by the time this post publishes, i will be out on the racecourse.
did i mention that i am team captain? somebody has to be captain for some kind of paperwork purpose, but there's only two of us on the team.
my more important job is feeder.
did you know "feeder" is a thing? it totally is. in endurance racing you have to be careful to keep your food and water topped up because when you're burning that many calories for that many hours if you wait until you're hungry or thirsty it is way too late to continue your level of exertion well.
if you do enough endurance races, you will have an experience where you or someone on you know is standing crying in a corner store unable to move until she gets that special cupcake about which she has been fantasizing for the last four days and it's the only reason she made it the last hundred miles only thy;re out of the special cupcake and now someone has to talk her down.
feeder is the person who helps avoid this problem by making sure everybody has food and drink at proper intervals.
my philosophy about team feeding is that the team should have delicious and nutritious foods and also be surprised some.
so my teammate is getting her feed bag with some things she can see and some things she can't.
there's a little bag of logan breads. logan bread is a heavy backpacking bread made with a lot of sugars and whole wheat flour.
there's a bag of cracked pepper parmesan rosemary oatmeal cookies.
there are two soy sauce eggs.
and three mystery sandwich wraps. my teammate will not know what they are until she opens them:
turkey and swiss with fresh vegetables. honey mustard and just a tiny bit of currant jelly. mmm, secret sauce.
roasted sweet potato, roasted mushrooms, and caramelized onions.
szechuan peanut noodles, mushroom and carrot simmered in master sauce, and sweet and hot cabbage. it's weird and cross cultural, but these things actually are awesome wrapped in a tortilla. chinese dinner burrito. no kidding.
and in my pack i will be carrying two snickers bars and two packs of oreos because my teammate's favorite thing is oreos. when it's late in the day and we're tired and we have to carry the boat up some horrid hill will be a good time for me to tell her there are oreos.
Saturday, August 02, 2014
Friday, August 01, 2014
coursework
tomorrow is race day.
i haven't been writing much about it because i've spent a lot less time worrying about it and a LOT less time course sleuthing. the race is being held out of the same geographic area as last year's, so a lot of my guesses about where the course MIGHT go still apply.
last year because there were a limited number of ways to get in and out of catamount, i had a much better ability to guess where the course was going to run.
you can't know where the control points are going to be, obviously, and if you figure out the race is going into camel's hump state forest, that leaves a LOT of possibilities.
there are about a bazillion ways the race could come in and out of cochran's ski area.
for instance, it could go up into huntington or duxbury via into CHSF, which connects to the catamont trail and the came's hump xc ski area.
or it could start in the bolton valley parking lot and go up ricker mountain and then down the ridge or down into cotton brook. or it could start at waterbury state park and go up the east side of ricker and down the ridge.
if it comes down ricker, it positions the race really well for a rappel or a tyrolean traverse at either lower west or at the bolton quarry. and if it does that, the course is positioned really well to cross the river and return to cochran.
you want to see my last year's map? i didn't make a new one, but the redder an area is the more strongly i felt it would be on last year's course.
here's my list of probables:
very likely:
paddle on reservoir
ropes element at lower west or bolton quarry
bonus round at cochran
likely:
paddle on winooski to deforge power station, long portage.
ropes element at deforge
hike or bike on ricker in bolton ski area
hike or bike (cotton brook) on ricker in little river state park
hike in camel's hump state forest
bike on camel's hump ski area trails/catamount trail
less likely: paddle down little river, with portage.
for instance, one theoretical course could start in the parking lot at bolton valley, go over ricker by foot or bike, go down the other side of ricker by foot or bike, paddle the reservoir, take out and travel down to lower west on bike or on foot (depending on trail use or bushwhack). bike or foot travel to river crossing. the bridge hasn't been built yet, but there's a right of way and this time of year it's a short wade. that brings us back right about to cochran.
there are a lot of possibilities, though, so that's just one of many practical possibilities.
we'll find out when they give up the maps.
i haven't been writing much about it because i've spent a lot less time worrying about it and a LOT less time course sleuthing. the race is being held out of the same geographic area as last year's, so a lot of my guesses about where the course MIGHT go still apply.
last year because there were a limited number of ways to get in and out of catamount, i had a much better ability to guess where the course was going to run.
you can't know where the control points are going to be, obviously, and if you figure out the race is going into camel's hump state forest, that leaves a LOT of possibilities.
there are about a bazillion ways the race could come in and out of cochran's ski area.
for instance, it could go up into huntington or duxbury via into CHSF, which connects to the catamont trail and the came's hump xc ski area.
or it could start in the bolton valley parking lot and go up ricker mountain and then down the ridge or down into cotton brook. or it could start at waterbury state park and go up the east side of ricker and down the ridge.
if it comes down ricker, it positions the race really well for a rappel or a tyrolean traverse at either lower west or at the bolton quarry. and if it does that, the course is positioned really well to cross the river and return to cochran.
you want to see my last year's map? i didn't make a new one, but the redder an area is the more strongly i felt it would be on last year's course.
here's my list of probables:
very likely:
paddle on reservoir
ropes element at lower west or bolton quarry
bonus round at cochran
likely:
paddle on winooski to deforge power station, long portage.
ropes element at deforge
hike or bike on ricker in bolton ski area
hike or bike (cotton brook) on ricker in little river state park
hike in camel's hump state forest
bike on camel's hump ski area trails/catamount trail
less likely: paddle down little river, with portage.
for instance, one theoretical course could start in the parking lot at bolton valley, go over ricker by foot or bike, go down the other side of ricker by foot or bike, paddle the reservoir, take out and travel down to lower west on bike or on foot (depending on trail use or bushwhack). bike or foot travel to river crossing. the bridge hasn't been built yet, but there's a right of way and this time of year it's a short wade. that brings us back right about to cochran.
there are a lot of possibilities, though, so that's just one of many practical possibilities.
we'll find out when they give up the maps.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
huge boulder and stone wall corner
last week i was in sucker brook country park in williston, which is part of the lake iroquois recreation district trails. apparently "country park" means "park with nice trails and maybe parking but no amenities like restrooms or playgrounds". i think they make that distinction so people who were expecting something with tennis courts or a pool will not be disappointed.
me, i like a little wild public greenspace in my cities, and this particular wild greenspace is only about five miles from the state's busiest commercial area, so that's a bonus.
i was there to find a geocache, but also there's an item on the venture vermont challenge to climb a boulder or a tree. i do a lot of each of those activities fairy regularly, but i think i'm going to pick this boulder for my challenge.
i like it for a couple of reasons: one is that it's right on the trail map as "landmark: huge boulder and stone wall corner" its really kind of a fantastic boulder. it is beautiful red sandstone covered with lush green moss. it's also easy to climb.
i took some photos of it, and made a little video of my walkaround.
me, i like a little wild public greenspace in my cities, and this particular wild greenspace is only about five miles from the state's busiest commercial area, so that's a bonus.
i was there to find a geocache, but also there's an item on the venture vermont challenge to climb a boulder or a tree. i do a lot of each of those activities fairy regularly, but i think i'm going to pick this boulder for my challenge.
i like it for a couple of reasons: one is that it's right on the trail map as "landmark: huge boulder and stone wall corner" its really kind of a fantastic boulder. it is beautiful red sandstone covered with lush green moss. it's also easy to climb.
i took some photos of it, and made a little video of my walkaround.
 |
| view at the top |
 |
| view from the top |
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
the speaker sues the president
i think we're watching pro wrestling on the world stage.
it's like the speaker called up the president and said, hey, i have an idea: i'll pile drive you into the mat and then you'll get mad and break a chair on my head and while everyone is watching us our friends will go through the audience and pick pockets. ok?
and the president said ok.
sometimes i feel as if this is the only plausible explanation for politics in washington.
which brings me to another point:
we go into other countries with our military so we can bring american-style democracy to them and then we act all surprised when they don't WANT american-style democracy.
what, are you telling me that american-style democracy is somehow NOT the standard to which all others should aspire?
US congress: whoopie cushion to the world.
it's like the speaker called up the president and said, hey, i have an idea: i'll pile drive you into the mat and then you'll get mad and break a chair on my head and while everyone is watching us our friends will go through the audience and pick pockets. ok?
and the president said ok.
sometimes i feel as if this is the only plausible explanation for politics in washington.
which brings me to another point:
we go into other countries with our military so we can bring american-style democracy to them and then we act all surprised when they don't WANT american-style democracy.
what, are you telling me that american-style democracy is somehow NOT the standard to which all others should aspire?
US congress: whoopie cushion to the world.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
lumbering along
well, this was a surprise.
i was looking for a geocache in downtown bethel and i got back in my car, toweled off, and i was sitting in a parking place looking at something in my database (yes, recreational databasing.) and this log truck pulls up into some spots right in front of me.
now, see, this is a lucky development for me, because one of the items on the venture vermont challenge list is to take a photo of a log truck and to find out where it came from and where it's going.
bear in mind that i have just toweled off and it is raining filthy pelting barrel-busting, slat-blasting rain and i am wearing head-to-toe raingear but i go charging out of my car to run up to this guy's cab because it's a golden opportunity, right?
"hi!" i say cheerfully, running up to him as he goes to step out of the cab. "this is probably going to be the weirdest thing anyone's going to say to you all day, but i'm working on a scavenger hunt type thing and one of the things on my list is to take a picture of a log truck and to find out where it came from and where it's going".
it turns out he came from randolph and he's taking the load of logs to VCI.
i didn't know what VCI is, so i had to look it up.
wow. i totally did not know that the state of vermont provides some real vocational training for correctional inmates. strikes me that's a good use of my tax dollars. a lot of guys in jails really need marketable skills and experience.
so that load of logs is going to be made into furniture by corrections inmates. i hope it gives somebody a solid second chance.
i was looking for a geocache in downtown bethel and i got back in my car, toweled off, and i was sitting in a parking place looking at something in my database (yes, recreational databasing.) and this log truck pulls up into some spots right in front of me.
now, see, this is a lucky development for me, because one of the items on the venture vermont challenge list is to take a photo of a log truck and to find out where it came from and where it's going.
bear in mind that i have just toweled off and it is raining filthy pelting barrel-busting, slat-blasting rain and i am wearing head-to-toe raingear but i go charging out of my car to run up to this guy's cab because it's a golden opportunity, right?
"hi!" i say cheerfully, running up to him as he goes to step out of the cab. "this is probably going to be the weirdest thing anyone's going to say to you all day, but i'm working on a scavenger hunt type thing and one of the things on my list is to take a picture of a log truck and to find out where it came from and where it's going".
it turns out he came from randolph and he's taking the load of logs to VCI.
i didn't know what VCI is, so i had to look it up.
wow. i totally did not know that the state of vermont provides some real vocational training for correctional inmates. strikes me that's a good use of my tax dollars. a lot of guys in jails really need marketable skills and experience.
so that load of logs is going to be made into furniture by corrections inmates. i hope it gives somebody a solid second chance.
Monday, July 28, 2014
margarine
why does any sane person without specific digestive issues eat margarine these days?
every margarine trumpets itself as being "buttery tasting" and they all fall over themselves trying to be more like butter than butter.
so unless you can't digest dairy or you're a vegan, why on earth wouldn't you just eat butter? and if you're a vegan, i'd hope that you are more advanced than margarine: giant wad of transfat, artificial flavorings and dyes.
ew. if you can't have real butter, try another natural fat, like olive oil.
the only possible exception to this is if you are baking, because if you're squeamish about lard (and you SHOULD be squeamish about commercially available lard), it is superior for baking cookies, if you need flaky.
i STILL use butter for baking.
every margarine trumpets itself as being "buttery tasting" and they all fall over themselves trying to be more like butter than butter.
so unless you can't digest dairy or you're a vegan, why on earth wouldn't you just eat butter? and if you're a vegan, i'd hope that you are more advanced than margarine: giant wad of transfat, artificial flavorings and dyes.
ew. if you can't have real butter, try another natural fat, like olive oil.
the only possible exception to this is if you are baking, because if you're squeamish about lard (and you SHOULD be squeamish about commercially available lard), it is superior for baking cookies, if you need flaky.
i STILL use butter for baking.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
open letter to "mrs. obama"
today i got a note from the DCCC supposedly written by mrs. obama:
I need your help.
Barack is working hard on the issues that matter to so many of us, but there's only so much he can do on his own. The truth is, in order for him to keep moving this country forward and finish what we started, he needs leaders in Congress who are willing to work alongside him.
And for that, he needs you.
Will you sign your name and commit to vote for Democrats who will fight for you?
Today, organizers all across the country are reaching out to voters to talk about the importance of this election. Together we want to reach 1 million new commitments to vote in 2014.
It's a big goal, but I know we can get there if everyone does their part.
Click here to let me know that you're committing to vote in 2014.
Just think about what we can accomplish together with a big Democratic victory.
We can promote equal pay for women. We can raise the minimum wage. We can pass immigration reform. We can ensure that women are free to make their own decisions about their bodies and their health care.
But in order for us to do all of this, we need to get organized, get mobilized, and get to work electing a Congress that will fight for us and our families.
Take the first step: Commit to Vote today.
Thanks for being a part of this.
Michelle
dear "mrs. obama",
i don't notice that the president is doing all that good a job working on the things that are important to me and so many of the people i know.
for instance, i don't notice that he's done anything to close guantanamo, or to stop the torturing of prisoners in american custody. i do not notice that he's done anything to stop or even place limits on the mass surveillance of american citizens by our own government. i have not noticed a decrease in the brutality of the police or the prison system. i have not noticed any policy changes to step away meaningfully from the war on drugs, the war on young black men, or even just the war.
i have not noticed that the affordable care act has truly and unequivocally benefitted anybody but the insurance industry, and i do not notice any attempt to reign in the gross profiteering, environmental damage, and disregard for life and safety by the energy industry.
the only thing i think we can credit him for is jumping on the gay rights bandwagon once it was already rolling, and mostly declining to decrease the possibility of 52 percent of the population to have a chance at equal pay, equal healthcare, and equal rights under the law.
so, uh, good job?
bottom line: while i will absolutely commit to voting in the next election and every election, you can't really count on my support. if i HAVE to vote for your husband's people because i simply have no better alternatives, i will.
that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.
love, flask
Saturday, July 26, 2014
today i...
...got to ring the bell at a UCI junior men's race.
...saw a mexican journalist interview a canadian rider.
...ate a brisket sandwich so good you could forget where you are.
..saw a forty-nine year old three time tour de france finisher and retired pro mountain biker ride on a day license with the pro men.
...drank a maple lemonade that was so good it could be life-changing.
...saw the US national champion win a race on her home field.
...ate two slices of wood-fired pizza. once again, spectacularly good.
some other stuff happened, and maybe i will tell you about it later. i'm tired.
...saw a mexican journalist interview a canadian rider.
...ate a brisket sandwich so good you could forget where you are.
..saw a forty-nine year old three time tour de france finisher and retired pro mountain biker ride on a day license with the pro men.
...drank a maple lemonade that was so good it could be life-changing.
...saw the US national champion win a race on her home field.
...ate two slices of wood-fired pizza. once again, spectacularly good.
some other stuff happened, and maybe i will tell you about it later. i'm tired.
Friday, July 25, 2014
jeezum crow
the vermont state bird, of course, is the hermit thrush.
today i went paddling on the lamoille river and i saw a number of handsome birds, including a bunch of kingfishers, sandpipers, a few great blue herons, and a merganser with a dozen or so chicks.
later in the day i saw a crow walking on some rocks just below the surface of the very shallow water, which gave it the appearance of walking on water.
many people joke that the state bird is actually the jeezum crow.
today i went paddling on the lamoille river and i saw a number of handsome birds, including a bunch of kingfishers, sandpipers, a few great blue herons, and a merganser with a dozen or so chicks.
later in the day i saw a crow walking on some rocks just below the surface of the very shallow water, which gave it the appearance of walking on water.
many people joke that the state bird is actually the jeezum crow.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
to be with his friends
today i was thinking about a young man i knew some time ago.
he did not see any value in his high school education except it was time he got to spend with his friends. he did not see a point in working especially hard, nor in learning things that did not interest him.
he was polite about it, but he knew the futility of most of it, and he knew you knew the futility of it.
you all knew he wasn't going to live to graduate.
he knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he knew the one inescapable sucky thing. there's a lot of stuff you do in high school because people tell you that you'll need this later. sometimes this kid should have been wearing a t-shrt that said thank you for not wasting my time.
when people tell you to live as if you're going to die tomorrow, do you get all ambitious and study all the things? or do you kick your feet back and try to have a reasonably good time under the circumstances?
i think if i had a year or so to live, i would not be all in a hurry to learn calculus.
he did not see any value in his high school education except it was time he got to spend with his friends. he did not see a point in working especially hard, nor in learning things that did not interest him.
he was polite about it, but he knew the futility of most of it, and he knew you knew the futility of it.
you all knew he wasn't going to live to graduate.
he knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he knew the one inescapable sucky thing. there's a lot of stuff you do in high school because people tell you that you'll need this later. sometimes this kid should have been wearing a t-shrt that said thank you for not wasting my time.
when people tell you to live as if you're going to die tomorrow, do you get all ambitious and study all the things? or do you kick your feet back and try to have a reasonably good time under the circumstances?
i think if i had a year or so to live, i would not be all in a hurry to learn calculus.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
bike at little river
hey, gang! this will surprise you: it's a post about a state park but has nothing to do with the challenge.
my friend barb and i went up there to practice our land navigation by bike, because geocaches stand in very nicely for orienteering bags.
some of the trails open to bikes are the old roads, and some were obviously cut by mountain bikers so they ride pretty.
we rode up the dalley loop and then took the connector over to cotton brook but we had full packs so we decided not to go up cotton brook, which is kind of a project.
it's enough of a project to climb back up to the top of the dalley loop, because essentially from the start of our ride there was one long brutal climb followed by a long descent and then more climbing.
here's some video of the ride back.
my friend barb and i went up there to practice our land navigation by bike, because geocaches stand in very nicely for orienteering bags.
some of the trails open to bikes are the old roads, and some were obviously cut by mountain bikers so they ride pretty.
we rode up the dalley loop and then took the connector over to cotton brook but we had full packs so we decided not to go up cotton brook, which is kind of a project.
it's enough of a project to climb back up to the top of the dalley loop, because essentially from the start of our ride there was one long brutal climb followed by a long descent and then more climbing.
here's some video of the ride back.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
surprise party
tonight i got invited to a birthday party.
in itself this is not unusual.
what is unusual about his is that the woman whose birthday it was invited me as we finished our race tonight.
it's a funny thing, the race venue, because you can be friendly with people you see every week for years and years and years and not know their names but you like them and i was running with a big ol' pack and this woman i've sort of known for some years comes running by and she's talking to someone about some food they have and i think they're just talking about food to pull them around the course so i say "ooooh, tell me more about that", which makes everyone laugh and i run faster so i can hear her talk about the roasted tofu and the watermelon and the cupcakes with the ginger buttercream frosting and the next thing i know, i'm invited to dinner.
so happy birthday, nice lady with whom i've run every tuesday for years and whose name i have only just learned.
seriously.
happiness and joy and prosperity.
in itself this is not unusual.
what is unusual about his is that the woman whose birthday it was invited me as we finished our race tonight.
it's a funny thing, the race venue, because you can be friendly with people you see every week for years and years and years and not know their names but you like them and i was running with a big ol' pack and this woman i've sort of known for some years comes running by and she's talking to someone about some food they have and i think they're just talking about food to pull them around the course so i say "ooooh, tell me more about that", which makes everyone laugh and i run faster so i can hear her talk about the roasted tofu and the watermelon and the cupcakes with the ginger buttercream frosting and the next thing i know, i'm invited to dinner.
so happy birthday, nice lady with whom i've run every tuesday for years and whose name i have only just learned.
seriously.
happiness and joy and prosperity.
Monday, July 21, 2014
farting around
i'm not going to pretend here.
i love farting.
i'm a veteran of enough years with a poorly functioning digestive system to know that if you are constipated or your digestion is stopped, you are not farting properly.
but there's another thing: did you know that while you sleep your body normally shuts off your bowel motility? it's a nice feature of being a mammal. we tend not to poop while asleep. that's because of hormonal signals that shut you down during sleeping hours.
that's why piles of deer or moose poop often tell you where they slept.
when you wake up, your bowels resume their regular programming.
for me this is especially nice because i have a hard time telling when i wake up in the morning if i am really done sleeping or not.
yeah, when i wake up in the morning i often can't tell if i have slept enough to get up. i can't get back to sleep once i've gotten up and dressed, so it's best to know if i'm refreshed before i get out of bed.
this is where that farting thing comes in.
if my body has started farting, it is ready to be awake.
i love farting.
i'm a veteran of enough years with a poorly functioning digestive system to know that if you are constipated or your digestion is stopped, you are not farting properly.
but there's another thing: did you know that while you sleep your body normally shuts off your bowel motility? it's a nice feature of being a mammal. we tend not to poop while asleep. that's because of hormonal signals that shut you down during sleeping hours.
that's why piles of deer or moose poop often tell you where they slept.
when you wake up, your bowels resume their regular programming.
for me this is especially nice because i have a hard time telling when i wake up in the morning if i am really done sleeping or not.
yeah, when i wake up in the morning i often can't tell if i have slept enough to get up. i can't get back to sleep once i've gotten up and dressed, so it's best to know if i'm refreshed before i get out of bed.
this is where that farting thing comes in.
if my body has started farting, it is ready to be awake.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
just a blur.
no, you did not imagine that. yes, i did break a prodigious blogging streak and take a couple of days off.
i would have posted something for you, but i was off in some forest somewhere and had no wifi for a few days.
and i had nothing queued up to autopost because until right about the last minute before i went, i was not planning to go.
too much sharing? right now i smell catastrophically bad. i smell kind of like i haven't had a real shower in about four days. i smell like i spend a good part of my day kayaking and portaging.
and i smell kind of like i got in my car after that without changing clothes and drove four-plus hours home.
and i am about to have a nice shower and change into my pajamas and have some delicious food.
tomorrow i have tentative plans to go march up some mountain. maybe i will do some laundry or clip my toenails or, i don't know- unpack or something.
i would have posted something for you, but i was off in some forest somewhere and had no wifi for a few days.
and i had nothing queued up to autopost because until right about the last minute before i went, i was not planning to go.
too much sharing? right now i smell catastrophically bad. i smell kind of like i haven't had a real shower in about four days. i smell like i spend a good part of my day kayaking and portaging.
and i smell kind of like i got in my car after that without changing clothes and drove four-plus hours home.
and i am about to have a nice shower and change into my pajamas and have some delicious food.
tomorrow i have tentative plans to go march up some mountain. maybe i will do some laundry or clip my toenails or, i don't know- unpack or something.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
the big ring
so last night i had my best ride of the season.
i got up through a lot of the climbing and just before that last steep part i thought maybe i would bump down from the middle chainring to the little chainring.
only i was in the big chainring, which means i still had a LOT of gears to go.
and i got to the thing called the green mountain parkway, which is a trail built over the remains of an old rock wall, a place where the big dogs habitually pass me, and i made it through without them.
looking over my shoulder the whole time and riding as if death itself were on my heels, i kept going, wanting them to catch me in the open, before the singletrack.
i was all the way up the last climb, in the field and coming out of the last turn before the front of that huge rattling, roaring pack came up on my back, but i was sprinting up the chute and they were in the lap lane.
ride of my summer.
i feel GOOD.
i got up through a lot of the climbing and just before that last steep part i thought maybe i would bump down from the middle chainring to the little chainring.
only i was in the big chainring, which means i still had a LOT of gears to go.
and i got to the thing called the green mountain parkway, which is a trail built over the remains of an old rock wall, a place where the big dogs habitually pass me, and i made it through without them.
looking over my shoulder the whole time and riding as if death itself were on my heels, i kept going, wanting them to catch me in the open, before the singletrack.
i was all the way up the last climb, in the field and coming out of the last turn before the front of that huge rattling, roaring pack came up on my back, but i was sprinting up the chute and they were in the lap lane.
ride of my summer.
i feel GOOD.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
one day on the NFCT
hey, everybody! you're probably sitting there wondering if i have anything new for you about the venture vermont challenge. i don't even know why i keep giving you the link. by now you all have it bookmarked or are carrying around a copy of the checklist on your clipboard.
so anyway, paddling a portion of the northern forest canoe trail is an item on the list, and guess what?
there's a part of the trail that just HAPPENS to have a paddlecache on it.
huh? paddlecache? yeah, that's a geocache for which you need a boat. or, you know, thick ice.
but water.
so yeah, we went out to find that baby and we put in at the swanton dam and we paddled upstream while practicing navigation by compass (easier on a river than in deep woods) and when we got to the island, we got out and struggled through the vegetation (surprisingly robust) and then after we found the cache we were sitting on the bank swishing the sand out of our shoes and in general relaxing and some little fishies came and nibbled at our feet.
so i have for you a video of our hack through the brush, a video of the fishies, and a lovely video of some of the paddle.
so anyway, paddling a portion of the northern forest canoe trail is an item on the list, and guess what?
there's a part of the trail that just HAPPENS to have a paddlecache on it.
huh? paddlecache? yeah, that's a geocache for which you need a boat. or, you know, thick ice.
but water.
so yeah, we went out to find that baby and we put in at the swanton dam and we paddled upstream while practicing navigation by compass (easier on a river than in deep woods) and when we got to the island, we got out and struggled through the vegetation (surprisingly robust) and then after we found the cache we were sitting on the bank swishing the sand out of our shoes and in general relaxing and some little fishies came and nibbled at our feet.
so i have for you a video of our hack through the brush, a video of the fishies, and a lovely video of some of the paddle.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
emergency dominoes
i've talked about what's in my emergency kit.
you probably know that there are a couple of versions of the kit. the heavyweight version includes a set of emergency dominoes.
yes. that is not a joke.
you never know when you're going to get stuck somewhere with nothing to do, and a little set of dominoes comes in handy.
one of the things on the list for this year's venture vermont outdoor challenge is to play a game outside.
granted, i think they mean kickball or tag or something like that but i am already spending so much time outside that sometimes in between sporting activities it's nice to just sit down and play something quiet.
so a couple of weeks ago my friend barb and i went for a mountain bike ride in little river state park and then we sat on the grass near the parking lot and had delicious (of course) sammidges and some nice fresh cherries and we played dominoes because i had my emergency dominoes with me.
you probably know that there are a couple of versions of the kit. the heavyweight version includes a set of emergency dominoes.
yes. that is not a joke.
you never know when you're going to get stuck somewhere with nothing to do, and a little set of dominoes comes in handy.
one of the things on the list for this year's venture vermont outdoor challenge is to play a game outside.
granted, i think they mean kickball or tag or something like that but i am already spending so much time outside that sometimes in between sporting activities it's nice to just sit down and play something quiet.
so a couple of weeks ago my friend barb and i went for a mountain bike ride in little river state park and then we sat on the grass near the parking lot and had delicious (of course) sammidges and some nice fresh cherries and we played dominoes because i had my emergency dominoes with me.
Monday, July 14, 2014
honey, i'm home!
wooty-woot.
it is six o'clock in the afternoon and i am showered and in my pajamas. dinner is made and i am on the sofa.
later on i will have pictures for you. and stories. and cool things. i promise.
it is six o'clock in the afternoon and i am showered and in my pajamas. dinner is made and i am on the sofa.
later on i will have pictures for you. and stories. and cool things. i promise.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
leaving a trail
today i was looking for a geocache and i was about to reach for it when i felt a sting at my right elbow.
"damn", i thought. "that's an awful hard sting for a horsefly."
and then i was stung again.
i took off running and screaming. the little devils followed.
they kept stinging. i lost track exactly how many times.
they were IN MY CLOTHES. i did what you'd do: i kept running and screaming, tearing off my clothes as i went. some three hundred feet later i was rid of the hornets (we think they were hornets), but also rid of my pack, my helmet, my shirt, and my pants were around my ankles.
i had to drop my pants because they were IN MY PANTS. i have a sting in there to prove it. i had left a little trail of clothing and gear. so carefully, carefully, i started putting clothing back on and moving in an orderly fashion back toward my pack, which is where i keep my inhaler and epipen.
i kept waiting for the reaction, but there was none. i mean, i have some swelling and great deal of pain, but no anaphylaxis.
so that was a nice surprise.you know, especially since i was four miles from my car.
so no emergency room.
but i sort of feel like crap.
"damn", i thought. "that's an awful hard sting for a horsefly."
and then i was stung again.
i took off running and screaming. the little devils followed.
they kept stinging. i lost track exactly how many times.
they were IN MY CLOTHES. i did what you'd do: i kept running and screaming, tearing off my clothes as i went. some three hundred feet later i was rid of the hornets (we think they were hornets), but also rid of my pack, my helmet, my shirt, and my pants were around my ankles.
i had to drop my pants because they were IN MY PANTS. i have a sting in there to prove it. i had left a little trail of clothing and gear. so carefully, carefully, i started putting clothing back on and moving in an orderly fashion back toward my pack, which is where i keep my inhaler and epipen.
i kept waiting for the reaction, but there was none. i mean, i have some swelling and great deal of pain, but no anaphylaxis.
so that was a nice surprise.you know, especially since i was four miles from my car.
so no emergency room.
but i sort of feel like crap.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
sammidge
yesterday i walked up to the glastenbury firetower.
no, you go google it yourself.
and after some hours of walking in solitude i got up to the top and all of a sudden there was a crowd.
by "crowd", i mean four guys. there were two german speakers, both long distance hikers, and two AT through hikers. neckbone, who was northbound, and mr. blister who was headed south.
the other guys all moved along pretty quickly but mr. blister was hanging out for a little while, which is what selected him for the windfall.
see, when you are distance hiking, you don;t get a lot of fresh food. you get what you can carry, and you eat a lot of dense nasty stuff with high caloric content that will keep in your pack or in your resupply cache you mail to yourself at some remote post office.
but i was up there on the mountain with a great deal more food than i needed, just in case.
and you KNOW i can make a sammidge.
so i turned to mr. blister and i said "would you be interested in a turkey sammidge?"
you'd have thought it was christmas.
turkey with cheese on a sundried tomato herb wrap with fresh vegetables and a little secret ingredient.
it doesn't matter, really. bonus calories are bonus calories. food you don't have to carry yourself and wrappers someone else packs out for you are magic.
yeah, magic.
no, you go google it yourself.
and after some hours of walking in solitude i got up to the top and all of a sudden there was a crowd.
by "crowd", i mean four guys. there were two german speakers, both long distance hikers, and two AT through hikers. neckbone, who was northbound, and mr. blister who was headed south.
the other guys all moved along pretty quickly but mr. blister was hanging out for a little while, which is what selected him for the windfall.
see, when you are distance hiking, you don;t get a lot of fresh food. you get what you can carry, and you eat a lot of dense nasty stuff with high caloric content that will keep in your pack or in your resupply cache you mail to yourself at some remote post office.
but i was up there on the mountain with a great deal more food than i needed, just in case.
and you KNOW i can make a sammidge.
so i turned to mr. blister and i said "would you be interested in a turkey sammidge?"
you'd have thought it was christmas.
turkey with cheese on a sundried tomato herb wrap with fresh vegetables and a little secret ingredient.
it doesn't matter, really. bonus calories are bonus calories. food you don't have to carry yourself and wrappers someone else packs out for you are magic.
yeah, magic.
Friday, July 11, 2014
well, that was a day.
no, i don't have links for you.
i am balancing my computer on my lap in my car just before i go to bed.
this morning i woke up in the green mountain national forest and then drove a half hour deeper into the forest so i could walk the short way up the back to the glastenbury fire tower.
because geocache.
and then after all those hours of walking it was only two in the afternoon when i got out so i went paddling at lowell lake.
because geocache.
i am tired now.
nighty night.
pictures later.
i am balancing my computer on my lap in my car just before i go to bed.
this morning i woke up in the green mountain national forest and then drove a half hour deeper into the forest so i could walk the short way up the back to the glastenbury fire tower.
because geocache.
and then after all those hours of walking it was only two in the afternoon when i got out so i went paddling at lowell lake.
because geocache.
i am tired now.
nighty night.
pictures later.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
bikes in the crosswalk
look, boys and girls: you can't ride bikes in the crosswalk.
crosswalks are for pedestrians.
if you are riding a bike on a road, you are TRAFFIC. you may in most towns ride on the sidewalk, but if you're going to take advantage of pedestrian status to hold up traffic to use a crosswalk, you SHOULD BE ON FOOT.
conveniently, there is a solution to this.
the thing about biking is that you can go from being a rider to being a pedestrian in two easy steps:
1) dismount
2) begin walking
that's it. as a cyclist you have the right to travel like a regular vehicle. you also have the right to use most sidewalks and pedestrian bridges. and you can walk your bike where regulations or courtesy demand it.
if you are using a pedestrian crosswalk, BE A PEDESTRIAN. that is not a magic "let all bicycles turn left" button.
and for goodness' sake, if you are riding a bike, never never, NEVER ride on the left facing traffic as if you are a pedestrian. if you are in the roadway, you ARE the traffic. if you are stupid and do this, you are a safety hazard for everyone around you.
oh, and by-the-way: when i'm driving on the road and i see a cyclist on the shoulder and it may be an unpredictable surface, i gradually move out as far to the center as i can, which alerts oncoming drivers that i will be giving those riders space.
in this state we have a lot of laws governing how cyclists should be protected as "vulnerable road users" and it makes me happy to see that often a driver oncoming will anticipate that the driver passing the cyclist will be using more space and already have moved to make room.
it's just good practice to watch out for other road users, and those users include motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
plus it's good manners to share nicely.
crosswalks are for pedestrians.
if you are riding a bike on a road, you are TRAFFIC. you may in most towns ride on the sidewalk, but if you're going to take advantage of pedestrian status to hold up traffic to use a crosswalk, you SHOULD BE ON FOOT.
conveniently, there is a solution to this.
the thing about biking is that you can go from being a rider to being a pedestrian in two easy steps:
1) dismount
2) begin walking
that's it. as a cyclist you have the right to travel like a regular vehicle. you also have the right to use most sidewalks and pedestrian bridges. and you can walk your bike where regulations or courtesy demand it.
if you are using a pedestrian crosswalk, BE A PEDESTRIAN. that is not a magic "let all bicycles turn left" button.
and for goodness' sake, if you are riding a bike, never never, NEVER ride on the left facing traffic as if you are a pedestrian. if you are in the roadway, you ARE the traffic. if you are stupid and do this, you are a safety hazard for everyone around you.
oh, and by-the-way: when i'm driving on the road and i see a cyclist on the shoulder and it may be an unpredictable surface, i gradually move out as far to the center as i can, which alerts oncoming drivers that i will be giving those riders space.
in this state we have a lot of laws governing how cyclists should be protected as "vulnerable road users" and it makes me happy to see that often a driver oncoming will anticipate that the driver passing the cyclist will be using more space and already have moved to make room.
it's just good practice to watch out for other road users, and those users include motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
plus it's good manners to share nicely.
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
boat building
argh.
well, i'm still fighting with my hard drives. bit by bit i'm getting it worked out.
i only mention it because i wanted to make you a cute little video about making my little boat for the venture vermont challenge, only yesterday afternoon the little bits of video that showed the introduction and the part where i use the stone tools and the part where i explain my plan- essentially, most of the good parts- those disappeared.
i made a video of what's left, so here that is.
well, i'm still fighting with my hard drives. bit by bit i'm getting it worked out.
i only mention it because i wanted to make you a cute little video about making my little boat for the venture vermont challenge, only yesterday afternoon the little bits of video that showed the introduction and the part where i use the stone tools and the part where i explain my plan- essentially, most of the good parts- those disappeared.
i made a video of what's left, so here that is.
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
just make it stop.
so today i went to edit up a cute little video about making a little boat for the venture vermont challenge, only i went to look for the videos, and sometime since yesterday afternoon those files have disappeared off of my computer.
so then i tracked them down and they still exist as stills somehow.
???
corrupted and file type changed and i can't get them back?
..rebuild photo library.
still missing.
and some new ones are missing.
one of my older hard drives has taken up the charming habit of suddenly disconnecting itself without bothering to unmount.
so the progress of backing up all the data to the new hard drive has been somewhat impeded.
so now i'm just taking for days or so to totally back up the older drive that's NOT turning itself off randomly and then i'll figure out what the problem is. i think i can manage to partition the new drive or something while i get the problem sorted out, but i would just really like ONE complete backup before i start messing with things, you know?
so then i tracked them down and they still exist as stills somehow.
???
corrupted and file type changed and i can't get them back?
..rebuild photo library.
still missing.
and some new ones are missing.
one of my older hard drives has taken up the charming habit of suddenly disconnecting itself without bothering to unmount.
so the progress of backing up all the data to the new hard drive has been somewhat impeded.
so now i'm just taking for days or so to totally back up the older drive that's NOT turning itself off randomly and then i'll figure out what the problem is. i think i can manage to partition the new drive or something while i get the problem sorted out, but i would just really like ONE complete backup before i start messing with things, you know?
Monday, July 07, 2014
things and more things
i am still fighting the data crash wars.
i got a new hard drive that will let me put my music on one drive and my photos on another and then have enough room to back things up properly, but now all of a sudden one of the older drives has decided every few hours to suddenly disconnect itself, which means i can't migrate any of the data from the other of the old drives, which means i am STILL short of space simply because i have extra copies of too many things while i'm trying to get everything cleaned and backed up.
meantime, i still go out and find a geocache every day. today i found thirty of them.
i am still training for my race on august 2. today i am carrying a midweight pack.
today i saw a little spotted fawn walking up a road.
i also saw a traffic control lady who waved happily at all of the passing cars. of course i waved back.
i got a new hard drive that will let me put my music on one drive and my photos on another and then have enough room to back things up properly, but now all of a sudden one of the older drives has decided every few hours to suddenly disconnect itself, which means i can't migrate any of the data from the other of the old drives, which means i am STILL short of space simply because i have extra copies of too many things while i'm trying to get everything cleaned and backed up.
meantime, i still go out and find a geocache every day. today i found thirty of them.
i am still training for my race on august 2. today i am carrying a midweight pack.
today i saw a little spotted fawn walking up a road.
i also saw a traffic control lady who waved happily at all of the passing cars. of course i waved back.
Sunday, July 06, 2014
stand up
a while ago i wrote of my ambition to learn to pee standing up.
i know you have been wondering how that's going.
i made some initial progress, but it's never really convenient to test those skills, because if you're wearing pants or even shoes mistakes will cost you a large portion of your day unless you're located conveniently near somewhere it doesn't matter if you miss and also you can change clothes.
so a few weeks ago i decided to do a diagnostic kind of test run, working barefooted in my bathtub.
i had a disturbing amount of leakage.
the matter of aim is kind of critical for women, because there's no obvious spigoty thing to point away from the body, and it's frighteningly easy to get a split stream, one of which just runs right down your leg.
and that's no good.
so i've made it a bit of a discipline to practice every day in the shower, sans pants, until i can start and stop the stream without any running down my leg and then i'll try again with pants.
the reason why is that i am TIRED of being places where a quick stand-up pee would be easy, but i can't quite find a place to squat, plus it is a PROJECT to have to drop flaps to squat on a january morning at twenty below.
less exposure of my big naked butt is a thing i look forward to.
plus it's badass.
i know you have been wondering how that's going.
i made some initial progress, but it's never really convenient to test those skills, because if you're wearing pants or even shoes mistakes will cost you a large portion of your day unless you're located conveniently near somewhere it doesn't matter if you miss and also you can change clothes.
so a few weeks ago i decided to do a diagnostic kind of test run, working barefooted in my bathtub.
i had a disturbing amount of leakage.
the matter of aim is kind of critical for women, because there's no obvious spigoty thing to point away from the body, and it's frighteningly easy to get a split stream, one of which just runs right down your leg.
and that's no good.
so i've made it a bit of a discipline to practice every day in the shower, sans pants, until i can start and stop the stream without any running down my leg and then i'll try again with pants.
the reason why is that i am TIRED of being places where a quick stand-up pee would be easy, but i can't quite find a place to squat, plus it is a PROJECT to have to drop flaps to squat on a january morning at twenty below.
less exposure of my big naked butt is a thing i look forward to.
plus it's badass.
Saturday, July 05, 2014
behind the curtain
so i was out kayaking with a friend and her phone rings.
i know, right?
i don't keep a phone on while i'm kayaking.
but it's someone from work, so she picks up. "something's going on in BT", she tells me casually.
after she's done talking on the phone, i ask what BT is.
"biological terrorism."
"oh. that sounds worse than what i had in mind."
well, it turns out that there are a number of biological thingies you can be exposed to environmentally. you know, while you're just working in your garden or something and if you get sick and the hospital cultures you for whatever you might have and the profile of it MIGHT match something on the CDC's list of worrisome things, a team of people from the state lab gets called in to work from whatever they were doing.
a courier gets called to pick up the specimen and at least two people from the lab have to go in and prepare cultures and grow them and check them.
it's kind of a pain if this happens, say, over the fourth of july weekend because the microbiologists might be at barbecues or baseball games or, you know, an hour and a half by paddle up a river somewhere.
it's kind of nice to see them organizing that work, because the state health lab moves kinda snappy to sort things out for one sick patient on a holiday weekend, which suggests to me that they are prepared to move quickly when there is more urgent need.
it's nice to know that the lab doesn't get to it when they get to it; they get to it NOW, holiday weekend or not.
i know, right?
i don't keep a phone on while i'm kayaking.
but it's someone from work, so she picks up. "something's going on in BT", she tells me casually.
after she's done talking on the phone, i ask what BT is.
"biological terrorism."
"oh. that sounds worse than what i had in mind."
well, it turns out that there are a number of biological thingies you can be exposed to environmentally. you know, while you're just working in your garden or something and if you get sick and the hospital cultures you for whatever you might have and the profile of it MIGHT match something on the CDC's list of worrisome things, a team of people from the state lab gets called in to work from whatever they were doing.
a courier gets called to pick up the specimen and at least two people from the lab have to go in and prepare cultures and grow them and check them.
it's kind of a pain if this happens, say, over the fourth of july weekend because the microbiologists might be at barbecues or baseball games or, you know, an hour and a half by paddle up a river somewhere.
it's kind of nice to see them organizing that work, because the state health lab moves kinda snappy to sort things out for one sick patient on a holiday weekend, which suggests to me that they are prepared to move quickly when there is more urgent need.
it's nice to know that the lab doesn't get to it when they get to it; they get to it NOW, holiday weekend or not.
Friday, July 04, 2014
my pack
if your're a long time follower of this blog or if you came in from the GMARA website, you are probably wondering but flask, isn't it july? shouldn't you be pack training?
how clever of you to notice. why, yes. it is july. and as of july 2 i switched over from my little camelbak to the larger daypack i will be carrying in the bitter pill, but last week i made a little video about what's in my pack because there are some pack related items in the venture vermont outdoor challenge. one of those things is to go on a hike of at least three miles carrying everything you need in your pack, and the other is to make an emergency kit and list what's in it.
i am often going on hikes of three miles or so, and i always carry a little more gear than i perhaps strictly need. i've always carried a first aid kit, but last year i upgraded my first aid kit to be in compliance with the mandatories of the equipment list for the bitter pill, so that's pretty much what's in my emergency bag that goes in my pack.
besides the mandatories, i also include benadryl, immodium, acetominophen, my inhaler and epipen, and some other small niceties.
in cold weather, i will also carry extra clothing, and TWO working lighters, along with firestarter and hand warmers.
how clever of you to notice. why, yes. it is july. and as of july 2 i switched over from my little camelbak to the larger daypack i will be carrying in the bitter pill, but last week i made a little video about what's in my pack because there are some pack related items in the venture vermont outdoor challenge. one of those things is to go on a hike of at least three miles carrying everything you need in your pack, and the other is to make an emergency kit and list what's in it.
i am often going on hikes of three miles or so, and i always carry a little more gear than i perhaps strictly need. i've always carried a first aid kit, but last year i upgraded my first aid kit to be in compliance with the mandatories of the equipment list for the bitter pill, so that's pretty much what's in my emergency bag that goes in my pack.
Team First Aid Kit:
Each team must carry a first aid kit with at least the following items, or equivalent:
[ ] 1” bandages
[ ] 3x4” gauze pads
[ ] 2x5 yd gauze roll
[ ] 1/2” adhesive tape roll
[ ] Tweezers
[ ] Anti-bacterial creme/towlettes
[ ] Ibuprofen
[ ] Iodine tablets or other water purification systembesides the mandatories, i also include benadryl, immodium, acetominophen, my inhaler and epipen, and some other small niceties.
in cold weather, i will also carry extra clothing, and TWO working lighters, along with firestarter and hand warmers.
Thursday, July 03, 2014
educational disservice in language study
everybody ready for a personal refletction on a lost educational opportunity?
great.
ok, so i took french all through middle school and high school. i was a passable speaker and a pretty good reader.
but when i was in college, i realized that while i had some good beginnings, what i did not have was a solid gasp of grammar. so i thought taking some french in college would be just the thing. i looked at catalog listings and syllabi and came up with a nice solid second-year grammar course that i thought would make me a stronger speaker and a decent writer.
you can be sloppy in your spoken french because so many verb forms sound alike from tense to tense.
and you can gather a LOT of clues in reading by sorting context.
so i went to ask to take this second-year grammar course that was just perfect for my needs and they said i'd have to test out of first year french, so i took the placement tests. i warned them, though, that i was going to look a LOT better on paper than my actual skills.
you know, because i had good comprehension and weak grammar and if they weren't taking a writing sample or asking me to make more than small talk, they weren't going to see my glaring deficiencies.
you see where this is going?
i ended up in a senior level conversational course where i was that one kid nobody wants in their group. i was completely over my head. the teacher felt i had a poor grasp of grammar.
and i was too ashamed to stand up and say TOLJA.
i knew how good i was, and how good i wasn't. i KNEW i belonged in a second-year grammar course and that's what i tried to get into.
i could still use a second year grammar course. i feel the sting of it every time i want to speak french, which, because of where i live, is pretty often.
the moral of the story is that an enthusiastic learner will often be able to tell you what they need. if you are a teacher, you should listen.
great.
ok, so i took french all through middle school and high school. i was a passable speaker and a pretty good reader.
but when i was in college, i realized that while i had some good beginnings, what i did not have was a solid gasp of grammar. so i thought taking some french in college would be just the thing. i looked at catalog listings and syllabi and came up with a nice solid second-year grammar course that i thought would make me a stronger speaker and a decent writer.
you can be sloppy in your spoken french because so many verb forms sound alike from tense to tense.
and you can gather a LOT of clues in reading by sorting context.
so i went to ask to take this second-year grammar course that was just perfect for my needs and they said i'd have to test out of first year french, so i took the placement tests. i warned them, though, that i was going to look a LOT better on paper than my actual skills.
you know, because i had good comprehension and weak grammar and if they weren't taking a writing sample or asking me to make more than small talk, they weren't going to see my glaring deficiencies.
you see where this is going?
i ended up in a senior level conversational course where i was that one kid nobody wants in their group. i was completely over my head. the teacher felt i had a poor grasp of grammar.
and i was too ashamed to stand up and say TOLJA.
i knew how good i was, and how good i wasn't. i KNEW i belonged in a second-year grammar course and that's what i tried to get into.
i could still use a second year grammar course. i feel the sting of it every time i want to speak french, which, because of where i live, is pretty often.
the moral of the story is that an enthusiastic learner will often be able to tell you what they need. if you are a teacher, you should listen.
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
mammals
unless you just walked into this blog about ten minutes ago, you already know that this summer is kind of heavy on posts about things i happened to see or do while working on this year's venture vermont outdoor challenge. one of the items on this year's list is to photograph and identify two kinds of mammals in the wild, to identify them and record their behavior.
while i seem to have a knack for getting decent pictures of frogs and toads, i am finding class mammalia an altogether more difficult thing.
while i'm seeing a lot of deer and even the occasional moose or mink, there's really nothing in the behaviors of those animals that make them sit still while you get out your camera. bunnies, on the other hand, will freeze right to the spot and pretend you can't see them. sadly, my one really good picture of a rabbit disappeared mysteriously in a minor data crash.
when you meet people out in the wild they will often happily pose for you, but most will draw the line if you take notes about their behavior, plus i think that while people definitely qualify as mammals, they are not really what the state parks department had in mind with this item on the list.
so one morning i was on the border of some woodland in rockingham looking for a geocache and i spotted a little thing in a crevice of a tree that looked a little out of place. it turned out not to be a small geocache, but a bat. there is little to say about its behavior except that it was sleeping sufficiently soundly as to make me have to look closely to see that it wasn't dead.
of course even it there was no venture challenge i would still have to go look up what kind of bat it was, because i'm like that. so i hit the identification guides, which were of little help to me other than to narrow it down to four or five of the nine species found in vermont.
so i did the thing you'd do, right?
i called up the department of fish and wildlife to ask a wildlife biologist because i figure bats are an item of interest for those guys and they probably see them all the time and can recognize this one right away from the photo.
plus if you work for the state as a wildlife biologist, i imagine you get more calls about scary or pesty or huntable critters than you do about critters that somebody just wants to know more about.
alyssa bennet, the wildlife biologist who returned my call, was able to identify my sleeping beauty as a big brown bat, which i thought was something of a misnomer since this little guy is all of nine centimeters long.
later in the day i was having a look at a historical marker along the crown point military road when i got a good scolding from a pair of chipmunks. i thought the thing i always think when i'm being scolded by a chipmunk, which is, "you're kind of cheeky for a groundsquirrel, aren't you?"
while it's easy to SEE a chipmunk in a cute pose, it is somewhat harder to photograph one that way, because you kind of have to be quick with the camera. they don't stay too long in any one particular cute pose, but i was noticing that this one kept coming back to the same spot on this rock to strike more or less the same pose at me while chattering loudly whatever chipmunk-based invective that chipmunks chatter when you have disturbed their gathering.
so i just focused on that spot on the rock and i waited for the chipmunk to come back.
kind of cheeky for a groundsquirrel.
while i seem to have a knack for getting decent pictures of frogs and toads, i am finding class mammalia an altogether more difficult thing.
while i'm seeing a lot of deer and even the occasional moose or mink, there's really nothing in the behaviors of those animals that make them sit still while you get out your camera. bunnies, on the other hand, will freeze right to the spot and pretend you can't see them. sadly, my one really good picture of a rabbit disappeared mysteriously in a minor data crash.
when you meet people out in the wild they will often happily pose for you, but most will draw the line if you take notes about their behavior, plus i think that while people definitely qualify as mammals, they are not really what the state parks department had in mind with this item on the list.
so one morning i was on the border of some woodland in rockingham looking for a geocache and i spotted a little thing in a crevice of a tree that looked a little out of place. it turned out not to be a small geocache, but a bat. there is little to say about its behavior except that it was sleeping sufficiently soundly as to make me have to look closely to see that it wasn't dead.
of course even it there was no venture challenge i would still have to go look up what kind of bat it was, because i'm like that. so i hit the identification guides, which were of little help to me other than to narrow it down to four or five of the nine species found in vermont.
so i did the thing you'd do, right?
i called up the department of fish and wildlife to ask a wildlife biologist because i figure bats are an item of interest for those guys and they probably see them all the time and can recognize this one right away from the photo.
plus if you work for the state as a wildlife biologist, i imagine you get more calls about scary or pesty or huntable critters than you do about critters that somebody just wants to know more about.
alyssa bennet, the wildlife biologist who returned my call, was able to identify my sleeping beauty as a big brown bat, which i thought was something of a misnomer since this little guy is all of nine centimeters long.
later in the day i was having a look at a historical marker along the crown point military road when i got a good scolding from a pair of chipmunks. i thought the thing i always think when i'm being scolded by a chipmunk, which is, "you're kind of cheeky for a groundsquirrel, aren't you?"
while it's easy to SEE a chipmunk in a cute pose, it is somewhat harder to photograph one that way, because you kind of have to be quick with the camera. they don't stay too long in any one particular cute pose, but i was noticing that this one kept coming back to the same spot on this rock to strike more or less the same pose at me while chattering loudly whatever chipmunk-based invective that chipmunks chatter when you have disturbed their gathering.
so i just focused on that spot on the rock and i waited for the chipmunk to come back.
kind of cheeky for a groundsquirrel.
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
open letter to a chipping sparrow
dear that chipping sparrow that sings outside my window all. damn. day. long,
i realize that you have a lot of business to conduct and that most of it involves guarding your territory and your sweet little mate, but let's face it: it is rather late in the season and while your mate must be some kinda hottie for you to have to sing to ward off competitors all day, every day, without a rest from a half hour before the sun rises to a half hour after it goes down, most of the other guys in the neighborhood have scaled back on all the chipping song to a couple times every ten minutes or so.
don't you need to go eat or something? or feed your young? you have a nest full of young, right? or are you the last unmated guy in the neighborhood trying to attract a mate to your small territory right outside my bedroom window?
i'm having a hard time seeing that the territory right outside my bedroom window is any kind of prime real estate for a bird.
it's getting old, dude. give it a break.
love, flask
i realize that you have a lot of business to conduct and that most of it involves guarding your territory and your sweet little mate, but let's face it: it is rather late in the season and while your mate must be some kinda hottie for you to have to sing to ward off competitors all day, every day, without a rest from a half hour before the sun rises to a half hour after it goes down, most of the other guys in the neighborhood have scaled back on all the chipping song to a couple times every ten minutes or so.
don't you need to go eat or something? or feed your young? you have a nest full of young, right? or are you the last unmated guy in the neighborhood trying to attract a mate to your small territory right outside my bedroom window?
i'm having a hard time seeing that the territory right outside my bedroom window is any kind of prime real estate for a bird.
it's getting old, dude. give it a break.
love, flask
Monday, June 30, 2014
the gorge
if you grow up in this part of vermont, there is a thing your parents tell you as soon as you start to get to the age where you might be getting in cars to go places with people.
they tell you never, ever, no matter what, promise you will never go swimming in huntington gorge.
the thing is that huntington gorge is spectacularly beautiful and also a popular swimming hole despite the fact that to go swimming there you have to pass right by the official state sign listing the people who have died in the gorge over time.
the sign, of course, does not detail the most recent deaths, nor does it capture the horror of some years ago when sgt. gary gaboury of the state police was killed in the gorge trying to retrieve a body that was turning like a logroll in the water.
after sgt. gaboury died, they just let that body spin until it was safe to retrieve it.
this morning we woke to the news that a middle-aged woman who had not yet been identified was found dead in the gorge last night.
later on, at a more respectful interval of time, i will go to the gorge and take some pictures so you can see what it is i'm talking about.
they tell you never, ever, no matter what, promise you will never go swimming in huntington gorge.
the thing is that huntington gorge is spectacularly beautiful and also a popular swimming hole despite the fact that to go swimming there you have to pass right by the official state sign listing the people who have died in the gorge over time.
the sign, of course, does not detail the most recent deaths, nor does it capture the horror of some years ago when sgt. gary gaboury of the state police was killed in the gorge trying to retrieve a body that was turning like a logroll in the water.
after sgt. gaboury died, they just let that body spin until it was safe to retrieve it.
this morning we woke to the news that a middle-aged woman who had not yet been identified was found dead in the gorge last night.
later on, at a more respectful interval of time, i will go to the gorge and take some pictures so you can see what it is i'm talking about.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
sadly
here is the beginning of an email i got today from "nancy peolosi", which i put in quotes because it's from whichever staffer at the DCCC is cranking out trash today:
President Obama emailed you last week to ask for your help on our fundraising deadline.
Sadly, we still haven’t heard from you.
mmm-hm.
President Obama emailed you last week to ask for your help on our fundraising deadline.
Sadly, we still haven’t heard from you.
mmm-hm.
yeah, i'm going to have to suggest that "nancy pelosi" isn't really paying attention to how i'm thinking about it because only just last week when they asked me to fill out a survey asking me which of the democratic agenda items i was going to help them with, i told them
NO TPP
NO MORE TORTURE OF PRISONERS
NO MORE MASS SURVEILLANCE
NO MORE MASS SURVEILLANCE
and then i went ahead and told them that they are "filthy corrupt warmongering scum" and that i didn't see very much difference in the president's agenda as opposed to the republican agenda, except that the republican agenda has more in it about taking rights away from women, brown people, and gays but mostly it's the same old pandering to the rich by stripping the value from every worker, community, waterway, and patch of land for maximal short-term profit for the already extremely wealthy.
you guys can keep being sad. you're not getting one thin dime from me.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
amphibians
one of the items on the list for the vermont venture outdoor challenge is to photograph and identify three different amphibians.
i'm kind of a fan of critters in general, but frogs, toads, and salamanders will often sit still long enough for you to take pictures.
my whole field guide album for the challenge this year can be seen here, but i present for your enjoyment a selection of amphibians that i've had the pleasure of meeting recently.
i'm kind of a fan of critters in general, but frogs, toads, and salamanders will often sit still long enough for you to take pictures.
my whole field guide album for the challenge this year can be seen here, but i present for your enjoyment a selection of amphibians that i've had the pleasure of meeting recently.
 |
| bufo americanus camel's humps state forest |
 |
| rana sylvatica camel's hump state forest |
 |
| notopthalmus viridescens viridescens (land form) wilgus state park |
Friday, June 27, 2014
slab and slot
 |
| slab and slot |
i hiked the pinnacle trail at wilgus and then after a visit with my grandmother i went off to the veritable wonderland of mt. ascutney state park. i made a video of the drive up and down the road which is spectacular enough, but you're going to have to wait until a later post to see that because i'm currently migrating ALL my data over to a new hard drive, and that's slowing down my machine to the point i'd just rather not edit video right now.
 |
| slot trail, as promised |
you can hike all the way up ascutney from the bottom, but i was looking at a pair of geocaches and after consulting a map i decided that while i wasn't going to save anything on distance, i could lessen my exposure to the steeper portions of the trial by approaching one of them from the summit and approaching the other from the base via the windsor trail.
it's still some challenging hiking, but i like to save wear on my knees when i can.
 |
| on the tower |
i mean, really?
and speaking of wandering, i was sort of looking for the brownsville trail. i say "sort of", because it's extremely well marked if you happen to be at it, and if i'd just been going there directly i would have found it right away.
 |
| summit mark |
 |
| hang glider emergency kit |
by the time i wandered past the junction the second time, it was already three in the afternoon, but it's a super nice ridgeline trail, at least until it plunges down the mountainside.
so i had a look at the USGS survey markers, and i went to look at brownsville rock and i admired so carved rock graffiti, which i can only assume was left by the kimball union academy class of 1925. i very much enjoyed seeing the foundation of the little stone hut, and then i got kind of more serious about going down the brownsville trail.
 |
| west summit windsock |
 |
| it is very GREEN up here. |
Thursday, June 26, 2014
evening frogs
as part of the venture vermont outdoor challenge 2014, i've made a recordings of frogs in the evening.
spring peepers (psuedacris crucifer) at a pond in springfield, vermont.
june 13, 2014:
spring peepers (psuedacris crucifer) at a pond in springfield, vermont.
june 13, 2014:
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
shoe shopping
last moth i wore out two pairs of hiking boots. for each pair the wearing came over a period of years. after three or four years of hard use, the first pair ceased to be waterproof, but were otherwise good for light travel on dry days, so i kept them. after four or five years the NEW pair's soles simply fell off.
this happened the same week that the old pair's soles wore through.
so i had to go shoe shopping. while there are lots of hiking boots out there to buy, there are a very limited number of stiff-soled fully waterproof hikers that you can wear year-round.
and by "year-round", i mean that i will be wearing them for summer hiking, but i will also need to wear them with crampons in winter.
so i tried on all three of the boots that qualified, and it turns out that only one of them fits me.
this isn'
t really a surprise, because it's simply the same boot i've been wearing all these years.
this happened the same week that the old pair's soles wore through.
so i had to go shoe shopping. while there are lots of hiking boots out there to buy, there are a very limited number of stiff-soled fully waterproof hikers that you can wear year-round.
and by "year-round", i mean that i will be wearing them for summer hiking, but i will also need to wear them with crampons in winter.
so i tried on all three of the boots that qualified, and it turns out that only one of them fits me.
this isn'
t really a surprise, because it's simply the same boot i've been wearing all these years.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
ludow spring
my grandmother remembers a time when her father used to pile the kids in the car on a hot day and go get water and the ludlow spring, which also meant stopping for ice cream.
Monday, June 23, 2014
mesovert?
there's a lot written on the internet about introverts.
i think this is largely due to the fact that the internet has a large population of introverts on it. the extroverts are maybe talking about extroversion, but they're all off at parties or something and talking about it face to face.
i have come to realize that i require a great deal of social interactions but also a great deal of solitude. i am perfectly happy to go days on end without talking to a single other person and yet i am totally happy to hang out with someone i only just met in a parking lot.
i don't do a lot of thing alone because i have no friends; i do them alone because i like to do them alone. you have a different kind of adventure when you go alone.
and oddly, i like to ski alone precisely because i get to meet interesting people on chairlifts. if you go WITH someone, you're talking to your friend and you don't get to make chitchat with fascinating strangers.
i LOVE talking with random people.
big crowd? AWESOME.
weeks by myself? AWESOME
either of those two things without the other? not so good.
so maybe i'm a mesovert.
i think this is largely due to the fact that the internet has a large population of introverts on it. the extroverts are maybe talking about extroversion, but they're all off at parties or something and talking about it face to face.
i have come to realize that i require a great deal of social interactions but also a great deal of solitude. i am perfectly happy to go days on end without talking to a single other person and yet i am totally happy to hang out with someone i only just met in a parking lot.
i don't do a lot of thing alone because i have no friends; i do them alone because i like to do them alone. you have a different kind of adventure when you go alone.
and oddly, i like to ski alone precisely because i get to meet interesting people on chairlifts. if you go WITH someone, you're talking to your friend and you don't get to make chitchat with fascinating strangers.
i LOVE talking with random people.
big crowd? AWESOME.
weeks by myself? AWESOME
either of those two things without the other? not so good.
so maybe i'm a mesovert.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
this week's eggs
this week i got my eggs at the vermont youth conservation corps. aside from all their good work with parks and trails and construction, they also keep a farm at the monitor barn on route 2 and the provide food to programs that serve the food insecure and to long term patients at health facilities.
the chickens spend their days up on the hill between the solar collectors and the trail system, and you can go visit them when you buy eggs.
the chickens spend their days up on the hill between the solar collectors and the trail system, and you can go visit them when you buy eggs.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
heart in hand
one of the bonus activities for the vermont venture challenge si to find a heart-shaped rock.
here's mine.
here's mine.
Friday, June 20, 2014
a visit to birch glen camp
birch glen camp, on vermont's long trail, is one of the treasures of camel's hump state forest. i was up there a couple of weeks ago and took some pictures so you can see.
 |
| birch glen camp |
 |
| seen from the beane trail |
 |
| thou shalt not |
 |
| door |
 |
| detail of door |
 |
| living area |
 |
| carving in bench |
 |
| bunkroom |
 |
| fireplace |
 |
| it has running water! |
 |
| outhouse |
 |
| signs |
Thursday, June 19, 2014
a lot has happened on facebook since you last logged in.
i have a facebook account. i have it under a fake name because every once in a while a business or organization will get confused and think a facebook page constitutes an acceptable web presence.
first, it's not an acceptable web presence.
there's a lot of new legalese at a lot of companies now that reading their facebook page or hitting their "like"button constitutes your agreement never to sue them for anything, ever.
i am not kidding about this, but you have to go find your own links.
it's also not an acceptable web presence because if as a business or organization you have a webpage, anyone with any browser can go to it, and you are not bound by the terms of one huge skeezy corporation for access between you and your clients / customers / patrons / members.
plus facebook will be happy to throttle back your messages so that unless you pay a premium rate, only SOME of your contacts will get your information.
i hope they are first against the wall when the revolution comes.
anyway, i recently received a message from facebook that "a lot has happened on facebook" since i last logged in.
(you know you should always log out of facebook, right? because they track every webpage you visit and every action you take for the entire time you're logged in?)
so i logged in to read the ONE notification that facebook wants me to feel i'll be left out of things if i don't read.
the important notification that constitutes "a lot has happened on facebook" since i last logged in?
they're improving their advertising.
gosh, i don't know how i was going to live without knowing that.
thanks, facebook.
first, it's not an acceptable web presence.
there's a lot of new legalese at a lot of companies now that reading their facebook page or hitting their "like"button constitutes your agreement never to sue them for anything, ever.
i am not kidding about this, but you have to go find your own links.
it's also not an acceptable web presence because if as a business or organization you have a webpage, anyone with any browser can go to it, and you are not bound by the terms of one huge skeezy corporation for access between you and your clients / customers / patrons / members.
plus facebook will be happy to throttle back your messages so that unless you pay a premium rate, only SOME of your contacts will get your information.
i hope they are first against the wall when the revolution comes.
anyway, i recently received a message from facebook that "a lot has happened on facebook" since i last logged in.
(you know you should always log out of facebook, right? because they track every webpage you visit and every action you take for the entire time you're logged in?)
so i logged in to read the ONE notification that facebook wants me to feel i'll be left out of things if i don't read.
the important notification that constitutes "a lot has happened on facebook" since i last logged in?
they're improving their advertising.
gosh, i don't know how i was going to live without knowing that.
thanks, facebook.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
stumped
so last thursday i was looking for a geocache and i found myself standing on top of a REALLY BIG STUMP. the tree had grown very close tot eh side of a steep hill, so it was a simple matter of stepping off onto the top of it, but on the other side it was quite a drop.
remarkable view.
remarkable view.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
family relations
the yard i was staying in this week is sort of my uncle's.
because i've never really thought of him as my uncle, even though he's my stepmother's brother.
it's odd, maybe, because i think of my stepmother as a fully functional mom and i only call her my stepmother because i still have the original fully functional mom and it seems easier to label them that way.
and my grandmother is my stepmother's mom.
so i guess if i go to visit my grandmother and stay in her son's yard (which is like a luxury campsite, next to the pond) it's just easier all around if i call him my uncle when explaining to people where i am staying.
i think i'll just still call him john mostly, just as always. it fits in, because outside of my dad, i call all my relatives by their first names. it's a family thing.
because i've never really thought of him as my uncle, even though he's my stepmother's brother.
it's odd, maybe, because i think of my stepmother as a fully functional mom and i only call her my stepmother because i still have the original fully functional mom and it seems easier to label them that way.
and my grandmother is my stepmother's mom.
so i guess if i go to visit my grandmother and stay in her son's yard (which is like a luxury campsite, next to the pond) it's just easier all around if i call him my uncle when explaining to people where i am staying.
i think i'll just still call him john mostly, just as always. it fits in, because outside of my dad, i call all my relatives by their first names. it's a family thing.
Monday, June 16, 2014
woo! home!
yes, i KNOW i am not yet done telling you about my LAST trip, but last week i packed up my car and went to visit my grandmother.
...which meant camping in somebody's driveway (more pleasant than it sounds), going off and having little adventures and then stopping by at some point in the day to bring happy tales and show pictures to my grandmother.
five days later, i'm home.
if you'll excuse me, i have some dinner to eat. and a shower to take. and laundry to put in the machine. and a car to unpack.
later on i have pictures for you, and i took a little video for cookie and hundewanderer, because i was on the mt. ascutney park road and it was so spectacularly mountain-y and GREEN that i made a second trip just to make a video. i am not sure how it came out yet, and i have not yet gotten the little attachment thingy that will let me make video from outside my car.
anyway.
food.
personal hygiene.
sleep.
awesome.
...which meant camping in somebody's driveway (more pleasant than it sounds), going off and having little adventures and then stopping by at some point in the day to bring happy tales and show pictures to my grandmother.
five days later, i'm home.
if you'll excuse me, i have some dinner to eat. and a shower to take. and laundry to put in the machine. and a car to unpack.
later on i have pictures for you, and i took a little video for cookie and hundewanderer, because i was on the mt. ascutney park road and it was so spectacularly mountain-y and GREEN that i made a second trip just to make a video. i am not sure how it came out yet, and i have not yet gotten the little attachment thingy that will let me make video from outside my car.
anyway.
food.
personal hygiene.
sleep.
awesome.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
ascutney market
k, k, ok.
so i went out to find some caches and then i went to visit my grandmother and thin i was HUNGRY and i asked around where i might go nearby and get a pizza and they sent me up road ways. but then on the way i was passing the ascutney market the had a sign out front that said FRIDAY NIGHT BARBECUE!
so i turned in there going around the corner on two wheels, yah, i did.
got me a pulled pork sammidge and some baked beans.
mmmm, tasty.
no, there are no pictures for you. i was too busy eating.
you go get your own. this one's mine.
so i went out to find some caches and then i went to visit my grandmother and thin i was HUNGRY and i asked around where i might go nearby and get a pizza and they sent me up road ways. but then on the way i was passing the ascutney market the had a sign out front that said FRIDAY NIGHT BARBECUE!
so i turned in there going around the corner on two wheels, yah, i did.
got me a pulled pork sammidge and some baked beans.
mmmm, tasty.
no, there are no pictures for you. i was too busy eating.
you go get your own. this one's mine.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
jump in the lake
last sunday i jumped off a boat into lake champlain. this is the view of a camera on my right wrist.
one of the checklist items for the vermont venture challenge is to swim or wade in a lake, and this is my documentary video for that.
plus underwater pictures. cool.
"how bad is this going to be?" i shout to someone already in the water.
"not bad", he says.
and i jump in.
one of the checklist items for the vermont venture challenge is to swim or wade in a lake, and this is my documentary video for that.
plus underwater pictures. cool.
"how bad is this going to be?" i shout to someone already in the water.
"not bad", he says.
and i jump in.
Friday, June 13, 2014
riding in on cattails
you're welcome.
while we're at it, here's a totally unrelated video that, if you have not seen, you should see it.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
to anachreon in heaven; an open letter
dear every vocalist who has ever performed the national anthem of the united states in public,
it is the national anthem. it is not the hook for your next big hit, it is not your opportunity to make your mark on public events. you have been honored with the opportunity to perform this one small civic service. do not ornament, invent, or improvise the national anthem. just sing it. sing it the way it's written.
it's not a particularly good national anthem, but it's the one we've got.
nobody is here to hear you sing the anthem. everybody is here for the ballgame / pageant / parade / airshow / meeting. it is a simple civil duty and it is not your place to make the national anthem your own personal style statement. nobody is going to hear your imaginative rendition of the national anthem and run out and buy tickets to your next show or buy your new album.
just sing it, ok? just perform this small civil service without drawing too much attention to yourself or drawing it out for too long, bow politely and get off the stage.
love, flask.
it is the national anthem. it is not the hook for your next big hit, it is not your opportunity to make your mark on public events. you have been honored with the opportunity to perform this one small civic service. do not ornament, invent, or improvise the national anthem. just sing it. sing it the way it's written.
it's not a particularly good national anthem, but it's the one we've got.
nobody is here to hear you sing the anthem. everybody is here for the ballgame / pageant / parade / airshow / meeting. it is a simple civil duty and it is not your place to make the national anthem your own personal style statement. nobody is going to hear your imaginative rendition of the national anthem and run out and buy tickets to your next show or buy your new album.
just sing it, ok? just perform this small civil service without drawing too much attention to yourself or drawing it out for too long, bow politely and get off the stage.
love, flask.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
towdilly stranded
i am assuming you will forgive me if i tell stories out of order, since you never have seemed to mind before.
i believe i told you that last month while i was up in maine i needed a tow on my first day on the ground there.
so then some stuff happened, and there was some kayaking on pretty water, blah, blah
so then after that i went out for a drive out into the NOWHERES and most of you will have difficulty really understanding the remoteness of this part of maine, but i was out there pretty good.
when i travel, i always like to have plans B. C, and maybe D for what i will do in case for some reason i am stranded out in the nowheres.
plan B involves unracking the bike from my roof and riding into the nearest town for help.
plan C involves staying with the vehicle and setting up camp. until now i never have gotten to use those plans.
so yay?
anyway, i told the story pretty good in the geocache logs and i don't think i can improve much on the telling of that so i'm just going to link you.
i believe i told you that last month while i was up in maine i needed a tow on my first day on the ground there.
so then some stuff happened, and there was some kayaking on pretty water, blah, blah
so then after that i went out for a drive out into the NOWHERES and most of you will have difficulty really understanding the remoteness of this part of maine, but i was out there pretty good.
when i travel, i always like to have plans B. C, and maybe D for what i will do in case for some reason i am stranded out in the nowheres.
plan B involves unracking the bike from my roof and riding into the nearest town for help.
plan C involves staying with the vehicle and setting up camp. until now i never have gotten to use those plans.
so yay?
anyway, i told the story pretty good in the geocache logs and i don't think i can improve much on the telling of that so i'm just going to link you.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
second breakfast at my house
at my house, breakfast is when i wake up, and then again some hours later between eight and ten, depending on when i got up and whether lunch will be at noon or some other more hideous time later in the day.
sunday last second breakfast was fried eggs over toasted english muffins with melted brie served with broiled asparagus.
none of those things suck by themselves.
taken alone, each is very tasty. put together on a plate it is creamy, gooey, protein packed and yes, you got fresh vegetables goodness.
if you attempt this at home (which i recommend), salt the asparagus before you put it in the broiler, and don't be afraid to char it just a little. this adds crunch and smokey to the mix.
sunday last second breakfast was fried eggs over toasted english muffins with melted brie served with broiled asparagus.
none of those things suck by themselves.
taken alone, each is very tasty. put together on a plate it is creamy, gooey, protein packed and yes, you got fresh vegetables goodness.
if you attempt this at home (which i recommend), salt the asparagus before you put it in the broiler, and don't be afraid to char it just a little. this adds crunch and smokey to the mix.
Monday, June 09, 2014
sometimes i just stop; an open letter
dear guy whose blog i used to read,
this morning i took your blog off of my reading list because i'd simply had enough and decided i was better off not reading you anymore.
the last straw? a political post in which you blame most of what's wrong with america on president obama and call him "ayatollah obongo".
if you didn't come in in the last ten minutes, you already know that i'm no fan of the president. i think he's a dangerous lying tool of the warmongering surveillance state, patsy of the oil companies, and a war criminal to boot.
as soon as you use the name "ayatollah obongo", you have excused yourself from the table where the grownups are talking.
the minute you lodge your criticism of him in the name "ayatollah obongo", you are blowing your mean little dog whistle to summon your low-life white supremacist islamophobe tinfoil hat wearing birther friends to the rally.
you are trading on race (because african names are savage names) and you are trading on anti-islamic sentiments (despite the fact that president obama belongs to the united church of christ). you are using low, low tactics that rely on racism, lies, and more racism.
how about you stand up and be a big boy and make arguments based on what you think is actually wrong with the president based on what the president actually does or says wrong, which would actually give you a great deal of material to work with?
the president is just as corrupt and dangerous as any of the creepy corrupt white old men who have ever held an elected office in new jersey and louisiana put together.
so i'm done with you, and good riddance.
love, flask
this morning i took your blog off of my reading list because i'd simply had enough and decided i was better off not reading you anymore.
the last straw? a political post in which you blame most of what's wrong with america on president obama and call him "ayatollah obongo".
if you didn't come in in the last ten minutes, you already know that i'm no fan of the president. i think he's a dangerous lying tool of the warmongering surveillance state, patsy of the oil companies, and a war criminal to boot.
as soon as you use the name "ayatollah obongo", you have excused yourself from the table where the grownups are talking.
the minute you lodge your criticism of him in the name "ayatollah obongo", you are blowing your mean little dog whistle to summon your low-life white supremacist islamophobe tinfoil hat wearing birther friends to the rally.
you are trading on race (because african names are savage names) and you are trading on anti-islamic sentiments (despite the fact that president obama belongs to the united church of christ). you are using low, low tactics that rely on racism, lies, and more racism.
how about you stand up and be a big boy and make arguments based on what you think is actually wrong with the president based on what the president actually does or says wrong, which would actually give you a great deal of material to work with?
the president is just as corrupt and dangerous as any of the creepy corrupt white old men who have ever held an elected office in new jersey and louisiana put together.
so i'm done with you, and good riddance.
love, flask
Sunday, June 08, 2014
carpenter hill
partly the truth is that i just like for you all to see what the landscape i live on looks like, but part of the truth is also that cookie seems to love these little videos of the roads and trails, so sometimes when i'm out on the road, i think: hey. cookie should see this.
you know, because cookie is from somewhere altogether flatter and dustier.
so here's carpenter hill road on a monday morning, from start to finish. it's my POV as i'm driving, and what you can't see unless you pull off or really look off to the sides (which is unwise while driving) are the sugarbushes and old farmhouses and the carpenter hill cemetery, which has graves dating back to the 1700s. it appears to be some kind of rule in there that if you want to be buried on carpenter hill, you have to have a headstone in the style of the old burials, which is kind of nice because the old burials used local slate, a material that is pretty AND it holds up to the weather better than granite.
anyway.
here's the video:
you know, because cookie is from somewhere altogether flatter and dustier.
so here's carpenter hill road on a monday morning, from start to finish. it's my POV as i'm driving, and what you can't see unless you pull off or really look off to the sides (which is unwise while driving) are the sugarbushes and old farmhouses and the carpenter hill cemetery, which has graves dating back to the 1700s. it appears to be some kind of rule in there that if you want to be buried on carpenter hill, you have to have a headstone in the style of the old burials, which is kind of nice because the old burials used local slate, a material that is pretty AND it holds up to the weather better than granite.
anyway.
here's the video:
Saturday, June 07, 2014
jacksonville spring
when i'm on the road i like to get my water at springs i find on the way.it's cheaper, and often the water tastes better.
plus if i can get it for free, i feel better about using however much of it i want when i wash up.
this is the spring in jacksonville, VT. sometimes when you go there you have to wait in line.
Friday, June 06, 2014
saturday afternoon on the ashuelot rail trail
one fine day last month i spent a morning and most of an afternoon finding caches along the ashuelot rail trail. on my way back to the car, i made a little video.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
venture vermont 2014
so here's a new project i'm working on: the venture vermont 2014 challenge. it's brought to you courtesy of the vermont state parks and the prize for completion is a shiny pretty medal that will entitle you to free admission at state parks for the remainder of this season and ALL OF NEXT SEASON.
i don't know about you, but i like state parks. and i like pretty shiny things.
i have not yet decided how i will post my adventures from that, but you can bet that sooner or later i will be posting those, because, well, because.
right now i'm working on a little railtrail video i shot last month so you can see it.
i don't know about you, but i like state parks. and i like pretty shiny things.
i have not yet decided how i will post my adventures from that, but you can bet that sooner or later i will be posting those, because, well, because.
right now i'm working on a little railtrail video i shot last month so you can see it.
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
mosquito
while i was in maine last month i got so many mosquito bites that i came home having to take benadryl twice a day and i think being sensitized like that is why i am feeling this season like, well, bad.
i haven't historically been dangerously and violently allergic to honeysuckle
this evening i am so swollen from mosquito bites that i am mostly one red hot welt. my eyes are puffy, and my throat itches.
whining.
i am whining now.
bright side: benadryl along with the rest of my meds will knock me out and i will sleep like the dead.
sweet.
i haven't historically been dangerously and violently allergic to honeysuckle
this evening i am so swollen from mosquito bites that i am mostly one red hot welt. my eyes are puffy, and my throat itches.
whining.
i am whining now.
bright side: benadryl along with the rest of my meds will knock me out and i will sleep like the dead.
sweet.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
courtesy umbrellas
back in april when i went to NEFFA (do your own googling) it was a rainy weekend for the most part. since the festival is largely indoors, this is largely not a problem, but the festival is in two different buildings and the festival organizers have thoughtfully taken measures to prevent the soaking of those traveling between buildings.
they put out bins of what are called "courtesy umbrellas" at the entrances between the buildings, and people shuttle them back and forth as they go.
i think it's a nice touch.
maybe you citified people see this sort of thing all the time, but i was sufficiently impressed with it that i took a picture of an umbrella bin and i put it on my desktop, waiting for such time as i might get around to telling you about it.
...until this morning, when i accidentally uploaded it to a geocache log i was writing about a ride on the ashuelot rail trail with the label "arty self portrait".
Monday, June 02, 2014
i have things to tell you.
i swear, i have things to tell you, pictures to show you, rants to rant!
i am right now, however catching up in my geocaching logs which isn't going so well because i have to find a geocache every day until time itself comes to an end (or so it seems) and i am working on a new cache puzzle for -none of your business why, it's a secret-
and holy HONK, i swear, when i get a little bit organized or caught up i will have pretty pictures and norwegian-style video and amusing little stories that involve game wardens and guys named fred and tow straps and stuff.
at this very moment, though, i smell powerful much bad and also i have to go turn my pants inside out because
---
wait for it
---
i waded through poison ivy today.
heh. you just had NO idea how that was going to turn out, did you?
also, i've worn out two pairs of hiking boots.
and maybe a clutch.
i am right now, however catching up in my geocaching logs which isn't going so well because i have to find a geocache every day until time itself comes to an end (or so it seems) and i am working on a new cache puzzle for -none of your business why, it's a secret-
and holy HONK, i swear, when i get a little bit organized or caught up i will have pretty pictures and norwegian-style video and amusing little stories that involve game wardens and guys named fred and tow straps and stuff.
at this very moment, though, i smell powerful much bad and also i have to go turn my pants inside out because
---
wait for it
---
i waded through poison ivy today.
heh. you just had NO idea how that was going to turn out, did you?
also, i've worn out two pairs of hiking boots.
and maybe a clutch.
Sunday, June 01, 2014
this is YOUR fault
this is YOUR fault, i say, shaking my finger accusingly at the acres and acres of trees now in full leaf and bloom on the ridgelines above my house.i am miserable. my eyes and nose keep running and i don't so much care about the nose because that's why we have sleeves, dammit, but i am getting right tired of having to wash my face every five minutes or so because the running of my eyes leaves me with sticky eyelids that are starting to be cracked sores and have you TRIED reading through that?
i have just sucked down some allergy medicine, which i thought to buy yesterday when i was at the pharmacy.
and i continue to shake my finger at the trees each time i look out the window.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
