First blog post

This could be where I organize the whole concept of my blog, wrapping it in an overall concept that would capture it's essence and present it concisely to an eager & curious world.  I could establish the background, causes, form & tone with clearly understood yet witty writing.

Then again, why set yourself up for disaster right off the start line.  So I'll just try to put up a passable first post - not shooting for the stars but not a pretentious load of balogna either.

I've always enjoyed taking photos.  In these new fangled days where you don't have to wait to develop your photos (remember that?) it seems a shame not to indulge myself by taking as many pics as I feel like.  Recently I've decided to be a bit less sporadic in my photography.  The goal I came up with was inspired by the best thing over on Pinkbike - their Picture of the Day feature.  It's always nice to check in and see what their pick for the day is - what riding discipline, scenery and creativity are showcase.

Not that I think I could hold a candle so most of those photographers.  Many of them have real talent and are constantly working on improving their technique.  For me it's going to be more of a point & shoot opportunity that happens during my day.  I'd guess that the best I could hope for would be to occasionally capture a decent photo and hopefully gradually improve my eye so that I can take better pictures.   And if I can have some fun and maybe make someone else smile along the way, well that's an extra bonus.

When my son Kenny and I went camping with the Cub Scouts two weekends ago, we stayed at Chickagami Park, near Parkman, Ohio.  This used to be Camp Chickagami, a BSA camp, but has been made into a Geauga County Park recently.  This resulted in the rather run down camp getting a facelift, even if it did cost them some of the features that had been there back in the old days. 

Speaking of old days, this is where I went to Boy Scout camp myself when I was about 12 years old.  Back then I learned how to shoot at the rifle range, and helped to prepare lunch for dozens of scouts in the big lodge.  These days the rifle range and the lodge are both gone, but there are still cabins & Adirondack style lean-to's for the Scouts to use.  The lake is also gone, since the dam that was put up way back then had to be removed.  But the woods are beautiful and there is a nice long trail that goes around the property.

Our scouts, the Webelo II's, camped together with the Webelo I's - sharing a tent site area and lean to.  Kenny and some of the other boys slept in the lean-to while the majority of the group tented on the pads provided.  But even though I brought a tent, with the clear and mild night forecast I decided to just throw my sleeping bag down on a tarp and sleep under the stars.  It was a beautiful night, with temperatures cool enough to keep the mosquitoes down but not low enough to be cold.  When I awoke in the morning and collected up my sleeping gear, the rising sun was beginning to draw the moisture from the dew off the lawn.

My gear mostly packed, I sat back on a camp chair while all around Cub Scouts explored the woods, chased each other across the camp site, and generally behaved like young boys.  At the end of the field "Johnny Appleseed" was preparing a presentation on Ohio history for the boys.  The warm sun felt great on my face as I watched the mist rise.