Waking Expectant – Waking Expectant Website

Latest Posts

Borneo, the third-largest island in the world, is a wonderland of tropical forest, amazing caves, beautiful coastlines and lovely people. We were excited to begin our two-week adventure...

Projects

Bass Guitar

My son, Josiah, learned how to play the bass guitar in school last semester. He looked so cool up there at the recital, and it became clear to me… I needed to build him a sweet bass!...

Adventures Geology New Mexico Rockhounding Southwest

San Ysidro Anticline

Our winter adventuring has recently taken us to local, nearby areas. A popular site is the San Ysidro Anticline of the Ojito Wilderness near the small village of San Ysidro. Folks...

Adventures Ancient Peoples Geology Mountains New Mexico Southwest

Deep Canyons and Javalinas

Our January was incredibly cold this year, but February has been wonderfully spring-like. We had some serious cabin fever, and really needed to get out, despite Riki still getting...

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Family

The New Year with Family and Fun. GO AVS!!!

Riki’s thoughts… Two trips to Colorado in two weeks was quite an undertaking, but the holiday season is perfect for connecting with family. Friday, December 21 started for...

Projects

Tea Boxes

Kelly’s thoughts… I had a great time making matching tea-boxes for Annie and Riki for Christmas this year. Each box top is heavily figured maple (visible inside and out) and the sides...

Adventures Ancient Peoples Geology New Mexico Southwest

Ghosts in Chaco Canyon

In the remote northwest corner of New Mexico at the end of a rough county road is a rarely-visited national park, Chaco Culture National Historic Park. The ruins in the area represent...

Adventures Bisti Fossils Geology New Mexico Rockhounding Southwest

De-Na-Zin Wilderness wonders

Kelly’s thoughts… It’s been quite some time since we blogged. The last few months have been busy, and we’ve gotten well behind. We will try to catch up soon, since we did have...

Adventures Colorado Geology Mushrooms

Volcanos and Mushrooms: Wheeler Geologic Area

Kelly’s thoughts… I had heard about the Wheeler Geologic Area since I was a kid, but never visited it. We tried to go last year, but the road into it was washed out...

Adventures New Mexico Southwest

Climbing Cerro Pedernal

The Cerro Pedernal is among the most iconic images in northern New Mexico. It dominates the southern skyline of the Abiquiu Reservoir and Ghost Ranch areas. Climbing Pedernal is a...

Adventures Colorado Mountains Mushrooms New Mexico

Striking Gold in Colorado

It’s been really hot lately in our area, so we decided to escape to the high country of southern Colorado in a nice, air-conditioned pickup for the day. Kelly’s thoughts…...

Adventures Colorado Fossils Southwest Wyoming

Mountain Travels, Part 5. The Road Home and Dinosaur Tracks

The road home was through familiar country, but we always see something new. This time it was dinosaur tracks frozen in the stone at 9300 feet elevation in the Colorado Mountains....

Learn More About Us

We are Kelly and Riki Miller. We were high-school sweethearts, but took different directions in life. After a few decades of living other lives, we found each other again. We are excited to experience our third third together.

We seek a life motivated by curiosity and learning, and we love Annie Dillard’s words, “I wake expectant, hoping to see a new thing.”

We'd love to hear from you

As we discussed building this web site, we had you in mind. We know that the adventures that we get to experience are blessed opportunities not afforded to everyone. This is our way to share those adventures with our family and friends. Please let us know your reactions to our words and pictures. Tell us about your adventures! Come along with us, and let us know what you think of the journey.