tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63376452011-07-28T20:02:56.228-04:00"the future is a lot like today... only later"John Natiwnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-19597863687052291282009-02-01T22:26:00.001-05:002009-02-01T22:26:25.325-05:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-89285205683865718352009-01-11T21:06:00.000-05:002009-01-11T21:07:32.725-05:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-3186879791226743162008-07-28T22:31:00.008-04:002008-07-28T22:47:23.040-04:00

Our new favorite place to stay in northern Michigan.The room. The front yard (with our window). The family room.A very small portion of the rear yard/gardens.Don't ask us where it is... we ain't talkin'.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-79229115670638208232008-07-28T22:27:00.003-04:002008-07-28T22:30:44.988-04:00

Jen and Rachel went on a trip. The car quit working about 250 miles away. This is how we got it home, eh?. OOOOT.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-77182319516815903162008-07-07T22:44:00.007-04:002008-07-07T23:06:26.086-04:00

There's a new sheriff in town...Yeah, this is what we're dealing with now...Hahahaha.... Daisy is smiling now.Yes, this is Boomer's bed. Explains the photo above.Still too cute though...What can you say about this one?

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-13096171858739176092008-07-05T23:18:00.006-04:002008-07-05T23:21:59.630-04:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-49679488164227350902008-05-01T19:17:00.004-04:002008-05-01T19:24:24.944-04:00

Dad would've been 74 today. Unreal. Happy birthday.First Call Basement Waterproofing is two years old today. If it weren't for family and a few close friends, it might not be here today. What a rollercoaster ride. But, there's no quit in a Natiw. We may be down, but we're far from out. Learned that from him, too, btw. J

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-28291508978347073892008-01-20T20:38:00.000-05:002008-01-20T21:34:25.183-05:00

Ride #: 22 & 23Date: January 20Miles: 11.5January Miles: 366Time: 1:04:00Temperature: 13 [WC= -4], 10 [WC= -6]Weather: Overcast, light snow, windy/Clear skies, full moon, windyPicked up some glove liners at REI this afternoon. Wore them tonight, but will have to try them on a longer ride to draw any conclusions. Rode to Church again tonight. Weather was a little overcast and windy. Slow slog into

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-77386573650126734862008-01-20T14:16:00.000-05:002008-01-20T15:40:34.008-05:00

Ride #: 20 & 21Date: January 20Miles: 10.4January Miles: 354Time: 53:00Temperature: 6 [WC= -11], 11 [WC= -7]Weather: Sunny, wind 19-27mphRode to and from Church this morning. Coldest I've ever ridden (6 degrees). Other than the strong headwind, it wasn't too bad. Dressed right. Need to get to REI for some glove liners and more hand/toe warmers. Road surface was snow covered and slick this morning

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-27976947587504236912008-01-19T22:21:00.000-05:002008-01-20T14:22:47.724-05:00

Ride #: 19Date: January 19Miles: 20.5January Miles: 344Time: 1:36:27Temperature: 12Weather: Sunny, wind NW 14-19mphBeen reading a bike blog from a woman in Alaska of late. It's called Up in Alaska. I really enjoy the way she writes about her rides and, especially, the photos she takes. So I've sort of thieved the format she uses a little bit and would like to make more entries for my rides. Here

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-34186019035643198612008-01-12T10:23:00.000-05:002008-01-18T21:18:48.041-05:00

After watching the video in the previous post a bunch of times, I was left thinking a couple things:1. Some of it seemed too simple2. I wondered what her sources were for some her claims, and...3. I heartily AGREE with some of it.This morning, I bumped around the internet a bit looking for some more information. I came across a review of the video by a guy named Andy Kaiser. Now, Andy is not an

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-54940938247127916322008-01-11T20:52:00.000-05:002008-01-11T21:28:40.407-05:00

In recent months I've thought a bit about living "green". On a site that I visit frequently I've been reading a thread about the subject. Some very interesting thoughts. Also, on a bike forum I visit there is some discussion about this as well. I've recently started commuting to work part of the time on my bike.Although my political views could be classified as moderate to conservative, I

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-8430333755156639502008-01-07T22:28:00.000-05:002008-01-07T22:36:25.921-05:00

Last week I began commuting to work by bicycle from time to time. This is a huge change for me. My friend and neighbor Don recently purchased a commuter bike as well. Fortunately, he hasn't been in quite the hurry I was to get into the commuting swing. I've learned a few lessons along the way the last couple weeks (and have one or two lumps to prove it). Anyhoo... tonight I sent him an e-mail

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-68960950841631777792007-12-24T12:43:00.000-05:002007-12-27T17:08:56.623-05:00

Some of you may be aware that I've begun playing music again with a couple of old friends, Lisa and Dave Chambers. We were in Seven Bridges together from about 2002 until early 2006. We had some great times during those years, learning more about our respective crafts and how to play live in most any situation. Since that time, I've been busy learning how to play the guitar and writing songs. A

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-70956656258537045232007-12-10T15:57:00.000-05:002007-12-10T15:58:44.257-05:00

Seems to be working well. Maybe an alternative to posting all the photos here.Enjoy,J

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-5171962109132303682007-12-10T14:26:00.000-05:002007-12-10T14:27:10.686-05:00

Just trying this to see how it works...

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-78607437475876599562007-11-24T16:44:00.000-05:002007-11-24T22:13:59.540-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving here. Jen, Rachel and a couple other friends and I did the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot run in the morning. It was very windy and snowing during the race, but fun was had by all. Did a little prep around the house and then welcomed 20 or so family members for dinner. Dishes brought by all made for quite a feast. A morning spent running makes the bird and trimmings taste

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-57365716760406409472007-11-22T19:17:00.001-05:002007-11-22T19:22:07.913-05:00

Another great Thanksgiving holiday. Very thankful that Grandma Renda was here. Made it very special. Been a rough year all around, but still much to be thankful for.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-22307797552958822002007-11-22T11:37:00.000-05:002007-11-22T11:53:52.974-05:00

A bunch of us were able to get out Thanksgiving morning to get a run in! Thanks to Rachel Anne for finding this event!Feeling confident before the run!Apparently some could not wait for Thanksgiving dinner...We're number ONE.... hundred and fourteen or so...Bekah and Gerst...Rachel and Jenni...Team Good Times!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-58305344875174558472007-11-17T15:00:00.002-05:002007-11-17T15:18:25.665-05:00

Home Sweet Home for Deer Camp.The familiar Buck Skull was still waiting for us when we got there. The Chicken Coop and the trailer.One of my stops during opening day. Right underneath where the "Cadillac" used to be (a wooden stand we built years ago that has since fallen down around the tree... lesson: Don't build wooden stands!)Random shot of the sky while hunting.Daryl gets cooking after

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-1699352940673121702007-11-17T15:00:00.001-05:002007-11-17T15:00:48.402-05:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-23137000322098635542007-11-13T22:39:00.000-05:002007-11-14T14:37:11.957-05:00

A bunch of us ran the Lightfest 8k tonight. The weather was unseasonably warm, but still cool. Spirits were high on the way to the run!And then things got a little crazy on the shuttle...The "normal side" of the bus...Rachel Anne, Bekah, Jenni and Gerst ready for the start.The girls looking strong early on. Still going strong (while I ran way ahead to capture the moment!)The "After-shot" before

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-91356591425102776402007-11-10T22:52:00.000-05:002007-11-10T23:09:25.894-05:00

Lisa and Dave joined me for a great night of music and fun at the Baseline Folk Society show tonight. It's been almost two years since I left Seven Bridges, so it was really nice to make music with my friends again! We had planned on doing three songs, but were asked to do an encore! Woop! Thanks to all our friends who came out to be a part of a very special night. We really appreciate it!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-23339806715231922292007-10-27T21:27:00.001-04:002007-10-27T22:44:46.335-04:00

So Mr. Fleming invited us to a football game Saturday... Tailgating was fun. Lots of good food and company...And we met a nice man named Art who has been a season ticket holder at the Big House since 1964...The U of M Marching Band marched right by where we were tailgating...So, naturally, we followed them into a building and listened to them play a bit before the game...Turns out it takes awhile

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-66131105326612984822007-10-24T11:50:00.000-04:002007-10-24T15:52:35.130-04:00

Had a cool experience last night. Went out for a solo night ride at Kensington and Island Lake. It was a real comfort-buster. Completely re-calibrated my idea of riding. At this point, I still don't necessarily have to ride in the dark to get a ride in, but now I know it's possible. Those two parks are gems in our area. Even though he wasn't there last night, thanks to Tom for the idea for this.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-12728446090385406112007-10-20T13:53:00.000-04:002007-10-21T14:16:32.434-04:00

This entry is somewhat of a "vent". Sort of "me thinking out loud" I suppose. I'm a member of two bicycle clubs in SE Michigan, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS) and the Wolverine Sports Club. I've been with the AABTS officially since November of last season, although I've ridden with them a bit longer than that. I've made a few friends in this club as well. I'm more of a casual

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-32533584930276011012007-10-01T10:24:00.000-04:002007-10-02T11:14:04.706-04:00

Well, it's official. I am a CFC Survivor. And I have the button to prove it. If you ride anywhere near my rear wheel now you'll see it. Although the Columbus Fall Challenge was cancelled at one point this summer, it came together very quickly and ended up being an awesome event! Here are my journal entries for the weekend:Saturday, September 30CFC Day 1 - After a very restless sleep in Lancaster,

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-56788729384535081262007-09-27T13:17:00.000-04:002007-09-27T16:38:01.495-04:00

Thanks to my favorite Colorado based architect, Howard, for turning me on to this. This is beautiful.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-30219862959404391932007-09-27T11:09:00.001-04:002007-09-27T11:26:51.794-04:00

Pre-show small team in front of the IglooLindsay is bashful after presenting Jen with her birthday presentJen seems to like her presentsFDC in formation. Hooah!Drum Solo (That was easy)FDCFDC in a cool lightLindsay and Andrew doing a solo (World Turned Upside Down)Show openingCommander in Chief's GuardThe family with some big brassLook! Lindsay's famous! haha...Drill Team. Those boys always

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-60063726881450678342007-08-24T17:56:00.000-04:002007-08-24T18:16:29.975-04:00

This made me stop and think a bit today. While driving west near the airport this afternoon I had the shadow of an airplane pass directly over my truck. Now stop and think for a moment about what has to happen for that to occur. I've had it happen a couple times in my life, and it always makes me think about "things lining up" or whatever. A few minutes later, upon entering the freeway and

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-57470559072706532082007-08-15T00:19:00.001-04:002007-08-15T00:36:51.662-04:00

Couple updates about cycling. 1. Last Monday night I had a dizzy spell on the bike during a group ride. Here's the journal entry:Rode w/Tom, Joe and Roger for about five miles then flatted (rear). Found that my rim tape was messed up. Couldn't fix it there, so I just put a new tube in and hoped for the best. Was rolling along nicely solo for a bit and then got dizzy at the golf course. Everything

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-50834907850733794572007-07-30T11:12:00.000-04:002007-07-30T11:18:07.208-04:00

PFDC did the Charlevoix trip this weekend. Since we missed tour, it was great to get back into the swing with the corps. The whole trip was great (as usual), but there were a few new twists this year. The major one was a performance at the beach... in the sand... barefoot! Check it out.Cap would be so proud!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-87292086634561935102007-07-13T10:05:00.000-04:002007-07-13T15:03:29.110-04:00

Went out to Kensington with Al last night to do some hill loops. He showed me a new way to do them. The old loop was two big hills in 3.5 miles with about 350 feet of climbing total. The new one is three big hills in 5.0 miles with about 450 feet of climbing. In the chart the first loop starts at about the 2.75 mile mark. The next three start at 7.75, 12.75 and 17.75 mile marks. If you look

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-22262995956728655472007-07-11T21:42:00.000-04:002007-07-11T21:59:40.020-04:00

So a friend of ours flies for the US Army. He had a couple seats available on a recent mission so Lindsay and Josh went for a ride. They had just been to Cedar Point the day before, so, when they got home, I asked them which was better..... I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count.The Chinook sits in the hanger pre-flightMICHIGAN!!! Apparently this is the same chopper that Brian

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-87031135877585100492007-07-11T21:25:00.001-04:002007-07-11T22:00:48.242-04:00

A few random photos from the past week or so...Boo and Josh discuss all things fife.Lindsay plays the plastic fife.Jen and Mary at the Kensington fireworks.Me, Boo and mom at the fireworks.Doesn't it look like we had fun??? (notice the official police flashlight... haha)I thought this photo of Boomer and Mary was cute. This is pretty much what I do every day when I get home. I don't like wasting

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-51795559349316892552007-07-10T15:07:00.000-04:002007-07-13T15:10:06.103-04:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-77489709326448195852007-06-26T22:59:00.000-04:002007-06-26T23:11:19.851-04:00

One of our PFDC seniors recently had a grad party. This was the third one this season, I believe. Gummi and Zookeeper (names have been changed to protect the guilty) rented a sweet "blow up, bungee cord, bean-bag thing". Needless to say, it was a huge hit with all the kids. Evidence follows...Let the battle begin...It appears someone forgot his bean-bag...Can you feel the intensity???STRRRRRETCH!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-86104235705191645112007-06-18T16:59:00.000-04:002007-06-18T17:01:43.773-04:00

Shortly before Phat and Professor died, Lindsay got a hamster. She named him Picasso. Here's a photo...

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-65934207422034354302007-06-17T15:17:00.000-04:002007-06-22T09:10:26.798-04:00

Father's Day got even better at lunch time when I came down and (eventually) saw this new beauty sitting there waiting for me. Jen and I had been driving home the other day and I saw it from the road at a garage sale. Not my custom, I turned around to check it out. After making a few off-handed comments about what a nice bike it was, we were off again for home. Turns out Jen had a plan, she

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-60317788788336882572007-06-17T14:26:00.001-04:002007-06-17T14:34:54.671-04:00

The annual Father's Day tradition got underway at 8:00am when the one mile run started in downtown Plymouth. I accompanied Mary and Rachael for some of their run. They both did great! Then it was Jen and I sharing 3.1 miles in the 5k run. Jen knocked over five minutes off her time from last year! Lots of great friends made it a fantastic Father's Day morning. Thanks to Tammi for the photos!!!The

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-82364540112792474072007-06-15T08:18:00.000-04:002007-06-15T13:08:55.799-04:00

So I've been keeping up with the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, a cycling race and prelude to the Tour de France. Last night I caught up with stage 4, which finished on the famous French mountain "Le Mont-Ventoux". The race climbed Ventoux South from Bédoin for 22km (about 13 miles) and climbed over 1610 m. Wikipedia says this about the Ventoux:This is the most famous and difficult ascent. The

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-76688085389931785662007-06-13T12:25:00.000-04:002007-06-14T08:43:30.800-04:00

Been reading a bit on bikejournal.com about different folks doing some great rides out west and east lately. There are quite a few rides that look really interesting (read: excruciating). Which got me thinking about the main focus of all my training thus far this season... The Columbus Fall Challenge (scheduled for the last weekend in September this year). Horror stories abound about this two day

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-54938207761054798512007-06-09T21:49:00.001-04:002007-06-10T20:17:40.306-04:00

Today was a day of firsts. The first Annual River Raisin Muster and Rachael's first official performance with the corps!The corps are massed together at the end of the parade route. A bit of the history behind the location courtesy of Wikipedia: "During the winter of 1813 as part of the War of 1812, a battle occurred near the river between British and Native American troops under the command of

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-83213951367082961762007-06-03T15:41:00.001-04:002007-06-08T11:12:22.027-04:00

Today was my third Dexter - Ann Arbor Half Marathon. The other two were in 1999 and 2000. Al picked me up shortly after 6am and we were off. Got downtown, picked up our numbers and boarded the buses west to Dexter (once you get on that bus, you're definitely committed!). We sat around wondering if it would rain (it DID) until the (delayed) start at about 9:10am. Then the crowd started to move. Al

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-71306680066879525152007-06-02T21:21:00.001-04:002007-06-10T13:04:01.822-04:00

Fife & Drum Season is gearing up... First shot is from the Grosse Ile Parade (courtesy Mr. Johnson).Boo, Jen and Mary ham it up. Couple shots from about a week ago or so.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-34590246353779733052007-06-01T22:39:00.000-04:002007-06-03T15:50:15.765-04:00

Professor died today. That's two hamsters in three days. They were both older and, in hindsight, getting weaker. I took Professor to the vet the day after Phat died and she said that they were suffering from respiratory problems (very common in older hamsters). Phat just went so quick, but professor hung on for a bit. She got very weak and quiet the last day or so. We tried to give her the

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-45934445651681985292007-05-30T08:03:00.000-04:002007-05-30T10:06:17.257-04:00

So our two oldest girls are turning into quite the world travelers. Lindsay called this morning to say she had just landed in DC after a couple of "hard work weeks" in Hawaii. Must be rough. In related news, she and the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps were recently at the Virginia International Tattoo in April. Here's a photo from the Old Guard web site.More photos and great video of the new show.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-64390203310468115092007-05-29T13:05:00.000-04:002007-05-29T13:25:13.921-04:00

We stopped by the cemetery where a lot of my family is buried on the way home from the parade yesterday. We had not been back to mom's grave since we buried her last summer. We still need to get a headstone, but left flowers at her grave. I could not remember where Grandma and Grandpa Natiw were located, but we got very lucky and found the needle in the haystack. Here are some shots from a really

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-55579797457152590942007-05-28T18:56:00.000-04:002007-06-01T22:50:53.331-04:00

A few of our phavorite Phat moments from the past two years...Phat's final resting place... under a star in the garden.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-47066953233995275412007-05-25T11:54:00.001-04:002007-05-25T11:54:32.510-04:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-67348464727187213562007-05-24T14:03:00.000-04:002007-05-24T14:30:28.495-04:00

Got home around 2pm and went up to look at the babies. Wish I had checked on them this morning. They've flown the coop. Glad I took lots of photos yesterday. Good luck little buggers...As of 2pm. View from the front porch. Great nest location.Btw, I was looking through the videos that I took yesterday and found some interesting stuff. This first one is the babies getting restless in the nest. [no

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-68418872914380020002007-05-23T11:45:00.000-04:002007-05-23T11:52:08.902-04:00

The nest is getting quite crowded these days. I've noticed one of the newbies actually sitting on the side of the nest from time to time. Today I thought I'd take a few more shots in case they start flying the coop soon. Was fortunate to catch momma coming in to feed them. The first photo with her is not quite framed right, but I was only trying to get the babies and she swooped in. The second

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-11575850353683575052007-05-23T09:56:00.001-04:002007-05-23T09:56:23.559-04:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-18914712309429872992007-05-23T09:41:00.000-04:002007-05-23T09:42:05.225-04:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-54321400874394042392007-05-21T17:01:00.000-04:002007-05-21T17:05:39.338-04:00

The little buggers are almost to fledgling status. I figure a few more days and the nest will be empty. Thought I'd take a few photos before they're gone. The ones with digital zoom are a tad blurry, but well worth posting. Be sure to click the photo to see the larger version.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-24891257125452509872007-05-14T23:46:00.000-04:002007-05-15T00:01:56.333-04:00

Mom's been gone a year. She died the day after Mother's Day last year around 2pm. It was a Monday. I was trying to get a job done for my new business and a friend was sitting with her. She called to say it didn't look good. She died within hours. Her best friends from her school days stopped to visit. She was gone within 15 minutes of their leaving. It all happened so fast.I miss her. (November 3

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-88897326807452505582007-05-11T17:51:00.000-04:002007-05-11T17:53:27.816-04:00

A little hard to see, but there are two little baby robins in there that I can see. At least one of the eggs has not hatched yet. The little buggers can barely flop their heads around at this point. Kinda funny...

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-3820935014221952312007-05-09T12:46:00.000-04:002007-05-09T12:50:27.950-04:00

Been hard to get a photo of momma in the nest. When I open the screen to get a clear shot, she goes across the street to watch her eggs from afar. She doesn't stay away long. I've noticed other birds coming to the nest when she's gone. They don't loook like they want to do the eggs harm, but I scare them away just the same. Today she let me get a few shots of her. She wasn't happy about it, but

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-8703554668243282852007-05-06T20:15:00.000-04:002007-05-06T20:16:13.475-04:00

Looks like it's about to get a bit noisy out our bedroom window soon...J

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-76213191772928857142007-04-30T22:38:00.000-04:002007-05-01T08:22:37.521-04:00

Happy 73rd birthday Dad.(May 1, 1934 - December 24, 1984)Miss you,J

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-42418781879223806882007-04-30T19:56:00.000-04:002007-05-01T08:19:44.183-04:00

One year ago today an amazing thing happened. First Call Basement Waterproofing, L.L.C became a reality. Happy one year anniversary! The past year has been a real roller coaster. Right now the business is in a valley, having wound up my first year with a few down months and the worst month so far (April). I've learned to roll with the punches though. Hopefully a bit of rain is around the corner (

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-54636656973364621532007-04-24T21:19:00.000-04:002007-04-24T21:23:05.868-04:00

Rode with George (GeeWizman on bikejournal.com) today at Kensington. As usual, the hills were hard, but the company was very cool. George and I exchanged a few messages back and forth on the site and decided to meet up for a ride. Things were a bit quiet on the hills (neither of us could really breathe), but we managed to get a bunch of great conversation in during our cooldown lap of the lake.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-24991103843252668762007-04-21T18:47:00.000-04:002007-04-23T09:09:32.150-04:00

Today was my first AABTS Dexter Breakfast Ride (the club's signature ride). Started at Dexter and rode to the start in Ann Arbor. Went out with John B., Sharon, Mark B. and Don. Mark, Don and I made the turn for 70. Had breakfast in Chelsea, lunch somewhere out by Portage Lake. The hills are amazing. What a blast! Felt strong today. Great ride.A few of us started in Dexter and rode to Ann Arbor

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-13076445702638355822007-04-18T15:59:00.000-04:002007-04-18T16:09:15.708-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I went riding at Kensington yesterday afternoon. Riding in the hills is always exciting, but even more so when you develop a shimmy in your front wheel at 35+mph on a descent. That had happened once before on another bike, but never on the Tourmalet. Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out about it.Last night I posted a thread about it over at bikejournal.com

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-54749378859316710632007-04-18T15:51:00.000-04:002007-04-19T12:47:29.614-04:00

Jen, Boom and I went on a trail run this afternoon. The trails are wetter than I've ever seen them before. I noticed that the Trillium were coming up and getting ready to bloom. Made me go back in my blog to find out when I took those photos last year of them. It was April 22. Looks like some things are right on schedule as much as we'd like them to hurry!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-66262549798825839832007-04-17T20:32:00.000-04:002007-04-17T20:46:11.354-04:00

Biking has been a chore most of the past few months around here, but things are getting better. Started going out to Kensington Metropark once a week recently. They have a small hill loop with some good climbing (which Al introduced me to last season). The loop is only 3.5 miles, but you get about 300+ feet of climbing in with each loop. Us flatlanders have to improvise, yo.Today's ride was with

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-7675434598013523312007-03-03T17:20:00.000-05:002007-03-04T14:04:55.123-05:00

Boomer and I got restless...So we went out to play...Saw a cool tree...Played a bit (dude is the best retriever I've ever seen)...Saw something that reminded me of a natural grave marker...Went across a couple bridges...Checked out the creek levels (a couple days ago, the water was about two feet above the ice level. You can see where the snow was washed away on the banks)...Sat around a bit...It

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-31640464346346328362007-02-26T09:13:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:28:24.388-05:00

Thanks to everyone who helped make this weekend such a great one! See you all next year!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-463636473181989562007-02-26T00:32:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:11:19.189-05:00

As with most things, Freezer Jam is, to me, about the people. Personally, I was really thrilled to be able to get my family all in one place (which is rare these days). But it's also about giving the Plymouth kids a chance to let their F&D hair down a bit. It's also nice to catch up with some of the alumni as well. When the dust settle from this event, the most important memories, for me, are the

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-7329988436423845522007-02-26T00:26:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:14:42.908-05:00

One of the reasons Freezer Jam is the awesome event it is, is the classes and instructors. We've been going since 2001. Watching the ability of Lindsay and others increase over the years as a result of this event has been awesome. I think that the main result of the classes, though, is enthusiasm. These winter sessions get us over the hump. They keep us interested and excited about Fifing &

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-42018089270413902612007-02-26T00:14:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:18:07.721-05:00

I watched some of the Dawgs grow up in the Plymouth Corps. We were also fortunate enough to be at their first performance at Deep River 2002 when they wore baseball caps and t-shirts. Suffice it to say that this group has come a long way. The one thing that hasn't changed in the last five years though is the music. These are very talented and passionate folks. This was Jenni's first performance

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-16838416158501706852007-02-26T00:07:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:21:18.866-05:00

I remember the first time I saw the OGFDC. It was the summer of 2000 in DC. They are definitely the best at what they set out to do. What separates this group from all others, for me, is the fact that they are soldiers in the United States Army. Lindsay has been a part of this corps for over a year now.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-659954092517493752007-02-25T23:07:00.001-05:002007-02-26T14:24:28.068-05:00

This is why we came. Getting the chance to come together on the Freezer Jam stage. While I'm, of course, really happy to be able to stand up there with all my girls, it's more than that. I really enjoy seeing people from different backgrounds and abilities, various ages and locations come together to play music. This was our third performance, the first being Freezer Jam 2004.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-42212078191866096092007-02-20T18:07:00.000-05:002007-02-20T18:19:57.309-05:00

These are late, but we went down to Ft. Myer to be a part of the ceremony for Lindsay's promotion to Staff Sergeant. The ceremony was very short, but we got to hang out for a couple days which was great.Btw, here's the e-mail Lindsay sent me with the photos she sent:here are the promotion pictures. don't send the gay ones out. just the ones of you guys pining me. or i'll kill you.-Lindsay

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-66741661112588807522007-02-19T20:21:00.000-05:002007-02-19T22:18:17.385-05:00

Happy Birthday Rachael!

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-13223203101083863652007-01-28T15:42:00.000-05:002007-01-28T15:46:17.389-05:00

The 30th Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival is in the books. As was promised in the Folk Festival website, the show tonight featured the heart of folk, of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Here's a brief run down of tonight's events.1. Jeff Daniels was, again, in wonderful form. I was not aware of what a great guitar player and songwriter he is. His performance as MC inspired me to pick up his Live &

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-17443641824383152632007-01-28T15:39:00.000-05:002007-01-28T17:14:40.262-05:00

Just got home from the Friday night show. My observations (and official star rating), for what they're worth. We missed Millish and the first couple songs of Ember Swift.1. Jeff Daniels killed as MC. He nearly stole the show IMO. His song Are You As Excited About Me As I Am had the crowd both laughing and spellbound. [*****]2. Ember Swift - We arrived late and only saw a couple songs of hers, but

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-29316709573486845032007-01-17T13:56:00.000-05:002007-01-17T14:11:38.748-05:00

We had some rain, freezing rain, cold temps the past few days. Wish I would've had my camera with me yesterday, but I took it today and still managed to find a few remnants of the amazing show that brightened my day yesterday! Enjoy.J[click on these photos for more detail]

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-59660831900469484322007-01-17T00:43:00.000-05:002007-01-17T00:58:09.031-05:00

Days like today get me through winter. The sun came out! All day long I got to drive around the city and witness the amazing light show that nature put on! Everywhere I went (especially when heading south) the sun was twinkling through the ice which was still coating all the trees. It was like driving down a "diamond tree" lined path. About the only thing that could've made today better would've

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-3329522891632561872007-01-14T23:32:00.000-05:002007-01-15T09:30:26.480-05:00

So yesterday's post was a sort of rant about the cruddy weather we've been having in Michigan and its effect on me (this is MY blog, after all). Even though I haven't seen a single ray of sunshine in what seems like forever, I'm feeling a bit better about this whole winter thing tonight. I think the reason is perspective. The dictionary defines perspective as follows:per·spec·tive (pər-spěk'tĭv

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-47983621078996263902007-01-13T14:11:00.000-05:002007-01-15T09:29:31.810-05:00

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'... into the future."Gray skies suck the life right out of me. I should be smarter than the sky. I should be able to overcome some lack of UV rays! I'm the most intelligent lifeform on the planet and a few days of gray skies have got me down??? I don't remember seeing racoons and possum moping around in the overcast. They seem to adjust fine! Seems that

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-90896432453335341722007-01-09T23:38:00.000-05:002007-01-15T09:29:48.087-05:00

Spent the evening over a friend's house tonight. There were three of us that had come to play some guitar together. None of us are truly spectacular, but we had a blast. Mike has a nice Breedlove 12 string. Charlie wasn't planning on playing (recent surgery on one of his fingers), but he plucked away until the pain made him stop. I played my Martin and sang a few of the songs I've written over

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-79335316018524376372007-01-07T20:53:00.000-05:002007-01-15T09:31:09.960-05:00

Left the house around 2pm for a nice ride this afternoon. Planned to do the Dixboro Loop (which is about 40 miles). When I left the house the temperature was about 41. As I got along 7 mile (about the 10 mile mark) it started to rain steadily. Once I got to Pontiac Trail (about 15 miles) it was freezing rain and the temperature had dipped to 34. When I got to the intersection of PT and North

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-27034352137748665752006-12-29T00:54:00.000-05:002006-12-29T19:46:49.303-05:00

Can I just say......Bob "freaking" Seger rocked the socks off of the Motor City tonight???This was his third of four sold out nights here (tickets were a Christmas present to me). This man is over 60 years old ("sweet 16 has turned 61") and he was simply on fire. He sang so many of the songs that were a part of the soundtrack of my life growing up. It was actually hard to hear him many times

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-45170501800605438342006-12-28T15:08:00.000-05:002006-12-28T15:20:04.875-05:00

So I'm working in Dave & Lisa's sub this morning and on the way out see that Lisa is unloading groceries. I pull in and say hi. She says, you've got good timing. I ask why. She says "because Brian (Dave's brother) is on his way in a Chinook (huge military helicopter)." Brian flew in Iraq over the last couple years and continues to fly here locally for training. Anyway..... sure enough. No sooner

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-70264414205002655112006-12-26T15:49:00.000-05:002006-12-26T15:52:46.925-05:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-53622889328406729542006-12-26T15:45:00.000-05:002006-12-26T15:49:37.955-05:00

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-33011975482567343232006-12-12T20:53:00.000-05:002006-12-12T22:17:53.311-05:00

It's been seven months since mom passed away. About two weeks ago, we got an invitation from the funeral home to attend a special "candle lighting ceremony". I didn't really know what to expect, but we went. What I was hoping for was a little closure. I was so busy at the time she died that I didn't spend much energy on the grieving process. I had just lost my job and was trying to figure out how

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-63457047931684036732006-11-23T21:01:00.000-05:002006-11-24T13:19:54.342-05:00

...a table to eat on...food and a good cook...family...a (few) place(s) to park...people who liven up the day...comfy couches...good holiday weather

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-34677760442132712612006-11-03T09:07:00.000-05:002006-11-03T09:08:26.333-05:00

(03Nov33-15May06). Miss you.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-29961670829679396172006-10-29T21:17:00.000-05:002006-10-29T21:23:37.266-05:00

So I've been taking this prescription medication for about three weeks and have about four days left. During this time, I've been getting so sore and I just don't feel "right". At first, I thought it was just because I've been cycling/running in the cold & rainy weather. But it's getting worse. I actually went online to check the side effects of this medication. "Joint soreness" is a side effect,

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-77897697614088844182006-10-29T00:25:00.000-04:002006-10-29T00:26:34.970-04:00

We get an extra HOUR of sleep tonight. Yessssssss.J

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-80617949961997470572006-10-29T00:17:00.000-04:002006-10-29T00:20:39.123-04:00

Photos from Lindsay and Josh.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-2481954653294690472006-10-29T00:12:00.000-04:002006-10-29T00:16:53.488-04:00

Few photos from K's recent visit to Virginia.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-33618126530443980152006-10-28T12:41:00.000-04:002006-10-30T21:20:41.967-05:00

So I wake up this morning to 35 degrees and rain. Good day to go watch the cross country regionals, right? Went, mainly, to see Greg Reed run, but enjoyed the whole spectacle. There's just something about watching those runners getting coated with mud the whole way (and it WAS MUDDY). Course was a double loop x 2. Only one hill to speak of, but, given the course conditions this morning, it was

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-24551394482201847042006-10-27T18:27:00.000-04:002006-10-27T18:29:22.801-04:00

Went out for a tempo run this evening. As usual, I left in a light rain but ran most of it in a steady downpour. This run felt great though. I haven't really been running much (with all the biking). Did the Newburgh North Loop in about 57 min. There were lots of geese, swans and ducks all over the place around Newburgh Lake. Probably where the phrase "nice weather... if you're a duck" came from.

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-76745368187125469462006-10-27T15:51:00.000-04:002006-10-27T18:27:08.651-04:00

Still no hunting this season yet. It's raining today, but supposed to be high winds up in Caro this weekend.Shot w/new adjustable sight for first time. Started from about eight yards and worked my way back to 20. With lever all the way down (aperture all the way up) I’m sighted in for about 20 yards. Had to fool with the windage adjustment a bit to get it dialed in side to side. Blasted one of my

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-3387800126826845192006-10-19T20:03:00.000-04:002006-10-27T16:06:30.341-04:00

Found myself being a little reflective about this past year the other day. Thought I'd write a few thoughts down about it.2006The first quarter was taken up with Lindsay (#1) being sent to Ft. Myer, VA after completing basic training. Karen and I tried to get out there as much as we could. Being the leader of the local fife & drum corps took up a decent amount of time this quarter, mainly

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-72478480715174680442006-10-07T23:08:00.000-04:002006-10-27T16:06:43.067-04:00

What is it about a ridiculous challenge that is so captivating? I've been hearing about the bike tour called the Columbus Fall Challenge (in Ohio... duh). It's supposed to be two days of riding in the most challenging (hence the name) hills in the state. Some of these climbs (so I hear) are more than two miles in length at very high inclines.So when do I get to go?See? This has to be a genetic

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337645.post-81736870756249416032006-10-06T21:00:00.000-04:002006-10-06T21:05:30.864-04:00

So... Al and I just returned from a nice 25 miler in the hills. We're sitting there (on our bikes) talking. I decide to ride around in circles for a minute to run Boomer a little. As I come to a complete stop, I unclip my LEFT shoe... and suddenly realize I'm leaning RIGHT. Not good. Needless to say (but I will anyway), I could not unclip the right shoe fast enough and hit the street hard. My

John Natiwnoreply@blogger.com0