Creativity; Better Late than Never

When building our log house back in 1983, I had always thought that the logs linking the back portion of the house to the front portion would make a great interior totem pole. Over the last two days I have enjoyed fullfilling this fantasy on three of the five log butts using simple hand tools. Although rather crude, I did have fun! My only reget is that I did not do this years ago when the kids would have been here to enjoy them in their day to day comings and goings. Here you see the first creation and "butts" soon to carved.

Any animal suggestion for the 4th log butt from the bottom?

Carving ID from top to bottom:

an elephant

a bat

a trout

[OK ... that's a joke, the craving from bottom to top are:

Bottom: snapping turtle

Middle: black bear

Top: A sitting beaver with it's tail between it's legs]

View coming down stairs from kids bedrooms.

Sunny Day/Trashy Walk

I walked to Phelps to check out the garden seed varieties at the Phelps Mercantile store and then hiked on up Rt 96 to the Finger Lakes Credit Union to do a little banking. On the way back I started my usual mercenary picking up of discarded, returnable for deposit cans and bottles. Along the 5.5 mile hike home I picked up 30 returnable containers and 22 crushed aluminum cans that go into my aluminum stock pile. I am amazed at the volume of trash along the roads and the mind set [...or lack of a mind] that allows a body to toss out that much "stuff" along this random sampling of NYS highways. And this was only one side of the road.

I could have easily double this amount had I picked up cans/bottles going to Phelps, but how would I carry it all while walking?

Backpacking Eastern Wayne County roads

The itch to try backpacking in the winter was getting to me, yet I didn't want to add more carbon to the atmosphere traveling to and from a hiking destination. Results? ... why not backpack a loop of the most rural roads of Eastern Wayne county. Below is a sequence of photos of my latest 78 mile trek in 2.5 days.
[click on individual photos to see a greater photo details... Enjoy]

My hiking loop (counter clockwise)started and ended from home (yellow pin).

Looking east toward Rt 14

Our home in Alloway ('73 -83) ...sad!

Heading to Clyde, the plowed road ends.

Entering Clyde on Rt 414

Wetlands northwest of Savannah

Lunch break spot on Noble Rd.

Heading towards Butler, NY

Butler, NY

Backed & ready to head out from day 1 campsite

Lake Ontario comes into view.

Lake Ontario at the dead end.

Walking the shore line

Lake Ontario

Heading away from the lake.

North Rose appears on the horizon.

Day 2 camp site at Huckleberry swamp

Food prep before a night's sleep

Another seasonal road ahead - time to put on snow boots.

View looking south from atop Harris Road.

Heading west

Heading south

Entering Marbletown & the journey's end.

As usual my toes are a little swollen and I lost 4 toenails, but it was a good trip!

Walking the Keuka Outlet Trail

After donating platlets and returning from the American Red Cross center in Henerietta, NY late this morning (2/9/10), I decided the weather was good for walking the Keuka Outlet trail.

By noon I had parked the truck at the trail head in Drysden and was on the trail soon after. The 14 mile round trip (Drysden - Penn Yan, NY & back) took just under 4 hours (16.9 min/mile). The temperature was in the upper 20's; very little snow on the trail and no wind made for a nice walk. The trail was all mine, except for one trail runner whom I met about 10 minutes into the walk.

Below are are several, sequential views going toward Penn Yan. Remember this the next time you head south out of Penn Yan crossing the Keuka outlet on NYS Rt. 14a

Turn the sound up for one of the most enjoyable aspects of trekking.

A Thought on Rebuilding Failed States

Another cartoon for the times.

Enjoy!

Thoughts on Air Travel

In light of the failed attempt by the Christmas Day "underwear" bomber and all of the dissected solutions offered by the "talking heads" on the radio and TV; ... I thought a little "humor" on the topic would be in order.

Below is my cartoon attempt.

( You may want to click on the picture to "blow it up"... no pun intended to see the drawing in greater detail.)

Enjoy!

Today's Walking Haikus

Below I've written three hiakus that are reflections after my seven mile walk today on area roads and trails.

15 Fahrenheit
Ontario County Pathways
Rails to Trails

Bitting North West Wind

Burning Christmas Calories

Sunday, January 3rd

Six billion people

Cold and snow discourage all

Solitude today