Can you beileve it's almost May?

I can't believe we're already starting the 3rd week of April. This year is flying by at an unbelievable pace. What's new?

(1) Baby Hattie is coming in less than three weeks! I'm really looking forward to holding my newest daughter (and Jen's ready for Hattie to stop doing chin ups from her ribcage.) With how much I love Olivia, my little Jelly Bean, I can't imagine loving her any less, or Hattie any more than the other. I wouldn't trade being a dad for anything. Olivia's my joy, and Hattie can only add to it!

(2) Busy springtime at Timber-lee. We're starting to see a marked increase in school groups. Plus, in a little more than a month, I'll be welcoming my summer team.

(3) I'm selling The Biner. Yup, I can't fit 2 child seats in the cab of my faithful steed, so it's nearing the time to say goodbye to my 2002 Ford Ranger. Know anyone who's in the market for a fuel efficient (24mpg hwy) pickup truck outfitted with red emergency lights & siren? Only 65k miles...anyone?

(4) I'm reading a fantastic book, "Let My People Go Surfing," a book written by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. It's really cool to glean from his experience as an outdoors enthusiast who started a business doing what he loves.

That's about all. I'm actually going to hit the sack early tonight. See ya next time!

It's coming...

Outdoor Education this spring is arriving like a lion...who, after a huge roar, soon after takes a nap. Tomorrow & Friday are extremely busy, with the first High Ropes & Archery classes of the year, plus Tower, GPS, and multiple Teambuilding classes all going on simultaneously. You'd think it was mid-May! The following week is fairly slow, but that's only temporary. Bring on the school groups!

Hiring for summer is coming along. I've got more than half of my instructors so far, with a small pile of applications on my desk.

Keep me in your prayers. Without a full time assistant for this year, it could get pretty rocky. Without a wife or children, I'd probably dive in, suck it up, and deal with the work of 2 people, but a wife & daughter, plus another one on the way, I'm really not willing to write them off until November when things slow down again. I've got some creative ideas...we'll see how they work out.

Oops, I forgot about my website!

Hey readers, sorry I've been gone for so long. Family & work have kept me busy this past month. I'm just about ready to hit the sack, then a thought crossed my mind...when's the last time I updated thedavewave?

What's new? Things here at camp are going alright. getting things in place for a very busy spring & summer...and fall...you get the picture. We're going to try some new and exciting things with staffing my activity areas this summer. I'll know by mid-June if it was a success.

This is cool - I'm seriously considering doing a 100k ride in June. It's for raising funds for diabetes research. I've wanted to do a ride of this length this year, plus it's kinda fitting as I've got family who've dealt with this disease. I've got to raise a minimum $150 in pledges - I can already take online payments via PayPal...hmm...I'll keep you posted, especially if you'd like to pledge something.

Ok, now I'm going to bed, but now I can sleep knowing I'm not leaving ya hangin' for an update! :-)

Zzzzzzzzz

Live from the conference

It's been a while since my last post. I'm live at the 2009 WEA/PRCA conference in Bloomington, Indiana. Lots of meetings and workshops - very cool stuff, but after 3 full days, I'm ready to go home.

Cool update regarding my previous gear review - the owner of the company wrote me & asked if they could use my review for possible website & catalog promotion.

Gear Review: Rail Riders Weather Pants

It's been a while since my last gear review, and I've had a chance to really put these through the ringer, so here it goes...

Ok, to be honest, I used to throw away their catalog (dumb mailing lists!) I mean, c'mon, the "toughest clothes on the planet?" Limited selection of products, kinda pricey, etc. Well, after trying some of their stuff over the past couple years, I'm a fan.

And now for the review. I bought my first pair of Weather Pants last fall. At $80 retail, I had to think of them not as your general, run of the mill pants, but as a piece of gear. As the temperature began to drop here in Wisconsin, I started layering underneath them, using them as a shell pant.

First of all, they're built like a tank, but surprisingly light weight & nice technical features. You can wear these year round. The nylon dries quickly if they get wet, plus the butt & knees are reinforced with a heavier nylon. As an added bonus, they look nice enough that you can teach a college lecture or two in them & not look like you're just in from the backcountry.

Buy 'em with confidence, and don't let the sticker price fool ya. They're a true workhorse, extremely versatile & worth every penny (plus, as of the day of this post, they're still on sale for $39.50 at www.railriders.com.)

About time!

I remember purchasing my first Palm handheld in 1996, back in the days when they were still US Robotics and made in the USA. Since then I've owned 6 models, ending with my Palm T/X. Though I've switched to WinMo smartphones (HTC Touch is my current phone), I've always had an affection for Palm, but with an operating system that's remained relatively unchanged for a number of years, and hardware design that's been left in the dust by competing products, the future of Palm looked pretty bleak. Combine that with company "promises" of something new that have been fraught with delays, I had pretty much given up hope...

Until now.

Palm unveiled the Palm Prē at this year's CES, a new smartphone that appears to be worth the wait. Full touchscreen, slideout keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a user interface that some early reviewers are gushing over makes this a Palm to get excited about. Due out in early 2009, it'll be exclusively available through Sprint, but if the Palm Centro's term of exclusivity with Sprint of 90 days is an indicator of how long we'll have to wait, it may not be long before this device is available through other carriers.

As a long-time Palm fan, all I can say after viewing available video demonstrations and photos is "nice job!" It's been a long time coming.

Yuck!

Jen's been asking me the last couple days, "have you written it yet? Did you write the post yet?"

Ok, here's the story. The Friday after Christmas, Jen & I were staying at her mom's house & were taking advantage of a very willing babysitter to have a night out.

After sitting at the top of Grandad's Bluff, talking about the roller coaster this holiday season has been without my mom, Jen asked where I'd like to go for dinner. For those of you who know me, my comfort food is Chinese food. My mom & I would occasionally hit area buffets followed by leisurely browsing through the nearest book store. It was one of our "things." The food's not exactly Jen's first choice, but she was game, especially considering my emotional state, so off we went.

Our first warning signal should've been the fact that there were only six other people in the restaurant, at 7pm on a Friday night. Strike two was the limited, unremarkable selection of food in the buffet. Those sauteed green beans had obviously been sitting there for a while.

After finishing our first plates, we sat talking for a few minutes, very softly since no one else in the restaurant was talking. Seriously, Twilight Zone stuff! I was just about to get a small 2nd plate when one of the staff, mopping the floor by the food lines, loudly snorted & cleared his throat like he had a 50lb wad of phlegm in his mouth.

Uh, yeah. I was done. Strike three! Check please?

I had to try so hard not to laugh as we paid our bill & quickly made our way to the exit. Once clear of the door, I lost it. Fearing she'd been scarred for life, I offered with a smile, "for the foreseeable future, I will not ask you to eat at Chinese buffet."

The night wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the book store.