Family time, Crowell Hilaka Trail Run, cold Columbus Marathon...

We spent the weekend up north visiting Dawn's family and got together with her childhood friends so all of our kids could get together and enjoy the Berea Harvest Festival.  It was a fun time and there were a LOT of people.   

Sunday morning I woke up early to run the Inagural Crowell Hilaka Trail Run.  It is a six mile loop in the woods and you could either do the half marathon distance, 13.1 miles, or 50k, 31 miles.  I opted for the half marathon distance because I did not have the training for the 50k, but that is still something on my bucket list... an ultra (distance longer than a full marathon)

Anyway... It was a fun intimate run with about 40 people doing the half distance and about 20 people doing the 50k.

It was gorgeous running the trails and then occasionally popping out. 

To see the lakes.  A long straight portion was on the bridle trails and it was a muddy fun time!

Done!

And the finisher's medals were actually these awesome handmade necklaces.  Summer loved wearing it when I gave it to her later in the day. 

We have a few dry and mostly sunny days ahead, along with chilly mornings and cool afternoons. Patchy frost for your Tuesday morning with some temps dipping into the mid 30s. Lingering overnight clouds have allowed temps to stay just a tad too warm for widespread frost.

We will be mostly sunny today with clouds at times and temps warming into the mid 50s and a light wind out of the southwest. Mostly clear tonight with low temps near 40. Most sun with passing clouds at times on Wednesday and highs in the lower 50s. More sun for Thursday with more early frost and warming into the lower 50s for high temps again.

More clouds Friday as a cold front approaches and light rain showers looking likely for Friday evening into early Saturday morning. High temps Friday and Saturday will be in the upper 50s. Once the cold front pushes through then winds will be brisk out of the northwest and this will push in colder air. It may also trigger some lake effect sprinkles/flurries for late Saturday/Sunday to the north, but the bigger story will be the coldest air of the season for Sunday.

Morning temps will be in the mid 30s, but we will only warm into the upper 40s for Sunday with early clouds and more sun later in the day. It will be a MUCH colder Columbus Marathon, compared to the last two warm years. Slight chance for rain returning late Monday, as we warm back into the lower 50s. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

So long warm temps... making the most of the cooler weather...

Man it was warm earlier this week! The first 10 days of October averaged 15 degrees above normal.  Thankfully the Hilliard Station Park still had their splash pad open and we went down there for some fun in the water on Sunday.

I was off work last Friday and took advantage of the cool morning and went to drop off Summer at preschool and then ran 10 miles home.  I signed up for a half marathon trail run this weekend so I wanted to get a decent long run in before that.

Summer and I have been harvesting the garden before the frost arrives.  The warm temps this summer resulted in less tomatoes than normal, but GREAT peppers.  I have never had this many peppers.

But we are back to cool temps, so I took the kids to the zoo yesterday and we had a blast.  Summer wanted to play with all the exhibits and I really think I should take her to COSI soon.

I had my first craft show last week, for Balm By Buck.  I did pretty well and a lot of people asked about balm for their lips so that is my next product in the works.  I need to figure out labeling and whatnot.  I am also going to offer different scents for that. 

My next craft show will be a fun one.  It will be at a brewery... apparently in the second floor loft.  I have heard great things about Combustion Brewery, but it is completely on the other side of town.  Excited to hang out there in November. 

Grab the jacket... and the umbrella for later as well! Today we will start off with temps more than 20 degrees colder than yesterday morning. It will be a chilly start to your Friday, with many temps in the lower 40s, then a mix of sun & clouds and highs in the mid 50s with more clouds later. Evening rain showers likely as a weak disturbance passes. The rain looks to arrive into Western Ohio around 6PM and start wrapping up and moving out of Eastern Ohio just after midnight. Clearing skies overnight with chilly temps again for Saturday morning, low temps in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry with a mix of sun & clouds and high temps in the lower 50s. Increasing clouds Sunday with highs near 60. Rain returns late Sunday into Monday. This rain will be part of the remnants of Hurricane Sergio kicking across the country from the Pacific. High pressure brings back more sun for the middle of next week, but morning temps will be chilly and frost possible next week. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

East Columbus Tornado, very warm start to October

Man it was humid last week! I only managed to have time to get in one run last week, but I was able to get out and keep the cobwebs from forming.  I really need to make a running schedule to stick to and build back up the mileage. 

Speaking of humidity... it helped fuel storms on Wednesday morning.  We actually had a strong storm over Columbus Wednesday morning that produced a quick tornado that was on the ground for almost 4 miles.  No warning was issued because there was no spotting of the funnel or tornado, PLUS the radar in Wilmington could not see the shallow rotation and the nearest radar site went offline for 8 minutes.  Thankfully no one was injured, but it could have been much worse.  Above is a video breaking it down.  Skip ahead to 4 minutes for the explanation. 

I also worked with Summer last week on her swimming and hope to do more of that tomorrow during family swim time. 

Dawn popped in to work on Friday with Evan so he got to see the studio... He was not very impressed. 

Dawn and I manged to get a babysitter for a few hours on Friday so we went out on a quick date night to see some old friends.  Short, but fun.

We have a stationary front sitting to our north and some waves of moisture along that front will help trigger some rain for this week. I would have the rain gear handy and ready all week, but Tuesday and Thursday look like the best chance for rain.

October will be starting off well above normal, with highs in the low 80s all week long. Today we will start out with patchy fog, plenty of sun, and warming temps. A few more afternoon clouds and a slight chance for some isolated rain later. Mostly cloudy and milder overnight temps. Mostly cloudy with some scattered showers and storms possible Tuesday. Northern/Eastern Ohio is in the Marginal Risk for severe storms Tuesday. We stay mostly cloudy with a slight chance for isolated rain Wednesday. A little better chance for rain on Thursday with scattered showers and storms. By Friday and the weekend the models agree on warm temps, but are split with rain. Right now we are going to keep in the low chance of isolated rain for Friday and Saturday.

This warm weather looks to stick around all the way into next week too... so hopefully that A/C still has some life left in it for the next few weeks.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

P.S.  I just realized... this is my 1,500th blog entry!!! YAY!

It is finally Fall!!!

Summer had her preschool field trip on Friday out at The Orchard & Co. Since the preschool does not have buses, they needed parents to come too.  We had a lot of fun. But Summer... 

She had TONS of fun!  They had a giant corn kernel barn and Summer was covered in corn dust by the time we managed to get her out.  We also picked apples and I plan on making some fresh apple pie in the coming days.

I felt pretty crummy last week from a cold that she brought back from school, but I did manage to get some runs in to help keep the cobwebs from forming.  

How about those BROWNS?!?!?!  First win in 635 days!  Even Evan was sporting his Browns gear!

And Buckeyes not looking too bad either.  Evan couldn't believe the score at halftime! 

We went to Cleveland this weekend for a few things.  Saturday we helped Dawn's aunt move.  It was going great until my Garmin GPS watch caught a corner while I was carrying a dresser down the stairs.  DANG IT!!!  Not really repairable, to my knowledge because the body broke where the bolt goes through and it is water-tight sealed so you can swim with it.

Sunday we had a family reunion and it was hard to keep Summer from running to the playground every few minutes.  She could spend an entire day at a playground and still want to keep running around.  Such a fun age. 

Here comes the rain again! Rain has started moving back into Southern Ohio and will continue pushing into the rest of the state as we go through the morning with showers and storms most of the day. Highs will be in the low 70s, so wet, cloudy, and mild for the start of the workweek with some on and off showers tonight as well.

The rain will be sticking around for the first half of the week with some heavy downpours in pockets.  

We will warm into the upper 70s Tuesday and getting into that warmer air will help fuel the storms. There is not a great likelihood of any severe weather today, but Tuesday and Tuesday night we are in the Marginal/Slight Risk for severe storms. Tuesday's rain will be on and off and a few of the cells could get gusty, including some hail, and cannot rule out the chance of a tornado. Marginal Risk for Eastern and Southern Ohio, but the higher risk of severe storms, a Slight Risk, for Central, Western, and Northern Ohio. The strongest storms though will likely hold off until Tuesday night.

The rain will wrap up early Wednesday and start leaving. Marginal Risk for severe storms early Wednesday morning as the rain races out of here. So wet Wednesday morning then mostly cloudy and mild. Mid 70s for Wednesday then upper 60s by Thursday, for the high temps. Partly cloudy and cool for Thursday then more sun and warming into the lower 70s for Friday and Saturday. Rain possibly returning Sunday. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

I'm Back! Had a great staycation around Ohio!

Well... last week was planned differently, but wouldn't have changed it. We were planning on going to the Carolinas for Dawn's cousin's wedding, but with a one month old and Hurricane Florence we thought it best to stay at home instead. This allowed for some fun family time.  I already had the week off of work, so we tried to make the most of the time together. 

We started off last weekend staying inside due to all the rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon.  We had some dead grassy spots in the front yard from the summer's heat and lack of rain at our house, so Summer and I planted new grass seed.  It has already started popping up, so we need to make sure we keep up on the watering.

Monday I was able to take Summer to preschool and then went for a five mile run while she was there.  Gotta take advantage of the down time.  Evan and Dawn were resting.

Then the family went to the Columbus Zoo after preschool.  Fun time! 

Tuesday we took a trip back to my parents' house.  Lots of country cooking.  Summer was making elephant ears here. 

We got back just in time for me to join the Columbus Westside Running Club for their Tuesday evening run.  Then it was Taco Tuesday with the club and the rest of the family came to eat as well. 

Wednesday we had preschool then swimming lessons for Summer.  I stayed for family swim afterward and we worked on getting more comfortable in the water. Then, while the rest of the family was napping in the afternoon, I went out and got a new lawn mower since our mower was on the outs.

No preschool Thursday so the family went to Hocking Hills.  This photo does not do this location justice.  That rock wall behind us is at least 100 feet high.

Love going to Hocking Hills!  We also always stop at Millstone BBQ on the way back.  SO GOOD!

Friday was a chill day.  We had preschool in the morning then got stuff done around the house.  We did go out and get some Hot Chicken Takeover for lunch. 

Summer woke up early enough on Saturday for us to go for a run again with my peeps.  Great morning for a run!

The best part about the time off was that the four of us were in a routine enough that we actually got great time to spend together.  When Evan was born, 5 weeks ago, it was a little chaotic at times. This time we were more in a groove and fit in the fun excursions.

One more dry day before Florence brings us rain. Today we will start out with a dry and sunny morning with warm temps. Clouds from Florence will start moving in for the afternoon with highs in the low-mid 80s and humidity making it feel a tad sticky. Rain will start arriving from the south late this evening and continue pushing in overnight and for the day on Monday.

The track of Florence's low pressure will track north, today, through Eastern Tennessee & Eastern Kentucky. Then it will turn northwest and track along the Ohio River between Ohio and West Virginia later tomorrow and into Pennsylvania Tuesday. The heaviest rain will be east of that track, so Ohio will be spared from torrential rains in the Appalachian Mountains. The heaviest rains for Ohio will be to the southeast and SE Ohio could see 1-2" by Tuesday morning and little to no rain for far NW Ohio. High temps for Monday will be cooler, highs in the mid 70s, with winds 10-20 mph from the NE early in the day and switch to the NW later in the day.

High temps bounce back into the low-mid 80s for the rest of next week. Tuesday morning we will have clouds and a few lingering showers, mainly early, then some clearing later in the day. Mostly sunny skies return Wednesday and Thursday. A cold front approaches for Friday with scattered showers and storms looking likely. The front then stalls over Ohio on Saturday and that may trigger more rain. We will have to keep an eye on this because if Florence slows down or speeds up then it may adjust the timing of the next round of rain. Have a good one!
Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Good luck Summer! We now have a preschooler...

So Dawn just dropped off Summer for her first day of preschool.  No crying, no pleading... just "Bye Mom."  Summer has been asking to go to school for a long time and she has been so over-the-moon excited to make new friends and learn more.  She now will have responsibilities for the rest of her life.  HAHA!

Labor Day was a pretty good day.  Worked the morning shift, ran some errands, mowed the grass... then relaxed.  We had a few friends over and it was a pretty good day... Hot, but we managed to stay cool in the shade and the kids had fun in a new pool. 

Some would say that we had a whale of a good time.  Meijer had some of these little kid pools on clearance so we picked one up for the kids.  Summer had a blast with our friend's daughter.  Evan... well he just slept. 

This kid loves to sleep!  Everyone is doing great at the house.  Dawn is taking about 200 photos an hour of Evan.  I almost got a photo of him smiling yesterday... ear to ear smile, but it only lasted a quick minute. 

One more hot day, then a couple rounds of rain on the way. We will warm back into the lower 90s today with humidity making it feel like the upper 90s. We will, again, see isolated showers/storms pop up in the afternoon due to the heat and humidity. Clouds stick around tonight with an spotty shower possible. A cold front will pass through Thursday triggering more showers and storms, so be sure to have the rain gear handy tomorrow. It will also cool us off with highs in the lower 80s. A spotty shower/storm possible Friday, but most of the day looks to be dry with partly/mostly cloudy skies.

Then we get to the weekend and the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon. Gordon officially made landfall last night between Boloxi, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama. It was a strong tropical storm and was barely below the hurricane criteria. The storm will continue northwest into Western Arkansas the next 48 hours then take a right-hand turn and head toward the Ohio Valley for the weekend. The forecast models continue dropping our high temps for the weekend so we are going to go with mid 70s for highs Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The big question is when will the storm make that right-hand turn. The GFS and Canadian model have the turn earlier and bring in steady rain for Saturday PM and lasting through Sunday. The Euro model holds off on the turn a little later and does not bring the steady rain to Ohio until Sunday into Monday. So there is still some uncertainty in when the rain will arrive and leave, but it does look like Sunday will be wet for us.  The newest GFS is leaning more towards the Euro with delaying the rain. So I did up the chance of rain for Monday from the early morning forecast. High pressure builds by Tuesday with sunshine coming back. Euro, the delayed rain model, still keeps a little early morning rain for Tuesday, so keeping a 20% chance of rain. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael