A lot of friends have asked me over the years where I got the name for my blog. A long, long time ago in a neighborhood far, far away….

I grew up in western North Carolina. The Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies were a glorious time in the Southeast. Winters were cold and there was occasionally snow but it wasn’t Minnesota. Summers were warm and sultry but it wasn’t Florida either. I spent most of my time outside. I rode my bike to school almost every day for years. We played in creeks and streams all summer. Summer camps in the mountains. Winter backpacking. It set the stage for a lifetime of playing outside. Tens of thousands of nights and days.

Dad always called me by my full name. Mom always shortened it to ‘Cut’. Close friends still shorten my name. My mom used to love to tell the story that often times when I was little and it was close to dinner, Dad would ask, “Where’s Cutler?” Mom would usually answer, “Cut’s outside.” No. Really.