Kemper's Korner

Here's my top list of why hanging out with my boys (and these are my real sons, not my homies) is so great: 1. They're fairly quiet on the drive up to the ski hill. 2. They still think I can snowboard well and I can still keep up with them.  3. Their excitement is infectious and refreshing.  4. They don't complain about anything (most of the time).  5. They love to find powder stashes and boarding in the trees.  I mean, together we formed the K-Pow Mafia, our K[emper] Pow[der] hunting snowboard crew.   #snowboard #suunto Last season I introduced my sons to snowboarding through an instructional program at the local mountain.  Many moons ago I taught a friend or two how to snowboard but we all know how it goes sometimes when parents work to teach their kids.  The level of instruction they received seemed impresseive to me as well as how fast they became capable of riding all over the mountain on their own.  Their confidence grew along side my e...

Last November I wrote about some observations I made while spending time in our RV at a nearby reservoir and subsequently found a great read related to the topic: Billionaire Wilderness , by Justin Farell. I very much enjoyed the book as it's the first serious study I've seen on the topic and my weekend at the reservoir really cued an interest.  I thought Mr. Farrell (Associate Professor at Yale) did a great job of framing the complexity of the environment and categorizing the issues at play.  I was left to think about what is to be done and whom, however, on which topics Mr. Farrell refrained from elaborating on too deeply.  The author's unique ability to have candid discussions with ultra-wealthy residents of Jackson Hole, Wyoming allows him to assert that, "nature takes on unique power for the ultra-wealthy," and leads them to, "leverage nature to climb even higher," and to, "use nature and rural people as a vehicle for personal transformation, c...

  I’m so thankful for a family that is at home waiting for me with open arms each day when I arrive home from work, the good days and the bad. They always love me the same. I wouldn’t have been able to find my wonderful wife and build my own family if I hadn't had such a great example from my own  parents, grandparents  and aunts and uncles.         I’m grateful for the conditions that allowed my parents to worship as they pleased.  My mother pursued, renewed, and nurtured her faith in God despite doubts my father had for many years.  A reminder that to this day in some nations in the world women are not allowed to pursue interests of their own let alone those interests that involve religious views and practices.  My parents pursued happiness as they saw fit raising our family in love.  Thankfully their parents, grandparents, etc. All pursued their happiness in the land of the free since the day the Europeans began to settle....

I recently visited a campsite on Strawberry Reservoir in Utah with my family on a weekend getaway. Being a new (earlier this year) RV owner I initially was excited to see other RVs in the vicinity, but upon going for my morning run the next day I realized that RVs and the trucks pulling them comprised the vast majority of campers in all of the nearby campsites. But there was more. Many of the sites had RVs, golf carts, sport side-by-sides, and the like parked there with a little sign that said something like, “Reserved through 15 September” (I saw these in July). It became clear to me that many people adopted the practice of securing long-term reservations and visiting their campsite when they had time over the summer in a similar fashion to how they would escape to a second home or a time-share condominium. Purchasing an RV and parking it at a campsite under a long term reservation is probably more economical than purchasing waterfront summer homes. Justin Farrell in his recent boo...

The Ogden river side pathway  Today's world is a little bit different than just one year ago.  Last summer my son played rugby and baseball, this year due to COVID-19 baseball was canceled and we're living somewhere that doesn't offer rugby leagues for youth.  We wear masks when we go into businesses open to the public and many people are afraid to spend time with friends and family for fear of getting sick or passing the illness on to loved ones.  The Department of Defense limits travel of its workforce so there are family members that I can't visit despite the desire.  In the midst of these things, it's nice to see that some things still haven't changed.  Here's a few snapshots of what I saw as normal today. One of my favorite houses to see along the river in Ogden A great tool for the weatherman found at the house And a nice little spot at the Ogden Botanical Garden  A sadly deserted pool