Pig Figurine

My dad brought me this pig playing a flute when he came back to Texas after being stationed in England for a year about 1955.

Trave & Storm

Our two ponies Traveler and Stormy

Georgia On My Mind...

Among the gems found last week while going through this box was a birthday card that was made by my niece Carrie when she was 9 or 10 years old (about 25 years ago).

Notice that she wouldn't give me all of her gold, just 3/4 of it. LOL.
No, it's not my birthday. So why am I posting this now and what does it have to do with Georgia, you ask?

Well, it just so happens that Carrie has lived in Georgia for nearly 21 years now. And in a few hours I'll be heading south along with my mother, Carrie's sister Tami, and Tami's son Zach for a few days. It's been a little more than five years since we last saw Carrie and her three daughters. The youngest was 2 ½ years old at the time and wouldn't have anything to do with me. The only time I got a decent picture of her smiling was when she was sitting on Mom's lap! Well, it should be a fun and interesting trip, if we survive the traffic, and each other ;-)

The classic Georgia On My Mind as performed by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles. The song was written in 1930 (or 1931) by Native Hoosiers Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics).

Visitors Center

There was a visitors center at the end of the road to the top of the mountain. It has tons of information about Hurricane Ridge. We spent time in the gift shop buying souvenirs, and gifts for others, as well as myself. They were having a sale and it was a big hit with the customers. We had lunch at the snack bar. Then spent a goodly amount of time just enjoying the view from all angles. The parking lot was packed and there were a lot of people there, especially sense it was a Sunday, but it didn't seem that crowded as so many parks can get on weekends. And everyone there was enjoying themselves as much as we were. You would find yourself uuing and awing, and exclaiming over the view, the flowers, the grass, the mountains, the glaciers, the sky, or a passing deer with a total stranger standing next to you. I found myself watching a small child about 2 years old and his parents as they enjoyed the park. I, also, found myself sitting quietly by an elderly lady and neither of us had to say a word about how we felt at what we were seeing. I heard several languages besides my native American - Spanish, German, English, Canadian, Japanese, and others I couldn't put a country to.

Indian Lake Sunset

Thursday, August 4th - - For whatever reason (too many trees blocking the view, just not being in the right place, etc.) I haven't viewed a sunset full-on since leaving Indiana on July 12th! Tonight that “nasty” streak came to an end at Indian Lake State Park near Manistique on the Lake Michigan side of the Upper Peninsula.



Clouds. Calm Water. And a Setting Sun. It doesn't get much better than that!





8:45 pm



8:58 pm



9:04 pm



9:14 pm



9:20 pm



9:24 pm

Ms. Muscovy

Ms. Muscovy is the only duck here who flies much. The Indian Runners can't be bothered, Ms. Mallard prefers to waddle, and Mr. Muscovy is too heavy to get off the ground (unless Jasmine is chasing him).

Lately she has learned that on the rim of the dog pen (that serves as their nighttime predator protection), she'll be away from the drakes' loving attentions, yet remain part of the flock. Being part of the flock is pretty important to ducks.

The roof of the workshop is Ms. Muscovy's other favorite place to land.

Memorial Weather

Both high camps have been receiving lots of new snow over the past couple of days. Memorial Day itself put drifts up to 50 cm deep around camp. High winds (40-50 mph) pasted the wet snow to most surfaces. The general forecast, at least initially, looks better for early-June. Hopefully we'll avoid the all too common "Junuary" weather pattern.






Climbers have been unsuccessful in reaching the summit for almost a week due to weather and avalanche concerns - although challenging conditions have been welcome training conditions for climbers with their sights set on even loftier peaks.




Stop by the Climbing Information Center in Paradise for the most current information on the mountain. We're open everyday at 06:00 - come on up and talk to us early, the Paradise Inn is open again for the season and they do serve espresso!




See you on The Mountain.

Turbulent Sunrise

I woke early this morning to shoot my first sunset on Lake Superior in over a month. There had been a good wind blowing all night long, which meant there would be some nice waves to shoot. I actually wasn't sure if the sun would even show or not. It was pretty cloudy when I left the house, but not long after arriving at this location the sun came out from behind the clouds and gave me some nice color and some great light.

Big Bend Revisited :: Cerro Castalon

Saturday, March 2nd - - In English, Cerro Castalon is called Castolon Peak. Whatever you call it, it dominates the landscape in the Castalon region in the southern realms of Big Bend National Park.





The southern view is the
most photogenic side of Cerro Castalon. As you drive in from the
north the peak appears from out of nowhere as you crest one of the
many hills. The road winds through the area with virtually no place
to pull off to get a picture.





On my way back from Elena Canyon, I
shot this through the front window, stopping in the middle of the
road. There wasn't much traffic... Shooting through the windshield
adds a greenish tint to photos so I converted it to black and white
and adjusted the contrast a little.





At the base of the peak, on the western side, is a pull-out. This too, is Cerro Castalon though it doesn't look quite so impressive from this vantage point... which just goes to show, you need to look at everything from different perspectives!

La Sportiva Baruntse

As you mature there are times you just have to over look the stark beauty and amazing good looks of the crazy party girl that is really a raving mad, succubus just waiting to seduce you and then eat your liver while you watch and are still alive. It is bleak.....



The choice you learn to appreciate is the sweet young thing that knows how to be nice. treat you with respect and make your life better not just more exciting. And most importantly leave you wanting more after every rendezvous.



Weird way to start a boot review, hu? There aren't many things in climbing that can bring about such an emotional response from me....but boots....preferably good boots..will do that. Bad boots on the other hand my make a Succubus look good at the end of a long day out...liver or no liver.





Baruntse, the mountain, is best known as a "easier" 7000m trekking peak close to Everett in Nepal.



The La Sportiva Baruntse how ever, is an exceptional technical climbing, and very warm, double boot. You have to wonder just how many climbers are going to miss out on the Baruntse thinking is is the "little brother" not up to the same tasks as the more expensive Spantik simply because of foolish name branding and marketing?







From La Sportiva Italy:

"A thermal boot with removable bootie, ideal for winter mountaineering or working outdoors in cold conditions."



That sound like a technical climbing boot to you? Of course not!



Here is what La Sportiva USA has to say on the Baruntse:



"A sturdy, durable double boot for high altitude mountaineering



When the conditions are cold and high the Baruntse offers a hospitable climate to keep your feet warm and dry. Ideal for use on 6-7000 meter peaks or in harsh winter conditions where you don’t want to think about your feet. The thermo-formable inner boot sports the patented speed lacing system and couples with the highly insulated multi-layered PE outerboot for dependable warmth and a PU coating to keep moisture and cold outside and heat inside the boot.



WEIGHT: 44.7 oz/ 1267 g LAST: Nuptse CONSTRUCTION: Inner Boot: Slip Lasted Outer Boot: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Transparent PU Tech anti-abrasion film with high insulation expandied PE/ High density expanded PE insulating netting/ Synthetic mico-fiber/ High abrasion resistant Cordura®/ Giugiaro lacing hardware INNER BOOT: Anti-abrasion Cordura®/ Thermo-moldable 7mm high density insulating EVA INSOLE: 6 mm isulating Ibi-Thermo + PE insulating barrier and aluminum insulation MIDSOLE: 8-9 mm TPU/SBR Air Cushion SOLE: Vibram® Montagna"



But let me back up a bit. If you don't know of the La Sportiva Nepal Top or the newer Nepal Evo Extreme you should. I'll tell you why in a minute. What I really should be doing is adding all sorts of cool climbing photos to this blog post to make my point on how good the Baruntse really is. But I can't. Why not you ask? If these boots are so cool? Well to be honest I was having way too much fun actually climbing in them to bother with taking pictures this winter. And I used them a lot...no shit... that is a true story.









Back to the Nepals for a minute. If you like the Nepals you'll love this warmer version of them...and how they climb. Damn near every Chamonix Guide climbs in the Nepal Evo or Top.....hard to argue with success. The Nepal climbs exceptionally well , fits most feet even better and is durable enough you'll be forced to keep them around for a resole or two.



The Baruntse is just a warmer Nepal with all its advantages......that alone should get you to try this boot on. End of story.



Well not quite 'cuz this is a boot I really love. First time out in them I soled a 600' WI3.

Not all that hard for me back in the day. But hadn't been out in a while and had never been on the climb before and knew nothing about it. I was just along for the "ride". Did I mention i was taking pictures? I was taking pictures. But never noticed the boots....ever.



Which says a lot for the boot. My next outing in the same boot was a 100m WI5+. With a rope this time and a long pillar, Again never noticed the boot. I could pass some of that off as me being preoccupied on both climbs...scared shitless maybe, but I wasn't...preoccupied that is...may be scared a bit. But I would have noticed the boots that didn't perform at least as well as expected. The Baruntse climbed so well in both cases that I was able to take advantage, and notice, the extra support in the rigid sole, the even flex on the ankle cuff both forward, front pointing and side ways in French technique and even the extra warmth. What I didn't notice is the extra bulk or weight of a decent double boot.



It is no wonder, as the Baruntse is only 4oz heavier than a pair of Spantiks in my 45 size.



I can easily lace the outer shell as tight as required to support my narrow ankles/heels. Tight enough that I get ZERO heel left. Which is simply amazing and almost unheard of for me outside a custom boot. I like the really simple inner boot, that it was heat formable with printed directions that actually worked. And that it fits! And it does really fit well. Best of all I like that that the rigid soled and mid soles were very easy to fit every pair of crampons I own to the Baruntse...perfectly. Really...perfectly....every pair I own! They have a more normal width heel and less rocker front and back than the Spantik both of which makes a huge difference on the positive side when fitting crampons.



It is the one boot I own...or have for some time... that I don't want something drastically changed or improved on. Sure I would like them lighter and smaller...but they are warm enough and light enough and not too big in volume. All of which is saying a lot about this boot. I'd take these back to Denali in a second with no over boots and expect to summit even on a cold day in May with warm feet. I know they will make miles of hard Alaskan , 60 degree ice, easier. I know I can climb any grade of technical ice I can get up with the Baruntses on my feet. And enjoy it.



So screw the advertising and the usual questions of "why didn't you buy the Spantik" ....



If you are up to it, the Baruntse will take you BIG before going home. And that will be done with the least amount of effort. Which is all that is required.

Mystery Photo #4

This is the third in a series of unidentified photographs from the Charles Wiseman Family Bible. See this post for background information. Click on the "Mystery Photo" label at the bottom of the post to see all of the photographs in this series.

Paper Photograph on card stock 2 ½ x 4 ¼" Somewhat faded. Is the photographer J. R. Gocgas? Taken in Madison, Indiana. ** Update **footnoteMaven identified the photographer as J. R. Gorgas. Apple found this page on J.R. (first name Joseph or John) at Craig's Daguerreian Registry of American Photographers 1839-1860, which appears to be a good resource. Much Thanks to both fM and Apple!!

Blue Snake

The first time my husband and I saw a blue snake, it took us forever to figure out what it was.

"There's no picture in this book of a blue snake. Argh!"

"The internet shows no blue snakes in Alabama. Arrrgh!"

"There's no such thing as a blue snake. Arrrrrrrgh!"

Only by reading the fine print did we realize that the Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) turns blue after death.

The Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys [Liochlorophis] vernalis) does the same thing, but they're a more northerly or westerly snake and are not in Alabama.

The snake's green color is made up of blue and yellow pigments in its skin. When it dies, the yellow fades more quickly, so the snake looks blue.

This one looks like he had a little run-in with the postal service. They've also been known to come out on the wrong end of duels with lawnmowers.

(And talk about holding your breath until you turn blue!)

---

This site sugguests that the snakes can also turn blue when excited.

Here's another cool pic of the snakes.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger - 1909 and 1910

In Oct. 1909, the families met at the home of Christian Phend in Nappanee, Ind. to re-organize.
Meeting was called to order by Wm. Phend.
A song was rendered.
Prayer by Rev. Walmer.
Talk by Wm. Phend
Talk by Grandpa Phend
Remarks by Rev. Walmer.
The following officers were elected
Pres. - Wm. Phend
Sec'y - Ivy Wehrley
Treasurer - Christian Phend
Song "God Be With You Till we Meet Again" concluded the program.
A good dinner was served to about 40 guests.
Adjourned to meet again at John Ernests, near Dunlap on June 25, 1910.The P.M. was spent in seeing the sights about Nap[panee]




The Sec[ond] reunion of the Phend - Fisher families assembled at John Ernests, near Dunlap, June 25 - 1910.
The A. M. was spent in getting acquainted and exchanging greetings.
At noon a good dinner was served, under the large trees on the lawn. Each one bringing a filled lunch basket. About 70 partook of the bounteous feast.
At 3 o'clock the following program was rendered.
Song by all
Prayer by Geo. Walters.
Solo by Mrs. Belle Miller.
Recitation by Freddie Phend.
closing Song by All.
Adjournment.
Later it was decided to meet at the home of Frank Wehrleys in Nappanee, Ind on June - 1911.The following were from a distance - Sam'l Fisher - Kan.
Mr & Mrs Delvin Phend - Iowa
Mrs. Belle Miller - Iowa
Mr and Mrs. Jno. Ringenberger - Garret
Mr and Mrs Jacob Phend and family - Mich
Mr and Mrs Henery Phend and family - Columbia [City]
Mr and Mrs. Geo. Walters
To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Yes, it was still a good year for fall color!

(Above and below: Morning reflections on Turtle Lake)

Despite the frequent claims by many people that this was a "bad" year for fall colors, I was still able to find plenty of good color. True, I had to look a little harder than I normally do, but as long as you spent a lot of time out in the woods there was still plenty of autumn beauty to be found. This is a collection of fall color images taken at various times over the month of October. Enjoy!



(Below: Fallen maple leaves on Old Highway 61)



(Below: Vibrant Maples)



(Below: Sunlit Maples)



(Below: Maple Forest)



(Below: Maple Forest Abstract... Sometimes its fun to play around with shutter speeds and create some abstract images with an otherwise "ordinary" scene. This image is a 1/2 second exposure of a stand of Maple trees. I shot the image hand-held, without the use of a tripod and panned the camera vertically during the 1/2 second exposure).



(Below: Mountain Ash trees on Grand Portage Bay)

Plumeria Flower Bud

A plumeria getting ready to bloom.

Raise and Fly

First the balloon which is about 3 stories high when inflated is unrolled from the large bag it is kept in. Then several people hold the bottom open while cold air from a large fan is forced in. At the proper time a propane burner which is attached to the top of the basket that holds the balloonist under the balloon is used to heat the air in the balloon. As the balloon heats it raises until it standing straight up. The balloon crew holds it on the ground with ropes until it is told it can go by the balloon referees. In this photo you can see the baskets, called gondolas with people in them. Each balloon is piloted by a licensed balloon pilot. Most balloons are from the United States, but there are pilots and their balloons as crews that come from lots of other counties.

Angie, Angela

The beach closest to the house is a small and rocky one that
all but disappears at high tide. But I know a spot - behind all the rocks,
in a little hollowed out nook in the side of the cliff - where I can sit on the
wet dark sand, hidden, reading. Well I
call it reading. Only half the time I am lying face down, my cheek pressed into
the open pages of the book.




Once in a while a noise prompts me to look up. Few people come here, most preferring the main beach down the road. But
now I hear the unmistakable sounds of flip-flops.




There are three of them, making their way along rocks
half-submerged in water. The man is athletic and agile, with a deep tan and
spiky brown hair. Close behind is an equally lean and tanned woman, blond ponytail
swinging as she hops from rock to rock. The couple moves with the lightness of teenagers, and only when I catch a glimpse of their faces do
I see they must be in their early 50s. They could be professional athletes. Runners
maybe.




As I contemplate this, they pause, waiting for the person some
distance behind to catch up. It is an elderly female form: soft, hunched-over
body, sagging chest, thinning hair, unsteady mincing gait. The mother or aunt of one of
them, I decide, and go back to my book.




Then I hear the blond woman’s voice and look up again. “Come
on honey,” she says - in the sort of firm but gentle tone used to encourage children. “Come on honey, give mommy your hand.”




I see now that she is a girl of around 14, though it is difficult to tell for sure. She stands awkwardly on the uneven rock, her shoulders hunched forward stiffly, hands at her sides, fingers fanned out, slack mouth
emitting a low pitched moan.




I feel a jolt to my system that I am instantly ashamed of. But it is the unexpectedness, the contrast of it. The couple'seffortless movements and theirbeautiful, youthful bodies, each stretching out a perfectly formed hand toward their child.






“Angie! Angela” says the man now, trying to get her to
look at him rather than down at the water. There is a big gap between the rock
she stands on and the next one, and she is terrified to cross. Her moans grow louder. “Angie! Angela.” The man’s tone is even, patient but not
exaggeratedly so, almost matter of fact.




When she still does not respond, both the man and woman step down into
the water and, in what has the look of a practiced maneuver, pick her up by the upper arms and swiftly move her to the next rock. She is large, and at once so limp and so stiff, it is as if they move a life-sized ragdoll. And then they go on with their trek.




Soon they are gone from my field of vision, but I continue
to think of them. Their light, graceful limbs and her heavy, awkward ones, the sun lighting up her sparse wisps of hair.




In my younger years, I could dwell on such a scene indefinitely,
crying over it without really knowing
why. But now I am better at willing myself to forget, at
removing thoughts and images from my mind, almost surgically. Eventually I go back to my book - reading it, then lying face down on it again.




It is not until three days later that I see her. A girl in
a halter dress, riding her bike along the tiny main street.Her left foot is missing a sandal.And she is coasting, round shoulders relaxed, head tilted back, short sandy hair ruffled by the breeze. She is squinting into the sun and
smiling so broadly, I cannot help but grin back reflexively.



In that moment I
recognise her. I look around for the tanned athletic couple, half
expecting them to be following on bikes or watching from the sidewalk. I don't see them. But the girl is unmistakably her. The face, the body, the hair, the
way her clothing does not sit quite right.It is all there and it is all
perfect, in the utter abandon of her posture and smile.

Shadow of My Former Self

It's been a strange winter season. In previous years, I'd stop riding "sporty bikes" some time in December, and not start again till late March. Both winters, I would gain about 10lb over that period of relative inactivity, which I'd then easily lose before June. No big deal, and I expected the same to happen this time. Instead, when I took a break from roadcycling a few weeks ago, I began to lose weight. At first I was glad: looking slender instead of dumpy, what's not to like! Must be all that skating and walking.



But deep down I knew that it wasn't true. I was probably losing weight because I was losing the muscle mass I'd built up roadcycling. And that meant that once I did get back on the bike I would be weaker than when I'd left off. Considering that I am doingthis in just over a month, that isn't good. Still, for a woman who has never been an athlete before it is very difficult to break the "weight loss = great!" association. I did not take my own sense of foreboding seriously enough.



...Until I emerged out of hibernation and went on a 12 mile ride in a strong headwind a few days ago. Yikes am I in trouble. Winded, legs hurting, just overall ridiculous. And it's been only weeks off the bike, with some half-hearted trainer attempts in the meantime. Let me tell you, I've never been so unhappy to fit into a smaller jeans size. I want my legs back!

Uh-oh

Hubby thinks the neighbors might be trying to tell us something...

Heavy equipment and during/after photos

The road to Mt Rainier National Park's recovery is passing through some interesting terrain. Today, I saw a large bulldozer working in the Nisqually River. One of the vexing problems for the NPS is that rivers and streams have jumped their main channels. During a storm, riverbeds can become filled with debris, which in turn causes the river's flow to change its course. To some extent, that is why the Emergency Operations Center was threatened, and why the stream jump at Kautz Creek is causing such a repair headache. So to protect the facilities in Longmire, heavy equipment is now being used to clear the build up of rock, logs and other debris from the last rainstorm and flood.

The historian in me wanted to capture a during and after view of the Nisqually River. Here is the "during" image from Monday afternoon, Nov. 6th when things really started to roll. This picture is taken from the Longmire bridge looking upstream.

And here is the "after" view, taken today Nov 17th. Note the tree that hangs over the Nisqually River in both photos, and also the color of the river.

Dovedale

From Milldale along the valley to the main car park at the Ilam end, and back. With kids etc. Mainly Dan and Rose. 6 miles. There was snow/hail on the ground early on, which melted as the day went on. Cold wind in the shade, pleasant in the sun.

Early morning view from Milldale

The day before this, we saw a dipper, in classic surroundings on the rocks beside the water, and earlier a heron, close to the bridge and very confident that we couldn't approach too closely. Guess what? No camera on that occasion!

A day off = A day in the woods!

(Above: Mt. Sophie fire tower framed by Maple trees)

This time of year, if its my day off from work and its a beautiful day, it means that I'm probably going to be spending the whole day out in the woods. And that's exactly what I did today. I spent all day wandering around the local logging roads and looking for fall color and any other interesting things I might come across.



(Above: Maple leaf on fern)

(Below: Fall colors and sun)



(Below: Moon Trees, Woodcock frozen in the headlights from my car)