The Atwood family has a hard time getting rid of stuff. We still have our first computer — an iMac Plus. Yes, we are loyal Apple fans. We took our daughters to DC during April vacation back in the 90s and our computer was already on display in the Smithsonian. By then we’d moved up to a newer version. We still have them both. We also still have the computers we bought the girls when they were in high school — they’ve long since graduated from college. We have them all, mostly because we didn’t know what to do with them. We just put them away with all the other things we’ve accumulated over the years. (Did you notice that container of doll stuff under the computer? It’s full!) Out of sight, out of mind.

We took a little camping trip to the White Mountain National Forest.  WONDERFUL trip... but the warnings about bears were everywhere!  Just a little bit scary!

I brought along Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods.  What a great read.  I laughed til I was crying, but I also lamented, along with Bryson, the fragility of our wilderness and the ways that American life have removed us so much from, well, nature.

And now I notice Appalachian Trail stuff everywhere - Bill Green's "Green Outdoors" story tonight is about the AT, and this past weekend the AT celebrated its 75th birthday!  So timely!  READ MORE