Bald Eagle on the bay

Just a quick post today to share a few images of the Bald Eagle that was perched across the road from my driveway. It was kind of a rainy day, and this eagle sat out there for about an hour.

Living As Locals and Neighbors

In an attempt to settle in and try to "live like the locals", Diana and I went out to see what kind of trouble we could stir up.

We haven't had this much fun since we ate dried bugs! As much fun as this was, we had to find some other things to do too. We started the day with pickleball with the women. The ladies have been starting at 8:30 so they can get in a few games before everyone else joins in. After that we took a walk around the campground. Then we took the kids to the library and to lunch. We had to do the daily Wal-Mart run too, of course. It was such an average, mundane day. And I loved that.



You see, for years Diana and I have said we wished we could live by each other. I lived in Michigan. She lived in Virginia. I moved to Virginia, and she moved to Florida. I moved to Florida and she moved back to Virginia. So that living as neighbors never really happened.



For the past few years, we've been able to travel together and spend much time together. It's been wonderful. We still haven't quite lived as neighbors though. And while I love being travel buddies, this week it hit me how much we are living more as neighbors since being here. It's been pretty cool in its own way.



Living the life in Virginia!

Broken Black Diamond Crampons..the soft shoe shuffle?

June 1



I have rewritten this blog to make it more current and in my opinion more accurate from the details I have been able to gather from the climbing community in the last 4 months.Black Diamond has offered no new publicinformationsincethe third pair of broken stainless crampons became public knowledgein mid Feb of .





Since then I have been made aware ofseveral more pairs of cracked or broken crampons by their owners. Crampons that the owners only identified because of Rafal's original blog poston the subject.





Until recently I have been a big fan of the Black Diamond horizontal crampons for most conditions. Sabertooth to be exact. But I have also used the Serac. They both climb exceptionally well. Big fan until they started breaking. BD has yet to acknowledge they have a problem. To the opposite in fact, they have publically denied any problems. Despite continuing to quietly replace PRODUCTION crampons as they crack or break and are returned to BD.



I will no longer climb in mine.



I have personally verifiedearly versions of both Sabertoothand Serac Pro andClip models failing. All have hada similar failureandposition on the front of the crampon.Thankfully the only broken crampons I have seenaretheearlier versions before BD added material to thefailure area. Those same crampons can still be found on Black Diamond's dealer's shelves.



I first noticed that added material and design changein the early fall of .



snip from a comment byBill Belcourt of Black Diamondon Gravsport:



"these changes would improve the life of the crampon in the failure mode that Rafal saw"



The original commenthere:



http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8972&page=4











The heads up and photos courtesy of Rafal. More here:

http://rafalandronowski.wordpress.com//02/15/broke-my-crampons/



In email conversations with the owner of theseSabertooth Pros said they were usedonly witha Nepal Evo. The Evo isa pretty rigid bootby today's standards. I do not believe these crampons, which were sold at retail and not prototypes, were abused in any way.



BDdisagrees:



http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1004766/1

















1st gen Sabertooth is on the right in the picture above. 2nd gen version is on the left. At the area of the break BD went from approx. .53" to .70". across the flat or a 38% increase. The cross bar between front points gained 24% in a similar fashion, . 50" to .62"

Pristine, Pink, Breathless

That's what it was like on the mountain this weekend. I made it to Camp Muir Saturday, my first opportunity in over two months. Finally, time to survey the camp and search for possible storm damage (and test the snow conditions on the Muir Snowfield).

Things looked normal for early December. There was access to the public shelter, but the toilets were drifted in with deep snow. As for obvious signs of rain and wind damage, it seems that only the NPS suffered. We lost two storage boxes. The weather telemetry equipment for the NWAC appears to be working. It's my hope that once the power resumes at Paradise, the weather data will come back up online.

I was a bit surprised that there wasn't more snow cover between 7-11k. Everything looked wind scoured, i.e, lots of exposed rocks along the eastern edge of the Muir Snowfield, Cowlitz Cleaver, Muir Rock, etc. As for the upper mountain, the Nisqually Glacier looked very, very good. And while we're talking, so did the Nisqually Cleaver and Gib Ledges. Plenty of snow and ice in those rocky steep sections

After surveying the camp, it was time to confirm the conditions on the Muir Snowfield. And it was just as I thought it would be: 4,500 feet of untracked packed powder, with a few rocky areas around McClure. As you can see, the mountain turned pink for our descent. Top photo by Ethan McKinley

JUST IN: The Camp Muir and Paradise weather telemetry data are back up. I hope they last! I know that they ran the generator at Paradise today.

Caddo Lake Revisited

Tuesday, April 12th - - It seems like it has been much longer, but it was just 12 days ago that I was here at Caddo Lake State Park near Marshall, Texas. There seems to be a little more green now, which is just fine with me ;-) and the water lilies are about to burst out into bloom.



It was nearing sunset when I arrived this time, and like my previous visit the light was amazing.

The Berlin Family :: Bible Records

Photocopied pages from a Berlin Family bible were received from Patricia (Berlin) Miller in January, 1995. She identified it as the bible of John D. Berlin. Patricia is a descendant of Solomon Berlin, son of John. She had no idea who had possession of the family bible. I can only wonder where it might be but am thankful to have copies of these pages.

[BIRTHS]Familien Register.
Geburten.John D. Berlin was born Dec. the. 8.,1792Susannah Berlin was born March the 9 D 1804Solomon Berlin was born May the 26 D. 1827Catharine Berlin was born May the 21 D 1830Lydia Berlin was born Feb the 22 D. 1832Josiah Berlin was born June the 24th 1834Jacob Berlin was born September the 30th 1836.Mary Ann Berlin was born October 17th 1838Sarah Berlin was born December 25th 1840
[Note: the following three are in a different handwriting.]Elisabeth Berlin was Born April the 28th 1843 -Lovina Berlin was Born the 8th of May 1845J. Milton Berlin was Born the December ..7.. 1848
[MARRIAGES]Familien Register.
Gterbefálle.John D. Berlin was married to Susannah Huffman Feb the 16th 1826
[DEATHS]Familien Register.Gterbefálle.Mr. John D. Berlin died Nov 11, 1879 aged 86 yrs, 11 mo and 3 daysMrs. Susan Berlin died Apr. 22, 1880, aged 76 yrs, 1 mo and 13 daysJoseph Milton Berlin youngest son of John and Susan Berlin, died May 22, 1856, aged 7 yrs, 9 mo, and 16 days.Jacob Berlin was killed in battle of Shiloh Apr 7, 1862, aged 25 yrs, 6 mo, and 7 days.Josiah Berlin died March 27. 1869 aged 35 years 2 months 20 daysSolomon Berlin died Sept 22, 1872. aged 45 yrs 3 months 26 days.Catharine Berlin Richmond died Nov 15th 1903 age 73 - 5 months 24 d
[Note: The next two names are in a different handwriting.]Lydia Berlin Woodruff died May 17th 1913 aged 81 yrs 2 months 26 dSarah Berlin Greene died April 22d 1916 aged 76 yr 3 months 3 days
[Note: And in yet a different handwriting.]Elizabeth Berlin Coppes died Feb. 19. Feb. 1931 at home in Nappanee and buried at So. Union Cemetery Locke.Mary Winder died July 20 – 1933
[Note: Lovina Berlin Yarian died May 3, 1932 but her death is not listed.]

The Everyday Spooky

I am going to be honest here: I considered doing a contest or a funny story for Halloween, but I am just not in the mood.

After a few days back in the US, I have to admit that cycling here has required some major re-adjustment on my part. Having initially set out with the same relaxed attitude I'd acquired after only a couple of weeks in Vienna, I immediately experienced a "welcome home" reminder consisting of close-calls with doors flinging open, drivers refusing to yield when I have the right of way, the works. Cycling here is spooky. Having not ventured abroad for over a year prior to my recent trip, I guess I've managed to trick myself into forgetting that.

Once in a while I write about how much conditions have improved here in Cambridge and Somerville since I began cycling in Spring of . But just as often I question myself: Have they really improved that much, or have I just become more aggressive, less sensitive, and more willing to accept risks in response to the reality of how (bad) things are? Probably a bit of both, and it's so difficult to see objectively. Coming back from Las Vegas a month ago, cycling in Boston seemed like paradise. Coming back from Vienna, it seems like a war zone.

While I maintain that I am "not an activist," of course I care about cyclists all over the world having safe and pleasant travel conditions. Everyday cycling should not be a scary experience, and some day I hope it won't be.

Traveling by Bike

As you may have noticed, we are staying on the coast for a little while - our annual working vacation. This is something we've been doing at the end of every summer for the past six years. When we lived further North, we used to go to a place in Maine, and after moving to Boston we began staying on Cape Cod. I've been writing about that for the past two summers, and it's funny how over time our trips became increasingly bicycle-oriented. Two years agowe went by car as usual, but for the first time took bikes and cycled around a bit during our stay. Last summer we arrived by car again, but got around entirely by bicycle once there and attempted some high mileage day-trips. This summer we no longer have a car and really did not want to rent one just for the trip. So after discovering that Cape Ann was accessible by commuter rail, we decided to come here instead and do the whole trip on bikes. Another reason for choosing Cape Ann, is that it is a popular starting point for long rides up the coast of Northern New England. There are no decent routes north directly out of Boston, and what cyclists often do is take the commuter rail up here before proceeding north. So that was the plan: To arrive on our bicycles, to get around by bike, and to cycle up the coast as far and as often as possible in the course of our stay.



Our main challenge was figuring out how to transport our belongings. This is not a bicycle-specific trip, so we needed more than a change of cycling clothing and rain gear. We are living here for two weeks and doing all the same things we do at home - including work-related stuff. We needed our regular clothing and footwear, personal hygiene products, bedding, towels, laptops, a variety of electronic devises, some necessary books and documents, and our camera equipment - in addition to the cycling clothing, tool kits and raingear. And all of that we fit into the luggage you see here.



For a number of logistical reasons, we decided the most practical course of action would be to turn one person into the pack mule - and since I already had a front rack and a large handlebar bag on my bike, it made sense that this would be me. I had planned to eventually get a touring-specific rear rack for my Rivendell anyway, and so that is what I did. Between the two of us, we packed a total of five bags for the trip - four on my bike and one on the Co-Habitant's.



The rear rack on my bike is a Nitto Campee with removable lowrider panels, to which we attached a set of Carradice panniers, while using the rack's platform to support a Sackville SaddleSack. These bags plus the Carradicesaddlebag on the Co-Habitant's Surly contained our clothing, bedding and laptops. My Ostrich handlebar bag contained camera equipment, electronics and various other miscellaneous items. Everything was packed very tightly, and I estimate that my bicycle weighed around 100 lb when all was said and done.



The ride to the train station from our house is 4 miles through some of the busiest parts of the city. I have never ridden with my bike loaded up like this before, and the prospect of trying it for the first time in Boston traffic was nerve-wrecking. Overall, the bicycle handled fine. Once it got going, I could not feel the weight at all, and the heavy handlebar bag did not affect steering. But at very slow speeds - especially when starting and stopping - there was a fishtailing effect in the rear that took some getting used to. Also, with so much weight on the bike, the brakes were less effective than usual, which I had to keep in mind when stopping on a downhill. The frame itself had an interesting feel to it - as if it was "yielding" to the weight (mildly flexing?). The resulting ride quality was in some ways nicer than with the bicycle unloaded. Having survived this ride in traffic, loaded touring on the open road does not seem in the least daunting. Going slower than usual is, of course, a given - but the reduction in speed was not as drastic as I thought it might be. Even cycling uphill (which I got to experience once we arrived to Cape Ann and rode from the train station to the place we are staying!) was not as difficult as I expected. Thanks to a helpful reader after my description of our previous commuter rail experience, we were able to board the elusive bike train, which made the trip more pleasant still.

Once we arrived and settled in, we removed the lowrider panels from the rear rack, transforming my bike from a full-on pack-mule into a lighter ridethat could still carry food and equipment when necessary. I will write more about this particular rear rack in a separate post; it is pretty neat and versatile.



The place where we are staying is somewhere between a cabin and a shack on the architectural spectrum and is the size of a small garage. It is situated on a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean, and there is a beach down the road. Despite the stormy weather, we love being here - just the two of us and our bikes. Yesterday the sun finally came out and we did a 50 mile "warm-up" ride, hoping for more soon. And it feels great that we were able to drag all of our stuff up here without needing a car. It was important to us that this did not feel like a compromise compared to the previous times we've gone away, and it most definitely does not. We were able to fit everything we need into our bicycle bags, and not having to deal with a car here feels extremely relaxing. I highly recommend giving traveling by bicycle a try!

Yorktown Victory Monument

Today we headed over to Yorktown. While driving around, we came across this monument. We hadn't even heard of this monument before, so we felt quite lucky that we did happen upon it. It was just gorgeous!

Some fun facts:

The concluding battle of the Revolutionary War ended October 19, 1781 in Yorktown, Virginia. General Cornwallis and his 7,157 men surrendered to General Washington. To commemorate the important Allied Victory over the British, the Continental Congress on October 29, 1781, authorized the Yorktown Victory Monument. Construction began a century later with completion in 1884.

Lady Victory, a younger sister to the Statue of Liberty, exquisitely tops a slender pedestal of Maine granite. In 1956, replacement of the original figure of liberty, damaged by lightening, took place.

The shaft is 84 feet high and Liberty is 14 feet high.

This is a monument that we are sure to remember!

Living the life in Historical Virginia!

Williamsburg From My Window

I was sharing with my friend Laurie that I have only used my camera one day this month. I knew she would get the symbolism there. I've not went more than three days without having my camera out since we hit the road.



To put it bluntly, I've been in a serious funk. No one thing led to this funk. Rather it was a combination of things: regretting our decision to stay here so many weeks instead of traveling, facing some realities about some of the relationships in my life, facing some stuff about myself and my role in those relationships, grieving the imagined loss of some things if we stay put in one place and dealing with bored men. Oh, and the dog smells really bad and needs a bath but she hates baths so we haven't tackled it yet. Since I'm hyper-sensitive to icky smells, that alone would be enough to put me in a funk.

So I knew I had to make myself take my camera with us when we went out today. I'm so glad I did. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.

There is hardly a town that could soothe my soul more than this one. It's just lovely in that All American sort of way. There are the parts that are more widely known about Williamsburg parts. Like this section that is blocked off so no cars can drive there. It makes it so nice to walk around.

There are also the not so widely known things, that are still really neat to look at.

As much as I enjoy seeing where people play, this time I focused on where people live. Because as much as I have no desire to live in a house myself , I am still touched by the human element of people and their houses. I find myself thinking, this is where someone lives. This is where they share their lives together. This is where a family is being made. This is where people let down their masks and honest and raw exchanges take place. It's where love and hate and all of the other range of emotions are displayed. It's where wounds are made and wounds are healed. It's pretty powerful stuff if you think about it.

It did me good to ponder such things today. I feel lighter for it. I'll share more tomorrow.



Living the life in Virginia!

Pennsylvania From My Window

We are in such a beautiful area of Pennsylvania/Maryland. I'm enjoying how timeless it is here.

I'm enjoying being here when the view is full of bright, earthy colors.

I'm enjoying the rich history that is here.

Mostly I'm enjoying small town America and all of her goodness.

Living the life in Pennsylvania!

Dolphin Fun

I just realized while catching up on reading blogs, that I never came back and posted the dolphin pictures. I guess with all of my new computer fun and a visit from Aric, it completely left my mind to blog. The completely leaving my mind seems to be happening more and more lately but that's a story for another day. Back to the dolphins. When we got to the pier, I could hear there was some hype over something in the water. You can never tell just what that might mean with the ocean. So it was a happy surprise to see that it was dolphins that were visiting.



This is one of those times that I'm so glad I am the weirdo that brings her big camera to the beach with her. While everyone else was using their phones to get pictures, I got some decent shots with a real camera.



It was interesting to watch dolphins here vs somewhere like Sea World. They were just doing their thing being dolphins instead of doing tricks to get treats. Pretty cool. The only downside is they didn't surface much so we couldn't see them that well. Again, they were just being dolphins and weren't worried about us in the least so that is understandable. Then someone went to wash their fish at the fish cleaning station and the water trickled down below.



The dolphins seemed to love this and they fought to get underneath the water from that point on. This is where the real life dolphin show became a blast for us humans that happened to be there.



It turned this into one of my best beach days ever.



We stood there for a very long time. I snapped hundreds of pictures. I murmured things like this is so cool, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is awesome! over and over. I told Nathan later that it was right up there with whale watching because we were so close to them. He smiled at me in that way he does sometimes like he is amused at my simple mindedness.




That's ok. He didn't read Island of the Blue Dolphins 433 times as a child like I did. And he laughed non-stop at a movie recently that I am pretty sure was made for ten year old boys. So we're even!




It was way awesome. Just ask the dolphins!