Something New

This evening I tried out a "new" (to me) location along the Lake Superior shoreline North of Grand Marais, MN. It turned out to be a wonderful spot and I had great fun spending the evening shooting here. I still can't believe I've never been down to this spot before! It is just a short walk from Highway 61, and is actually part of the Superior Hiking Trail. Many thanks to my friend Bryan Hansel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanhansel/) for letting me know about this amazing little slice of Lake Superior's shore.

Most of the beach in this area consists of small pebbles, but there is also a small rocky outcrop that juts out into the lake. On the tip of this rocky outcrop is a small island that is only a few feet from shore. It just so happens that the moon was rising over this small island during my visit. Also along the rocky outcrop were several types of plants that were coated in ice from recent waves and spray coming off the lake. As many of you know, winter is a favorite time of mine for photography mostly because I loooooove photographing ice!

After shooting for about an hour and a half along the Lake Superior shore, I headed home for a bite to eat. As soon as my stomach was full I headed back out to do some more shooting. It was a beautiful moonlit night and I wasn't about to let that go to waste! So, I headed up along the Pigeon River and made some photos of Partridge Falls bathed in moonlight. What a great day for some early winter photography!

Rush hour in Blount county

Cute little guy, but he wouldn't let us anywhere near him. A little girl was making friends by throwing something edible at him, so we left them to it.
That is a belt around his neck, which I did think was a little strange.
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Updated: After a few emails, I can see that it is not obvious for people with those nifty little lightweight, but tiny-screened, laptops. That is a GOAT in the road!
By the way, you can always click on any of the pictures to make them larger.

Packing, Bike Ride, & Eclipse

Got a good night's sleep last night. Yeah think the bike ride might have something to do with it? Did most of my packing of my clothes.

Set up for a bike ride with my cousin Don. We met at the Central Ave. trailhead on Paseo del Bosque. Rode South to Rio Brave. Stopping on the way back, asked some of the folks along the trail to take a photo of us. They were support vehicle for a Boy Scout 50 mile badge ride. Anyway, today's photo is of Don and me on the "Bosque".

Lunch was my treat. Don sprinted to the vehicles after our photo was taken. Pigged out on Village Inn breakfast, coffee and pie/cake.

Finished the day with visiting a friend I met on-line. We went West of town to watch the solar eclipse. LOTS of other foks had the same idea I did. Parked along the road West of Volcanoes Day Use area (Paseo del Volcan). It was a "happening"!

Back on the road in the morning. Tomorrow evening in Taos.

Envirionmental adverstising

On a wall at Edinburgh University - a charity event, environmentally advertised. Who says students these days only think about themselves?

The Toad, the Damselfly and the Owl

We were out walking with Harry when he gave a yell and crouched down, telling me excitedly about a baby toad he had spotted.. I could see nothing, but took his word (and better eyesight) for it. I pointed the camera and took half a dozen photos of what looked like grass and ivy...but he was right, there was a beautiful little toad hidden deep in the grass.

A Tiny Toad

Well done Harry!

Damselfly

I spotted the blue flash of a damselfly and ...

was delighted to find I had captured this photograph of a little beauty.

We were just turning for home when we spotted a large bird flying around the meadow...I couldn't make out what it was, but I could guess... point, click, hope for the best...

Barn Owl

Apologies for the poor quality, but there it is, a barn owl. Daylight hunting to feed her young. She was a very long way off, so I was thrilled to get this photo of her.
Now that is what I call a wonderful country walk.

Ponca's Revenge

After an all to short night's sleep, Saturday morning I headed to Ponca State Park to shoot the mountain bike race. The weather was clear and pleasant - 70s in race time.
The field for the Beginner and Junior races was pretty small. There was only one wave to start. With that and the short (1-2 laps) races, I did nor get very many photos of that race.
Since the Revenge this year was not a marathon, the Kid's Race was run.
Pretty good turn-out for the Sport and Expert/Semi-Pro category. I found a couple spots to shoot the race. I am not pleased with the overall quality of the race photos. Some is the unfamiliarity of the race course. Other is I was just not on top form.
I am still working on the photos - when done they will be posted on my web site. (I also have the photos from my Army Reunion that need to be processed and posted).

Rio Grande Riverside Trail

Yesterday was a day off the bike. My body needed it. But back on the bike today - I HAD to ride today.
Why, you ask? It was the last day of January and I needed 10.5 miles to break 100 miles for the month (and year-to-date). I decided to continued to explore the trail along the Rio Grange River.
The trail is called the Paseo del Bosque to the Riverside Trail. I parked my car at the Central Ave trailhead. The goal was to complete the trail South from Central Ave.
For almost 7 miles, the trail follow the river. At that point, the trail turns left (East) and is along the South Diversion Channel. The channel arcs to the North. At Bridge St, the trail turns left along the south side of Rio Bravo Blvd.
This took me back to the Riverside Trail. At this time, I was at 11 miles into my ride. It was 5 miles back to Central Ave.
While it was warm (57 degrees) it was a bit chilly because it had been a cloudy day. Back at the room, it was laundry time -- needed to wash my cycling kits.
Today's photo shows my hybrid bike at the junction of South Diversion Channel and a sice channel (the concrete rivers).
OH - and I met my goal. 106 miles year-to-date.

Intriguing Bookmark

One of the pleasures of reading a pre-loved book is that sometimes an unusual bookmark is found between the pages. Over the years I have found bus and train tickets, a shopping list, sweet wrappers, a piece of string, a cigarette card. Presumably just whatever was handy.

Today I came across one of the most intriguing. It was tucked into an old book - probably one which I bought at an auction years ago. It is a postcard. Nothing special or intriguing about that then...

Except that this postcard is printed on thin wartime card.

It is a wartime postcard, but it wasn't posted until 11 August 1962, sent from Torquay in Devon, to an address in London. It was addressed to 'Oberfuhrer ....'.

No valid postage had been paid on it, so the 'Oberfuhrer' had to pay the princely sum of 5 old pence to have it delivered.

I suppose it was written as a joke...but I shall never know.

Maple Colors

The colors have arrived! They may be a little late this year, but they are here and they are beautiful! The maples have really started to turn this past week and should continue to be good for at least another week. Colors along the Lake Superior shoreline are still pretty green, but those always change after the maples so rest assured, more color is on the way! We went for a short fall color drive yesterday and found lots of nice color in the maples. This tree was my favorite of the day. I love how the trunk separated then grew back together again.

Easter Collage

After a hunt with grandpeeps, I got to play with my kong at Limantour Beach. Mom experimented with a collage. Hope you all had a superb Sunday afternoon! xo Sammie

First Singletrack, Snow, Night Ride

Previously, I have been riding singletrack at Manawa; I have ridden there in the snow; and I have ridden there at night (with handlebar light). Tonight's Thursday Night Ride, for the first time I was able combine all in one ride.
Needed to get out and ride today. Meeting up for the TNR to pick up a Trail Group display board was just the excuse (as if I need an excuse to ride) I needed. I was there early to get in a warm-up ride before dark.
Some nine of us rode. They are all much faster and better riders then me, but I had a good ride. Made a full lap after dark. Stopped several times to take photos (yes, that is the same tree that I parked my bike at for the previous photo).
Trail condition was snow covered ice, with spots of grease. My hardtail with studded tires performed great.

After 11+ miles and just short of 2 hours, I ended up with a slight headache. That's probably from the concentration needed to ride in the woods, in the snow, at night. For me, every new accomplishment makes me stronger.

Williamsburg, here we come!

In six days, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we head to Williamsburg.  We can't wait!  Laurel has been wanting to plan the trip this week, but I've been holding her off until next.  I still have lesson plans to complete this week.  
She's going to be cooking our suppers, and I'll be taking care of breakfasts.  Lunch will pretty much take care of itself since we'll be in and out.  I do want to eat sometime in a tavern for an authentic colonial meal.
I also hope to make it over to Monticello and Charlottesville.  A few miles west of there is a recreated Irish settlement.  I want to take the children there to show them how their ancestors lived.  I know the little ones won't remember it but the two older ones will.  Darcie and Caed are at the ages where they soak in information like a dry sponge.  I love watching them learn and discover. 
I've been to Monticello twice before but could go there many more times without getting tired of it.  Jefferson was such a brilliant man.  His home and gardens really reflect his personality.  I love that his home was so important to him that he left his marks all over it.  There are things he invented and designed everywhere.  That reminds me; I need to get some books about him for Darcie to read so she'll know what she's seeing!
Field trips are the best way to teach, in my humble opinion.  I know you can't go everywhere you read about.  That's when I bring in the movies and books to make it more real to them.  I love sharing and learning with my family.  God's world is so fabulous and history so interesting that we'll never fully learn it all.  But we're going to try!

Long Weekend at Pohick Bay Begins

Back in April, before we concluded our stay at the Pohick Bay Regional Park campground, we made reservations to return for the Memorial Day long weekend.  As expected, getting a site wasn’t easy for this popular camping weekend, but we managed to snag one from our ‘will-work-for-us’ list.

To maximize our stay, we came in last night.  The 32-mile (50 km) drive was again quick and easy — the key to that experience is staying off I-95 as much as possible.  Sure, Routes 7100 and 123 mean dealing with traffic lights, but at least we’re not stuck in the inevitable ‘not going anywhere fast’ experience that I-95 often is around here.  We left storage around 4:15p and were set up in our site an hour later.  Another hour to Swiffer the floor, roll out the rug, and put away the stuff we brought from the stix & brix … and we were ready for a quiet evening at home.  I can tell you one thing — I am not going to miss lugging groceries and whatnot to the motorhome every time we want to go camping!!!

We’re usually in Site 71 (blue circle) or thereabouts; this time we’re in Site 4 (red circle).

Our past stays at Pohick Bay have been at a 50 Amp FHU site.  Our favorite site (#71) wasn’t available for this stay, but even if it had been, we would not have wanted it.  You see, it backs up to the open space that is the play field for kids and adults alike — not a good thing on a crowded holiday weekend.

So, this time we’re in site 4.  It’s a 30 Amp electric-only site.  That it is close to the entrance doesn’t bother us; what traffic comes in and out passes us quickly.  The site is plenty long and wide, and there’s lots of wooded open space behind.  We also have a thick canopy covering the site from above.  Considering it’s expected to get into the 90F (32C) range this weekend, that’s a good thing.  (Even as I write this at 5:00p, we’re up from the day’s low of 69F (20.C) at 6:00a to a humid 80F (27C) — and that’s in the shade!)

We have three guys tent-camping on one side — they’re here for Monday’s Rolling Thunder event.  On our other side is another tent-camper here for the same event.  The two sites across the road from us are occupied by a couple of trailers.  So far all’s been quiet.  We’re hoping it will stay that way :-)

Our screen shelter gives us relief from the sun streaming through openings in the canopy.

Another advantage to this site is that we’re close to the campground office, which means we can get a fast — but finicky — wi-fi signal.  Combine that with the decent signal with our aircard, and we’re good to go with connectivity for our stay.  Provided I can squeeze in the time between other things I want to accomplish while we’re here, there might be another blog post or two before we return to the brix & stix.

Our view from the shelter is of the wooded area behind the coach.

Today was a workday for both of us, so nothing of real interest to write about.  I have several proposals due between May 30 and June 6, so it’s likely that I’ll be doing some work over the weekend.  I can set my own schedule, however, so if the files come through, I can work during the hot-hours in the afternoon.

Looking out the windshield and to the right; The comfort station is just beyond the trailer.

The weekend won’t be just about work, however.  We have a couple of things planned for the cooler morning hours.  Stay tuned for those reports.