About me

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Here's the quick and dirty on me, "Have you enjoyed the outdoors today?". My name is Andy and I'm in my late-20's. I have a beautiful partner of 4+ years named Claire and we share a home in Oregon's scenic and mild Willamette Valley. We have two yellow labs, Graham (3 years) and Jake (2) and a cat (?), but I forget his name*.


I enjoy the outdoors nearly as much as I enjoy being married and that's something that's obvious once you get to know me. In talking with folks that I meet or know one of the primary things I tend to do is to find out their level of outdoor activity and make that a centerpiece for conversation. This isn't to say that I don't know lots of people who don't enjoy the outdoors as much as I do, but the simple fact that we live on Earth means that we are inherently tied to the natural world. As a general rule, the more people appreciate this fact, the easier it is for me to communicate with them.


The hobbies I engage in are relatively all the same, in that they involve two of life's great pleasures; beer and exercise. Here's my list in particular order:


Beer: camping, playing board games, cooking/baking, SNOB (Supporter of Native Oregon Beer)


Exercise: running (preferably trail), hiking, sport climbing (both indoors and outdoors), backcountry hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, photography (a stretch for being in the "exercise" category I know)


I understand that diversity is a very important part of our evolution and economy and therefore I am a supporter of just about any (legal) idea or belief that keeps people different or allows the underdog to succeed. Examples of this include the idea that Wal-Mart is not a business that I support if at all possible (simply because it is the largest retailer on the planet and they don't need any of my money) and that racial minorities are far and away more culturally important than many of us realize. The fact that when many of us were born there were 6,000 languages being used on this planet and now there are fewer than half of that remaining indicates to me that our loss of diversity is happening at an alarming rate. See this video for an excellent explanation of this problem by National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis: www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures.html


This is really just a scattered run-down on how I view myself. My posts will be a much more accurate depiction of who I really am, as the content starts to paint a picture that reflects my own thoughts, beliefs, and opinions. Stay tuned for more!


*The cat is Claire's and I really don't care for him. He's mean to me and he pukes a lot. Enough said.

Welcome to my campsite

I have a lot of things around here, but I try to make sure that over time I only keep the bare necessities.  Carrying around all this stuff from one place to another is tiring, not to mention silly.  Let me introduce you to a few of my favorite things:

I have a Compass, which provides direction in life, let's me know where I am and where I want to go.  I have a nickname for this compass.  It's called faith.

I have a Book.  I know you can't read it, but I'm always happy to do that for you.  I am the only one on this earth who has read the entire thing, and there are parts of it that only make sense to me.  I can tell you about all of my family and my friends by reading it.  My book contains all of my greatest memories and teachings.

I have a Tent which provides me with shelter.  It warms me, and it protects my family and I from the environment when conditions get rough.  My tent is my home.

I also have a pair of Binoculars around here.  I don't use them a lot, but knowing that they're near provides me a great deal of support.  My binoculars are super-awesome as they help me see things that I wouldn't normally be able to see, like all binoculars do, but they also provide clarity and reassurance.  My view is not nearly as fuzzy once I use them, and they always seem to be at my disposal at all the right times.  I simply have to ask for them and whatever I'm looking at instantly becomes clearer.  My binoculars are known by an unusual name also.  I call them my mentor.

Another item in my camp is my Partner.  I rely on her tremendously for unconditional support, whether it be helping me set up the tent, read my compass, or find my binoculars.  I love to read parts of my book to her, and one day she will be able to repeat most of those pages back to me without much effort (we started writing a new book together July 27, 2008).  We share life's joys together; love, beauty, bonding.  Without my partner, all else would diminish in usefulness and my camp no doubt would suffer greatly at her loss.  My partner is my wife.

One question that I ask myself daily while in camp is do I have everything that I need?  I have food, water, and warmth no doubt, but what about the things that are intangible?  Have I forgotten something?  Does one of my items need to be worked on or repaired?  Have I lost track of something?

I know that there are many things in my camp that are superlative, but the things I've shown you here I feel are integral to my success in life.  This balance of ownership and letting go is a large part of who I am, and through this forum you'll no doubt learn more about me than you may have ever wanted to know.  As another camper you no doubt recognize many of the things I've told you are in my camp.  As you go about your daily life you will encounter many of the same items, and you may be surprised to find things that are altogether different than mine.  Let that diversity strengthen our bond with one another, not weaken it.  One question that I want you to think of when you are reading my blog and thinking about me or my travels is the following:

"What does your campsite look like?"