01.29.08
Past Winners
The names currently on the trophy are as follows:
- 1999 – Mike, Mom
- 2000 – Mom
- 2001 – Sheryl & Eric
- 2002 – Sheryl & Eric
- 2003 – Mike
- 2004 – Sheryl & Eric
- 2005 – Mom
- 2006 – Sheryl & Eric
- 2007 – Mike
I’m sure Mom feels “due” to win it this year. If so, she had better get going. Those passport books don’t stamp themselves!
01.26.08
How it Started
Well, my offspring don’t seem to think I can figure out how to do this without their help. I’ll show them.
My recollection of the beginnings of the contest go back to our trip out west. After stopping in a few visitor centers at National Park sites, we decided to get the stamp books to keep track of where we had been. I casually commented that we should have a contest to see who could get the most stamps in one year. Of course the “young’uns” wanted to know what the prize would be. Trying to figure out what would be the most ridiculous thing I flippantly suggested a special muffin for breakfast on New Years day. Thus the beginning of the “Muffin Contest.”
Mike will have to post the past winners because the trophy, with the winners names engraved on the plaque, is now in his possession.
(Sheryl, note paragraphs on my posting, it it “submits” in this format.)
01.18.08
What We Compete For
The Muffin currently resides in the Frederick, Maryland home of Dr. Mike Mitchell: the winner of the 2007 contest.
The story behind the competition belongs to Sheryl or Mom. Both ought to post their recollections of the contests’ origins sometime soon. Mom’s recollections will depend upon one of her kids showing her how to post to this thing.
Sheryl should also give the story behind how she got a real muffin mounted on the trophy.
This isn’t the most professional looking picture, but the best I could do with my feeble Canon PowerShot A80. A good photographer doesn’t blame his camera; but I’m not a good photographer, so there’s my excuse. Notice the partially cat-chewed fake plant off to the side.
Update: I’m not understanding this photo upload feature at all!
Update: Got it! A lot of work for a crappy picture! The maximum size one dimension can be is 466 pixels
01.17.08
Getting Our Family Blog Up and Running
Considering I proposed the idea of this family blog, I suppose I ought to be the one who gets it set up in the first place.
Plus, the 2008 contest year has begun! and the MLK holiday weekend is fast approaching. I’m motivated to get this blog started in the (likely) event that I jump out to an early lead!
I hope that Sheryl, Eric, Mom, and I will all find it fun to contribute our adventures in quest of The Muffin to this blog. To anyone else reading this, bear with us as we fiddle around with its design and try to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
It is snowing here in Frederick, and when I see the snow-covered trees, it always makes me want to go for a drive in Catoctin Mountain National Park, which is about 15 miles north of me, in Thurmont, Maryland. Snow transforms the park into a winter wonderland, its beauty enhanced by the picturesque trout stream running alongside the road. It reminds me of our Christmas trip to Germany, back in 1995, when we were driving in the snowy forests of Bavaria. In Catoctin, however, I’m usually not afraid to drive after it has snowed, because the road access to Camp David is located in the park, and I suspect that the roads are kept pristinely clear for this reason, which means I can marvel at my snow-covered surroundings, instead of driving white-knuckled through the park with my eyes locked on the road.
