Tag Archives: John Guest

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Support Your Local……..

Frick Park winter ride with Jeff Chetlin. 

Tired of the limited ski terrain due to terrible weather, and the huge “EPIC” crowds at our local ski resorts for the Holidays, our posse called an audible and met our pal Jeff and his wife Julie for a winter ride in Frick Park in the city of Pittsburgh. We included what I call the Tour de Death through Homewood Cemetery and it was a truly pleasant outing in the city with very little mud. We like to support our friend Jeff who has made nothing short of a miraculous recovery from a stroke. In fact, he bought a new E-Bike and re-assumed his role at the front of the pack, smiling like a butcher’s dog.( Thanks Mike Lange) He has appreciated the support while he has been recovering and is now fully on his way to living his life the way he wants to live it with his ever- energetic wife Julie. The key is support of friends. He would do the same for all of us and it was truly our pleasure to see him relish in the support of all his “outdoor type” friends. 

Bob K up and over the roller in Frick Park. Yes- literally an old cement roller that the local “Slagforce” installed for all of our enjoyment. 

Jeff always says that the mountain bike crowd is the most friendly and supportive group of people whom he knows. That is saying something seeing that he is a skier, mountain biker, snowmobiler, and avid, all -around outdoor sportsman. I would tend to agree. 

Thinking about support, especially locally, our favorite ski area of Laurel Mountain has had a rough start with the weather as well as some mechanical issues due to a power surge which damaged the chair lift motor and the snowmaking pump motors. Not to mention that during a recent storm, RT 30 was closed due to an accident and nobody could get to the resort. Our crowd has made it a mission to support Laurel during this time and show up even if all the terrain is not open. The folks on the staff there work extra hard to make Laurel a viable option during the winter, and it is a shame that they have been dealt a tough hand of cards in this early season. But again, our ski crowd,( many of whom are also in the mountain bike crowd), actively support what is going on in our local little ski area. We want to see it thrive and therefore show up even when conditions are not optimal. Happy to report that Laurel got a nice snowfall New Years Eve. Things are looking up. 

Hoping Laurel Mountain looks like this again soon. 

I think a lot about the slogan- ” Support Your Local…….” Every time I see a police officer, I thank them for their service. They have a tough job “protecting and serving” all of us in these tumultuous times. I thank anyone who has or is currently serving all of us in the military. Lots of local people who selflessly serve all of us. I support our local church as being part of a community of believers is important to me. John Guest, the famous evangelist, always says that you need not go far to support someone in need. The elderly in your neighborhood, local charities, a friend who is down. John says you don’t have to be a missionary overseas. Just look around your local neighborhood, workplace, school, and you will see opportunities to ” support your local…….” Give the local store support instead of spending your money in some big box store. Support the local businesses as they are trying hard to make it in this world today. There are so many opportunities to ” support your local……” I listened to the latest Rich Roll Podcast and his guest, Simon Hill, ( noted Australian health and fitness expert), said a very interesting thing. He was talking about service and serving others and said that one of the number one ways to lower stress and reduce blood pressure markers is to be of service to others. It has been clinically proven in testing individuals for health markers ,( cholesterol, blood pressure, VO2 max, etc.) that lifestyle changes like service can actually improve a number of markers in individuals who are looking to improve their health.

Darrell Porter and Ozanam helping us support Ronald McDonald House Charities. 

As we move towards 2024, Janet and I are trying to make more of an effort to support worthy local causes. Not that the big ones are not important, but keeping it local among business support, church support, charity support, is critical to keeping in touch with the local community. We are all in this together. 

Gretl Dupre restored Camp Soles. An outdoor camp for kids. Locally in our Laurel Highlands. 
The always smiling Gretl at her beloved Camp Soles. A wonderful opportunity for local kids to experience the great outdoors. 

Think about supporting your local friend, neighbor, family member, business, ski area, camp, and so many other opportunities in 2024. My mother always said…..” Happiness is like a perfume that you can’t sprinkle on others without getting a little on yourself.” So true mom. Happy New Years to all and enjoy the outdoors. Thanks for reading. 

Be a follower of the blog on Word Press. www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com Thanks

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Resolutions- 2020

So I was thinking the other day as we turned the corner on the new decade. How easy it will be to type 2020. Or write 2020. Tap tap. Click click. It was a kind of foreshadowing of how good I am hoping the New Year and the new decade will be. Lots of good things happening and surprises for sure for all of us. I was in our local park the other day on January 1 and chuckled a bit at all the Resolutioners that were out and about. You know, the ” this year I am going to get in shape, eat healthier and feel better about myself” crowd. They were out in droves walking and running around the lake and I even saw a guy in a canoe with full winter garb paddling furiously. Now don’t get me wrong, I always admire anyone who makes a change in their life as it is not only good for them but very admirable to see the commitment. The parking lots were full and the enthusiasm and some times expressions of pain, were abundant in the faces of those folks who were undertaking the process of getting in shape for the New Year. My advice to anyone who wants to start an exercise program is to start slowly. Ease into it so that you won’t get burned out and sore. Every day is an improvement and if you stick with it, good things happen with your health and mental state of affairs.

No matter what you do, cycling, walking, running,skiing,hiking, or any kind of activity that gets you outside is great. Take my old neighbor here. He got into running and now he is hooked, entering races, and leading a healthy lifestyle all because of a New Year’s resolution. I have made a couple of resolutions in my day as well. I started to write this blog a number of years ago upon the suggestion of my wife. I also made the choice to eat more healthy and try to reduce some cholesterol issues by quitting sweets,unhealthy snacks, and sticking basically to chicken, fish, fruit and vegetables. As a result, I lost 12 pounds and had one of the best riding years I have had in 2019.

But really, what does it take to make a resolution? What do you want to change? How do you want to change? These are questions that pop up in your head anytime you want to do something different in your life. I speak of all the Resolutioners pounding around the lake on January 1 making the commitment to improve their health in 2020. But are there other things that we all should do to make a change? Personally I hope so. I would like to see people try to be more kind. Social media these days is dripping with sarcasm and vitriol for anyone who differs in opinion. It is easy to sit behind a keyboard and type some God awful things these days. It is sad. We are all Americans and this country was founded on discourse and discussion. Just because someone’s opinion is different than yours does not make them a bad person. I hope we can make an attempt to be more forgiving and kind especially in the election cycle ahead. I hate to say this but there is really nothing we can do about the political climate aside from casting a vote if we are honest with ourselves. Any change is really made at a grass roots level with all of us being more tolerant, kind and concerned for each other as Americans and as friends. I am hoping a lot of people in this country make that change. I am going to try to do the same in my own little way. We come into situations in our lives every day where we can help people if we look for that opportunity. John Guest, the famous evangelist, once said that ” you don’t have to go to a foreign country to evangelize or be helpful. You can serve people right in your own neighborhood. Your mission does not have to be in a foreign country.” I agree with him. If you make yourself available to people, you can be kind and helpful. What you say or do may move mountains for that person and you might not even realize it. People like to have kindness afforded to them. If we do it a little bit, we all can make a difference one person, one household, one neighborhood at a time.

So as 2020 (tap tap) evolves, maybe we all extend some grace as we have been extended grace. Look out for your family, friends and neighbors. After all, what is really more important than that? Thanks for reading.

” Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace.”
– 1 Peter 4:10