This past weekend marked the 18th anniversary of the start of this blog. At times, I have questioned the investment of time needed to keep up with the daily postings. Just when I am about to let go of the routine, one of the kids or a friend, or even a random stranger will send me a note letting me know how much they appreciated something that I shared.

I should also like to apologize that the blog has become very new home construction-focused over the last year and will likely remain so through the completion of the River House. The simple fact is that the project consumes my every waking moment and I have suspended my normal travel adventures which were the source of my most interesting material.

Perhaps the best way to illustrate the age of this blog is to compare pictures of the kids when it started to today. According to the program I use to post with, this is entry number 8,588.