Monthly Archives: November 2017

A Pre-Thanksgiving Poem

Leave a reply

Turkey day is less than a week away.

No work, sleep late and eat goodies all day.

Dreams of stuffing, potatoes, cranberries and bread,

Have invaded my brain and are filling my head.

I know I can wait, it’s only six more long days,

Then Tom Turkey and I will have a parting of ways.

My heart is indeed heavy and I feel kind of sad,

What did he do to me, to be treated so bad?

Well, it isn’t my fault that he will look so darn yummy,

Carved up on the plate, on the way to my tummy.

So  what can I do and what can I say,

To make time go faster to get to that day?

  

Temporary

Leave a reply

Every  minute of every day passes most times without us even noticing the beauty that surrounds us. Unfortunately this beauty is just a snapshot, a moment in time that is temporary.

WP_20171104_010

Temporary

Another Work Sunrise

2 Replies

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”

-Jim Rohn

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

The best thing about coming to work at this time of the morning (6:20 am) are the sunrises that I get to see on a daily basis, especially this time of year. With the clocks falling back just about a couple of weeks ago, the timing is perfect to watch the sun come up as I am getting out of my car in the parking lot. Although I deeply mourn the loss of daylight in the afternoon, I do cherish the quality sunrises that I get to experience on a daily basis. Every day I hope that it sets the tone for the rest of the day…

WP_20171114_003_1

WP_20171114_007_1

WP_20171114_008_1

WP_20171114_009_1

WP_20171114_006_1

Have a great day!!!!

Finally…

4 Replies
001

The start…

The wood has sat on my porch now for six months. Through the wet days of spring and into the hot summer, it sat and waited, each piece cut to the exact specifications that I had found after many hours of trolling the internet. As summer morphed into fall, it continued to call out to me and I felt a renewed urgency returned to just get this thing done! But procrastination, as it always seems to do, had firmly entrenched itself in every being of my soul.

But today was the start of a new day. With the help of my daughter, I was able to assemble what you see in the pictures in just a couple of hours. Tomorrow, I’ll put the remaining boards in place and the start the staining process.

006

It’s way to cold to work outside so the living room becomes the work area!

007

Progress!!!

008

Almost finished.

More to come!

 

The Sky’s The Limit

5 Replies

“The main thing to understand is that we are imprisoned in some kind of work of art.”

-Terence McKenna

WP_20171107_004

WP_20171107_002

When I pulled into the parking lot at work yesterday, the clouds were the color of cotton candy. Hovering above the building was a huge pink mass that appeared to be motionless. Even with the lack of motion and the beauty of the clouds, the photo conveys more in that single moment than I could ever put into words on this page.

When I am lucky enough to see a sunrise such as this, the Terence McKenna quote at the beginning of this post makes perfect sense. Would being trapped in either photo be such a bad thing? An interesting quote to think about….

It was an excellent way to start the day!

Perception Is King…Or Is It?

2 Replies

“We have to recognize that the world is not something sculptured and finished, which we as perceivers walk through like patrons in a museum; the world is something we make through the act of perception.”

-Terence McKenna

Perception is a peculiar thing. When we perceive the way an event happened, we are trying to cultivate an understanding of how and what occurred through our own personal lens. Does this mean then that our perception is not reality? We know that what people perceive is usually what they believe, and this is based on what they hear, see and think. When it comes to events that happen in our lives, most of the time we cannot control what happens but we can always control our reaction to an event.

When then does the perception of an event become the reality? If enough people see the same event, and as a result have the same perception of the event, is it then considered the reality? And what then do we do if different people have different reactions to that same event? Is this where, after seeing and hearing something, we then rely on the thinking aspect to gauge an emotional response? One of anger, or of sadness?

Should we be careful to limit our analysis of events if we are not sure of their origin?

 

 

 

Start In The Dark, End In The…

Leave a reply

“Nature is not our enemy, to be raped and conquered. Nature is ourselves, to be cherished and explored.” 

-Terence McKenna

What a beautiful and exhilarating morning! I decided that on my hike today (11/4/17) I would test out the headlamp that I recently purchased (previous post). Starting out at just about 5:20 am, it was still fully dark and would remain so for almost the full duration of my hike. I also finally got the chilly morning that I have been waiting for! Even though the temperature was 35 degrees, it didn’t feel that cold and as I entered the woods, it was almost perfectly silent. The only sound that I could hear were my boots shuffling through the fallen leaves as I walked up the trail.

With the exception of the last 15 minutes of the hike, I used the headlamp to illuminate the ground as I walked. I thought at first that it would be difficult to see the trail in front of me, but the lamp proved to be very effective in making sure that I could see any rocks or roots that could prove to be an issue as I hiked.

The picture below, although it is a really crappy cell phone photo, shows you how well the trail was lit during this hike.

WP_20171104_005

As I made my way out of the woods, I saw the last of a huge moon setting and when I turned to the east, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise.

WP_20171104_014

WP_20171104_012

WP_20171104_010

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

11/4/17-5.3-313.92

The Cree T6 Headlight

Leave a reply

For several months now I have wanted to get a headlamp so I could either do some night hikes or just start my hikes earlier than I normally do. I went to Amazon and google just to do some research and I decided that the LED Waterproof Headlamp Flashlight, Rechargeable Zoomable Headlamps Adjustable Cree T6 Headlight for Camping Hiking Hunting Running Working Outdoor Sports with 18650 Batteries,Charger and USB Cable was the best choice for what I am looking to do.

At $16.88, the headlamp is basically everything that it was advertised to be. I was actually surprised at how bright the lamp is and how well it illuminated the trail and surrounding woods. In regards to the fit, after about 15 minutes of wearing the lamp, I didn’t even notice that I had it on. When I bent over to tie my boots or open my pack, it stayed securely on my head.

Instead of getting into all of the nuts and bolts of this headlamp, I have included the description below that was on Amazon. Overall, it was definitely worth the money. This will open up an entirely new world of hiking!

  • Ultra Bright & Modes: Max Output 800 Lumens CREE XML-T6 LED Bulbs with a Lifespan of 100,000 hours, Light Up to 200 meters (600 feet) Above. 3 Modes (High / Medium / Strobe), the Synchronous Rear Red Indicator Light on the Battery Holder Plays a good Warning role at Night
  • Focusable & Rotatable: 90 Degree Rotatable Lamp Head (Stretching to Adjust its Focus) allow you to Light Up Anywhere you need. Elastic Headband make it Fit Snugly on your Head or over a Baseball Cap, No Brain Squeeze or Bobbing. Detachable Lamp Head also can use a Headlamp or Waist Lamps, Easy to Install in Pocket Travel Bag, Backpack, Hat Brink etc
  • Multipurpose: Hands Free Headlight Prefect for Indoor and Outdoor Activities, like Jogging, Biking, Caving, Backpacking, Night Fishing, Walking your dog at Night, Household Work, Auto Repair, Emergency Kit or on Construction Helmet Hat
  • Waterproof & Heatproof – GREAT FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR USE: No more struggle in hot or rain Or ultra sunny weathers makes this light qualified and usable at all seasons all the time, Made with high quality Aerial Aluminum Alloy to prevent damage in rainy or hot weathers Great for camping, hiking and running.

Happy Hiking!!!!

The Green Machine

Leave a reply

“If you don’t have a plan, you become part of somebody else’s plan.” 
―Terence Mckenna

WP_20171102_009

WP_20171102_003

Autumn this year has been a strange one. Even though you have to expect some pretty drastic temperature changes during the months of October and November, at this point it has been way to warm to count as weather that you would associate with the coming winter. With that said, at four in the afternoon today (11/2/17) it was a toasty 72 degrees. Even with the higher temps, the absence of any humidity actually made for another incredible hike.

It seems that with my afternoon hikes I am resorting to a “go to” on the Green Trail at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. It is a nice loop wth a couple of hills that will actually make you work.

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

11/2/17-4.1-308.62