Archive for April, 2022

Spring Break 2022, Part 1

Apr

27

2022

Like many Michiganders, we headed south for our spring break.

Unlike many Michiganders, we stopped heading south after only one state and we spent our week in Ohio.

Our friends spent their days on the beach. Our kids had fun seeing who could grab the biggest icicle off the rock ledges.

Our destination was Hocking Hills. We found a VRBO in Logan and set out from there each morning for some trails. For those of you not familiar with this part of Ohio, you are best off picturing West Virginia for the terrain.

Day 1:
We couldn’t check in until 4:00, so we didn’t need to leave that early. It was 10:00 or so when we left.

Normally, when we drive somewhere, we stop at around the 2.5 hour mark for a break. Use the bathroom, stretch the legs, etc. So we usually have lunch around the 2 hour mark. On this day, Some Wife handed out the lunches we had packed, everyone ate as we drove, then we scouted for the upcoming rest stops. I took a survey and no one needed to stop, so the plan was to drive until someone needed to stop.

We ended up going the whole 4+ hours without stopping. I think that’s the first time we’ve ever done that. Turning point for family vacations right there.

We got there early enough so we did everything else before checking into the house: visit the visitors’ center, tour the pencil sharpener museum (right next to the center, and only about 10’x15′ – one of the tinier musea around), hike Rock House, hike Rock Bridge, pick up groceries for the week (hooray for curbside pickup), and grab a carryout pizza (hooray for no cooking the first evening).

Rock House
We chose Rock House for the first afternoon because it was close. Rock House is like a cave with many large openings.

I’ll start with a picture of a tree that looks like a snail, which is on the trail to the actual Rock House

image of a tree that looks like a snail in Hocking Hills Ohio

Next is a couple of the kids clambering around the path to Rock House. Notice the icicles. In many areas the path led you under icicles, and we witnessed several of them falling.

image of Rock House hiking area in Hocking Hills Ohio

(more…)

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Difficulties

Apr

20

2022

People sometimes say, of a certain task, “It is not difficult; it just takes a lot of steps”. Or perhaps “It’s not hard, just tedious”.

I also am guilty of having uttered, if not that exact phrase, that sentiment.

But what makes something difficult? Is not requiring a lot of intermediate actions something that increases the difficulty of a task?

Certainly not everything that is difficult requires many steps.

Something may be physically demanding – it is hard to accomplish because of the physical conditioning and exertion required.
Something may be mentally demanding – it is difficult to accomplish because of unfamiliarity with a concept.

I think that most things that are difficult are difficult because they require a lot of steps.

This assumes that the intermediate steps are not all the same. If the intermediate steps are repetitive, then yes you could say it is tedious.

But even then, to many people a tedious task is difficult, maybe because their minds can’t occupy themselves without external stimulus. Or maybe they have carpal tunnel. Either way, tedium is a type of difficulty.

So if someone tells you “it’s not hard, it’s just _______”, you can reasonably assume that whatever the blank was, that is a form of difficulty.

Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes arrogant; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.

Psalm 131:1

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Spring Book Thingy 2022

Apr

13

2022

Since our local schools have a couple of spring breaks, I had the opportunity to do some early spring (or late winter) reading.

I’m going in order of when I read them.

First up: Dune by Frank Herbert

image of Dune book by Frank Herbert

Maybe this was a case of too much hype setting my expectations too high, but I didn’t care for this book. Parts of it moved slowly, the morality was not something I’d want my kids exposed to, and other parts were fine. Some books I want to keep reading, but this one I had to kind of force myself to finish it. It wasn’t awful, but I’m not signing up to read any more of the Dune series.

Next up: The Beirut Protocol by Joel C. Rosenberg

image of The Beirut Protocol book by Joel C. Rosenberg

This book is a continuation of the Marcus Ryker story, which started with The Kremlin Conspiracy. I liked it, and I liked the other books in the series. If you are a fan of Joel C. Rosenberg’s fiction books, then you should like this one.

Next up: Masterminds 2 by Gordon Korman

image of the Masterminds: Criminal Destiny book by Gordon Korman

This book is a continuation of the first Masterminds book, which was just waiting for the other two books to make a full story. If you liked the first Masterminds story you should like this one too – it’s a continuation of the story. If you haven’t read the first story then do that before reading this one.

Normally I like to read books before the kids do, so I know what’s going on. Delta checked these out of the library and read them, then he gave them to me and said I should read them. So that was backwards, but I had read the first one, and it’s Gordon Korman, so I wasn’t worried.

Finally: Masterminds 3 by Gordon Korman

image of the Masterminds: Payback book by Gordon Korman

Ditto, whatever I said about book 2 applies to book 3. It was a fun book, a fun series – no regrets from reading this like I had with Dune.

That’s it for this review. More book reviews coming up later this year.

They conceive harm and give birth to wrongdoing, And their mind prepares deception.

Job 15:35

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PSALM 9

Apr

6

2022

Now it is time for another PSALM.

Gamma made this one, like last time. This one was titled “Bike Jumping” by him.

Now only 141 more to go.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare His deeds among the peoples.

Psalm 9:11

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