New Hobby -- Stained Glass

Ever since Kim and I toured the Tiffany exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, I have been turned on to making art with stained glass. So much so that I have purchased materials and tools to get myself started. And I ordered some stained glass samples so I can begin my first "project". I will let you know how it turns out.

While my first effort may not rival a Tiffany lamp, he had to start somewhere just like me. That is what I will keep telling myself as I learn how to do this. And as long as I am learning as I "practice", I will keep getting better and better.

Don't make your reservations just yet to see my exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, but wish me well in my new hobby.

Knee Rehab

One of my goals for this year was to completely rehabilitate my left knee following last October's surgery. For the most part I think I have been successful in that, being driven by desire to play basketball competitively this winter. One opportunity I had was to play church softball on a night when the team was depleted and needed players.

I must admit that was the first running, especially sprinting I had done in a long time. Chasing fly balls in the outfield, and running the bases helped me see where I was in the rehab schedule. I must admit I was pretty pleased with my ability to keep up. Not 100% capacity and stamina, but probably around 85%, which was good enough.

I'm still working on strength and running, and by November I should be good to go for basketball.

Another Season of Fantasy Baseball

I am totally getting into fantasy baseball now that summer is in full swing (no pun intended). It has helped me learn more about individual players and statistics, and I am probably more in tune with the game than I have been in a long time. But more than that, as the "manager" of my fantasy team I get to decide who plays each week and who sits out. There is a great deal of unpredictability that goes into player and pitcher selections for the week, just like most everything else in life. That is the fun part.

My team is doing okay, having won about half the head-to-head games so far. And the real excitement comes from seeing a player you started in a given week have a real breakout. This is my second year doing fantasy baseball, and in spite of results I will keep it up because of the interest in seeing young players come up and do well (or not), and veterans consistently achieve according to their potential.

This is America's game after all!

Smith Mountain Lake

While the kids are away on their trip to Italy, Kim and I went to Smith Mountain Lake for several days. This was our first trip to the big lake and it was wonderful. We took our canoe and toured the inlets outside the power boat areas. I got to do some fishing and Kim floated and worked on her tan.

I included a picture from the balcony of our condo at the end of the day. You can click on it to get a bigger view. What a way to cap off a day of vacation!

Peace.