This week’s post is a bit of a potpourri. Nothing heavy on the agenda.

We just got back from what was probably the chillest family vacation I can remember. We spent a week at North Topsail, North Carolina, and for the first time in seven years of running Lab 20 Sports Cards, I actually left work back in Virginia. No laptop. No listing cards. No trying to sneak in a little work between beach trips.

It was glorious.

Of course, reality was waiting for me when I got home. The to-do list had piled up, and I’m just now getting caught back up. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I picked up a new hobby. Every time I tell someone about it, I get the exact same reaction.

“Why the hell are you doing that?”

Fair question.

It all started with an Indigo Bunting.

Sarah and I were walking the river trail at the Clinch River State Park when she spotted a bright blue bird sitting in a tree. A few seconds later it flew down onto the walking path, and I was able to snap a photo. We had absolutely no idea what we had just seen. Out came Google Lens, and a few taps later we had our answer: an Indigo Bunting. I don’t know exactly why, but something about discovering that bird sparked my curiosity. Before I knew it, an entirely new hobby had been born.

An Indigo Bunting bird

The bird that started it all

Something clicked.

After that, I went down the rabbit hole.

I watched the LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching documentary (I’ve probably watched it a couple more times since then). These days there is an app for everything, including birdwatching:

Lucky for me, I’ve accumulated camera gear over the years from my days at Crutchfield, being a tech nerd, and even a few donations from Sarah’s real estate work. Then for Father’s Day, I was blessed with a 200-500mm lens. So hopefully you’ve noticed an improvement in some of my bird photos lately.

Same bird, better camera better lens

I can already hear some of you laughing.

The truth is, I laugh at it too.

This year’s Father’s Day card

My hobby turned into my full-time job. I don’t regret that for a second because I love what I do, but somewhere along the way the line between passion and work got blurry. Bird watching has become this weird little escape hatch. When you’re trying to spot a bird in the trees, listening for calls, or waiting for one to land close enough for a photo, you are completely disconnected from everything else.

No screens.

No notifications.

No doom scrolling.

The world slows down some, and it’s just you and whatever is moving around in the woods.

It’s also just genuinely fun. It feels like a scavenger hunt that never ends. And that is just bird watching. Bird photography is a whole other challenge. We’ll get into that in another blog post.

Somewhere along the way, this hobby also turned into a completely unnecessary but highly entertaining quest to become the top birder in Wise County. Right now I’ve climbed all the way to fourth place. By the next blog post, who knows. You might just be reading the words of Wise County’s top birder. These are the five birds I still haven’t been able to catch a glimpse of:

Who knows where this hobby goes from here. Maybe it sticks around for years. Maybe it doesn’t. But right now, I’m having a blast wandering around Wise County carrying a giant camera lens and getting excited about birds I couldn’t have named six weeks ago.

Speaking of family, North Topsail was a great trip, but it also came with a first.

Jacob couldn’t make the trip this year.

We had a great time, but I won’t lie, his absence was felt. We’ll get a chance to catch up with Jacob this week as we help him and Erin in to a new place in Pulaski. Isabel is closing in on a milestone birthday and is now working full time this summer. Caroline and the rest of us are still recovering from our Father’s Day hike to The Channels. It was an incredible hike, but apparently everyone in the family is still paying the price for it.

On the health front, vacation managed to put six pounds back onto the scale. Thankfully, four of those have already come back off. I have twenty-two pounds left to reach my goal.

I can tell you this much. Losing weight at 48 has been harder than at any other point in my life.

At the same time, the last two or three months have shown real progress. Eating better and moving more is working. Slowly, but it’s working.

The journey continues.

Before wrapping up, several friends have been on my mind lately as they’ve walked through the loss of close family members. I won’t say much more than that, except that I’m thinking of them and what they’re carrying right now.

It’s also been a while since I sat down to write one of these. Long enough that a few of you have pointed it out. On a lighter note, I’ve had some good back and forth with friends lately about what we’ve all been reading. A couple have even picked up books I’ve recommended in post this year. There’s something about a good book finding you at the right time, offering perspective, comfort, or simply a different way to think about the moment you’re in your life.

As always, here are a few things I’ve been reading lately.