2026-05-23

Rear view cameras and trailers

It sure is nice having rear view cameras to keep track of what’s going on when connecting trailers! They aren’t much help when backing as you can’t tell which direction the trailer is going fast enough.  But to see the status, connect them, check for problems, etc. They are very helpful.  With all the jockeying, I was glad I had a backup view and this bumper level hitch view.  I can usually nail the connection location first try.  No skill, all technology. Haha.
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Cute little guys!

I opened an old filing cabinet from my trailer and found these cuties saying hi!  I let them all go about their way to find a new place to call home in the woods.  What an adorable pic and faces❣️
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2026-05-22

Might be the most redneck thing I ever did…

Is it cheating to use a zero-turn mower to jockey a trailer around?  Is is still to use two hitch adapters upside down to give me the reach I needed?  You can see the sharp angle in the top left, greater than 90º.  There was no way my Jeep was gonna keep fitting in there.

I listed it for sale on Facebook Marketplace and had it sold in 30 mins, with cash in hand in less than an hour.  I guess the price was right.  14 different people were trying to get me to sell it to them, haha! The enclosure and floor was rotten and full of holes, but the frame, axles, and wheels were still solid.  I’m happy someone else could use it and I got it out (barely) when I did.  
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Trailer passengers…

I found a few critters in the process of moving the trailer out of the woods… This “little” guy was hanging out on the front panel…
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I better get it out while I can…

I inherited this old, enclosed trailer from my dad with the property.  I “planted” it in the woods 15 years ago.  We’ve enjoyed “camping” in it with the kids and cousins, and using it for shooting range storage.  I don’t use it much these days, and have been calculating if i could still get it back out since the trees have grown up around it.  I came to the conclusion that I thought I could, but it would be tight.  So, I put the jeep to work for the initial movement.  Fortunately, the tires still held air and the axles rolled well.  You can see in the bottom pic that it quickly became a very tight situation…
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Before and after weed eating

The top shows my lunch view looking at the weeds I still needed to tackle. The bottom pic is after I got them taken care of and proves there are horses around haha
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Dad was preparing me for my mission field!

I started volunteering at Camp Jabez once a week or so.  It’s owned by Gospel mission and both have a strong history with our church.  

As I was enjoying my first project (weed eating the pond), I realized that my dad starting me on yard work, power equipment, and tractors around 8 years old was him prepping me for my mission field.  I’m happy to have a little more time to put my experience to work for such a ministry.  

Dad would have been thrilled to see me riding around the place on the back of the tractor, and Emily was proud to hear I was working on a horse farm too🤪
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2026-05-21

But the colors on this spider stole the show!

Creepy yet pretty golden orb weavers…
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Zoo highlights

I tried to just enjoy the scenery and just get a few pics of the coolest parts.  It was fun to hear the eagles talking to each other.  The lower left praying mantis was awesome too!
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We went to the Cincinnati Zoo

We realized there’s such a thing as blue penguins.  They were cute and pretty.  We also got to walk among the kangaroo which was fun too!
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Checking the mail and watching deer cross the street

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Itty Bitty and Zoe are learning…

…how to get a long with each other.  This is the first pic I have of the two of them where one of them isn’t blurry from running haha.
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2026-05-20

Thinking about volunteering…

…with the Gospel Mission.
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All the Sauerkraut festival history you need.

Our little Waynesville sauerkraut festival is ranked among the top ten in the NATION! :)
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Blast from the past

Proof that I was an IBM’er and that Julie and I had our own photography business back in the day… Check out the old 513 area codes too. ;)
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