Three significant things happened to me at the end of December 2021. First, I finished the last book in the Cutters Notch Trilogy (Reckless Abandon) and handed the manuscripts off to a team of beta readers for feedback. Second, I stepped down from my church leadership role that I’ve held for something like thirteen years. Third, our podcast, the Cutters Notch Podcast ended its second season and were in a short hiatus. As a result, I now find myself very much in that space in between.
I don’t have a writing project to focus my creative energy. Sure, I’ll have the beta copies back soon and I’ll throw myself into the final edits, this window of time leaves me to ponder what to write next. I could focus on my family drama story based on my mother’s life. I could write a follow up to my non-fiction devotional book, Loving Out Loud. Maybe I could write a couple new short stories based in Cutters Notch. Last, but not least…well, not really last…I could start a whole new Cutters Notch story.
I’ve grown to love the fictional little Hoosier town I’ve created for the Hope Spencer trilogy. There’s so much room for more tales. There must be more.
On the spiritual side, I’m giving myself two or three months before I jump into a new direction. I’m pondering a lot of choices, and I’m not ready to reveal exactly everything that’s on my mind. One likely plan is the start of a second podcast, this one focused on spiritual topics. The working title is “Lovementalism.”
Speaking of podcasts, the Cutters Notch Podcast had a stellar second season with a huge jump in listeners, a couple of TV personalities, and the securing of our first sponsor, Ash & Elm Cider Company. We will start recording again sometime in February for season three and we hope to build on that momentum with exciting new guests. Hopefully, that’ll lead to new sponsors.
For right now, though, I have time to think. This blog is my only outward expression (unless you count social media) but soon I’ll be back with a newsletter, a new Henry the Preacher comic, more podcasts, and a new book! Watch for it.
If you want to keep up with all the news, go to my website and subscribe to my newsletter, but don’t forget to check you email and click the “CONFIRM” link…and get your free short story. www.authormichaeldecamp.com
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​As I write this, it's Thanksgiving morning 2021. My Facebook feed is loaded with gratitude messages. The TV is tuned to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. My wife and daughters are chattering in the kitchen. Later, many of my closest family members will be joining us for a meal together—the first major family gathering since this stupid virus upended our lives.
Much has happened in the last year. My latest novel, Nozomi’s Battle released last fall. I was promoted at work, taking on a broader leadership role. I started traveling again, on a limited basis, some for work and some for fun. The Cutters Notch Podcast got back on a consistent track—thanks to my wife and cohost, who has taken on the scheduling details. We’ve really had some cool guests. Finally, I finished the story of my third novel in the Cutters Notch Series. (It’s now in the refinement stage.) I think the title will be “Reckless Abandon.” Watch for it to release by spring 2022.
As I look forward, I feel a touch unsure of where this is all going. What writing project do I take on next? I’m leaving my role as an elder in our church, so where do I put my ministry energies? How do I take my media business (authorship & podcasting) to the next level? So many big question marks.
One of my faults that I tend to embrace is a tendency to nostalgically look in the rearview mirror. Right now, I seem to be both looking back with nostalgia and looking forward with a touch of trepidation. Living in the here-and-now has never been my strongest attribute, but maybe that’s what I need to try to do.
All in all, though, I am thankful today. I have good friends, good neighbors, an awesome wife and daughters, and a great extended family on all sides. I have a good job that allows me the opportunity to chase some dreams and visit some cool places along the way. Last but not least, I have you folks—my readers. Thank you for being in my life as I explore the hazy future ahead of me.
Look for my “Lovementalism” plans…coming soon.
Don’t forget my books as you consider your gift buying choices. Abandon Hope, Cutters Notch Interludes, and Nozomi’s Battle will all make great presents for your teen readers who love fantasy thrillers with a touch of the paranormal.
Happy Thanksgiving.  

​Each morning, we each get up, get dressed, and proceed with yet another day that has been piled on top of all the previous days. Bathroom. Shower. Breakfast. Coffee. Off we go. Every day much like the one before. Some of those days include work. An office. A shop. A classroom. A truck. A car. Pens, pencils, laptops. Airplanes and hotels. We do fun things. We do drudgery. We work. Some days, we go play. Movies, restaurants, sodas and beers. Hiking. Hunting. Fishing. We argue and fuss. We laugh and smirk. We debate politics and religion. We post on our social media. But in the end, today is much like yesterday.
Every once in a while, though, there’s a chance to be extraordinary. A chance to be the cream on top of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. An opportunity to be that shining light in a dark space. In October of 2020, that opportunity unexpectedly smacked Bryan in the face and he rose to the occasion. His wife had just had a baby. Stan, my brother-in-law, gave him two bottles—one to be opened to celebrate the first baby, and the second to be used to mourn at the first death he’d suffer in his life. He didn’t expect to need the second bottle so soon.
I met Bryan last weekend, almost a year to the day from that fateful day. He walked up to us on the sand along Virginia Beach. The day was hot. The sun was high. The breeze was light. He was big as life. He was there to judge a fishing contest—and to bring some sunlight into the hearts of our family.
You see, he’d been on that beach one year earlier when my brother-in-law suffered a ruptured aorta while fishing with his club, the Virginia Beach Anglers Club. Bryan didn’t faulter. He didn’t hesitate. Rather, he leapt into action. He physically carried Stan off the beach, no easy task on that sand, placed him in his car, and raced him to the hospital. Without Bryan, my brother-in-law would not have had a chance. Ultimately, Stan passed, but Bryan gave all he could to give him a shot. He took a man on his shoulders, literally, and became something special to a family not his own.
I was there on October 2nd this year with Stan’s family, gathered on the beach to attend the Stan L. Sutliff Memorial Fishing Tournament. Most of us hadn’t seen one another in a very long time. COVID, you know. We were loving one another and yet, mourning, too. Bryan was there for us, checking in on us, talking with us. Later, he joined us for dinner, bringing his toddler that had just been born the year before.
My only purpose in writing this blog is to say “Thank you” in my own way to someone who stepped up and became extraordinary on an ordinary day. Thank you, Bryan. You’re an extraordinary hero to us and I think you have a new family in more ways than one.

​Later this month, one of my fellow authors and my editor, Sherri Stewart, is going to feature me in her monthly newsletter. (See her website to sign up to get her monthly update. It’s loaded with cool stuff: http://www.stewartwriting.com/ ) One of the items she wanted me to feature in the info about myself was the city I live in…Indianapolis. As I typed it, it gave me a new appreciation for the city my family and I have called home since 1993. It’s actually a pretty cool place. I’ll give you a sneak peak of some of the material I shared with her.
Back in the heyday of the Indiana Pacers’ rivalry with the New York Nicks, Indy got sort of a negative rap in some circles. “India-no-place” was one slur. Years before that, we used to be known as Naptown…I’m not sure why unless it was something to do with taking naps being the most interesting thing to do. Well, folks, I’m here to tell you that Indianapolis has a lot to offer.
Here is a short list of cool things to see and do in Indianapolis:

1. Monument Circle – Smack dab in the center of the city, The Soldiers and Sailors Monument memorializes Hoosiers who lost their lives in the Civil War and other conflicts. Shortly after Thanksgiving each year, it features the Circle of Lights, one of the best Christmas Tree lighting events around. Plus, it’s ringed with cool buildings, and nearby restaurants.
2. Lucas Oil Stadium – Home of the Indianapolis Colts, it’s one of the finest NFL stadiums with its retractable roof and huge windows on one end that open to give it an open-air feel.
3. Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Home of the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever, it’s a fine venue for basketball, but it also sports multiple concerts each year.
4. Victory Field – Home of the AAA Indianapolis Indians baseball team, you won’t find many minor league baseball stadiums that can better it’s layout and views. Go on the 4th of July and catch the downtown fireworks after the game.
5. Indianapolis Motor Speedway—Catch the Indy 500 or one of the other races there. Or, if you want a calmer visit, just go to the IMS museum to see the racecars from the old days to current. You can even get a ride around the iconic racetrack. Who knows? You might even run into a driver.
6. White River State Park – In one visit, you could spend a few hours at the Indianapolis Zoo, see the NCAA headquarters, visit the Indiana State Museum, tour the Eiteljorg Museum of Native American and Western Art, or just stroll around the downtown canal.
7. The Indianapolis Children’s Museum – One of the best children’s museums in the country. It even attracts dinosaurs.
8. Mass Ave and the Bottleworks District – A boutique hotel surrounded by multiple dining, shopping, and entertainment venues.

With the exceptions of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Children’s Museum, everything is within a reasonable walk of the Monument Circle. I could keep looping out further to list even more sights and entertaining scenes, but I think this paints the picture.
If you haven’t been to Indianapolis lately, it really is a cool place to visit. 

​If you live out East or out West or down South, you may not get this, but in the Midwest, we have the delicacy of delicacies. We have the beloved Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. If you’ve never had one, you need to get in the car…or airplane…or boat…or gondola…and go find one. They are the epitome of deep-fried deliciousness. Take a lean cut of pork tenderloin, place it between some layers of plastic, then using a tenderizing hammer, pound that sucker until it's as flat as an oversized pancake. When that’s finished, season it, coat it in appropriate breading, and deep fry it to golden brown perfection. That is when the debate starts…what do you put on it?

I’ve had them with beer batter. I’ve had them with cornmeal batter. But nothing beats a simple egg and flour batter, as long as it’s seasoned well.

Personally, I like mine dressed with a slice of cheese (or several slices depending on the diameter of the tenderloin), pickles, onion, and mustard. Sometimes I’ll add a little mayo. There’s an ongoing debate in BPT circles as to whether ketchup is an appropriate condiment. The answer seems to vary depending on whether you’re from Iowa or Indiana. I accept some lettuce, but I usually pass on the tomato.

Another point of contention is whether the dreaded fritter is really an acceptable replacement for the genuine pork tenderloin. I grew eating pork fritters. Pete’s Pride from Muncie, Indiana fed me during my teen years in the 1970’s. Loved them. However, they are just ground up pork, probably from varying cuts of the critter, and then shaped into a disc before being breaded. Still, I found them pretty yummy with mustard and a slice of American cheese.

Battling for the main topic of the debate is thickness versus diameter. The sheer shock value of the two-foot diameter sandwich is compelling. I liked the one I had in Edinburgh, Indiana at the now famous Edinburgh Diner, but I enjoyed the smaller circle yet thicker meat at Whiskey Business in Indianapolis just as much. If you get the mid-sized sandwich at the Oasis Diner in Plainfield, Indiana, you should also indulge in their private-recipe Red Cream Soda. Awesomeness!

Bottom line: If you travel between Indiana and Nebraska, Iowa/Illinois to Missouri/Kansas, you have to at least try a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. Your life may never be complete if you skip out on this. If you catch the fever, you can follow the various pictures, stories, and reviews from the multitude of Midwest eateries serving them on the Facebook page devoted to their pursuit: Pursuing Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
​
Now, I’m hungry.

​Support Your Local…
 
We are living in a new golden era of authorship. Technology has given the average person the power to write that novel they’ve always dreamed of writing. More and more writers are coming out of the woodwork. These days, if you have a story itching to get told, you can sit at your computer, type it out, upload it to a program, punch a few set up buttons, pay relatively small fees, and BOOM!—you’re a published author. It’s just about that easy.
There are several potential levels whereby a budding author can potentially be published. I’ll give you my thoughts on what I see as the primary options:

1. Mainstream, Traditional, Large Publishing House – These are the big names in the publishing world with serious budgets, editors, marketing departments, and they have direct influence on traditional bookstores. Almost every author would like to publish with one of these big names because it means things like advances, publicists, national (even international) marketing, and often multi-book deals. Perhaps, even movie deals. Very few authors achieve a deal with these publishers. They are very selective, and that is not meant to be a slam on them. They are a business, after all, and they need to turn a profit to succeed, so they are careful where they put their money. To a new or budding author, these companies are very frustrating because it is so hard to get (and to keep) their attention.
2. Small Press Publishers – These publishers are traditional in how they function in that they sign on authors with contracts, provide royalties (or author profits), and take care of many of the steps required in getting a book to market. However, they usually don’t have the huge marketing budgets. They provide direction, suggestions, and tips, but cannot fund the massive marketing campaigns that the big houses can fund. Think of them as boutique publishers. The product is often excellent, but the authors need to handle much, if not all, of their own marketing steps.
3. Independent Publishing – This is where an author, usually after exhausting his or her efforts at securing a deal with one of the large houses and maybe the small presses, ends up utilizing technology resources from companies like Amazon (KDP) or Ingram Spark to set up and publish their own works completely independent of a traditional publishing company. This option does have its merit and advantages, but the author is completely on their own in every aspect of the process unless they shell out significant dollars for assistance. These days, this is how many new authors get their starts. Some, the diligent ones, can be quite successful.
4. Vanity Presses – These are often predatory companies that really will publish your work—after you give them a lot of money. Sometimes, they ship you a truckload of books that you have to deal with on your own. Or they may print on demand, but you might have trouble getting any royalties paid out to you from the distribution network. You can use them, but you’re still considered to be independently published. Best to stay away from these guys, in my opinion.

Where am I on this list of publishing options? I’m sitting at number two. I have a three-book contract with a small press (Winged Publications – www.wingedpublications.com) for my Cutters Notch Trilogy. They have also published my short story collection (Cutters Notch Interludes) and my devotional book (Loving Out Loud). I am very happy with the support that my publisher has provided. They do all they can to see me succeed. If I win, they win, and the reverse is true, as they do promos to support my work as much as they can. However, my first novel was originally published by one of those companies from #4. Eventually, I pulled it from them and signed with Winged. That original “publisher” had trouble paying me on the back end.
Here’s the thing…
Regardless of where an author stands on the hierarchy of publishing options, he or she needs YOUR help. Your support. Your word-of-mouth. Without it, discouragement follows. Many writers hang up their word processors and give up.
How can you help?

1. Sign up for your favorite author’s newsletter. When a publisher considers an author’s work, they often look at their “platform” – which is a fancy way of asking, “What is their built-in audience?” A newsletter email list provides that author a built-in audience of people already interested in their work—a platform. Also, if a writer produces something new, it gives them a direct line to the people most likely to want that product without needing to pay money to the folks that run the social media platforms. If you want to help me, go to www.authormichaeldecamp.com and sign up for my newsletter.
2. Like, Comment, & Share. Authors almost always maintain a social media presence. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, and others. Sometimes this is because they just love the interaction. Often, though, it is because they NEED those platforms to spread the word about their works. Remember, most of them don’t have huge marketing budgets. Short of big bucks backing you up, you must resort to Facebook posts and tweets to get the word out. It works so much better when you get a following of people who share those posts, re-tweet those tweets, and comment on everything. So, go like their pages, follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Share, share, share.
3. Provide Ratings & Reviews. The key thing here is, the more ratings and reviews, the more readers are attracted. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Goodreads, Bookbub. These are all formats where you can rate a book and leave a review. Even mid-level or low reviews can help an author because it lends credence to the process. Most of my reviews come on Amazon or Goodreads. You can also leave reviews on my Facebook Author Page. If you can honestly say something good, please say it.
4. Recommend the Books. Do you have a connection to a book club? Recommend an author’s work. Do you know someone who runs an educational program at a church? Recommend a devotional book from an author you like. Did you just read it and it resounded with you, write about it on your social media app. Word-of-mouth is critical to an author’s success.

How can you help me?

• Sign up for my newsletter – www.authormichaeldecamp.com
• Rate my books & write a review for me on Amazon or Goodreads
• Recommend my books to others
• Buy one or more of my books as gifts for someone else
• Like, Comment, & Share my social media posts

If you’ve read this blog post all the way to here, I want to say thank you. I appreciate you sticking with me. Readers who follow me and read my work are the coolest. Thanks again! Please, please, please, support your local author.
Michael

​There are two kinds of writers that I’m genuinely jealous of—songwriters and poets. Songwriters because they have such a knack for combining words to tell a story that can be set to music, a language all its own that I don’t understand. Sometimes I watch documentaries on famous singer/songwriters just to be amazed at their talent. Tom Petty, Glenn Frey, Billy Joel, Jim Croce, Willie Nelson. The list goes on.
Poets because they can look so deeply into almost anything and express emotion with words in concise and moving, short sonnets. I teared up listening to Amanda Gorman at the recent inauguration ceremony. My opinion…I suck at poetry. Maybe I could be better if I’d paid better attention to the forms and construction rules in my high school English classes. Miss Seibold tried, I failed to listen.
I dabble in poetry, but it’s definitely not my forte.
I mentioned this to my wife recently and she scoffed at me. It left me scratching my head. She told me that I did have some really good ones. Hmm. Could’ve fooled me. Anyway, it got me thinking about poetry again. So, when Mother’s Day rolled around, I decided to try again. I sat down at my desk late on the Saturday night before the matriarchal holiday and put together what my heart was telling me. The result follows. It is a freeform poem, but I like it. Hope you enjoy it.

The Mother of My Children
Michael DeCamp
Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeCamp
Have you ever tried to figure out what God was thinking when he created mothers?
I envision him sitting in his study behind a large, ancient, oak desk,
A globe is spinning on its axis in one corner,
He’s rocking back and forth in his office chair,
Scratching his chin,
There’s two days full of growth in his whiskers.
“I know,” he says to himself,
“I’ll make something soft and pleasant,
But with a core that is hard as the hardest stone,
A heart that gives and gives and gives,
But can also break with the pain of her children.
I’ll make her a friend, a lover, a nurturer, a builder of character,
But I’ll also make her a dangerous defender, an adamant protector, an avid promoter, and an emotional supporter.”
In my imagination,
After contemplating all the various attributes, God leaned back in his seat,
Scratched his chin once again,
And declared from the depths of the sea to the tops of the mountains,
“Mothers--
They will birth nations,
Carry world leaders in their arms,
Absorb broken hearts,
Lift up fragile dreams,
Spank the bottoms of unruly children,
And be the hope, love, joy, and inspiration for each generation.”
The mother of my children certainly fits this description.

​My love of bicycling began in late May 1968. I was six years old. One of my buddies, Rex, a couple of years younger that me, who lived right next door, got my attention one day.
“Hey Mike, there’s a bike in your basement,” he quipped with a bit of a conspiratorial tone.
“What? Where?” I answered with some excitement. We were on the south side of my mom and dad’s house in an area between Rex’s house and mine.
“Look through the window there.” He pointed at the small window in the foundation nearby. I knew where that window led. It was a small room in our basement that my folks referred to as the “oil room.” The only thing normally in that room was a large oil drum which previously fed the oil furnace that my dad had recently replaced with a new, fancy gas furnace. I looked in, and sure enough, I could make out the form of a bike in the shadows below.
Of course, Rex and I, along with his little brother, Roy, hightailed it through my backdoor and down my basement stairs to investigate. As I approached the door to that little room, I was so freaking excited. I couldn’t believe it. I was getting a bike. That was the only reason a bike would be in there. Still, I’d have to wait. The door was secured. I couldn’t get it open. Apparently, no peeking allowed.
A few days later, after a period of intense anticipation, my graduation from 1st grade occurred and my reward was a shiny new 20” Schwinn Stingray. For the next six years, that bike was my ticket to adventure—especially after I finally learned to ride and the training wheels came off.
Soon, I had the run of the neighborhood. I rode up and down 21st Street in Muncie, between Hackley and Grant Streets. I cruised the alley behind my house. It wasn’t long before I was jumping homemade ramps and racing my friends. One of those races ended with my first serious sports-related injury—a broken collarbone.
My buddy Jerry wanted to race me down the alley from my street to his street. We took off on the gravel ruts with a grassy center section and gave it all we had as we tried to beat one another to the finish. As I recall it, I was slightly ahead and I looked over my right shoulder to see where he was. (Important Note: When racing, don’t ever look back.) As I turned my eyes back toward the goal, I realized I was veering off the path toward a large bush.
With no time to turn away, I slammed the pedal brake and went into a skid. I slid sideways into a short steel and concrete post that had been placed there, likely, to protect the shrub from the huge garbage trucks that rumbled weekly down that same alley. I hit the post hard and it flung me in the air. I remember sort of flipping before landing on my right shoulder.
About a week later, with my right arm in a sling, I started 3rd grade and had to learn to write lefthanded.
I kept that bike into middle school. When I completed 7th grade, my dad repeated his 1st grade reward and bought me an AMF 10-speed from Montgomery Ward. It was an ugly orange, but it widened my range. I rode it every day of every summer until I got my driver’s license in 1978. Even after that, it was my most consistent form of transportation, even into my college years. It never took me to school, but it took me to various friends’ houses, my youth leader’s house, my church, and to a myriad of other places for six or seven years. I would ride it all summer, then tuck it into my folk’s basement for winter storage.
Then, one spring, I went downstairs to get it out, clean it, lube it, and take it for a spin. It was gone. To this day, I don’t know what happened to that bike. It had disappeared.
I have three theories:

1. In the previous fall, late in the season, I left it propped up in the backyard overnight and someone swiped it.
2. The gas man, who slipped into our basement on his own, monthly, to read our meter (Why in the world would a gas meter be placed in someone’s basement?) slipped back in and absconded with it.
3. Someone in my family (to remain unnamed) decided to sell it for a week’s worth of cigarettes.

I think either #1 or #3 is mostly likely the answer.
My next bike was acquired during my first year of marriage. My wife and I scraped up enough money to buy a couple of Sears & Roebuck Free Spirit Ten Speeds. Let me say, these were the two worst bikes I’ve ever had. I could never get them adjusted correctly, they were heavy, and they were hard to pedal. We kept them around for maybe three years before parting with them. We hardly put more than twenty miles on them the entire time we owned them.
Tip: Always buy your bikes from a professional bike shop. You’ll get better quality bikes and they’ll be assembled by someone who knows what the heck they’re doing.
After the Free Spirit debacle, I was bikeless for around eight years or so. Then, cycling reentered my life. I bought a new, cherry-red, Trek mountainbike. No suspension, just an aluminum-framed ticket to wind in my face. It was a breath of fresh air—literally and figuratively. Plus, bugs in the eyes. (I learned to wear sunglasses. As a kid, I always wore regular glasses, so I didn’t even consider bugs in the eyes.)
I was living on the southeast side of Indianapolis at the time and I began to ride five-mile loops for exercise. Soon, I convinced my buddy Steve to get a bike, too. We began riding together. Not long after, I hatched a scheme. I got to where I could ride ten miles with no issues. I realized my mom & dad’s house was only about 70 miles away. If I could repeat the ten miles seven times, I could ride all the way to my folk’s place. That didn't sound too tough to do. “Hey Steve…” Yep, he jumped on board and we started training. A couple of months later, we made the journey, just the two of us, with no sag support. We did map out a route and we did carry supplies, but we were all on our own with no real experience in bike maintenance. Fortunately, we had no mechanical issues and hours after we started out, we struggled into my folk’s front yard, dehydrated, exhausted, and quite hungry.
We did the journey again the next year as a fundraiser for a charity our church sponsored. Somewhere around fifteen people joined us for that one. It was such a success, we kept it going for the next several years. It kept getting bigger until we had close to 100 riders, plus a kid’s version, too. After the second year, we changed it to a loop starting and ending on the southeast side of Indy and named it the Mission Challenge Ride, or MCR for short, but kept the distance at approximately 70 miles. I think we kept it going annually until 2002 or or maybe 2003. Then, it just ended as our church dynamic changed, and I couldn’t continue to promote it.
By the way, after the first year, I added a Trek roadbike to my two-wheeled collection. In the last year of the MCR, I sold that one to a buddy and bought a brand, spanking new Lemond roadbike. That’s the bike I still ride on longer rides to this day. It has a steel frame rather than aluminum, so it’s more forgiving to my larger, stiffer body than the aluminum versions, and it fits me very well. I still love that bike, even though it’s nearly twenty years old now.
After the annual MCR events came to an end, my enthusiasm to get out on the pavement tailed off. Most of my riding buddies had gone other directions. I rode some through 2006. I rode the Hilly Hundred in Indiana in 2006. However, I went inactive for the next two seasons, hanging my Lemond on my garage wall.
In 2009, I got my groove back. I pulled the bike from the wall and started cranking off the miles. I had a personal goal. I wanted to complete a Century Ride—100 miles in a single day, something I’d never done. I trained. I watched my food. I trained some more. Miles and miles and miles. I continued training until mid-September 2009, the day I met my goal on the Cardinal Greenway.
My wife drove sag for me all day. She said it was the most boring day of her life. I would leave from a point on the trail and she would drive to the next planned stop to refill my water bottles, give me something to eat, and add in some encouragement. It was an all-day affair, but I did it. 108 miles in total. Century ride comleted.
One week later, I tore my right Achillies tendon and I’ve never quite returned to the cycling form I’d reached during that last significant accomplishment. The bike returned to the wall.
Last year, I pulled the bikes out again. I still have the Lemond, which I use for rides longer than twelve or fifteen miles, but I also have a Trek “flat-bar roadbike,” which I think is a fancy term for a hybid—a bike that is sort of a cross between a roadbike and a mountainbike. I put a lot of miles on the Trek last year and even some longer rides on the Lemond. It was a good year, but I’m nowhere near where I was in 2009. Still, there’s always this year.
We’ll see. I still love the freedom on the country roads, the sun on my legs, the wind through my helmet slots, and the bugs bouncing off my sunglasses. Maybe I’ll see you out there on the road.

At some point in 2004, I came up with the brilliant idea to take my oldest daughter on a father/daughter adventure for her 16th birthday the following year. Sounds like a great idea, right? Well, my suggestion is to hold that off until the 21st birthday. Dads and daughters sometimes have communications issues during the mid-teen years. Despite all that, the trip we took turned out to be incredible.
We spent a week rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Floating the river in the sun with the huge cliffs soaring overhead. Taking hikes into side canyons and into mysterious alcoves of crisp air and cool water. Sleeping under the stars with no light noise to drown out the Milky Way. It was seven days of pure adventure.
The picture you see in this blog is one I took from the very ledge where I spent the first night with the river rushing by mere inches away. Basically, I’m urban bred. I grew up in the city and did very little camping that didn’t involve a tent in my back yard. As a result, as I bedded down on that slanted rock surface with another section of rock acting as my roof, I was a tad nervous. Would I accidentally roll over and end up in the river at 4 A.M.? Would a scorpion crawl across my face at 2 A.M.? I remember asking myself, “What have I gotten myself into?”
As you look at the picture, notice there is a very narrow ledge that runs along the rock face on the left. That is actually a trail. We traversed that trail before dinner (which was grilled salmon, by the way). Basically, it’s just wide enough for your feet. One misstep and you’re in the river, which, as you can see, was angrily roiling by at quite a rate of speed. After you follow the tiny, miniscule trail to where it goes out of sight on the left, you come to a hole in the stone, where you have to carefully drop through (then crawl back up through on the return) before continuing into one of the side canyons.
Each day, we had another similar adventure and by the end of the week, I was tired, but I was also acclimated. I’d do it again.
At the end of the week, we were only halfway through the canyon. They let my daughter and I out at the Bright Angel Trail so that we could loft our packs on our backs and hike the seven miles up to the South Rim—another all-day adventure in itself.
Like I said, I’d do it again. Next time, I want to take my wife. This would be right up her alley.
If you are interested, check out Arizona Raft Adventures – They are a magnificent group of people who put on a stellar touring program. They have a variety of boat styles and trip lengths to choose from. We chose a classic adventure which features one paddle boat and four or five oar-driven boats. They also have motor trips (too fast, in my opinion) where you can cover the full canyon in one week. The Arizona Raft Adventures tour guides cook a hot breakfast and a hot dinner each morning and evening. Good stuff, too. We had salmon, we had steak. We had eggs and bacon. Right there on the riverbank. They even brought along a birthday cake to celebrate my teenager’s 16th birthday in the middle of the trip. I can’t recommend them enough. They know what they’re doing.
So, the next time someone tells you to “Take a hike!” – I’ve got a great destination for you to consider.

​I created Henry while a student at Williamstown Bible College in Williamstown, West Virginia. This would have been sometime between the fall of 1980 and the spring of 1982. No one was particularly the inspiration for Henry. I was studying to be in the ministry, and I was surrounded by preachers or men who wanted to be preachers, so I suppose it was natural that when he hit my brain, I made him a preacher.
I’ve always enjoyed drawing, although, unlike my daughter Angela, I don’t think I’m particularly gifted. I simply enjoy creating and one way to do that is the art of drawing. In one brief moment of inspiration, I realized that most of my favorite comics were made up of a few specific strokes of the pen that are easily repeated. (Take a close look at Charlie Brown, Blondie or even Mickey Mouse, etc.) A short while later, Henry was created—his face anyway. I’ve never been particularly good a drawing the human form, and hands completely escape me, but I created the face.
Soon, Henry the Preacher began to show up on the various chalk or white boards around the Bible College, and its little sister school, the Williamstown Christian School. Invariably, I included some little cute remark to make folks chuckle. I’ve been drawing him ever since—most times he’s a preacher, but he has occasionally taken a job as a bearing salesman. He still randomly shows up on whiteboards or chalkboards. If the inspiration hits me, I draw the dude.
I also created a little family to go along with Henry. He has a brother named Cosmos, who sports sunglasses (regardless the time of day or the weather), a leather jacket, and a goatee. Henry’s wife is Henrietta. His dad is Hank. There’s a couple others. I’ve never done much with the crew. Cosmos does show up once in a while, when I’m looking to rock a boat.
Over the years, Henry hasn’t changed much. He nearly always wears a tie, but rarely sports a jacket anymore. I had some notepads made up one time with his face at the top. I wish I still had one of those around.
Once, while attending Indiana Business College, I had a guy who thought he could get an investor to back me so I could try to syndicate Henry into a weekly strip. He needed a “portfolio.” That was a big problem. I couldn’t get his face right when I was trying to draw him for a serious purpose. For another thing, I could never draw him in any direction except looking straight ahead. Forget trying to add some form of movement. Years later, I did finally succeed in turning his head to one side. Hmm. Maybe there’s still some hope.  
I still draw him sometimes, just for fun. The picture you see attached at the top of this blog was done a few years ago when I decided to create some more detailed, single-frame comics. I recently gave the original away as a prize in the Facebook New Year’s Party contest sponsored by my publisher. I asked a question and stated that I’d randomly draw a winner of the original drawing from among those who answered the question. I fully expected that question to go unanswered, but to my amazement, there were many entries. Seems Henry is a likeable guy.
I have a few more original Henry drawings lying around. Maybe he will make some future appearances. For now, though, he waits back there in my psyche. I still have my drawing pad of comic boards. Eventually, he’ll grab my creative brain by the ears and force his way out again.
See you soon, Henry.