One Epic Treasure Hunt

How come I never heard about this until today?

When scanning the paper this morning, I learned about an old man who was adventurous (crazy) enough to stage the treasure hunt of a lifetime. He buried a 42-pound treasure chest in a remote location in the Rocky Mountains and filled it with $2 million worth of gold, rubies, diamonds, and jewels.

This was 10 years ago.

Recently, a person finally found the jackpot. After a decade that motivated close to a half million treasure seekers to go exploring, the skillful new millionaire sent a photo of the unearthed chest to Forrest Fenn, the 89-year-old man who sponsored the hunt.

Fenn definitely has quite the personality. In his 2010 autobiography, he announced the treasure hunt and penned a 24-line poem that contained clues about where to find it. People didn’t think twice about quitting their jobs to become fulltime treasure hunterd. They also didn’t hesitate to sacrifice their well-being. At least two people died while trying to find the elusive treasure. Despite pleas from New Mexico Police (where Fenn lives) to call off the hunt, the old man believed people should be able to “immerse themselves in the wilderness” regardless of whether they perished or not.

This man, Forrest Fenn, staged an epic treasure hunt.

After reading the article and thinking about it off and on, I just have a few thoughts about the whole thing…

If you are looking to strike it rich and have at least remedial outdoor skills, finding buried treasure surely has better odds than winning the lottery.

The man who found the treasure has indicated to Fenn his desire to remain anonymous. When he found the treasure, do you think he was able to haul it out of there without anyone noticing?

What would have happened if Forrest Fenn died before anyone found the treasure? Did he have a sealed document (presumably in another 42-pound chest) that gave directions to where the treasure was buried?

Seriously, when is the movie about this coming out?!

In addition to all the gold and rubies, I kind of hope Fenn included a bottle of champagne and some non-perishable food as well.

Could you imagine if someone like Warren Buffet wanted to stage 100 different treasure hunts like this? He could put treasure chests containing $2 million in two different locations in each state. People would go absolutely nuts (and many more deaths would probably occur).

Is the guy who found the treasure going to trade it all in for cold hard cash?

Who do you think would be more interesting to have a beer with? Forrest Fenn or the guy who found the treasure?

Will a memorial be placed at the site of where the treasure was found honoring the people who died looking for it?

Honestly, well played to Mr. Fenn for finding a hiding spot so good that it took 350,000 people more than 3,650 days to find it.

Next time, can we make this into a reality show? Don’t Blink.

Cheesy Thursday Rundown

Good evening, one and all. Hope your first week of June is going well and that your friends and families are healthy. What do you say we rattle off five more topics tonight?…

Retro Snack – Who else loved Dunkaroos as a kid? Before I developed a taste for dipping chips in salsa, I preferred dipping cookies in frosting! Dunkaroos bring back fond childhood memories so I was happy that after a long discontinuation, the snack was brought back this year. Sloan is able to enjoy the gloriousness of Dunkaroos thanks to Uncle Glen and Aunt Carrie––they bring her a package pretty much every time they see her. Now, if only I can convince her to share with me.

Sloan eating Dunkaroos. I used to love those things.

June Summer Nights – It is that time of the year when I encourage everyone to savor these summer nights. The longest days of the year take place in June and are prime opportunity for making memories and having fun. It stays light out longer in Washington than South Carolina, something that Sid and I are trying to take advantage of with Sloan. We are enjoying evening wilderness hikes, strolls through the park, and lawn games in my parents’ front yard. Just trying to soak it up.

Sloan and Beau have spent a lot of time outside with us (and gradnma) during these early June evenings.

National Cheese Day – Today has been designated National Cheese Day, something I have no qualms with celebrating. I don’t know what life would be like without dishes that depend on cheese such as pizza, nachos, and mac and cheese. My favorite snack is cheese and crackers. I live for the cheese trays you can buy at Costco. A restaurant that Sid and I adore is called the CHEESEcake Factory. But I wanted to mark National Cheese Day on Don’t Blink by revealing my favorite type of cheese. In a world full of delicious cheeses, pepper jack ranks at the top of my list.

Even parmesan cheese is worth celebrating on National Cheese Day!

Happy Anniversary – Wanted to end tonight’s rundown by extending a happy anniversary to my sister and brother-in-law. They said their vows nine years ago here in Spokane. I hope they get the chance to celebrate tonight. Congratulations, Miranda and Jay.

Miranda and Jay are celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary today.

Rocks – Remember in a recent blog post when I described “scientific” stuff I did outside? Well, one of the things I mentioned was collecting rocks. My old habit has rubbed off on Sloan. When we go on our walks around the neighborhood and in the woods, she will pick up “souvenirs” along the way. We will then ceremoniously place them in a plastic cup I have in my office. Better cool rocks than overpriced toys, right?

This is Sloan’s rock collection.

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Get out and enjoy your evening, it is beautiful! Thanks for reading and I will touch base next week. Don’t Blink.

Tweaking Our Viewing Habits

When I was in that weird eight-week-type Purgatory between when I moved to Spokane and when my family joined me, I did something more than anything else: I watched movies.

My typical schedule during that 56-day stretch was pretty monotonous. I would wake up, work, eat dinner, and then watch a movie. During that period I watched approximately 40 films with my dad. It felt so strange at first. After I clocked out for the day, it felt like I had an endless evening with no responsibilities. This “freedom” allowed me to not think twice about setting aside two hours each night to sit on the couch and watch some random Netflix movie.

However, trust me, that freedom wasn’t worth the emptiness of not having your family with you. So, as you can imagine, I wasn’t heartbroken when my movie binge ended once Sidney and the kids arrived. Parents simply don’t have the luxury of devoting 120 minutes to the TV screen each night with multiple kids. Spending quality time with them, bathing them, getting them ready for bed, and then actually helping them fall asleep is a complex process that takes time. When you complete it, you often just want to go to bed.

But Sid and I have found a middle ground between throwing in the towel and watching a feature-length film. The two of us have embraced watching series on Netflix. Taking 45-55 minutes to watch a single episode aligns much more with our schedule than investing two hours in a film that you might not even like.

Looking back at the past 25 days, Sid and I would recommend the following three Netflix series selections…

Waco – This true crime series chronicles the final days of the Branch Davidians and their eccentric leader David Koresh. After pretty much watching everything possible on the Jonestown tragedy, I decided to learn more about a different cult. I liked this series because of the portrayals of Koresh and his right hand man, Steve Schneider. But what interested me the most were the negotiation tactics employed throughout the series. You learn a lot about how the FBI negotiates and how in-fighting between government agencies sometimes derails major crisis situations.

This series really gave you great insight into FBI negotiations.

Sweet Magnolias – A series completely chosen at Sidney’s discretion, I decided to watch because it takes place in South Carolina. The episodes follow three women who have been friends since childhood and features their various exploits and drama. It has a little bit of everything and is pretty lighthearted…not exactly my thing but Sid really enjoyed it.

Sidney loved this show.

Reckoning – We are currently right in the middle of this series. It is a whodunit as we are spinning our heads trying to figure out who the sadistic serial killer is in a small California town. The characters are complex, shocking, and unpredictable. Scandal is constantly present and cringe-worthy moments are abundant. I have noticed a lot of symbolism and dualism, so if that is your thing you might enjoy this series. Or, if you just fancy a good mystery, “Reckoning” might be for you also. We can’t wait to watch the next episode.

This show will entertain and thrill you.

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The summer is here and we still don’t have sports, so buy some ice cream and pick a Netflix series for these long June nights. Don’t Blink.

Hoping For a Better June

On May 1, I tweeted that it was going to be a promising month. I wrote it from a self-centered point of view, hoping for the best about events happening in my life. Yes, May turned out awesome for me. I was re-united with my family and we took numerous big steps toward building our life out west. Additionally, it was another positive and fulfilling several weeks at Washington State University.

I had high hopes for May. It delivered for me what about so many others?

But how good can a month be on a personal level when it is so horrendous on a national one?

You can’t really spin it, May 2020 was rough for the United States. Many things contributed to the ugly month but a big fat exclamation mark was added in the final week with the inexcusable death of George Floyd and the events that followed.

The month was another tough pill to swallow in what has been a forgettable 2020. In February you could find people joking on social media about how the year was already cursed. Well, it isn’t a joke anymore––the year 2020 has already brought enough sadness and gloom to last a decade. This isn’t funny.

I feel guilty that I have heralded 2020 as “The Year of the Resers” because it is more like “The Year of Catastrophe” for so many others. Although I can’t downplay the birth of my son, all the other blessings and milestones of this year seem absolutely trivial to the grim reality that millions of others are feeling.

I am praying that our country turns a corner in June. We need some breaks, we need some compassion, and we need people to wake up––myself included. Don’t Blink.