Bent Creek Trails

Tuesday morning I headed out to the Bent Creek Research and Demonstration Forest. I had heard that this is a good ride, specially with its proximity to Asheville.
At BioWheels, I picked up a copy of Western NC Pisgah, Volume II, Off the Beaten Track Mountain Bike Guide Series. The Deerfield-PineTree-Explorer loop was recommended to me. The loop starts from the Hardtimes Trailhead.
After about 0.3 miles on gravel road, the loop turns onto singletrack. This is the Homestead Trail (#3330. This is a wide trail along a creek and on to Lake Powhatan. The photo with this post is of a canopy of Rhododendron over the trail.
The loop takes a left turn and heads up. I had to start walking there. With the humidity, I was feeling miserable. There are no signs at trail junctions, so need at very good map or cue sheet to make the loop.
These factors and with all of the walking the day before at Biltmore, I called it a morning and headed back to the car. A disappointing 2 miles.

Ick, sick

Since just after my last post almost a month ago, I've been unwell.

First there was discomfort, and an attempt to postpone the doctor til after the craft show. Then there was pain, a can't-take-it-no-more doctor visit, and the missing of a craft show. Finally there were pills and a little loopy relief. Eventually a long, slow recovery, with lots of wish I had more pain pills malaise.

I'm 90% better, but that last 10% is taking forever. I'm still not in good form for bending, stooping, or scrunching photography maneuvers. So I've been playing in Photoshop with earlier shots.

Ponds and Poetry

Uncontrolled water in the home garden can be a disaster - water confined and channeled through a water feature can be wonderful. If you're in the mood to see wonderful water features, you're in luck - it's almost time for the annual Austin Pond Society Tour, that special weekend when some of the members invite you into their gardens, demonstrating how Nature and Technology can work together to bring water, sound, plant life and animal life into your own back yard. That's our birdbath full of bluejays in the photo - if just a simple birdbath can get this much action, imagine what a pond could do!
For .., the event spans two days and features 30 locations - including a couple that will be open on Saturday night. Mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday, July 14th and 15th, ... Wristbands are available at the Wildflower Center, Emerald Gardens and Hill Country Water Gardens, and can also be purchased online. You can also get them the day of the tour, but buying ahead can save you a couple of bucks.
Pond Tour Information on the APS website
The Pond Society kindly linked to my posts about last year's tour. We made it to almost all of the Saturday locations - mainly in-town ponds, loaded with ideas for urban and suburban gardeners - but I didn't have the camera with me that day. On Sunday I took photos at some unusual ponds in more rural settings out to the NW of Austin. If you're interested, here are links:
Liberty Hill .. One , Liberty Hill .. Two, Liberty Hill .. Three,
Leander .. and the Night Tour
The Pond Society site also has links to photo galleries from several previous tours.
Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago is trying to get a garden muse day going on the first of each month, much as Carol of May Dreams has encouraged us to post flower photos for Garden Blogger Bloom Day on the 15th.
There's also a 'Green Thumb Sunday', a monthly 'Festival of the Trees', and even a 'Wordless Wednesday' going around. My first reaction was that things are getting awfully organized and scheduled in the garden blogging world. I'm starting to feel like an Austin Slacker version of Huckleberry Finn, suspicious that the Widow Douglas is trying to 'sivilize' me and think I'll slope off for the river.
But the idea kind of grew on me, so what the heck - here's a poem for Garden Muse Day. When one of the Muses whispers in my ear, it's seldom Calliope guiding me to epic poetry, or Melpomene leading me to write tragedy. No - the Muse that usually shows up is Thalia, inspiring comedy. Maybe she also inspired me to plant 'Thalia' narcissus, seen in this March photo.
The following rhyme is a few years old. A lot of my garden verse has been set to music with more than a dozen of the songs comprising an in-progress musical comedy copyrighted as Roots in Austin. I've made some of the songs into videos for YouTube - they're linked at left in the sidebar. More videos are in the works, but this little snippet of doggerel doesn't seem to have a musical future - it's slight, and cute, and nerdy in a horticultural way:

CALLA
A long time ago from a silvered movie screen
Came words made immortal by a cinematic queen:
“The calla lilies are in bloom,” said Hepburn in a trance;
At seventeen I knew that I must own these lovely plants.
In Northern lands I nurtured them, rejoicing at one flower.
My rhizomes cellar-dwellers were through winter’s chilling hours.
To Texans they’re less precious - here they’ll live with no protection,
Yet still are waxy, delicate, a chlorophyll confection.
The spathe emerges from the soil; the spadix is concealed.
Soon luminous white, or pearly pink, or yellow is revealed.
Some ask for Zantedeschia, preferring Latin words, Too many calla flowers? Never! The concept is absurd.
Written by Annie at the Transplantable Rose Garden Muse Day

ASUS Transformer Tablet

Cool day, forecast is for threatening rain. Was a good day to get the new ASUS Transformer tablet packaged up for shipping to ASUS. Guess I screwed up the micro-SD card slot.

When i got the tablet, I could not figure out how to the the micro SD card into the slot. The manual shows WHERE to insert the card but not HOW to insert it. Eventually, I found out (thanks John) that there was a dummy card insert shipped in the slot. Manaul says nothing about this.

OK, now I have the "dummy card" removed, and attempting to insert the micro-SD card. I had problems inserting the card - got it stuck in the slot. At Best Buy (where i purchased the tablet) they were able to removed the card. But, the card slot is damaged.

I inserted the card wrong side up. Once again, there are no instructions in the manual! Looking at the screen, I figured that the card should be inserted with writing facing up - facing me. NO! - To install the card, turn the tablet facing the screen DOWN (so you can look at the ASUS name on the case - THEN the micro SC card is inserted facing you.

Looks just backwards for me! Everything else I have, the cards are inserted face up.

SO, while I am on the road, I gathered up the paperwork, RMA et al, packed it with the tablet and traipsed off to the local USP Store. Left it for them to package it up and sent if off to Texas.

Oh well - I could have tried to get it covered under the Best Buy warranty (I had a month to purchase the warranty), claiming the card was stuck after I had the warranty. But, that's not me -- it would have been cheating.

On the Road Again

On the way heading to Glacier National Park. As usual, I could not sleep last night. Finally got up a little after 3 am and finished my packing. Was on the road about 4:30.

Once I got past Sioux City, things get pretty sparse on I-29. Found a place for breakfast south of Sioux Falls. Past Sioux Falls, it was even more desolate.

On top of that, around Sioux Falls I encountered FOG! At one rest area, I asked a maintenance person there - any idea how far the fod goes. She said, "while T did not know about today's fog, if if develops, its usually from Sioux Falls to Watertown". Sure as hell, as I passed Watertown, the fog was lifting.

While it was foggy, the temperature was in the upper 60s. As the sky cleared, the temperature raised. Once I was past Fargo and heading West on I-94, the thermometer on the car headed to the upper 90s! Eventually it hit the 101 mark (see photo). Thankfully, there was a good breeze and it was dry (not the humidity back home).

All the way from Sioux City, Iowa to Fargo, ND and to Bismarck, ND - I was surprised of the few services along the interstate. Most interchanges were "no services". Twice, I crossed the "Continental Divide" (at that's what signs said). The second time I caught the altitude - 1490 feet! Had no idea the divide was in the area.

Did a little shopping in Bismarck. Had 2 pints of Fat Tire and a pizza in the lounge at the hotel.

Gretton - Deene - Bulwick - Gretton

Just over 10 miles. With Barry, Eddie, Gordon, Maureen. Weather dull, but fine. We did the route from last week in reverse. No garmin track - I hadn't charged it up.

From the village hall, take Southfield Rd and the unsurfaced Fullen Lane track to the gate then down the hill to the four stiles, diagonally uphill to the right to the broken stile above Kirby Hall. Down through the gate next to the shop and entrance to the Hall, then along the road, over the cattle grid, past the car park and up to the entrance gate on Kirby Lane. Cross the road - go through the deer-proof gate, and follow the path downhill until another path crosses at right angles. Turn left along this path and follow the signs a fair way above the brook. There is another deer-proof gate. Go through this and cross a narrow band of trees - the path is visible across the field, no need to go too close to the wood called the Rookery.

The path leads to the corner of an outbuilding of Home Farm.

Join the farm road and walk through the gate, past some metal sheep pens, and out on to the village street. Follow this as far as the old school - now part house, part village hall.









Over a stile and up across the field towards the 'tea-pot' (Aladdin's Lamp?) monument. (I'm told the man to whom this monument is dedicated loved his cups of tea!) After this you cross a couple of fields with stiles, and come to a boggy section with a small building near by. The path leads through trees and over three footbridges to the A43.





Cross the A43 and a very short walk to the right (towards Corby) brings you to the somewhat hidden footpath sign.

Looking back to where the Willow Brook goes under the A43.

The path follows the edge of the field, by the woods, and then over a stile to some pasture with trees. Don't be tempted (as we were last Thursday), by the gate and bridge.

The path continues through the field, where there are a lot of bumps, which are probably the remains of a settlement deserted by the eighteenth century. [DMV = Deserted Medieval Villages. The DMV we passed on the way into Bulwick was called Henwick and is one of the 75 DMV' s in Northampton. Pronounced Henick it is a farm/landwhere hens were kept. Bulwick, (yes you guessed it correctly) was where bulls were kept. Info from Peter Hill, via Barry - many thanks!]

The path emerges into Bulwick over a stile between some houses and the Queens Head pub.

We took a break at the church - the village shop which sells food and coffee is almost opposite.





From the church we turned downhill past the old school, past the Mill House, and turned left into Red Lodge Road. We followed this across the bridge over the A43, and then turned right along a bridleway. This climbs gradually, then turns left. At a hedge it runs right again, climbing a little more. Laxton church spire comes into view ahead. The path runs left and crosses a couple of fields to meet the road from Deene to Spanhoe. Cross the road and continue bearing very slightly to the right. After crossing two fields you arrive at the lake at Harringworth Lodge. We saw plenty of birdlife today, including two or three herons.

From here the path follows a track alongside woods, past a field of cows. The track turns right, but the path continues along the grass. Just after the end of the woods you turn right to join a track by what appears to be a disused railway cutting.

This turns right, and you go through a gate and across a large field. The path passes through two gates in the corner of the next field, and then across two arable fields, through gates. Finally you cut across the corner of another field, near some agricultural buidlings, before turning right along a track which leads to Gretton's Kirby Road. Turn left here and continue to the village hall.





(in reverse)

I vant to be left alone

Both the Muscovy (above) and the Runner duck had to be chased off their nests. They weren't happy being forced to abandon their eggs, rotten and stinking though they were.
That poor Muscovy. She keeps trying to nest and having no luck. I think the only thing she did wrong this time was to pick the period with the record number of consecutive 100°+ days. She's not much of a weather forecaster I guess.
-----
Friday Ark.

High Wire Act

[More 'Incense' passionflowers opened on Monday afternoon. Check the previous post - Aw, Nuts - to see why the photos didn't get up until now.]

The strands of the passion vine [planted at the far right of the bed], and of the Dolichos lablab/Hyacinth vine [planted at the far left of the border] had both outgrown the fence by August, so Philo helped me tie some twine for them to grow on. The twine reaches from a board about 5-feet high at the fence across to branches at the nine-foot level on a nearby magenta crepe myrtle.


Unless you look closely, you might think a hyacinth bean is producing passionflowers - the vines and foliage have become intertwined, but only the passionflower is blooming. I hope the bean catches up so that these two rather odd flowers will be open at the same time, resembling gaudily dressed performers twirling from the high wire at Circus~Circus.

Joodie

A few months ago I took Joodie into the vet for a check-up. She'd been in to see the vet the month before, for a regular check up and was fine. But the week prior to the 2nd visit, she'd stopped eating and was throwing up every so often. She seemed a little lethargic as well. I figured it was her eating habits again (she would eat anything and everything she found in the yard. she even used to eat diapers when the kids were younger.), and didn't think too much of it. But when she started looking thinner and less spunky, I decided to take her in.
The vet checked her temp and told me she didn't seem ill, that all her vitals seemed fine but that they'd keep her and do some blood tests to see what was up. I gave Joodie a big rub and a hug and she happily trotted down the hallway with the vet - and I left for work.
About and hour after I dropped her off, I got a phone call from the vet. She started to say that she was sorry - but had trouble and began crying! She proceded to tell me that when they went to sedate her for the tests, Joodie had gone into cardiac arrest and died!! Apparently Joodie had a huge tumor in her chest and it had gotten so big, that she couldn't eat anything, hence the weight loss.
So sad. My little chocolate doggy.

Spring on the Wabash Trace

Almost perfect weekend for biking. Yesterday I rode the road bike from Wabash Trace trailhead to Western Historic Trails Center (and back). Wanted to get a couple miles to top over 14,000 miles since I started cycling in July 2005. Mission Accomplished.
Today was a beautiful Spring day for a ride on the Wabash Trace. It was the first ride on the Trace this year. Sunny, slight breeze from the South, and pushing 80 degrees. Yes, 80 degrees in late March!
Was good to get off the pavement and ride the hardtail (Trek 4300). Been a while since I rode that bike. It was outfitted with platform pedals and studded tires for the winter. That was not needed with my winter trips and the mild winter.
Headed south from Silver City. Rode as far as Silver Creek Bridge. By the time I was there, I could feel that my legs might rebel because of the fat, knobby tires and softer trail surface. Add to that this was the third ride in a row. Think they need a day off.
First think I noticed that there has been horses down the trail. They are not supposed to be on that section of the Trace. (Only allowed on the dirt trail that parallels the old railroad bed and then between CB and Mineola). Another rider I met said the horses cam down the trail about 3 weeks ago.
The trail is mostly clear except for branches partially out into the trail surface. The rider I talked with also mentioned to me that the mile marked 393 had been pulled out and dropped on the other side of the trail. Others had reset the sign (including concrete) into the hole left there. Can't understand why folks would such vandalism.

Our Weekend Job...

(As if we didn't do enough last week to help Mom, she decided to put us to work over the weekend. Maybe that's why, again, we couldn't get her to come and visit as many of you as we would have liked.)

Ma, get me a crayon! These need to have names on them!

Our tongues came in handy for this job heheh!

Winter-greens

Several members of my wildflower group are already itching to get out in the wild. They're dying to dig.
Unless it's a rescue, I'm more of a looker than a digger. My thrill is in the hunt. I do enjoy garden tours, but to me, there's nothing like finding the flowers in their natural environment. (And then leaving them there!)
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend digging in January or February. But this Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans) is one of the plants you can scout early - it's probably easier to spot the green now.
The plant's a lot taller in the spring, but some of the lower leaves stay green throughout the winter here. I'm not sure if that's the case in the north or not - maybe someone will comment and let me know.
There are several different types of Jacob's ladder, in almost every state and several Canadian provinces. But reptans is the only one in the south.

MidWest Mountain Bike Fest

Today was a busy day the the mountain bike fest. The day started with a pancake feed sponsored by the Eldridge Lions Club. Needed the food and coffee to get started. The breakfast was served at the Sac-Fox campground site - convenient for all the camping festers.

Next was MtB101 workshop. I want to give a SHOUT OUT for the instructors - Ray Nees and Becky Barnard. This was the best presentation of building mountain bike skills I have ever seen. I should have brought my bike this morning and participate in the class.

MtB101 was a logic progression starting with basics like pedal location, attack position, looking up the trail, et al. Each participant learned riding: a large stick, stick & log, skinny, short drop, log bridge, teeter-totter, and combo with ramp ending with logs. On the naugabike web site I will spend more time detailing the workshop (with photos).

Also in the morning group rides were heading out to ride the other trails FORC maintains in the area - Sunderbruch Park, Sylvan Island, and Illiniwek Park. Others stayed at Scott County Park for group rides. I positioned myself on Long Grove Loop to take photos of the some of the groups.

By this time, it was lunch and then heading back to the hotel for some horizontal time.

By the time I got back to the park, it was about time for the games. Billed as the "Not Lame Games". There was the ever popular "Huffy" toss, followed by Bunny Hop, and "Dodge Tire".

There were more games, a cook-out at the camping area, beer potluck, movies, and night ride. Just a bit too much for this old body. I headed toward the hotel, picked up a Blizzard, and settled in for the night.

Watch for my fest photos on my photo web site: http://win-photo.photoreflect.com

Sunrise Splendor

Here is my favorite shot from this morning. December is my favorite time of year to shoot sunrise at Hollow Rock because you can catch the light coming through the hole in the rock. Today I had the magical combination of ideal sunrise conditions and awesome waves. Too many clouds and the light would not have shone through the hole. Not enough waves and the light wouldn't have reflected so strongly on the water. It really was one of those mornings that a photographer dreams about!

A week of rough water on Lake Michigan

It has been an amazing week of rough water along the Chicago shoreline. Day after day of 25 to 30 knot winds out of the north and northeast have given us large waves, massive clapotis and loads of fun.

Sharon, Bonnie and Scott playing in the clapotis near Foster Ave. beach.

The key to having fun in conditions such as these is knowing your own ability and having friends who are skilled paddlers. We were fortunate this week to get out on our own and also with our paddling partners Scott Fairty, Aaron Litchfield and Bonnie Perry.

Today, the wind had dropped. The forecast promised waves of 4 to 6 feet, but in fact the lake was much calmer. At first, we were disappointed; the lake looked relatively flat. Waves of 3 to 4 feet were still rolling into the beaches, but we felt let down. Still, there's always fun to be had if you know where to look, so we set out for some areas where the waves reflect off of hard surfaces and create chaotic conditions.

The lake was relatively calm, but the area near the break walls was rough enough. Here, Alec is practically airborne.

Bonnie amid waves.

Scott--or at least part of his boat.

Sharon--or at least her helmet and paddle blade.

Thomas Merton and Solitude

I've long been interested in the works of the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. I've read Thoughts in Solitude and have in my library but haven't read The Seven Storey Mountain and The Secular Journal of Thomas Merton. I hope to read them both soon.Now I'm reading The Value of Solitude, The Ethics and Spirituality of Aloneness in Autobiography by John D. Barbour, and he devotes a chapter to Thomas Merton. The above image is from this book.There are an amazing number of opinions on solitude held by as many people. Some crave it and some are repulsed by it calling it the utmost in selfishness. I fall into the first camp. How about you?