Category Archives: Life

Similar to real world, but more related to people. Hows Life?

First day trip / campfire of 2018!

So yesterday the weather was really fine.  Warm sunny spring day.  After i went to son’s house to help set up the trampoline (gulp, hope no one gets killed or maimed), came home and did most of the spring chore of returning driveway shale to the driveway (snowplowing moves my driveway) then i decided to take a day trip to the great outdoors.  Of course most of the day was spent so it would have to b short.  So the trip was just to deck.  actually it wasn’t really a day trip, better coin a new phrase:    “Outdoor interlude”

I think that’s a pretty good and honest way to put it.  Easy short and sweet. 15 feet of travel, start a fire, roast, eat.  I didn’t even refuel the fire after.  But hey, it was a great time!!

I love my Chiminea!

 

Canoe Restoration 02

  

  

OK so here we see a few shots of the hull cleanup.  The rotted pieces of ash strips still left have been removed  (Stainless screws mostly still good!)  and we got the pressure washer into action.  If i didn’t have a pressure washer it would have taken eons to clean this thing up.  Using the pressure washer it took around an hour or so.  Maybe 2.

Note that is lichen growing on the hull, along with a thick film of algae.  You know like when you hike to a mountain top, you see the lichen growing on the rock.  Ya that stuff.  so u can also grow it in your backyard if you leave something long enough in the right micro climate next to your shed.  Wonder why the ash rotted??

 

 

 

Canoe Restoration 01

Ok so here starts the tale of my canoe, or perhaps my chapter of this canoe.

Bought slightly used.  Zoom in and have a look.  Made in Vermont.  1980’s.

When i got it in 2017 it hadn’t been used in a while.  For years it was in the owners back yard upside down by a shed.  People get busy and into different stages of life and interests change.  So these folks were getting ready to move south.  Put the boat up on Craigs list

Its a 17 ft with a composite hull and Ash gunwale strips. The hull is amazing.  Impervious to water.  While the ash strips are not.  Especially when left outdoors for years.  Rain and snow, north side of a shed so never really dried out. See those things along the top edge of the side?  Those r the screws sticking out where the ash used to be.  But the hull, tough piece of stuff.  It collected water while it waited for me to start work on it.

 

 

OK the official restart of the blog. Ready, set, GO!

So this started as an update to the “Read Here Please” page. Then i got moving along and decided it should b a post.  So it may have great similarities to that info page.

This blog has been running since 2007.  little action then ignored since 2009.  Brief flurry in 2014.  Now its 2018. That’s an even bigger gap huh.  Well now i might have a little more time as i am now, as i like to put it “semi-retired”.

Of course that also means its time to clean my (legendary) basement.  Ya legendary for being stuffed with stuff.  I will not admit to being a hoarder, but i also got the habit from my dad, who was raised in the depression, not to throw out anything that is still good.  So that’s like a pretty relative term, still good.  Apparently just about anything i pick up is still good.  So we are not talking about cleaning out the basement in a weekend.  If i get it to what an innocent wanderer would consider fairly neat i’m thinking like 6 months work.

So I think the difference between me and a hoarder is variety.  I think hoarders stick to mostly one thing.  Like a house filled with newspapers, or magazines.  or old rags. I’m pretty sure there are people out there with boxes and boxes of old toothbrushes right?  Those folks have the sickness.  surely a person doesn’t need more than say 2 for your mouth and maybe 10 to clean things with.

And i know for a fact that tools are never bad to get and keep more of.  Hand tools and power tools, never go out of style. Fix repair build etc, u always need tools.  I will b passing tools down to the grand kids.

Anyway i do hope to spend time also on the good old blog here. Wish me luck, i may need it.

Blue and Green

Have u learned that color can have the same effect as perhaps chemical stimulants? Well i know there r studies to back this up, though i cannot direct u to any.

I just want u to think how u would feel if every room in your house was painted Chinese Red.

Ya, just the thought of that set your teeth on edge huh? Recipe for insanity.

So this is one of the primary reasons we all love to be outdoors in places like parks, the beach, etc.  Our senses r flooded with soothing colors.

So i submit to you a few pics that illustrate the point.  Those same studies i cannot direct u to also tell us that Blues and Greens give us the calm peaceful mood we all need.  Check out these pics and tell me u don’t feel better about things:

IMG_0417

IMG_0447

and here’s one i thought u might like just because its cool:

IMG_0416

Till next time – Peace and Long Life!

Starting to Look

Well i think it may b time to move on. To new employment. I searched and found quite a few things that i could do.
And just today on the flat (at my house we no longer have a tube, its a led lit flatscreen) they said things r looking up in the job market.
So i think i ‘ll update the resume and try out for something better than my current gig.
Wish me luck all u tens of followers of my blog. So far my effort here has brought me no income. Until there r thousands of u i will have to keep myself funded old school. Tradin my time for money. Maybe someday . . .

Camp Visitor

So you saw some of our crew enjoying the lake swimming.  I went in but just for a quick dip.  But that was during the warm afternoon.

Twice in the evening we had a visitor show up.  Came without a boat.  Underwater.  No, not in a submarine.  He was a little skittish of us but was very interested in some small fish the kids were reeling in.

IMG_0381 IMG_0382

This guy was huge.  Just the shell was around 18″ long!  His head about the size of a baseball.  A little frightening.  Like i said he was a little afraid of us.  But i was quite afraid of him.  I’m sure his jaws would be able to chop anyone’s finger or toe off.

And the claws – WOW.   Like an inch long, full curl and razor sharp.

The way these turtles eat is they get hold of something, won’t let go and rip it with the claws until the piece in their mouth can be swallowed.  A real dinosaur.

He let us have the day shift at the water and we let him have the evening watch.

 

Morning in the Adirondacks

So here’s a shot as the sun was just coming up:

IMG_0361

We had awesome weather on our trip.  Just perfect.

All sunny clear days, low humidity, not too hot or cold.  Goldilocks weather.

So here’s what u feed the hungry campers when morning comes:

IMG_0367

Ya that’s quite a lot of bacon – 3 pounds for 6 adults and 4 kids.  Of course we had eggs too.  When men make up the menu, for male camping trips, we don’t spare the calories.  Playing in the wild takes energy.

IMG_0365

Enough energy to make a new fireplace.  The site we stayed at, the fireplace was right at the waters edge.  Sounds good, but almost always the breeze comes in from the lake in the evening. So we were around the fire with a breeze blowing the smoke into our face the first night there.

There was enough rock in the first fireplace, plus more was got from the lake, that a new fireplace was made and the original was still able to be used if desired.

The pic above is the new fireplace.  We were able to sit on any side of the fireplace and move if necessary as the breeze shifted.  Note the large flat rocks around the top for putting things down on.  Great improvement.

Till next post  –

 

 

More from the Lake

As promised, here are some more shots from the recent Adirondack float trip.

IMG_0348

The lake thru the trees at our campsite.

IMG_0362

Unobstructed view, and some other paddlers way out there.

Swimmers

We had great weather and the water was warm enough to enjoy.  Wave everyone!!

 

Float Trip

Hey i’m long overdue to add to this blog. So here’s some shots of our recent float trip.  The best part of living in upstate ny is the accessibility of great places to go and camp, from our boats.  Boats u paddle, canoes and kayaks.  Where do we go?  i already told u, upstate ny.

IMG_0350

IMG_0354

A view of the lake from our campsite, and lunch on the campfire.  When we head to these trips, we eat well.  Gotta keep our strength up.

IMG_0384

Here’s my boat.  Got it used this spring.  She paddles like a dream, (especially with the rudder in the water!).

So as usual this was a fairly good sized group as u may have guessed by our lunch shot.  We would love to bring everyone we know but:

A – that would require way too many boats etc

B – would ruin the wilderness.  we want these places to be here intact for my great great grand kids and beyond.

So anyway i will be showing u more on this trip, which was the end of June.

Later, have a great day.