I had the pleasure of two relaxing weekends at home with my family. One was full of extended family members coming into town and the other was just a plain old weekend in Connecticut… or was it?

Being the type of person that has trouble sitting still on weekends, it was tough to wake up on Saturday morning with limited options for activities. We went through the usual options, but none of them sounded Awesome enough. Until, I realized that there was a local activity that I had been meaning to experience for a long time … at the Weston Gun Club. I’ve shot clay pigeons before, but I always took the red neck approach because I was living in Wyoming. The Gun Club in Connecticut is a different story. It has a variety of stations set up that toss skeet in random directions. There is nothing better than pulverizing a clay disk with a shotgun…and when you introduce competition into the mix, it only gets better.

So, yes, Saturday rocked. We spent a few hours appeasing the innate hunting desire within most men. And it was followed by several beers of enjoyment afterwards. Thank you Weston Gun Club and the elite members of this club.

California continually surprises me. After Texas, I went to Mammoth for a weekend of Southern California skiing. The peaks are far more erratic than Tahoe mountains and the ski hill is super vast. Plus, the whole hill smells like sulpher gasses. I had a great time with two old buddies from back east. Then they abandoned me. I’ve never had a flight canceled due to weather….well, let me rephrase, I have never had a flight get canceled and strand me somewhere. A snowstorm came through and they only have one flight a day to SFO. So, they canceled it and put me on the next one, 24 hours later. My buddies ditched me at a Motel 6 and headed back from LA. So, I spent an extra night and day in Mammoth. It did not suck because the snow came down and left me with a powder day.  Solo days in the snow are a blast.

Prior to this past week, I had only flown through Texas. I had never spent any time in Texas. I had the pleasure of enjoying my first experience in Texas at this year’s South by Southwest festival. One week of Interactive work, Music, and Film. It was better than going to any major music festival (ie Coachella, Outside Lands, etc.) because every venue was super intimate. My Chicago Google crew was all there, we managed to enjoy some really great music. Some of the bands that blew me away were: Little Hurricane, Miike Snow, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, Punch Borthers, The Alabama Shakes, and so much more. Who knew that Texas could be so cool?

Hours ago, I just sold my trustworthy Jeep for a small amount of money and a sandwich.  My parents picked me up in that Jeep when I returned home from studying abroad in New Zealand.  It has been my car since 2001.  We have lived together in 4 different timezones with 3 sets of plates (she never committed to Illinois).  She has crossed the Missisippi a few times, been to the top of Teton Pass several times, enjoyed both sides of Lake Michigan, been to the beaches of Maine and California.  We have escorted various people around, from all aspects of my life.  We have picked up ladies for dates and dropped them off. We’ve met hitchhikers, collided with a few snowbanks, offroaded on the lost coast, partied on the playa, and enjoyed the ‘road.’

It has been fun. Thank you for your support.  You are now in car heaven with my beloved Volvo (with the Prep Lacrosse & Bob Marley sticker) and excellent S-10 pick up truck (truck, truck, truck…).

A thoughtful gift is always better to receive than any tangible, mass produced, item. It was a great pleasure to receive this from my friend Danny: The Iceland Album.  It is a few, well edited, videos of our trip to Iceland last summer.  It captures the pleasurable moments that are fond to those on the trip and it exudes the quality and spectacles of Iceland.

World, I urge you to put more thought and kindness into your gifts.  And I dare you to send (via mail or email) surprises to your close family and friends in 2012.  There is nothing better than a surprise, with history and/or meaning.

Confluence, its a pretty cool word.  I first learned of it, when someone mentioned it to me as a point of reference for the Gros Ventre & Snake Rivers.  When applied in everyday living, it can make for great experiences.  I was fortunate enough to be a part of a great confluence in the pacific northwest.  Two close friends and I set out on a small San Juan 28, named the Canard.  We left Seattle on Friday afternoon and motored across to Kingston, on the Olympic Peninsula.  En route, we encountered our first hazard.  We hit a massive log, adrift in the Puget Sound.  I have sailed in a lot of places and I have never heard of that happening to someone.  Between the shipping lanes traffic in the Strait of Juan De Fuca and random logs in the sound, we were now fully aware that staying alert was essential.  The next day we set sail around Whitby Island and through the strait, for a wet and intense sail to Anacortes Island.  Unfortunately, the weather kept us in Flounder Bay for two nights and held us back from sailing to Lopez Island.  Eventually, we navigated our way through Deception Pass (a very dangerous tickle, with extreme tidal power).  We sailed through Skagit Bay, wing and wing…as the only boat in the entire bay.  It was a wonderful day.  Our last night was in Langley, on Whitby Island.  4 days in the Puget Sound, with some squalls, some close friends, some brisk, and some solitude can make for the perfect confluence.

Lately, I have been on a productivity kick.  Call it a “phase” or call it a change.  I have been trying to be optimal with my time, diet, and general approach.  My roommate Matt and I have turned it into a bit of a game, with points.  It started with a large list of some things that we have wanted to do, but continually put off. Getting to Yosemite and climbing Half Dome was on the list.  we had both been to Yosemite when we are young and have fond memories.  With the park in our backyard, we set out for a jaunt.

Our first stop was Turlock, Ca. There we cruised to Ballico, Ca. to see my buddy Damon’s almond factory.  Damon’s family runs a farm that produces Almonds, Peaches, and Walnuts.  It was like a field trip, being able to see the process behind almonds.  Once they are brought from the farm (a whole process, in itself) they have to go through a series of machines to pull out the seed.  It is kind of amazing.

The next morning we drove to Yosemite.  We got a bit of a late start and some people warned us about leaving too late.  However, that only gave us more incentive to get up there faster.  We ascended about 5000 feet in 3 hours.  We took the Mist Trail up and the Muir Trail down.  From car to summit, back to car…it took us about 7 hours.  Thats pretty good timing, considering that we weren’t really in a rush.  Although, coming across some people can be a little discouraging sometimes…I tried my best to give most happy hikers a smile and a “Howdy.”  National Parks are amazing.

Its been a bit and I have been straying away from the posts and updates.  Sometimes, that is a good thing. I pride myself on being offline.  After a variety of travel over the summer (NY, Iceland, LA, Mexico, NY, Chicago, Seattle), it has been nice to get back into the groove in California.  It was amazing to reconnect with a lot of my friends that are scattered across the country.  Everybody seems to be progressing in their own right.

Thoughts, Prayers, emotions…..its palpable.