Merrifield Times

By now it seems that it wouldn't be summer without a week at Crux Rock Gym . This year it was Hannah that made the most apparent improvement . That was especially evident as Mike watched them climb the local basalt columns. Hannah tackled a new route this year with perseverance and growing confidence. For Trevor , it's getting to be a little too routine. Expect him to look for greater challenges next year. He's old enough to move up and climb with older kids and learn new techniques. Who knows... Maybe he's up for an assault on the North Face of the Uxbridge Road...

No, it's nothing close to the Barcelona World Race (as those sailors spend Christmas in the Southern Ocean). Heck, this wasn't even a race. But it was an adventure. Perhaps inspired by the story of Grandpa Herc sleeping on the Flying Dutchman on Cayuga Lake , Trevor became interested in his own nautical adventure last year. With the realization that Mr. T would become a teenager at the end of the summer, Mike was determined to share the experience with Trevor before another summer slipped by. The plan was modest. They would simply spend the night sleeping on the Lido on Fern Ridge Lake and meet up with the rest of the family the next day for a picnic. The two adventures pushed off from the dock in the early evening. The north wind was fairly strong and refused to die as the sun went down . We found shelter in the lee of a small island and prepared the boat for the night . Although it took a while for the wind to die and the boat to stop rocking, Trevor and Mike mana

In August, we all made a trip to Portland to see Body Worlds 3 at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Real humans. Real science. Really amazing! Experience the human body in all its elegance and complexity in this first-of-its-kind exhibition. From entire bodies in dramatic poses to side-by-side comparisons of healthy and diseased organs, BODY WORLDS 3 is a stunning exhibition featuring over 200 authentic human specimens. See how your body's systems relate to one another and work together to help you function and survive. View firsthand how lifestyle choices impact your health and how muscles and joints work together during athletic performance. It was fascinating and amazing and well worth the trip. We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made .