How about a little Saturday morning bragging? I have a great dad. And he has a great blog. And you should go over and say, "howdy" sometime.
My dad is Walsine Pierce. Most people call him Walt, but my grandma named him Walsine. I'm sure she had her reasons. The name is unique. One benefit of its uniqueness is that the URL, www.walsinepierce.com, had not been taken yet!
When this month is over, my Dad will have reached his 79th birthday. Eighteen months ago, Dad joined Mary Kay and me for a vacation in the Outer Banks. While we were there, he and I worked on setting up his blog on blogger.com. I really enjoyed the time we spent working on it together. I wasn't sure the blog would really take. I knew he loved to write and the blog would be a great outlet. But I didn't know if he could handle the sometimes technical frustrations that come along with publishing on the internet.
One-hundred-seventy-seven articles later and Dad is still writing strong. He is a natural story teller and one can "hear" his tales as he writes about family, liberty, and life. Dad loves to spend time with his family and it's not surprising to hear him write about his grandchildren and children. Of course, as his son, I love these tales and the fact that the family patriarch's family stories now will have a life of their own.
Dad also has some solid opinions on our country and its politics, defending the liberties that make America great. He welcomes comments from family and friends and foes alike, usually incorporating those comments into his next blog.
What makes Dad's blog so unique and special are his writings about life. My dad knows how to live! At 79, he says he has plans to go strong until 95, then plans a gradual slowdown over the next 5 years! For some people, retirement is a time to rest and relax. Not Dad! Since his retirement, he has hiked the Appalachian Trail, walked across Ireland while sleeping in hostels, canoed and then sailed down the Ohio River, and recently he embarked on a cross-country tricycle trip. That he hasn't always finished his original goal has never diminished the fact that he made the attempt, relishing a life lived at full throttle.
Personally, I get encouraged when I read his blog. I think to myself, 'if he can do it, then there must be hope for me too!' For all the family and friends who are regular readers of walsinepierce.com, thanks Dad, for sharing your thoughts and your adventures with us.
