Category Archives: Critters

August 25, 2014 · 21:11

Kyoto (Part Seven)

To Recap: In May, 2012 I went to Asia on the “Three-Countries-Three-Weeks-Three-Kids” tour. The first stop on this once-in-a-lifetime trip was Shanghai, followed by several days in Seoul. Now I was footloose and fancy-free (i.e., lost a lot) in Kyoto, Japan. I found one of the most beautiful and interesting places I’ve ever seen and I’m going to continue to bombard you with share dozens of pictures from there with you for the next few weeks.

After seeing the Fushimi Inari temples at the bottom of the mountain, I was captivated by the thousands of vermilion torii gates lining the maze-like paths. I found a shrine on a side path which was slightly different, before walking further up the mountain and be warned about wild monkeys.

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Even high up the hill, there were some isolated ponds or lakes that were incredibly picturesque.

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Sometimes the hill got steep, but you’re on stairs and there are rest stops regularly. It’s not that much more strenuous than many common attractions at US National Parks.

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It just looks a little intimidating. “Stairway To Heaven” with torii gates!

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When you stop to rest and get off to the side of the stairs, you get an incredible view of the greens of this semi-tropical rainforest contrasted with the vermilion of the torii gates and shrines.

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Near the top I found another fountain with ladles, this time guarded by an alligator statue. But it’s still wearing a vermilion yodarekake.

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There were shrines like this every couple hundred yards as you climbed and wandered through the paths. Many had flowers and all that I saw were fresh – no fake flowers here. Someone (or members of some group) for each of these family shrines made a regular trek up the mountain.

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There were feral cats lounging around many shrines. From me all they wanted was either food or to be left alone. I wondered about their safety with the aforementioned threat from aggressive wild monkeys, but they didn’t seem too worried about it.

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Each shrine off on a side path seemed to have slightly different architecture or style, yet all had the unifying themes seen everywhere. (Torii gates, vermilion colors, statues of foxes wearing vermilion scarves, and so on.)

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As with most everything else in Japan, space is at a premium and no usable scrap of land is wasted. Many shrines were built into the sides of the mountain on many terraced levels.

Many shrines had lanterns built into the design and layout. (Plus, of course, there were modern, electric lights to be seen.) This made me wonder if the site was open at night, and what it might be to be there on a crystal clear night.

Maybe next trip.

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Filed under Critters, Photography, Religion, Travel

August 21, 2014 · 22:54

Flash Fiction: Zombies Don’t Eat Fuchsia Poodles

This week the Flash Fiction Challenge from our beloved Chuck Wendig is to write a story with a title including a color. I rolled a 6, so I get to play with “fuchsia.” Okay, I’ll admit, I hear the word all the time, but I have no clue what it looks like, so, “Hello, Google?”

Fuchsia

So, you wonder how a story gets written out of thin air? If it’s a story like this, it helps to have a Robin Williams special going in the background. You sit and think and you’ve got nothing. Any genre? Not a glint. Any style? Not a glimmer. Any ideas? My skull is pulling a hard vacuum. “This one is pretty easy,” Chuck said. I might have a different opinion.

You’re looking for any kind of a hook, a starting point. Finally, the Muse takes mercy on you and says, “Robin thinks you should write something silly.” Great, now my muse is talking to Robin Williams, and Robin is stating the semi-obvious. Say hello for me!

Does Robin have any suggestions on how to write this thing? “Yes,” says the muse, “you should start by thinking up a bizarre, silly, stupid title and then figure out what the story has to be for it.”

Oh, you mean like this one?

Thanks, Robin. Again. For everything.

ZOMBIES DON’T EAT FUCHSIA POODLES

Our backs against the tree, trying to pant and wheeze as quietly as possible while being absolutely motionless, I tried to analyze where the experiment had gone wrong.

Since the ‘Lypse we had all been busy trying to either be fast, good, or lucky. We hadn’t had a lot of time to figure out what had happened, or why, or who was responsible. Research was the luxury of a populace which wasn’t constantly five minutes away from being ripped to shreds. No atheists in foxholes? Maybe, but definitely no paranormal epidemiologists had survived the ‘Lypse.

A few of us had tried to keep our eyes open as we ran for our lives. We would jot down some notes when we found shelter. It was up to us to remove ourselves from the endangered species list – no one was going to do it for us.

There had been a lot of changes real fast. The zombies were the most obvious, but there were massive, overnight, seemingly random mutations throughout the animal kingdom. Among us survivors there were tales of stinging insects the size of blue jays down south, and dolphins big enough and mean enough to sink aircraft carriers along the coast. We hadn’t seen any of those things here in Minnesota. On the other hand, I personally had seen a herd of miniature moose the size of rabbits taking down a bear.

The household pet population had seemed to get hit particularly hard. As a result, no matter where you were, you had been attacked by zombies, and you had seen bizarre cats, dogs, hamsters, birds, snakes, goldfish, and pot-bellied pigs. There were huge ones, tiny ones, weird colors, and psychedelic patterns. Scales where there should be fur or feathers and vice versa.

It was like God had dropped some bad acid and took reality along with him on the trip.

I was the one in our pack who first noticed the growing population of the fuchsia poodles.

While the mutant pets had gotten weird, they hadn’t gotten deadly. Kittens still wanted to play with string. Puppies still wanted their tummies rubbed. They were just as much prey as we were when the zombies came through and they were far less prepared to fight back. Their populations had dropped faster than ours had.

Occasionally we would see packs of feral dogs. More and more they were comprised of fuchsia poodles. Not blue, not green, not yellow. Not Dobermans, not German shepherds, not retrievers.

Fuchsia. Poodles.

We were desperate. We were losing the war. We were being eaten. We had to do something.

Helen was convinced it was the fuchsia color that was the key. She argued we only saw fuchsia poodles because only poodles had turned that color. She went out and found every piece of fuchsia clothing she could and dressed in it head to toe.

It was Helen’s belief that the zombies couldn’t see anything fuchsia colored, sort of like how the Predator couldn’t see Arnold when he was colored in mud. She believed it right up to the point where she stopped screaming after the zombies got her.

The packs of feral fuchsia poodles got larger. The packs of feral humans got smaller.

A week ago my pack ran into another group that was heading north from the Chicago area. We gave them a place to stay overnight. Over a cold dinner we swapped stories and information.

Their leader had also noticed the fuchsia poodle anomaly. Better yet, she had seen in person what was happening. They had been hiding up in a stand of trees, waiting for a zombie pack to shamble on by, when a pack of dogs had run through. The zombies had started to attack the pack, but a handful of fuchsia poodles had counter-attacked without being touched, driving off the undead.

Other breeds, other colored poodles, all turned into zombie chow, while the fuchsia poodles could as well have been invisible.

I was tired of running and sick of being prey. The best defense is a good offense. Insert your favorite platitude here. I finally had a plan.

We kept our eyes open and the next time we saw a pack of dogs, we didn’t ignore them or scare them off. We tempted them with food, got them to come near, and performed a quick re-domestication operation.

So it was that I found myself strolling across an open field with two dozen dogs, including five fuchsia poodles, just tempting the zombies to appear. Which, of course, they did.

I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess I was hoping my new, magical, magenta canine friends would attack the zombies and protect me. I wanted to find the silver bullet that could even the playing field against this ravenous horror.

The dogs saw the zombies and took off running for safety. Some of the zombies broke away to chase them, but they were driven back by the fuchsia poodles, allowing the rest of the pack to escape.

The rest of the zombies kept coming straight for me. My friends in the trees yelled, “RUN!” I didn’t need to be told. The fuchsia poodles could not have cared less. I was not part of their pack.

So now we’re here, once again trying to catch our breath, once again trying not to give away our position. Failure is an option that equals a horrible, painful death.

The scientific method is apparently dead, along with ninety percent of the world’s population. So much for working hypotheses, testing of theories through experimentation, and revision of the theory based on new data.

We’ve been transported to a universe of chaos and insanity, but we probably won’t be here long.

The universe has gone mad. Rules? None. Logic? Dead.

“But that’s not the way it is,” you say, “it can’t be!”

Tell it to the zombies behind us and the herd of miniature piranha-like moose thundering toward us from the other direction.

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Filed under Critters, Dogs, Farce, Science Fiction, Writing

August 16, 2014 · 08:30

Kyoto (Part Six)

To Recap: In May, 2012 I went to Asia on the “Three-Countries-Three-Weeks-Three-Kids” tour. The first stop on this once-in-a-lifetime trip was Shanghai, followed by several days in Seoul. Now I was footloose and fancy-free (i.e., lost a lot) in Kyoto, Japan. I found one of the most beautiful and interesting places I’ve ever seen and I’m going to continue to bombard you with share dozens of pictures from there with you for the next few weeks.

Climbing up from the Fushimi Inari temples, I was enraptured by the vermilion torii gates lining the maze-like paths. I explored a shrine on a side path, then started walking up the mountain again.

IMG_0936 smallSo, “hill” might be a better term than “mountain.” It will get your heart rate elevated a tad, but you needn’t be ready to run a sub-4:00 marathon in order to enjoy the experience.

IMG_0937 smallI do wish that I read Japanese so I knew what some of the messages on the torii gates are. I wonder if there’s an app for that yet?

IMG_0941 smallThere were a few other people visiting on the day when I was there, but the gloomy conditions, light rain, and fact that it was a weekday might have kept the crowds down. I think it’s safe to assume it might be a bit more crowded on a sunny, weekend day.

IMG_0958 smallAt a steeper part of the climb, a stream and a series of small waterfalls run next to the trail.

IMG_0965 smallAt the top of this rise I saw the first of many, many shine areas next to the path. Unlike the first one I had seen, this one was not all grey stone, but had many parts decorated with the same vermilion colors, torii gates, and fox statues wearing red yodarekake scarves.

IMG_0980 smallMany small shrines are decorated with small, wooden, vermilion torii gates. They seemed to come in a whole range of sizes and you could buy them at all sorts of little shops around the area. I had figured they were souvenir items (and I was tempted to get one) but their presence all over the place on the small family shrines would seem to indicate that they’re not souvenirs but play some role in how the families keep their shrines decorated and up to date.

IMG_0983 smallDitto for the fox statues, and one might guess that having a separate torii gate right in front of your family shrine is one of the biggest status symbols around.

 

IMG_0966 smallOf course, having taken a picture looking up the hill at the stream, I had to take a picture looking back down the hill.

IMG_0978 smallOkay, a few things about this sign.

First, I didn’t see any monkeys, wild or not, but I did know that they lived in the area, sort of like how we have coyotes and racoons living in Los Angeles. My daughter, who had been living in Kyoto for several months on her college semester abroad, had seen them regularly. She had also warned me that they could be aggressive.

Secondly, it’s in English only, which pretty much guarantees to me that it’s intended solely for American (and some European) tourists.

Thirdly, making “Do Not Take Pictures” the first warning? Get real! The average American tourist (and I’m at the head of the line, here) when confronted with a wild monkey, will instantaneously whip out a camera and start taking pictures. Especially if you’ve warned them not to!

I get the rest of it, they’re aggressive, they can be mean and dangerous, so feeding them is a good way to get bitten. And by “bitten” I mean hauled off to the emergency room to see if they can save those fingers and let you off with just a few dozen stitches. It’s like the warning you get with bears or cougars in Los Angeles. They’re much more rare than the coyotes and raccoons, but who’s not going to take pictures first and ask later about whether or not an expert would think it was your smartest move?

And “pretend to throw” rocks at them if they approach? If I’m picking up rocks to begin with because I’ve been stupid enough to be flaunting an open Snickers bar and a Diet Coke and now it’s looking like a trailer for “Planet Of The Apes” around me, I’m not “pretending” to throw anything. I’m throwing the damn rocks!

What I remember being the biggest disappointment however was that this sign was at a food & drink concession stand up on the mountain that was closed, presumably because of the small crowds that day. Meanwhile, it was warm, muggy, and moist and I had been getting in a good workout. I really could have used a cold Diet Coke and a big Snickers bar!

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Filed under Critters, Photography, Religion, Travel

July 26, 2014 · 22:33

Juicy Chunks O’ Wisdom For Saturday, July 26th

‘Cause I started running today, that’s why.

  • I was hoping that the first run of the training season wouldn’t be quite so bad as in previous years when training started. My logic was that: a) even though I haven’t been running or exercising a lot I’m still overall in better shape and weighing less than I did in previous years, and; b) I’ve learned how to pace myself, my body knows what to expect, blah, blah, blah. All of that perfectly good logic appears to have been trumped by one simple fact – I’M OLDER.
  • Sitting here with the bright lights on at night, there are usually some kind of bugs tapping on the window, trying to get in and mate. (And we thought we had weird sex lives!) But tonight, it sounds likes hummingbirds trying to get in, repeated big smacks against the glass.
  • Three days in a row there have been attempts to launch a Delta 4 out of Florida – three days in a row they’ve had weather that looks like this:  2014-07-26 Cape Canaveral Weather Radar  This weather typically violates at least three or four (and sometimes as many as six or seven) launch rules regarding the weather. But the best comment so far (commentator unknown) has been, “The Russians would have launched!” It’s funny because it’s true. (On Monday they’ll try for a fourth time to launch the Delta 4, the weather’s predicted to have a 60% chance of being acceptable. By our standards, not the Russians’.)
  • Coldstone ice cream is proof of a God/Universe that wants us to be happy. With my current healthy eating habits I only get it once or twice a year. Tonight I had enough so that I’m starting to see time. THAT’s a sugar rush!
  • Is Joe Maddon, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, just one of the neatest guys on the planet?  2014-07-26 Joe Maddon Tweet I think we knew it before, but this is confirmation.
  • Maybe the tiny bugs are teaming up and building tiny battering rams to try to get through the window and to the sexy light. Isn’t that how a Steven King novel starts?
  • Slatter’s Corollary to Murphy’s Tenth Law of Food says I’ll be regretting tonight’s ice cream tomorrow morning. Willett’s Rebuttal to Slatter’s Corollary to Murphy’s Tenth Law of Food says the ice cream tonight was worth it anyway.
  • Those bugs are really going to be disappointed, even if they break through the glass with their insectoid battering ram — it’s a double-pane window. (As a precaution against just this possibility, I might add!)
  • It really sucks when your computer locks up in the middle of writing a blog article and requires a reboot using the pull-the-plug-out-of-the-wall method. How do I know this, you might ask…

Remember, “Some days you’re the bug. Some days you’re the windshield.”

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Filed under Computers, Critters, Juicy Chunks, Running, Science Fiction, Space, Sports

July 25, 2014 · 21:29

Sunset Flights

While out with Jessie I could see and hear a hawk flying above. It was very odd looking, almost looked like a seagull but with a very long tail. But then it would dive on some birds and be making that almost stereotypical hawk screech, so I’m going with the hawk theory. It might have been this guy, or one of its relatives.

By the time I ran back in and grabbed the camera, the hawk was a block or so away and just barely above the trees so I never got a good shot at a picture of it. But while I was waiting, just as dusk was settling, there were…

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…critters getting ready to fly, and…

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…large jets headed south at 37,000 feet.

There were also little black flies that were trying to fly into my nose and ears so they could eat my brain. The good news is that because of them, there were also a dozen or so bats flitting about. Both the bugs and the bats were very quick and nimble and no photographs were available. They’re hard targets. Maybe next time. Assuming they don’t eat my brain first.

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Filed under Critters, Flying, Photography

July 18, 2014 · 14:38

Evil Joey Chan

I’m more of a “dog person” than a “cat person,” which is not to say that I don’t enjoy a warm, purring ball of fluff in my lap on a cold evening. But given the choice, I would (and will in the future) have a dog (or two) but no cats. For now however, I “inherited” my daughter’s cat when she went off to college, so Joey Chan is “mine.”

The Long-Suffering Wife is mildly allergic to cats, so the two of them have long since reached an uneasy truce. The only time they’re supposed to have any real interaction is when I’m gone and Ronnie has to feed Joey for a day or two. Joey seems to be forgetting this as she’s gotten older and more senile (Joey, not Ronnie) and she will occasionally try to hop up onto Ronnie’s lap for petting and snuggles. Much hilarity has been known to occur during such events.

Both household critters, Joey the cat and Jessie the dog, are getting on in years. Neither is as spry as they used to be and they both sleep about twenty-three hours a day. (Since they used to sleep twenty-two hours a day it’s not much of a change.) We’ve noticed that both are exhibiting odd behavior. Jessie has started sleeping in places she’s never slept before, i.e., right next to my side of the bed, which makes it interesting when I get up in the dark and have to remember she’s there and try not to step on her. Jessie’s also doing that “digging through the carpet” thing that dogs sometimes do before they lie down. Another thing that she’s never done before, and another thing that’s a real joy at 3:00 AM.

Joey on the other hand is showing her senility in other ways. As the joke goes, she’s forgotten to be aloof. Where for years I was tolerated only because I was the “food guy,” now I’m the number one source of attention and petting and scratching. I don’t remember her ever wanting any attention or petting at all from anyone when she was younger.

The other thing she’s doing is taking over my office chair the instant I get out of it and then refusing to get up when I come back.

photo 1

 

Doesn’t she look innocent? “Who, me?” “Is this YOUR chair?” “I was just keeping it warm for you!”

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“No, that doesn’t mean that I’m giving it back. Go away.”

In the past when she did this there was an easy solution. Now it no longer works at all and she actually seems to enjoy it:

Good thing that she’s cute. And that she gives me an excuse to post “emergency cat pictures” at the end of a week where the world’s had a tough time.

Be cool out there, folks. The world’s a better place when we stop acting like assholes, and that goes double for international leaders. (You know who you are!) Do unto others and all of that.

Let’s put the “peace” back in “Peace out.”

Peace out.

 

 

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Filed under Cats, Critters, Dogs, Photography

July 7, 2014 · 21:33

Wiley Doesn’t Look So Good

We hadn’t seen Wiley in a while, but didn’t think too much of it. Coyotes are roamers, after all.

Then last night as I was taking Jessie out into the front yard, I had two different drivers honk, pull over, and warn me that there was a coyote up the street. Where others were grabbing their dogs and running for home (literally), I went for the camera. (Duh!)

IMG_7562_smallI spotted him down the side street. So did Jessie. Jessie was nervous. I crossed the street to first of all get a little bit closer so I could get a good picture, and secondly, to spook Wiley away from Jessie.

 

 

IMG_7563_smallIn our past encounters, any movement toward him would send him scurrying. This time, he instead responded by trotting down the sidewalk straight at me. He was looking right at me so it wasn’t like he didn’t see me there. He wasn’t aggressive or snarling, but he was definitely not scooting away.

IMG_7567_smallWhen he got about twenty feet away and I took two steps toward him, then he ran across to the other side of the street. He’s still not paying attention to me — he’s looking at Jessie, across the street and behind me to my right. I was making sure that if he took off in Jessie’s direction that I would be right on his tail. (Not that I could ever catch him, mind you, I’m not that delusional.)

IMG_7568_smallIn the picture above and this one you can also clearly see what I saw four or five weeks ago when we last saw him in our yard. Not only is he scrawny and skinny (are there any fat coyotes?) but he looks like hell. He’s got big patches of bare skin on his back and legs.

IMG_7570_smallOn his front right chest, right above the leg, you can see what appears to be a big scab or wound, still raw and bloody. His mangy appearance, his aggressiveness just in being out in the open during the day in a residential area, and his increasingly bold behavior make me wonder just how healthy he is. I’m betting his rabies shots aren’t current.

IMG_7572_smallHe never made a move toward Jessie, just turned and went down the street. Two houses down there’s a little yapper rat dog that sits at the gate and sounds off at everything that passes. The yapper was going nuts with Wiley out there, which may or may not have been its smartest move.

Shortly after this I ran into a lady with her kids and three small dogs, heading in this direction. I warned them about Wiley, they didn’t seem too worried. Then about halfway down this block, the saw something and backed up quick. Then they grabbed the three small dogs and ran like hell for their house. I ran down just to make sure they were okay, but never saw Wiley again and they were in the house by the time I got to their driveway.

IMG_7576_smallBut their neighbor did have this honkin’ big lizard just hanging on the stucco. The lizard has nothing to do with Wiley, I just figured as long as I was sharing critter pictures from the evening, I could throw this one into the mix.

For the record, tonight we didn’t see Wiley at all — but when I tried to take Jessie out about sunset, she stood in the door, sniffed, then had to be dragged outside. After she had peed she sprinted to the front door and sat there waiting for me.

I’m thinking Wiley may still be in the neighborhood.

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June 24, 2014 · 21:57

Juicy Chunks O’ Wisdom For Tuesday, June 24th

‘Cause if it ain’t one thing it’s another, that’s why.

  • The glumphing roof roamers are back again tonight. Please let it not be mating season.
  • Upon closer examination, the picture of the gravestone rubbing (10th picture down) at the Rockingham Meeting House does not show the art engraved at the top of the tombstone mentioned (11th picture down). They’re similar, but not the same. The editorial staff of WLTSTF deeply regrets the error and will dock my pay and assign me to our minor league affiliate in Prescott, AZ for a rehab start.
  • I hate worms. Especially when they come in a can, as a “gift.”
  • Just had a nice little ISS pass over SoCal. Nothing spectacular, not too high, not too bright, but nice. I left the camera inside, spent five minutes outside to watch — and will now spend the next hour itching due to all of the bug bites. Where are all of those bats when we need them?
  • Speaking of flying critters of the freak out variety, in Vermont last week, I saved the life of Mothzilla! During our class reunion the windows got opened and toward the end of the evening we noticed the biggest freakin’ moth I’ve ever seen outside of a zoo or museum. It was startling people just a tad, but when it came near me I supressed the urge to squish it into oblivion. Instead, forcefully telling my brain stem that it was harmless and would not bite, I trapped it in my cupped hands and let it loose outside the window.
  • I’ve mentioned my use of the term, “Not my float!” and where it came from. I now see that there’s a Polish proverb (if “FaceBook wisdom” is to be believed) that has the same meaning but perhaps a bit more color — “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” I like it!
  • If Mothzilla turns out to be the one that triggers the Zombie Apocalypse (“I, for one, welcome our new Zombie Overlords!”) you can blame me.
  • As I was musing on FaceBook tonight, I can’t be the only one who would be happy to never hear about LeBron James again, nor can I be the only one who could not possibly care less where he gets paid tens of millions of dollars to play next year? Fine, I’m more of a hockey, baseball, football, soccer, college sports kind of guy and think the NBA is pretty boring and seriously overrated (why can’t we just make it 95-95 and put two minutes on the clock, it will still take two hours to play…) but even by NBA standards, LeBron comes off as a pampered, overpaid, and whiny egomaniac. Can we get back to the biting guy in the World Cup? Or Wimbledon? Or the Tour de France? Or ESPN’s “Not Top Ten”?
  • People, people, people!! PLEASE remember that Snopes is your friend! If you see something on FaceBook and want to re-post it with a comment like “This is incredible!” or “This is unbelievable!” — that reaction should be your first clue that you’re spreading ignorant bullshit and making the world a stupider place! Thank you for your future consideration.

Remember, “It doesn’t take much to thrill an idiot.” (Thanks, Kevin! Great to see you again!)

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Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Freakin' Idiots!, Juicy Chunks, Not My Float, Sports

June 17, 2014 · 10:00

Lake Placid

!If you get to this region of the Adirondacks, one attraction in Lake Placid is the museum of the Winter Olympics that were held here in 1932 and 1980. (“Do you believe in miracles?!”) The other major attraction is Lake Placid itself.

Many people visit the town of Lake Placid and never actually see the body of water which is Lake Placid. That’s because most of the town surrounds Mirror Lake, while Lake Placid is off to the north end of town. A fair number of folks apparently see Mirror Lake and go merrily on with their lives, thinking they’ve seen Lake Placid.

There are boat rides available in the spring, summer, and fall. (The lake has 12 to 38 inches of ice on it in the winter, so no boat tours for you!) We took it and can recommend it highly. We found it beautiful, informative, fun, and well worth the hour and $15 (credit and debit cards only, no cash). At the moment there are tours at 10:30 and 14:30, so don’t show up at 10:35 — in the summer the tours leave every hour or so. Check in advance when you get there.

Also, no matter how hot you think it is on shore, bring a jacket or sweatshirt. It’s cooler and windier on the water and you can get real cold, real fast. (Ask me how I know!)

IMG_0732_smallThe lake is over five miles long and over two miles wide. The waters are clean, clear, and dark blue.

IMG_0814_smallThere are three islands on the lake, and it stretches to the base of Whiteface Mountain.

IMG_0829_smallBetween the islands and the coves, bays, and peninsulas, this is the only place where you can see from one side of the lake to the other.

IMG_0834_smallNear the base of Whiteface Mountain, with a fellow boater going much faster than we were.

IMG_0844_smallLooking back down the lake from the “far end” near the base of Whiteface Mountain.

IMG_7357_smallThe lake’s residents have one of the best collections in the world of vintage, wooden boats. The houses and estates along the lake are referred to as “camps.”

IMG_7359_smallThe Lake Placid Lodge looks to be decades old, but was actually rebuilt only a few years ago after a disastrous fire that destroyed hundreds of priceless artifacts, pieces of art, and bottles of fine wine.

IMG_7401_smallAt the town end of the lake, all of the camps have road access, but before you get far, the camps only have access by boat. Of course, all of the camps on the islands (there aren’t too many) are also accessible only by boat. Most of the property around the lake was long ago given to the State of New York with the provision that it must be held in a wild condition in perpetuity. No further buildings can be built there, no roads or other structures can be built, and the existing buildings can not be expanded, only repaired or rebuilt.

IMG_7406_smallThis is a prime example of the “classic” Adirondack style of architecture. Of course, with a very limited number of camps available and a prime location, the prices for camps have skyrocketed. Almost all are worth $1 million or more, and many of the larger ones are worth tens of millions of dollars.

IMG_7461_smallWe saw many folks out enjoying the lake on kayaks.

IMG_7392_smallThere is wildlife all over the place. We saw a pair of loons, a blue heron, and this bald eagle nest, which has now been stolen by an osprey, who you can just see sticking his head up over the edge. There are sightings of deer, moose, bear, and all sorts of smaller critters such as skunks, porcupine, raccoon, and so on.

IMG_7373_smallWe saw folks out fishing, these guys near Moose Island.

IMG_7416_smallA pontoon, a wooden boat, and some kayaks.

IMG_7418_smallThe wooden boat took of and left everyone else behind.

IMG_7430_smallThe kayaks didn’t seem to mind. They were having a very peaceful paddle.

A great place to visit, and if you own a boat or kayak you can go explore it on your own by putting in at the public docks. If you have a spare couple of million dollars, you can have a camp there that you only use a couple of weeks or a couple of months a year.

I could live with that kind of lifestyle, no problem!

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June 16, 2014 · 18:44

Sitting By A Pond

Continuing to travel, see the sights, get together with friends and family. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for writing, but (big surprise!) I’m taking LOTS of pictures.

This afternoon I spent an hour sitting by a small pond that’s near our hotel in Saranac Lake. Yesterday, when we got here, there was a large flock of Canada geese on our side of the pond. At least six or seven adults plus nine or ten goslings, at one point all blocking the hotel driveway as they strolled across.

We’re in the Adirondacks, which (obviously, or not) is the birthplace of the Adirondack chair. They’re very comfortable, with a handful of them set beside the pond to enjoy the view and the calm.

IMG_7467_smallMany of the lakes and ponds seen yesterday are “well groomed,” for lack of a better term. They are in the middle of town and the shorelines are to a great extent mowed grass, brick or stone walls, or swimming beaches. Even the parts of the shoreline that are “wild” are still only feet from the sidewalks, running trails, and streets, making them more like “mild lite.”

While this pond is also in town, it has no improvements or “cleaning up” of the banks. It’s marshy, muddy, wild, and weedy. And there are wildflowers everywhere along the banks.

IMG_7471_smallThe irises here survived the rains of the last week. The ones in my mother’s garden in northern Vermont did not.

IMG_7477_smallAcross the pond you can see all kinds of debris and what might be a beaver lodge or some other sort of critter lair. There are also quite a few large trees that got knocked over when Hurricane Irene came through here last year and caused a tremendous amount of damage and flooding.

IMG_7482_smallAcross the pond, maybe 400 yards away, is the flock of Canada geese that I was looking for. It seems that there’s always one adult on watch, while the others eat and protect the goslings that are feeding.

IMG_7494_smallI’ve always been interested in patterns and textures in our surroundings, things that might be taken for granted in the everyday world but which stand out and can be interesting when isolated. For example, the tiny waves pushed by the wind as the sunlight glints off of them.

IMG_7498_smallOr the way the waves ripple on the open waters, but the sections of the pond filled with water lilies and grass stay calm and dark.

IMG_7502_smallOr a close-up of the grasses and “weeds” in the mud along the bank. Of course, here they’re not “weeds” at all, but a source of food, cover, and building materials.

IMG_7503_smallOr the ferns and cattails growing in the shallow waters just off of the banks.

LATE UPDATE & BONUS PICTURES:

After dinner, when it was almost dark, I spotted the flock of Canada geese feeding on our side of the pond.

IMG_7515_smallThey apparently have no fear of people, since there were many hotel guests standing out there watching them.

IMG_7520_smallIf any of us tried to move and get too close, one of the adults would go on alert. This was a good time to stop and take a step back, since geese can be vicious and aggressive. But as long as we stayed eight to ten feet back, and then didn’t move forward or startle them when they had moved to within three or four feet of us, they were just fine ignoring us.

IMG_7521_smallI was surprised that even the flash from the camera meant nothing to them. Keep your distance, don’t make any sudden moves, leave them alone and let them eat, and they were just fine with you being there watching them.

One of the couples standing there watching them asked if I knew if there were any beaver or otters in the area. (I don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if both species lived around here.) They had witnessed something like that swimming across the pond, trying to come ashore near where the geese were feeding, and being driven off by most of the angry, defensive, adult geese.

All of that to see, just sitting by a pond.

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