Mt. Mansfield

 

During the summer Vermont trip, I made it a point to try out and practice with my new zoom lens and to keep experimenting with my DSLR camera.  Each night I got all my gear ready for the sunsets.  I have oodles and oodles of various sunset shots taken at various shutter speeds, ISO, and white balance. I think only a few are really keepers. 

Because my tripod is so cheap, I had to rig up bungie cords to be able to hold up the camera and the zoom lens. It was a full moon so I had to take some moon shots.  Only a couple came out with a good exposure and in focus. Things would have worked out a lot better if I had a better tripod that I could control.  I also really wanted to take some star shots, but with the bright moon and the generally overcast nights, the stars just didn't line up. 

One of the highlights of the trip was making it up to the top of Mount Mansfield. We had tried a few years back but had to turn back. We had a really late start and it was blanketed in fog.  Granted this trip was unseasonably warm up in Vermont so the views suffered from the haze. We started out with a large group, but slowly and surely people started dropping out.  I even stopped at one point where the trail turned into scrambling over large boulders with big drops in between.  One misstep and it could be game over. But after feeling the area out on my own time and a pep talk from a passing hiker, I continued onward and was in a race to catch up and pass my companions. 

We did make it to the top so mission accomplished.  Of course the entire hike took a whole lot longer than anticipated but that's how things usually go.  It certainly didn't help the cause when various members of the group wanted to stop at every vista for seemingly the same shots. Afterwards I opted to skip the balloon fest and headed home.  I soaked in the jacuzzi and relaxed and tended to my blistered feet.

A winter getaway

This winter has been the complete opposite of last winter. It's been unseasonably warm with almost no snow.  We had more snow during the freak October snowstorm as compared to the entire winter so far.  Last week I was even looking for salamanders and turtles...that's how crazy it has been. I can't say I'm complaining as my tires on my car and due to replaced in short order. 

We took our winter Vermont trip early this year and it was a very small group as the parents were up at the house.  Even Vermont had very little snow until the days we drove up and two snow events gave us about a foot of fresh and festive snow.  It was the perfect snow and made everything beautiful and postcard like.  It was the perfect depth to take leisurely walks in the woods and the dogs enjoyed romping about. 

We even had a couple days of bitter cold and we awoke one morning to what appeared to be frozen fog up in the mountaintops. See the pic above.  We did get stir crazy after a couple days and even though it was bitter cold that night I enlisted some to go out and look at the stars and attempt to see the Milky Way.  The Milky wasn't visible but Jupiter was out in all its glory and the stars were beautiful as usual in a cold and clear night.  The dogs settled in each night after hours of romping about.  See if you can pick out the flying pig formation dog in the very top photo.

The sunsets were awesome and I snapped photograph and photograph trying to capture that perfect shot while trying to stay warm.

We even got to see a mild sundog one sunset, which I kept calling a snow dog. It's when it's so cold two bright spots appear on each side of the sun.  Only one was visible as the trees blocked the other one. 

My mini road trip

 

First off, I should mention that I sometimes forget that I have a blog. I mean I know I have a blog, I just seem to forget that I actually need to post things. So I am remiss and it's practically winter.

Originally back in October, I had usual Vermont trip planned with friends. We stay at my friend's parent's vacation home.  When Hurricane Irene struck and it struck Vermont very bad, I made the mistake of forwarding various links and videos to those same friends.  I was riveted by all this and religiously checked the Road Closure Vermont websites and various newspaper, town, and shop websites.  As it drew closer and closer to our supposed vacation, I learned that my friends didn't want to go.  They felt that too many things and roads would be closed and that they heard this information from a variety of sources. They were not open to any discussion. I felt the total opposite. I saw that Vermont was working like crazy to get roads back up and most of the shops/areas we usually frequent were open. We could even take our normal route to get up there.  I even have a friend who lives in the same town and he agreed with me.  I also felt that I wanted to support Vermont, the open businesses, and I am fascinated by seeing Mother Nature's destruction. So I decided to still go to Vermont and visit some areas we don't normally go. 

When I arrived, the leaves were just past peak in the lower elevations and entire direction and view was a postcard.  Unfortunately, the sun never fully cooperated so the pictures don't do it justice at all. I did a ton of driving and hit some of the Vermont Cheese Trails sites. It's December and I still have a large supply in the fridge.

 

The destruction was just as riveting as the leaf colors. Entire hillsides slumped into rivers.  Tree parts, debris, and sediment created new landscapes and terrain. Rivers and streams made new paths.  Buildings were knocked off their foundations and the roads almost always had a new patch near streams.  I will say that I never had to turn around because of a closed road even though there were some sketchy areas. 

One of my main reasons for the trip was to take an introductory falconry lesson at the British School of Falconry .  It's a bit pricey but I figured where else am I going to experience this. This also had a even pricier off road Land Rover driving class but I didn't do that.....yet. We got an overview of falconry and learned that Harris Hawks make the perfect candidate. They naturally hunt in families and are very social/tame.  We each got our own Harris Hawk. Mine was Monty and he was a youngster. I immediately wanted one and he made the cutest "I'm so excited noises" when we were walking outside.  It was like a muppet.  Here he is attacking a pheasant wing. It's like the best toy ever to them and they love love love it.  He got so obsessive he was even attacking just one feather from the wing. You have to throw them a piece of meat and quickly grab the wing out of their sight.  We got to send them off to the perch and have them come back.  Monty decided the close perch was too boring and fly up to the top of the barn. He then flew back to me unprompted because he knew that he would be rewarded with a piece of meat.  He was so light and you could barely feel his weight given his size. 

Little bit of everything

For President's day weekend, we headed to Vermont for some much needed R&R. We got lucky and didn't encounter any epic blizzards or crazy driving conditions. So it was relaxation all around. For a day or two, we had very warm conditions that approached 50 degrees. Then moments of cold and snow showers. The dogs certainly seemed to enjoy the snow even though there was plenty back home.
I ate a ton of amazing food this trip that is beyond words and description. I certainly came home weighing more then when I came in. I wish I spent time showshoeing rather than plain walking in the 2 feet of snow. It was a crap shoot every step you took. Sometimes you stayed on the surface and other times you fell through. Nevermind the drifts that were thigh high.

We didn't do any sledding, which was probably for the best. Last winter, I went partially down the ice ramp, caught air and landed on my head. Thankfully I wasn't really hurt although my neck was a bit sore. Others had the same fate as I did.
The best thing of all is seeing the plentiful stars at night. We had full moon or nearly full moon the entire trip so you could see everything without a flashlight. We were eagerly anticipating seeing some northern lights but once again we got skunked.

Estivation

That's my excuse for not posting in over a month. It's been too hot and humid for my liking. I've been plagued by bug bites. Mind you I still see the visual remains of a deer fly bite over a month old. It seems we've hit by heat wave after heat wave, which caused me to officially say that summer is my least favorite season. It's not a popular stance, but I'll take ole man winter any day.

After the busy and crazy spring, I did manage a mini vacation up to Vermont. That's most of my pics on this post. Our drive up was in a 48 degree night and our day drive back to NJ topped 100 degrees. It was even getting hot for VT. I had to pack for every weather condition. I always enjoy the summer VT trips were we have campfires and the weather is pleasant. This year the bugs seemed to be on full attack but I came prepared with my spray. Last summer I found the neighbors' dog on our driveway and this year was no different. Kayla showed up at our door one evening and I'm beginning to think her owners somewhat neglect her. Apparently they sent her on the porch because she was shedding too much. Next year I'll try to have hang out a little longer and get some attention that she deserves.

In the beginning of June, I received my fifth painted turtle hatchling. Hazelnut 2 is its name. I've even got some members of my office using my names. Hazelnut 1 was caught and immediately released...hence Hazelnut 2. Hazelnut 2 was immediately different. It ate a worm...when my other turtlets were afraid. When I pulled Hazelnut 2 out of it's travel container (where it ate the worm), there was some debris on the side of its head. I tried to remove it and Hazelnut 2 repeatedly tried to bite me. I've never had that happen before. Hazelnut 2 is a pig of an eater and eats like 20 pellets as compared to like 5 pellets of the previous turtlets. Surprise surprise Hazelnut 2 tried to bite me again when I measured it, but has since calmed down. Yesterday morning it even swam to the center of the tank with its head out of the water when I getting ready to feed it. That's a first. I think of all the turtlets I've raised, Hazelnut 2 has the best chance of survial to adulthood. In the meantime, I'll keep fattening it up until fall when it'll get its freedom.

A rainy vaca

I just got back from another relaxaton in Vermont. It much needed as usual. Unfortunately, it pretty much rained the entire time. There were a few hours of non rain here and there but we only saw the sun once for about 5 minutes. That severely limited any sort of outdoor activities. There were more obstacles for horseback riding so I dragged my riding boots up again for no reason. Another snafu was we had no heat the first night. It was a cold night as well. When we pulled up at 1 am, there was already frost everywhere. It was not a good night for sleeping. I woke up early and started a fire in the wood burning stove and a few hours later the heat guy came and fixed it in a snap.

In the few moments of non-rain, we hiked up to the waterfalls and enjoyed the pleasant outdoors. I snapped these few shots there.

In the distance, you can see the mountain is covered in clouds and mist.

The dogs spent most of their time relaxing or playing. Two dog toys were sacrificed this weekend. They all sat down and curled up like this. It was too cute not to take a shot of the dog triangle.

6 apple cider donuts and a plastic wrapped pecan square

That's what this boxer ate on the sly on my most recent Vermont trip this extended holiday weekend...complete with the plastic wrap. He sauntered into somebody's room, as he usually does, and helped himself to all their food. Last year he visited me in the shower. The doors don't lock and all I heard was a snuffle and then when I got out of the shower, the bathroom door was wide open.

Here he is in a rare tuckered out moment. He usually is romping full speed around the yard with his companion dog the boston terrier, who spending most of the time nipping at his neck or starting fights. She also majorally kicks ass at cards. Check out her poker face!

Here's the black lab on her pond duty. If she had her way, she'd be at the pond all the time walking the perimeter searching for newts and frogs. Thankfully no frogs or newts were sacrified.

Here's some classic VT cows that were too scared to come up to the fence to grab some grass I was dangling for them. There were baby yaks on display at the local farmer's market. They were just wrapping up and it probably was a kids only zone to hang out with them inside the pen. But I think the look on this girl's face summons it up my feelings. She's in the zone with the baby yak and nothing was going to take that yak out of her lap. It's her and the baby yak against the world.

Here's the trio of yaks. The green harness one was getting tired and resting its head on its neighbor as it shut its eyes.The sunsets were great and the stars were amazing. Of course, pictures don't do any justice and have an ancient mini point and shoot doesn't help the cause. The milky way was in view and I even got to see a shooting star.

I could post a zillion more pics since I ended up taking like a 100 pics. It's not the pictures that count but the memories and those are not photographable.

Vermont...climate change edition

So far the past two winters in NJ have resulted in barely any snow. To get to real winter, we have to drive up to VT. Last President's Day weekend we went up to VT right after a record breaking snow storm. We are talking about 4 feet of snow and people shoveling their roofs. It was quite the journey and weekend full of obstacles and stories. This President's Day weekend I came prepared with flashlight, handwarmers, and extra gloves. The drive up went off without a hitch, until we got into VT where it started snowing. There was a light coating on the roads which made driving a little more precarious. We took precautions while driving and were probably about 30 minutes ahead of the other car in our group. They caught up and took the lead on the winding and hilly hour long final stretch. We were about to go through a blind curve over a bridge when the other car was seen dead stopped in the middle of the road. We slammed on our brakes and thought there would be an impact. Lesson one kids - Even if you think there's damage to your vehicle, please pull safely over to the side of the road in a blind curve to avoid another accident. We barely stopped in time. We made it to the house and driveway had been plowed but there was still about an inch of snow. We made it almost to the top when we couldn't go forward because we kept slipping. Regardless, we were happy to have made it and finally get out of the car. The dogs couldn't have agreed anymore.

There was probably about 2 feet of snow on the ground and awesome icicles coming off the roof. The next day we were off the grocery store where I spent a ridiculous amount of money on food and wine. For some reason, I thought that a crazy blizzard would come by and we would be trapped inside the house for the rest of the weekend. It probably didn't help that it was snowing the whole time we were at the grocery store. The parking lot was a sloppy slushy mess and we loaded the trunk and car completely full. Of course, we didn't make it all the way up the driveway because we were so heavy.

Overall the weekend was quiet, full of reading, watching movies, hanging out by the fireplace, playing Wii and with dogs, eating, drinking, resting, and the occasional outside snow play. I finished two books and should have brought another. Speaking of eating, here's another lesson for the kids. When cooking or baking something that's extraordinarily messy, sticky, greasy, etc., it's important to clean the pot/pan ASAP or at least let it soak immediately with soapy water. A large amount of bacon was made one morning and the pot was not cleaned that day. I think it finally made it to soaking a few hours later, but the damage was done. Burnt on bacon grease was almost impossible to remove. I tried later that afternoon with a steel wool, but I couldn't get even a small patch off. Another tried later that day as well with the same result. It was left to the last morning for frantic extreme cleaning with steel wool and abrasive cleaner. It still wasn't 100 percent cleaned and I'm sure we'll hear all about the repursions from this even if the house is even more sparkling clean than when we first arrived. Only one of the three dogs really enjoys snow and water play. The black lab just loves to hang out in the snow and attempt to catch snow in her mouth. Even with 2+ feet of snow, she still manages to wiggle her way through the snow. In the summer, she is completely obsessed with the pond and is still drawn to it in the winter. She would disobey orders and run towards the nearby drainage ditch that goes into the pond. The other dogs were obsessed with the ice/snow melt inside the house. Boots would be licked clean and any wet spots were quickly drunk up.

I had my first snow shoeing adventure. I did pretty good and had only one spill. I really should have brought the ski poles to help me, but no matter. It's still a workout since you sink like 5 inches down in the snow.

The last day we woke to super warm temperatures and most of the icicles were history. It must have been at least 50 degrees, which was insane. Our local road that is mostly sand and gravel became like driving on a wet beach. Thankfully, no one was coming the other way when we were coming down.