RIP Butters

Butters The Dog - RIP 😢

Captain Chaos, Master of Disaster - An ode to a four legged life well lived

Butters crossed the rainbow bridge on Sat April 18, 2026. 18 years of the sweet 55 lb larger than life goofball wrapped in fur has left us.

So many memories from this long & eventful chapter now floods our brains - from routine moments to grand events.

• Tossing the ball - and trying to get it back

• Wake SPCA K9-3k’s & Santa Paw runs (& a TV appearance in 2016)

• Greenway walks

• Camping - Hanging Rock, Pilot Mountain, Grayson Highlands, Falls Lake, the backyard

• Trips to the beach

• Jumping in the creek and chilling in the kiddie pool

• Pining for lunchtime tomato slices & broccoli butts at dinnertime - and getting many

• “Helping” with the dishes & “cleaning” the floor

• Hanging with his best bud in the whole wide world: Marina (aka Momo)

• Snuggling into his bed at bedtime, but waking up in ours (he'd quietly sneak up in the middle of the night until his back legs were too weak - yet he managed to do so his final week)

• Never one to miss a meal & made sure you knew dinnertime is 6:30 ON THE DOT. Didn’t mind helping himself either - a pizza, the sandwich in your hand, Christmas candy (wrappers & all), a bag of vegan muffins, including the bag 🤦‍♂️

• He even had his own Twitter/X account

He was mama’s boy & a home body. When the back gate was left open, you might find him in the front yard, maybe a neighbors’, but never far from his supper bowl. His bark was always a plea for attention.

The Origin Story

In the pre-iPhone era Tee & I recently started dating, I had Marina & her daughter had Penny (both emerging from their puppy stage), she didn’t have a dog & wanted to join the club. In July 2008 on the eastern edge of Raleigh Penny was at the vet & this yellow puppy named Sinatra was alone in a pen. Tee liked him and felt bad for him…he was incessantly barking at her to take him home. She decided if he was there a few days later she would. A few days later I get home from work to find this guy barking at me by the back gate. He was a turbo charged fun-loving goof. But there was a problem, other than his eyes, there was nothing smooth or suave like Sinatra about him. After bouncing around names for a week, Butters fit his personality. He certainly lived up to all that goes with a name like that. And then some. This guy was a character pulled from a cartoon.

He was too much for Tee’s townhouse (he was adopted and returned THREE TIMES due to his energy level). Before I knew it, Tee, Butters & Kitty the Cat moved in and soon after Tee & I tied the knot (Oct 2011). Butters & Marina were best buds out the gate. They were great for each other & she taught him how to play. After dinner we’d have to pause the TV and watch The Butters & Mo Show play out in the family room.

Captain Chaos, Master of Disaster

For a long time I didn’t think Butters was smart cause, well, he did a lot of stupid shit. Once I realized he enjoyed doing stupid shit everything made sense. He was a man of action. Having fun was more important than consequences. Rummaging through guests’ luggage, eating underwear & hot pepper plants (only once), running so fast around the house he’d hit walls hard, eating a Blackberry (remember - pre-iPhone era), eating half my flipflop, helping himself to anything on the counter semi reachable, or nosing through the garbage. Those were the days! Despite his proclivity for trouble, he was a good boy & loyal family member. Thankfully he matured in his teenage years.

When he was young (and let’s be clear, he was formally diagnosed as a "forever-puppy" by the vet) he had 2 speeds: 90 mph or ZERO. There was stuff to do, people to see, balls to find, things to eat. He lived in the moment. Doggy day care was under strict orders: No naps for Butters. When he did zonk out for the night, he was out cold.

His walks were missions. He loved his backpack and trekking to wherever was our destination. He loved playing dress up too - the cone, his sweater, PJ’s, traction socks to keep old legs from slipping, a box on his head, once he walked out of the bathroom wearing a paw patrol toilet trainer around his neck.

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Oh we can’t forget Christmas. This was his fav, even as an old guy. His enthusiasm for presents rivals any 4 year old on a Christmas morning. He’d open his own & sometimes yours looking for a new toy and treats. We had 17 of those magical mornings.

When pups were young, they’d tear up toys. We tried to find indestructible ones. One day we found Butters walking around very gently carrying a little bird (it was dead), he was gentle with it, but wouldn’t let it go. Tee decided to reintroduce stuffy toys to Butters. While he still destroyed many, he was very gentle with them for a while (sooner or later that damn squeaker’s gotta come out). He’d love on his favorite du jour like a baby.

Senior Years

The forever puppy final started slowing down to a normal speed once he became a teenager. We lost Momo when Butters was 14 and arthritis started setting in, but he was still going strong with some meds to manage minor aches.

He loved his people & guests. Hanging with the guys, maintenance ppl, and especially the grandkids. He was always gentle with little people even through his senior years & final days. The new grand puppy, well he enjoyed her company to a degree; she looked up to him, but was a little much at times for old Butters. “Bean” is going to miss old ButterBoy (our g-son's nickname for the Butterball). From the beginning to the end he just wanted to be with us.

Alas, after 18 years & 3 months his old body has worn out. The decision to say goodbye is painful & gut wrenching. #IYKYK

Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, I can count the number of days he wasn’t by our side on my fingers. The pandemic gave us more time together, especially WFH days. The last 6 months were challenging. We could see he was having more uncomfortable days. Side effects of meds to treat a most recent tumor & other issues weren’t tolerated. A few mini seizures cropped up. A healthy lifestyle, quality food and the crew at Hidden Valley Animal Hospital worked wonders for 18 years. But we were running out of options to keep him comfortable this spring. Not finishing some meals was a tell. Yet he kept trodding along like a trooper and just wanted to be with the family - which makes the decision to say goodbye so friggin hard. He always just wanted everyone to be together.

Rest in peace buddy, you earned it. Now go find Momo!

After Life

I’m not a religious person, I don’t know what happens after death. I do believe we have an energy - animals too. There’s something beyond the food we intake and blood in our veins that brings us to life. We’re connected to our environment & each other. The nature of the bond varies between any 2 creatures, that makes it special (and not all Pluribus-like). When a being dies that energy has to go somewhere. I believe it is released from the body & dissipates into our environment. Our bodies may turn to ash & dust. Our energy isn’t part of that ash & dust. Our energy goes elsewhere, maybe with some form of our consciousness. Maybe that’s heaven. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Someday we’ll all find out. Wherever Butters goes next, I hope they’re ready for shenanigans and he teams up with Marina, Penny and all their other buddies. Our 8 yro g’daughter said that energy will go into the next puppy that’s born. If so, that puppy deserves a loving family; with a little patience he’ll return the love.

For the first time in nearly 20 years - longer than Tee & I have been together - there’s no dog in our house tonight waiting for a midnight nuggie. 😢

If there’s one in your house, treasure your time. It goes by too fast. 🐶💓

It Took a Village

A big thx to all the people who have helped us with both dogs over the years:

• The Philips fam, The Metz fam, The Barber-Jones fam

• Erin G and numerous other neighbors that found the dogs on an adventure or simply lathered Butters with a round of pets

• Dog & House sitters: Lynn D, Mary Lou, Kim H, Sue M, Sara H, Jeane T, Chele M

• Pupsi (they loved Pupsi)

• Hidden Valley Animal Hospital

• And of course my step daughter Heather & son-in-law Charlie

If you have a Butters (or Marina) memory, please share.

A tribute to Richard Hopkins #CancerSucks

This world lost another good soul to cancer. My dear friend Richard Hopkins heard the dreaded diagnosis in late January then left us just 3 months later. He was 60, but brought the energy and enthusiasm of a 16 yro and wisdom of a 116 yro to everything he touched. The consummate project manager, he planned his celebration of life, but underestimated attendees. He anticipated 50, maybe 75 people would come out. Last week over 175 turned out and many more wanted to be there.

I met Richard in 2003. We were both volunteers at the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic. In the span of 20 years the golf tournament raised over $13 million for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. While numerous celebrities from Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Arnold Palmer, Dick Vitale, Coach K, Kevin Costner and an array of other sports and entertainment greats (Meatloaf!) brought the star power, the sponsors brought the donations. Richard and I were a member of the sponsor host team. Prepping and catering to sponsors was a lot of work - for good cause, but a lot of fun - the whole event was brimming with positive vibes. Richard was a natural fit. 

Over the years the regulars formed a tight knit group. We closed the winter holiday season with our annual White Elephant Potluck party hosted at his house a couple weeks before he started having health issues. 

That's the way Richard was - always in the middle, beaming with positive energy. Few people's words are backed so strongly by their actions and deeds as Richard. The man was genuine. He walked is walk.

The V Foundation and golf tournament combined Richard's love for NC State, passion for sports and drive to serve (though several years Richard was responsible for driving the Hooters girls around the golf course - that may have been a factor! it was certainly one volunteer duty he didn't want to shed).

The V Foundation awarded many cancer research grants in honor of notable people involved in the cause. They began extending this honor to one standout volunteer each year. Richard received that honor in 2010. On that occasion 13 years ago he put that love, passion and drive of his into a poem he wrote and read at the annual Jimmy V Volunteer party. It was his tribute to Jim Valvano. 

At Richard's celebration of life Terry Grayson spoke about his V work and I had the honor of sharing his poem. As a tribute to Richard, I'd like to share it again... 

Why I Marched (and What's the Deal with Obama Haters?)

Jan 21, 2017: Raleigh, NC

Yesterday Donald Trump took office.
Today millions of concerned people took to the streets - across the globe.

Inspired by my wife who trekked up to DC for the marquee Women's March on Washington, I joined my friend Katherine and her little girls to head into the heart of Raleigh, NC for the local march. En route Katherine asked "how big do you think the crowd will be?", "I just hope it isn't pathetic" I responded. Then we hit traffic - there isn't traffic on Glenwood Ave on a normal Sat morning. This wasn't a normal Raleigh morning. A mile from the march route people donning pink hats and signs were hiking in. Turnout expectations for the little Raleigh march were smashed - 17,000. The DC crowd was estimated at 500,000, maybe more.

Inspired by my friend Jennifer who is capturing the mood of DC in pictures, I brought my trusty Canon to dabble in photo journalism too (more photos coming).

Inspired by more friends marching in Raleigh, DC, NYC, Copenhagen and beyond, along with viewpoints of others (from both sides of the isle) on social, traditional media and old fashioned conversations, got me thinking and drafting this blog post.

Why march? What will it accomplish? a coworker asked Friday. I don't expect much to change as a result of the march. If that holds true, nothing is a huge victory. Unless you've been in a coma, you know Trump and the socially/religious conservative-right have been attacking women's rights and minorities and every social program - including education - for years. Sometimes with rhetoric, sometimes with action - NC has seen this up close (HB2 anyone?). If the voices and votes from the millions that came out today slow down or stop attacks - pick your cause: equal pay for equal work, universal healthcare, the environment, abortion, racism/minorities, education, social services (which 99% of us will need in some form someday), that's a victory.

And why do the social conservatives feel it is their God-given duty to impose their beliefs on everyone else? I'm pro-choice. That means I'm ok with anyone that decides pro-life is the right thing for THEMSELVES.  I'm not ok w/ pro-lifers that feel their view must be enforced on everyone.
Ditto for religion. I'm for freedom of religion (or no religion). When one's view infringes on the views (RIGHTS) of another, that's wrong. That's the underlying spirit of the march.
When did separation of church and state stop being a thing?

Which gets me to the fanatical Trump supporters, aka Obama-haters. I get some people love the "Make America Great Again" slogan. What american doesn't want the USA to be great?
But why hate Obama? I didn't hate Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton or Bush 2 (I hated a lot of GW's short-sighted, ill-informed decisions, but he'd be a blast at a Super Bowl Party, just don't give him a pretzel).
What has Obama done that has made life worse for the Obama-haters? I've yet to hear an articulate response (please comment; seriously, enlighten me).
Unemployment is down, the stock market is up, Bin-Laden is gone, no new wars, no sharia laws, and everyone on the terrorist watch list still has their AK-47 assault rifle.

I wish more was accomplished during BO's reign, but Congress wouldn't have it. They are insulated with state of the art gerrymandering, Citizens United, and unlimited term limits. Congress can ride out whatever chaos they create (gov't shutdown, debt ceilings, 8 butts on the SCOTUS bench). Trump or no Trump, this problem is undermining our democracy and it's getting worse with no end in sight.

Don't give me bullshit about Obamacare. US healthcare costs were escalating well before we ever heard the name Barack Obama. The US spends far more and gets less per-capita than other developed nation.  I don't hear anybody in DC talking about that. Unless you're in the 1%, you are one pink slip and a bad diagnosis away from financial ruin and/or early death without Obamacare. Fix the cost issues, insurance becomes affordable again. Every other country figured it out, if the USA is so great, why can't we? In the meantime, if you want to drive a car you need car insurance, you want to live in the US you need healthcare insurance. If I have to pay more in taxes or premiums so a child in town can get her cancer meds or a diabetic on the opposite coast can get his insulin, then that's a small sacrifice.

I hope Trump can bring back jobs, but I guarantee the factory owners won't fire the robots. Educating and re-training the workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow is essential. I don't think Trump's tragically comical nomination for secretary of education will do a damn thing to solve that. And consumers will need to spend more on Made in the USA goods than the China imports on sale at Walmart (I'm not betting on that).

I hope Trump can get over the size of his hands, size of his ratings, size of his election results, size of his inauguration crowd - so he can begin to work on making America greater. He has been given the biggest responsibility and biggest opportunity in the country. Focus on the size of that Donald.

We the people need to keep an eye on what's really happening, not the divisive distracting tweets. Watch the Trump administration's actions more so than words.

Eight years ago Obama rode in on a wave of positive hope and change.
I'm still holding on to hope - hope Trump won't send us back 50 years.
A lot of people are fired up and ready to go!

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Drinking with the locals in Bergen Norway

Jun 30, 2016: Bergen, Norway

Let the Scandinavian adventure begin.

After 3 flights, a bus ride, getting settled in our Airbnb apartment and a power nap, Tee and I were ready to officially begin our Scandinavian adventure on the west coast of Norway in Bergen - a UNESCO World Heritage city and gateway to the majestic fjords (more on that later). At 6:30 we grabbed our umbrellas and cameras to venture down the hill to get our bearings and bellies taken care of.

With cameras capturing initial impressions, we were walking past Bergen's famous fish market (closed at this hour) and several bars when we hear some locals outside The Metz sports bar shout "Take my photo!" I've found if someone wants their photo taken, take it! You're going to get a fun photo. I was a few paces ahead of Tee, so she got the shot.  Then we hear "Where are you from?" "USA?, oh we have some questions for you - come join us - I'm buying you a beer!"  I turned to Tee and said "I don't know where this is going to take us, but let's roll with it."

Next thing we know with cold Hansa Bryggeri pilsners in hand we're talking about everything from politics to weather to Norwegian dining ("We eat all kinds of vegetables!" "Do you like kale?" "What's kale?") with Per-Fredrik (the optometrist), Eddie (oil-platform worker), Arnfinn (manager at Fish.Me at the Bergen fish market), Trond-Even (businessman) and a couple others. I asked Per-Fredrik how they all know each other - "They're my mates." Duh.

Trump: Norway gets it.

They had a lot of questions about Donald Trump. Is this joker going to beat Hillary? Why do so many Americans like him? (great question). It always amazes me that everyone I meet in Europe is in tune, at least at a high-level, to USA politics. I can't name the president of Norway. Do they have a president? Or a prime minster? Or is a king running the show?  Hey Google: Who is the leader of Norway?

A couple hours and a couple rounds later, one thing was clear - these guys are proud Norwegians, love Bergen - and dirty jokes. These sentiments echoed true with the other locals we spoke with over the next 6 days across Norway. One of the mates, Trond-Even wanted to show us more of the area and offered us a personal tour and boat ride the next day. "Sure! Might be rainy, but we have rain coats." You don't have rain coats Trond-Even tried to explain, I have some you can use. I'll meet you right here at 3pm. Ok, forget the usual touristy crap, we'll be there.

After connecting on social media and a group photo, we bid farewell to Per-Fredirk and his mates to grab a late bite at a Thai place around the corner (most kitchens were closed by this hour; Thai seems to be popular in Scandinavia and this meal hit the spot). Heading back up the hill we noticed Per-Fredrik, Trond-Evan and rest of the Bergen mates were still going strong. Tempted, but tired from traveling we called it a night - and great way to start the beginning of an epic vacation.

Our new mates: The Crazy Norwegians

While traveling have you ever joined some locals for a round and wound up with a good story? Share it in the comment section below.

Next post ... The Bergen Boat Ride [coming soon].

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Bergen Harbor

Brussels: Photo Highlights

They say a picture paints a thousands word. I have a thousand photos from our June 2012 visit to Belgium (and another thousand from The Netherlands). I covered our Impressions & Surprises from Brussels in a recent post, but you really want to see photos. Visual highlights from Brussels follow. (Photo credit: some captured by my cameras, some by wife's).

Brussels, BE - Jun 22-24, 2012 - Photo Highlights

Central Station

On an after dinner stroll we stumbled upon this picturesque street at sunset (9:45pm) - Rue de Rollebeek

First night in town we found an excellent dinner at Houtsiplou.

The Bourse (stock exchange & gathering place) - view from our Airbnb apartment, 2 blocks from Grand Place.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral

Beer tour stop #1- Au Bon Vieux Temps

Eye catching stained glass in St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral

Grand Place

Grand Place Gargoyle

Belgians have a good sense of humor.

Cotton Candy Man - a colorful character

End of our beer tour.

A rainy day at Place Royal aka Koningsplein
(view from the men's WC in BELvue Museum)

Travel Log: Fun with Dutch

We've run into several funny semi-translated Dutch signs & labels while we've been crisscrossing The Netherlands. At least they're funny to us Americans.

I started snagging photos of 'em...

Brussels, Belgium: Impressions and Surprises

Jun 22-24, 2012: Brussels, Belgium

Impressions and Surprises

There's a hill in Brussels! After reading how flat the region is we quickly discovered that "Upper town" is higher than "Lower town", hence the names. Brussel's Central Train Station is conveniently located right in the middle. The upper class traditionally lived in upper town. We stayed in lower town (go figure). Not much of the city predates 1690 - wars, fires, etc. destroyed the city a few times. Fortunately a lot does remain from the 1690s, including the buildings that line Grand Place.

Our last stop before we left town included a rainy walk by the royal palace and a trip to the BELvue Museum - which provided an objective view of Belgium's relatively short history. "Belgium" is a young country, formed after revolts in 1830 spurred by the desire for more autonomy - they succeeded from The Netherlands (this blog can be educational!)

With roots from The Netherlands, I was surprised that French was the dominate language. My impression of whole city was very French, I expected it to be more "Belgian" - whatever that is.

On this trip across Belgium and The Netherlands we are making 5 overnight stops, 3 in AirBnB rentals, including Brussels. This apartment was located above a French restaurant (Chat Noir), unit was nice and we had a cool view of soccer fans gathered after their teams victory at "The Bourse" building/plaza across the intersection below (people have been gathering at this spot for about 200 years). Our view included a large blinking sign for Chat Noir. Fortunately bedroom was in the back- with only a noisy pigeon outside.

Other random impressions:
Graffiti - like our travels through other European cities (Zurich, Milan, Rome), I was surprised by more graffiti, but in Brussels some was done in comic style (e.g. Smurfs & Titin).
Beer - Ahhh Belgian beer! But there is only 1 brewery in Brussels, Cantillion. We took a beer tour Saturday afternoon (lead by Cesar, the Anthony Bourdain of Beer). He lead us down some alleys to a cool old bar with several Trappists on tap before we hit Cantillion. Interesting brewery - they are purists - and the beer (at least the 2 we sampled: 1 was "Gueuze 100% Lambic", the other pink!) is definitely an acquired taste (e.g. we didn't like it, too vinegary). Oh, each beer has a unique glass & it is always served in that glass, never from the bottle. More American bars could pick up that habit.
Waffles - USA has ice cream trucks, Belgium has waffle trucks (same music).

Final thoughts on Brussels - definitely a party town (hey- they even have a Chi-Chi's), lots of night life, lots of history, lots of characters, lots of everything! We could have always enjoyed another day, but 2 nights was enough.

Next stop: Bruges.

UPDATE: Jul 30, 2012
I have several colleagues around the world & have been working with one from the Brussels area recently. She provides some insider commentary:

I went to Brasserie Cantillon myself a few weeks ago -  what you called the ‘pink is actually made with red fruits ;) As you said they’re purist, even for us !

And about being Belgian, it’s a whole concept (e.g. I’m native French speaking, my children’s father is native Flemish speaking, my kids are in school in Flemish and at home we speak both our native languages. Great way to raise bilingual kids.
But as you might not know is Brussels in situated in Flemish territory but the majority is French speaking..You can imagine what political situation we live in.
In the other part of the country like Bruges, it’s easier: Flemish territory with a majority of Flemish native speaker => no confusion.

A few photos. Many more in this blog post.

View of soccer fans gathering at The Brouse outside our apartment.

The famous Grand Place.

In front of Chat Noir's blinking black cat sign outside our 2nd story apartment balcony.

Time to jump the pond again

It's been exactly 3 years since Tee and I found ourselves in Europe. Since our final dinner in Schaffhausen, Switzerland (July 2009) we've vacationed in Boston (saw the Red Sox win a pair of games), Cape Cod (where we were engaged and I introduced Tee to the original 15 Short Beach Road), planned and pulled off a really fun wedding weekend in Raleigh then honeymooned on the west coast (San Francisco & Yosemite). We traveled virtually, vicariously, and financially to Ireland via Tee's daughter after she graduated from nursing school last year (she brought me back a nice authentic Irish wool cable sweater - always wanted one of those) .

This time we are destined for the northwestern flatlands of Europe - Belgium and The Netherlands. Why BE and NL?

• it is on the bucket list
• can get there via frequent flier miles (I've been saving them for 20 years!)
• waffles, beer & chocolate along side picturesque canals and windmills - what more do we need?

View Belgium/Netherlands 2012 in a larger map


We always plan our own trips, no travel agencies, no tour buses; but planning this trip seemed harder. Not knowing the area at all, even w/ travel books & the www, it took a lot of time to find non-touristy areas to stay in. With suggestions from locals, friends that have been and Rick Steves, we settled on Brussels (2 nights), Bruges (3 nights), the middle of no-where in eastern Netherlands (3 nights), historic little Delft in Holland (2 nights) and finally Amsterdam (4 nights). And I think I've figured out how to get from one point to the next. (I don't think anything will ever top our last trip which in one day entailed - breakfast in Ruette, Autria, followed by a drive through the Alps to Friedrichshafen, Germany, hitching a ride down to the lake, a ferry across Lake Constance, mexican for lunch in Konstanz, Germany, train to Schaffhausen, Switzerland, hike up a hill with luggage and finally, after avoiding a naked guy walking around the Rhein falls, a bus to dinner - we ate Italian - couldn't find a German restaurant!! quite a memorable day). Nothing that crazy this time - we'll take trains most of the time; a rental car in the middle to get out to the countryside. But I'm really looking forward to some day trips on bikes and drinking beers along the canals. We'll post a few blogs from the road via my new iPad, but the good photos will have to wait until I'm home to upload 'em.

Time to pack!

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A few photos from our final day in Austria and epic one day trek in 2009 through Austria, Germany & Switzerland...

July 3, 2009: In the alps (Ruette, AU) - surreal, there were even cows with bells.
Must return someday!

July 4, 2009: View of Friedrichshafen, Germany (from Lake Constance ferry)

July 4, 2009: On the ferry - the clarity of the water was amazing!

July 4, 2009: Almost to our destination

July 4, 2009: Tee's version of blogging -
on the train from Konstanz,Germany to Schaffhausen, Switzerland  

Krispy Kreme Challenge - 2012 edition

I enjoy being outside, exercise and eating - especially sweets. Since 2004, on the 1st Saturday of February these pleasures are all unified in Raleigh's annual Krispy Kreme Challenge. So last Saturday - early (very early) I was joined by my wife, a co-worker and 7,500 others at the NCSU Bell Tower to run 2.5 miles, devour a dozen Krispy Kremes doughnuts then run another 2.5 back - in under 1 hour. That's 2,400 calories of good ole deep fried glazed dough in the middle of a 5 mile sprint.

In past years I've never tried to eat the dozen. Each time I felt like I could have - so this year (my 4th, 1st run was in 2009 and was worthy of it's own blog post) it was time to answer that question and put my donuts where my mouth - the whole dozen - and did it. While my running pace was pretty good for me (thanks to a lot of lunch-time runs w/ co-workers), my doughnut eating pace wasn't quite at the pro-level. I clocked in just under 1 hour 6 mins. Had the course not been extended this year, I would have had it.

A couple that plays together stays together :)

And for the record - the doughnuts stayed down!

Next - Raleigh's St. Patty's 8k Green Run - March 3rd. First 2000 to finish, get a free beer. How's that for motivation?

For some great photos, see these that another co-worker captured.

Reutte, Austria: Ehrenberg Castle Ruins Hike

Jul 2, 2009 - Reutte, Austria

Ehrenberg Castle Ruins Hike

After breakfast at our quiet valley "Gasthof" (Pension Garni Waldrast) we ventured off on a hike up the trails behind the guest house that lead up to the Ehrenberg castle ruins. With Clif bars and water bottles stuffed into our camera bags we followed a stream up a parking lot in the valley that serves as the launching point for hikes up to the hills that hold the Ehrenberg castle ruins; passing some distracting tourist facilities and small museum - we skipped that and started up. The Ehrenberg castle ruins include several distinct fortifications with an interesting history. Our first destination was the closer and lower castle ruin on the "little hill" 1st built in the 13th century (~1296 AD). After 40 minutes of moderate hiking we were there. Walking among the ruins was neat, but taking in the views of the neighboring alps - in all directions - was awesome.

Ehrenberg Castle Ruins - view from below

From what I read about the area, not a lot of Americans vacation in the Reutte area. Who do we run into? - a family from California, then a couple from New York and 2 more from Ohio. 

Nowhere else did we run into so many Americans - C'est la vie!

From Ehrenberg castle ruins - a view of Reutte, Austria valley

Wild flowers and Austrian Alps

Ehrenberg Castle - looking down on lower ruins

After taking in the lower Ehrenberg ruins, we felt adventurous enough to make the longer hike up to the Schloßkopf ruins looming over us (the original inhabitants of the castle built another one on higher ground when they lost the 1st in battle - then used the higher vantage point to take out the enemy and their original fortress).

This hike burned a few more calories than the hike up to Ehrenberg. We had to hike halfway back down before turning up and up and up to the higher set of ruins.

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We were rewarded with more beautiful views. From Schloßkopf ruins, looking down on our guest house, the town of Reutte in the valley and other set of ruins was breathtaking. Alps covered with steep green pastures speckled with huts teased us across the valley. Others with ice filled ridges loomed in the distance.

From Schloßkopf ruins: View of Reutte, Austria

As we wrapped up our exploration of the mountain top castle fortress ruins, storm clouds in the distance were no longer distant. The rain came. Fortunately some of the old castle's fortress withstood the test of time and we were able to seek refuge in a long tunnel with a couple from Canada. After nearly 30 minutes the rain turned into a misty drizzle. With cameras tucked away, we made a run for it. It was warm and the light rain felt good. Luckily the rain dissipated as we hiked down the side of the mountain.

Schloßkopf castle ruins

After freshening up at the guest house, we hopped in the Mercedes A150 rental picked up bananas at the local market for some tired legs, explored more or Reutte, and used the GPS to venture toward Füssen, Germany for some turbo-sightseeing and dinner.

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