Zella (will be 4)... i have no idea what she may choose.
7) Chickens?
8) Keep active on this blog!
8) more to come...