August 14 to 16, 2020 I was on the road as soon as the clock hit five. I had sixteen pieces of freshly painted trim in the back of Big Red. But other than that, no big plans. This weekend was supposed to be a real scorcher–the hottest of the…
View More Lazy Days on the River
August 7 to 9, 2020 I spent the week cutting and painting trim and siding so that when the weekend came, all I’d have to do is hang it, and then I’d be done. Quick and easy, right? By the time 5:00 Friday rolled around, I felt pretty beat up.…
View More Fish, Frogs, & Growing Up
July 31 to August 2, 2020 My plans for the weekend were simple–finish painting. Nothing more. Oh, and maybe re-level the cabin. But that was it. I’d already picked up two gallons of tinted Kilz Original oil-based primer, which should be more than enough for one last coat, plus three…
View More Night Mission
July 24 to 26, 2020 This was the weekend to prime the second floor. I was nervous about it. I don’t like heights. At all. It took four months before I even felt comfortable standing on the third rung of my six-foot ladder. And the top of the second floor…
View More Bathing with Crawdads
July 17 to 19, 2020 The weather had been amazingly beautiful all week. And, as luck would have it, the weather forecast called for another two weeks, both in Olympia and in the Olympic Rain Forest. Hooray! Time for good weather projects! After a lot of research and thought, I…
View More Sweatpants Gray
Friday, June 12, 2020 This was a short weekend at River Song as I had to head back to the city Saturday evening. Earlier in the week, I started putting my belongings into storage in preparation for moving to my new place at the end of the month. Rather than…
View More A Gathering Place
Friday, June 19 My friend and I have been talking about kayak camping for more than a year. But something always came up. A few weeks ago, however, we decided to go for it. We would spend four days, three nights kayaking and camping on Lake Roosevelt in eastern Washington.…
View More Kayak Camping on Lake Roosevelt
Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, 2020 Since finishing Phase I of my cabin, it’s become more of an escape than a weekend to-do list. And this weekend was no different. By 5:05, I was on I-5, heading out of the city. I didn’t have much planned, other than…
View More Crossing the Creek
May 29 to 31, 2020 At 5:00 sharp, I was out the door, headed for my truck. Big Red was already loaded up for the weekend, and the cat had plenty of food and water. Time to head out of town! I pulled into River Song at about 6:30 p.m.…
View More A Giant Slab of Rock
August 2019 After 11 trips to Burning Man, I have my camping system down. Other than a few tweaks each year, I take the same gear. I have found it’s a lot easier and less stressful when I use gear dedicated to the event, even when it means having duplicate…
View More Burning Man Gear List