Happy Birthday, Brian Searby!

Happy Birthday, Brian Searby! 

I am so glad you joined the Swings and Arrows team! Your posts are always fresh and insightful --- I love the piping hot cups of man-flavored inspiration you bring to the table each week. 

I hope you have a great day full of hearty breakfasts, smart flannel shirts, and rugged outdoor living.

Because I know you love photography, boxing, wood, and camping, I somehow found this incredible synthesis of all four in one vintage postcard circa 1910. If we bought gifts for each other, this is what I would give you today!  

(If anyone actually wants to purchase this snapshot, 

it is available from NiepceGallery on Etsy.)

- Cathleen 

Only You Can Prevent Snake Bites

We're upstate today visiting with the McKeon side of the family on a private island hemmed in by Brantingham Lake. "Private island" makes it sound pretty fancy, but it's actually more like a semi-rustic sleep-away camp for grownups which means lots of board gaming, occasional kayaking, and plenty of beer drinking. It's all sorts of fun. Though I have never seen a snake on the island, we have come across a crow skull while playing all-terrain bocce on the back hills, as well as the remains of a deer that probably crossed the frozen lake midwinter and got stuck once the waters thawed. At least that's my guess.  

If we ever did discover a snake inside one of the many hollowed out logs that someone's bocce inevitably rolls into, I'd really like to know what I'm up against.

That's why I really really really need this poster. 

- Cathleen