Today was a great Father’s Day. What an awesome thing it is to actually be a dad on Father’s Day! It’s fun to be on this side of things. As usual, today was filled with its share of difficulties and challenges. Slipping on a $10 pair of thick wool socks changed things, however. Walking into … More Dads with kids should enjoy Father’s Day guilt free. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Some things are best taught by coming alongside and sharing an experience. A solid work ethic is one of them. It is a constant battle to raise kids in our affluent culture without promoting a sense of entitlement. Unlike prior generations, most children never really know what it means to go without. We have plenty … More Kids Can and Should Work Hard
Like most people, our tendency will naturally be to hole up for an extended period of time this time of year, and have less and less contact with our neighbors or even fellow humans in general. Our house, being rather small, cramped, and frequently untidy, will often feel like a less than ideal place to … More Tapping a Renewable Resource in Your Neighborhood
I I am not against a little bribery once in a while. Today it was just what the doctor ordered. T’was a lazy day, and all of else felt like laying around. I didn’t have the energy to pour into a go big or go home event for our family adventure this week (minimum of … More Bribery. Not Just for Warlords Anymore
Just as adversity and conflict help make a good story, the two seem to accompany our family on our adventures, and ultimately serve to spice up the experience. It’s just after eight o’clock on a Saturday morning, and our twin children have begun to fight incessantly following two hours of relatively calm play in the … More Cooke’n Memories at the Local State Park
Here’s my column that ran in the paper this week… Hope, as much as air or water, is crucial for life. One’s heart and lungs may continue to function mechanically without it, but the resulting withering is undeniable. I often wonder in this column if I’m conveying fictitious images of our family as a Duluth … More Hope. Not Just a Four Letter Word.
Here’s my latest column for the paper. While the particulars are local, the principles are universal methinks…. This evening my family and I returned from a disastrous hiking trip to the Lake County Demonstration Forest, which ultimately was salvaged in the end by ice cream and Lake Superior (our two aces in the hole in … More Salvaging Disaster and Making Memories
I never miss an opportunity to be a picnic evangelist, so I’ve rolled this old column out of the archives with the hopes that you’ll enjoy one where you live soon. With this experience I especially enjoyed combining cultural history, exercise, relaxation together as a family, and good food…. One of the finest family adventures … More Recovering The Lost Art of Picnicking
Today I ran on the Lakewalk on my most regular route, and the kids joined me on their bikes. The wind was up, and it was cold, but we needed to get out before the snow starts flying again. Surprisingly, the bear came out of his den today. He was groggy and indifferent to the … More The Bear is back. Bring your own carcass.
Here I am able to share with you a portion of a single day of my family’s recent vacation within the backcountry of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the UP of Michigan. From our remote rustic cabin, we hiked 1 mile to the mouth of the Big Carp River, and crossed into the … More A Run in the Woods
Ed's Big Adventure 