We found this cool lookout tower in our campground at the end of GOAT segment 3. We decided we needed to climb it and see the view. Here you can see me contemplating that climb…
John said I looked a lot like Andy (or vice versa)
2026-06-02
The off-road adventures of Johnny and David
We slide into the swampy ditch and spawned a turtle from the jeep wheel…! We couldn’t stop laughing… Luckily, I could put it in 4WD, turn on the lockers and pull us and trailer back up out of it…
The road’s closed, let’s find out why?!
While Johnny and I were on the GOAT trail two weekends ago, we came upon a closed road when we came around the corner. The hill had experienced a mud slide and they were just finishing picking up most of the debris… They saw our rig and waved us up to try and get through. When we got to the flagger, he said, “Looks like you have the right machine for it, give it a try”! We put the Jeep in 4WD and went on our merry way. It was kind of crazy how much of the hill had melted down into the road after all the recent rain!
Julie gave me this adorable bottle of one of her perfumes
She has a few she rotates through that are my faves.
Juicy couture
Beautiful
Ysatis
L’Imperatrice
Julie and I had a special night of Raman!
Wagyu beef, garlic, green onions and an egg. It was really yummy! They served the cutest little desserts too! We’ve always wanted to try authentic Japanese noodles together. We came close in Hong Kong, but never did. So we were happy to find this place in Kettering. A night of “put a little life into living”.
2026-06-01
70,000 pics and counting…
…and THAT’s just the good ones I wanna keep.
I think I have this half of the US represented pretty well.
Itty Bitty wants in on the blogging action too…
Actually, she just wants to be fed… Again! That’s three times in the same week, hahahahaha.
Going for a walk in spite of the rain last week.
The dog’s enthusiasm wasn’t crimped in the slightest bit. Funny thing is though, Chloe has to stop walking to shake off the water. Zoe just shakes as she keeps walking. Haha.
2026-05-31
Ok, enough with the watches already…
Let’s enjoy this adorable pic of Zoe playing with her new water bottle toy❣️
Watch explosion
The lower half of this pic shows are all the parts that are in my watch (no, I didn’t tear mine down). The upper half shows a couple interior views. Left is a front view of the movement. You can see it because they skeletonized the face of it. Middle shows the front of the movement without the hands. Right is a good view of the rear of the movement with a skeletonized winder weight so you can see more of it.
Ok, one more day of watch posts…
A watch like this is a mechanical marvel to a guy like me. In this shot you can see the intricacy of the jewels used as axles and pivots for the bearings (the four red/pink dots)/. I also enjoy the complexity of the adjuster (plus and minus scale with a pointer), and the spring of the timing balance mechanism (coils spring with a sapphire jewel in the middle). It’s all a miniature work of art in there!
Sounds weird, but is uniquely wonderful!
Grape ice cream! Add cookie dough and marshmallow, and you have a winning combination. They ran it for a limited time. If they still have it and you get a chance, grab some!
2026-05-30
Julie finishing our steaks!
We got some awesome ribeye cap steaks at Costco. She cooks them to the perfect temperature in the sous vide then blasts them with the flame thrower for a perfect sear. I swear she makes the best steaks I’ve had and this is SOOOO much more affordable than in the restaurants. Yum!!
Last week on the farm…
I used my Jeep to run the weedeater around the trails. Everything was covered with trimmings by the time I was done haha. I like the way the horse barn looks too.
2026-05-29
Look what jewels got me to celebrate our accomplishments
Fun as we enter the next phase of life together.
It’s a serious piece. All mechanical. Swiss movement. 25 synthetic rubies in there. Self winding.
Wow! Somebody loves me. Haha. Fitting finish to my heirloom watch collection.
The movement is quite historical and famous. Invented in 1970. It was the first CAD designed Swiss movement. Appropriate. I never knew anyone younger than me that drew on a drawing board for a living. And I helped her dad bring CAD to his shop when I was in college. 🤪
Zoe scored big!
I took her along to wait with me for my oil change at the dealership. They gave her this great stuffed tofu combo! I like the little details like the OUTBARK license plate on the Outback, etc.
2026-05-28
Wow! I wasn’t expecting this!
Luckily, it wasn’t me and nobody was hurt! We even managed to put out the rig and the woods too. A combo of splashing water and the fire extinguishers all three of us had. Wow! Be prepared. Also, practice accessing your fire extinguisher and checking it. Sometimes your gear can shift around and make it harder to get out than you’d want in an emergency…
I added a collapsible bucket to my safety gear after this. I wished I’d had one to help with getting water where we needed it.
Hanging with friends in Vinton County
It’s always fun to run some of the “unmaintained county roads” in SE Ohio. Check out the angle of my hood compared to their rig. I wouldn’t want to have to deliver mail or drive a school bus around there! Hahahaha.
2026-05-27
The end of GOAT segment 2
I managed to finish this in the same day I started it, hahaha. I ended at Lake Vesuvius near Ironton. I got to take a look at the remains of this old coal fired blast furnace :)
Off-roading more like a rally car.
The smoother, gravel roads meant I could have some fun ripping through the trails. 40mph felt like 80🤪
Along the way I got this cool pic
I liked the way the trail looped through the various state and national forests. I’ve lost counter after five or six. A fun way to spend an afternoon.
GOAT segment 1 finished, finally…
The weekend before last, I set out for the THIRD time to finish the 3rd segment of the great Ohio adventure trail. I finally did it and was treated to this serene view at Shawnee lake. Now on to number two!
2026-05-26
Right in the middle of an endurance run…
I’ve heard about the 24 hour endurance runs they do through Ohio, West Virginia, and other places. A week ago this weekend, I found myself jumping onto the trail right in the middle of a host of other folks doing just that! It was fun to run with them for a while, use them as pacers, and also be used as one sometimes. It was nice to have so many other folks around to help each other if needed. It made me realize that I had found the route they use, so I could try it myself, get a good feel for the experience of it, and not have to do it under the clock. I’d rather enjoy the scenery and side quests a little more. It’s also easier on your rig if you’re taking your time. Johnny and I plan to hit a couple GOAT segments in a week or so, it will be a good test!
A nice little creek crossing
It’s fun to find this kind of stuff right in the middle of a marked county road haha.
Finishing up GOAT segment 1…
Since I had to abandon ship the first and second time around, I made some time to try and finish the first segment and run the second segment too. This was the view just as I was turning onto the trail again :)
Vultures doing cool things…
Just driving through SE Ohio a week ago… I found this guy sunning himself and airing out his feathers.
2026-05-25
Enough with the re-welding…
I finally got the proper brackets welded onto my Jeep steering for the front track bar. Now with proper brackets and new welds, I shouldn’t have to worry about them breaking off any time soon!
Happy with how our rock garden is turning out
Julie and I have been trying to coax this little area into something we wanted. She planted some spare California grass Stef gave us, and I’ve been slowing allowing what we want to grow and trimming back what we didn’t. It’s filled in nicely and adds a nice touch to the driveway area :)
2026-05-24
Lunch with Ian at the Troll Pub!
We enjoyed the outdoor seating and awesome fish and chips! Well, I had fish and squash, but it was just as good!
A random fish store…
Julie decided to stop at a random fish store on the way home from the zoo. It’s fun to see their setups and different species. This was a really cool jungle setup with an atomizer for the mist. A guy can dream, right?! Hahaha.
Snails are interesting!
Here’s a big one running over a little one, but notice how he carefully “steps” over it. It’s cool to see all the details while he runs around the tank.
In the wild!
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I am pumping gas for my Subaru when I randomly see this rig pull up in the same gas station. It’s one of them monster Jeeps of a YouTube couple I follow. They’re based out in the Sand Hollow/Moab area, but have their work being done at my local shop between here and Cincinnati. Pretty fun to see it in progress and randomly run into it around town!
What a great shot of Sophie!
The lighting behind the hair flip is perfect! It’s fun to see her photo work and editing. I also enjoy sharing the hobby and work of photography with her.
2026-05-23
My mom and I traded treats.
She let me try a little of this bonus ice cream flavor and I found here this perfect, cute little box of Esther Price candies. I can’t believe they had bees AND lady bugs on them. :)
Look what my mom gave me!
This is the coolest and cutest little digital camera! It’s something my dad got for free with something years ago that she found while rummaging. She thought I would like to see it. Best part, it still works! It holds a whopping 20 pics and “up to seconds of video”! Hahaha. Whopping 320x240 resolution (that’s 0.7 Megapixels…)!
I can’t get the drivers to work on a computer (yet) to transfer the pics, but it’s bun to have and play with anyhow.
Perfect $50 and good life!
And a reminder to myself to stop and count the blessings of my family. It’s fun that we have these little moments in our family group chat to see what’s going on in our day-today, make each other laugh once in a while, and say I love you sometimes. ❤️
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.
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❣️
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 it cheating 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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