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On Wednesday Kathryn and Eric took Amtrak from Rome to WDC with friends Linda, Bonnie and Cindy. They visited the National Zoo on Thursday and the Mall on Friday. Our friends Kent & Kathy flew in on Friday with their two daughters Marisa and Julia. Everyone returned to Rome by train on Saturday.

On Sunday we packed up the camping gear, hooked up our pop-up camper and went to Soft Maple Reservoir for an overnight camping trip. It was the girls 1st opportunity to go canoeing (with mixed results) and Marisa caught her 1st fish in the same ‘below the dam’ fishing hole where Eric caught his 1st fish at age 2.

Upon our return home on Monday evening ate a fantastic meal out on the deck and enjoyed some bird watching before yielding to a night filled with fire flies. The kids caught several in a jar before releasing them. It was one of the nights that was so nice you dreaded going inside to sleep it away- but we did. The next morning I transported our guests back to the train station where they departed for WDC and the rest of their vacation.

Saturday morning I went to look at a horse. Lotza Hot is a 9 year old AQHA mare that is western pleasure bred - by of Hotroddin Zippo who is by Zips Chocolate Chip and out of a mare by Hotrodders Jet Set. On her bottom side she is out of a mare sired by Speedy Pine Glow. She is a nice size ~15.2H, cute, quiet and nice to be around. This coming week I am hauling her to a vet to be examined for lameness issues.

Colin Fletcher, author, and the father of modern backpacking, died June 12 of natural causes.  

Colin’s books were a early influence on my outdoor experiences.  I read his The Complete Walker series multiple times and my parents owned The Man Who Walked Through Time about his solo hike through Grand Canyon.  I can remember reading The Complete Walker and getting pumped up about solo camping.  I had free weekend at college (1974 or 75) one weekend and went camping near the Susquehanna River.  It was a clear night and I slept out under a tarp or nothing at all.  I remember waking up and seeing a skunk patrolling along the river bank and checking out my pots and pans before moving on.

His advice on gear became overtaken by technology but his philosophies remain true today.

Thursday Eric finished his 1st year of pre-school at Little Acorn. Attendance was 9:30 - 12:30 on Tuesdays & Thursdays. They held a picnic at the Trenton Town Park with lots of play time toys.

We have some pure white wild iris out in the pasture. They are not fully in bloom yet, but coming on strong. That is the positive aspect to walking down in the pasture. The negative is the goose poop left by the 3 families of geese that moved to the little pond.