Recent Game Cam action

I swear they look more like cheap plastic toys than real animals, but they dig enough foxholes for a whole regiment of green army men.

Masked bandit who looks like she's been on a diet. (I dreamed I was about this thin last night, but when I woke up it wasn't true.) We had a lot more raccoons when we lived in the suburbs than we do here out in the country.

Looks like frost on the grass, doesn't it? But this is Alabama, not Minnesota. The camera hasn't moved, but the previous photo was before all the recent rain, and this one was just a few days ago. What a difference in the grass!

Why are you so skinny? You've eaten all but two of our chickens!
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Wayne has been showing some recent pics from his Cuddeback too. He's got a different version than we do.
I'm not sure what type Linda has, but there's been a lot of action at her house!
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I forgot to post a link to the Friday Ark on Friday. So go visit now if you haven't already.

Mesclun Coming Up

The 'Paris Market Mix' mesclun from Renee's Garden is coming up. This mixture contains arugula, red lettuce, escarole, chervil, and endive.

Last year, I grew the same variety of mesclun, but I never fertilized, which means I never got a harvest. This year, though, things will be different!

Music of Silence

I've begun a new book called Music of Silence, A Sacred Journey Through the Hours of the Day. A little from the back cover says: "a noted Benedictine monk shows how to incorporate the sacred meaning of monastic life into our everyday lives. He demonstrates how to "be here now" by following the natural rhythms of the hours of the day.
This is from the chapter Vigils, the night watch. He's talking about affluence and how it always demands more. "The word affluence suggests that whatever flows in never comes out. Our affluent society stays affluent by making the containers bigger when they are just about to overflow, like a fountain with its lovely veils of water spilling over. The economics of affluence demand that things that were special for us last year must now be taken for granted; gratefulness is taken away from us. But if we make the vessel smaller and smaller by reducing our needs, then the overflowing comes sooner and with it the joy of gratefulness.
The less you have, the more you appreciate what you've got. With the extraneous stripped away, you begin to realize how you are being graced by life's gifts. This is at least one sense in which the poor are blessed. When your needs are limited, your vessel is easily filled, and you can delight in the overflow.
Monks experience the overflow sooner; poor people experience it sooner than wealthy ones, because the vessel is smaller. With monks, who by custom have few and simple possessions, it is artificially made smaller, and so the joy of overflowing comes sooner. If you normally have just soup for your meal, and all of a sudden you get a second course of potatoes, that feels like a wonderful gift, a blessing, and you are thrilled."
After my last bout of decluttering, I begin to see how true this is. I still spend way too much time going through papers, magazines, etc. I don't want to be a chronic paper shuffler. I want to be able to turn more outward and help the less fortunate, the young mothers, my grandchildren, and anyone else that needs me. And so the decluttering continues... will there ever be a time when I'm not a slave to paperwork? I hope and pray so.

Holiday Reading

Becca and Bella had a post recently about D.E. Stevenson's book Miss Buncle's Book.  I had read that book many years ago while reading most of Stevenson's books.  
I like to find an author I really like then read everything they've written.  In her case, that's about 40-50 books!  I haven't read them all but a lot.  
So after reading the post referred to above, I went to my fiction collection to see if I could find Miss Buncle's Book.  Unfortunately, I didn't find it.  I do own several of Mrs. Stevenson's books; just not that one.  I called our local library to see if they were open today, and they were.  
So Darcie and I took off to the library and spend a happy forty-five minutes cruising the stacks.  I found Miss Buncle plus the stack in the photo.  I shouldn't have gotten more.  I have so many stacks already at home.  But there's just something that I can't resist about checking out books.  Call it an addiction.  It's better than drinking or smoking!
Another good book I just finished is Stealing Athena by Karen Essex.  It's about the lives of two women; one living in ancient Greece while the Parthenon is being built and the other living during the late 1700's when her husband, Lord Elgin from Scotland, removed many Greek statues from Athens and shipped them to England.  
These are called The Elgin Marbles and are on display at the British Museum in London.  I saw them while there a few years ago but didn't realize what I was seeing.  There are so many similar objects on display.  After an hour or so, they all start running together in your mind and your eyes cross.  Next time I'm in London, I'll make a point to view them.  Greece has just built a museum in Athens to house them.  I guess they plan on winning the battle over who gets them.  So I'd better hurry before they're shipping back to Greece!  I think that's where they belong though.
The other book about Lady Elgin is one I've had in my stacks for a few months.  I plan on reading it next while the other one is still fresh in my mind.  She was quite a character!
I went to the Elgin Cathedral ruins in Scotland.  I was probably very close to Lord Elgin's ancestral home.  If only I had known then....Oh well, I'll just have to go back!
I just love historical fiction.  I've learned so much history that way.  And it's so much more interesting than reading history books.  The research that authors put into their books is just amazing.  I wouldn't have the patience!  So I'll let them do all the work and I'll enjoy the fruits of their labors by reading the books.

The Blizzard of

We have had a pretty mild December until this week. A couple times I have been out riding my road bike on the Council Bluffs trails. Looks like i should have ridden a little more to make my goal of 1000 miles (17 miles short).

The hybrid was in the shop to get a spoke replaced. Looks like it was damaged when hauling home from Albuquerque in May (had not ridden this bike since). Needed to get the bike ready for the next trip to Albuquerque.

Tuesday, I took the hardtail to the bike shop and got tires and pedals exchanged - now running studded tires and flat pedals. And just in time. We got about 6" of show (with ice under) Wednesday evening.

Missed a doctor appointment yesterday (did not feel comfortable with venturing out in the snow, cold, and wind). Stayed inside for the day except for a walk out to the mail box and take a couple photos.

Did not stay out very long. While it was in the 20s, the winds were 25-40mph and the drifting snow. Made it pretty chilly and not fun. Winds died off last night. Was able to get out and head out to Panera Bread for coffee and bagel this morning.

Word is that the Council Bluffs trails have been plowed (before than our county roads!) Don't see much melting for the next week or so. Looks like maybe the studded tires will get use yet this year.

Fall Semester Begins

This is Gabriel, our adopted college student. He's a music performance major at our local university; lucky for us. He serenades us with Chopin, Rachmaninoff, etc. when he comes over. We usually have him over to eat Sunday dinner with us after church.
Our church has this program where college students who want to be adopted while they're in school in our town and going to our church sign up. They're then placed within our church families.
We've had some not so good ones in the past, but we scored big with Gabriel. He's only a sophomore, so we'll have him around for a few more years.
I gave him the score from the movie Pride and Prejudice for Christmas last year. It's the most beautiful music I've ever heard. Within a few weeks he had it all worked up and was playing it for us. There are definite perks to this adoption thing. Now if he'll only do the dishes!

3200 ISO Photograph

Here's a photo I took of Darcie and Prince with the super high speed film.  I handtinted her ribbon and cheek pink and the cat's eyes green.  It's really grainy.  I love it!  I have it on my wall in an 11x14.  Click on the photo to see it enlarged.  I can't wait until I get the other roll back.

Wondrous Wollumbin

For sometime I'd been lining up another ride on the Tweed Valley. It involved taking Swifts Road from Tyalgum, then Tyalgum Ridge Road - becoming Brummies road before linking up with the old Tweed Valley ride. It all seemed simple enough, and yesterday seemed to turn on the perfect day, so it was time to do it.
Even before I had crossed the Macpherson Range, Tomewin was turning on a spectacular day.


After descending into the Tweed Valley, I followed the familiar route toward Tyalgum. The two climbs here often show spectacular views on days like this, and yesterday was no exception. I've watched clouds settle on those mountains in moonlight before, but seeing it during the day is also special.

After Tyalgum it was time. Swifts road doesn't mess around in getting into the climb. This climb becomes a little more challenging as it's on loose dirt. A sign advises "4wd road, dry weather road only". I had neither. I chose to press on, just watching the views open up. At one stage it looked like the road would peter out into a dead-end at a farmhouse, but it continued -- albeit on a slightly rougher surface.

Now I was into the forest, and an extremely beautiful one at that. This is actually Australia's most recently declared National Park. You can still find some of the campaign websites calling for Wollumbin State Forest to be declared a National Park. I have to say I agree with them whole-heartedly.

It started raining at the top of the climb, as if the "road" wasn't boggy enough already. It didn't really worry me too much, although I did put off the visit to Brummies Lookout for another day. After winding around on Condowie Road for a while, reaching a height of 470 metres at one point, it was then left to a steep descent back to Brays Creek Road and the old Tweed Valley ride. I didn't have any traction problems descending in the rain, but I did keep the speed down and concentrate on picking the less slippery parts of the surface.

After this, of course, it was just a simple ride back to Tyalgum, then the "main road" to Murwillumbah before returning through Urliup, Bilambil and catching the tailwind back up the coast. I finished the day with 165km and around 1,840 metres of climbing -- not quite the ASH Dash, but a decent amount of today's climbing was on dirt, which made it a little more interesting.
This now effectively gives me two of these circuits in the Tweed Valley to play with. The other one is, of course, the old ride through Mebbin National Park to the south. Maybe I'll take that one next week.

Shimmering Sky

On the night of September 5th we had an unexpected display of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). When I went to bed that night I looked out my bedroom window and thought "Hmmmm... looks like Northern Lights out there!" Sure enough, I went outside and looked up and saw the Aurora shimmering in the sky directly over the house. I went out into the yard and made this picture looking straight up into the sky. The lights were beautiful, but difficult to photograph because of the waning half-moon.

Loved Those Wildflowers!

About this time last year, there was a proliferation of wildflowers here, but today, it looks like a mudslide occured. A lot of people and pups are sad, but the Corte Madera creek that runs by the path is nice, especially when the rowing clubbers are out skulling. Hope you all had a great Tuesday!

BHFTF Wrap-up

The edition of the Black Hills Fat Tire Festival is history. I rode on the Mickelson, completed a singletrack ride, and survived the Beer-Muda Triangle.
Sunday afternoon, we made it back from the ride just in time for the raffle and hot food available. Here's a photo of me with some of my swag.
Sunday was completed with the BHFTF Film Fest. Good films, good food, good beer, and great people.
I was thinking of riding Monday morning - the same trail from Sunday. When I stuck my head out of the hotel room door, it was cold, drizzling, and breezing. Besides, my legs were a little sore. So, I decided to pack up the car and head to home. Stopped at Founder's Park and left a DVD of my photos.
Will I be back next year? Most likely. The group (locals, staff, and participants) are great. Everyone seemed to rolled with the punches. Schedules were altered to facilitate racing, tours, and BBQ.
We had some pretty nasty weather for riding, but we survived, even had fun. Something about mountain bikers - we feed on each other's enthusiasm. When you are down, feeling bad about your riding, somebody seems to sense it and says something that gives you that little emotional lift.
It was great to see my friends from last year. Also great to meet so many new friends. Safe riding - see you down the trail.
Oh yeh, my photos and report of BHFTF are posted on my web site: http://www.tomwinfield.com/bike/mtn-bike/mtb_festivals/BHFTF08.html

Bike trip destinations: Franke's (Kolacky) Bakery, Montgomery

Distance from downtown Mankato: Anywhere from 37-40 miles, depending on the route you take.

Route I took: The route I took to get there wasn't necessarily direct, but it did encounter the least amount of traffic. Essentially, you take the Sakatah Trail out of Mankato until you get to Madison Lake. After passing the Trail Blazer Bar & Grill, take the first left off the trail (1st Street/County Road 26). Follow that road for about 10 miles (the road goes through the Lake Henry/Lake Jefferson area and becomes County Road 15) into Cleveland. Once in Cleveland, take a right onto Highway 99 and follow that through Le Center for about 12 miles. Then take a left onto Highway 13, follow that into Montgomery and take a right onto Ash Ave. The bakery will be three blocks down on your right. The route I took to get home (taken because it was extremely humid that day and, in hindsight, I probably should've eaten more than Czech pastries during such a trip) was shorter (Highway 13 to Highway 99 to Highway 169) but also had a lot more traffic to be wary of.
General ease/challenge of ride: Aside from the occasional tree patches on the Sakatah Trail, the back country roads on this trip don't offer a whole lot of shade or wind cover. The distance of the trip is also not what you'd call a short ride. Hill-wise, I really don't recall anything daunting. The Sakatah Trail hill out of the river valley is pretty gradual and the only real noticeable inclines after that are between Le Center and Montgomery, none of which are overwhelming. By virtue of Montgomery being at a higher elevation, the return route is easier. However, I'd imagine the return route I took would be considerably tougher than my initial route if you were to use that to get to Montgomery. The hill down Highway 99 into St. Peter was extreme enough to get my bike up near 40 mph with little effort, so I can only imagine what that'd be like biking up.
Safety of the ride: Undoubtedly, the initial route I took is the safer of the two. For one thing, 14 miles of it is strictly on bike trails and thus more closed off from traffic. For another, the county road between Madison Lake and Cleveland was easily the least busy road I traveled on for that trip. Highway 99 was nerve racking to bike on because it was busy, drivers weren't obeying the speed limit (nothing makes a biker more nervous than a truck whizzing past them at 70 mph) and it lacked a wide shoulder at any point. Highway 169 was no picnic to bike on, as it was the busiest road of the bunch. If I were to do it all over again, I would've come up with a route that avoided Highway 99 altogether. It's just not a good road for cyclists.
Appeal of the destination: While interviewing the owner of Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports about RAGBRAI, I remember him talking about how the different towns in Iowa would have starkly different cultures. Well, if you're looking to find cultural differences close to home, look no further than New Ulm and Montgomery. The towns are only a mere hour from one another, yet one is heavily German for herritage and influence while the other is decidedly Czechoslovakian (see photo of town banner). A Czechoslovakian culture nut could have a field day walking around Montgomery during Kolacky Days, with everything from St. Johns Luthern Church's architecture to Czechoslovakian-attired dancers to Big Honza House in the downtown area.
While I'm always a fan of soaking in culture, I biked to Montgomery for one reason and one reason only: To get my hands on some quality kolackys at Franke's Bakery.
For the uninitiated, according to Montgomery's website, a kolacky is a small dinner roll-like pastry which is folded, enclosing filling in the center. Kolackys originated in Czechoslovakia when working men became frustrated that fruit in the open-faced buns would get all over their lunch buckets. The men had their wives fold over the pastry. Problem solved.
Admittedly, this served as something of a makeup trip for me. Montgomery's Tour de Bun bike ride is this Saturday, and it features recreational courses of 12, 30 and 50 miles in the Montgomery area. The bike ride is part of Montgomery's annual Kolacky Days Festival which has everything you could possibly want in a festival: Carnivals, beer gardens, Czech food, museum tours, craft sales, tractor pulls, baking contests, softball tournaments, and a pageant.

Needless to say, the Tour de Bun is pretty much right in my wheelhouse for an event to sign up for. However, I'm unable to participate in it because I leave for RAGBRAI that day. So I decided to experience Kolacky Days with a little bike tour of my own. I figured I was unfamiliar with the famed Czech pasty and needed to get a good training ride in for RAGBRAI.

After getting to Franke's Bakery, it took me awhile to locate the kolackys. As far as appearance goes, they're really nothing special; they pretty much look like plain old dinner rolls. There were certainly more eye-catching bakery items in the store (I was practically drooling over the rasperry turnovers), but I didn't bike that far for a run-of-the-mill pastry. On the advice of previous visitors, I opted for a 6-pack of kolackys split into half apricot, half raspberry flavored pastries. I threw in a carton of chocolate milk with my purchase, reason that I needed something more than water to wash the pastries down.

After taking one bite of an apricot kolacky, I can tell you this: They may look simple, but their taste is far from ordinary. The bread of the Kolackys were freshly baked that day, and the rolls weren't skimpy with the filling either (see photo). Unlike the blandness of a creame-filled eclair, these pasty fillings had some real flavor to them. I can also venture a guess that since the pastries are bread and the filling is actual fruit, kolackys are probably healthier for you than your average doughnut.
Yes sir, the pastries were indeed tasty. However, they weren't quite worth an 80 mile bike trip through humidity hell. I had to stop for water every 10 miles or so along the way and felt like Tim Robbins at the end of the septic pipe in 'Shawshank Redemption' by the time I reached Mankato. I actually stopped to jump in Hiniker Pond on my way home just to cool down.
If I were to do the trip over again, I would either pick a cooler day, or I would do it during the actual Kolacky Days just to get more bang for the buck out of the trip. Or perhaps couple the Franke's visit with a trip to Big Honza House (I like saying the full name of the restaurant, it just sounds cool). Might as well immerse yourself in Czech food if you're going to bike that far.

Aerial Afternoon

It looks like fun, but I don't think I would ever do it :-) Heights don't really bother me, but the thought of hanging in mid-air with nothing under my feet makes me kinda woozy. The hotel we were staying at in Teton Village was right at the base of the ski hill, and the cable car that goes to the top of the mountain was right behind our hotel. These guys were taking the cable car up the mountain, then sailing down and landing in a small field right across from the parking lot of our hotel. I'm guessing it was an instructional course, as some of them were doubled up.


This afternoon Stuart and I decided to take a drive to the town of Jackson (Jake opted for some nap time back at the hotel), which was only a few miles away. One of the tail lights on my car had burned out, and since I was heading for home after shooting sunset I wanted to have that fixed. So, we drove into town to look for an auto parts store and on the way back we came across this Osprey nest which was just off the road. Stuart has an eye for spotting birds and he noticed it well before I did. We pulled over to watch the nest for awhile, and were lucky enough to see an Osprey carrying a fish in its claws.