About
Me in my black trail garb: – black compression leg tights – black zipped long sleeved Assos base upper – black EMS ankle gaiters – black Capo cycling gloves I am a little overloaded, but the camera is relatively light, and the iPhone I brought along with no extra battery since I simply would use it whenever we needed to find the trail.
I am a 60plus married white male software engineer with two daughters who lives in Monmouth County NJ. Perhaps not the center of the known universe, but living at the Jersey Shore is not a bad universe to live.
I grew up in New Jersey, and with the help of my wife, have traced European roots extending back to when New Jersey was part of the Dutch New Amsterdam territories. My ancestors were more than likely business people, or trades people who altered their last name when the English came to claim their spoils of the 3rd Anglo-Dutch war in which the Dutch ceded their New World holdings to the English. So, Kindt became Kent and that was the surname of my father’s mother’s father.
When it comes to my time, and what I have always liked doing on some vacations, it is to either ride my bike, or go backpacking. The bike riding I used to do more regularly, and I do hike local parks, but when it comes to extended time away, I prefer to load up a backpack, and head into the woods.
I usually have always had some kind of camera with me on my travels. In the early years it was my Olympus OM-1. Heavy yes, but it took great pictures. For some trips I had a small Olympus point and shoot 35 that I had purchased for my wife, and took “good enough photos”. Later I picked up a Rollei 35 that was small like my wife’s camera but had a much better lens on it. I used that for a few years until I finally gave in to digital. In the early digital years, I simply borrowed a small Nikon that my daughter had been given. Then for a couple of trips I used my phone (a 1.5MP Nokia), and then borrowed an extra digital from a friend Herb. Before I ventured into the Grand Canyon for my second trip I picked up an Olympus E-410. It is a little outdated, but I have been using it ever since. Warning, I upload full resolution to this blog site.
My content isn’t deep. It could be described as a travel log, where most of the travel is backpacking and hiking related. I usually write about my experiences with my friends whether that is hiking in the woods, or biking around New Jersey. I don’t usually explore other areas of writing interest. I probably should consider a creative writing course, if only, to help add a little more substance to my posts. Creatively, I do embellish my descriptions, but I would say most is pretty straight forward white toast descriptions, but they are my white toast experiences, and I cherish them deeply.
Big Bird's Adventures 
I grew up in State College and graduated Penn State in 1987; I have quite a story to tell you in relation to your old boss who was murdered. I will email it to you privately rather than post it, if that’s okay with you. You will laugh yourself to tears; I was just telling the story at a luncheon with my co-workers on Tuesday.
I love your writing!
This is Debbie Rose’s daughter Amber. I came across your letters you posted of white haired nana (Vivian) and her husband. I was googling about her because her daughter Carolyn (my grandma) never shared much info about her or about her own life. I was curious to see what was out there. And your blog with all the old letters and pictures are great. I can see what kind of person Vivian was and have more of a background on my grandma. Carolyn is in a nursing home now and not doing well. I haven’t talked to her in years. I had a falling out with my mom. Carolyn and my mom are very close and she no longer would speak to me. Thank you for sharing the information, if you have anymore please let me know