Easy Way to Play your IPhone on Sonos
Connecting your phone or music device to your Sonos couldn't be easier. If you Sonos has a Line In connector you are all set. The Play 5 has one. All you need is a standard headphone jack cord to attach your phone to the Sonos Line-In port.
After you have your phone connected, select Line -In Under the "Select a Music Source" menu.
Within the Line-In menu select your Audio Component that should be your phone. After that you can control playback with all the normal Sonos player controls.
I use this method to quickly listen to podcasts on my IPhone. This is also a quick way to hook up a friend's phone to your Sonos system. You can listen to music this way as well, but it is much easier to load all your music into your Sonos system. I hope this helps.
Winter Has Arrived
Here is a photograph I captured on my back deck after our first snowfall of the year. I like the crispness of the snow gently attached to the lamp.
I am going to share photos I capture weekly. No particular theme or content just ones that inspire me or tell a story. I hope you enjoy.
What Everyone is Saying About Constraints
Constraints are a good thing. Having constraints forces you to be creative, dig deeper to find a solution and to execute. To must do something can be a more powerful motivator than wanting to do something.
Constraints help you focus and keep your willpower high. Limiting choices or eliminating options all together helps conserve your willpower. We all the know the Steve jobs story about eliminating the need to make decisions about what clothes he wore. This is something you can put in place immediately. Try limiting your clothing selection this week to 3 shirts and pants.
There have been studies done that show people are much happier when their options are reduced. The fewer options they have, the happier they are. This relates back to second guessing or rethinking decisions. If you only had 2 choices you will probably have a lot less second guessing in your life. I think you look to make better selections, and are more committed to your selection when you only have a limited options or even time.
I put the constraint on myself to spend a full hour on photography and I couldn't go beyond my backyard. I took 189 images in that hour and created a beautiful detail image on a water spigot handle that I think looks wonderful.
If you don't have a lot of disposable income than you are really focused on spending your money the right way. I think having less fun money causes you to make better decisions because the risk of a bad decision is greater and it isn't easy to overcome by making another purchase. Interesting thought. Can people with less money be happier? Are they happier if they focus on spending money on experiences that provide a lifetime of memories vs. things that can provide limited benefits and joy?
Constrain yourself on the golf course to only using your 7 iron and see how good you get with the club. By the end of the 18 holes I guarantee you will know exactly how far you can hit the club, how you can bend the shot. I think you will have mastered the club.
Same way with camera gear. Take out your camera with one lens and really work it. You'll understand how the focus works, how the lens works at different apertures, it will become second nature to you. You will be able to look beyond the lens and the camera and focus on your vision what you really see. The camera will truly become a tool to capture your vision not the focus.
If you sit down at night and find yourself paralyzed with options and not doing anything, give yourself only two options of things to do and see how that improves you getting things done. Less is more.
What other kinds of constraints can you think of that truly improve your life? For a week set up real situations where you have constraints.
Be it what you order for lunch, what you do when you are home from work. I truly believe that giving yourself or having constraints will improve your trajectory towards what you want. Constraints are a good thing.
How I do my Annual Review
Every year I take some time and review the prior year as a first step towards planning the coming year. Here is how I did my 2015 Annual Review.
Words of the Year
At the end of the year I write three words that describe the previous year. I described 2015 as a year of:
- Sorrow
- Planning
- stressful
I lost my father in 2015 and that coupled with a tough year at work provided the sorrow and stressful theme. I spent a lot of time planning for my website and my triathlon training, too much in my estimation, so that is the planning theme.
I compare those three words to the three I set while planning the year. I had set:
- Planning
- Health
- Execution
Annual Summary
With these six words as a backdrop I write out an Annual Summary of the year. From 50,000 feet how did the year feel? How did it go? I really consider this brainstorming as I just write what comes to mind. It is important for me that I do no mid sentence editing or culling of my thoughts. I just let my thoughts flow as I think about last year. Typically these are memorable items, events, people or activities that took place.
Journal Review
After the Annual Review I go through my journal for the year to help jog my thoughts on other things that took place. In hindsight I think things seem better or not as bad as they seemed at the time. That is why I review my journal to really capture the emotions and reactions I had at the time. Much more powerful than the antiseptic hindsight review at the end of the year.
Goal Review
After I get my summary down I go into a deep review of the goals I set. Each year I typically put together a visual timeline on when I am going to meet certain goals so I include that image in my annual review.
I list out each goal I set for the year. I include:
Goal - what was the specific goal.
The Why - I am a firm believer that if you don't have a big enough why you will not make the progress you want. So this is the why I must achieve this goal.
System and Processes to Achieve - This describes the specifics of how I am going to achieve the goal. This also includes what will I put in place almost daily to move my trajectory forward.
Tracking Progress and Process - How am I going to track my progress including what am I going to track and specifically how — (google spreadsheet, tally sheet , etc.)
Trajectory
Under each goal I type one question to answer - What was my trajectory? Did I improve and move towards the goal or away from it? This in my mind is key as I view goal achievement as a process not an end state. If I improved myself and moved forward then I consider that a success. I do this for each goal. I give myself an arbitrary rating between 1 - 10 on each goal.
Quick Summary
The last thing I do is finish up with a paragraph or two of how I view last year. I find this important to do last as it changes a bit after I have done the 50,000 foot review, and the specific goal review. This year's summary highlighted that I thought I had too many goals, that I spent too much time planning and not enough doing. I also had a lot of frustration from work and from the injuries I experienced.
After I have this drafted I let it sit for at least 2 days and then go back. I take a clean page or file and bullet point out thoughts about what happened last year and compare the list to what I had documented? Anything new, anything different? If so I flesh them out and add them to the summary.
After that I review the document one more time and I scan it in and if it is a file I convert it to PDF.
Summary
I use this Overall Summary as the beginning for the current year's goal and system brainstorming session. Did I have too many goals? Do I continue to have the same goals year after year and don't act on them? This guides my goal setting process and helps me refine my process and set me up for success. Improve the trajectory year after year. Consider this the annual 2% improvement.
Have Fun with the Board Game 5 Second Rule - Just Spit it Out
5 Second Rule Board Game
At Christmas we got the game 5 Second Rule - Just Spit it Out! And no it doesn't involve picking food quickly off the floor. The game is quick to learn and extremely fun to play. The setup is easy; basically pull the box of cards and the timer out of the box and you are ready to play. I would say the game is more fun with 4 or more players. We had six the first time we played.
The objective of the game is simple — accumulate the most points. You get a point for each question you successfully answer. Simple
The game is played by one player drawing a card and reading the card to the player to his right. That player has 5 seconds to complete the list of 3. The cards require you to list 3 of something. Examples include: Name 3 famous Johns, Name 3 of the Great Lakes. We played that you could pick either question on the two-sided cards.
Where the game gets interesting is that if you can't answer all three then the card goes to the player on the right for them to try. The big catch is that you can't use any of the previous answers. All within 5 seconds.
The other players act as judge and jury as they decide if an answer is acceptable. Also my suggestion is that you keep your smartphone handy; you will be looking up answers to verify what someone says. Better be ready for some loud heckling and good-natured arguing. We definitely brought the energy level up while playing this game.
5 Second Rule is a quick, fun energetic game that really adds pressure by limiting the time to answer to 5 seconds. We ended up playing two games of 3 rounds each. We even had a tie where we had a "card off" competition between the two leaders.
A highly recommended game.
6 ways that Nozbe can increase your productivity
There are thousands of productivity tools out there. Nozbe is the tool I use to track and complete my projects and tasks. Nozbe helps me get things done. Here are six ways that Nozbe can increase your productivity.
1. Nozbe helps you focus on what you need to get done. Not what you want to or should get done but rather what you need to get done. You can quickly filter down to right must get done today. Use the "Priority" Star rating and view and only these tasks will be visible. Use the Edit button and you can arrange the tasks in priority order. Then burn down the list from top to bottom. I try to have only 3 items a day that must get down. By filtering on "work" or "home" labels I can show the appropriate 3 focus items.
2. Capture all the projects that need to get done - Following the classic and proven GTD approach you can capture all your projects and feel good about having everything in one spot. For those tasks that don't need multiple steps (projects) to complete just use a "Home" or "Work" project to group these tasks in a "project" and get them out of your Nozbe inbox.
3. Quickly send thoughts, tasks or projects to Nozbe through email. Nozbe handles the important task of getting thoughts immediately recorded when you think of them. You can set up a unique email address that allows you to send items to your in-box. Set this as a contact in your email application and the address comes right up in your email composer. A great way to get everything in one spot quickly.
4. Nozbe is multi-platform. There are IOS, Mac, Windows, Android versions that sync across platforms. Regardless of your platform you have your tasks, projects and areas of focus with you everyone.
5. Nozbe is easy to get started using. You spend your time getting things done not fiddling with your productivity app. The tool can be configured as easy or as complicated as you want. A quick set up of projects and categories and you are ready to go. Then you can refine your Nozbe configuration as you use the tool.
6. Nozbe can be used in a team environment to assign and track projects accross a team. Everyone is synced to what is critical and the most important things are set up to get done.
7. Nozbe integrates and works well with other tools such as Dropbox and Evernote. The linking of files and notes in both these applications within Nozbe is awesome. This really ups your productivity game.
Look for a future post that describes in detail how I use Nozbe to get things done.
What Mom Never Told You About Photography Gear
What if gear did matter? From David duChemin, and his gear is good vision is better philosophy to other pro’s that downplay the importance gear, we hear that gear doesn't matter. But what if it does? I would argue that depending where you are on this spectrum of "beginner to Expert" photographer, gear does matter and its relative importance is based on where you are on this spectrum. I like these descriptors rather than Amateur - Professional. These are better descriptions of your use of photography rather than skill set. (Do you use your photography to buy your shoes! to borrow a phrase from David Sparks).
Success in any endeavor, including photography, is based on three facets. Confidence, Skill / Vision development, and Experience. I think gear fits in as a component of confidence. I would also include view of self and what others think of us as factors in developing and increasing our confidence.
Confidence, for people starting out on the photographic journey, I would say is probably just as important as vision, and builds with experience. Obviously all the factors I am talking about are not mutually exclusive. As with anything in life the ability to bring confidence to bear is key, and the less of it you have the more this is important. How much do you think having adequate gear plays to improved or even generating confidence? I think it plays a big piece. I equate this to fake it till you make it.
Walking into a situation be it a client shoot, a portrait session, photo walk or even a personal project, with reasonable gear will help improve you confidence. Not having to think about (read - worry about) if your gear is inadequate is big. This will allow you to use that energy to focus on developing your vision, building your experience; and all that builds confidence. It will help to alleviate the negative energy in the situation. If you don't have the confidence then you will really benefit from the gear.
When I say gear I am talking about reasonable gear, do we all need the D4 - no. With reasonable gear then you can build upon the confidence through training and experience.
Do we need to worry about gear?
Now is there a chance that the the gear facet gets out of balance with everything else and turns into an obsession? Absolutely; I think when you are starting the journey you need to commit to evaluating what is necessary to get you to the point of not worrying about gear. For everyone this is a different point but could include a reasonable DSLR and a fast 50, for others it could be a full frame DSLR and a 70-200 2.8. This is something you need to honestly evaluate. Decide what is enough gear to stop the negative energy of not having enough. The key is when enough gear is enough?
With gear out of the way you can continue to work on your experience, and vision development. In the end these will be more important to your long-term success than gear. As your “amount” of experience and vision grow, the importance on gear will diminish.
In Summary Gear is important, but needs to be kept in balance. Success in any endeavor is built on confidence, skill / vision and experience. and in photography I would say that gear plays a part in that success.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas from jdhayes.com. I hope you have an enjoyable holiday season with friends and loved ones. I have enjoyed sharing my active experiences with you in 2015 and look forward to sharing even more in 2016.
Thanks
John
Why Do Parents get so Worked up at Youth Sports
Why do parents get so worked up at youth sports? I wonder if it has something to do with living through your kids? It seems like the more verbal or fired some of the parents are the parents supporting the opposing team seem to feel like they need to match the intensity or "support". Are we not supporting our kids or team enough if we don't match the other teams supporters' intensity or support?
Everything seems to escalate and what good does that do? Typically by the time we are back in the car on the drive back home or to the hotel the children have forgot about the game and are on to the next thing. We as parents need to do the same. Just let it go folks. I guarantee that no one at the 11 year old Pee Wee Silver Sticks Tournament is getting drafted on Monday. It ain't happening. When you signed up for hockey it was for your daughter or son to play hockey. I don't think they said we are here to win championships or get your child drafted. All that money is going towards ice time, tournaments, and the ability to haul around putrid hockey equipment in your car.
Do you think all the bitching and complaining about the coaching really does any good? Do you ever notice that the biggest complainers are the ones who never volunteer for anything? Yea so do I. We just need to enjoy the game, reward the children for their effort and enjoy the experience. What if the parents had to line up and shake hands after like the kids do? Something to think about.
8 Benefits to Fishing Local
Fishing local is wonderful and here are eight benefits that I think are valuable:
1. Fishing local allows you to get out at a moments notice
On the spur of the moment you can get out fishing. After work, after school, or when you have a few hours on the weekend you can get a line wet. Before family hockey my son and I can get out to Oak Grove Park in Centerville, Ohio, first thing in the morning and be back by 10:00 am.
2. Fishing local is a great value and not a big investment
You have the gear so all it costs you is time and maybe a few bucks for live bait. There are no big travel costs, weekend commitments, or hotels. Less time packing and more time fishing.
3. Fishing local is a great way to get kids exciting about fishing
Not only can you get out quickly but you can get also home quickly. For a kid to love something they need to know that they have a say, or you can figure out, when they’ve had enough. Staying too long is a huge risk. 1/2 hour spent enjoying fishing for a kid is epic. You want the kids to leave happy not dreading the outing.
4. Fishing local gives you a chance to try out new gear
You got the new rod, or reel so now what? Do you want to fumble around with the new gear on that once in a lifetime trip or at a local spot? Get familiar with the gear in a relaxed manner. There is really nothing to lose on the local waters so give yourself time to learn and set up the rod and reel or try out the new lures or bait. As you probably know those local spots well you can try new lures and bait and have prior experience to compare your results to.
Does the new spinner bait really work? Do you like how the reel works? How about that rod? Do you find yourself saying, “I should try that new top water bait?” On the local water is the time to experiment and get familiar with your gear.
5. Fishing local lets you support local fishing shops for bait and tackle
The folks at the local tackle store really know where the fishing’s great, what the fish are hitting and can even let you in on new local spots. If these shops go the way of local bookstores we will all lose these valuable resources. From bait to repair services and local information, there are numerous ways to support the local shop. Last time I checked you can't buy live bait on-line.
6. Fishing local helps bring others into the sport
Everyone is looking for ideas on new things to do either by themselves, or with the family. Next time someone asks you in the office what to do this weekend; point them to a local fishing spot. You probably have a couple of closed reels and rods in the garage that you can even loan them. A couple of dozen night crawlers and they are good to go.
7. Fishing local lets you meet new people
Fishing brings out the best in people. In a weird way it's almost like the collective we against the fish. I know it’s easy for me to strike up a conversation about how the fishing is when I come across someone at my local park. Nothing gets a kid excited or feeling proud when he lands that fish with someone watching.
8. Fishing local lets you really master a location
Fishing the spot over and over really let's you master the location. Why are guides successful, they fish the same bodies of water over and over. Fishing the same spot lets you see how the fish and the location change. There is a place for the challenge of finding success on a new body of water but there is also the great feeling of repeated success at a familiar spot. Keep in mind that local spot can be a local pond or an equally wonderful stream.
Hopefully these eight benefits hit a cord with you and will get you thinking about fishing local. I’m sure you can think of other benefits so please share your thoughts below.
Introducing Photography to a Child
For those of us who love photography, this risk is that we are overzealous in trying to get our children to like it as much as we do.
I consider myself extremely lucky in that all of my children have an interest in photography; and with my older son it started with film. What I want to share with you here are the techniques I have used to make sure my youngest son enjoys the experience and doesn't' feel the least bit pressured. My goal is to make everything about photography positive for him.
Gear
Camera
Luckily my wife has an old Nikon D60 that she doesn't use much so I was able to give this camera to my son. With the two kit lenses he is able to cover anything that he might want to photograph. Now he feels it is his, takes care of it, and most importantly stores it in HIS room! This camera is more than a point and shoot and in his eyes is "just like dad's".
Camera Settings
Just like "P" is for professional, in the hands of a child I consider "P" to mean Perfect. I set his camera up on program mode, and bump the ISO up to 800. For now we keep these settings in tact. I feel this gives him the best chance of producing sharp images.
Tripod
I have him use one of my tripods and I think this is a great idea. Not only does it force him to slow down a bit and have to adjust the tripod, compose the image, and then shoot; it also provides a little bit more security against the camera getting dropped. I have a small travel tripod that is just the perfect size and weight for him.
A small thing I do that I think makes a difference, is that I always carry my tripod when he has his.
Outings / Photowalk
ust has important as providing him with reasonable gear is the approach.
The weekends are when I do the majority of my photography so that is when I suggest we head out for a photowalk. It is entirely up to him as to whether he goes or not. I never force it. For me if he goes half the time, I consider that a success.
Never Force it / They are In Charge
When he does go with me, this is how I approach it.
For each outing we go on I make sure that I don't set any expectations on what I am going to accomplish or achieve. I make sure the outing is all about my son's experience, and as soon as he says he's had enough or wants to go home, then we immediately head home. Of course making sure we stop for a doughnut or bagel! I want to make sure that he doesn't feel like he needs to stay out or feels trapped by the outing. He is in charge and when he wants to head home we do.
I also make sure that I am photographing as well. I never hover over his shoulder and "help" him. I always make sure that I am capturing images and allowing him to freely explore and capture. I think this also helps reduce or eliminate any pressure. Obviously I am right there if he has any questions.
Print It
Depending on how he feels there are some days when we get home and immediately import his images into Lightroom together and some days he just goes off and does something different. For each outing after we get his images imported I always try to have him pick one that he likes and I print it out for him. Doesn't matter what it is we always make a print.
n the end the way I view it, if he likes photography or not we have spend some excellent time together, he is creating something and spending less time with the Xbox. All of these, I consider to be successes.
I hope you can you some of these ideas and maybe successfully introduce photography to a child you know.
TrainerRoad for my Cycling workouts
As I continue to workout for my Raleigh 70.3 Ironman I am constantly looking for tools that will improve my preparation. Today I signed up for the annual plan with trainerroad.com. For $99 I get access to all the cycling workouts in their inventory for twelve months. I did purchase at the full retail price and did not receive any discount or review access.
As described on the Trainerroad.com website "TrainerRoad connects to your ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart devices to measure your FTP, speed and other metrics, then uses that data to customize over 80 training plans to your personal fitness level"
I will publish an in depth review after I get a few weeks with the tool. I am definitely looking for trainingroad.com to enhance my trainer cycling workouts as we get into winter here in Central Ohio.
Risk - The Classic Board Game
The Hayes family has been enjoying many epic global battles through the classic board game Risk. A wonderful game that is both easy to understand and play but also a strategic game as well. Of course it does also come down to the luck of the roll.
History
According to Wickiepedia (check spelling) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_(game) Risk is a strategy board game produced by Parker Brothers (now a division of Hasbro). Winning Moves also makes a classic 1959 version. It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde ("The Conquest of the World") in France. It was later bought by Parker Brothers and released in 1959 with some modifications to the rules as Risk: The Continental Game, then as Risk: The Game of Global Domination."
Currently there are 19 licensed versions of the game risk: Fifteen English versions, three French and one Brazilian
English releases
1.1 Risk
1.2 Castle Risk
1.3 Risk 40th Anniversary Edition
1.4 Risk: 2210 A.D.
1.5 Risk: the Lord of the Rings
1.6 Risk: the Lord of the Rings: Gondor & Mordor Expansion Set
1.7 Risk: Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition
1.8 Risk Godstorm
1.9 Risk: Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition
1.10 Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition
1.11 Risk: The Transformers Edition
1.12 Risk Junior: Narnia
1.13 Risk: Halo Wars
1.14 Risk Legacy
1.15 Risk: Metal Gear Solid
French releases
2.1 La Conquête du monde†
2.2 Risk: Édition Napoléon
2.3 Risk: Édition Napoléon: Extension Empire Ottoman
Brazilian releases
3.1 WAR
Game Time - Approximately 30 minutes
Players
3 - 6 ideal
2 with modified set and play
Game Objective
- Occupy every territory on the board, and in doing so eliminate all the other players from the game.
Game Set Up - Easy
- Deal out the 44 cards (excluding the jokers) to each player. One army is placed on each country represented by the cards. This is the only set up necessary to begin the game.
- For a 2 player game there are modified starting rules which can involve a neutral 3rd army.
Keys to the Game
- There are three phases to each turn:
- Deploy your newly acquired troops
- Attack your opponents
- Redeploy your troops
- Attack on your first turn to make sure you expand your country control quickly.
- Try to control entire continents. This gets you additional armies at each turn.
- As you can move your armies at the end of each turn - focus on reinforcing your counties on the borders of your continents. This will add safety as you are attacked by your opponents and make it harder for them to concur you.
- My approach is to try and capture at least one new country on each turn. If you capture a country you get a country card. Collect 3 of one of the 3 figures (foot solder, horseman, cannon) and you get additional armies. As you play additional sets you get more armies.
- The accumulation of armies is the key to winning. This gives you a huge advantage when attacking and when defending.
Why I Like It
- The set up is relatively quick depending on which set up version you take.
- There is some strategy to the game but also you can quickly learn how to play and jump in and play.
- Play is simple although with strategy you can make it as complicated and in-depth as you want.
- Actually teaches you a bit about geography.
- Although a war game the pieces are benign enough that it isn't graphic. The battles are raged through throws of the dice.
Game Resources
Here are some other helpful resources
EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival
The EPCOT International Food and Wine festival is a great non-kid outing. My wife and I come down to Orlando every year for this annual event.
The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival runs a little over seven weeks (2015) and is an event that features food, wine and drink in 30 booths including local fares from Florida. The food selections are in small appetizer sizes with each booth / country featuring 3 - 4 specialties. The booths are set up around the Seven Seas Lagoon allowing you to eat and drink "around the world".
They also have concerts each night with some well known bands from the past that are free with your admission at the American Gardens Theatre at the American Adventure. In addition to the food and bands there are food and wine related seminars and VIP events. If you are a Disney VISA card holder there are also events exclusively for you. All in all a great event and highly recommended.
Disney knows how to market for increased attendance. The timing of the event is well planned as typically parents are not going to take their kids out of school in the Fall to vacation at Disney so this festival allows Disney to promote attendance in an otherwise slow period. Similar to the Disney Marathon being the first weekend in January after the Holiday rush. I think EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is a great way to try new foods and wine at a relatively inexpensive price (at least by Disney standards).
What we like to do is try and go over at use this as dinner during the week days and lunch on the weekends. The weekends tend to get crowded and the lines at each booth can be long. I would say picking up a "guide book" is essential. As there are only two ways to go around the World Showcase and you tend to start eating and drinking from that end and are quickly full before making it all the way. What we do is alternate by day as to which Country / side we start with. This year we came down on Thursday morning and enjoyed relatively light crowds Thursday and Friday, but Saturday and Sunday were busy as this was the last weekend of the Festival. Also this year the attendance was high as people came down to hit the last weekend of Food & Wine and the first week of the Osborne Light show at the Studios. This being the last year of the Osborne lights that won’t be an issue going forward.
We also fly down and back mid week so you can get pretty good deals on airfare. We stay on property and take advantage of Disney transportation both from the airport and while at Walt Disney World. This also eliminates any issues with drinking and driving if you do enjoy the drink a little too much.
That section of Epcot (World Showcase) opens everyday at 11:00 am so a great way to have lunch as well. The early hours are typically much less crowded and easier to navigate.
I would also recommend coming early to middle of the Food and Wine Festival run. We are here on the last weekend and while the lines were short and managable on Thursday and Friday, the lines were extremely long on Saturady and Sunday.
There are other events surrpounding the festival outside of just the food and wine. This year annual Passholders can get a limited edition commerative port wine glass on your third visit to the park. There are also limited events avaiable to Disney VISA cardholders as well.
If you want to really be efficient I would book the Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club resorts for your stay. These access EPCOT through the back International Gateway entrance. Not only is this entrance much less crowded but it brings you into the park between France and England; right in the heart of Food and Wine. Also don't forget to get your fastpasses for your favorite EPCOT attractions. The Futureworld section of EPCOT opens early depending on if there are extra magic hours but generally no latter tan 9:00 am. You can come enjoy future world and then at 11:00 head over to World Showcase. A great way to spend a day. I highly recommend the EPCOT International Food & Wine festival.
Picture of Guide Book Picture of some of the food Pictures of some of the food booths
Free Shipping Home from Walt Disney World
Did you know you can ship any of your Walt Disney World purchases home free of charge? On our last visit for the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival we made a few purchases at the Art of Disney Store and were wondering out loud how we were going to get them home. The cast member overhead us and mentioned that we could ship our purchased home free.
We jumped all over the free shipping offer and took advantage of it a few more times. If you are flying home this is something to definitely keep in mind. As I write this, just a few days after returning home, some of our packages are starting to arrive. And best of all we weren't the family lugging our WDW bags through the Orlando Airport!
Also don't forget that if you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort you can have your park or Disney Springs purchases shipped back to your resort as well.
Focus on Experiences
Am I obsessed with material things? After really considering this and many other things after my father passed away, I came to one overarching conclusion. I need to focus more on experiences than things.
When I stood up and talked to people gathered for my father's wake I talked about experiences and events, not that he paid for my college education or put food on the table. That's what came to mind. It was the experiences. And they weren't always the epic experiences but just everyday experiences that made an impact on me.
That is what I want to do for my family; give them experiences they remember. Hopefully most of them are positive but even the negative ones (remember the spilled milk at wild wings)! That is what we really need. I believe that focussing on material possessions leads to "what's next" rather than experiences that you really enjoy and bring a great feeling into your mind.
Do you find yourself thinking back more about experiences or possessions? Experiences typically come to mind for me. Even when they were about driving towards a thing.Back in the 70's I wanted a stereo so bad. I spend the entire summer washing dishes at The Nugget restaurant in Rochester Michigan saving up for that. I can still remember that September day going and buying that Onkyo Receiver the honking speakers, the turntable and the tape deck. And when I think back on that my memories are of the satisfaction of working towards that goal, not the stereo. The stereo is long gone but the memories last.
That was a wonderful time for me. I can think back when my friend and I setting a goal to ride our bikes out to Stoney Creek Metro Park to go fishing. We had never ridden that far and really set that as a goal. I never thought that powder blue Schwinn Continental 10 speed would take me so far. I can still remember that crisp summer morning. We even arrived before the park was officially open to auto traffic.
Focus on the experience. The experience is timeless and is not something that is thrown out or donated once you pass on to your next experience. Experiences are wonderful things that keep giving.
I believe memories are not directly relational to cost. That trip to the park, that board game, that wonderful day with family on Christmas. Those are not epic, costly items but rather inexpensive and timeless. They aren't free, remember you are investing the most valuable commodity time. You can always get more money, and things, but you can get more time back. When you invest time with someone I believe that is the ultimate gift. Nothing pays more dividends that time.
Invest your time in memories and experiences rather than just focusing on things. Challenge for the next 7 days at the end of the day ask yourself a simple question? What experience or memory did I create today? Strive for 75% memories 25% things.
Fall Colors in Springboro Ohio
Here is an image I captured in my backyard. Fall is in full swing here in Ohio.
Coffman YMCA Indoor Triathlon
Participated in the Halloween Coffman YMCA Indoor Triathlon today. It was a good time and a great way to spend a Fall morning. The format was a 20 minutes indoor pool swim, 20 stationary spin bicycle ride and 20 minute treadmill run. All with timed 3 minutes transitions in between. They had 4 waves so everyone had their own swim lane. A really good workout and fun event. This was the first year for the event so hopefully the interest and participation will build going forward.
My times were what I expected although I struggled on the run as my sore achilles really kept me from running hard. I was happy with my effort in the pool and on the bike.
Steve a fellow swimmer with the Up and Running Masters Swim team participated in the event along with a bunch of my work mates. Great time.
As you look to get into your off-season training, participating in these short events is a great way to get in a good workout and have a little fun.
Using a Foam Roller
I recently included a foam roller routine into my workouts. Using this inexpensive tool has really helped. I use the foam roller as part of my warm up and cool down with my cycling, strength and running workouts. My foam roller routine focus on the lower body with my back and hips included. I can get a good routine completed in about 5 minutes. My foam roller routine is the first phase of my warm-up. My warm up is structured with:
- Foam Roller
- Walking
- Active stretching
Why I started Using the Foam Roller
I have been trying to ramp up my running as I get ready for next year's Raleigh 70.3 in June. Last week I think I went a little too hard /too long and now have a sore Achilles tendon. Unfortunately I tend to be that guy that goes out too fast and too far in the beginning. My enthusiasm gets the best of me. I have a hard time pacing myself. So Monday was my normal personal training day at the YMCA with my trainer Kristen. I asked her to develop a foam roller routine as part of my warm-up and stretching routine.
I can tell you that the foam roller routine, although painful for the first time, really loosened up my legs. I really felt good. Now I need to keep at it and get this into a habit that is part of my work-out system. What I did was some basic roller activities, including rolling my IT band, my lower back, my hamstrings and my calfs. I have got to tell you that the IT band stretch was the most painful. Which seems to be common as I researched other routines and information on foam roller routines.
After using the firm black foam roller I went out and purchased a 6 inch 36 inch roller from Amazon. This is the foam roller I selected (I have no affiliate program so the link is just for reference only). This will be a routine for me that will continue.
If you want to see some great routines check out these resources.
- How To Use A Foam Roller - youtube video from Garmin Sharp Cycling Team
- On a Roll - Runners World
- Foam Rolling - The Basics - USA Triathlon
Let me know if you have any other thoughts to share on using a foam roller.
White Water Rafting in Ohiopyle PA
Well, I went white water rafting for the 2nd and 3rd times in the last 3 months in my life. This was the first time on a natural river.
Searching for a location that was challenging and close to home directed us to Ohiopyle PA and the Lower Youghiogheny River. Not to spoil the ending but it was awesome. Folks on the East Coast always hear about West Virginia or the Ocoee River as hotbeds of white water rafting but this location was great. It's about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. This area is rather remote and there are not a lot of lodging options.
Hotel - Lodging
We opted to stay at the Summit Inn. A historic hotel that was nice and definitely old school. The hotel was quiet and the food was awesome. The only issue we had was that wifi is only available in the lobby so no in-room surfing. All in all a great location and wonderful hotel. The staff was very professional, helpful and made the stay for my son and I enjoyable. The hotel is also pet friendly. Check with the hotel but I believe they allow up to one 50 lb. dog / pet in your room.
Rafting Company
The rafting company we selected was the White Water Adventurers. There are five companies that service the river and all are about the same in price and offerings. We selected the mid-level difficulty trip which was the Lower Youghiogheny River trip. There is an upper river trip which is extremely tame and family friendly. One of the guides joked that he thought sections of that river went up hill.
Logistics
The trips go off at designated times during the day as you are in a group of rafts with a group of guides. All the rafting companies share a parking lot and transportation from the lot to the river entry point. The lot is about 5 minutes outside of the small town of Ohiopyle. The times of the trips are staggered so that each company can use the busses and entry point before the next crew shows up.
You need to make reservations either on-line or at the store in town, They were not able to accept reservations or payment at the check in booth on the lot. We reserved the Friday 10:30 am trip and arrived early for check in and only waited a few minutes. There are changing rooms and rest rooms to use while you wait and after you return from your trip. Showers are there as well.
At 10:30 am we received a brief safety demonstration and got our personal flotation devices and helmets on and boarded the bus.
After the 5-10 minute bus trip to the river's entrance in town we received a more thorough briefing, our paddles and raft assignments. As it was only my son and I, we were paired up with another family to fill out our raft. Each raft has up to 6 people (maybe 7 with a guide).
After you're briefing and assignment you carry your raft about 200 - 300 yards down into the water and load up. After everyone is loaded you paddle across the river for instructions on navigating the first set of rapids. And then you are off.Depending on the water level there are two options for the guides. If it is low or normal (which it was for us) then there are 4-5 guides in kayaks and rubber kayaks (duckies) that float with you and guide you down the river. If the river is high then there is a guide in each raft. There is also a guide in the all important lunch raft.
This trip has level III and IV rapids and was challenging for us. Essentially on the river you have rapids and calm eddies after each section, so you get in a cadence of congregating in an eddy for instructions and directions on navigating the next rapids. Everyone goes through the rapids and then regroups for the next rapids and directions. There are also 3 sections along the river where the calm area is longer and you can get out and swim. Cold, cold cold but you actually work up a sweat so it does feel good.
After the first rapids they take your picture going through and have them available for purchase when you get back to the parking area.The guides were excellent, patient and knowledgeable about the river and white water rafting. The first day (Friday we had 6 rafts and the second day Sunday we had 16 rafts). As you can imagine for the guides it amounted to herding cats getting all 16 rafts down the river safely. On the Sunday trip we had 1 raft of inexperienced rafters /swimmers that abandoned after the entrance rapids. After the first rapids I don't think you can abandon as you get further into the state park and really can't turn back. On the second day we actually overturned the entire raft and all of us where catapulted into the water quickly. Without warning we were all in the water which was a little scary. Once I located my son I was fine, but did bounce along the rocks for some time. Another raft rescued us and we regrouped and remounted our raft.
Nose and Toes up — is a key mantra and important. The water is fast and the risk of getting your feet stuck on a bottom rock or log is real. The only way to avoid that is to not try and stand up and to float down river feet first until someone can rescue you.Our trip lasted a little over 4 hours on Friday (30 min stopped for lunch) and 4.5 hours on Sunday.
You will paddle and you will get wet. You're in a rubber raft with water coming over the top as you go through the rapids and waves. Depending on your experience level, and the ability of your boat mates to row together, you may dump in the water.
Tips
- Try and have an even number in your raft. Even numbers seem to make it easier for balancing and rowing.
- If you want a special sandwich or something for lunch pack it your self and give it the Lunch Raft guide and they will put it in the cooler and distribute it when you get the lunch spot. That's what we did and worked out well for my son and his new braces.
- Go during the week if possible even in the summer as you have few rafts and flow of your group is better
- The weekend trip was busy and we did wait longer between each rapid for the group to regroup and start again.
Summary
All and all a great experience and wonderful active time. Highly Recommend it.