Woodchucks at Grand Portage State Park

At work this week we've noticed some new little critters running around near the visitor center... a family of woodchucks! They are living under the boardwalk and in the bushes next to the visitor center. Throughout the day they venture out to chew on the grasses and dandelions in the yard.



Every now and then one of the young ones takes off running down the paved trail, much to the delight of the park visitors. They look so funny when they are running full speed! And, they are much quicker than I thought. I never realized they could run so fast.



We have recently had construction work begin on the site for our new visitor center, so there is a lot more noise than there usually would be, what with chainsaws running and dump trucks and loaders coming and going. The noise doesn't seem to bother these guys, though, as they are pretty active all day long. If you happen to visit the park, keep an eye out for them as you walk past the visitor center!

Cumberland Island :: Sea Camp

After walking along the beach for about a mile and a half, another boardwalk, this one along the Sea Camp Trail, leads you across the dunes.



It seemed like a sudden change, from the brightness of the sand dunes to the darkness of a forest of strangely twisted and misshapen Live Oak trees. The change was startling and it took a little while for your eyes to adjust. But once your eyes adjusted, what they beheld was really quite magical.

Several boys were climbing in one of the larger trees, its limbs going in every direction. There was a sign nearby. Not one that prohibited climbing in the trees, but rather cautioning climbers to wear shoes! Hidden midst the grove of trees were campsites. In the summer this area would provide a welcome relief from the glare and heat of the sun.


I followed the trail through the Live Oak forest on to the Sea Camp Ranger Station and Dock. There was very little wind and the water was as smooth as glass.

It was getting late, close to 4 o'clock, so I followed the River Trail, where I was surrounded by tall, large Live Oak trees, back to the Dungeness Dock. Quite a difference between these trees and the ones at Sea Camp. As I was walking, I kept hearing something moving around in the underbrush. It took a few minutes but I finally saw what was making the noise.

The most common view I had was from behind as I watched it for a short time. It scurried around with its nose hidden in the ground, searching for the next delicious morsel. But for a few brief seconds, the Armadillo stopped and stood on its hind legs.

With my arrival back at the Dungeness Dock, my visit to Cumberland Island was nearly over. The sun was starting to go down and it was getting colder. Along with several other passengers I patiently awaited the arrival of the ferry. This time I opted for the comfort of the warm cabin area. It was standing room only inside but sore feet and legs were a small price to pay for a little warmth. 'Twas much better than sitting outside where it was cold and windy!

There is so much more to see and learn on Cumberland Island. In the six hours I spent there I covered only the southern tip, perhaps 3 miles. It would take several days to explore the entire Island. As well as the miles of beach and trails, there are the other Carnegie estates on the northern end including Greyfield Inn (a luxury hotel) and the restored Plum Orchard mansion. There is the First African Baptist Church (where John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married). There is the history of the early settlements: the Timucuan Indians, the arrival of the Spaniards in 1566, Pirate attacks, then the English came in 1733, and the plantation owners in the early 1800s. In 1890 a settlement was established for emancipated slaves. For such a small place, it certainly has a fascinating history. I'm so glad that I decided to ignore the weather and visit Cumberland Island!

Other posts in this Series:

• Dungeness
• The Marsh and Dunes
• The Beach

Tracey Hua - The Wool and Voodoo Vibe Shoot

The Shoot

Brief: Photograph the i/o merino Crop Top in pure merino wool

Location: Mt. Ninderry - Sunshine Coast Queensland

Model: Tracey Hua

The Route: Nitroglycerin 25, a deceptively steep crimp ladder with a balancey heart breaker to finish.













Tracey wears Crop Top from i/o merino. Shop it here at:















It struck the photographic location team at jjobrienclimbing that Nitro and Tracey would be the perfect collision of route and climber for the brief.

The shoot was fresh of the tail off her Red River Gorge USA trip, and she has returned stronger than ever.

Thanks to Henk Morgans for rope tech support.









Who's that girl?



Brizzy girl, Tracey's exotic looks come from her Chinese/Vietnamese family. You'd think that would be enough to be taken seriously as an Asian. She's always trying, but her friends only seem to see her Aussieness. What does an Asian have to do in this country to get recognition? She says she likes Asian food. We all like that. What else have you got?













She also claims to be a Tom Boy, but that's not flying either.








Graceful? Maybe. By her own admission, she's clumsy on the ground and "falls over".
A girl of contradictions.



















Beyond the brief: Get in a plug for jjobriens' own "dangerously dark" jewellery design.

Model wears: "They only come out at night" necklace.

Obsidian andpyrite skulls and crosses, lava stone anddyed turquoise

$120.00from Red Phoenix Emporium.























From the Red Phoenix website:
Guest designer JJ O'Brien has added some dangerously dark pieces to the Skulls and Crosses collection for primitive man and voodoo girls!

They Only Come Out At Night features a Pyrite skull and glossy Obsidian cross with matte black Lava stone and matte black Obsidian skulls. There are five different coloured feature skulls to choose from green, red, orange, bleached or blue turquoise.

Tracey Huafor Red Phoenix Emporium.






jj

Sunset at Allensworth

Photographs taken on March 27, .. at Colonel Allensworth State Historical Park northwest of Bakersfield, California.

Big Bend :: Lost Mine Trail

Last summer, I told my brother that I was in the best physical condition that I'd been in for many years. Like maybe more than 30 years ago when I got out of the Navy! What I didn't say was that I was still in woefully poor shape. Well, if I were really physically fit I could have hiked more trails in the Chisos Mountains but I was happy with what I was able to do.

Once piece of advice: Don't take anyone's word on whether a trail is “easy” or not! Based on the advice of one of the people working in the Visitors Center, the first trail I hiked was the Lost Mine Trail. She said it was relatively easy. Let me just say that her idea of easy and mine certainly don't coincide! It was not easy. I later read a trail guide that described it as “somewhat strenuous” which to me was more accurate, but still not quite right. Let's just say it was challenging.

In shape or out, I huffed and puffed nearly all the way on the outbound stretch. The description that I read later said that the Lost Mine Trail “rises to 1100 feet over 2.4 miles” and “provides excellent views of the surrounding mountains and desert” and what that really means is that it was uphill most of the way! Oh yeah, lots of huffing and puffing! But it was a gorgeous day. Blue skies, sunshine, and warm temperatures. Not hot. Not cold. Comfortable.

Casa Grande Peak, looking back on the trail, about a quarter of the way in. This was one of the easier stretches. Thank goodness it wasn't all uphill all of the time!

From the halfway point, looking south. Views like this is what made the trek worthwhile!

And this! The view from the top! Casa Grande on the left. The “v” shaped area is called the window, for reasons I'll explain later. The Basin is the low area in the center and is where the campground was located. The white ribbon streaking through the center is the road leading to the Basin and the Lodge. The Lost Mine Trail began about where the road disappears in the center going toward the Basin.

A zoomed-in shot of the Basin and campground.

Heading down. Again, this is one of the easier sections of the trail. Lots of switchbacks. Lots of rocks. Going down took almost as long as going up. It was also harder on the legs, but much, much easier on the heart and lungs! After 4.8 miles and 3 hours I felt tired, for sure, but also exhilerated. It was my first “long” hike, and I made it back safe and sound.

Photographs taken February 21, ...

Showtime with the Lipizzan Horses

I have visited these horses and wrote about them enough times that I'm beginning to feel like a dating ad when I talk about them. It's hard to not talk about how fabulous they are when you share pictures of them. They are such gorgeous creatures.




They are strong, impressive creatures!



They even have great hair!



What I don't think I've talked about yet, is the fact that they are clearly trained to be showmen.



Since I don't speak horse, I have no idea if they enjoy us being there or not. But I can tell they are comfortable and used to us being there by how they interact with the crowd.



If those pictures were not proof enough, check out this one.

Best.Horse.Shot.Ever.



I swear he was looking at me saying," and hoooolllldddiiinnnngggg...please just take the shot already!"




Love the Lipizzaner horses. Living the life in sunny Florida.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1920)

[page 1 - no date]
The 11th Annual Reunion of the Phend - Fisher families was held at the home of John Phend at Tippecanoe Ind. with fifty three members and eleven friends present among whom was Rev. Harper and family of Tippecanoe. Many more would have been there had it not been such a rainy day.

After singing "Blest be the Tie that binds," Rev. Harper offered Thanks and then each one proceeded to help himself or herself to the basket dinner.

In the after-noon a quartet composed of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wherley and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Phend sang several selections after which the secretary's report was read and approved and several short talks were given.

The following officers were elected.
Jacob Phend Pres.
Will Phend Vice Pres.
Fred Ernest Sec.
Christ Phend Tres.

[page 2]
Iva Wherley was chosen as chairman of the entertainment committee. A collection of $4.20 was taken to pay for several minor expenditures. It was decided by vote to hold the next reunion at the home of John Ernest at Elkhart.

Fred ErnestSec. The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Elkhart County, Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. Usually held at Nappanee, the events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Kitten in Towels

"But, Mom! Warm, clean towels make such a nice bed."

Going Away Dinner at Paul's Kitchen

Since we have been coming to Peace River, we have enjoyed one of the local restaurants here. The place isn't fancy. The food isn't really fancy. But it is good food at great prices and we love the comfortable feeling of the place. The restaurant is named Paul's Kitchen but I think of it as Paul's House because the place is in what used to be a small house and it just feels "homey" to me.





The staff is always great here. Pleasant and efficient. It is decorated in a simple style, but it neat and clean. The most remarkable thing about this place though is the size of the meals. They give you an insane amount of food for the price. I love it because that means I never have to worry about lunch the next day!



Last night, many of the pickleball players gathered here to have dinner with Keith and Marie who are heading out today. They are such a popular couple they ended up with a whole crowd, seventeen in all in fact! Because the meals are so giant, they normally have to give you two plates each to hold it all. So it was kind of comical seeing all of us trying to fit our meals on the table with so many of us. They were so accommodating of our giant group, they even gave us free carrot cake for dessert. I can't recommend this place highly enough. It is the kind of place I would love to see our oldest daughter Ashleigh own someday!



I didn't get pictures of our time together, but you can read more about it and see pictures at Donna's blog here: Florida Picklers. I can be really lazy with picture taking when Donna or Faye are around because they always take pictures too! And my kids don't hide their faces behind their hands when they are snapping shots so I manage to get a few great pictures of them too.



After dinner, Karen, Buddy, Nathan and I hit the courts to burn off our giant meals. We had some great games with each of them being very evenly matched. We are loving our time here this winter so far! I look forward to many more great times as we move through the season.



Living the life in Florida!

Happy Birthday America!

Lots of sun and blue sky up here on Rainier are adding to our celebration of America's 237th year of existence. The forecast for the holiday weekend looks great, and conditions should be great for summit bids. We are expecting a very busy weekend so climbersshouldshow up early at the ranger station to improve chances of getting their preferred camping spot. The popular camps such as Muir, Schurman and Ingraham Flats will be busy places. Climbers are encouraged to have a backup plan since there are many places on Rainier that will not be crowded at all. Looking for moderate routes? Try the Tahoma, the Kautz, the Success Cleaver or Couloirs, or the Wilson Headwall just to suggest just a few. Skiing conditions still seem to be holding strong but some booting is required from most trailheads these days. Check out recent route reports from the DC, The Tahoma Glacier and Ptarmigan Ridge among others.







On this fourth of July remember that you have the freedom to bring celebration items such as watermelon, spareribs, and refreshing drinks into your national park. You even have the freedom to share your goodies with rangers or other people you meet. You do not have the freedom to bring fireworks, explosives, or share your edible goodies with any non-human species such as foxes or marmots.



Come on out and enjoy the natural wonders this country has to offer.