THANK YOU TEDDY, NANCY, AND FRIENDS.

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This could be any number of things other than what it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the people and organizations, like #friendsofthegorge and #nancyrussell and #teddyroosevelt who have helped set aside land to be what it is for today and tomorrow: wilderness. Available for humans to enjoy and interact with respectfully. For us now and for the children of our children’s children and beyond. Thank you. Thank you! ___ #columbiagorge #44pacificnwplaces #childreninthewilderness #44children #pnwonderland @countessbecca @gorgefriends

LEIF & LEONIDAS.

It couldn’t;
The sun could not be the center,
but then it was.

It couldn’t;
The earth could not be round,
but then it was.

It could not;
No one could score eight points in the final nine seconds to win a playoff game,
but then Reggie Miller did.

It most definitely could never ever happen;
A Viking and a Spartan will never be friends,
until they are.

And then you know anything is possible,
and all will come to pass.

IF ONLY THERE WAS A ZIPLINE.

Almost better than riding an escalator. ____ #columbiagorge #hiking #pnwonderland #44pacificnwplaces

A post shared by Joseph Long (@josephivanlong) on May 21, 2017 at 9:14am PDT

___

Trying to not set expectations too high...but please, please please let Wonder Woman finally be the female-led superhero film on par with the greats that I've been waiting years for...

I have a good feeling. But I've been wrong twice before.

DAYS OF RAIN.

days of sun and rain
days of dark and pain
always mountains to climb
never knowing heights others have to scale

every adult I see facing enormous challenges,
I imagine them as children once.
children who should have possibilities and adventures
and tools and support for the tough ascents

my heart is ever sad for those with seemingly unscalable mountains,
and I want to race back in a time machine and figure out what will help them get through
and over
and around the tough ranges.

one thing I know; I know with so much certainty, is that I don't
imagine myself ever having regrets over
listening to too much music,
or
being kind one too many times to one too many persons.

I think it's tough to go overboard with those things.

____

Chris Cornell 1964-2017

WE CLIMB A BIG ROCK WITH A FLORIDA FRIEND.

Couldn't pass up the chance to take a quick jaunt up the Rock with our Florida bud in town for a few days. He was very surprised to find no alligators 850 ft up*. Beautiful as always. Met two people the whole way. Thanks Chance from Iowa for the pic. (Beacon) Rock it, world. Also, my brother @jmlongmusic spent the duration of the short trek trying to convince the children he had built the rock. He and Ryan (that Florida guy) are recording music this week and I will say here and now: you're gonna wanna hear it. So good. And speaking of so good: Seven peeps, if you wanna hear a mesmerizing remix of an old classic: David Crowder and Bill Gaither joining up for a handclapped version of Because He Lives. So good. ____ #columbiagorge @jmlongmusic #44pacificnwplaces #hiking #beaconrock #pnwonderland #44music *he did not say this. but I imagined that he might be thinking it, which would be abnormal thing to think, I think.

A post shared by Joseph Long (@josephivanlong) on May 6, 2017 at 9:07am PDT

UNFORTUNATE BOOKS TO TRAGIC SERIES.

...the infinite joy of January 13 signaling the launch of A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix, although this will likely be followed by devastating grief following its inevitable cancellation; there is certainly no happy end in sight.

LITTLE TRAVELS: Everything is not Awesomeous (But Stevenson, WA is) Video

Everything is not awesomeous. In which I provide a brief list of things that are not awesome, or anti-awesome, or simply not very high awesomeness, and then conclude with something that is simply sort of awesome, and free. Hint and spoiler: Skamania County Fair.

KATIE LEDECKY.

It's so hard to believe in just over nine decades, our daughter will be one hundred. They grow up so fast. Speaking of which, I had this sudden moment of clarity this morning, watching Michael Phelps talk about his 19th gold medal. I remembered that I have none. No medal. Zip (I am being serious here - I have never won any Olympic event*).

As I near the end of my fourth decade of existence, I have to ask myself: will I ever break his Olympic medal count record? (Again, I currently have zero) And the tough answer is: there is at least a fifty-percent chance I will never break his record. Reality is tough, which is why I strongly suggest not being too friendly with it.

*technically, I have not been to the [hashtag] Olympics as a competitor**

**technically, I have not been to the #Olympics at all, any capacity


___


LESS HOME, PLEASE.

Homeless people are so lucky.
she said dreamily.
One of my goals someday is to be homeless.

And why,
I asked.
is that?

So,
she said confidently.
I can live under a bridge. That is one of my goals.

Well,
I said.
That is something you'll need to work hard to achieve.

THIS IS A POLITICAL POST : CHILDHOOD IN THE GORGE.

There is no better high than discovery.

- Edward O. Wilson

COUPLED WITH:
...follow the path of virtue. It will not be overcrowded.
- Lloyd Alexander*, Westmark

*one of the great underrated and frequently underappreciated authors of the 20th century

VIDEO GAMES (RIVER STYX EDITION).

VIDEO GAMES (PLAYSTATION 8).