As you may have read, this was the “Summer of Completed Endeavors.” Fulfilling, exhausting, and…complete. It’s wonderful to revisit the memories of long dusty days with sweat, mosquitoes, and sunburns. I frequently peruse the collections of photos stored on my hard drive, and change the background of my desktop far too often just to squeeze another second of enjoyment out of those summer trips. But I hesitate to linger in those reflections…lest like Narcissus I fall into the beauty of what I see.

I long to look forward to what pleasures lie in wait…ready to ambush at any moment.

Today’s forecast calls for almost a foot of snow in the mountains. That’s good news for me. Not only will I be diligently pursuing the snowshoeing-caving-toe freezing that has come to be a tradition among the boys, but also, I hope to become proficient at another less “niche” snow activity – skiing. Becky and I have long talked about hitting the slopes, and this winter seems like a good chance for us to do that.

Someone once told me, “It doesn’t get any easier as you get older” when I complained of only being able to get outside once during the summer. I’m glad to say…that person was wrong…sort of. It may not be easy to schedule all the adventures on which we wish to embark. But I’m glad to be surrounded by friends who share the same desire to make outdoor activities a priority. THAT makes it easy.

For the last few days, my favorite website has been http://www.mthood.info/weather/index.html - a collection of webcams showing Government Camp, Mt. Hood Meadows, and Timberline Lodge. It feels good to slip back into habitual monitoring of snow levels. I eagerly await my friends - Gore-Tex, wool socks, and long-johns. They are calling my name!










PB