A Snowy Trail Run, in Pictures

Yesterday the dogs and I both needed some exercise. So we fought the good fight against the white snow of death and went to Bakers Ridge and slogged about (aboat for my Canadian reader(s)) and got muddy, snowy, tired, and happy. From A to Zed it was a good time and my toque worked perfectly.

Running with my dogs always makes me feel like a slow, clumsy, inferior species.

It also reminds me that exercise is play, mud is fun, and that a good face-licking is never a bad idea.

It took me about an hour and a half to get out, run for nearly an hour, make a stop at Kroger for some missing ingredients, and get home. Probably a better way to spend some time than watching "The Spy Next Door" which is what I was up to before I left.

The Past Few Days

Have been busy.

Somebody had a baby.

Someone else has been doing schoolwork, walking the dogs and trying to be a good daddy.

The little bundle didn't sleep at all last night, and the wifey is tired. I slept just fine, though, thank you very much.

The dag's have been adjusting just fine.

They still get to hike and play in the snow:

And Chopper still enjoys a solid snuggle or two.

Times are good in our house right now.

Andrew's 2011 racing plans and a birth play-by-play from my perspective coming later this week.

Out like Chief Ron in TDB.

With a Bang!

2011 will be a big year in our household. Like big big big.

A baby is on his way.

We're leaving our home of the past three years, Morgantown, WV, for the snowy, windy, and relatively flat town of Dunkirk, NY.

I'll be working, instead of goofing off full time. The goof-off role will not fall to Shelley, though, who is going to be a full-time, stay at home runner next year. Instead, the goof off duties will fall to the Ornery Dogs, Tessa and Chopper, and the child, Ben.

This pile of digital detritus will be infrequently updated, and will principally serve as a way to keep in touch with family and friends that are mostly far-away.

The subjects will cover the entire spectrum of human thought, emotion, and experience. Seriously. There might be some emphasis on childrearing, storytelling, and outdoor adventures, but since those three things, along with dog-world, encompass the entire human experience, I will not hear complaints.

The principal cast of this ongoing story will be as follows.

Andrew: Husband, Father, Cyclist, Dog Shouter, Mastermind.

(Despondent after 19 hours of climbing in Harrisonburg, VA, with SO-PRO Christopher Michaels.)

Shelley: Wife, Mother, Runner, Dog Cuddler, Enabler.

Ben: Baby. Pictures Forthcoming, ETA 1/26/2010

Tessa: Border Collie Bossy Bitch Extroadinaire, Frisbee Killer, Chief Ornery Dog.

Chopper: One Goofy Aussie Puppy, Principal Under-The-Covers-Snuggler, Softie with Spots. Apprentice Ornery Dog.

So that's the crew, at least for now. Coming up later this week, or at least this month, or hopefully this year, posts about future plans, racing aspirations, fitness, lifestyle, cooking, dogs, dog training, excellence, the law, justice, injustice, ethics, and who knows what else.

And hopefully very soon, the birth of our baby.