Over The Hill

Jupiter at the Strathmore

2009-02-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

February 2nd, 2009. George has started a new gig; volunteering for the National Philharmonic which is the orchestra-in-residence at the Music Center at Strathmore. I've been thinking, with the kids in college, now was a good time to devote time to philanthropic activities--especially given the financial crisis that is gripping the country. I eventually hope to balance contribution to the arts with equal contribution to helping the disadvantaged. I have yet to identify a charity in the latter category--but I'm looking. I don't want to enter into anything that would be too depressing, or would require a huge time commitment--maybe I'm being too picky. Anyway, last Saturday was my first day at the Strathmore. My volunteer efforts entailed setting-up and breaking-down chairs for a lecture they held before the concert--given by the back-up conductor. The lectures provide concert-goers with a better understanding of the music they're to hear that evening. However, on this night the chairs were already set-up and didn't need to be put away following the lecture, so I didn't feel particularly useful.

Regardless, the NP has an arrangement with Strathmore that volunteers receive a complimentary ticket for the evening show. Luckily, I received two complimentary tickets so that Jane and I could attend the concert. Among the selections was Mozart's last work, symphony no. 41 composed in 1788, and familiarly known as the Jupiter Symphony. I found the work mildly entertaining but agreed with Jane that similar segments sounded rather repetitive. But, neither of us are professional musicologists. I found the following description, which appeared on All Things Considered helpful in appreciating the symphony. Also I remember the movie Amadeus---which I really enjoyed--so in retrospect I liked (or should have liked) Jupiter more than I did.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's last symphony, the Jupiter Symphony (No. 41), was written along with two other, full-length symphonies in the summer of 1788 — in just six weeks. Mozart had recently been idolized all over Europe for operas such as Don Giovanni and for his spectacular performances of his own piano concertos.

But, by most accounts, Mozart was near the bottom when he wrote it: broke and in debt. His audiences had become interested in other composers. Austria was at war with Turkey. And his newborn daughter had just died.
Still, Mozart was determined to do something revolutionary. That comes in the final movement of the Jupiter Symphony with the composer's use of counterpoint, or weaving together two or more different melodies. Mozart uses five different melodies simultaneously in the Jupiter, making it a challenge for any orchestra that takes it on.
Some have said the Jupiter sums up what had happened in symphonic music up to that point, and that it foreshadows the work of Beethoven. But more than that, it's exuberant and introspective, charming and complicated — a lot like life itself.

Bright Sun After Heavy Snow

2009-01-30T07:50:00.000-08:00

Bright Sun after Heavy Snow
by Jane KenyonThe Boat of Quiet Hours) Copied from The Writer's Almanac.

A ledge of ice slides from the eaves,
piercing the crusted drift. Astonishing
how even a little violence
eases the mind.

In this extreme state of light
everything seems flawed: the streaked
pane, the forced bulbs on the sill
that refuse to bloom...A wad of dust
rolls like a desert weed
over the drafty floor.

Again I recall a neighbor's
small affront — it rises in my mind
like the huge banks of snow along the road:
the plow, passing up and down all day,
pushes them higher and higher...

The shadow of smoke rising from the chimney
moves abruptly over the yard.
The clothesline rises in the wind. One
wooden pin is left, solitary as a finger;
it, too, rises and falls.

2009-01-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

January 26th. The spring semester at UMBC started today and we dropped Elroy off yesterday but before we gave him back we explored a new park we hadn't visited before, Patapsco Valley State Park. This isn't a huge park but it has an fairly extensive series of hiking trails (outlined in my previous post), some of which are also used by bikers. Since it's wintertime, the visitors center was closed which was a little irksome especially since it wasn't straightforward where we were to go to find the trailheads to the various hiking paths. But we persevered and finally hiked the Cascade Falls Trail. The central attraction of this particular hike is small falls that cascaded in wonderful frozen burbles (if that's a word) over a short precipice. The sound of trickling water underneath the icy surface was interesting. It was a sunny but rather frigid afternoon just perfect for a hike. Along one remote section, where few hikers strayed, we found numerous downy feathers and one short brown-banded feather among the leaf litter, marking a spot where a bird (I imagined a baby owl) must have fell afoul (or should I say afowl) of a forest predator. Later along this same trail Elroy spotted a shed snakeskin. Imagine, finding a snakeskin in January. How long must it have been lying on the forest floor waiting for someone to come and marvel at its scaly resilience. Anyway, here are a few pictures along the trail.

Hiking in Patapsco Valley State Park

2009-01-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

Patapsco Valley State Park

Description (from MidAtlanaticHikes.Com): The Patapsco Valley State Park is a long narrow park that stretches from the southern part of the Baltimore Beltway and north along the river, almost to Liberty Reservoir. It extends even further up the south branch. Portions of the park are well developed with picnic pavilions, restrooms and well-maintained trail systems. The Orange Grove Area is one such section. The labyrinth of trails allows one to hike as little as 1/4 mile to view a water fall or walk more than 8 miles while hardly retracing a step. The trails are well groomed, blazed and signed, for the most part. There are one or 2 junctions that might leave you scratching your head so please take a map.

Trails
Hilton Area:
Buzzards Rock Trail (2.1 miles): This steep trail runs along the top of a ridge and provides a scenic view above the railroad tracks, especially during late fall and winter. Please note that 0.7 miles of this trail is foot-use-only. Mountain bikers must detour on to Santee Branch Trail.
Sawmill Branch Trail (0.9 miles): This trail starts at the end of the Grist Mill Trail or off the Buzzards Rock Trail. The trail's moderate grade meanders downstream, allowing hikers to view several scenic pools and glades.
Ilchester Rocks Trail (0.1 miles): This very steep trail is an offshoot of the Buzzards Rock Trail and provides a nice view of rock cliffs above the river. This area is also popular for rock climbing.
Charcoal Trail (0.7 miles): This wide-open trail, which follows the power line, connects the Sawmill Branch and Santee Branch trails.
Forest Glen Trail (0.6 miles): This foot-use-only trail has several very steep grades, and connects the end of the Grist Mill Trail to the Hilton Area complex near the recycled tire playground.
Pigs Run Trail (0.2 miles): This relatively flat trail is nicely wooded and connects Forest Glen and Santee Branch trails.
Avalon Area:
Ridge Trail (2.2 miles): This popular hiking and mountain biking trail runs along the ridge above the river. The trail has two entrances, one at River Road and the other located just downriver of the Orange Grove Area comfort station.
Rockburn Branch Trail (1.2 miles): Access this trail from the Ridge Trail at River Road. The trail loops through woods and steepens as you head back to River Road on the Howard County side.
Valley View Trail (0.9 miles): This foot-use-only trail has a great view of the river valley and primarily runs along the ridge. Watch for a few steep sections with loose rocks.
Morning Choice Trail (1.8 miles): A relatively level trail, this route connects Cascade Falls Trail with Rockburn Branch Trail, as it winds through areas of beautiful mature trees, and passes a stand of bamboo, an exotic invasive species near Old Track Loop.
Glen Artney Area:
Vineyard Spring Trail (1.0 miles): This is a very popular mountain bike trail and can be accessed from the Grist Mill Trail. It is narrow at points, often only two to three feet wide, as it works its way along a stream.
Santee Branch Trail (2.4 miles): The Santee is a long trail connecting the Hilton and Glen Artney Areas. The trail follows a power line several times and can be connected with the Vineyard Springs, Grist Mill and Sawmill Branch trails to make a great 4.5 mile loop.
Soapstone Branch Trail (1.7 miles): This trail has a loop below the Glen Artney Area. Several stream crossings are required as this trail connects with South Rolling Road (Rt. 166).
Grist Mill Trail (1.6 miles): This trail is wheelchair accessible, traveling from the Lost Lake parking lot to the Swinging Bridge and continuing on to the head of the Hilton Area trails. The trail follows the river and railroad bed.
Orange Grove Area:
Cascade Falls Trail (2.2 miles): Beginning in the Orange Grove Area, this loop trail allows visitors an opportunity to view beautiful cascades and rapids. A short section of the trail is foot-use-only due to severe steepness. Please check the map available for sale at the park office before biking.
Ridge Trail (2.2 miles): This trail connects the Avalon and Orange Grove Areas and is popular for hiking and mountain biking.

Suggested 5.6 mile hike from the Orange Grove Area:

Trail Notes: Proceed up blue blazed Cascade Falls Tr. Almost immediately the trail will split. (This trail has multiple components that can be used to make short loops.) Bear to the left, following the split rail fence. Soon you'll reach Cascade Falls. Cross the stream on huge boulders and climb to the top of the falls. The Orange blazed Ridge Tr comes in on the left. (This is your return route.) Stay straight on the Cascade Falls Trail. You'll cross the stream three more times. Twice other components of the Cascade Falls Tr will come in from the right. Ignore them.
In about 0.6 miles from the falls and shortly after the last stream crossing turn left onto yellow blazed Morning Choice Tr. Cross gravel Norris Lane in 0.15 more miles. In another 0.19 miles the trail joins the red blazed Old Track Tr. Bear right here, following the dual blazes for a few yards. Where the trails separate bear to the right to stay on yellow blazed Morning Choice Tr. In another 0.18 miles come to an unsigned trail junction. The trail in all directions at this point is blazed yellow. For this hike make a sharp left turn.
Soon reconnect and, nearly as quickly, disconnect from the east end of the red Old Track Tr. In another 0.29 miles (after skirting the western boundary of the Belmont Research Conference Center arrive at the junction of the Connector Tr (Marked in both yellow and orange). Turn right to stay on yellow blazed Morning Choice Tr. You'll walk along the edge of the Belmont Research Conference Center some more before re-entering the woods. This is a good place to spot grazing deer at dusk. In 0.86 miles from the last trail junction arrive at purple blazed Rockburn Branch Trail (Right, Straight and to the left). Turn left and in a short distance come to a junction with orange blazed. Bear right, downhill on an old woods road. After passing a trail shelter bear left onto white blazed Valley View Tr. This is a narrow sidehill footpath closed to all but foot traffic. For the next 0.75 miles you need not be concerned with mountain bikers. As you weave in and out of shallow but steep coves you'll pass the ruins of some old rental cabins that were used prior to Hurricane Agnes which greatly changed to shape and functionality of the park. The Valley View Tr will temporarily "kiss" the orange blazed Ridge Tr. From this point follow the Ridge trail for about 1 mile to its terminus with the Cascade Falls Tr. Ignore any false trails or old roads. At the falls, descend, recross the stream and retrace your initial steps back to the car.

San Francisco Treat

2009-01-25T04:59:00.001-08:00

January 24th. Jane had a business meeting to attend the second week in January in San Francisco; I had a comp ticket from United Airlines.....so I decided to take a 3 day vacation and accompany Jane. It turns out that January is a good time to visit San Francisco, the temperatures are comfortable and there aren't too many tourists. And getting around the SF Bay area using mass transit is really easy. There are so many things to do there, it was difficult to decide what sights to take in. We landed at SFO around 11:15 am and took the BART train to the Powell St. station and walked a couple of blocks to the Intercontinental Hotel where Jane's meeting was being held. After settling in we took a cable car ride to Ghiradelli Square and then to Pier 33 to go on an evening cruise to Alcatraz Island (see picture at left). The cruise left the dock around 5:30 pm with 301 passengers aboard and brought us around the island to get different views. After disembarking on Alcatraz, National Park Service guides conducted an orientation tour of the facility and started us on a self-guided audio tour of the island. It was interesting hearing the history of the island and the stories of the inmates daily routines and the less frequent, but more dire stories, of notable riots and jailbreaks. Probably the most famous inmate at Alcatraz was Robert Stroud, known to all as the Birdman of Alcatraz (see picture of Stroud'd cell at right).
Of course, as we learned on the tour, Stroud was not allowed to tend birds on Alcatraz. Stroud's scientific contributions to avian health actually occurred while he was an inmate at Leavenworth (incidentally, the same penitentiary where Michael Vick currently calls home), where he was known as........the Bird Doctor of Leavenworth. I know, not as poetic as the Birdman of Alcatraz. The other interesting misconception about Stroud was that he was a kind and caring elderly gentleman, as portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the popular 1962 MGM movie. Although possessing a high IQ, I've read that Stroud more closely resembled a homicidal and suicidal maniac. Just as a sidebar, during my career in biomedical research I've come across scientists with similar personality quirks as Stroud's, but those are stories for another post. Anyway, toward the end of our time on the island a full moon was up in the sky and the lights of the San Francisco skyline made a beautiful sight.

I also walked through Golden Gate Park, San Francisco's version of New York's Central Park. The park was nice and I went to the de Young Museum of art located there. The museum had a nice collection of early (mid 19th century) American landscape paintings by artists of the Hudson River School. Jane doesn't care for these, so I was happy to be there alone to spend some quality time just absorbing the landscapes. There was also a small but nice collection of abstract expressionists like Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and a San Francisco native Richard Diebenkorn that I don't remember every having seen before who I really liked. While in that neighborhood I also visited the Haight-Ashbury district, the epicenter of the hippie movement of the 1960s. I hadn't researched what exactly I would find there but was pleasantly surprized to see a strip of about 8 blocks of really interesting shops with various street musicians performing, although I don't think there was any organized effort to entertain tourists. It reminded me of Ludlow St. in Clifton...only a lot better. I took Jane there later in the evening after her meeting ended and we made a few purchases. Jane was impressed by the quality of second-hand clothes shops we looked at. As the evening wore on, we began to sense that we'd probably stayed in the Haight too long as once the shops and boutiques closed (around 7-7:30 pm), groups of young "drifters" appeared out of nowhere and gathered in groups on the street corners. The kids didn't outright threaten us--in fact they largely ignored us, but there was a palpable feeling that we really didn't want to be here alone too much longer. There was a collective sigh of relief by us, and others waiting at the bus stop, when our bus finally rolled up to the curb so we could ride back to the hotel. Anyway, the Haight was totally cool, man.

Jane and I also ran/hiked along the Coastal Trail starting at Land's End and going underneath the Golden Gate Bridge continuing east to Ghiradelli Square. This was my favorite and most memorable part of the trip. On Tuesday, January 13th we got up early and took the MUNI #5 bus to the La Playa stop and walk a block to the ocean beach. It was still completely dark with only the full moon providing light as Jane and I walked out to the surf. From there we walked about a quater mile up the Great Highway, past the Cliff House and to the entrance to Coastal Trail at Land's End just above the Sutro Baths. This trail takes along the west coast with magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Golden Gate bridge to the North. On the way the trail leads through the exclusive Sea Cliff neighborhood (pictured at right) that is perched on the Pacific Ocean overlooking Baker Beach with a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge (see below). We started out as the sun begain to cast a reddish glow above the horizon and made it to Ghiradelli Square a couple hours later. When we back to the hotel I got to shower and rest, but Jane had to attend meetings the rest of the day. It was also nice, at this time of year when there weren't too many tourists around to walk along the Embarcadero area (basically from pier 39 to the San Francisco Giants baseball park) looking into the various shops. On Wednesday (January 14th) I headed back to SFO for the trip home; Jane followed the next day.

Cardinals

2009-01-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful poem I heard on Garrison Keillors, A Writer's Almanac. I'm not sure I could get all the line breaks corrected but I've given up trying to edit on Blogger.

Cardinals
by John L. Stanizzi (taken from the Writer's Almanac)

I had seen them in the tree,

and heard they mate for life,

so I hung a bird feeder and waited.

By the third day,

sparrows and purple finches

hovered and jockeyed

like a swarm of bees

fighting over one flower.

So I hung another feeder,

but the squabbling continued

and the seed spilled

like a shower

of tiny meteors

onto the ground

where starlings

had congregated,

and blue jays,

annoyed at the world,

disrupted everyone

except the mourning doves,

who ambled around

like plump old women

poking for the firmest head of lettuce.

Then early one evening

they came,

the only ones—she stood

on the periphery

of the small galaxy of seed;

he hopped among the nuggets, calmly chose

one seed at a time, carried it to her,

placed it in her beak;

she, head tilted, accepted it.Then they fluffed,

hopped together,

did it all over again.

And filled with love,

I phoned to tell you,

over and over,

about each time

he celebrated

being there, all alone,

with her.

1982....It Was a Very Good Year

2009-01-07T16:36:00.002-08:00

January 7, 2009. Dad gave us some old bottles of wine he had been storing in the basement. Not the really good stuff but who's complaining. We open one bottle over the weekend when Jane's brother was in town. Turned out the 1982 Chateau Laroque was pretty good. 1982 was when Jane and I started graduate school at the University of Cincinnati and Jane's brother started his job at the Daily Local in West Chester, PA. Both pretty significant events to us and I was glad the wine had aged well. It gives me hope for us. Anyway, the bottles of white wine, of around the same vintage, were all bad--evidently you're not supposed keep white wine that long. One bottle of Champagne had no fizz left. Judy looked-up the current market value for Chateau Laroque and it turned out to be somewhere in the $150.00 range. It was interesting opening these bottles. The corks were all moldy and very fragile (and now that I think about it so is mine) and there was more dregs than I would have preferred but I guess that comes with age. Oh well, next time I'm in town I'll focus on the reds and convince my dad to open the really expensive bottles.

Christmas Letter 2008

2009-01-07T16:36:00.001-08:00

Here is the Christmas letter 2008 we sent to family and freinds (sans pictures):

Christmas 2008

We hope everyone has had a good year and this Christmas greeting finds you in good health and spirits. Highlights of the past year include attending the high school graduation ceremony for Elroy and Judy, helping them move into their college dorms, and (thanks to Uncle Michael's nagging about getting the kids registered to vote) we all voted in the presidential election. Elroy is now attending UMBC just outside of Baltimore and Judy is at Kalamazoo College (Kzoo) in Michigan. We visited Judy at Kzoo over parent’s weekend in October and look forward to spending more time touring Kalamazoo and Michigan in the future. Since Elroy is only 45 minutes away, we’ve visited him more often. Although we’re not exactly sure Elroy considers that a perk he does get free housecleaning as part of the bargain.

In May, Jane and George took a mini-vacation to Arizona to do a Rim-2-Rim-2-Rim hike of the Grand Canyon. Starting from the South Rim we ran/hiked 22 miles to the North Rim (a view from the Coconino Overlook is below) and 24 miles back the following day. The hikes out of the canyon were tough and it rained, snowed and sleeted as we approached the rims, but down in the canyon the cacti were in bloom and the temperatures were balmy. In October, we ran the Marine Corps Marathon and Jane made a new friend, Teddy Roosevelt (the mascot for the Washington Nationals baseball club who ran the entire marathon in his outfit). I won't mention our finishing times, suffice it to say we managed to beat Teddy……....I think.

As part of freshman orientation at Kzoo, Judy hiked and canoed in Killarney Provincial Park in Canada for 18 days. She came back with great stories of howling wolves at night, beautiful sunrises, lousy meals, portaging canoes and forging waist-high streams. She enjoyed it all, even the pimples and dirty hair that come with wilderness backpacking. The only mishap was the day we dropped her off at Kzoo for the program and were asked, "Do you have her passport? She'll need that to get into Canada." …Oops…we'd left her passport at home. Let's call the result, Techniques in Crisis Management 101.

Elroy worked at a veterinary clinic over the summer. He too came home with some interesting and some sad stories. However, Elroy is so allergic to most furry things that veterinary medicine may not be in his cards. At present, Elroy is focusing on Chemistry and adjusting to a challenging college curriculum but still finds time to read, re-read and re-re-read his favorite Fantasy/Fiction books.

Sadly, our faithful dog, Astro, passed away the week before Thanksgiving. Astro, like all Dalmatians, kept a close watch on his family, especially the kids, and we really miss not having him under our feet. However, our newest family member, Max the Cat, is still growing and very playful and enjoys tormenting Fresca who, at 15 years old, neither appreciates nor tolerates his attention.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Oh yeah, the downstairs bathroom finally got finished. No, not by George, by the contractor who did our porch+bathroom. It was what …8 years? Not that anyone's complaining.

On The Fritz

2009-01-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

January 7th, 2009. While Judy and Elroy were home over holiday break we visited the Fritz Scholder exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). I've always felt this museum is confusingly organized and not easy for the casual viewer to come away with much information. However, I really wanted to see this exhibit which had been reviewed favorably in the Washington Post. I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit; Scholder's art reminds me of a cross between Frederick Remington and Andy Warhol's classic pop art. imagine that!

The NMAI exhibition, Indian/Not Indian, calls the late Fritz Scholder (1937-2005) one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. I don't know about that but I did really enjoy the exhibit and what little of his art I was able to download online, some of which are below. Indian/Not Indian is organized around a central paradox of Scholder's life and work—his complex identity as a person of French, German, English, and American Indian ancestry. Some of his works are copied below, enjoy.

If It's October...It Must be MCM Time

2008-10-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

October 27, 2008. This year I talked Jane into running the Marine Corps Marathon with me. We largely trained together throughout the summer and planned on being able to complete the marathon somewhere between 4:45 and 5:00 hours. Although I would have been happier had our times been closer to 4:45 we both finished at 04:53 (Jane) and 04:55 (George). The day before the race was cold and rainy. However, the rain stopped overnight and the morning was mostly clear skies but still quite humid early in the morning. The starting temperature was okay (probably somewhere in the upper 40s) and went into the mid-60s as the race unfolded. A tad warmish for me but overall not bad. Early in the race I got a nice picture of Jane running with the mascot of the Washington Nationals baseball team.....none other than Teddy Roosevelt (see picture at left). As we crossed the Key Bridge into Georgetown there was a lot of ground fog that was enveloping the buildings on the Maryland side of the bridge that looked neat but reminded me of the humidity that would sap the strength out of me if I started to sweat too much. I saw many bigger guys perspiring very heavily and this kept me focused on drinking water and taking a Succeed electrolyte caplet every hour.

The course this year was different that in past years. Of course the start was the same crush of runners slowing moving toward the starting line which took approximately 10 minutes. Later we ran by the Capital building around mile 18...right when you start feeling the Wall. However, we handled this section well enough taking a few short walk breaks. However, after I passed over the 14th street bridge I developed some unpleasant nausea around mile 21 and around mile 23 told Jane to just push on without me to the finish while I tried to manage my finish. Luckily, I met up with Jane a few yards beyond the finish line and was able to get a quick kiss before we headed-off to the finisher's area. Job well done....ooraah.

Gettyburg Trip

2008-10-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

October 27, 2008. Earlier this month Jane and I went to a scientific meeting that was held in a hotel/convention center near the Gettysburg Battlefield. We had visited Gettysburg several times over the years but it still is interesting coming and looking over the battlefield. The last morning of the meeting Jane and I did an early morning run through the battlefield. Beginning around 6:15 am at the High water mark we ran toward and over Little Roundtop, down to Devil's Den and continue through to the peach orchard. By the time we reached the Peach orchard the sun was coming-up over Little Roundtop leading to beautiful sunrise over the battlefield. We continued the run over to the Southern side and ran the last mile over the pastured ground that was Pickett's Charge back to the High water mark. Here are some other pictures I took during the previous day when we drove and hiked around the battlefield.

Loco for Moko

2008-10-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

October 20, 2008. Last Friday Jane and I went down to the National Geographic Society to attend a seminar entitled: Tā Moko: The Art of Māori Tattoo. The speaker, Derek Lardelli, was a very elegant and engaging speaker and took the audience throught the historical origins of Maori tatooing, or Moko as it is referred to. Unlike the tatoos we're more familiar with in America, the Maori tatoos signify one's genealogy and play important roles in their culture. Whereas the tattoos appearing in pictures of 19th century New Zealanders were etched into the skin to create scarification ridges and grooves (representing the upheavals of the earth during volcanic events in New Zealand) current Moko is similar to modern-day skin tatooing. The highlight of the seminar was when a native Maori disrobed down to his underwear to point out the various tatoos on his body, including his buttocks, and their meaning. The NG Explorer's Hall museum was supposed to be open late so that guests coming to see the seminar could view a new exhibit, Whales Tohorā, but evidently someone didn't tell the them that and the exhibit was unfortunately closed. so Jane I spent a half hour walking around the area and unexpectedly saw the White House (see picture below) which was neat....especially when we saw snipers walking around on the roof. That's called turning lemons into lemonade.

After a Rough First Week Things are Looking Up

2008-09-16T05:15:00.000-07:00

September 16, 2008. Both Elroy and Judy are at college now but the transition hasn't been easy. For Jane and I the loss of both kids was difficult; the first couple of days home alone were depressing or at minimum disorienting. I still think about them all the time and look forward to our visits. I started this post in September and it is now mid-October, I've been very busy at work and haven't had time to post. Anyway the situation has settled nicely. Although we still miss the kids, Jane and I enjoy a renewed attention to pursue common interests. We of course still run together a lot but now also enjoy weekend outings. One outing was to visit the National Geographic headquarters in DC to see an exhibit on martial arts practiced by Shaolin monks in China called Shaolin: Temple of Zen; we also saw the move Ghost Town and had dinner out one evening, and lastly we went to the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair in Adams Morgan, DC. Jane discovered an photographer/artist, Avner Ofer that she really likes and bought some of his photos (and we may but more).

We've had a couple of visits from Elroy and stay in email and phone contact pretty regularly with him and Judy--only we don't get to see Judy. Since Elroy and Judy both have IMacs, with built-in cameras, they can Skype each other which is really neat. Hopefully, Jane will get a new Mac soon through her work and we can use that functionality at home to see Judy when we talk and also save a lot of $$$.

Over the next few weekends, besides our plans to run the Marine Corps Marathon together, Jane and I will be visiting the kids at their respective colleges for parent's weekends. That should be fun.

The College Countdown

2008-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is getting serious--I've started the countdown in my head. On August 23rd we drop Elroy off at UMBC (tick, tick, tick) and then on the 27th we drop Judy off at Kzoo (tick, tick, tick). The clock ticking does not imply that I'll be glad to see them go off to college. Quite the contrary, I'll miss them desperately, but such is life. Ultimately, our kids will mature and want to live on their own and living on campus is part of that transition. We may not see Judy until the Chrismas break, although if there is a parents weekend, Jane and I will probably attend. Elroy will be considerably closer at UMBC so we can visit, or he'll be able to come home on holidays or over three-day weekends. I dunno.....this is going to be a big, big change for all of us and I'm not sure what to expect. The operational plan is just to take one day, one crisis, at a time and hope for the best. We'll see how they adapt to college life....Toga, Toga, Toga. I wish them the best.

Biking to Work

2008-07-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Since mid-June Jane and I have been riding our bikes to work most days. The reasons for this are that Elroy and Judy each needed a car to drive to their day jobs and we've decided to cut back on driving to make a small dent in our carbon footprint. Overall, it's really been enjoyable and we intend to keep up biking as long as weather permits. Although my commute is a little longer than Jane's and involves some hills I can take a shower when I get to work so I don't mind sweating. Often I bike to work after a morning run--so I'm usually really sweaty by the time I arrive at work. The extra time spent commuting isn't that bad, maybe it takes me 20-30 minutes on bike what normally takes 10-15 minutes by car. For my birthday, Jane gave me panniers (saddlebags) and the carrier for the back of the bike, a bell to scare pedestrians that are in my way on sidewalks, and a side mirror so I can spy cars coming up behind me while on the streets. As the days are shortening we'll both have to make sure we have lights and reflectors aplenty so we don't get smashed. I generally stay on sidewalks and backstreets so I feel pretty safe, but occasionally have to cross or enter onto one of the big roads and cars (or the cars' drivers) do not make it easy for you to bike on the main thoroughfares very long. I haven't been caught in a rainstorm yet but have had a couple of close calls. Usually if it looks like rain I'll just hop on the number 5 Ride On bus that takes me right past where I work--so that's my alternative to biking now. The one thing I haven't had the nerve to try yet is putting my bike on bike holders that all the Ride On buses have. I'm afraid it won't be obvious to me how to put the bike on and I'll look foolish in front of the bus passengers---I couldn't live with that. One day when I get bold enough I'll try it.

The Class of 2008

2008-06-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks back, June 3rd, 2008, Judy and Elroy past that most magical of mileposts.....high school graduation. Graduation ceremonies were held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC (see picture at left). Jane's brother (we'll call him Mr. Spacely) came down to witness the spectacle as the WJHS class of 2008 filed into the Hall, which was pretty cool to see and at the end toss all their hats into the air. The picture below is before the hat toss, I had a difficult time getting pictures indoors when the lights are low. The boys wore green robes and the girls, white. If you look carefully you can see Judy in the picture below; Elroy was too far away to get a picture. The valedictorian gave a nice speech...something to do with a Dr. Seuss book and life lessons, although I confess three weeks later I've forgotten exactly what she said. The invited speaker was a WJHS alum, a documentary film maker, and recently diagnosed with cancer. His message to the graduates to pursue their dreams really hit home with me and many of the other parents.....whether it registered with the graduates I'm not so sure. Anyway, as I'm writing this, between June 23rd and 30th, Judy and Elroy have turned 18 years old as well. Over this summer they're working at their first real jobs, will be going to college later in August, and will start participating in some of life's "adult" activities (I mean voting, of course). They still have a lot to learn and Jane and I try to pass on all the accumulated lessons of our own lives, but probably to no avail. I've always felt that at each big developmental step in their lives our parental concerns never fade.....they just change and this is no different. In about two months they'll be living away from home for the first time and I'm going to really miss them around the house. Jane and I may stop cleaning the house once their gone so it will feel like they haven't left.

Elroy's and Judy's Summer Jobs

2008-06-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Elroy continues his work at the Ambassador Animal Hospital. He started working there a few hours/week in April and now has expanded his hours after graduation. I think he works 4-5 days a week (around 30 hours) on a flexible schedule. Mostly he performs odd jobs around the office, filing, clean-up, yard-work, and also enjoys working with the groomer Jeanette giving doggy baths. Judy just started her new job this morning with the Montgomery County Recreation Department as a summer camp counselor. Judy will either work at "camp imagination' for 5-8 year olds or a "little people center" for 4-5 year-olds. This is the third job she has landed so far. The first was at the Ambassador Animal Hospital (where Elroy works), the second at a pet kennel; both jobs she quit after the first day. We'll just see how long her position as summer camp counselor job lasts.

R2R2R Conclusion

2008-06-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

After dinner at the North Rim Lodge restaurant Jane and I did some shopping for the kids at the gift shop and went back to our room to pack-up for tomorrow's journey back to the South Rim and to plan what to wear. As the evening passed the snow flurries subsided and we sat outside on the front porch wrapped in the bed quilt reflecting on the day's events.

The next morning the temperature was in the low 30s and the ground was partially covered under a thin layer of snow. We opted to pay for the 5:45 am shuttle ride to the North Kaibab trail head; our new friends Gena, Jeremy and Beth (pictured at right) hitchhiked. We both arrived at the trail head at about the same time but again, Bob C. was a no-show. Later we learned that he (and his party) took a 5 hour Shuttle ride back to the South Rim evidently fearing that his party was in no shape to hike back to the South Rim in time to make the 4 1/2 hour ride back to Phoenix for their scheduled red-eye flight back to Washington.

Starting elevation for the North Kaibab trail head is 8250'. Leaving the trail head was exciting. Snow from last night's flurries had dusted all the trees and as the sun was rising, fog was rolling off the high canyon escarpments and misting into the cayon. At left is a picture of Jane starting down the North Kaibab Trail and at right a view of the roiling mists cascading off the canyon summits.

Surprizingly, I felt pretty good but we decided play it safe today and fast-hike most of the trip while the real trail runner trio took off at a fast pace. The hike back down to the Phantom Ranch was going to be downhill all the way. We buzzed past the Coconino Overlook (at .75 miles; elevation 7,750'). By the time we reached the Supai Tunnel (at 1.8 miles; elevation 6800') the morning fog was a memory. After another mile we passed over the Red Wall Bridge (see George running toward the bridge) and traversed the cliff-hugging trail down into Roaring Springs Canyon. This part of the trail that Jane is hiking down looks exposed but is very safe and good for taking pictures. Jane looks like a speck against the high canyon walls.

We continued fast-hiking down the Roaring Springs side canyon reaching the namesake falls after 4.7 miles (see picutre of the Roaring Spring below left) and contiued into the Bright Angel Creek Canyon following the burbling stream through the desert landscape. The day contiumed to warm as the sum came out but for the most part the temperature stayed cool.

As we continued toward the cottonwood campground we went through a very nice part of the inner canyon that was wide and filled with flowering cacti and agave. Here is a panoramic view of this part of the canyon.

After passing through the Cottonwood Campgrounds gradually the canyon narrows over the next 4-5 miles. Although this part of the trail was equally pretty and at times felt like a slot canyon, we were a little anxious to reach the Phantom Ranch and were flustered that the trail seemingly went on and on around every bend.
However, we did reach Phantom Ranch and took a pretty long break to fill up our camelbacks, eat some snacks, and change into lighter weight clothes since the day was warming-up. It's a relatively short hike from Phantom to the Bright Angel Trail and the Silver Bridge that took us across the Colorado river. Now the trail changed, first sandy but then becoming more rocky. The trails are very well maintained but the rocky nature of the Bright Angel Trail was noticeable--at least to me. Looking back, both the Black Bridge (in the distance) and the Silver Bridge (in the foreground) make impressive spans across the Colorado River.

As we climbed up out of the inner gorge we again entered the Tonto plateau and the trail flattened out for while. While on the plateau the Bright Angel Trail enters the Indian Gardens, an oasis like spot with trees and lots of vegetation (see picture below, left). It's a good idea to rest-up here because the rest of the way up to the North Rim is non-stop trudging up unforgiving and endless numbers of cruel switchbacks. We should have rested longer here. Upon leaving the Indian Gardens some more spitting rain fell for a brief time, and I just remember that I wasn't going to bother getting my poncho out. I was too tired and thought the rain might keep me cool. So we just put one foot in front of other and kept moving forward, There was a great temptation to look upward. You could see the South Rim (see photos below at right)...but not the trails that would lead there. Later we passed the 3 mile and 1 1/2 mile resthouses and it began to sleet. The switchbacks are just endless and looking back I could see them winding up the canyon walls with many hapless hikers behind me (see picture below).

We were told by our running mates that when your near the top when you begin seeing people that clearly don't belong hiking these trails....and we began to see such people in the last mile or so. By this time I was hot and sweaty even though the air temperature was getting colder with every step. Near the top it even began to sleet which felt so good and we passed many people coming down in blue jeans, long-sleeved flannel shirts and wearing parkas---I thought that was just crazy. We were just in running shorts and lightweight running shirts. Finally, we reached the summit of the Bright Angel Trail. A quick look downward revealed the Indian Gaden oasis far in the distance which was a magnificent sight.

I regret not stopping at this point and getting a picture with Jane but the South Rim was chaotic with tourists and I just wanted to sit somewhere and rest. Jane and I didn't stay too long here but just made a quick pit stop before going to the car and changing into warm clothes. At this point all I wanted to do was drive to the Wendy's we saw on the way to the Grand Canyon and get a hamburger and some hot and salty french fries.

R2R2R Run: Quick stats:

Ascent: Total: 10,300 feet

Day 1 - 5,840, Day 2 - 4,460.
Descent: Total: 10,700 feet

Day 1 - 4,860, Day 2 - 5,840.
Distance: Total: 45 miles

Day 1 - 21 miles, Day 2 - 24 miles .
Time: Total: 18.5 hours

Day 1 - 9 hours. Day 2- 9.5 hours.

R2R2R Grand Canyon Adventure

2008-06-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

We had visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last year on our family vacation. Due to time constraints we didn't venture far from the short trails around the North Rim Lodge. However, Jane and I were struck with the immenseness of the Grand Canyon and secretly vowed to one day do something grand. The inspiration for our grand adventure came from one or our running buddies who every year goes to the Grand Canyon to do a rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) run across the Grand Canyon. At least that was our understanding of what he did, needless to say there's a liberal amount of hiking too.

The basic route that most runners/hikers take is to stay overnight in one of the South Rim Lodges and begin the R2R2R at daybreak the next morning going down the South Kaibab trail which is steep, has no water stops but great views. During the first hour as the sun rises and the cloud cover gradually burns off the colors of the canyon change and at about this time one gets the first glimpse of the Colorado River. After approximately 21/2 hours you reach the black bridge that crosses the Colorado and a short distance later the Phantom Ranch where you can rest and refill your camelback. From Phantom Ranch you proceed up the North Kaibab trail to the North Rim to complete the hike on Day 1. After dinner at the North Rim Lodge and a good nights rest your ready for the run back down the North Kaibab to the Phantom Ranch and the climb up the South Rim by way of the Bright Angel Trail on Day 2. This R2R2R run included 22 miles the first day and 24 miles the second day that an average, fit person can complete in around 9-10 hours each way.

This trip started a little ragged for the group of runners we thought we were going with. After a protracted series of additions (including Jane and I) and dropouts to the participant list this year's hike was referred to as the "Last Man Standing" trip. Two women got pregnant and dropped out (of the two husbands one canceled and one came anyway); 4-5 others canceled due to injuries, one (our friend who provoked our interest in this trip) had a mild stroke and another had a flair-up of MS symptoms and couldn't make the trip. Jane and I were committed to going whatever the consequences.

Our flight to Phoenix was unremarkable. We probably spent more time waiting in line at the Fox rent-a-car desk once we arrived in Phoenix than we spent in the airport waiting for the outbound flight. Once we finally did get a car it was a 4 1/2 hour drive to the South Rim. We had arranged to meet the leader of these yearly trips, Bob C. at the El Tovar restaurant. We arrived at our reserved table for 8 at 5:00 pm on schedule but Bob C. didn't show up until much later; Jane and I had a wonderful dinner anyway and tried to relax. We planned to meet Bob C. and some friends of his early the next morning for the 5 am shuttle to the South Kaibab Trail head. What was quickly becoming an annoying habit Bob C. didn't show at the expected time again (he was having trouble with his guests getting up and going), but we did meet Bob C.'s friends, Gena, Jeremy and Beth who turned out to be REAL trail runners. We chatted during the drive to the trail head, wondered whether to wait for Bob C.....decided not too, took a few pictures together, and then started the journey.

I was really apprehensive at this point as the weather forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms and 2 inches of rain with up to 10 inches of snow above 7,000 feet (i.e. both rims could get a lot of snow) and what consequences that meant of hiking up those trails was any one's guess. Jane and I just tried to prepare for cold, wet trail conditions that we would be out in for about 9-10 hours. As we started out the skies were ominously overcast but we were finally here and were going to make the best of whatever nature brought our way. One way or the other we were going to make it to the North Rim. Below is a panoramic view from the South Kaibab Trail head. In the left foreground is O'Neill Butte which we somehow climb down onto the Tonto Plateau before plunging into the inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon.
Upon reaching the Tonto plateau, the view back up at O'Neill Butte (see picture below right) is quite impressive. Don't ask where the trails are because it is really hard to find them.
As the next couple of hours rolled by and we passed countless hikers along we way we began to suspect the weather was going be alright. I heard from one hiker that the really bad weather was further east. After 21/2 hours of running downhill we rested at the famed Phantom Ranch. Below is a picture of Jane reaching the Phantom Ranch and in the foreground the ever present mule patties which decorate the trails.

After a brief respite we were off on the North Kaibab Trail. The trail meanders along Bright Angel Creek; the initial few miles are through the inner gorge and appears as though we are in a slot canyon. Gradually the view opens up to beautiful vistas of the bottom of the Grand Canyon (see picture below). There was little elevation gain till we hit the Cottonwood Campground but Jane and I were feeling the effects of the 2 1/2 hours of downhill running and the altitude and were hiking more than running. The combination of the pounding our legs took coming down the South Kaibab and the higher altitude than we're used to really began to wear away at our stamina. By this time the sun was out and the temperature was warm but pleasent.

After we passed the Cottonwood Campground we stopped at the Rangers house for a water stop and thereafter the remaining 6 miles up to the North Rim was hard, relentless hiking up a series of switch backs. From here you have to climb about 4000 feet to the top in 6 miles. However, we were rewarded by the natural beauty of the Roaring Springs side canyon that we scaled to the North Kaibab trail head. There are some magnificent views as we struggled up the North Kaibab. There weather turned colder and brief spitting rains prompted us to briefly don emergency ponchos that Jane brought along. At the right below is a picture of a couple of fellow hikers wearing their ponchos and hiking up a trail seemingly carved out of the canyon wall. Gradually we passed the over the Red Wall Bridge and passed through the Supai tunnel (below is a view down the Roaring Spring side canyon from the Supai Tunnel).

Finally we made it to the Coconino Overlook. Below is a panoramic view from the Coconino Overlook. Here, the flora began to change to pine forest dotted with birch trees. From the Coconino Overlook it was a short, easy mile hike to the trail head. We rested briefly at the trail head and met up with Bob C. who finally showed-up and then hitched a ride to the North Rim Lodge.

This was the best part of the whole trip. Just sitting in a warm car. Talking to the couple that picked the three of us up. In was one of those MasterCard "priceless" moments. You know what I mean.....flight to Phoenix, $300; rent-a-car, $100; hiking poles and camelbacks, $300; expression on the faces of the couple that gave us a ride to the North Rim Lodge after we told them what we just did and what we planned to do tomorrow.........priceless. After a shower and change of clothes we met up with Gena, Jeremy, and Beth for a nice dinner. Bob C.'s party arrived much later that evening, after we had finished dinner, around 7:00 pm. A snowstorm kicked-up that evening and a rumor started that snow would accumulate and make the trails dangerous next morning and Bob C. and his party arranged to take a shuttle back to the South Rim. The rest of us took a wait-and-see attitude and turned-in for a good night's sleep.

Elroy's Summer Job As A Vet Tech

2008-04-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Elroy and Judy got part-time jobs at an animal clinic in Silver Spring called the Ambassador Animal Hospital. Although Judy didn't like the Veterinarian in charge or her position as a receptionist and quit after only one or two days on the job, Elroy has been working steadily a few days each of the past couple weeks. We're still not sure how much Elroy is being paid, when he'll be paid and whether this will be a full-time job over the summer, but at least it's something. He duties mostly entail filing and clean-up around the premises but he's also had opportunities to assist in the clinic with animals and brings home some interesting stories.

If I could be granted one wish.......

2008-04-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

If I could be granted one wish it would be to take a nap every afternoon during work around 2:00 PM. Curl up on a sofa and just snooze for 15 or 20 minutes. On weekends that's usually all it takes to help me feel refreshed the rest of the day. I'd be more productive and feel better too. Our cat Max has the right idea...........

The Watchword is Kazoo

2008-04-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

So it appears that Judy has made her selection to attend Kalamazoo college. Kzoo was one of her first choices and she was also offered an really good academic scholarship. I was very impressed with the personal attention they gave Judy in the acceptance letter in which the admissions committee lauded specific academic and extracurricular achievements of hers. I think it will be a very good experience for her. Below is a nice winter evening scene of the Kzoo campus and below is the Kzoo school song.

Kalamazoo Alma Mater

O, Kalamazoo, our faithful friend,
We offer thee a song,
To praise the home where friendships blend
and weld so true and strong.
O, sacred refuge and most hallowed place,
Where hope and joy renew,
With tight'ning grip and bright'ning face
That speak thy love, Kazoo.

When these dear scenes are left behind
No fortune can subdue
The chords of love that closely bind
Our hearts to thee, Kazoo.
Each tree upon thy fair Arcadian hill
Is dear to us for aye.
Dark storms may come, cold blasts may chill
But friendship e'er will stay

When age has decked our heads with white
And youth has ceased to glow,
We'll revel in one sweet delight
The times of long ago.
O then, Kazoo, shall beauties of the past
Enrich our souls anew,
And while our earthly vigils last,
The watchword is Kazoo.

The San Diego Zoo

2008-04-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

April 14th. I spent my first full day in San Diego going to the San Diego Zoo. From my hotel I took the trolley to the City College station and switched to the #7 bus to Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. The 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal provided a major impetus for the creation of Balboa Park as it appears today and it serves as a central hub for museums, performing arts venues and outdoor gardens. I didn't go to any of the museums but I did rather like the desert garden shown at left. In the zoo I saw a number of animals that I had never seen in person before and a few I was able to photograph.

One of the first scenes you see upon entering the zoo grounds is a spectacular pool filled with pink flamingos. All the flamingos would simultaneously dip their heads into the water and then raise their heads up....I don't know whether they were drinking or what but it was amusing to watch.

A Galapagos Tortoise.

A Meerkat. Everybody liked the Meerkats, and below a sleepy Kuahla Bear.

A wild Boar. This guy was really ugly.

A male orangutan.

A magnificent male Bonobo Chimpanzee.

Taking the cable car ride back to the zoo entrance.

Old Town San Diego

2008-04-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

April 13th. Last weekend I went to a scientific meeting in San Diego, by myself. Jane was going to come but decided not to since she's been very busy at work and we'll be going to the Grand Canyon next month. Anyway, the meeting was fine. I made some new friends and saw some old friends, and went out to some "way-to expensive" dinners. Of course, too expensive to me is when my meal doesn't already come wrapped in cellophane.

While in San Diego I walked around the Gaslamp District which is the main entertainment region near the convention center and checked out the new Padres stadium. But I enjoyed most visiting Old Town San Diego and the San Diego Zoo. Old Town San Diego is the original settlement in California and the site is now a historic park that is nice for strolling its avenues, browsing the many shops, and getting some pretty good food....and there's some history of the early settlement of this region if you're interested. The welcoming sign leading into Old Town is just a short distance from the Trolley stop (see picture at top); many of the shopkeepers dressed in period costume and there were historical characters leading tours, but it was cute not annoying.

The town itself is alright. Some of shops sell typical tourist junk and some are quite nice and feature local artists. There is also a lot of local crafts like leather, tin-work, and faux native art.

As I was walking I saw this one outdoor artist with his easel painting this view (see picture above) which I thought was particularly attractive and stood just over his shoulder to snap this picture. It turned out better than what he was painting.

The above picture was not taken on the main thoroughfare but actually behind the town. The pictures at left (and bottom right) is more typical of the views of storefronts walking down the main plaza.

I'll write about the San Diego Zoo in my next post.

Final Home Additon Update

2008-04-11T14:12:00.001-07:00

April 13th. Finally, here are pictures of the finished addition. The first picture (below right) is a view standing by the garage with a view of the bedroom addition in the foreground and the screened porch at the back. The bay window is the prominent feature from this angle. In the next photo (first photo at left) I'm standing in the middle of the backyard looking directly toward the back of the house. There are steps that lead either up to the porch or down to the basement and a small open-air section of the porch. I've been thinking it would be nice to install a arbor in this recess between the two roof lines (between the bedroom and porch additions). Then let a trumpet vine grow up the arbor and place a small table for two in the little niche of open-air porch space to create an intimate french bistro setting for enjoying wine and cheese lunches in the summer under the shade of a beautiful arbor of flowers and buzzing bees.

The next photo (below left) is the opposite angle of the first photo featuring the screened porch in the foreground and the bedroom addition toward the rear. There is hay covering the ground and some grass has started to sprout. The landscaping will be a long-term project. We've started moving some furniture onto the porch...a futon and a collection of mismatched chairs. It isn't quite developed yet and will take some time to come together. We need to install sunshades and stain the wood, but we'll have all summer to do those chores. We've been able to use the porch on warmer days but it has still been pretty cool.

On the inside I installed a new faucet in the bathroom and have still to make a small decorative back splash behind the sink and a radiator cover--then that room will be done. I've begun working on the front bedroom; so far I've striped the old wallpaper off the walls, patched the walls and ceiling, and painted the walls and trim to match the rest of the house. I also installed a new light fixture and moved or replaced some the electrical outlets to be consistent with the bedroom addition. I'll be painting the doors next and installing carpet at some point to complete the transformation of the front bedroom into a home office/guest room.

Here are few photos of the bedroom which we are enjoying but as far as decorating is still a work-in-progress. First, Jane's closet (at right) followed by two pictures of the room standing in the doorway. The first picture is looking the left and the second is swept to the right.

DNF

2008-04-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

So Jane and I ran in the HAT 50K last weekend. I ran this trail ultramarathon last year under an assumed name.....one of our running friends had signed-up for the race but couldn't go so I went in his place......and finished in approximately 6 hours 50 minutes. It's a tough course made even tougher this year with some additional course changes that resulted in more changes in elevation....10K feet in all if you do the entire course. The course consists of three loops; an initial 4-5 mile loop and then two loops of 13.7 miles each. This year Jane also ran, but with a bum IT band was only going to do the first two loops consisting of about 18 miles. As I was nearing the end of the second loop I heard what I thought was Jane yelling for me off in the distance and could just barely see her off a ways and decided to end my race there, go catch up with her, and we finished the second loop together and went home.....tired but not exhausted. About 400 runners assembled at the starting line for the 9:00 AM start of the race (see picture above left); about 325 finished. The rest of us Did Not Finish (DNF).

At right is a picture of me chugging up the first big hill and in the second photo (see below) way at the back I think is Jane. The beginning was really pretty cold (in the 30s) with a stiff wind blowing. The cold wind gave me some asthma problems but I was running pretty slow at the beginning.....well I was running pretty slow throughout but that's beside the point. However, once we were in the woods the weather wasn't too bad and it did warm up some. All in all, it was a very nice day and I'm glad Jane and I got to hook-up at the end to run/walk the final couple of miles......mostly all of which was going down a steeply graded road only to have to trudge back-up a equally steeply graded hiking trail. Making our way up the hiking trail the first couple of male finishers went swooshing by but they seemed very nice. One of them said Jane and I were doing a good job. Yeah, we're all winners.......just like on the Uncle Al show (that's for you Mike).

Waiting For George

2008-03-18T08:36:00.001-07:00

March 18th. I went out for a run this morning without Jane because her knee has been bothering her. When I returned home I went into the back yard to go in through the basement and there were these two guys, one sitting on the porch steps and the other dude just standing in the backyard. Other than the fact that there were two strangers I've never seen before hanging out in my backyard, I didn't feel threatened but we sorta just eyed each other for a fraction of a second before I said hello and enquired what they were doing.

"We're supposed to do something here today," the dude who was standing said.

Okay, so they were probably here to work on the house or the yard... or something. Of course, maybe the something they had to do was break-in and loot the house.

So the dude who was standing said. "Is this your house?"

I said, yeah.

Then the dude said, "What's your name?"

I said, what? (because the dude spoke with a strong Hispanic accent)

"What's your name," he asked again.

XXXXX, I said (thinking to myself, why am I telling this dude my name)

I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable about where this conversation was going and feared the next question would be something like "can you squeal like a pig?" so I moved so that my back was to the basement steps and I could either defend myself or run inside quickly if the situation turned ugly.

Then the dude said (pointing to his friend sitting on the steps), "We're waiting for George. He said he'd be here by 7:30."

AAhhh, I thought to myself, waiting for George (the foreman for our renovation). I looked at my watch which read approximately 7:20 and told them that they had another 10 minutes until 7:30.

So then the dude asked me, "Did George do the porch."

I explained to them that George had built the porch and also the bedroom addition as they both nodded approvingly. Of course, they could have equally been sizing-up how best to come back tonight and break-in, I wasn't quite sure, so I told them that I'm sure George would be here any minute and quickly went into the basement and locked the door. It would have been nice for George to alert us to expect some day laborers this morning. As I left to go to work, I did see George's car and Jason's pick-up, so I suppose the backyard is getting graded and seeded today.

Grand Canyon Adventure Day 1.5

2008-03-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

Once we cross the black bridge and enter Phantom Ranch we'll have traveled approximately 1/3 of the out journey, 7 miles, with another 14 miles to go. Here's a detailed description of the North Kaibab Trail that stretches from the Phantom Ranch all the way up the aspen-shaded flanks of the North Rim. Starting from Phantom Ranch (see map at left), the 14-mile trail follows Bright Angel Creek as it burbles through open desert through a narrow gorge of nealy 2 billion year old rock, passses the Cottonwood Camp, and skirts the wall of the precipitous Roaring Springs Canyon (see map below). Starting from Phantom Ranch, we'll climb more than a mile (5,770 feet) of elevation on the way up.

The first few miles north of Phantom Ranch are relatively flat and deceptively easy. Shortly after leaving Phantom Ranch, you pass the side trail to Clear Creek (a terrific hike for another day). About six miles north of Phantom Ranch there's another well-signed side trail to Ribbon Falls. The quarter-mile trek to the falls is a great trip if you have an extra hour or so. Cottonwood Camp, developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is about a mile north of Ribbon Falls. Its shady, vibrant green cottonwood trees are a welcome sight during a hot summer hike. Cottonwood Camp is about halfway between Phantom Ranch and the rim and along the way we'll have gained about 1,600 feet of elevation, but have nearly 4,200 more to go.

A little more than two miles north of Cottonwood Camp we'll pass Roaring Springs, a gorgeous cascade of water spilling out of a high canyon wall. Water from the springs, aided by a couple of pump houses, supplies both the North and South rims. There's a small picnic area about a quarter-mile down a side trail near Roaring Springs, but we'll still be five miles from the trailhead. The most scenic section lies ahead.

As we trudge up from the springs, the rugged, ever deepening gorge of Roaring Springs Canyon will lie at our feet. The Redwall Bridge, about two miles beyond Roaring Springs, sits atop the Redwall formation, a 500-foot-high layer of 330-million-year-old limestone. Its name to the contrary, the Redwall formation is actually gray; its outer surface has been stained by iron oxide in the layers above it. Several steep switchbacks take you from the bridge up to the Supai Tunnel, just beyond which you'll find water and restrooms. The Coconino Overlook, about a mile beyond, is a fine area in which to prepare for the final assault. While we're resting there we'll be able to look across the Canyon for the low silhouette of Humphreys Peak, some 60 miles to the south-southeast. The trail from the overlook to the rim, about three-quarters of a mile, is a pleasant, not-so-steep walk through ponderosa pine, white fir and quaking aspen. Allow at least eight hours for the strenuous 14-mile hike from Phantom Ranch to the North Rim. Add an hour or two for the side trip to Ribbon Falls. Of course here we're still two miles until the North Rim Lodge.

Trail heading out of the Cottonwood Campground.

Roaring Springs.

The Redwall Bridge

Suppai Tunnel.

The view from Suppai Tunnel.

The North Kaibab Trailhead.

The North Rim Lodge.

Grand Canyon Adventure Day 1

2008-03-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

Getting There
From Phoenix, it is ~250 miles or about 4-5 hours driving time to the South Rim. Take I-17 North to Flagstaff, Arizona (where we will stay one night on the return trip) and then either of three routes to the Grand Canyon Village. (1) Take I-40 west to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim. (2) Take Highway 180 west to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim. (3) Take Highway 89 north to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 west to the East Entrance on the South Rim - known as Desert View.

The official Park Service newspaper called The Guide posts the shuttle bus timetables. The South Kaibab Trailhead is only accesible by bus. We'll park the rental car at one of five lots and take a free shuttle bus. It will probably be a good idea to park in lot E near the Backcountry Information Center and walking the short distance over to the front entrance of the Maswik Lodge. A special Hikers' Express bus leaves here at 5:05, 6:05 and 7:05 am May through September. Also Lot E is just 5 minutes walk from the Bright Angel trailhead - our return destination. Alternatively, lot D is closer to the Bright Angel Lodge and we could take the same bus from there 5 mins earlier. (The Guide has a map of all the facilities.)

The South Kaibab Trailhead

By the time the trail reaches the Colorado River about 4750ft (1450m) below, it will be a lot warmer. There is no water on this trail but there are two toilet facilities on the way down. It's a total of 7 miles to Phantom Ranch, across the bridge, a bit beyond the other side of the River. Here are photos of the terrain and highlighted landmarks along the South Kaibab Trail as noted on the topo map at left. A more detailed description with ample photos can be found here.

Stepping off into the Grand Canyon.

View of the South Rim to the left.

Looking down on O'Neill Butte.

Crossing the Tonto Trail about 4.4 miles.

Looking back up at the Tonto Plateau.

The TipOff and view of the Colorado River.

The Black Bridge crossing the Coloarado River.

It's approximately 7 miles to the Phantom Ranch and another 14 miles to the North Kaibab trailhead on the North Rim.

Grand Canyon Adventure

2008-03-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

In early May, Jane and I will be traveling back to the Desert Southwest (where we vacationed last year) to experience up-close and personal the Grand Canyon. We plan to run/hike rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) over two days. We'll fly into Phoenix and stay overnight on the South Rim, then early the next morning run to the North Rim. The following day we retrace our steps. The trail distances are approximately 21 miles on the first day and 23 the next. After our overnight on the South Rim we'll take the earliest hiker shuttle to the South Kaibab trail head. The bus stop is a 15 min walk to the trailhead where we enter the canyon and the adventure begins. Click on topographical map at left for an expanded view of the trails marked in red. The plan is to run down the South Kaibab Trail to the Phantom Ranch, then continue north along the Bright Angel Creek on the North Kaibab Trail toward Roaring Springs (not shown on the topo map above but is diagramed below although not to scale), and then make the final assault to the North Rim. Once at the top, we'll stay overnight at the North Rim Lodge. The following day we'll retrace our steps as far as the Phantom Ranch and then return to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail. While the Bright Angel Trail adds a mile and a half, it also provides several water sources and nice rests stops—critical in this country, and the South Kaibab has none.

Since this probably isn't the smartest activity to undertake, in fact the park rangers evidently frown on it, we plan to go with several running buddies who have been making this run a yearly activity and one of the guys going with us is an emergency room physician--so that's good. Also, I will obsessively plan so we know what to expect and try to anticipate all potential emergencies and needs. There are ample warnings not to attempt what we plan to do (see picture below) but most people say that the ordinary visitor who is reasonably well prepared has no reason to heed the warning signs. Of course, there is always the possibility one could run into trouble.

Home Addition Update

2008-03-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

March 6th. The home renovation is largely complete. We've moved into our new bedroom which is much more spacious than I had expected. The original master bedroom in our home, which was built in 1933, was cramped---10 x 12 with a large hot water radiator making it feel even smaller. Even though our new bedroom isn't large by today's standards, stepping into it feels a little odd in that there's much more space than I'm accustomed to. We'll probably have to buy larger bedside tables or bureaus at some point. The original floor plan also didn't include much closet space, something we've added to over the 3 renovations/additions we've gone through with the pièce de résistance being Jane's new walk-in closet. Jane's new closet (that I've outfitted with closetmaid shelves and rods) is 99% complete and has a ton of storage capacity--although still not enough for all of Jane's clothes and accessories (seriously). A couple of days back we were both standing in the closet and Jane says, "this is probably enough space for my Fall/Winter wardrobe.........and she was being serious! But this is Jane's one indulgence and I can't blame her after hearing heart-wrenching stories about her childhood as the youngest of three siblings having only hand-me-downs from her older sister and brother to wear. Jane's Glass Castle was this walk-in closet and now it's done. We haven't yet been able to enjoy the screened porch since it is still chilly but am looking forward to the warmer weather when we'll be able to spend more time outside. It took a long time to arrange with the builder to get this last renovation completed but we're happy we did and that it's now mostly over. Now, we've turned our attention to the old bedroom which we'll turn into a study. First, we need to strip off the old wallpaper and do a few small repairs to the walls and ceilings, install new electrical outlets, and then repaint. I don't think this will take too long, but I said that about the bathroom and that took 7 years. Which reminds me I still have to pull the old broken faucet in the bathroom sink and install a new one and while I''m at it add a back splash to the sink, paint the radiator in the kitchen, paint the front porch railings, re-paint the doors, put in a backyard vegetable garden, build an arbor entryway and stone path in the backyard, finish the rest of the basement, and then work on the garage.....Oy Vey!

Earlham Schmerlham

2008-02-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

.......As previously announced Elroy was accepted into Earlham College. This week we received a letter from Earlham informing us that our financial aid application materials had been reviewed. Earlham was "pleased" to inform us, in this letter, that Elroy could receive a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan in the amount of $1,750 dollars....for both Fall and Spring semesters to attend Earlham. That's $3,500 dollars in low interest loans..........Whoopee!!!! Tuition at Earlham stands at $34,030 for tuition and fees and $6,814 for Room & Board. To that you can also throw in approximately $500 per semester for miscellaneous personal expenses like an Earlham hoodie sweatshirt and of course travel to and fro...........I'm no math wiz like my brother-in-law (no not you Mike, the other one who doesn't read my blog) but that's like $43,000 dollars a year. The only good news would be that when Elroy graduates he wouldn't have too much debt. Ha Ha, cough. Anyway, unless my Earlham alum/brother-in-law has some major pull with the Earlham bean-counters this ain't looking good.

The Last Home Addition Update

2008-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

February 25th. I can't believe it!! I talked to Jason this morning and short of the grading of the backyard (which can't be done until the yard dries out) and fixing the damage to the driveway (which will also be repaired once the weather warms) Jason thinks that by tomorrow he'll be finished. We're still waiting for the bedroom carpet to arrive and be installed so we can move into the new bedroom and start our own renovations to the the front bedroom/study. I'm also working on Jane's closet. Jane and I went out and bought more closetmaid materials to finish-off her closet....Jane has moved in but it's still a work in progress. The immeidate next step will be to clean-up, then over the summer we'll probably stain the exposed pressure-treated wood on the porch. Whether we just use a clear sealant (like Thompson's waterseal) or a colored stain or both is a decision we'll just put off until the summer.

February 28th. Tomorrow the final closeout inspection between the county and our builder is set to happen. Other than little odds and ends the construction phase is finished. Jason does not plan to be at our house tomorrow morning, but George will meet the inspector and hopefully everything will pass inspection and that's it. The carpet is scheduled to be installed Monday and then Jane and I will move into the new bedroom. We won't be using the porch yet, it being too cold but we may move some furniture out there. I'll post the finished pictures soon.

The Summer Job Search

2008-02-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

Now that wrestling season is just about over, and Judy won't be doing spring track, they both will be looking for summer jobs. Both have interviews with the County Recreation Department next week for positions as camp counselors. Jane and I want to prepare them for the interview and I've tried to come up with some questions to ask them, and would appreciate any other suggested questions to ask them.

1. The generic tell me about yourself.....

1a: what school do you attend?

1b: what is your favorite subject?

1c: what after school activities do you participate in?

1d: do you have any hobbies?

1e: what summer camps have you attended?

1f: what summer camps (or camp activities) did you most enjoy?

1g: what summer camps (0r camp activites) did you not like?

1h: where do you live, how would you get to camp?

2. The how would you handle this situation question......

2a: 2 campers start a fight, what would you do?

2b: a parent complains about their son's/daughter's treatment, what do you do?

2c: a camper appears upset after being left by their parents at camp, what do you do?

3. What past work experiences have you had?

4. What are your strengths?

5. What are your weaknesses?

Greenway UltraMarathon March 1st

2008-02-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

The Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50K and Marathon (we just call it Ed's race) is on March 1st. Jane and I have been training pretty hard for this race, at least I've been feeling tired on most of our runs the past couple of weeks. We have one more long training run this weekend and then we'll probably....hopefully back-off on the mileage. I'm not sure whether I'll go for the 28-ish mile marathon or just bite the bullet and do the 50 K ultra. I just visited the site this morning and was amused by this cautionary note in the"New and Notes" update about the race.

Snow, ice, rain, cold, sleet, wind and high water do not bother us. However, if the weather is really severe.......the race may have to be cancelled.

Read my account of last year's race to get a flavor of what is consider acceptable weather conditions.

Here's the last admonition: No complaining.

I'm really looking forward to this race!

March 4, 2008. Well, my race was largely forgetable.....bad leg cramps and nausea developed during the 4 mile loop (miles 15-19) around Lake Clopper and by mile 21-22 (after the section of trail after Riffleford Rd.) I was toast and out of the race. I'm not sure what went wrong. I don't think I went out too fast, I was with a running buddy (Jim C.) at Lake Clopper (who finished the 50K in 6:45) and I had run the HAT 50K in around 6:50 last year so I don't think I was going too fast. Perhaps I should have been taking in more salt, using the Succeed supplements I used last year during the Marine Corps Marathon. I don't know, anyway Jane went on to finish in 6:24.55 (finishing 23 out of 36 women runners) and received a nice finishers hat. I'm just kidding about the hat, she got one but it wasn't reward enough for the effort Jane expended. She is still little sore but intends to do some light running tonight. I didn't have as much muscle strain and have been able to run the past few days. Hopefully, we'll get back on track for our morning runs soon and now that it's gettng warmer and both Elroy and Judy don't have any spring sports commitments maybey we'll be able to get them out with us as well.

Home Addition Update

2008-02-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

February 13th. Our home remodeling project was started the day after the Thanksgiving holiday and we were told it would take approximately 11 weeks. By my calculation we're now in our 12th week, and although I believe Jason is mostly finished inside there is still work to do outside. On the inside we still need to have the bedroom carpet installed; it's been orderd but we're still waiting. Other than that, most of the carpentry, electrical and plumbing on the inside is finished; Jane and I still need to work on Jane's walk-in closet but that won't take long once we get started. I think they still have a week outside to finish the porch. Maybe it'll all come together really fast but our past experience is that the final little bit of work takes a long time to complete. Anyway, it's nearly done

February 15th. I talked with Jason this morning and he seems to think they'll be done by the middle of next week. That would be great. Today, he planned to grade the back yard to ensure rain water flows from the house to the storm drain. Supposedly, one of those small CAT earth movers was going to be delivered and it sounded like he was going to do an extensive amount of grading in the back and side yards. This is something that probably would have to be done at some point. Because our yard is at the bottom of the street (and a creek used to run through the side yard) I'm sure this area flooded regularly so we need to pay close attention to water runoff issues.

February 19th. Well, Jason was unable to grade last week....the ground was too wet on top and frozen underneath; the tracks on the CAT earth mover just spun in the muck. So, they'll have to revisit the grading once the weather clears up long enough for the backyard to dry out. Every since the project began, it has rained nearly every week and right now the back yard is only suitable for pig wallowing or mud wrestling......or pig wrestling. Anyway, they do plan on being 99% finished by the end of the week. The cedar shakes are going up on the inside wall of the porch and the screen doors and sceen and lattice panels are being installed over the next couple of days. On the inside, I've started installing shelves and clothes rods in Jane's closet and that should go pretty fast; the only hard part is determining how to best utilize the space. It's a work in progress.

February 20th. I'm hoping by the time I get home tonight the porch will be substantially done. It didn't appear that there was much progress yesterday, but maybe I just anxious for them to be done. After the porch is completed, Jason still has a number of little odds and ends to take care of. I still think that they'll be here some next week.....but I hope I'm wrong.

February 21: The cedar shakes are up and they look great. The lattice panels are nearly complete and probably will be done by later today. The screen doors are up and all that's left are the screen panels around the porch. By tomorrow they'll surely be finished, except for the fact that a weather front is supposed to be coming through later tonight and tommorrow. Snow followed by sleet, freezing rain, and rain, but I'm not sure what the exact order is. This will likely cancel school tomorrow and make work conditions untenable. Maybe they'll push to get the screen panels done today, but there are still some details that will need to be completed next week.

February22: Early this morning snow, sleet and now rain is falling. Schools are canceled and Judy and Elroy are home. The porch is still unfinished and will need at least one concerted day of work to be completed. So like I said, Jason will be here next week. The grading will be put off until some future date when the backyard is dry enough for scaping.

Woof....UMBC accepts Elroy

2008-02-13T05:07:00.001-08:00

Elroy was accepted at UMBC...one of the University of Maryland's Honors Universities. We're still hoping he gets accetped at St. Mary's College, but UMBC would be fine. Congrats to Elroy!

Woof!

ROSSSS!!!

2008-02-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

Physics Unit 7 Lab: Spring Waves
Data Table- Spring B					13-Feb-08

		n	L (m)	x	t (s)	v (m/s)	F_T(N)
Wave Pulse		2	7.24	1	1.34	10.81	8
		A	w	x	t	v
Standing Wave 1		1	14.48	10	16.71	8.67
	2	2	7.24	10	9.2	7.87
	3	3	4.83	10	5.47	8.83
	4	4	3.62	10	3.73	9.71	V_Avg= 9.178
							Mass= .69 kg
		n	L(m)	x	t (s)	v (m/s)	F_T (N)
Wave Pulse		2	8.59	1	1.51	11.38	11.5
		A	w	x	t	v
Standing Wave 1		1	17.18	10	13.45	12.77
	2	2	8.59	10	7.51	11.44
	3	3	5.73	10	4.66	12.3
	4	4	4.295	10	3.53	12.17	V_Avg= 12.012
							Mass= .68 kg
		n	L (m)	x	t (s)	v (m/s)	F_T (N)
Wave Pulse		2	9.985	1	1.31	15.24	17
		A	w	x	t	v
Standing Wave 1		1	19.97	10	12.59	15.86
	2	2	9.985	10	6.35	15.72
	3	3	6.66	10	4.28	15.56
	4	4	4.9925	10	3.47	14.39	V_Avg= 15.354
							Mass= .72 kg
		The mass of the spring is .7 kg

Will Judy be a Terp?

2008-02-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

Judy received a letter over the weekend acknowledging that she was accepted in the Univeristy of Maryland.....but not until Spring, 2009. It seems the UM fills up early, and you need to apply early for Fall admission.....which Judy missed. Anyway, if she attends UM, she can always take Fall courses at Montgomery College that will transfer or, as the acceptance letter indicated, she can travel. Travel?

Home Addition Update

2008-02-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

February 11th. We installed the shades in the bedroom over the weekend. They look very nice....a little darker than the blinds in the family room that nicely complement the rich mahogony color of the doors. We did some thinking and planning how to tackle Jane's walk-in closet over the weekend but with two long trail runs and Elroy's wrestling match, we did not have the time to purchased any closetmaid yet. The bathroom is just about finished. The tilework was done last week and on Friday Jason installed the shower curtain rod. But...the curtain rod he installed was white.....while all the other fixtures in the bathroom are chrome.....what's up with that? I had to ask Jason this morning whether we could change out the white curtain rod for a chrome curtain rod. I hated to ask him to undo his work but chrome matches the other fixtures in the bathroom and we should have been asked our preference since BONI ordered the accessory. So, I don't feel too bad. Anyway, I think he kinda expected the question and said he would speak with George (who does all the ordering for BONI). I think we'll wind up getting the chrome shower rod. Anyway, Jane spent a lot of time cleaning up all the dust that had settled in the bathroom and reorganizing the bathroom closet......it looks great. Both Jane and Judy used the new bathroom shower over the weekend. The curtain rod has a nice featue...it's bowed---that's the way its made---to provide more elbow room when your using the shower. This morning was really cold, in the teens cold. Jason planned to finish up some inside work in the morning like installing the shoe molding but would be outside later working on the porch. I thought they'd be nearly finished this week, but they may still be here next some week. We'll see.

February 12th. When I got home last, the shoe molding was installed in the hallway and closet amd Jason had begun working on the porch railings but there isn't too much to add. The locks to the two new outside doors (from the bedroom and basement) were being changed-out this morning to locks that have been re-keyed to use our regular house keys. It will be nice to be able to exit and enter through the basement door when Jane and I go running in the mornings. We should use the basement entrance as much a possible to reduce the amount of dirt and dust we track through the house. Today is primary voting day. Since I'm registered as an independent, I'll be on the sidelines waiting to see whether Obama or Cilnton gets the most votes.

Wisdom is Wasted on the Young

2008-02-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Judy's wisdom teeth have been bothering her and we're going to have them removed on Thursday. The bottom set have come through her gums, but at wierd angles, and the top pair are impacted. She'll be under general anethesia for the approximately 1 1/2 hour procedure. Judy was concerned that as her wisdom teeth come in they'll unalign her other teeth.....which look perfect. What I don't understand if why these teeth, that emerge in the late teens, are considered "wisdom" teeth. Teenagers are neither mature nor wise. In fact, this is the age when one is most likely to make some really regrettable mistakes in one's life. Maybe I'm just speaking form personal experience, but I think they should be called something like....."whoops" or "OMG" teeth.

Anyway, here are Judy's wisdom teeth the day they were pluck out......yuk!

Home Addition Update

2008-01-31T13:17:00.000-08:00

January 31st. Well the home renovation project is quickly winding down. The painters have been busy the past three work days. We're keeping the same painting scheme used throughout much of the house....Benjamin Moore paint; ceiling white for the ceiling, dove white (eggshell finish) on the walls and beige (966) for the trim. It is a nice look. We're switching the door color to Mahogony (SW2838), and the doors look spectacular with this color (see picture at right). Wow, I was really happy with the color change on the doors and I will definitely be re-painting our other existing doors once BONI leaves.

Here are updated photos of the outside:
From the same angle as usual.

From the street, also looking at the bedroom addition.

February 6th. Today the electrician came and will be installing the lights and ceiling fans we chose earlier. Even though heavy thunderstorms are predicted for later this afternoon, these should be installed when I get home tonight and it will be nice to have extra illumination as I inspect Jason's work every night. Jason was busy yesterday installing steps up to the porch and he may finish that today. I think by next week BONI will be gone and Jane and I can work on her closet, intall window treatments and wait for the carpet to be installed and then move in to our new bedroom. The carpet is from the Liz Claiborne collection, I think the style is called cirque and the color is stone.

February 7th. The shades for the bedroom windows came yesterday and maybe we'll be able to get them hung in the windows this weekend. Jane likes the natural woven shades from Smith & Noble rather than blinds or curtains. In fact, we haven't had much success in the past using curtains. There's a funny story about Jane's attempt to make curtains once when we lived in Connecticut, but I'lll save the story for another time. Jason delayed pouring the concrete footers for the steps off the porch, think it was going to rain.....it didn't rain. So I suppose he'll finish that task today as well as build the railings. The electrician is mostly done installing the light fixtures and fans. He'll be back on Friday and should finish then. There was one slight problem yesterday.....when I renovated the basement last year I patially enclosed the electrical panel such that the electrician couldn't get into the panel to install new circuit breakers. Doh! Jason will have to undue some of my handywork so that when the electrician returns Friday he'll be able to access the electrical panel. I had to sheepisly hang my head when Jason told me this news last night. I never said I was good at remodeling......or even that I know what I'm doing most of the time....only that I work cheap. If you remember this sequence from the movie Mr. Mom.....you have a good idea of my handyman skills.

Ron Richardson: Yeah? Are you gonna make it all 220?

Jack Butler: Yeah. 220... 221, whatever it takes.

"Earlham Can Use a Guy Like Elroy"

2008-01-31T09:10:00.000-08:00

This is has to be one of my favorite opening moments from a movie.....Of course, the movie was Risky Business starring Tom Cruise.

The dream is always the same.

Instead of going home,I go to the neighbors'.

I ring, but nobody answers.

The door is open, so I go inside.

I look around, but no one seems to be there.

Then I hear the shower running.

So, I go upstairs to see what's what.

Then I see her.

This... girl!

This incredible girl!

I don't know why she's there because she doesn't live there...

...but it's a dream, so I go with it.

"Who's there?" she says.

"Joel," I say.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. "

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking a shower," she says.

Then I give her...

..."Do you want me to go?"

"No," she says.

"I want you to wash my back."

I'm getting enthusiastic about this dream.

So, I go to her, but she's hard to find through all the steam.

I keep losing her.

Finally, I get to the door...

...and I find myself in a room full of kids taking their College Boards.

I'm over three hours late!

I've got two minutes to take the whole test.

I've just made a terrible mistake.

I'll never get to college.

My life is ruined.

Now, I have a similar dream only my dream is about my kids not getting into college or not being able to afford going to the colleges they've been accepted to. Why am I worrying about this now? Even though we've spent so much effort the past year thinking about where Elroy and Judy would be going to college I thought I still had a few months to chill before having to deal with college acceptance (or rejection) letters. Anyway, we got our first acceptance letter yesterday. Elroy was accepted to Earlham College. This happened only a couple weeks after he sent in his application, what's up with that? Shouldn't the admissions office at least offer the pretense of being selective. This is not to suggest that Elroy doesn't have a pretty good academic record and will likely be accepted by all his choices but still, if the college is going to ask us to pony up 30+ thousand dollars a year to attend I want to feel that there was a rigorous selection process going on. Maybe Elroy mentioned that his uncle went to Earlham and that sealed the deal......anyway, Earlham probably could use a guy like Elroy.

Gulp.....

2008-01-28T06:20:00.001-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been very busy, Elroy and Judy completing their final college applications (see what colleges Elroy and Judy have applied to here) and Jane and I applying for financial aid. The principle financial aid document is the FREE Application For Student Aid (FAFSA). Normally, I like anything that is free. I think every family with kids entering college, save for the independently wealthy, submit a FAFSA application in which you detail all the financial aspects of your life from yearly salary and assests down to how much change is currently in your pockets and underneath the sofa seat cushions. We finally completed the FAFSA after days and days of figuring out how much $$$ is coming-in and how much $$$ is going-out and, I note with emphasis, providing any "special circumstances" the good folks at FAFSA should consider before providing us an estimate of what our family is expected to come up with for Elroy's and Judy's college fund. Well, the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) I received was generated immediately upon submitting the electronic FAFSA application. So obviously this is a computer-generated cold calculation that has no intention of feeling my pain over our special circumstances (like having twins entering college!!). Anyway, this is the message I received nanoseconds after hitting the FAFSA submit button. The comments in bold parentheses are mine.

Based on the information we have on record for you, your EFC is 49235 (That's $49,235.00 dollars....Gulp! For some reason FAFSA doesn't like to use financial punctuation like the dollar sign, comma, or period. I wonder if that is supposed to make the EFC more palatable?). You are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant (Doh!) but you may be eligible for other aid (yeah, like first aid to keep me alive for the next four years). Your school will use your EFC to determine your financial aid eligibility for other federal grants, loans, and work study, and possible funding from your state and school. (Somehow....I don't feel overly optimistic).

Home Addition Update

2008-01-28T05:55:00.001-08:00

January 28th. The bedroom is nearing completion. Jason and the construction foreman from our previous renovation project, John, have been busy installing the casing trim on the windows and doors. Here are recent photos of the bedroom looking toward the backyard through the bay window. The ceiling wasn't quited as high as we would have liked but it had to be about 6 inches lower to accomodate the air conditioning ducts in the ceilling.

At right, imagine I'm standing near the bay window looking forward to the left-front of the house with a view inside Jane's closet. It turns out that the BONI was only planning a simple shelf and ROD for the closet and Jane will certainly need a lot more than one rod. So I have a new DIY project once BONI is done. Jason and I talked about installing a closet maid system in the closet. I used closet maid in the basement closets I installed last year and it's pretty easy, so this shouldn't be a problem and Jane and I can custom fit the closet with a lot of shelving, storage bins, and rods.

The last view below is a view to the right-front and the door leading from the bedroom to the back porch.

Cat Napping

2008-01-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Max lounging on the family room sofa. Everything he does is kinda cute.

Home Addition Update

2008-01-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

January 24th. Lots of progress to report. The new tile for the bathroom was delivered; I'll talk more about this below. Inside the radiators were installed in the bedroom and the drywall is up, sanded smooth, and the rooms ready for the trim-work and painting. Jason hung the new doors to Jane's closet, so soon we'll have to find out how the inside of the closet will be arranged with hangars and shelving. It will be a fair-sized, walk-in closet......although I'm not sure it will be ample enough for all of Jane's clothes and accesories! Anyway, after that the switches and outlets will be hooked-up. Outside the roof has been installed and the siding is mostly finished. The siding crew started last Saturday and I expect will be finished early next week. We have a lot of custom trim-work that has to be wrapped in painted aluminum. This "metalwork", as it is called, takes some time to finish...but will last a long time with minimal upkeep and has great curb appeal. Here is the latest view from the backyard looking toward the porch (picutre taken January 27th); notice the trim along the bottom and top segments of the porch framing. The siders were at work over the weekend installing the ceiling. The ceiling is white vinyl that mimics 2 inch beadboard. The crew worked all day and the ceiling looks great. See a picture of the ceiling below. This view is from the bedroom door.

The Bathroom. I had originally demolished the bathroom approximately 7-8 years ago after the wall tiles had fallen off, the result of water getting behind the walls. The long wall of the tub surround had a window with painted wood trim. This isn't a good design feature to have in a tub surround where we mostly take showers because the wood was continually getting wet and eventually leaked water behind the wall resulting in a lot of rot and eventually the wall failed when the tile fell off. When I took out the the old bathtub the wall sheathing and studs were competely rotted and I had to replace them. I re-drywalled the entire bathroom and installed new bathroom sink, toilet, and bathtub. I never did finish the tile. The reasons why are many and long-winded and I'm not sure I believe any of them myself anymore. Suffice it to say, it will be nice to have the shower back.

Janauary 28th. The tile was installed last week but has not yet been grouted. Remember as you look at the photos below, that I demolished the old bathroom and installed the tub, all new plumbing, and the backerboard for the tile.....if the window had not been an issue, I think I could have put up the tile as well (or at least I would like to think so).

The picture at left is a picture toward the front of the tub surround. We opted for the larger, hipper tiles. I think they must be 5x7 or something. Evidently, no one uses the old 4x4 tiles anymore and I must admit that now that the tiles are up they do look nice. As an accent, we used a border of small glass and stone tiles. See the close-up of the accent border below.

We have enough of the accent tiles left over that I'll be able to use them to make a backsplash for the bathroom sink. Then, I'll have a DIY project to report on.

Home Addition Update

2008-01-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2008. The insulators are supposed to make an appearance this week. We had our walk-through last Thursday with Jason, George and Chip and made all our last minute decisions on placements of receptacles; if the close-up inspection went okay then the insulators will start filling-in walls, floor and ceiling. This is standard home-remodeling practice, before the walls get closed-in all the wiring gets inspected by the county and by the homeowners...Jane and I. For us it's a question of where do we want the light switches, how many outlets and where, and do we want two-way or three-way....light switches of course, not Skyline Chili.
Just as this is about to happen the temperatures have started going back up again...go figure. I'll tell you, it's been chilly in the house the past two weeks with only a thin sheet of plastic between us and the uninsulated, unheated bedroom addition. There has been a veritable tsunami of frigid air flowing into our living spaces and now that the cold temperatures have at least temprarily abated......the insulators are scheduled to come. I'm not complaining, just marking the irony of the situation. Besides it will get colder again and we'll be one step closer to getting the project done. Here's are recent pictures of the outside.

January 8th. When I got home last night the porch decking was about half completed. In order to make the porch as mosquito-free as possible the framing crew first laid down a fiberglass screening material over the floor joists before installing the decking. The porch decking has a nice detail I haven't seen used before, a trim around the perimeter of the deck so that you don't see any exposed ends. Click on the picture to see an expanded view to see the decking detail.

January 9th. Today the porch decking is complete and looks real nice. Here are some pictures from different perspectives. I just figured out this morning that the insulators won't arrive until air-conditioning ducts are navigated to the new bedroom and the copper pipes for the radiators plumbed. The ducts were going in this morning as I was leaving for work. I'm not sure about the radiators. The picture above at left is looking from the bedroom door out to the screened porch. The picture below is from the porch looking toward the bedroom addition. No insulators yet.

January 11th. The framing crew and/or Jason have done a lot of work outside getting ready for the vinyl siding to go on. Our siding has a lot of detail features, a watermark band around the bottom and similar band around the top of the walls that we've received a lot of complements from neighbors about. I don't even want to think about how much we pay for this feature; they require a lot of plywood underlayment to build-up the watermark before the siders come. It's looking good and it'll be worth it when it's completed. No insulators today either.

January 15th. The insulators came and went yesterday! The bedroom is now wrapped (with Tyvek), insulated, caulked, and ready for the next act. That would be the drywall installation. When I talked to Jason this morning he thought that all the sheetrock panels would be in place today (after all we're not getting that much more interior room). I suspect that it will take another couple of days for a couple coats of dry wall compound and a first coat of paint (which shows the drywall defects) and the then the finishing drywall touches. This means the bedroom should be ready for the electrical installations and finishing woodwork by next week. Jane and I really have to move to get the carpet selected for the bedroom so we can arrange for it to be installed without a big time lag after the painters are finished. Below are before and after photos in the bedroom looking toward the back of the house and the baywindow.

Waste Not......

2008-01-15T16:14:00.001-08:00

....or is it waste naught...whatever. In the basement, the new waste ejector has been installed. Our home was built in 1933 and originally had a septic tank system. At some later time when the rest of the area was built up and public sewars were put it, our house must have been hooked up to the public main and the septic system abandoned. However, the main waste pipe rather than exiting through the basement floor exits about two or three feet above the floor. Hence, when we do laundry in the basement we need to pump the waste water up to exit in the main sewar pipe. In the past we always just let the waste water from the laundry go into our basement sump pump (that also collects ground water) and then pumped out in the city sewars.....which is illegal. So we fixed it and now have a ground water sump pump and a separate sewage ejector. Supposedly, if we ever want to install a toilet or shower in the basement we can tap into the right end of the pipe that is partially buried in this picture. Okay enough about sewage.

A Puzzling Development

2008-01-11T11:54:00.001-08:00

On Christmas day we spent the day at Jane's sister in Cincinnati. While there, Judy and I started helping out on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle and having made little progress in the hour spent trying to fit pieces together decided to get a puzzle of our own when we got home. I suppose gluttons for punishment is the correct description for us. There are no puzzle-only stores in our area that I have found so far; toy/hobby shops or the local Target are our only options at the present. Assembling puzzles can be a little......bedeviling. I'm sure that if the CIA knew how frustrating puzzles can be they'd be giving puzzles to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay....puzzle-boarding! Anyway, we did purchase a puzzle from Target and have been working on it intermittingly for the last week or so. It's now finished and with great pride I present a picture of our completed one million piece (say like Dr. Evil), actually only 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.

Lighting and Fan Selections for the Porch

2008-01-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

Our new screened porch, we're hoping, becomes a focal point of life during most of the year. We wanted to have a nice big ceiling fan to generate cooling breezes in the summer heat and chose this nice 52 inch ceiling fan with an oiled bronze finish. The ceiling with be some shade of off-white and this fan will look nice against that backdrop. We also needed a stoop light for the entrance to the porch and a flushmount light fixture for the breezeway. We found this matching set shown below that has a pleasing cottage-like styling. I think they'll look great when installed.

Breezeway Light (at left).

Stoop Light (at right).

Are We Home Yet.....

2008-01-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Whenever I look in the rearview mirror on trips back and forth to Cincinnati, I see Astro resting his head between the two rearseat headrests just staring forward as if he is saying...."are we home yet."

Hail to the Redskins

2008-01-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

After nearly 4 years of bumbling and stumbling; bad game-time decisions (the most infamous being the two consecutive timeouts Gibbs called to "ice" the opposing teams place-kicker) and mis-management of personnel (i.e. how was Todd Collins ever behind Mark Brunell?) the Redskins find themselves in the playoffs. The weird thing is that right now they really look pretty good. However, I think that the other NFL teams are, at some point, going to catch-up with Todd Collins and the "new Redskins". Evidently he's running more plays out of Al Saunders playbook than Jason Campbell was and defenses will eventually adapt and then we'll see---but at least for now they seem to have the other team's defenses off-balance. Anyway, this Saturday I do plan to watch the game and root for the Redskins.

January 7th. Well, the Redskins did indeed lose. They look completely inenpt the first half with three or four dropped passes on perfectly thrown balls by Todd Collins. But in the second half the Redskins scored on a couple of nice touchdowns drives with crisp passing patterns completed by (who else Redskins MVP), Todd Collins. But it didn't last long. The Redskins botched a field goal attempt after recovering a kickoff, the Seahawks scored on the next possesion to take the lead and then intercepted the only bad pass Todd Collins has thrown in 5 games and ran it back for a touchdown. Oh Well, I read this morning that coach Joe wants to come back next year.....and maybe longer.

January 8th. Gibbs made it official, he's severed all ties with the Redskins organization, as coach, as president of football operations, and probably also as an interested former head coach. I'm happy he's going......I really feel he was just out of touch with the personnel and the league, but his abrupt and complete departure was a little weird.

Top Ten Photos of the Year

2007-12-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

Here are my top ten favorite photos of the year 2007.

1. Distance and Scale
View of Red Rocks State Park, Las Vegas NV.

2. Hard to Measure
View of Grand Canyon National Park from the North Rim.

3. Killed by Indians
Grafton Cemetary, Grafton Utah.

4. Family Hike
Over Thanksgiving Holiday
Olney, Maryland.

5. Panic Attack
View of the last trail segment to reach Angel's Landing, Zion National Park, Utah.

6. Last Look Back
Traveling on a dirt road from Grafton, UT to Pipe Spring Monument.

7. Old Geyser
Kodachrome State Park, Escalante, UT.

8. Pretty in Pink
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah

9. Thistle
Winton Woods, Cincinnati, Ohio.

10. Snow Squall
Hike in Olney, Maryland.

Home Addition Update

2007-12-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

December 18th. Last Friday the framing crew had the roof rafters in place and the roof partially enclosed over the new bedroom addition. The picture at right was taken December 17th in the afternoon showing the roofline of the new bedroom addition and the bay window looking out into the backyard, or at least what is left of the backyard. Over the weekend Jane and I were able to walk around inside and get a sense of space and plan where the bedroom furniture will go. This morning I noticed another large pallette containing the pressure-treated wood that will be used in constructing the screened-in porch, so that may be going up soon. These guys are working really fast and now that the weather looks clear for the next week, there should be a lot of changes before we leave for home on Saturday. When we get back after the holidays we have a few light fixtures, a couple of ceiling fans (one in the bedroom and one on the porch), paint colors, carpet for the bedroom and tile for the bathroom that we need to pick-out. This is the worst part for us, or at least for me, and I wish the Design/Build team would just choose something neutral and install it, paint it, whatever. In addition, since Jane and I thought we could save money by staining/sealing the porch ourselves (probably a bad idea) we also have that chore to plan ahead for.

January 2nd. The project is moving pretty rapidly even though it's getting pretty cold to work outside. The porch and porch roof were completed while we were in Cincinnati over Christmas holiday. You can see the 6x6 posts holding up the roof....I'm anxious to see how this will look when completed. It certainly wasn't the design we had planned initially, but it will be nice. We have the walk-through with the contractor for final approval of the electrical outlets and switches and other details that we need to decide on now before they start insulating the walls and drywalling. One pain was that the water supply to the washer was disconnected last week and we've had to take our laundry to the laundromat to get washed. That didn't make George happy and I spoke with the foreman this moring that it would be nice to get the water and sewage connections in place so that we'll be able to use the washing maching by this weekend. I'm sure that will really help......yes, that was sarcasm.

Holiday Cookies

2007-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight we packaged this year's edition of Holiday cookies to give out to the neighbors. Judy and I had been busy the past few weeks baking and decorating and when Jane brought a plate into work was surprized (or scared) how fast they were consumed--a good sign for Judy and I!! We made sugar cookie cutouts, chocolate chip, coconut macaroons with chocolate drizzle, chocolate crisps, chocolate-covered peanut butter balls, cranberry and pistachio biscotti dipped in white chocolate, and Lizzie's.

Elroy the Wrestler

2007-12-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Elroy from a recent wrestling meet. In this series Elroy is seen as one of the team captains greeting the captains of an opposing team. Elroy won by default against that team. There are two other photos of Elroy squaring off against another opponent who he pinned in the first period.

True History of the Kelly Gang

2007-12-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

True History of the Kelly Gang is Peter Carey's 2001 Booker Prize winning novel that recontructs the life and times of Ned Kelly, an uneducated Irish immigrant who becomes a infamous bushranger and revolutionary figure in Austrailia. Although this book is fictional the characters in the novel actually existed and many of the events are based on historical fact. Although his legacy is still somewhat controversial, Ned Kelly is revered by many as a national icon and the forerunner of Australian nationalism. Based partly on historical documents and the famous Jerilderie letter written by Kelly, Carey's novel closely follows the known facts of Kelly's opposition of England's unjust colonial rule.

In writing this book, Carey introduces the story from Ned Kelly's point of view. The letter, written in his last days sets about to write his life history so that his infant daughter will know the truth about him. What follows is a glimpse of life during a period of British colonial rule (apporximatley 1840-1880) in Austrailia as the Kelly family struggles to survive in Australia's unyielding bush country. As dirt-poor Irish immigrants they are looked upon by the English settlers (called squatters) as "a notch beneath the cattle" and face continual harassment from the traps (police) and the threat of eviction from their land.

Ned's father dies while Ned is quite young and Ned initially sets about to farm the land and protect his mother and siblings. Kelly's mother is not neccessarily a sympathetic figure in this novel although is much beloved by Ned. At one point, Ned's mother tricks Ned into becoming an apprentice to the famous bushranger Harry Power (in order to bring in money), thus drawing Ned increasingly into a life of crime. When Ned accidently shoots the treacherous Constable Fitzgerald, Ned is forced to flee into the wild back country. In the bush, Ned uses the lessons he learned from Harry Power to avoid capture and survive in the wild. He is joined by his younger brother Dan and two loyal friends; together they comprise the Kelly gang. During this time Ned also falls in love with marries his donah, Mary Hearn, the mother of his daughter. While on the lam, the Kelly gang outsmart the police, elude massive manhunts, and commit daring robberies all the while gaining widespread support from poor oppressed farmers whom they help out by paying off their debts or helping them work the land.

After his capture in 1880, Ned Kelly said, "If my lips teach the public that men are made mad by bad treatment, and if the police are taught that they may exasperate to madness men they persecute and ill treat, my life will not be entirely thrown away." True History of the Kelly Gang is preceded by an epigraph from William Faulkner: "The past is not dead. It is not even past." These quotes illumine Carey's intent to both relate a good story of a revolutionary figure and more importantly convey a warning about the consequences of injustice and perscution that occur in contemporary conflicts today.

Work on the House Progresses

2007-12-10T11:24:00.001-08:00

December 10th, 2007. Monday morning and work on the house is moving apace--there was a huge pallette of lumber delivered to the house before 7 am this morning. The block and brick foundation for the new bedroom, the new steps to the basement, and piers for the porch were all completed last week. Since it snowed last Wednesday/Thursday, and has continued to be overcast and wet the past few days, the backyard is now one big quagmire from the workmen tromping round. If the mud only stayed in the backyard I guess that would be okay, but it's gradually moving to the frontyard, being carried on the bottoms of shoes to the driveway and front walk (and a little inside the house) . The side yard near the street is clogged with piles of demolition debris and the varied flotsam of the construction trade. Pictures of the yard do not reveal the extent of the chaos. It's like the folks in New Orleans were saying after Hurricane Katrina...you have to personally witness the devastation to understand it. Well, our backyard isn't that bad, but you get the idea. The firm that we contracted to do the addition/renovation was the same that did our family room/kitchen/exterior about four years ago. The company is called Buildings Old and New, Inc. or simply BONI---which sounds amusing but they are really good and we were glad to be able to use them again. The remodeling industry in the greater Washington DC area is still red-hot, even though the housing market has slowed somewhat. Just getting a design/build firm to talk to is difficult and we were very happy with BONI on our last remodel. The owner and "chief" design/architect has a real flair for design and is frugal both in salvaging materials we can reuse and maintaining costs. And they work fast, something we'll appreciate even more once they've finshed and we've cleaned-up the yard.

Thursday 14, 2007. Hurricane BONI is still blowing. If only the weather had been like it was the past 10 months....dry.....instead of wet. But construction continues unabated and so does the mess. On a brighter note the framing has started. The floor and sides of the bedroom were in place last night when I took this picture from the backyard. The view from the street (the opposite side) will look like that shown in the scale drawing (see below).......eventually. According to our construction foreman, Jason, the framing for the bedroom and porch will be done by next week. There's a big winter storm predicted for tomorrow and I wish the roof were on when I get home tonight.....but it probably won't be in place yet. Work on the inside has also started, remodeling the old small downstairs bedroom into a walk-in closet and creating a new access for the existing bathroom. Removing the old lathe and plaster walls in these rooms has created another problem---dust. No matter the presence of dust containment, some dust still escapes to settle around the house and we spend a little time dusting and vacuuming every night, doing more house-cleaning in the past week than we normally do in a month. I'm not really complaining....we should house clean more regularly anyway.

First Meet of the Wrestling Season

2007-12-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

Jane and I attended Elroy's first wrestling meet of the season. It was a tri-meet, so each team wrestled two other teams. Elroy's team matched off against Einstein and Blake. They won against Einstein 60;16, but lost to Blake 17;54. Elroy's team only won three matches against Blake (one was by forfeit). Elroy pinned both of his opponents, one of only three wrestlers to win both matches. Elroy was tired and a little beat-up, but won the day. Kudos to Elroy for a job well-done!

Advance Copy Christmas Letter, 2007

2007-12-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone has had a good year and this Christmas greeting finds you in good health and spirits.

The highlight of our past year was our summer vacation to the National Parks of the Desert Southwest. We flew into Las Vegas and toured Zion and Bryce Canyon NPs in UT and the north rim of Grand Canyon in AZ. We had many memorable hikes; one through the Virgin River slot canyon in Zion NP and another to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in UT. We also enjoyed visiting the ghost town of Grafton in Utah, where the famous "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head" scene from "Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid" was filmed.

Jane and George are still working for the XXX and YYY, respectively. Jane recently traded her lab job for a supervisory regulatory position. Elroy and Judy are seniors in high school this year and working hard at classes. Both are keeping their grades up and staying on honor roll. Judy ran varsity cross-country this fall and Elroy has just started wrestling. He hurt his knee the first week of practice but is okay now. As in summer's past both mowed lawns over the summer to make spending money and this summer also studied for the SAT which they took in the fall. Besides classes, they've spent countless hours filling out forms and writing essays for the college application process. Next year Elroy and Judy will have their own stories to tell about their college experiences.

Last March, Jane and George ran the Greenway Trail Ultramarathon that one of our friends organizes. Extremely icy and muddy conditions conspired to make this the toughest physical challenge we've ever endured. George also ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October, finishing in 4:27, about 5 minutes faster than he ran the MCM in 2001. However, what we've enjoyed most this year is having Elroy and Judy join us on trail runs and we've even begun running races together. Our first "family outing" was an 8K race called the “Run Through the Grapevine” in which the race course wound through a local vineyard. Afterward, Judy thought the hilly course was brutal, Elroy was too tired to speak, but Jane was blissfully happy having won a bottle of wine.

We have a wonderful new cat named Maximus. We came upon him one evening while out walking, lost and obviously distressed (the cat not us), and he followed us home. So I guess he picked us out. After failing to find his original home we decided we could not give him up. He’s got a wonderful personality and is very tolerant of our older pets that are unsure what to think about this energetic new object of their owner’s affections.

The other news is that we’ve just started to add a little more space to our little home. The groundbreaking was just after the Thanksgiving holiday to add a first floor bedroom addition and screened porch on the back of the house. As always, additional details for these stories and more can be found at http://experiencetk.blogspot.com/. Happy Holidays to everyone.

Is there no end to this conspiracy of irrational prejudice against Red Ryder and his Peacemaker..............HO! HO! HO!

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

The Jetson's hosted Jane's brother for Thanksgiving. The menu included herb-crusted turkey breast with gravy, stuffing with cranberries and apples, green beans with carmalized onions and apple cider vinegar dressing, and twice-baked mashed potatos. All this complemented with a nice bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 that Jane's brother brought down--a tradition started last year. I had prepped the turkey the night before, placing a mixture of finely minced sage, rosemary, thyme and garlic in EVOO underneath and on top of skin and allowed it to sit in the refrigerator over night...hmmmm it smelled good cooking. The next day the turkey was baked-off at 425 for 30 minutes and then 350 until done. The stuffing base was Stove Top with additional suateed onion and celery with craisens and appples added for a little extra tartness and sweetness. The greenbean recipe was from Rachey Ray. I thought it was the best Thanksgiving dinner yet. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake form Costco. It was good--better than we could've made. After an early dinner we all went to see the movie Enchanted, which was a pretty good family movie.

The next day (Black Friday) we went shopping in the morning at Tysons Galleria and in the afternoon took Astro for a long walk behing Magruder High School. It was a beautiful day, the air was crisp and the farmers were out baling hay in the fields for use in the surrounding horse farms signalling the last few days of fall. The holiday was well-appreciated as we walked through the browning grasses into the late afternoon glow.

What A Mess

2007-11-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Well, the renovation project has started for real. The excavator was at work yesterday (Monday, November 26) and the back yard now contains huge mounds of dirt and stacks of cinder block and brick for the foundation walls (see pictures at right). Of course, it also rained a little so it was muddy as well.

The foundation footers and walls for the new bedroom addition and new access to the basement are task #1. Hopefully, this part will be over in a couple of weeks and it won't be such a mess in the back yard. We needed to create a new access to the basement since the new bedroom addition will basically be built over the old cement stairs that led down to the basement door so we needed a new access point to the basement. The new basement entrance will be centrally located along the rear of the house and once the job is complete I'll make the entryway (inside the basement) into a nice mudroom. We'll use this entrance a lot---using the basement access to the house after trail-runs and working in the yard, when our clothes and shoes are muddy.

The new addition, as seen in the plans rear elevation, should look like this when all is finished. There will be (left to right), the bedroom with bay window, a "courtyard area" with steps up to the screened breezeway and steps down to the basement, and the screened in porch. The "courtyard area" between the bedroom additon and screened porch will look nice when we put flagstone down and landscaped. Of course, we'll have to do the landscaping ourselves, so.............

Daughter Judy's X-Coutry Season

2007-11-19T06:55:00.001-08:00

This is just a short commentary on Judy's senior year x-country season. Her girls team did not make the State Finals this year although Judy had a respectable season even though fighting through severe blisters early-on and I sense excercise-induced asthma throughout the season. I also have EIA and can sympathize--it isn't easy to diagnose, gradually worsens with age, and degrades aerobic fitness especially during a race. It doesn't take much loss of aerobic fitness to send you into oxygen dept and really sap you effort. What I have come to notice, after running with this condition for a long time, is that EIA does not permit those deep restorative breaths necessary to "blow-off' the effects of lactic acid build-up in your muscles and you develop severe muscle fatigue that you can't overcome.

I had noticed Judy strugglling during the Run Through The Grapevine race a few weeks back: After the first 1-2 miles she was hurting, only taking short rapid breaths, and was slowing down. I kept prodding her to breath deep, but I don't think she was able to. I had let her use my Albuterol inhaler late in the race, but by then (as I know from experience) it was too late and she was so tired it was a struggle to the finish line. Since then during our family runs she has been using my Albuterol inhaler before going out and seems to run much better, even on difficult training runs, without the need for stops or experiencing any discomfort. We'll discuss this with the pediatrician the next time we're there to get Judy her own Rx for Albuterol, ADVAIR, or whatever is usually presecribed for teenages with EIA.

Anyway, the girls had a so-so season; and Judy got a bad chest cold toward the end of the season which really hurt her running times. Here are a couple of phots from the girls regional championship. The picture I like best is when the "pack" of runners is starting out (see picture at right). Seeing who sprints to the front and who maneuvers for position as the pack stretches out. Then later following how their relative positions change as the race proceeds. The course at the regionals is just hilly enough to separate the front pack of elite runners. The girl at the front of this picture had been winning all the league races this past season by wide margins and I think she may have set a course record in the county championships the week prior to this race. In that race she was way, way, way out front of everyone else. In this race she finished second and in the State Finals two weeks later finished sixth. The weather this particular day was bizarre. In the afternoon, it was really pretty hot and I was thinking....Oh Boy! this is not good race weather, especially with Judy not quite being over her illness. But minutes before the start of the race a weather front stormed through. No rain, but very high winds and when the winds settled the weather had turned much cooler. Judy struggled to the finish (again I think of the breathing problem) with a respectable time but not what she would have been capable of if completely healthy. Oh well, now she's running more with Jane and I---and hopefully we'll be able to run some adult races together.

A Change is in The Air

2007-11-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2007. There will be big changes coming to Jetson Manor over the next couple months. We've hired a contractor to add-on a Master Bedroom Suite (the contractor's words, not mine) and a large screened-in porch off the back of the house. In addition, there will be a little renovating of the downstairs bathroom and basement (more about that later). Why a screened porch? Well, ever since the Asian Tiger mosquito (picture at right) invaded the Washington Metro region---about 5-7 years ago---you can't sit outside at any time of the day without lathering on mosquito repellant and having citronella candles aflame....and still you'll get bitten.

In this area, having a screened porch is the only way to enjoy sitting outside. I expect we will use the porch a lot for most of the year since we like the outdoors. However, we'll have to do a lot of landscaping in the backyard but that will be focus of later posts. Anyway, I like the plans we finally developed after a long time of trying to get everything we wanted, where we were allowed to build it (there are a lot of building codes and restrictions), and within our budget (which is still more than we would've liked....but that's the price of living in the Washington metro area).

As you can see from the plans, the Master Bedroom Suite (MBS) will be of average size, something like 13 x 13 with a nice bay window and will have a nice walk-in closet. with a nice walk-in clothes closet for Jane. I expect my dressing area will still be in the basement, but that's okay with me. The "new space" to be added-on are indicated by the dimensions and contractor comments (you can click on the picture for an expanded view)--the rest of the current house has no comments (just blank space) for reference. Our current bedroom will be redecorated (by Jane and I) and converted into a home office. A door from the MBS will lead out onto a screened breezeway that will connect to the screened porch. Right now the back of the house is getting ready for construction (see picture below) and I've tried to salvage anything I can (mostly pressure-treated pine, flagstone and gravel to reuse later. We had our final walk-through meeting with the contractor on November 16th. They plan on starting the Monday after Thanksgiving and we're hoping that they'll be finished by the end of January.

Old Man Wanna-Be.....

2007-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

This old man wanna-be sitting on his behind watching this movie. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie "No Country for Old Men." I had read the book earlier this year and really liked it---Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorite writers. I won't bother writing a synopsis of the book since it has been awhile since I read it and the movie trailer does a much better job anyway. The early reviews have been positive so I may have to see this one over Thanksgiving next week. No mamby-pampby James Bond movie like last year.

The Glass Castle

2007-11-15T12:44:00.000-08:00

Wow....much like Angela'a Ashes this is an amazing story of childhood survival under bizarre conditions. The book is an autobiographical account of Jeannette Walls's early childhood growing-up in a clearly dysfunctional family. Constantly on the move to avoid bill-collectors, her dad (a sometimes alcoholic) and mom (a free-spirited artist) still managed to teach their children complex mathematical and physics principles and encouraged reading. However, the rest was up to the kids to manage on their own. Which they did---mostly. Ironically, after an impoverished childhood, Jeannette Walls eventual became a reporter chronicling the lives of the rich and famous. Anyway, think you had a tough time growing-up and your parents could have done a better job. Read The Glass Castle and then wistfully think back to how lucky you (we) had it. All the Jetsons read this book and like it--thanks to Jane's sister for suggesting this book.

There is Room For You

2007-11-15T12:12:00.001-08:00

Jane suggested this book to me and I did enjoyed it. "There is Room For You"' by Charlotte Bacon is part travelogue (both to the India in the 30's and 40's and India today), part story of mother-daughter relationships, and part memoir of Anna's mother Rose's life growing up in Calcutta during the waning years of British Colonial Rule. The story centers on 35-year-old Anna Singer, a grant writer from New York City recently divorced from her husband, still mourning the accidental death of her father, and not comfortable with herself. A book revi ew I read stated that this book reminds the reader "....that we are all travelers forced to read strange maps and decipher unfamiliar codes in a constant quest to be at home in the world." I like that analogy. The novel slowly unfolds, alternating between the memories that Rose wrote in her diary after fleeing India during the outbreak of World War II and later England before settling and marrying in the United States and those of Anna as she tries to explore her mother's past to decipher the events that damaged Rose's spirit and ability to be a complete person, wife and mother. The story has an interesting twist at the end and that leaves the reader hopeful that this family will be okay.

College Applications...Let's Git-R-Done!

2007-11-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

November 8th, 2007. There's been a flurry of high school transcript requests, teacher evalution forms, and college applications being handed out and/or submitted this past week. Although Elroy and Judy were both attentive over the summer, investigating colleges (online searches, perusing college guides, and a few trips to local colleges), completing several college essays, and studying to retake the SAT, it seems we've all taken our eye off the ball as the deadlines for getting all this information organized, deciding which colleges to apply to, and getting the applications submitted was fast approaching. So there's been a big push to just Git-R-Done! Admittedly, there is no excuse for being lacadasical, but the college application process is really way more difficult than it needs to be. Anyway, as of this week Judy has applied to Tufts University, Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, University of Maryland at College Park, Bates College, and Kalamazoo College. Elroy has applied to Goucher College, St. Marys College of Maryland, Earlham College, Ursinus, UMBC, and the Honors Program at Towson University.

Both did re-take the SAT in early October and increased their scores which are pretty impressive and should be competitive at most of the schools on their short lists....we'll see.

The Spaniard

2007-11-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

I knew all along that, more likely than not, we would be adding a new family member when Jane brought home a stray cat. Not quite a kitten but still a youngish male and very friendly tiger cat. We were out walking around Kentsburg a couple Friday nights ago and the cat/kitten was meowing very loudly and began following us home. Of course, we couldn't just keep walking like I suggested. Jane had to stop to say hello and then spent the next hour talking to nearby homeowners asking whether this was their cat. Of course, nobody had ever seen him before and knew nothing about him and yada, yada, yada we brought the cat home that night (see picture at top left). Jane did post several CAT FOUND posters around the neighborhood where we found the cat and sent his picture and identifying information to the local Humane Society, obviously no one has been looking for him. No big surprize there! And of course, the longer he stayed with us......I knew the harder it would be to get rid of him. I've lived through this before and vowed to NEVER EVER NEVER let it happen again. So it's now been a couple of weeks.....he's been neutered, vaccinated and named. Yeah. Maximus Decimus Meridius....(after the Russel Crowe character in the movie "Gladiator"). Commander of the armies of the north...general of the Felix Legions...loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius....what can I say we all liked the movie Gladiator--thanks to Elroy for the suggestion. As for me.........I'll always call Max "the Spaniard".

Run Through The Grapevine

2007-11-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 4th. The whole family ran the 8K (4.8 mile) Run Through The Grapevine in Linganore. Click on the picture of the race start (at left) and try to find Jane. The rest of us were already too far ahead, by the time this picture was snapped, jumping out to an early lead--that might have also been our downfall later in the race. There were approximately 483 participants, the Jetsons finished around in the middle of the pack. All things considered that was pretty good as there was no dead weight in this race---only pretty good looking runners. Jane ran with some running partners and won their gender/age group (and a bottle of wine from the host Linganore Winery). The course was brutal with many hills and uneven footing. But the course was also very scenic as half the race wound through the vineyard (see picture below). Since Elroy has been preparing for his upcoming wrestling season by running with us he finished wiht the best time although he felt sick the last 2 miles and looked worse. But kudos to Elroy. Judy's cross country season ended last Thursday and she was able to run with us and really liked the course......NOT!!! Anyway, we had a great morning and the Redskins won later in the day, so no complaints. I've copied the race summary posted on the Howard County Striders website:

Stef Commins had not run a race in a year and a half, and she had not run a cross country race in two years, but she had little trouble dispatching a strong women’s field at the 14th Annual Run Through the Grapevine 8k at Linganore Winery. She bolted to an early lead on past winner Sherry Stick, mastered the steep hills and uneven surfaces, and swept to victory in 33:11. She found herself racing only against the men. Her victory was all the more amazing because she arrived at the race site only five minutes before the 10:00 AM start. After the obligatory bathroom stop, “I was running downhill to the start [while] pinning on my race number,” she said. That was her warm-up. A graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, Ms. Commins trains in Patapsco State Park and was encouraged to run the race by her friend Izudin Mehmedovic.
The men’s race proved a much tighter competition. A five or six man pack stayed together for the first two miles of the race, a considerable feat itself considering the difficulty of the terrain. Tom Williams decided he would make his move on the treacherously steep uphill at 2½ miles. “I planned my whole race around that,” he said. Sure enough, Tom’s awesome surge up that hill threw his competitors into chaos and gave him the lead, which he successfully managed for the next 1½ miles. Alas! He made his move too soon. Randy McDermott and Joe Wiegner regained lost ground on the next uphill and caught Williams at the top of the hill at four miles. The three stayed together but fragmented on the final uphill that took them through the grapevines for a final time. Wiegner seized the lead and held off McDermott for the men’s win in 28:25.
In the men’s master competition (runners 40 and over), Phil Lang beat Sheldon Degenhardt by 20 seconds. Phil had run the Marine Corps Marathon the week before (in 2:53 no less) and no one (not even Phil) expected him to run the Grapevine very fast. However, he proved everyone wrong. “Phil was just ahead of me the whole way,” Sheldon related wistfully. “I guess I’m eroding faster than the hills.”
Kathy Bernetti placed first among the master women (37:40). Kathy said she did not fall down, “but the guy in front me did.” She did not help him up!The cross country race also included team competitions: 25 teams competed in seven different age and gender divisions. The fastest team from the Howard County Striders consisted of McDermott and Williams (second and third overall), Mike Colaicovo (sixth) and Sheldon Degenhardt (11th), but they were the only team in the Open Men division so they won hands down. The open coed division proved the most competitive, with no fewer than 10 teams. With Izzy Mehmedovic and Stef Commins, the “College Rejects” from UMBC crushed their competition
The top five of each gender won gift certificates from Feet First as well as certificates for wine at the Winery. Age group winners received gift certificates for wine (except for those who where underage!). Everyone who crossed the finish line was handed a wine glass.
The Run Through the Grapevine 8k cross country race is staged each autumn by the Howard County Striders. Jason Tripp directed the race, but he enjoyed considerable support from Gerry Clapper, who founded the race in the early 1990’s. Gerry baked 41 loaves of banana-nut bread, including a new flavor this year called chocolate cocoanut. Post-race amenities included cider, apples, and bagels, but everyone came for the nut bread.
The Striders wish to thank Anthony and Eric Aellen, owners of the Linganore Winery, for use of their excellent grounds, and also for opening up their wine cellars after the race!

04:27:54 A New Marathon PR

2007-11-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

On October 28th I participated in "The People's Marathon"....AKA the Marine Corps Marathon. I had been training since late June with increasing weekly base miles and escalating long runs. The plan was to run a 10:00 minute per mile pace, with a little buffer, to finish under 4:30 hours. The plan mostly worked; went out a little too fast and had a difficult time on miles 20-23, but rallied to finish and meet my goal.

As usual the start was jammed with approximately 22,000 runners (see picture above). The course was new this year and a bit more challenging; two big hills at the start and a couple less than desirable course route changes. But the crowds and marines (who were present at all water and aid stations) were very supportive and there were the usual cast of runners in costumes that were very entertaining. In particular I remembered running for a lot of the race with three girls (picture at left) who wore patriotic running attire--very cute. The water stations were well organized and had enough water and gatorade---but what a mess to run through (see picture below on right)!

Jane, Judy and Elroy met me at mile 21 and urged me on. It was nice to have them there at the end. After I trudged uphill the last 200 yards to the Iwo Jima Memorial (where the finish is) I was pretty tired and had one major leg cramp that sent me in agony to the ground for a few minutes until I could get it stretched out. Glad to be finished with one race, we had to push our way through throngs of runners and spectators that overwhelmed the metro lines in order to get home.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 10)

2007-07-06T10:57:00.001-07:00

Day 10 (Monday, June 25th). Okay, today was the last day of vacation or almost the last day since our flight home didn't leave until 1 am on the 26th. We knew we had an approximately 5 hour drive back to Las Vegas and we didn't really have a plan to do anything specific. Jane did some serious shopping in Flagstaff, purchasing among other things a traditional Hopi Indian Kachina doll as a momento of the vacation from Jonathan Day's Indian Arts, a nifty native arts store in Flagstaff.

The "Old Style" or traditional Hopi Kachina dolls are wonderfully simple, carved of cottonwood root and colored with natural pigments. The store clerk explained that Hopi Indians had precarious lives farming in the arid high desert of northeastern Arizona. They grew corn, beans, squash and melon without irrigation and less than 12 inches of moisture a year. To survive, a complex religious system evolved to aid in bringing water to this dry land. One aspect of the religion was the Hopi Kachina society. Kachinas are benevolent spiritual beings, representing everything from ancestors to animals, and function as intermediaries between the Hopi and beings who control the weather, insuring a successful harvest. Kachina dolls were also valuable teaching tools and a spiritual link between the children and the Kachinas.

Here's a picture of the Kachina (see above right) we got which is now hanging in the family room. The Kachina is called Umtoinaka, and is the thunder god or making thunder boy. Umtoinaka usually apears at the bean dance to help open the kivas. So now we have to start hosting bean dances.......and opening kivas. Anybody have any idea what a bean dance is?

He was made by Darance Chimerica, a member of the Fire Clan who lives on Münqapi (Moencoupi) on Third Mesa. Darance's Kachinas are easily identified by his painting and the way he carves his feet. Darrance also makes his paints from rocks he gathers himself. I think it will be nice to get a few more to keep Moencoupi company.

After contributing to the Flagstaff economy, we decided against heading in the opposite direction to tour Wupatki National Monument..........another lost opportunity. Instead we decided to head back to Las Vegas. On the map we saw that a ghost town called "White Hills", AKA Silverado, was on the way and we decided to stop by only to learn later that Silverado was washed away in a flash flood and although it still appears on maps, no longer exists. Read the sign in the picture at left. Oh well......we thought we would have better luck visiting the Hoover Dam. Afterall, rising more than 700 feet above the raging waters of the Colorado River, it was called one of the greatest engineering works in history. Hoover Dam, built during the Great Depression, drew men desperate for work to a remote and rugged canyon near Las Vegas. There they struggled against brutal heat, choking dust and perilous heights to build a colossus of concrete that brought electricity and water to millions, in the process transforming the American Southwest. Well, all was fine when we stopped at one of the scenic viewpoints and took a couple of pictures (see picture at left). Although we thought it would be bigger, it was scenic. However, they also charge $7 to park in the garage and $11/person to go on the tour, which included access to the visitors center.......what a rip-off. We didn't do the tour, but I did pay $7 dollars to park, which hurt almost as bad as the $60 I paid for breakfast at Mr. Lucky' (refer to Day 1 and 2 of vacation posting).

After leaving (what Judy referred to as Hoo-Gives-a-Dam), we slowly made our way back to Las Vegas and hung-out at the Venetian until it was time to return the rent-a-car and wait for our flight. The Venetian is another of the newer Las Vegas Casinos decked-out like Venice and it was interesting. The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian is a large shopping complex that re-creates Venice's Grand Canal with reproduction storefronts (see picture above) while gondolas transport shoppers around. And yes, the gondoliers were singing and I was ready for the vacation to be over.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 9)

2007-07-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Day 9 (Sunday, June 24th). Flagstaff turned out to be one of our favorite stops. A small, funky town with a nicely restored downtown area with a lot of decent dining and eclectic shopping. We stayed in the DuBeau Hostel (see picture below, left). The hostel has a 50's-60's, Route 66 theme and feel, and we found it quite charming and it was conviently located within short walking distance to town. Like other hostels we've stayed at there were cosy common rooms to sit and read and a game room with pool table and foosball table for the kids. And there were an odd, but nice collection of people who evidently were the caretakers around the premises. The only downside with the DuBeau Hostel was the proximity to the train station (see picture above) and the blare of trains (picture at right) as they passed through the town seemingly every 15 minutes, night and day. Although everyone complains about the trains, they do give the area a certain, although suspect, charm.

The Hostel offers earplugs for 25 cents to muffle the sound of the train horns at night, but we did not use them and although we did hear the trains during the night, they really weren't that bad--I'd stay at the hostel again if staying in Flagstaff, but I could understand that it wouldn't be for everyone.

On the last full day of our vacation we had planned to drive through scenic Oak Creek Canyon to famed Sedona, AZ and take a short hike in Red Rock State Park. I was dissapointed with both the scenic drive in Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona. Because Oak Creek Canyon was very forested, there were no great views; maybe the drive would have been more scenic in the Fall when the leaves have turned color. Sedona was very touristy and we didn't stay long--I can't fathom what Sedona offers that attracts tourists. Anyway, we did stop at a nearby arts and crafts village called Tlaquepaque. Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tla-keh-pah-keh) meaning the "best of everything" was designed to replicate a traditional Mexican village. Tlaquepaque turned out to be a nice place, very picturesque (see pictures at right and below) and we picked-up a few momentos there.

We did a little hiking in a portion of the Red Rock State Park, but after the parks we had just seen in Utah, I wasn't that impressed. Actually, the hike probably would have been very nice, but we were all tired of hiking by this point and we just didn't have enough willpower to continue. Jane and kids did a short upstream hike in the Oak Creek while I took this lovely picture of Cathedral Rock (see below right). The trip to Sedona pretty much took up our whole day. Back in Flagstaff, we were pretty tired and just hung-out in the hostel and later in the evening walked into town where a musical festival was taking place and had ice cream. Of course, we did play a lot of pool and foosball. Yesterday evening Elroy and Judy even got into a foosball contest with a couple of older hostel patrons. Jane and I had fun just watching them play against older more experienced foosball players. Tomorrow we were to drive back to Las Vegas for a flight back home that wasn't going to leave until 1 am the next morning......I wasn't looking forward to the next 24 hours. And as we would find out there wasn't a whole lot to do on the drive back to Las Vegas.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 8)

2007-07-05T06:36:00.001-07:00

Day 8 (Saturday, June 23rd). We could easily have stayed longer in Bryce Canyon or nearby Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest or the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument which would have provided additional days of unique discoveries. However, we had a schedule to keep and had to be in Flagstaff, AZ by late afternoon which meant 5 hours of driving ahead. We backtracked on route 89 through Mt. Carmel and Kanab and proceeded toward Page, AZ. Entering Page we passed by the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Upstream of the Glen Canyon Dam was the beautiful Lake Powell and downstream continued the colorado river on its' journey to the Grand Canyon (see picture below).

Leaving Page, the road must have taken us down, off the colorado plateau, because we were going downhill with a vast flat landscape before us. We stopped at a scenic overlook where native indians had erected tables to sell jewelry and collectibles (numerous similar encampments would be seen over the next 2 hours) and off to the right was this huge crevase in the earth, what I imagine is the beginning of the Grand Canyon. It was terribly impressive. By the time we reached the outskirts of Flagstaff, we were all pretty tired and considered but eventually passed on a sidetrip to Wupatki Na tional Monument.

I had read about this site that had ancient pueblo ruins, but didn't remember much about it and by this time we were unsure whether we wanted to invest another couple hours investigating. We probably should have gone since researching the site more, it looks to be a very interesting and beautiful area. The Monument is closeby the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

The many settlement sites (one is pictured at right) scattered throughout the monument were built by ancieint Pueblo, more specifically the Snagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Anasazi. A major population influx began soon after the eruption of Sunset Crater in the 11th century, which blanketed the area with volcanic ash; this improved agricultural productivity and the soil's ability to retain water. Based on a careful survey of archaeological sites conducted in the 1980s, an estimated 2000 immigrants moved into the area during the century following the eruption. Agriculture was based mainly on corn and squash raised from the arid land without irrigation.

The dwellings, the walls of many of which still stand, were constructed from flat red stones held together with mortar. Each settlement was constructed as a single building, sometimes with scores of rooms. The largest settlement on monument territory is the Wupatki Ruin, "Big House" in the Hopi language, built around a natural rock outcropping. This ruin is believed to be the area's tallest and largest structure for its time period.

Anyway, we didn't go see Wupatki and you can surmise by now that this was my biggest regret of the whole trip.....well this and breakfast at Mr. Lucky's our first full day in Las Vegas (see first vacation 2007 post). We limped into Flagstaff and found our way to the DuBeau Hostel, our lodging for the next two nights.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 7)

2007-07-05T05:02:00.001-07:00

Day 7 (Friday, June 22nd). On Thursday we drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce Canyon was named after the Mormon Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce and was designated a national park in 1924. Bryce Canyon transcends 2000 feet in elevation but can readily be experienced from the top of the canyon. In fact that is where you enter Bryce--from the top of the canyon. Bryce is famous for its' horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The erosional forces of frost-wedging and rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock into a maze of bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and most famously the spires called "hoodoos." On Thursday, in the late afternoon, we simply walked along the rim itself. From the canyon rim are continuous views of the hoodoo amphitheaters (see pictures). We determined to take an early morning trail-ride the next day to take us down into the canyon, to experience the canyon from the bottom-up.

We left Bryce and made our way to the Grand Staircase Inn, our lodging for the night, we made a quick sidetrip to nearby Kodachrome Basin State Park. The park was named by a National Geographic expedition in 1948 who were experimenting with the then relatively new brand of Kodak film. Kodachrome Basin State Park is a small, attractive park surrounded by colorful cliffs. It boasts the world's only collection of "sand pipes," some 67 in all. Sand pipes (a.k.a. "chimney rocks") are oddly shaped rock pillars that rise up to 170 feet above the ground. The sand pipes are thought to be solidified sediment that filled ancient springs or geysers and have been left standing after the softer surrounding sandstone rock weathered away. We were there only a few minutes but I did take one of my favorite pictures there (see picture at left). The sandpipe in this picture is the tubular, whitish rock formation on the left-hand side of the picture (click on picture to enlarge).

On Friday, we started our early morning two hour trail-ride into Bryce Canyon. We scheduled with Canyon Trail Rides, the only outfit that leads tours of Bryce Canyon proper. The kids and I got mules, (Judy on Bluejay, I got Goose, and Elroy rode Fester); Jane was given Anaconda, a nice-looking horse, to ride. In the past, I have never liked any trail-ride we have ever taken and I was silently dispirited about spending money of this activity, but the trail-ride was awesome.

The cowboys got us our mounts and we hit the trail fast and the scenery was incredible. We entered a horse trail that started at the top of the canyon with wonderful vistas of the hoodoos (see picture at left) and descended down to the bottom of canyon. All the while the cowboy guide pointing out various rock formations and cracking bad cowboy jokes. I was most glad during the ascent as the mules were doing all the work to get us back to the canyon rim and we could just sit-back and enjoy the scenery (see picture below as we we climbing back-up the
canyon). The cowboy jokes as I remember them were: when pointing out rock formations towering directly overhead, we were told to look out for poison rock.......one drop will kill you! Another time we stopped along the trail and the cowboy informed us that this was the most dangerous portion of the trail and to be very cautious. He then told us the danger was due to a huge boulder to our right that was only held back from crushing us by the little stick propped up under the rock. You'll have to click on the picture below and look for the puny stick the cowboy was referring to. Of course these jokes were greeting with a spattering of guffaws---but our cowboy guide was okay.

After the trail-ride and a quick lunch, I tried to hike down into the canyon on my own. It was now about 2-3 pm. Although it was pleasant on the canyon rim (with a nice breeze blowing), with every step down into the canyon I took the air in the canyon got hotter and the sun more intense---this was the only time during the whole trip when it was really uncomfortable (due to the heat not the elevation) and as I turned around to head back up to the rim was even more thankful we had taken the trail-ride earlier in the day. Afterward, we went back to the hotel to rest up.

Toward evening we decided to hike the Mossy Cave Trail. We intended just to spend a half hour or so exploring, but this area of Bryce was so interesting, peaceful and oddly attractive that we spent a couple hours. Even though the trail is called Mossy Cave and indeed has a mossy cave at the end, its' more engaging feature is a fast-moving stream with a small but dramatic waterfall (see picture at bottom of post). The stream is not natural; in the 1800's pioneers dug an irrigation ditch through this area from the East Fork of the Sevier River. This provided the nearby communities of Tropic and Cannonville with much needed water but it changed the geology of the canyon by washing away the hoodoos. However, the result was a nice wide path alongside a stream of oddly crystal clear water. An easy hike along the path provided magnificent views of hoodoo's high up on the canyon walls (see pictures). We went back to the hotel satisfied with the whole day, the trail-ride and the hike on the Mossy Cave Trail. Tomorrow would be another long day driving. We had on schedule to head down the Arizona to spend the next two nights Flagstaff, AZ.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 6)

2007-07-04T11:49:00.001-07:00

Day 6 (Thursday, June 21st). Today the plan was to hike Angel's Landing--the other classic Zion experience. Angels Landing, as seen from the start of the West Rim Trail near the Grotto Trailhead (see picture at right) looks innocent enough. At worst a tough climb, but not too bad, right? Don't believe it......this was the scariest hike I've ever done. Since 1983, 7 people have fallen to there death during the most dangerous final half mile.......which we didn't do. One person fell to their death the week before we got there. Let me guide on our the way up to Angel's Landing.

We started the hike by crossing a bridge over the Virgin River that follows the West Rim Trail as it switchbacks up the west side of the canyon. The hike at this point is uphill but not too strenuous and we got great views of the canyon (see picture at left). Soon we entered what is called Refrigerator Canyon -- a deep hanging side canyon where temperatures always remain cool and at least during the morning when we were there was in shade. Here, the incline lets up for a little bit until we get to an amazing bit of 1930's CCC engineering: Walter's Wiggles -- a set of many compact switchbacks that takes the trail all the way up to the top of the ridge where we arrived at Scout's Lookout about 1000 feet above the canyon. At Scout's Lookout hikers can opt to leave the comfortable West Rim Trail to do the final half-mile hike to the Angels Landing viewpoint or turn around and head back down.

Here's a description of the final section. The final half-mile consists of walking and sometimes crawling up the narrow spine of the mountain an additional 500 feet in elevation. There are many exposed sections where you can look down on both sides to the canyon below. That would be looking down approxiately 1200-1500 feet!!! Although there are chains and carved steps to help ease the mind, if you have no mountain-climbing or exposed hiking experience, this hike can be quite intimidating. Duh! If you are overcome by panic at the first section of chains, do not continue any further. It doesn't get any better!

Up to this point I had a lot of confidence I could make it to the end. I should mention here that Scout's Lookout is also known as "chicken-out point"!!! Once we rested and I started looking at the route coming up (see picture at right) which consisted of carved steps along the side of the mountain with chains to hold onto and a thousand foot drop-off on the right-side......I chickened out. Click-on the picture to expand and look for the hikers navigating up the trail and the neat little sign warning about the danger of falling.

Jane and kids felt okay and decided to push-on. As I sat at Scout's Lookout I began to really worry about Jane, Elroy and Judy. What if they got stuck and needed my help---the worst, most exposed section of the trail was yet to come. As I sat there, head in hands, maybe 10-15 minutes later Jane came back, followed a few minutes later by Elroy and Judy. No, they didn't make it to Angel's Landing----but they were safe. Elroy took a photo of the next section of the trail which follows the narrow 3-4 foot wide spine of the mountain up to Angels Landing (see picture below). Again, people were going up there--you'll have to click on the picture to spot them.

After washing the bad taste of shame and humiliation out of my mouth with a swig of water we headed back down the trail and headed out of Zion. Our next stop was Bryce Canyon National Park which was about 1 1/2 hour drive from Zion. As we left Zion there was one more hike I wish we had done, the Canyon Overlook Trail. The trailhead is directly after another Zion-classic, the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. The Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel is 1.1 miles long. It was blasted and cut through thick Navajo sandstone during the early 1900s. The task of cutting through 2,000 foot thick sandstone, in those days, was not easy and was considered to be an engineering marvel. The Canyon Overlook Trail is supposedly an easy one mile hike that does provide a great view of the lower canyon and notable mountains in the background including the Altar of Sacrifice (look at upper right for what appears like a dark blood stain dripping down from the top of the mountain). Yeah....it's that kind of park.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 5) Part III

2007-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Day 5 (Wednesday, June 20th). After we finished the Grand Canyon, we weren't done yet. We headed back on US highway 89 toward Kanab, Utah on our way to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park for a final stop. The park, which encompasses 3,730 acres, was established in 1963 with land acquired from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to serve as recreational access to the dunes.

The park's sand dunes are created because a notch between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains funnels the prevailing winds, increasing their velocity to a point where they can carry sand grains in what is called the Venturi Effect. Eroding Navajo Sandstone formations surrounding the park account for the unique color of these dunes.

On the drive to the CPSD, I and likely everyone else, was getting a little tired and I even suggested just skipping CPSD. But Jane said since we were near let's just go see. Lucky that we did, because this turned out to be one of our favorite stops of the whole trip. We were immediately swept away by the breathtaking coral-colored dunes surrounded by red sandstone cliffs dotted with juniper trees all set against picture-perfect azure blue skies. And the dune itself was big, maybe rising 3-4 stories.

As we hiked out to the dune the size of the dune was really very impressive. In the picture below if you click on it to open a bigger version you can make out tiny specks of people at the very top.

We hiked around on the dunes and then made our way to the very top of the large sand dune. Below is a picture of Jane and the kids as we were trekking up the spine of the main dune. All along the hike the dunes were covered with these beautiful yellow flowers (see picture below) that just added to the magic spell this park cast over us. As we were about to leave a number of dune buggies came roaring near the big dune (see picture below). Evidently, ATVing is a big activity in southern Utah and space is set-aside for their enjoyment. We were perched on top of the dune watching these guys zip around the smaller dune areas---it looked like a good way to get really dirty, but probably was also a lot of fun. Maybe we'll try this next time. Finally, after staying longer than I thought we would we did leave and headed back to Zion. The drive back to Zion (coming from the east) was labeled a scenic drive and from the Mt. Carmel junction into the park it was the most beautiful region I have ever driven through. Again, photographs can't capture the vistas we drove through, but I'll include a picture in the next post with a bird's eye view of the final switchbacks as the scenic road reaches the bottom of Zion Canyon. We finally got back to Springdale and had a fortifying but late (8 pm) dinner at the Driftwood Inn Lodge to prepare us for the next day's big challenge..........Angel's Landing.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 5) Part II

2007-07-04T05:45:00.001-07:00

Day 5 (Wednesday, June 20th). After leaving Grafton the next stop was Pipe Spring National Monument. To get there I took a nine mile short-cut over an unimproved "dirt" road. Southern Utah is criss-crossed with a number of these dirt roads that are considered passable in dry conditons. It's wise to check with the locals that the roads are indeed passable--in this case the clerk at the Driftwood Lodge routinely had used this road and said it would PROBABLY be okay for our rental car. The couple mile climb up to the top of the mesa was a little unnerving as the road was badly eroded and that we were in the middle of nowhere with no one in sight if we got stuck (see picture above). That concern aside, the drive was very scenic and once we reached the mesa the road was in pretty good condition (see picture of the good portion of the road we traveled below right). Near the end of this road we passed this fence that had collected tumbleweeds which is where I stopped to take the picture at right. After reaching pavement again we headed southeast to Pipe Spring National Monument.

Pipe Spring provided a reliable water source in this generally dry and rather barren country. For early Mormon settlers the spring became the focal point for various buildings and eventually a small fort (named Winsor Castle after its constructor,

A.P. Winsor). The two-story fort, seen in the background in the picture on the left, was intended to protect the spring and neighbouring cattle grazing lands against Navajo Indian raids from the south; a threat that never materialised. The neighboring Paiute indians suffered due to cattle grazing the grasses that previously sustained them, however, it seems that the Paiutes and Mormons worked out their differences and achieved some measure of peacable coexistence.

Now, the fort, outbuildings, and various agricultural relics are preserved and serve as an interesting illustration of pioneer life. Because it is isolated geographically the Pipe Spring is not a popular tourist destination, however it is definitely worth a visit and can easily be completed in an hour or so including the tour of the fort. There are nice gardens, crops, along with buildings and exhibits. These include besides the fort, a blacksmith's shop, poultry and riding sheds, two ponds with resident geese, an orchard, old wagons, a corral and riding equipment. Other animals include Texas longhorn cattle, chickens and horses. Pipe Spring itself is covered by the fort; the water runs underground through pipes and across one room in an open trough before emerging to supply the ponds. The open trough was used for keeping food chilled (and the water was quitedchilly); of the food items made in the room with the trough was butter and cheese.

The tour guide indicated that there were about 10 main rooms on 2 levels, in 2 sections with doors and windows facing inwards to a central courtyard, all enclosed by a high wall. The fort was partially built into a hillside and the walls were thick to keep in the cool air. On our tour of the fort, the air inside was very comfortable. Although the defensive capabilities of Pipe Spring were never tested the guide pointed out that the small windows above the beds (in an upstairs bedroom) were originally designed to serve as gun ports. However, the fort was used primarily as a ranch and waystop for thirsty travelers and later as a private residence. The fort was designated a National Monument in 1923.

Afterward, we made our way to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The north rim is supposedly less crowded and has better views than the south rim. The downside is the driving around needed to get to the overlooks. We just went to the Bright Angel area were the visitor center and lodge were located. We did a little hiking along the rim and a lot gazing. We had a nice day with good visibility and could see the trail to the south rim. To appreciate the Grand Canyon I think one needs to hike it rim to rim or take a 4-6 day ride down the Colarado river. Both are on our list of future vacations. Views of the Grand Canyon from Bright Angel Point are below.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 5) Part I

2007-07-02T09:54:00.001-07:00

Day 5 (Wednesday, June 20th). Today we used Springdale as a springboard for all-day side-trip to the ghost town of Grafton, Pipe Spring National Monument, the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. This would prove to be a busy but richly rewarding day. To get to Grafton we had to backtrack to the town of Rockville (about a 5 minute drive west from Sprindale) and take a dirt road (see picture at left) that led through wilderness out to the town. The dirt road to Grafton was itself very scenic (although a little dusty).

The ghost town of Grafton (1863-1924) and Grafton cemetary (see pictures below) are located a few minutes drive west of Sprindale near the town of Rockville. Grafton was one of several settlements along the Virgin River colonized in the 1850s. In 1861, Mormon Church President Brigham Young called hundreds of families to relocate to southwestern Utah to help establish a Cotton Mission. The principle objective was to produce enough cotton to supply church members' needs and thereby end reliance upon eastern markets for that product. In the southern region's cruel environment, however, the Cotton Mission never really flourished. The early settlers of Grafton quickly learned that the Virgin River was generally untamable. Although they needed water for crops the farmlands around Grafton lay in very narrow strips along either side of the Virgin River and its tributaries and were highly susceptible to erosion from flooding. The Virgin River and its tributaries all ran high floods that obliterated the first colonizing attempt at Grafton. In addition to the unpredictable river, residents also experienced difficulties with Indians during the Black Hawk War (1865-68). An example of the "difficulties" was evidenced by several gravestones which noted the cause of death.....killed by indians (see Isabelle Hales gravemarker at bottom of post)! More recently Grafton was also hit hard by flooding in 1909. By 1920 Grafton's population had dwindled to three families, and by 1930 the river had completely won--it became a ghost town. The last resident moved away in 1935. Other headstones, with telling inscriptions, give some insight into the harsh life at that time, such as the three Berry brothers (and one wife), all killed by Indians on April 2nd 1866, or the five children of John and Charlotte Ballard, all of whom died young between 1865 and 1877, none living for more than 9 years. Although the ghosts of Grafton may have their own memories Grafton is largely remembered as the town where the famous "Rain Drops Falling On My Head" scene from "Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid" western was filmed.

Desert Southwest Vacation (Day 4)

2007-07-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

Day 4 (Tuesday, June 19th). We would stay the next two nights in Sprindale with an emphasis on exploring Zion Canyon National Park. One of big activities around much of southern Utah, and in Zion, is canyoneering which involves hiking along streambeds in narrow canyons called slot canyons. Today was our much anticipated canyoneering adventure, a hike up the North Fork of the Virgin River to a region called the Narrows. The Zion Narrows is a legendary hike, a must-do if you visit Zion. Since the hike is alongside and through the Virgin River, which carved this spectacular slot canyon, it's a great hike in summer; the temperature in the canyon is supposed to be approximately 10 degrees cooler and there is a lot of shade.

We began the day by renting 5.10 Canyoneer river shoes, neoprene socks and staffs from an outfitter conveniently located in Springdale and boarding the local shuttle to Zion. The hike to the Zion Narrows begins at the end of an easy one-mile Riverside Walk Trail at the Temple of Siniwava shuttle stop. We had an annoying shuttle bus driver, "Dan-Dan the driving man", who tried to amuse and educate us about the park as he SLOWLY drove us to the Temple of Siniwava stop. During the busy summer months the shuttle buses are the only means to get into the park. Although this was a little frustrating, I can only imagine how bad the drive would have been if all the visitors were allowed to drive into the park. Anyway, we eventually reached the Temple of Siniwava shuttle stop and hike the easy one mile paved Riverside Walk Trail. At the end of the trail we plunged into the Virgin River and started hiking upsteam. We hiked in ankle to knee-deep water navigating to dry, rocky patches along the shore where possible. See picture of Elroy hiking upriver at right. At the beginning the river channel was wide, the river bottom consisted of rounded rocks that were faily easy to walk over, especially equipped with canyoneering shoes and a sturdy staff for extra support. Although we saw some people hike upstream in bare feet or tennis shoes, I think the $17 rental fee for the canyoneering shoes and staff was money well-spent.

Less than half-a-mile from the Temple of Sinawava, we passed Mystery Falls, a beautiful spot where water rolls down the sandstone walls from the canyon above. Approximately two miles upstream the walls of the main canyon close-in, forming the narowest section of the canyon. This section is called the Narrows or Wall Street where the Virgin river is forced into a spectacular gorge, as narrow as 20 feet and as deep as 2,000 feet. See picture of Jane and kids at right. In the Narrows we were hiking in mostly shade, and in deeper water, with occasional narrow shafts of light penetrating the canyon opening to the water below. In some places the water ran deeper and swifter as the river was forced into this narrowed canyon space. There are ample warnings to not go into the slot canyons if there is any chance of flash flooding--I can see why. This being the summertime, there was zero chance of rain and there were a lot of hikers at the beginning but fewer the farther upstream we hiked. It was spectacular and almost impossible to photograph the scale of the canyon walls in the Narrows.

We hiked a side canyon of the Narrows, the Orderville Canyon. Orderville Canyon has much less flowing water, but there are many obstacles that involved a bit of rock-scrambling. The picture at left was a particularly nice fern-covered section of the canyon. Roughly half-a-mile up Orderville Canyon, we reached a small waterfall formation (Veiled Falls) where the National Park Service has placed a sign that prohibits further travel upstream. In all we spent 8 hours hiking--the most time we've ever spent hiking. I had to really take my time on the trek back to the River Walk Trail, my legs were tired and stumbled a bit. We stopped a few times to eat, drink and to refocus on getting back without getting hurt or wet. We were really tired when we finished and our feet, especially Jane' feet, were sodden and sore. We were happy when we finally got to take the wet shoes and socks off and rest poolside back at the hotel.

Desert Southwest Vacation 2007 (Day 3)

2007-07-01T13:05:00.001-07:00

Day 3 (Monday, June 18th). Today the vacation really started--we had big plans for the next few days begining with todays drive to Zion Canyon National Park in Springdale, Utah. We began this morning with breakfast done right---the budget-priced breakfast buffet at Terrible's Hotel and Casino. The buffet was $5/person, the food was better than expected, and there was lots of it. After filling up we made our way out of Las Vegas on route 515 toward Henderson and then 146 to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We traveled along the scenic Northshore Road (route 169). This was an incredible drive, the vistas of scrub desert, brilliant red rock formations and surrounding black, brown and gray mountains were overwhelming. Unfortunately the picture at right just does not do justice to the amazing landscape we drove through. Our morning destination was the Valley of Fire State Park, another example of the Mojave Desert System.

The VoF, as advertised, was hot. There wasn't much shade and we decided on a short hike to Mouse's Tank, AKA the Petroglyph Canyon Trail. Mouse was a renegade southern Paiute Indian who pestered settlers and other indians back the 1890s and this area was his favorite hideout because it contained a secret "tank" or basin of water even during dry periods. We took off on the approximately 1 mile round trip hiking leisurely and wandering off trail to observe the numerous lizards that were actively scrambling over the rocks. The quickness and agility these creatures demonstrated running away from my pointed camera made me swear quietly to myself. Leapin lizards! Taking pictures here was challenging because the sunlight was so intense. At left is Jane and the kids embarking on the hike from the trailhead. There was a sizable and what appeared to be a deep waterhole at the end of the trail. Whether the pool just collected water or if there is a spring underneath that sustains it I don't know, but it's amazing that a pool of water, even shaded, could persist in the dry desert climate. We spent quite a lot of time looking for lizards (see picture below) .

We didn't stay in the VoF too long--this being just a brief stop on way to Zion. Of course along the trail were numerous examples of petroglyphs, hence the reason for the alternative "Petroglyph Canyon Trail" designation. Examples of the petroglyphs are shown below.

On the way out of the VoF state park, Elroy took a picture a famous rock formation called the "balancing rock" for obvious reasons. This picture in one of my favorites.

After the VoF we made a second short stop at the "Lost City Museum" which supposedly documents the histories of native peoples who had populated the nearby Virgin River Valley. I'll talk more about the Virgin River later. When Lake Mead was filling-up after construction of the Hoover Dam, an Anasazi Indian archeologic site called the Pueblo Grande de Nevada and its' artifacts were moved to the museum. The museum wasn't much to talk about but did have life-size replicas of pueblos that we were able to walk into and experience. The pueblos were constructed half underground to take advantage of the cooler earth and in fact were comfortable even in the blistering mid-afternoon sun.

Onto Zion. The town of Sprindale is the western gateway to Zion Canyon NP. Springdale is a cozy little town spread over about two miles and is part of the same canyon system as Zion. This is a one street town with a collection of nice hotels, B&Bs and shops nestled among towering canyon walls. Altough Zion has a Lodge in the park, I think I would rather stay in Springdale, at least at the time of year we went. Mid-June was not yet peak tourist season and there was plenty of parking throughout the town so we could shop for groceries, eat-out or do laundry. The drive from the Driftwood Lodge (where we stayed) to the Zion visitor parking lot was probably about 5 minutes and if we didn't want to drive, there were free shuttle buses running continuously all day lone. Out the back door of our room at the Driftwood Lodge we had an wonderful view of the surrounding mountains and eagerly awaited tomorrow's adventure.

Desert Southwest Vacation 2007 (Days 1 and 2)

2007-06-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to go to a region of the country that I have wanted to visit for a long time but have always put off.....the desert southwest. In part, I feared that a summer vacation to the desert regions of Nevada, Utah and Arizona just wouldn't be a good idea. Boy, was I wrong. Although it was hot--on most days the heat wasn't a big factor. On those days when the heat was bad, the mornings and evenings were very pleasant for hiking activities.....and even during the hottest late afternoon hours if you were in the shade, the breezes and low humidity made it quite pleasant. My only regret is that we moved from one place to the next every couple of days and didn't spend more time in the places we really liked. We'll defintely go back.

The overall plan was to fly to Las Vegas and tour the local environs, rent a car and make a clockwise loop to experience Zion Canyon NP and Grand Canyon NP, Byrce Canyon NP, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell National Recreation Area, Flagstaff and Sedona Arizona, and return to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead NRA.

Day 1 (Saturday, June 16th). This was basically a travel day. We left BWI airport in the afternoon for the flight to Houston with a connecting flight to Las Vegas. There were thunderstorms in Houston which delayed our connecting flight to Las Vegas. By the time we arrived at McCarran International Airport, retrieved our luggage, leased the rental car, and found the Tropicana Resort and Casino hotel parking lot it was late and I think we pretty much unpacked and went to bed. However, the walk from the check-in counter to our room was our first of several long, torturous walks through the cavernous casinos on the Strip. The Tropicana Resort & Casino is located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main original building, with the Garden room wings (where we stayed), was built in 1957. The intersection of Tropicana - Las Vegas Boulevard has the most hotel rooms of any intersection in the world; pedestrians are linked by overhead bridges to the neighboring casinos: Excalibur Hotel and Casino, New York-New York Hotel & Casino and MGM Grand Las Vegas — the latter being the largest hotel in the world, with 5,044 rooms. The resorts at the four corners have a total of 12,890 hotel rooms as of 2004.

The Tropicana had the look, feel, and odor (particularly that of cigarette smoke) charateristic of the older casinos---but at least it was budget-friendly and had a nice outdoor pool....and a large mirror on the ceiling above the bed.

Day 2 (Sunday, June 17th). On Sunday we visited Red Rock Canyon, one of several National Conservation Areas near Las Vegas featuring a Mojave Desert habitat. Before heading out we first stopped at Mr. Lucky's (in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino) for breakfast. Afterward, I wasn't feeling so lucky after shelling out $60 for breakfast. However, the food was good and got our motors ready for the first day of hiking. RRC is about 30 minutes from downtown Las Vegas and features the Keystone Thrust in which older-aged rock (grey in the picture at left) of the La Madre and Turtlehead mountains had been thrust-up to a higher elevation than the younger-aged beige and red colored rock formations (known as Aztec Sandstone). After a quick stop at the visitors center and chat with a ranger we settled on a moderate 6 mile roundtrip hike to Calico Tanks. The rocks in Calico Hills were comprised of the Aztec sandstone and the trail led to a beautiful scenic overlook. The day was hot with lots of sunshine but the walk was comfortable; at the scenic overlook there was a great breeze that was especially refreshing. The picture below is typical of the terrain we hiked through to get to the scenic overlook; occsionally we had to scramble over rocks but mostly this a was pretty easy hike. When we finished the Calico Tanks trail we continued our drive around the 13 mile scenic park loop stopping at the Willow Springs Picnic Area to rest and take a short hike to observe some famous native american petroglyphs thought to be thousands of years old. This stop was our first sampling that there were sources of water (springs), even in the desert, and how important these springs were to life in this region. The picnic area where the spring flowed had more greenery and more life than that seen at Calico Tanks. Elroy set aside a few bits of oreo cookie on a nearby rock where we were lunching and within a few minutes numerous small chipmunks came to collect these treats. I'm sure these animals (and all the others we didn't see) don't stray too far from this important source of water. In addition, even though the day was starting to heat-up, where we were sitting in the shade was very comfortable. We made the short walk to observe the petroglyphs (see picture below) and then made our way back to Las Vegas and spent the remainder of the afternoon poolside.

In the evening we thought we'd walk the Strip. Although the walk was tedious at times---the distances inside and out of the casinos seemed to stretch on forever---I did think the activity along the Strip was interesting. We enjoyed walking into the Bellagio--one of the high-end casinos that was very elegant and hosts a choreographed water-fountain show in an artificial lake in front of the hotel (see picture below). The Bellagio is directly across from Paris Las Vegas which has a replica of the Eiffel Tower (also see below). We didn't go into Paris Las Vegas but viewing it (and other casinos like New York-New York Vegas and Luxor) from the outside was entertainment enough. We also happened into Desert Passage, a Shopping Mall that is supposed to suggest ancient trade route through Morocco. It was really cool---the ceiling resembling open sky and fooled me initially. Another notable stop was at Ceasar's Palace, where while looking for the Forum Shops (another unique shopping destination) we stumbled into a section of Caesar's called (I only found this out later---this was not planned beforehand) the Pussycat Doll Lounge where skilled cage-dancers performed to entertain weary gamblers. The picture of the PDL (see below) is not mine--when we passed the PDL, it looked like it was just beginnging to open for business--but I thought that a picture would be informative. After that, I was ready to call it quits for the day---and considered it a very successful day.