i keep seeing guys in full camo wearing hunter orange vests and hats. not camo orange vests and hats; just out and out flat orange.
deer have color vision, although they are not trichromates, which essentially means they're essentially red-green colorblind. it doesn't mean they can see orange. it means they can't distinguish orange from red and it means they can't distinguish red from green.
...we think.
because without actually being a deer, we can't know exactly what a deer sees.
wow. is it just me, or did it just get solipsistic in here?
anyway, what we think about deer vision is that they are EXCELLENT at seeing the outlines of forms, which is where the camo comes in. it breaks up the outline of the human form. if you're wearing a BRIGHT ORANGE VEST over your camo, you can bet your bottom dollar that the deer will see the outline of that.
"look bob. it's a mysterious vest and a floating hat. what do you think that means?"
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
pill
i use an old people pill organizer.it's easier than messing with all the bottles and it helps me remember if i've taken TODAY'S pills, because it has the day of the week on the little cover.
so not stylish, but convenient.
and this morning i was filling the compartments with two weeks' pills and i got EXACTLY the right number of pills to do the job in my hand.
hmmm. sweet coincidence.
then with the second set i got EXACTLY the right number.
wow. maybe i have skillz.
same with the third.
i am a star. look at me go.
the with the fourth set, not only did i not get the right number, but it took me three tries.
i suck.
so not stylish, but convenient.
and this morning i was filling the compartments with two weeks' pills and i got EXACTLY the right number of pills to do the job in my hand.
hmmm. sweet coincidence.
then with the second set i got EXACTLY the right number.
wow. maybe i have skillz.
same with the third.
i am a star. look at me go.
the with the fourth set, not only did i not get the right number, but it took me three tries.
i suck.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
daggett rock
ok, so i'm going back to things that happened last month, because i'm only getting to sort out the pictures now.
if you're reading this blog because you like a nice linear telling of events, you are not going to enjoy this.
anyway, last month i was at a geocache party and i ran into TAT, whom i had met at another party some months ago, so we weren't totally strangers and i was looking for a car to ride in to go geocaching during the day because i wanted to leave my car and equipment to the friend i had brought on the roadtrip so that she could go off and go biking or kayaking or leaf-peeping or whatever her little heart desired and so TAT and i were going to go off caching in his car and find a crapton of caches.
parenthetically, TAT has a real name, but among geocachers we are often known by our geocache names and many of us (like me) use as our geocache handles the aliases we've had since the dawn of the internet or even earlier when we adopted camp names or as children were experimenting with aliases.
i've been "flask ehrlenmeyer" since about 1976.
anyway, i'm in a car with TAT and he says we can powercache as planned OR we can go off and he'll show me some of his favorite maine geocaches. he's sort of apologetic about that second choice, as if it might not be as good as finding a crapton of caches.
but really, i can go out and find a crapton of low-hanging fruit just about any old day.
and TAT is kind of a big deal. he is my favorite kind of Important Person, in that he is sufficiently unimpressed by his own importantness that he seems mostly unaware of it. if you hear about it, you mostly hear about it from other people.
so i'm all, like, what? are you KIDDING? of COURSE let's go to your favorite maine geocaches. this is an OPPORTUNITY.
he takes me to some very pretty waterfalls and then he takes me to daggett rock.
now, if you've been in a room with me for more than an hour, you probably know that i am fond of rocks.
and this rock is a stunningly large glacial erratic. i recommend that you read about it here.
if you're reading this blog because you like a nice linear telling of events, you are not going to enjoy this.
anyway, last month i was at a geocache party and i ran into TAT, whom i had met at another party some months ago, so we weren't totally strangers and i was looking for a car to ride in to go geocaching during the day because i wanted to leave my car and equipment to the friend i had brought on the roadtrip so that she could go off and go biking or kayaking or leaf-peeping or whatever her little heart desired and so TAT and i were going to go off caching in his car and find a crapton of caches.
parenthetically, TAT has a real name, but among geocachers we are often known by our geocache names and many of us (like me) use as our geocache handles the aliases we've had since the dawn of the internet or even earlier when we adopted camp names or as children were experimenting with aliases.
i've been "flask ehrlenmeyer" since about 1976.
anyway, i'm in a car with TAT and he says we can powercache as planned OR we can go off and he'll show me some of his favorite maine geocaches. he's sort of apologetic about that second choice, as if it might not be as good as finding a crapton of caches.
but really, i can go out and find a crapton of low-hanging fruit just about any old day.
and TAT is kind of a big deal. he is my favorite kind of Important Person, in that he is sufficiently unimpressed by his own importantness that he seems mostly unaware of it. if you hear about it, you mostly hear about it from other people.so i'm all, like, what? are you KIDDING? of COURSE let's go to your favorite maine geocaches. this is an OPPORTUNITY.
he takes me to some very pretty waterfalls and then he takes me to daggett rock.
now, if you've been in a room with me for more than an hour, you probably know that i am fond of rocks.
and this rock is a stunningly large glacial erratic. i recommend that you read about it here.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
price chopper
yesterday i went to the price chopper on route 15 in essex. it's not my usual grocery store for reasons that mostly include convenience, but yesterday i happened to have been in the neighborhood and did my shopping there.
when you shop there you are often asked by friendly workers if they can help you find something. they appear to have a store culture in which they care if you have a pleasant shopping day.
so yesterday i got all my shoppings done and then realized that i had not remembered to bring my wallet in from the car.
and then when i went to ask the customer service lady if i could park my full cart somewhere safe i realized that i had left my wallet at home, in the bag i had taken with me to go somewhere the day before so the nice lady found a safe refrigerated place for my cart while i drove home and when i asked her if i should ask for her when i got back, she said that she would make sure the people working the front end would know about it and where to find my cart.
...which is exactly what happened.
when it boils down to the elementals, they weren't required to be so kind or helpful in the face of MY mistake.
but they were.
which kind of inclines me to shop there sometimes, convenient or not.
when you shop there you are often asked by friendly workers if they can help you find something. they appear to have a store culture in which they care if you have a pleasant shopping day.
so yesterday i got all my shoppings done and then realized that i had not remembered to bring my wallet in from the car.
and then when i went to ask the customer service lady if i could park my full cart somewhere safe i realized that i had left my wallet at home, in the bag i had taken with me to go somewhere the day before so the nice lady found a safe refrigerated place for my cart while i drove home and when i asked her if i should ask for her when i got back, she said that she would make sure the people working the front end would know about it and where to find my cart.
...which is exactly what happened.
when it boils down to the elementals, they weren't required to be so kind or helpful in the face of MY mistake.
but they were.
which kind of inclines me to shop there sometimes, convenient or not.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
republican ticket
in a couple of weeks it will be election day.of course the campaigning will only rachet up and never, ever decrease. not ever.
it's interesting, though.
in my state we are almost certainly going to re-elect the smarmy sleazy democratic incumbent governor.
i'm going to vote for him for the single reason that the national republican party is a scary, scary organization and the governor's job is too close to national politics and i am afraid.
the republicans in this state have a hard time getting candidates to run, so the best they can drum up is scott milne. i have written about his mother, the recently deceased marion milne.
she was a giant. he is not.
scott milne's campaign seems to consist mainly of two messages: 1) i am not governor shumlin, and 2) everything is unfair. the campaign is stacked against me.
i want to tell him to pull up his big boy pants.
in other parts of the ticket, phil scott, the incumbent (republican) lieutenant governor is running for re-election, and he's going to be elected probably by a wide margin. i think he could get elected governor if he'd run, but i think he's found a job he's good at and he's sticking to it.
everyone around him flings poo and he goes about the quiet business of getting stuff done.
phil scott is a big boy wearing big boy pants. he does not badmouth the (democratic) governor with whom he serves, and where he disagrees wildly with the governor he is quick to say he does not like the plan, but he is willing to try it and see how it goes.
and then he does not sabotage the plan.
you know he's going to be re-elected because lawn signs in his support are seen on the lawns of both republicans and democrats.
in my state we are almost certainly going to re-elect the smarmy sleazy democratic incumbent governor.
i'm going to vote for him for the single reason that the national republican party is a scary, scary organization and the governor's job is too close to national politics and i am afraid.
the republicans in this state have a hard time getting candidates to run, so the best they can drum up is scott milne. i have written about his mother, the recently deceased marion milne.
she was a giant. he is not.
scott milne's campaign seems to consist mainly of two messages: 1) i am not governor shumlin, and 2) everything is unfair. the campaign is stacked against me.
i want to tell him to pull up his big boy pants.
in other parts of the ticket, phil scott, the incumbent (republican) lieutenant governor is running for re-election, and he's going to be elected probably by a wide margin. i think he could get elected governor if he'd run, but i think he's found a job he's good at and he's sticking to it.
everyone around him flings poo and he goes about the quiet business of getting stuff done.
phil scott is a big boy wearing big boy pants. he does not badmouth the (democratic) governor with whom he serves, and where he disagrees wildly with the governor he is quick to say he does not like the plan, but he is willing to try it and see how it goes.
and then he does not sabotage the plan.
you know he's going to be re-elected because lawn signs in his support are seen on the lawns of both republicans and democrats.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
ten minutes on antler hill
no, i do not have a grape pie hangover. i still have three slices of grape pie left and i have a couple of quarts of grapes that i think i'm going to make into pie filling.
things have slowed down for about a day, so i thought i'd take a few minutes to write a few geocaching logs and to process some photos and video as long as i'm here doing laundry.
remember a couple of weeks ago when i said i was at that fabulous party in maine? well, i've only just gotten to the pictures from that, so i spent the morning processing some video from that.
the short version of the story is that we were driving around on antler hill off of the jim pond road (look up the maps yourself) and it was fantastic scenery and at one point we got to a place with a good view where we had some lunch and we decided to stick the gopro to the hood on the way down so you can see.
here's ten minutes on antler hill.
things have slowed down for about a day, so i thought i'd take a few minutes to write a few geocaching logs and to process some photos and video as long as i'm here doing laundry.
remember a couple of weeks ago when i said i was at that fabulous party in maine? well, i've only just gotten to the pictures from that, so i spent the morning processing some video from that.
the short version of the story is that we were driving around on antler hill off of the jim pond road (look up the maps yourself) and it was fantastic scenery and at one point we got to a place with a good view where we had some lunch and we decided to stick the gopro to the hood on the way down so you can see.
here's ten minutes on antler hill.
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
too much excitement
i have a grape pie.
we are camping in the national forest. we went to a bassoon recital. we ate at a turkish restaurant. the vineyards are pretty.
i will have a lot to tell you about, but i am still twenty minutes from my tent and it is dark and tonight the temps are going to be in the thirties.
ta.
we are camping in the national forest. we went to a bassoon recital. we ate at a turkish restaurant. the vineyards are pretty.
i will have a lot to tell you about, but i am still twenty minutes from my tent and it is dark and tonight the temps are going to be in the thirties.
ta.
Monday, October 06, 2014
this is your pie
yesterday we hiked up the gorge in watkins glen state park. that's a lot of stairs. when we got to the top we were thinking we might take the shuttle bus down on account of knees and also to save time because we had other things to see.
at the top we met a pair of older ladies who had wanted to take the shuttle thinking it was free, but had come without cash and it was only three dollars, so i said i'f cover them.
they said it would be ok but they wanted to pay me back in the parking lot where their money was.
when we got there i said "you know what? forget about it." and i told them the story of the grape pie.
this is your pie, i told them.
at the top we met a pair of older ladies who had wanted to take the shuttle thinking it was free, but had come without cash and it was only three dollars, so i said i'f cover them.
they said it would be ok but they wanted to pay me back in the parking lot where their money was.
when we got there i said "you know what? forget about it." and i told them the story of the grape pie.
this is your pie, i told them.
Sunday, October 05, 2014
autumnal
yes, i know we are past the equinox.
and suddenly we are past peak foliage in my neighborhood, too, but it is definitely autumn.
so (in case you read this on RSS or something) i've gone to the autumn colors, at least until the snow falls.
but you know what, i left home before peak foliage to go play in maine, where it was peak foliage. then i was home for some days during OUR peak, and now i am out in the finger lakes enjoying more foliage.
plus grape harvest.
and fossils.
and suddenly we are past peak foliage in my neighborhood, too, but it is definitely autumn.
so (in case you read this on RSS or something) i've gone to the autumn colors, at least until the snow falls.
but you know what, i left home before peak foliage to go play in maine, where it was peak foliage. then i was home for some days during OUR peak, and now i am out in the finger lakes enjoying more foliage.
plus grape harvest.
and fossils.
Saturday, October 04, 2014
your face will freeze that way
thursday i went to see the dermatologist to have a little thing frozen off of my face.
it's pretty much the same patch of actinic keratosis i had last year, only it's back. and the only thing that makes is really worrisome is that it's one my face, because FACE.
if it was on my butt nobody would care about getting it taken care of now, NOW, NOW because if they have to, they can just carve a whole chunk out of your butt and nobody will know the difference.
so if this latest freezing of it doesn't work, they're going to want to move to some kinds cream thingie which is basically diluted chemo in a facial cream.
i'm hoping for the freeze to have worked this time. she was "more aggressive" with the freezing this time.
i wish to pause here to remind you that the application of liquid nitrogen to the face is very uncomfortable. it is not huge on the giant scale of pain, but it's very intense discomfort on a very sensitive body part. it is breath-takingly sharp in its discomfort in a way that, say, a torn rotator cuff or a bone bruise is not.
anyway, you remember that thing people say to kids? you face will freeze that way?
yeah, well.
it's pretty much the same patch of actinic keratosis i had last year, only it's back. and the only thing that makes is really worrisome is that it's one my face, because FACE.
if it was on my butt nobody would care about getting it taken care of now, NOW, NOW because if they have to, they can just carve a whole chunk out of your butt and nobody will know the difference.so if this latest freezing of it doesn't work, they're going to want to move to some kinds cream thingie which is basically diluted chemo in a facial cream.
i'm hoping for the freeze to have worked this time. she was "more aggressive" with the freezing this time.
i wish to pause here to remind you that the application of liquid nitrogen to the face is very uncomfortable. it is not huge on the giant scale of pain, but it's very intense discomfort on a very sensitive body part. it is breath-takingly sharp in its discomfort in a way that, say, a torn rotator cuff or a bone bruise is not.
anyway, you remember that thing people say to kids? you face will freeze that way?
yeah, well.
Friday, October 03, 2014
old red spring
recently i was in saratoga and we happened to go by the old red spring, and of course i had to taste some, because i am a big fan of spring water in general.now of course saratoga is THE place to go and "take the waters" and if you go there you can even download and print up a snazzy tour map to help you get to all eighteen public springs and i might do it one day just to have done it, but i tell you: i will not need to taste the old red spring again.
here is what i initially wrote about that:
augh! bleaagh! euuugh! wah. wagh. egh. af. ef. blah.
bleargh. ffft. fwt. fwt.
ewlwlwlwlwlwlw.
that. is the second worst thing i ever tasted.
but don't take my word for it. you try some too.
if you INSIST on trying this thing and you cannot make the trip to saratoga, find an old iron bridge in need of repair.
lick it.
alternately, scrape off some rust flakes and just hold them in your mouth.
mmmm.
Thursday, October 02, 2014
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
venture vermont: medallion
so d'ya remember a couple of weeks ago when i said an exciting thing happened, but that i was too tired and then too busy to post pictures, so i wasn't going to tell you just then?
well, my 2014 venture vermont challenge medallion arrived in the mail.
i may not have posted about it, but i sure carry it around in my pocket.
to recap: i love activities. i love shiny round things. i love state, municipal, and national forests, parks, and grasslands.
and this pretty shiny round thing entitles me to free day use at vermont state parks through all of next season.
woo-hoo!
well, my 2014 venture vermont challenge medallion arrived in the mail.
i may not have posted about it, but i sure carry it around in my pocket.
to recap: i love activities. i love shiny round things. i love state, municipal, and national forests, parks, and grasslands.
and this pretty shiny round thing entitles me to free day use at vermont state parks through all of next season.
woo-hoo!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
not ready for hillary
today i asked the hillary clinton PAC to take me off their mailing list, because while i typically enjoy receiving email from the democratic campaigns (for the purposes of ridicule, mostly), i just can't be cleaning out my inbox every hour.
and they send crap that often.
so i hit the UNSUBSCRIBE button, which brought me to a page that said "before you unsubscribe, won't you please consider signing up for a mailing list that will only send you a message once a day? we're sorry we email you so often, but we're passionate about the cause."
ok, fine. you're passionate. and you already KNOW that hourly emails are pissing people off. unsubscribe me.
and they wanted to know WHY, so i wrote "i want to unsubscribe because you are all warmongering toads and deserve to be clapped in irons. moreover, you fill my inbox with crap i don't want. good luck with that election."
this is the face of a likely democratic voter.
i'm not all that excited about the war monger hillary. sure, it'd be pretty cool to have the first woman president, but it would hardly signal parity for women.
i mean, we've had a black president for a few years now and i don't notice that there's been a significant decrease in black people getting arrested or shot for no particular reason.
so, um, hillary. yay.
you know, if i absolutely have no other choice.
i think that would make a lovely campaign slogan.
and they send crap that often.
so i hit the UNSUBSCRIBE button, which brought me to a page that said "before you unsubscribe, won't you please consider signing up for a mailing list that will only send you a message once a day? we're sorry we email you so often, but we're passionate about the cause."
ok, fine. you're passionate. and you already KNOW that hourly emails are pissing people off. unsubscribe me.
and they wanted to know WHY, so i wrote "i want to unsubscribe because you are all warmongering toads and deserve to be clapped in irons. moreover, you fill my inbox with crap i don't want. good luck with that election."
this is the face of a likely democratic voter.
i'm not all that excited about the war monger hillary. sure, it'd be pretty cool to have the first woman president, but it would hardly signal parity for women.
i mean, we've had a black president for a few years now and i don't notice that there's been a significant decrease in black people getting arrested or shot for no particular reason.
so, um, hillary. yay.
you know, if i absolutely have no other choice.
i think that would make a lovely campaign slogan.
Monday, September 29, 2014
a lesson from larry
we met this guy named larry at the party.
before we met him, we saw him driving out along the roads in his little red smartcar, or as i am about to explain to you, his smart.
some days into the party in response to me saying something about his smartcar, larry said he doesn't drive a smartcar.
whut?
now i was all confused.
because if it's not a smartcar, what is it? are there more brands of those than i knew about?
it turns out it's just called a smart.
it's a matter of language and a matter of etiquette, apparently.
"you don't drive a subarucar, do you?" larry asks me.
well, no. but i am still confused.
nobody you know drives a toyotacar or a fordcar or a volkwagoncar.
ohhhhhhh.
it's a smart.
it is cute and red and holds a lot more gear than one might expect, plus larry is able to drive it on some back roads that might give you pause.
well, you learn somethin' every day.
before we met him, we saw him driving out along the roads in his little red smartcar, or as i am about to explain to you, his smart.
some days into the party in response to me saying something about his smartcar, larry said he doesn't drive a smartcar.
whut?
now i was all confused.
because if it's not a smartcar, what is it? are there more brands of those than i knew about?
it turns out it's just called a smart.
it's a matter of language and a matter of etiquette, apparently.
"you don't drive a subarucar, do you?" larry asks me.
well, no. but i am still confused.
nobody you know drives a toyotacar or a fordcar or a volkwagoncar.
ohhhhhhh.
it's a smart.
it is cute and red and holds a lot more gear than one might expect, plus larry is able to drive it on some back roads that might give you pause.
well, you learn somethin' every day.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
THAT was a party.
i am home now from that party in maine.
it was AWESOME.
i took picture and stuff for you and i promise bit by bit to show and tell, but right now it's time for bed.
it was AWESOME.
i took picture and stuff for you and i promise bit by bit to show and tell, but right now it's time for bed.
Friday, September 26, 2014
party time!
by the time you read this, i will already be at the party.
i promised the Dean of Students that i'd take a lot of pictures and write amusing stories about it, so i'm going to try to blog a little of it live, even though i'll have to drive to the library and balance my laptop on my gearshift.
it can be a thing i do in the morning before the sun comes up.
i promised the Dean of Students that i'd take a lot of pictures and write amusing stories about it, so i'm going to try to blog a little of it live, even though i'll have to drive to the library and balance my laptop on my gearshift.
it can be a thing i do in the morning before the sun comes up.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
four cents
i buy gas these days at the snowco store.
for all of you from away, that would be a store that sells sunoco gasoline. it happens to be the only gas station in my town, and unless you count the deli up at the ski mountain, it is the only store in my town.
it costs four cents a gallon more to buy gas there than a lot of places on most days. it costs me a dollar and a half more every ten days or so, but i think of it as a small investment in the place.
you maybe don't need to think about it, but if your one and only local gas station goes out of business, that might could be trouble for you.
plus there's a lot of road construction on route two, and so far this season the decreased business on account of the construction has cost the store owner thirty thousand dollars.
so far.
how would you be doing if your business revenue was down thirty thousand dollars halfway through the year?
you might hope your neighbors would pay the extra four cents a gallon.
for all of you from away, that would be a store that sells sunoco gasoline. it happens to be the only gas station in my town, and unless you count the deli up at the ski mountain, it is the only store in my town.
it costs four cents a gallon more to buy gas there than a lot of places on most days. it costs me a dollar and a half more every ten days or so, but i think of it as a small investment in the place.
you maybe don't need to think about it, but if your one and only local gas station goes out of business, that might could be trouble for you.
plus there's a lot of road construction on route two, and so far this season the decreased business on account of the construction has cost the store owner thirty thousand dollars.
so far.
how would you be doing if your business revenue was down thirty thousand dollars halfway through the year?
you might hope your neighbors would pay the extra four cents a gallon.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
packing
tonight i'm going to a party, which means i have to bring something for the potluck.
tomorrow, i'm going to a PARTY, which means i have to pack camping gear, a bike, a boat, and something for the potluck. and i have to figure out how to decorate my boat for the flotilla.
and then right after i get home from that party (a three day affair), i have two days at home before i head out for the october road trip.
but i'm doing this a little differently. i have a friend who's never been to the finger lakes and it's grape season and all the years i've been going i have often thought that many of the activities would be more fun with a friend, so instead of me living alone in my car, she's paying for campgrounds and i'm being her tour guide.
museums! farmer's markets! vineyards!
tomorrow, i'm going to a PARTY, which means i have to pack camping gear, a bike, a boat, and something for the potluck. and i have to figure out how to decorate my boat for the flotilla.
and then right after i get home from that party (a three day affair), i have two days at home before i head out for the october road trip.
but i'm doing this a little differently. i have a friend who's never been to the finger lakes and it's grape season and all the years i've been going i have often thought that many of the activities would be more fun with a friend, so instead of me living alone in my car, she's paying for campgrounds and i'm being her tour guide.
museums! farmer's markets! vineyards!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
yesterday
so yesterday i woke up in the morning and threw in a load of laundry, put the vegetables for the tomato sauce in the oven to roast, and set up the yeast to prove.
then blah, blah blah and by two in the afternoon i had cleaned out my car (because i have to pack it to go away for a party)
bagged the dozens of teeny little quiches
made dinner rolls
put together a collection of maps and list of places to tourist that are kind of hidden
roasted vegetables and blended tomato sauce
researched recipes you can make with green tomatoes
done the laundry
whipped up a batch of master sauce eggs
packed my bags
and then i was going to write to you about it before i went off to meet the people from indiana at their campsite to tour them around lesser-known-landmarks and have dinner (i'll bring the sauce!), but just before i had to leave the house i had a little crisis of a lost camera.
there is a certain panic that sets in when the last place you're sure you HAD it was in the seat of a boat.
i found it under the passenger seat of my car.
today i need to pick up some things at the store (remember that i am twenty minutes by car from the nearest grocery store) go buy more eggs at the farmstand, update my ipod, finish packing, make a green tomato pie, and go to a party.
it'll be fun.
then blah, blah blah and by two in the afternoon i had cleaned out my car (because i have to pack it to go away for a party)
bagged the dozens of teeny little quiches
made dinner rolls
put together a collection of maps and list of places to tourist that are kind of hidden
roasted vegetables and blended tomato sauce
researched recipes you can make with green tomatoes
done the laundry
whipped up a batch of master sauce eggs
packed my bags
and then i was going to write to you about it before i went off to meet the people from indiana at their campsite to tour them around lesser-known-landmarks and have dinner (i'll bring the sauce!), but just before i had to leave the house i had a little crisis of a lost camera.
there is a certain panic that sets in when the last place you're sure you HAD it was in the seat of a boat.
i found it under the passenger seat of my car.
today i need to pick up some things at the store (remember that i am twenty minutes by car from the nearest grocery store) go buy more eggs at the farmstand, update my ipod, finish packing, make a green tomato pie, and go to a party.
it'll be fun.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
it isn't exactly writer's block
early in the day i know exactly what i'm going to write to you. i know three or four posts i'm going to make when i come in from playing and then when i come in i sort of remember what i was going to say but i have chores to do and dinner to make and then the sun goes down and all of a sudden i have no clue what i was going to say.
in the morning i remember.
every. day.
in the morning i remember.
every. day.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
chickens!
of course i didn't have my camera with me.
this morning i went for a walk up the hill behind the vermont youth conservation corps and to get up onto their trails proper, you have to walk up behind the solar collectors and the chicken pen and today besides the girls IN the enclosure, a couple dozen handsome hens were hanging out in the meadow and they were interested in me.
by "interested", i mean that they all came running over to look at me, which is kind of a weird feeling.
even weirder is the feeling you get when you pass the chickens and then you notice some movement out of the corner of your eye and you look over your shoulder and a flock of chickens is running behind you.
you ever watch chickens run?
it's funny.
and then i got up around the meadow and into the woods and there was a big old wild turkey.
dinosaurs are not dead. they walk among us.
we call them "birds".
this morning i went for a walk up the hill behind the vermont youth conservation corps and to get up onto their trails proper, you have to walk up behind the solar collectors and the chicken pen and today besides the girls IN the enclosure, a couple dozen handsome hens were hanging out in the meadow and they were interested in me.
by "interested", i mean that they all came running over to look at me, which is kind of a weird feeling.
even weirder is the feeling you get when you pass the chickens and then you notice some movement out of the corner of your eye and you look over your shoulder and a flock of chickens is running behind you.
you ever watch chickens run?
it's funny.
and then i got up around the meadow and into the woods and there was a big old wild turkey.
dinosaurs are not dead. they walk among us.
we call them "birds".
Friday, September 19, 2014
stars of indiana
so today i was hanging out at the crown point historic site looking for geocaches when i happened to run into some nice people from indiana and their beautiful weimaraners and we got to talking and they offered me a sandwich since it was getting to be lunchtime.
you know how i am about sandwiches.
and how i enjoy talking to strangers.
anyway, it turns out they are on their way to pretty near where i live and like suggestions about where pretty parks and interesting things to see are and where to get a good cheeseburger and it turns out that some of the things i already love (like hubbard park!) are already on their list.
they want to know if it's worth going to the islands.
yes! yes it is, and i know where you can get good apple pie and a maple creemee while you're there.
you know how i am about sandwiches.
and how i enjoy talking to strangers.
anyway, it turns out they are on their way to pretty near where i live and like suggestions about where pretty parks and interesting things to see are and where to get a good cheeseburger and it turns out that some of the things i already love (like hubbard park!) are already on their list.
they want to know if it's worth going to the islands.
yes! yes it is, and i know where you can get good apple pie and a maple creemee while you're there.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
flipping the bird
i have a new hobby.
you know all those surveillance cameras the gubmint keeps putting up to watch you can collect data just in case later they want to investigate you?
i flip 'em off. i have to be a little careful that other drivers are not around to think i am flipping them off, so it's not a uniform exercise.
one of these days i will get a sign i can hold up tht says maybe NO SURVEILLANCE, ASSHOLES!
just so they're clear why all the hostility.
you know all those surveillance cameras the gubmint keeps putting up to watch you can collect data just in case later they want to investigate you?
i flip 'em off. i have to be a little careful that other drivers are not around to think i am flipping them off, so it's not a uniform exercise.
one of these days i will get a sign i can hold up tht says maybe NO SURVEILLANCE, ASSHOLES!
just so they're clear why all the hostility.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
on the porch
i'm sitting in my dad's porch recliner, enjoying his view of the lake. i have no picture for you because i am not at home.
come to think of it, i have a lot i keep meaning to tell you about, but i keep being busy going out to play doing things i mean to tell you about and on the rare rainy day i have three weeks worth of laundry and dishes to catch up on, nevermind i have to get ready to go out and play again.
it takes WORK to do all this outside playing! and i MEAN to have opinions about things but right now i'm watching a pretty purple sunset across north america's sixth largest freshwater lake.
and you know, mountains.
and recliner.
later on it will be cold and rainy and i will have time to sort out my pictures and show you.
come to think of it, i have a lot i keep meaning to tell you about, but i keep being busy going out to play doing things i mean to tell you about and on the rare rainy day i have three weeks worth of laundry and dishes to catch up on, nevermind i have to get ready to go out and play again.
it takes WORK to do all this outside playing! and i MEAN to have opinions about things but right now i'm watching a pretty purple sunset across north america's sixth largest freshwater lake.
and you know, mountains.
and recliner.
later on it will be cold and rainy and i will have time to sort out my pictures and show you.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
signalling straight
near my house is an intersection at which locals practice a particular courtesy.
brown's trace (going either direction) comes down a hill to where it meets lee river road.
if you're heading north on brown's trace you have right of way, whether you are going straight or turning left onto lee river road. if you are turning right onto brown's trace you have right of way. if you're going south on brown's trace, you have a stop sign.
so local people heading north on brown's trace tend to put on the right directional to indicate to drivers waiting at the stop sign that we intend to go straight and not use our awesome left-turning right-of-way power.
it's a small courtesy, but it's how it's done out here.
brown's trace (going either direction) comes down a hill to where it meets lee river road.
if you're heading north on brown's trace you have right of way, whether you are going straight or turning left onto lee river road. if you are turning right onto brown's trace you have right of way. if you're going south on brown's trace, you have a stop sign.
so local people heading north on brown's trace tend to put on the right directional to indicate to drivers waiting at the stop sign that we intend to go straight and not use our awesome left-turning right-of-way power.
it's a small courtesy, but it's how it's done out here.
Monday, September 15, 2014
exciting news
an exciting thing happened yesterday.
i took pictures.
am i telling you about it?
no, i am not. i am lying on the sofa. i am tired.
i took pictures.
am i telling you about it?
no, i am not. i am lying on the sofa. i am tired.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
tomato sauce
i meant to write to you yesterday, really i did.
but i got caught up making tomato sauce. my stepmother's garden wnet kind of gangbusters this year and i came away with way more tomatoes than a single person can reasonably eat so i decided to make tomato sauce and recently i saw a thing about susie bright's tomato sauce, and it is a slow roasted affair.
and oh my goodness good.
i bet if i added some cream to it and maybe a little stock i could call it soup and it would be just as fabulous.
it's a little bit of a mystery to me why the wikipedia page for susie bright is buried in the second page of google results, but it is what it is.
but i got caught up making tomato sauce. my stepmother's garden wnet kind of gangbusters this year and i came away with way more tomatoes than a single person can reasonably eat so i decided to make tomato sauce and recently i saw a thing about susie bright's tomato sauce, and it is a slow roasted affair.
and oh my goodness good.
i bet if i added some cream to it and maybe a little stock i could call it soup and it would be just as fabulous.
it's a little bit of a mystery to me why the wikipedia page for susie bright is buried in the second page of google results, but it is what it is.
Friday, September 12, 2014
venture vermont: the wrap-up
last friday i finished putting together my documentaton for the venture vermont challenge. the department of forest, parks, and recreation prefers either to have your photos and such on cd or dvd else in googleplus.
oh, goodness, what a nightmare googleplus is!
because it's really well suited for SHARING ALL THE THINGS WITH ALL THE PEOPLE, but it's not so good at letting you control your formatting or your layout and let's face it: i have a blog and i have a number of other accounts on which i share things, but google is only flexible if you want to put ALL YOUR THINGS on google and even then it's a clustertangle.
so i tried that for a couple of hours, threw up my hands, and decided to simply keep my super nice formatted albums over at flickr and toss the bare minimum of the photos onto some discs.
of course, the photos aren't much good without the accompanying texts, which are here in the blog.
so as a compromise i tossed the photos and videos with some minimal labeling onto discs with an accompanying document in paper form and also in pdf that's essentially the blog posts about the sections of the scorecard. the pdf document on the disc has live links in it, so they can fire that puppy up and see it more or less the way i like it, plus they have the discs.
the organized photo albums are here. i am particularly proud of the field guide album.
the playlist of videos is here.
and now, to tie it all up in one linky place, are the posts of the past week detailing each section of the scorecard:
the state parks are maybe the front end flagship thing you think about when you think of the DFPR, but they administer and care for a lot of things in this state that make the place so nice. a lot of state forests just sit there kind of quietly and you'd barely even notice the parcel was there, but i tell you whut: if someone came and put up condos on those parcels you'd notice in a big fat honkin' hurry.
oh, goodness, what a nightmare googleplus is!
because it's really well suited for SHARING ALL THE THINGS WITH ALL THE PEOPLE, but it's not so good at letting you control your formatting or your layout and let's face it: i have a blog and i have a number of other accounts on which i share things, but google is only flexible if you want to put ALL YOUR THINGS on google and even then it's a clustertangle.
so i tried that for a couple of hours, threw up my hands, and decided to simply keep my super nice formatted albums over at flickr and toss the bare minimum of the photos onto some discs.
of course, the photos aren't much good without the accompanying texts, which are here in the blog.
so as a compromise i tossed the photos and videos with some minimal labeling onto discs with an accompanying document in paper form and also in pdf that's essentially the blog posts about the sections of the scorecard. the pdf document on the disc has live links in it, so they can fire that puppy up and see it more or less the way i like it, plus they have the discs.
the organized photo albums are here. i am particularly proud of the field guide album.
the playlist of videos is here.
and now, to tie it all up in one linky place, are the posts of the past week detailing each section of the scorecard:
i was so excited to finish the challenge that i couldn't just drop it in the mail; i felt that a field trip to the mother ship was in order.
so i sent an email to the DFPR to ask if i could hand deliver, and on friday afternoon i went to the big shiny state office building to hand in my packet. it gave it a little ceremonial finish, and i got to meet the people in the office.
the state parks are maybe the front end flagship thing you think about when you think of the DFPR, but they administer and care for a lot of things in this state that make the place so nice. a lot of state forests just sit there kind of quietly and you'd barely even notice the parcel was there, but i tell you whut: if someone came and put up condos on those parcels you'd notice in a big fat honkin' hurry.
and the venture challenge could have been written as one big promotion of state parks, but it wasn't. it was written like a thing to encourage people to get out and enjoy outdoor activities, which is a super smart long view of the thing, because if you have a population that uses outdoor spaces, you have a population that cares about state, federal, and municipal parks, forests, and wilderness areas.
and if you take a longer view, a population that gets outside to play tends to be a healthier population, which drives healthcare costs down.
now, i needed very little coaxing to go out and play. i'm currently on a daily geocache streak that started last november first. i go outside to play every. single. day.
but this challenge gave me some extra reasons to pay attention to my little friends the frogs and the flowers. i had to really work on firebuilding skills. i took a closer look at my state parks.
and now i'm going to get a pretty shiny medal.
i LOVE shiny things!
next season i am thinking of using my medal to visit EVERY state park and forest and doing an activity in each.
hey, DFPR! you want to set me up with a challenge about that?
Thursday, September 11, 2014
venture vermont: know your parks
know your parks
have a picnic in a state park (10 points): this one is not hard. you get a sandwich, a beverage, and maybe a dessert and you go eat it in a state park. for documentary purposes, i'm claiming the picnic area at the top of the mt. ascutney road.
visit a state park playground (5): i took an arty shot of myself in the playground at button bay state park. yeah, you should refer to the miscellaneous vermont state parks album.
attend a state park interpretive program (10): i went to the birding by ear program at little river and liked it so much i stuck around later for the stevenson brook walk.
have a picnic in a state park (10 points): this one is not hard. you get a sandwich, a beverage, and maybe a dessert and you go eat it in a state park. for documentary purposes, i'm claiming the picnic area at the top of the mt. ascutney road.
visit a state park playground (5): i took an arty shot of myself in the playground at button bay state park. yeah, you should refer to the miscellaneous vermont state parks album.
attend a state park interpretive program (10): i went to the birding by ear program at little river and liked it so much i stuck around later for the stevenson brook walk.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
venture vermont: pioneer
pioneer
build a boat out of natural materials you find outside. see if it floats (10 points): my plan was to make a little raft with a lashed base and a woven mat, but the materials turned out to be harder to work on a short time budget. i got a thing that held together and floated, at least.
build a kite and fly it (10): i still have my little kite downstairs. you know, just in case.
build a boat out of natural materials you find outside. see if it floats (10 points): my plan was to make a little raft with a lashed base and a woven mat, but the materials turned out to be harder to work on a short time budget. i got a thing that held together and floated, at least.
build a kite and fly it (10): i still have my little kite downstairs. you know, just in case.
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
venture vermont: fortitude
fortitude
build a fire without using matches (10 points): this one was the hardest for me, and took months of nearly daily practice. someone said to me "did you use a flint?" they were impressed when i said i'd chosen hand lens.
make a camp cooking utensil using found natural materials (5): i made a roasting fork. sometimes simple tools are the best.
use stone tools or do flintknapping, the technique of shaping flint to make useful items (10): i actually studied flintknapping in college and while you can't always get real flint, you can usually find shales that will flake off enough for you to use as knives and hole punches. when i was making my little boat for this challenge, i used some flaky shales for my cutting edges and hole punches. shales are only temporarily useful as tools; they make sharp edges, but they're soft and so don't last long. not everybody lives near a good flint deposit, though, and you make do with what you have. early people who lived near good flint deposits could use flint in valuable trade.
build a fire without using matches (10 points): this one was the hardest for me, and took months of nearly daily practice. someone said to me "did you use a flint?" they were impressed when i said i'd chosen hand lens.
make a camp cooking utensil using found natural materials (5): i made a roasting fork. sometimes simple tools are the best.
use stone tools or do flintknapping, the technique of shaping flint to make useful items (10): i actually studied flintknapping in college and while you can't always get real flint, you can usually find shales that will flake off enough for you to use as knives and hole punches. when i was making my little boat for this challenge, i used some flaky shales for my cutting edges and hole punches. shales are only temporarily useful as tools; they make sharp edges, but they're soft and so don't last long. not everybody lives near a good flint deposit, though, and you make do with what you have. early people who lived near good flint deposits could use flint in valuable trade.
Monday, September 08, 2014
venture vermont: reveal
reveal
use a map and compass or GPS to place yourself on a topographic map. (10 points): i totally do this every day. i had to choose one, though: crow hill, a few feet over the boundary of camel's hump state forest. N44° 19.422 W72° 55.275. it has a nice view of camel's hump.
create an emergency first aid kit for hiking of camping. send us your list of fist aid and emergency items (10): i carry emergency gear in my pack pretty much all the time. last season i updated it to include all the mandatories from the GMARA list.
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 system
besides the mandatories, i also include benadryl, immodium, acetominophen, my inhaler and epipen, and some other small niceties.
i will also have map tools, compasses, knives, and emergency blanket, and light sources, because you never know.
in cold weather, i will also carry extra clothing, and TWO working lighters, along with firestarter and hand warmers.
find a historical fact or story about a vermont state park and send it to us (10): it happened just this way. i was doing a geocache and found some information about the old coach road and bridle trail that used to go up camel's hump, courtesy of the recently retired forester of that parcel.
use a map and compass or GPS to place yourself on a topographic map. (10 points): i totally do this every day. i had to choose one, though: crow hill, a few feet over the boundary of camel's hump state forest. N44° 19.422 W72° 55.275. it has a nice view of camel's hump.
create an emergency first aid kit for hiking of camping. send us your list of fist aid and emergency items (10): i carry emergency gear in my pack pretty much all the time. last season i updated it to include all the mandatories from the GMARA list.
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 system
besides the mandatories, i also include benadryl, immodium, acetominophen, my inhaler and epipen, and some other small niceties.
i will also have map tools, compasses, knives, and emergency blanket, and light sources, because you never know.
in cold weather, i will also carry extra clothing, and TWO working lighters, along with firestarter and hand warmers.
find a historical fact or story about a vermont state park and send it to us (10): it happened just this way. i was doing a geocache and found some information about the old coach road and bridle trail that used to go up camel's hump, courtesy of the recently retired forester of that parcel.
go to http://bit.ly/1o12Pfl to find a letterbox and visit the site (10): i had to dust off my letterboing stamp, but i went to florida dolphin visits the richmond round church.
sit outside for thirty minutes and write down every sound you hear (10): i went up to the the pet cemetery in huntington, where there's a quiet corner and a nice bench.
Sunday, September 07, 2014
venture vermont: investigate
investigate
photograph and identify each of these three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic (10 points): i am perhaps proudest of my field guide flickr album. i went a little overboard with the identifications, but for the purposes of the documentation only i'm going to claim and ordovician era gastropod in limestone at button bay state park (sedimentary), the large outcrop of monkton quartzite (metamorphic) that makes up bristol ledges, and the summit of mount ascutney, which is syenite (similar to granite, and igneous).
photograph and identify five species of native vermont plants (5): once again, i'll refer you to the field guide set, in which i went overboard and started identifying things everywhere i went. for the purposes of the documentation, i'll just pick toxicodendron radicans, (poison ivy), cypripedium acaule (pink ladyslipper), cornus canadensis (bunchberry), nymphaea odorata (fragrant water lilly), and nuphar variegata (spatterdock).
photograph two kinds of mammals in the wild and describe its behavior (10): i wrote a blog post about it. for documentary purposes, let's go with tamias striatus (eastern chipmunk) and eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat). the chipmunk was scolding me, and the bat was sleeping.
photograph and identify three different amphibians (10): yay! i LOVE these guys! i'm just going to say bufo americanus, rana clamitans melanota, and notopthalmus viridescens viridescens (land form).
are you looking at the field guide album? you really should go look at that. because frogs.
bonus: make a recording of a toad or frog's call at night and send it to us. (10): done and done.
photograph and identify each of these three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic (10 points): i am perhaps proudest of my field guide flickr album. i went a little overboard with the identifications, but for the purposes of the documentation only i'm going to claim and ordovician era gastropod in limestone at button bay state park (sedimentary), the large outcrop of monkton quartzite (metamorphic) that makes up bristol ledges, and the summit of mount ascutney, which is syenite (similar to granite, and igneous).
photograph and identify five species of native vermont plants (5): once again, i'll refer you to the field guide set, in which i went overboard and started identifying things everywhere i went. for the purposes of the documentation, i'll just pick toxicodendron radicans, (poison ivy), cypripedium acaule (pink ladyslipper), cornus canadensis (bunchberry), nymphaea odorata (fragrant water lilly), and nuphar variegata (spatterdock).
photograph two kinds of mammals in the wild and describe its behavior (10): i wrote a blog post about it. for documentary purposes, let's go with tamias striatus (eastern chipmunk) and eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat). the chipmunk was scolding me, and the bat was sleeping.
photograph and identify three different amphibians (10): yay! i LOVE these guys! i'm just going to say bufo americanus, rana clamitans melanota, and notopthalmus viridescens viridescens (land form).
are you looking at the field guide album? you really should go look at that. because frogs.
bonus: make a recording of a toad or frog's call at night and send it to us. (10): done and done.
Saturday, September 06, 2014
venture vermont: observe
observe
find the biggest tree in a vermont state park and take a picture next to it (10 points): i figurred if i picked a smallish state park, it ought to be easy to find the biggest tree. maybe the rangers know, but i like to conduct my own investigations. i hiked the pinnacle trail (does that count as a summit? it has a sign that says "summit".) and looked all around me in the forest for big trees, measureing them by with my arms and hiking poles at chest height, which it turns out is a lot like how foresters measure trees. i found one or two with a diameter of "the distance from my fingetrtips to the forearm of the opposite arm with my arms stretched out", but none larger. the picture of the one i chose, is, of course, in the miscellaneous venture vermont album.
i thought i was going to take a walk with a forest landowner, since i happen to have a friend who is a forest landowner, but i was in downtown bethel one day and happened to be parked right next to a logging truck, so i checked off take a photo with a log truck. find out where it came from and where it's going. (10)
find the biggest tree in a vermont state park and take a picture next to it (10 points): i figurred if i picked a smallish state park, it ought to be easy to find the biggest tree. maybe the rangers know, but i like to conduct my own investigations. i hiked the pinnacle trail (does that count as a summit? it has a sign that says "summit".) and looked all around me in the forest for big trees, measureing them by with my arms and hiking poles at chest height, which it turns out is a lot like how foresters measure trees. i found one or two with a diameter of "the distance from my fingetrtips to the forearm of the opposite arm with my arms stretched out", but none larger. the picture of the one i chose, is, of course, in the miscellaneous venture vermont album.
i thought i was going to take a walk with a forest landowner, since i happen to have a friend who is a forest landowner, but i was in downtown bethel one day and happened to be parked right next to a logging truck, so i checked off take a photo with a log truck. find out where it came from and where it's going. (10)
Friday, September 05, 2014
venture vermont: get moving
i thought i'd drop the whole venture vermont documentation into one convenient post so it looks pretty, but the lists of documentation are starting to look like long posts, so i'll break them up and then make one indexed post to wrap it up and link all the materials.
i'm only including the items on the list that i completed. there are a lot of other things ON the list, but i'm just showing you the ones i did, organized pretty much the way they're listed on the scorecard.
get moving:
go for a bike ride in your neighborhood (10 points): this is a thing i do pretty regularly. the photo i'm using for documentation can be found in the flickr album miscellaneous vermont venture.
ride your bike on a rail trail (10): since i started the challenge, i have ridden my bike on the ashuelot rail trail (hinsdale, NH), the mississquoi valley rail trail, the lamoille valley rail trail, the northern rail trail (grafton, NH), the island line rail trail, and the alburgh recreational rail trail. a few rail trail photos are in my flickr album rail trails, and a youtube video of the ashuelot trail can be found here.
go trail running (10): this is kind of a no-brainer. every tuesday night i run the catamount family center trail running series. matter of fact, i hold the all-time record at that venue for most consecutive last place finishes at 18 in a row, stretched over two seasons. i haven't missed a tuesday night start in a few years. i'm number 97.
go for a hike (10): oh, goodness. i lose track. there are a lot of them. but the scorecard has three sub-headings:
swim or wade in a lake or stream (10): again, this is not a one-off for me. for the purposes of the challenge i'm going to claim that time in may that i jumped into lake champlain off of my dad's boat south of the crown point bridge. there's video.
climb a tree or boulder (5): it seems i'm always climbing a tree or a boulder or something, but i had a hard time picking one and getting pictures of it. i'm going to use "huge boulder and stone wall corner".
paddle a portion of the norther forest canoe trail (15): on 4 july this year the place we were going paddling just happened to have been on the NFCT so that was lucky. there's a picture at the trail box over at the flickr album.
i'm only including the items on the list that i completed. there are a lot of other things ON the list, but i'm just showing you the ones i did, organized pretty much the way they're listed on the scorecard.
get moving:
go for a bike ride in your neighborhood (10 points): this is a thing i do pretty regularly. the photo i'm using for documentation can be found in the flickr album miscellaneous vermont venture.
ride your bike on a rail trail (10): since i started the challenge, i have ridden my bike on the ashuelot rail trail (hinsdale, NH), the mississquoi valley rail trail, the lamoille valley rail trail, the northern rail trail (grafton, NH), the island line rail trail, and the alburgh recreational rail trail. a few rail trail photos are in my flickr album rail trails, and a youtube video of the ashuelot trail can be found here.
go trail running (10): this is kind of a no-brainer. every tuesday night i run the catamount family center trail running series. matter of fact, i hold the all-time record at that venue for most consecutive last place finishes at 18 in a row, stretched over two seasons. i haven't missed a tuesday night start in a few years. i'm number 97.
go for a hike (10): oh, goodness. i lose track. there are a lot of them. but the scorecard has three sub-headings:
- it's a trail that's new to you (5): i went for a walk on the ironwood trail at grand isle state park, where i discovered i am horribly, violently allergic to honeysuckle. there's a video of a minute on that trail here.
- hike to a summit (5): there was more than one, but i'm going to claim glastenbury firetower in the green mountain national forest. while we're at it, i also want to claim mount ascutney, the pinnacle trail at wilgus state park, and in maine, sugarloaf, cranberry peak, and sw kennebago, which was drive until you have to bike and then two miles of hiking. in hip deep snow. in bike clothes. but i'm proud of it. i have a flickr album of those here.
- hike to a waterfall (5): once again, i hike to a lot of waterfalls. the one i'm claiming is gerry's falls at mt. ascutney state park. (vt. state parks album)
swim or wade in a lake or stream (10): again, this is not a one-off for me. for the purposes of the challenge i'm going to claim that time in may that i jumped into lake champlain off of my dad's boat south of the crown point bridge. there's video.
climb a tree or boulder (5): it seems i'm always climbing a tree or a boulder or something, but i had a hard time picking one and getting pictures of it. i'm going to use "huge boulder and stone wall corner".
paddle a portion of the norther forest canoe trail (15): on 4 july this year the place we were going paddling just happened to have been on the NFCT so that was lucky. there's a picture at the trail box over at the flickr album.
Thursday, September 04, 2014
catching fire
the last thing i needed to complete the 2014 venture vermont challenge was "build a fire without using matches."
i'm pretty sure that a lighter does not count for the challenge.
i learned how to use a bow drill in college, so i thought it would be fun and easy to use a hand lens to do it.
it turns out that the lens on my orienteering compass isn't strong enough, nor is the lens on a little "survival tool" i had in the basement. i tried a 50mm camera lens, and i was able to focus the light sufficiently to get a tiny pinprick of burning and i as able to char an area of my base, AND i was also able to melt wax around a candle wick, but i really had nothing going.
word about procedure: since i was only making fire for demonstration purposes and not actually starting a campfire, i figured that any transferrable or sustained flame would do, since one you had a candle lit or a small flame going, it wouldn't be hard at all to use that like a match flame.
plus i'm not working with a fireplace, which would have helped. instead i picked a small slat of hardwood and decided to make a small flame on top of that.
it made things both easier and more difficult; there was no protection from wind and only a small surface to work on, but i was getting practiced at focusing the sunlight on that one spot.
weeks went by.
i do not even want to know what my neighbors thought of me, out on the lawn, practicing to build fire on nearly every sunny day.
finally i broke down and bought a good-sized magnifying glass at the hardware store.
i got a good sized area of smolder by now, but still no transferrable or sustainable flame.
i kept modifying my tinder.
yesterday i settled on a little cup like structure made of corrugated cardboard, some torn bits of cardboard and paper, and on top of that a little chimney thing made of rolled up corrugated cardboard with bits of wood shavings jammed in.
i was able to get a good smolder as usual but i was not hopeful of getting any actual flame.
and then i noticed: the smolder was active. the breeze was just right for fanning it apparently and the cup of cardboard held in just enough heat and the chimney had just enough draw and i smoked and smoked and smoked and the whole thing got browner and browner and then all of a sudden about twenty minutes in the whole thing BURST into flame.
so. a tiny little fire, but an unqualified success.
yay, me!
i'm pretty sure that a lighter does not count for the challenge.
i learned how to use a bow drill in college, so i thought it would be fun and easy to use a hand lens to do it.
it turns out that the lens on my orienteering compass isn't strong enough, nor is the lens on a little "survival tool" i had in the basement. i tried a 50mm camera lens, and i was able to focus the light sufficiently to get a tiny pinprick of burning and i as able to char an area of my base, AND i was also able to melt wax around a candle wick, but i really had nothing going.
word about procedure: since i was only making fire for demonstration purposes and not actually starting a campfire, i figured that any transferrable or sustained flame would do, since one you had a candle lit or a small flame going, it wouldn't be hard at all to use that like a match flame.
plus i'm not working with a fireplace, which would have helped. instead i picked a small slat of hardwood and decided to make a small flame on top of that.
it made things both easier and more difficult; there was no protection from wind and only a small surface to work on, but i was getting practiced at focusing the sunlight on that one spot.
weeks went by.
i do not even want to know what my neighbors thought of me, out on the lawn, practicing to build fire on nearly every sunny day.
finally i broke down and bought a good-sized magnifying glass at the hardware store.
i got a good sized area of smolder by now, but still no transferrable or sustainable flame.i kept modifying my tinder.
yesterday i settled on a little cup like structure made of corrugated cardboard, some torn bits of cardboard and paper, and on top of that a little chimney thing made of rolled up corrugated cardboard with bits of wood shavings jammed in.
i was able to get a good smolder as usual but i was not hopeful of getting any actual flame.
and then i noticed: the smolder was active. the breeze was just right for fanning it apparently and the cup of cardboard held in just enough heat and the chimney had just enough draw and i smoked and smoked and smoked and the whole thing got browner and browner and then all of a sudden about twenty minutes in the whole thing BURST into flame.so. a tiny little fire, but an unqualified success.
yay, me!
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
venture vermont!
today i completed the last activity i needed for the 2014 venture vermont challenge.
later i will tell you about it, but it's kind of late in the day to process video. i don't want to tell you what it was yet, but it took me a while.
now i have to assemble all the supporting materials and mail my form in. i feel like i want to hand deliver it!!!
later i will tell you about it, but it's kind of late in the day to process video. i don't want to tell you what it was yet, but it took me a while.
now i have to assemble all the supporting materials and mail my form in. i feel like i want to hand deliver it!!!
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
where i am
one of the items on the venture vermont list is to place myself on a topo map using either GPS or map and compass.
now, i do this on a daily basis, so picking just one point represents a bit of choice fatigue with me. i decided to pick crow hill, a place a few feet outside the boundary of the camel's hump state forest. it has a fantastic view, and it's a long bushwhack to get there.
its coordinates are N44° 19.422 W72° 55.275 and here's my map:
now, i do this on a daily basis, so picking just one point represents a bit of choice fatigue with me. i decided to pick crow hill, a place a few feet outside the boundary of the camel's hump state forest. it has a fantastic view, and it's a long bushwhack to get there.
its coordinates are N44° 19.422 W72° 55.275 and here's my map:
Monday, September 01, 2014
how to eat pasta
first est other meals. normal ones. all day. then get really hungry and decide that you need to eat pasta. cook a whole box of it even though there's just one of you. then put some of it on a plate. put so much of it on the plate that it falls off. eat anything that falls, even if it falls between sofa cushions. eat so much that you will be uncomfortable. then when the plate is empty, grab handfuls of pasta from the strainer and scrape out the remaining sauce.
be sure to put the pasta away in the fridge as soon as possible so that you aren't tempted to eat any more. eat a handful of pasta on your way to get and container, and while you are putting the pasta away, stuf as much as you can in your mouth.
are you feeling bloated and uncomfortable yet?
no?
then you should eat more pasta.keep eating pasta until you feel sick.
now you are done.
you may now resume normal activities.
be sure to put the pasta away in the fridge as soon as possible so that you aren't tempted to eat any more. eat a handful of pasta on your way to get and container, and while you are putting the pasta away, stuf as much as you can in your mouth.
are you feeling bloated and uncomfortable yet?
no?
then you should eat more pasta.keep eating pasta until you feel sick.
now you are done.
you may now resume normal activities.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
tools
we're not so fancy, humans. we used to say that we were the only species on the planet that used tools, and then we learned that a number of species use tools so then we modified our opinion to say we're the only species that MAKES tools but it's been discovered that a fair number of animals make simple tools as well.
i'm still going to say that we're the only species that uses a smelter, but we weren't always so fancy. we used to make simple tools like digging sticks and pounding rocks and if you're out in the woods or in a pinch you can still make and use primitive tools.
when i'm camping i habitually do not make a fire unless i need heat, and i carry a small stove for cooking purposes.
i have campcraft skills, though. lashing, flintknapping, the whole deal. you never know when you're going to need a little table or an extra roasting fork or if you'll come across a wild patch of jerusalem artichokes you'll want to roast later.
maybe you don't NEED to make your own cordage or containers, but isn't it nice to know you can?
with small modifications birch bark can be turned into funnels, bowls, baskets. do not ever strip bark from live trees. you can sew sides together with grasses and seal holes with pine pitch. you need a little primitive hole punch in a hurry? find a buckthorn tree.
one of the items on the (you knew this was coming, right?) venture vermont challenge is to make a camp cooking utensil using natural materials. i made a simple roasting fork. it's a little more advanced than a marshmallow stick, but it works just fine, is easy to do, and i think there's kind of a primal pleasure in making even simple tools you can use.
because i was not making a fire to cook with and making this particular fork for demonstration purposes, i found some deadwood so i didn't need to needlessly damage a living tree. if i'd been cooking, i would have used green wood because it doesn't burn so much. alternately, if you've got time, you can soak a dry wood item in clean water. you want to use a hardwood, like maple or applewood or hickory. conifers have resins that won't taste good on your food, and their sap is flammable. if you're in doubt about what kind of wood to use, smell it. if you can imagine that smell on your food it'll probably be good for your roasting fork.
i'm still going to say that we're the only species that uses a smelter, but we weren't always so fancy. we used to make simple tools like digging sticks and pounding rocks and if you're out in the woods or in a pinch you can still make and use primitive tools.
when i'm camping i habitually do not make a fire unless i need heat, and i carry a small stove for cooking purposes.
i have campcraft skills, though. lashing, flintknapping, the whole deal. you never know when you're going to need a little table or an extra roasting fork or if you'll come across a wild patch of jerusalem artichokes you'll want to roast later.
maybe you don't NEED to make your own cordage or containers, but isn't it nice to know you can?
with small modifications birch bark can be turned into funnels, bowls, baskets. do not ever strip bark from live trees. you can sew sides together with grasses and seal holes with pine pitch. you need a little primitive hole punch in a hurry? find a buckthorn tree.one of the items on the (you knew this was coming, right?) venture vermont challenge is to make a camp cooking utensil using natural materials. i made a simple roasting fork. it's a little more advanced than a marshmallow stick, but it works just fine, is easy to do, and i think there's kind of a primal pleasure in making even simple tools you can use.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
state-sanctioned activities
i was writing up a little thing about an activity for the venture vermont challenge.
maybe it's because it's past my bedtime, but i am amused by this list of state-approved -nay, state-SUGGESTED activities.
heh.
maybe it's because it's past my bedtime, but i am amused by this list of state-approved -nay, state-SUGGESTED activities.
heh.
Friday, August 29, 2014
victory salute
i want you to do this every day: raise your arms above your head and accept the applause of the imaginary crowd. you do not need wait until you have won the tour de france or been elected chancellor of germany to do this; you can do it if you have managed to put on socks or remembered to unload the dishwasher.
say "yes! i am AWESOME."
because you are, too. if you are waiting until you solo climb up everest before you call yourself awesome, you will wait a long time. accept smaller goals.
plus it's hard to be grumpy when your arms are up and you are basking in your awesomeness.
say "yes! i am AWESOME."
because you are, too. if you are waiting until you solo climb up everest before you call yourself awesome, you will wait a long time. accept smaller goals.
plus it's hard to be grumpy when your arms are up and you are basking in your awesomeness.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
michigan
two stories at once:
a "michigan" is a hotdog. it is supposedly originally from plattsburgh, ny, althopugh in michigan a smiliar hotdog is known as a "coney", but on coney island they call it a "michigan".
so anyway, today i was out playing and i didn't pack a lunch because i thought i'd just get something at dunkin' donuts because 1) lazy and 2) gift card.
but then i didn't see a single dunkin' donuts for SIX HONKIN' HOURS.
and then i thought i'd just stop at a place with a takeout window but the place i stopped at was selling mediocreburgers for TEN DOLLARS. one hotdog for six.
really?
so i drove down the road until i got to goodie's snack bar in west addison where you can get a michigan for two and a half dollars and the people there aren't the type of people who think ten dollars is a good price for a plain hamburger.
and now the sun is going down and i need to crawl "upstairs" into the back of my car and sleep.
nighty-night.
a "michigan" is a hotdog. it is supposedly originally from plattsburgh, ny, althopugh in michigan a smiliar hotdog is known as a "coney", but on coney island they call it a "michigan".
so anyway, today i was out playing and i didn't pack a lunch because i thought i'd just get something at dunkin' donuts because 1) lazy and 2) gift card.
but then i didn't see a single dunkin' donuts for SIX HONKIN' HOURS.
and then i thought i'd just stop at a place with a takeout window but the place i stopped at was selling mediocreburgers for TEN DOLLARS. one hotdog for six.
really?
so i drove down the road until i got to goodie's snack bar in west addison where you can get a michigan for two and a half dollars and the people there aren't the type of people who think ten dollars is a good price for a plain hamburger.
and now the sun is going down and i need to crawl "upstairs" into the back of my car and sleep.
nighty-night.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
state highway 108
state highway 108 is more famously known as the mountain road in stowe, or the smuggler's notch road. it is closed at the first snowfall every winter and does not open again for car traffic until the snow melt in spring.
see, vermont is a small state, a long narrow state, and we have this chain of mountains running right up the center of the state and there aren't a lot of ways to get across those mountains.
many of those roads get closed in winter.
route 108 is notable because near its top it is so narrow and winding that it is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TRACTOR TRAILERS year-round. it is also not recommended for tour busses.
but it's a fantastic road, and last week i went up there just to take some video of the drive across from gate to gate. i think it's cooler looking westbound into jeff, so that's what you get.
see, vermont is a small state, a long narrow state, and we have this chain of mountains running right up the center of the state and there aren't a lot of ways to get across those mountains.
many of those roads get closed in winter.
route 108 is notable because near its top it is so narrow and winding that it is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TRACTOR TRAILERS year-round. it is also not recommended for tour busses.
but it's a fantastic road, and last week i went up there just to take some video of the drive across from gate to gate. i think it's cooler looking westbound into jeff, so that's what you get.
Monday, August 25, 2014
burger barn
sometimes food is just good.
sometimes it is life-changingly good.
i don't mean that a cheeseburger is going to make you a better person or pay off your student loans or find a cure for cancer, but a really good cheeseburger can make your day and fill you with a sense of awe that the world is an amazing place that a thing of such deliciousness could come to exist.
yesterday i was with my friend miletsone17 for a long day of paddling and she suggested we go get burgers at a stand in jeff.
(that's jeffersonville, a village in the town of cambridge, but we're all on first name basis, so everybody just calls it "jeff".)
neither of us had been there, but she was in the mood for a burger and we had passed it on our way to put in and take out boats.
the first thing that makes an impression on me is that there are a bazillion kinds of burger and they are all made with locally raised grass fed beef. i have been to burger joints where they have locally raised grass fed beef, but i've come to expect that these burgers will cost between eight and twelve dollars.
but no.
these burgers range from five dollars to eight and a half dollars, and the average, i think, was about six.
you can get a plain burger, but they have a couple dozen choices of whimsically named burgers that come with some pretty imaginative toppings.
i had the ethan allen, a burger topped with grilled apple slices, cabot cheddar, and a cranberry-garlic mayo. the burger itself was flavorful and juicy, and the bun it all came on was good, too. the fries that we got with it were hand-cut, skin-on, and cooked just about perfect.
but that burger!
do you ever eat a thing so good that you are surprised by how good it is?
yeah, well, this burger was so good that i KEPT BEING SURPRISED every time i took another bite.
it was as if my synapses could not process that much deliciousness and retain the memory of it long enough to put the burger down and pick it up again.
it was FANTASTICALLY good.
that's the burger barn, in jeffersonville, vt. go there if you have the chance.
there is no indoor service, no restroom, and no parking lot to speak of. the people who work there are competent and pleasant, and the napkins they stock are large and durable, which you really need if you're going to eat a burger like that.
burger barn. routes 15 and 108 in jeff.
sometimes it is life-changingly good.
i don't mean that a cheeseburger is going to make you a better person or pay off your student loans or find a cure for cancer, but a really good cheeseburger can make your day and fill you with a sense of awe that the world is an amazing place that a thing of such deliciousness could come to exist.
yesterday i was with my friend miletsone17 for a long day of paddling and she suggested we go get burgers at a stand in jeff.
(that's jeffersonville, a village in the town of cambridge, but we're all on first name basis, so everybody just calls it "jeff".)
neither of us had been there, but she was in the mood for a burger and we had passed it on our way to put in and take out boats.
the first thing that makes an impression on me is that there are a bazillion kinds of burger and they are all made with locally raised grass fed beef. i have been to burger joints where they have locally raised grass fed beef, but i've come to expect that these burgers will cost between eight and twelve dollars.
but no.
these burgers range from five dollars to eight and a half dollars, and the average, i think, was about six.
you can get a plain burger, but they have a couple dozen choices of whimsically named burgers that come with some pretty imaginative toppings.
i had the ethan allen, a burger topped with grilled apple slices, cabot cheddar, and a cranberry-garlic mayo. the burger itself was flavorful and juicy, and the bun it all came on was good, too. the fries that we got with it were hand-cut, skin-on, and cooked just about perfect.
but that burger!
do you ever eat a thing so good that you are surprised by how good it is?
yeah, well, this burger was so good that i KEPT BEING SURPRISED every time i took another bite.
it was as if my synapses could not process that much deliciousness and retain the memory of it long enough to put the burger down and pick it up again.
it was FANTASTICALLY good.
that's the burger barn, in jeffersonville, vt. go there if you have the chance.
there is no indoor service, no restroom, and no parking lot to speak of. the people who work there are competent and pleasant, and the napkins they stock are large and durable, which you really need if you're going to eat a burger like that.
burger barn. routes 15 and 108 in jeff.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
until the cows come home
yesterday i was visiting a marker on the route of the old crown point military road and a fairly large group of heiffers came over to look at me. you don't maybe realize what a large animal a cow is until a whole herd of them come running over to see you.
they were good natured, though.
but flask, i hear you say. are you so much of an expert on the personalities of cows?
well, no. if you've ever had a group of them come running over to look at you when they weren't happy to see you, you know the difference. there is a lot in an animal's body language that signals "you look suspicious to us, and we do not like you".
so anyway, these girls were friendly.
they were good natured, though.
but flask, i hear you say. are you so much of an expert on the personalities of cows?
well, no. if you've ever had a group of them come running over to look at you when they weren't happy to see you, you know the difference. there is a lot in an animal's body language that signals "you look suspicious to us, and we do not like you".
so anyway, these girls were friendly.
Friday, August 22, 2014
my dad wears me out.
yesterday i went out to play with my dad and stepmother.
that old boy wears me out.
LAST thursday we went out to play and i didn't get home until midnight and it took two days to recover.
this week i brought my stuff and slept in his driveway.
...but not before we got a flat tire. in the rain. in ticonderoga, new york.
yes, he offered me a bed inside. they have a guest room. i like my car. it's comfortable and i'm used to it.
later on maybe i'll show you some pictures or something.
that old boy wears me out.
LAST thursday we went out to play and i didn't get home until midnight and it took two days to recover.
this week i brought my stuff and slept in his driveway.
...but not before we got a flat tire. in the rain. in ticonderoga, new york.
yes, he offered me a bed inside. they have a guest room. i like my car. it's comfortable and i'm used to it.
later on maybe i'll show you some pictures or something.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
two minutes at bingham falls
some of you, my little internet friends, live in hot dusty places and because you keep telling me you like pictures of cool green places when i am in one of those cool green places i always think of you and take pictures and sometimes video.
here are two minutes recorded at bingham falls, which just offrum state highway 108.
later on i'm going to talk about state highway 108, but for now, just some pretty video at the falls. these are taken from the same spot; one view downstream and one up.
here are two minutes recorded at bingham falls, which just offrum state highway 108.
later on i'm going to talk about state highway 108, but for now, just some pretty video at the falls. these are taken from the same spot; one view downstream and one up.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
thirty minutes on a hillside
one of the items on the venture vermont challenge is to sit somewhere outside for a half hour and make a list of all the sounds you hear.
so here's mine:
so here's mine:
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
heroes of the republic
this week jim jeffords died.
last week marion milne died.
jim jeffords was mostly a republican, but he was a vermont style moderate republican, which these days is not very much like being a regular republican. yeah, in vermont we have liberal republicans and conservative democrats. we have this odd little thing in which the two group get together and try to sort out their differences to benefit the greatest number of people of the state of vermont and we know we can't always get our way.
senator jeffords was a good and decent man. i was going to add stuff on to that sentence but really it's the whole of the story. he was good and decent and he worked hard for the public good, the good of the nation and the good of the state.
marion milne was a republican state legislator elected for two terms with support of both democrats and republicans. she was also good and decent, and her political career came to an end when she voted with her conscience and against her conservative constituents on the matter of civil unions. in her eyes it was a matter of fairness for all citizens of this state.
often i have a lot of snarky things to say about politics, but i have nothing snarky to say about either of these giants.
they were heroes of the republic.
last week marion milne died.
jim jeffords was mostly a republican, but he was a vermont style moderate republican, which these days is not very much like being a regular republican. yeah, in vermont we have liberal republicans and conservative democrats. we have this odd little thing in which the two group get together and try to sort out their differences to benefit the greatest number of people of the state of vermont and we know we can't always get our way.
senator jeffords was a good and decent man. i was going to add stuff on to that sentence but really it's the whole of the story. he was good and decent and he worked hard for the public good, the good of the nation and the good of the state.
marion milne was a republican state legislator elected for two terms with support of both democrats and republicans. she was also good and decent, and her political career came to an end when she voted with her conscience and against her conservative constituents on the matter of civil unions. in her eyes it was a matter of fairness for all citizens of this state.
often i have a lot of snarky things to say about politics, but i have nothing snarky to say about either of these giants.
they were heroes of the republic.
Monday, August 18, 2014
skip.
my excuse for not talking to you yesterday was that i went out to meet some friends before we headed over to a party and then after the party i went careering all over lower franklin county with the party host and we were having such a good time she brought me home to dinner and she and her husband and i sat talking until way past my bedtime.
i don't even have pictures to show you, but i'm going to work on processing some pictures i took earlier just for you and maybe post them up or something.
i don't even have pictures to show you, but i'm going to work on processing some pictures i took earlier just for you and maybe post them up or something.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
talking to strangers
so today i was at a letterbox in stowe and found myself talking to some nice people from texas who turn out to be geocachers, but weren't geocaching on this vacation.
mmm-hm. yup. they are super amused by my idea of what constitutes hot weather. they are amazed by the beauty of our state capital.
and then i go to a cache up at sunset rock and there are people on the rock, a middle aged woman and a young girl. they invite me to sit down o the rock with them. we make some chitchat. they offer me lunch.
you know how i love lunch.
so we hang out. they've heard of geocaching, only never done one. i offer to let them find the one i just came from. i hand them my GPS and we go over there. then we have a look at a nearby glacial pothole.
fun!
mmm-hm. yup. they are super amused by my idea of what constitutes hot weather. they are amazed by the beauty of our state capital.
and then i go to a cache up at sunset rock and there are people on the rock, a middle aged woman and a young girl. they invite me to sit down o the rock with them. we make some chitchat. they offer me lunch.
you know how i love lunch.
so we hang out. they've heard of geocaching, only never done one. i offer to let them find the one i just came from. i hand them my GPS and we go over there. then we have a look at a nearby glacial pothole.
fun!
Friday, August 15, 2014
flask's tourism bureau
these days i have been hanging out near stowe.
yes, the famous ski resort town. i live very near it in crow miles, but there's this mountain thingie between here and there so it's a bit of a drive, but the scenery is fantastic.
it's also a magical journey into a wonderland where rich people live carefree in second or fifth homes, and where moderately well-off come to have vacations once or twice a year. it is beautiful vermont landscape, only with a great number of shiny recreational outfitters, restaurants, and art galleries.
and the traffic is bad, because there are basically only two roads which inconveniently double as state highways.
people from away do not seem to realize it, but most of the cars are full of other people from away. i know, because i talk to a lot of them.
the thing i get asked most frequently is what people do for a living around here.
well, as a state, we produce agricultural products, artisanal foods, lumber, granite, and other people's vacations. our economy depends rather heavily on tourism.
the people i talk to are amazed at our lack of heavy industry.
yes, that's part of that tourism thing. we're selling good clean vacations in the mountains.
the people i talk to are delighted to know that prices are cheaper in waterbury or jeffersonville. they are amazed that locals fill water bottles at roadside springs. they giggle when i tell them that yes, i DO consider 85 degrees to be way too hot.
it is weird, being in stowe, because the people from away sometimes think that this is a place people retire to, but not a place people are FROM. in stowe when you tell them you grew up here in vermont, they say it's nice that your family already had property.
they don't consider the possibility of a plain little suburban neighborhood.
anyway, i am happy to tell these people from away where to find a good cheap brewpub and where to go for a bike ride and how to get out to the backroads (and how to get back!) and how to see out-of-the way things that are fun and cheap, the sorts of things locals might do.
today i went to fill my jug at the big spring (it's totally a thing. you can look it up on maps.) and i met a couple who had just gotten married and they were posing for a photo with them and their names spelled out in vermont stones and long island shells.
sweet, you know?
and the woman was so happy to see me and then a guy drive up to fill jugs because she hadn't realized it was an actual water source and she went and filled her bottles as well.
i'm happy to talk with all these people who are visiting. i always thank them for coming, and i try to help them find good places to go that they will enjoy.
if you guys are ever coming to vermont, make sure you give me a little jingle and i'll try to get you good inside advice.
yes, the famous ski resort town. i live very near it in crow miles, but there's this mountain thingie between here and there so it's a bit of a drive, but the scenery is fantastic.
it's also a magical journey into a wonderland where rich people live carefree in second or fifth homes, and where moderately well-off come to have vacations once or twice a year. it is beautiful vermont landscape, only with a great number of shiny recreational outfitters, restaurants, and art galleries.
and the traffic is bad, because there are basically only two roads which inconveniently double as state highways.
people from away do not seem to realize it, but most of the cars are full of other people from away. i know, because i talk to a lot of them.
the thing i get asked most frequently is what people do for a living around here.
well, as a state, we produce agricultural products, artisanal foods, lumber, granite, and other people's vacations. our economy depends rather heavily on tourism.
the people i talk to are amazed at our lack of heavy industry.
yes, that's part of that tourism thing. we're selling good clean vacations in the mountains.
the people i talk to are delighted to know that prices are cheaper in waterbury or jeffersonville. they are amazed that locals fill water bottles at roadside springs. they giggle when i tell them that yes, i DO consider 85 degrees to be way too hot.
it is weird, being in stowe, because the people from away sometimes think that this is a place people retire to, but not a place people are FROM. in stowe when you tell them you grew up here in vermont, they say it's nice that your family already had property.
they don't consider the possibility of a plain little suburban neighborhood.
anyway, i am happy to tell these people from away where to find a good cheap brewpub and where to go for a bike ride and how to get out to the backroads (and how to get back!) and how to see out-of-the way things that are fun and cheap, the sorts of things locals might do.
today i went to fill my jug at the big spring (it's totally a thing. you can look it up on maps.) and i met a couple who had just gotten married and they were posing for a photo with them and their names spelled out in vermont stones and long island shells.
sweet, you know?
and the woman was so happy to see me and then a guy drive up to fill jugs because she hadn't realized it was an actual water source and she went and filled her bottles as well.
i'm happy to talk with all these people who are visiting. i always thank them for coming, and i try to help them find good places to go that they will enjoy.
if you guys are ever coming to vermont, make sure you give me a little jingle and i'll try to get you good inside advice.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
little house
i have an interest in outhouses.
primarily it's because i am often in places where an outhouse is tops in amenities. i am not talking about a nasty plastic hut that gets cleaned once every other season. those are gross.
but there exist some lovely composting toilets and just plain old fashioned outhouses that when well-managed, are convenient, inexpensive, and fairly sanitary.
a couple of days ago i was i hubbard park, which is on the hill behind the state capitol building. maybe later i will write and tell you more about vermont's capital city, because if you don't live here it's kind of hard to imagine our tiny little capital (population 7855 in the 2010 census), our gorgeous capitol and its public spaces, or the gun-toting civil liberties vegetarian gay rights lovefest vibe that sort of permeates downtown.
but anyway, i was up in hubbard park and i noticed that since i was there last they've installed some outhouses at strategic locations. they are exceptionally nice outhouses as these things go, and i took the liberty of making a little video tour to show you.
primarily it's because i am often in places where an outhouse is tops in amenities. i am not talking about a nasty plastic hut that gets cleaned once every other season. those are gross.
but there exist some lovely composting toilets and just plain old fashioned outhouses that when well-managed, are convenient, inexpensive, and fairly sanitary.
a couple of days ago i was i hubbard park, which is on the hill behind the state capitol building. maybe later i will write and tell you more about vermont's capital city, because if you don't live here it's kind of hard to imagine our tiny little capital (population 7855 in the 2010 census), our gorgeous capitol and its public spaces, or the gun-toting civil liberties vegetarian gay rights lovefest vibe that sort of permeates downtown.
but anyway, i was up in hubbard park and i noticed that since i was there last they've installed some outhouses at strategic locations. they are exceptionally nice outhouses as these things go, and i took the liberty of making a little video tour to show you.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
you've got mail!
sometimes things just fall together.
a long time ago when i started geocaching, i heard about letterboxing and i thought that sounded cool, only when i went to their homepage, they actually had text on it that said "geocaching for smart people", which made me think i did not want to play with those boys and girls.
still, there's a geocache type that's a hybrid letterbox and includes a stamp, and the whole stamp in the book thing is the thing i thought was cool about letterboxes in the first place, so then some years ago when i had the opportunity in a craft program to carve a stamp i was all over it.
but then when i tested it, the stamp material threatened to crack, so i put it aside until some day when i found an appropriate backing for it.
cut to this morning, when i woke up at 0400 and decided suddenly that TODAY i should go find a letterbox, because it's on the vermont venture challenge.
(why yes, i DO link to it a lot. no, i am not a spokesperson for the challenge, nor for the state parks. but you know, when all is said and done i am having a really fun time and i'm going to come out of it with a pretty shiny thing that will be my pass to the state parks all next season, plus right about now the state parks are sitting on the top of my list of things i am happy my tax dollars are being spent on, PLUS day admission to a state park is only three dollars, so it's a right bargain on top of it.)
a'ight. anyway.
first i had to go find my stamp and then i had to rummage around to find some kind of material i could use as backing and mix up some epoxy and then i went back on the LbNA site and they seem to have gotten over their momentary snit about the new kids and gone back to being the more genteel older cousin, which suits them better anyway, and i found a box very near my house and packed up all my stuff along with my brandy-new journal for collecting stamps in and i hit the road.
but flask, i hear you say. letterboxing?
yeah. an activity in which people go out and find hidden boxes by way of clues and they stamp their personal stamp in the logbook at the box and stamp the box's stamp in their book, thereby showing proof of finding and also collecting little prints.
this has been going on for hundreds of years, right under your nose.
this morning i went to one called "the florida dolphin visits the richmond round church" which, oddly, is located by the round church in richmond.
yes, that's a thing. go look it up for yourself.
here's a little picture of the logbook with my stamp and above it you can see the box's stamp.
cool.
a long time ago when i started geocaching, i heard about letterboxing and i thought that sounded cool, only when i went to their homepage, they actually had text on it that said "geocaching for smart people", which made me think i did not want to play with those boys and girls.
still, there's a geocache type that's a hybrid letterbox and includes a stamp, and the whole stamp in the book thing is the thing i thought was cool about letterboxes in the first place, so then some years ago when i had the opportunity in a craft program to carve a stamp i was all over it.
but then when i tested it, the stamp material threatened to crack, so i put it aside until some day when i found an appropriate backing for it.
cut to this morning, when i woke up at 0400 and decided suddenly that TODAY i should go find a letterbox, because it's on the vermont venture challenge.
(why yes, i DO link to it a lot. no, i am not a spokesperson for the challenge, nor for the state parks. but you know, when all is said and done i am having a really fun time and i'm going to come out of it with a pretty shiny thing that will be my pass to the state parks all next season, plus right about now the state parks are sitting on the top of my list of things i am happy my tax dollars are being spent on, PLUS day admission to a state park is only three dollars, so it's a right bargain on top of it.)
a'ight. anyway.
first i had to go find my stamp and then i had to rummage around to find some kind of material i could use as backing and mix up some epoxy and then i went back on the LbNA site and they seem to have gotten over their momentary snit about the new kids and gone back to being the more genteel older cousin, which suits them better anyway, and i found a box very near my house and packed up all my stuff along with my brandy-new journal for collecting stamps in and i hit the road.
but flask, i hear you say. letterboxing?
yeah. an activity in which people go out and find hidden boxes by way of clues and they stamp their personal stamp in the logbook at the box and stamp the box's stamp in their book, thereby showing proof of finding and also collecting little prints.
this has been going on for hundreds of years, right under your nose.
this morning i went to one called "the florida dolphin visits the richmond round church" which, oddly, is located by the round church in richmond.
yes, that's a thing. go look it up for yourself.
here's a little picture of the logbook with my stamp and above it you can see the box's stamp.
cool.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
kite checking
i keep meaning to finish up my venture vermont scorecard, but i keep not being done with activities.
like, i have way more identifications on photos of critters and plants than i need, but for some reason i keep taking pictures of frogs and flowers.
you know, mostly because i do that stuff anyway, challenge or not. and i keep being in really pretty habitats that keep changing with the season.
one of the items on the list is to make and fly a kite.
ok, fine. i like craft projects. i like kites. i like playing outside.
i am also kind of enjoying having my neighbors never really be able to figure out what crazy pants activity i'll be working on next.
so i looked up kites you can build on the internets, because the internets are awesome that way.
incidentally, some moths ago i was telling someone how when i go camping i MUST be able to get wifi every day or so and they thought i was going toward the topic of my social media addiction and i was all like "how else would i look up cool geological formations or museum hours or be able to identify that bug?"
uh, anyway.
i found some kite designs that looked simple enough to do without launching on a PROJECT and there was this design for a little bumblebee kite that takes about ten minutes to make and uses printer paper and staples, so no awkward waiting for glue to dry or having to find doweling. i just took a page of a topo map i'd printed, grabbed a stapler and a hole punch, and i was off to the races.
it flies pretty well. not as stable or steerable as some of your fancier kites, but it's a thing you could do on a slow afternoon without much preparation and still have the satisfaction of flying a little thing you made yourself.
like, i have way more identifications on photos of critters and plants than i need, but for some reason i keep taking pictures of frogs and flowers.
you know, mostly because i do that stuff anyway, challenge or not. and i keep being in really pretty habitats that keep changing with the season.
one of the items on the list is to make and fly a kite.
ok, fine. i like craft projects. i like kites. i like playing outside.
i am also kind of enjoying having my neighbors never really be able to figure out what crazy pants activity i'll be working on next.
so i looked up kites you can build on the internets, because the internets are awesome that way.
incidentally, some moths ago i was telling someone how when i go camping i MUST be able to get wifi every day or so and they thought i was going toward the topic of my social media addiction and i was all like "how else would i look up cool geological formations or museum hours or be able to identify that bug?"
uh, anyway.
i found some kite designs that looked simple enough to do without launching on a PROJECT and there was this design for a little bumblebee kite that takes about ten minutes to make and uses printer paper and staples, so no awkward waiting for glue to dry or having to find doweling. i just took a page of a topo map i'd printed, grabbed a stapler and a hole punch, and i was off to the races.
it flies pretty well. not as stable or steerable as some of your fancier kites, but it's a thing you could do on a slow afternoon without much preparation and still have the satisfaction of flying a little thing you made yourself.
Monday, August 11, 2014
i heard this is where the party is
i was probably twelve years old the night i answered the front door to find a woman standing there with a marimba.
"i heard this is where the party is", she said.
so i let her in.
you know, because it was in fact where the party was. i do not know what kind of parties YOUR parents were throwing in the seventies, but MY parents were throwing the kind of party where a couple dozen strangers might show up with guitars and banjos and there'd be hours of singing.
do i need to tell you how fantastic this is for a kid? grownups are amazing exotic creatures and a group of grownups standing around drinking cocktails might shoo a kid away so they can talk about complicated grownup things but a group of grownups packed as tight as they will fit with guitars and banjos is essentially helpless. they need somebody small and flexible to squeeze in and out with snacks and beverages.
and a kid can sing, too, so a kid can be a full participant in a grownup party. it's kind of a sweet gig.
i am telling you this because i know you woke up today thinking that you would really like a story about my childhood.
and also it kind of explains a lot about me.
"i heard this is where the party is", she said.
so i let her in.
you know, because it was in fact where the party was. i do not know what kind of parties YOUR parents were throwing in the seventies, but MY parents were throwing the kind of party where a couple dozen strangers might show up with guitars and banjos and there'd be hours of singing.
do i need to tell you how fantastic this is for a kid? grownups are amazing exotic creatures and a group of grownups standing around drinking cocktails might shoo a kid away so they can talk about complicated grownup things but a group of grownups packed as tight as they will fit with guitars and banjos is essentially helpless. they need somebody small and flexible to squeeze in and out with snacks and beverages.
and a kid can sing, too, so a kid can be a full participant in a grownup party. it's kind of a sweet gig.
i am telling you this because i know you woke up today thinking that you would really like a story about my childhood.
and also it kind of explains a lot about me.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
dollar menu
have you see the mcdonalds ad in which two women deem a man sexually unattractive until they see him order a particular hamburger off the dollar menu?
it's not even subtle. they outright declare him beneath them and then suddenly as soon as he orders a particular burger he's so hot they can't stop looking at him.
it's fifteen seconds of so wrong i can't even begin to know where to start my rant.
it's not even subtle. they outright declare him beneath them and then suddenly as soon as he orders a particular burger he's so hot they can't stop looking at him.
it's fifteen seconds of so wrong i can't even begin to know where to start my rant.
Saturday, August 09, 2014
blister pack
two weeks ago i got poison ivy.
a week ago i got it again. it's not just like a skin irritant. you get an immune reaction that can hit your bloodstream and make trouble for you outside the immediate area of the blisters.
speaking of which, i have some fabulous pictures of the blisters, which i am not showing you.
you're welcome.
let's just say they are large and numerous.
and that i do not feel good.
a week ago i got it again. it's not just like a skin irritant. you get an immune reaction that can hit your bloodstream and make trouble for you outside the immediate area of the blisters.
speaking of which, i have some fabulous pictures of the blisters, which i am not showing you.
you're welcome.
let's just say they are large and numerous.
and that i do not feel good.
Friday, August 08, 2014
forest road
back in june i went to a geocache down in the green mountain national forest out by glastenbury mountain. it's either a long hike of enough hours that you might consider staying overnight, or if you know the way back forest roads you can get to within five miles or so which makes it a day hike.
you have to make the trip in low gear because there are waterbars and some mudholes, but otherwise it's pretty good road and just plain pretty besides.
so here's forest road 325, otherwise known as castle brook road.
you have to make the trip in low gear because there are waterbars and some mudholes, but otherwise it's pretty good road and just plain pretty besides.
so here's forest road 325, otherwise known as castle brook road.
Thursday, August 07, 2014
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
a long time ago
last month i saw this really cool thing: pertroglyph faces carved by the abenaki. there is some disagreement as to whether these carvings are 300 years old or 3,000 years old. let's just say they're old.
and you can find them if you're looking; they are right downtown. they're on the register of national historic places.
but they have a restricted address. the national register doesn't want to tell you how to get there, and the abenaki would just as well have the site be left kind of quiet. nobody minds if you take yourself there and have a look, provided you're respectful and don't mess anything up.
which is interesting, because at some point the DAR hired a rock carver to deepen the carvings, so what we have to look at today aren't the originals, but they're a supposed facsimile and the abenaki consider them legitimate.
so they're not so much the archeological real thing, but they're very close.
some of your tinfoil hatters like to call them evidence that aliens visited north america in the precolumbian era, but a great number of sensible people just see the faces and think: huh. apparently this is a representation of some kind of face as done by local people before white settlers came.it may or may not depict an antler headdress.
the faces may have some ceremonial significance, or they may just be evidence that fishing was slow one day.i'm ok with not knowing.
one thing we know for certain about the site is that people still fish there, and local kids toss their beer cans nearby.
this past july fourth weekend some kids (i'm assuming youth) threw a crapton of empty fourth-of-july budweiser beercans there, which i think is kind of emblematic of the larger issues.
Tuesday, August 05, 2014
historical facts
for the venture vermont challenge, one of the items is to lern a historical fact about a vermont state park.
recently i was at a geocache in camel's hump state forest and found some interesting historical information, courtesy of the cache hider who is the recently retired forester for that parcel:
recently i was at a geocache in camel's hump state forest and found some interesting historical information, courtesy of the cache hider who is the recently retired forester for that parcel:
Monday, August 04, 2014
2014 catamount classic pro xct
instead of telling you about a race i was IN two days ago, i'm going to tell you about a race i was AT last week, because i'm working on clearing off my desk and first things first.
i love sporting events.
by sporting events, i mean "events in which athletes demonstrate awesome abilities, courage, and skill" and not "huge hyped up profit-making multi-millionaires with huge entourages and media-managed machines".
so i love curling, ski racing, and mountain bike racing.
the superbowl, not so much.
anyway, last week i was at the catamount classic xct pro race, which is a weekend of races and events that include elite professional races as well as citizen class races and races for children. because typically i volunteer at this event i don't get to see the thing the way spectators do, but i get a very deep view of a narrow point.
in this case i saw a lot of the morning action on saturday from the timing tent, and i saw the afternoon races from the bottom course crossing because i was marshaling that corner, which means i had to stand there wearing a safety vest and if riders were visible on the course above me to the woods, i had to cut off pedestrian traffic at the crossing.
oddly, racers do not enjoy seeing pedestrians crossing the section of course they are entering at full speed. they really prefer to come through those curves before that jump without having to watch for people in their way.
so that was my job.
i didn't get to see a lot of the race in general, but i got to see every second of it from my little corner. happily i know the course well enough that i can imagine what these same riders look like as the announcer calls the action.
i have fewer pictures from the women's race than i do of the men's race because the women's race was the headline event and there was more crowd for me to have to control at the crossing. the women's race was also more heavily attended by world and national champions.
when you see a race with georgia gould, lea davison, and katerina nash in it, you are watching women you have seen on olympic courses and in world cup races.
and the thing about seeing the race at a venue like catamount is that you can stand right up close to these giants and talk to them.
it was super exciting for the local crowd, too, because lea davison is FROM here, as in she is from jericho, which means her mail comes out of the same post office mine does. and she had a slow start to
the season because of a hip surgery, but she managed to defend her national championship the week before and this was her first race with her new champion jersey ON THE HOME FIELD WITH HER GRANDMOTHER WATCHING!
and watching lea race is kind of a nail biter because if she CAN blow the legs off the field right out of the start she will, but mostly she has a habit of sitting right in with the lead group and making those girls in the front work hard to keep her behind them and then in the last lap -BAM- she drops them.
so for most of the race we don't know if she can't win it, or if she's just doing that thing she does.
so all the way around she was right behind katerina nash. sometimes it was just the two of them and sometimes georgia gould and chloe woodruff would join up and at one point the lead group had grown to six riders.
and then katerina nash went down in the rock garden. and right at the bell, davison took off the way she does and THE FANS WENT WILD.
after the race i heard katerina nash make a very graceful apology for that fall. i can't place her words exactly, but the gist of it was that she was not sorry for what it did to her own race, because she's a big girl and is responsible for her own day, but that she owed an apology to the other women who lost time because of her mistake.
she is a class act.
here's a little video of the men's race and some pictures of both the men's an women's elite races.
i love sporting events.
by sporting events, i mean "events in which athletes demonstrate awesome abilities, courage, and skill" and not "huge hyped up profit-making multi-millionaires with huge entourages and media-managed machines".
so i love curling, ski racing, and mountain bike racing.
the superbowl, not so much.
anyway, last week i was at the catamount classic xct pro race, which is a weekend of races and events that include elite professional races as well as citizen class races and races for children. because typically i volunteer at this event i don't get to see the thing the way spectators do, but i get a very deep view of a narrow point.
in this case i saw a lot of the morning action on saturday from the timing tent, and i saw the afternoon races from the bottom course crossing because i was marshaling that corner, which means i had to stand there wearing a safety vest and if riders were visible on the course above me to the woods, i had to cut off pedestrian traffic at the crossing.
oddly, racers do not enjoy seeing pedestrians crossing the section of course they are entering at full speed. they really prefer to come through those curves before that jump without having to watch for people in their way.
so that was my job.
i didn't get to see a lot of the race in general, but i got to see every second of it from my little corner. happily i know the course well enough that i can imagine what these same riders look like as the announcer calls the action.
i have fewer pictures from the women's race than i do of the men's race because the women's race was the headline event and there was more crowd for me to have to control at the crossing. the women's race was also more heavily attended by world and national champions.
when you see a race with georgia gould, lea davison, and katerina nash in it, you are watching women you have seen on olympic courses and in world cup races.
and the thing about seeing the race at a venue like catamount is that you can stand right up close to these giants and talk to them.
it was super exciting for the local crowd, too, because lea davison is FROM here, as in she is from jericho, which means her mail comes out of the same post office mine does. and she had a slow start to
the season because of a hip surgery, but she managed to defend her national championship the week before and this was her first race with her new champion jersey ON THE HOME FIELD WITH HER GRANDMOTHER WATCHING!
and watching lea race is kind of a nail biter because if she CAN blow the legs off the field right out of the start she will, but mostly she has a habit of sitting right in with the lead group and making those girls in the front work hard to keep her behind them and then in the last lap -BAM- she drops them.
so for most of the race we don't know if she can't win it, or if she's just doing that thing she does.
so all the way around she was right behind katerina nash. sometimes it was just the two of them and sometimes georgia gould and chloe woodruff would join up and at one point the lead group had grown to six riders.
and then katerina nash went down in the rock garden. and right at the bell, davison took off the way she does and THE FANS WENT WILD.
after the race i heard katerina nash make a very graceful apology for that fall. i can't place her words exactly, but the gist of it was that she was not sorry for what it did to her own race, because she's a big girl and is responsible for her own day, but that she owed an apology to the other women who lost time because of her mistake.
she is a class act.
here's a little video of the men's race and some pictures of both the men's an women's elite races.
Sunday, August 03, 2014
naptime
it is nine o'clock in the morning and time for my nap.
i slept all night, except for when i kept waking up thinking i'd slept for a day.
today i am thristy, hungry, and sleepy.
i'm taking this as a sign of fatigue.
the race was awesome. later on i'll tell you about it. right now i need a nap.
i slept all night, except for when i kept waking up thinking i'd slept for a day.
today i am thristy, hungry, and sleepy.
i'm taking this as a sign of fatigue.
the race was awesome. later on i'll tell you about it. right now i need a nap.
Saturday, August 02, 2014
feeder
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.
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.
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.
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