Anna Lumanum

A Walk in the Park

2012-01-17T02:17:00.000-08:00

Between my generation and my daughters, a travesty has occurred. We played outside in the woods. We got dirty and wet and had great adventures. Most kids today never have this opportunity. The world has become so unsafe that now we shelter our kids and let them watch Discovery Channel specials of what the natural world is like. When I was a kid, my Mom pushed me out the door to go play. I was often told to go out and play, and did just that until it got dark. My friends and I would disappear into the woods to build forts, fish, gig frogs, build fires, and share that one beer one of us managed to swipe from our Dad. To this day I relish going out to play in the woods. The only thing I was told was "stay out of abandoned buildings".

Here are a few photos of my last walk in the Patapsaco State Park. The Patapsaco Valley had been very heavily industrialized during Colonial times. Economic trends and massive floods have removed just about all of it now. Signs of this industrialization can still be found if you know where to look. Near the end of this post, you will see the one factory that remained in operation until about ten years ago, when a third, mysterious fire burnt it up. Slowly it is being reclaimed by nature and salvagers. Hope you enjoy.

You will probably see more of these Walk in the Park type posts. I have read that 1839 gold was discovered and a mine established in what is now the park. The only person who ever got rich was the guy who supplied the mine the timbers. The gold rush of 1849 ended just about all the gold mines on the Eastern Seaboard. I am on a mission to find this mine. I suspect many many walks in the woods will be required.

A Fringe Benefit.

2011-11-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest fringe benefits about being self employed is I am allowed to work the hours I want to, however, there are a few other fringe benefits also. When clients come into town, I am often honored with hosting them at my house. Them, "not being from around here" gives me an excuse to show off my town and often even the town next door, Washington, DC. I had just such a visitor last week when Chris came in from Canada to drop off a trailer and to take one away. You can read all about that story in a few days on my other blog.

I asked Chris what he most wanted to see and his response was "the Smithsonian." He did not realize that "the Smithsonian" is many buildings, each dedicated to a different discipline. He also did not realize that each building is massive, requiring almost a full day to see everything. We took him to my favorite building on the Mall: the Museum of the American Indian.

I absolutely love this building. It opened not too many years ago and we have come to it many times now. Before I go further, I feel obliged to make something clear so as to not offend, but it is the building that brings us back. The exhibits are often good, but somewhat sparse within an incredible structure. I think the building upstages what it is supposed to show off.

My mouth is often ajar as I walk around the building. Somehow, aesthetically, it just pushes the right buttons within me.

This space moves me in a way that very few do. As a kid we visited many grand churches and cathedrals through out Europe. I have toured many great building all across this country, but none make me feel as though the Great Spirit dwells within, like in this house.

I watched countless parents take a very similar photo as this. Watching the spectrum move across the walls is an experience all in itself.

With the different cloud patterns and ever changing length of the Sun's rays, this pattern will never be duplicated. The Sun is doing a dance within the building that never will be repeated.

Everywhere we go, something appeals to me.

It continues right into the landscaping that surrounds the building.

I think this is a Native American, koala, family crossing. Everyone has their special interests in DC.

We went on over to the National Museum of Art for a meal. Avoid this restaurant if you come for a visit. Very expensive and the food is nowhere near mediocre. The waterfall dividing the East Wing from the West Wing is worth a visit, as is the book store. If you love the arts, architecture, or any aspect of culture, you are going to find some awesome books here.

After lunch Chris and I were able to ditch the girls for an hour and a half. We made a bee line for the boy museum, the Air and Space. The Spirit of Saint Louis is hanging there in the center. She sure is looking dingy these days. Her brushed skin looks streaked with oil and her skin is sports dark patina. Maybe they would consider using Frank's Trailer Works to polish her back up.

There are millions of rivets and miles and miles of aluminum hanging from the rafters. Just about every first in aviation is present at this wing of the Smithsonian. The real big stuff is out at Dulles Airport where the Air and Space Museum has another building. Ever want to see a Saturn V rocket? You will need to go there.

Of course we made our way into the room dedicated to Wright Brothers Flyer. I am always astounded to see what a primitive plane this is. It didn't go far, but we sure have since then.

We also strolled into the Hirshhorn. This museum is dedicated to postmodern art. They were having an Andy Warhol show. No photos allowed in there. It's just as well, because the Hirshhorn has decided to show what has to be his lamest work ever. 108 panels, 450 feet long, all the same, with just color variations. As someone with an MFA, I think I am entitled to hold this opinion. I wish it was not my opinion, for Andy has always been high on the list of artists I like.

Dan Flavin's light sculpture drew me in like a moth. It was electrifying. The guard in this gallery had to wear sunglasses. He looked very cool standing there in the electric blue light. He looked like part of the installation.

After the Hirshhorn we drove around seeing the sights from the car - the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the White House. It was an abbreviated tour, but Chris got a good taste of DC. When he comes back next time we will probably hone in on just one museum.

2011-10-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

For the past few days now I have had a troubled mind. The question "How will you explain this to them?" For the past two years I have not camped with a great bunch of folks called the Washington DC Unit due to my boycott of their Mother Club. Fortunately this past weekend was a WDCU buddy rally and we (and a number of others in my same position) went to it.

Fall is an excellent time to go camping. The crisp air makes one truly appreciate how cozy a little heat in the trailer can be.

The color of the leaves also makes the Airstreams glow in the forest.

Trailers of all ages were in the campground making for a beautiful view almost any where one looked.

For many years we camped with all of these people and it was very nice to see them again. Nothing breaks the ice like sitting around a campfire.

I love the sight of Airstreams in the morning.

I also like to see the reflections of people laughing in the polished aluminum.

We managed a side trip to the Central Market in Lancaster (thats lank-ist-tur, not Lan-cast- tur). As a kid my parents would go to this market to buy from the Amish farmers. We always brought a big cooler for the meat and the rear of the car would be full of vegetables and baked goods. It was only open Tuesdays and Fridays. Now it has Saturday hours also.

The building has not changed, but the market sure has. Instead of being filled with Amish vendors, there were just a few.

That guys is not Amish. Do the Amish drink tea? It contains caffein.

The mason jars are nice homey feel, but the Amish never sold us any smoked paprika or Spanish saffron.

They do still sell you some yummy cookies.

They also supply the milk vendor who sure knows how to market it as organic and Amish produced. I do not think we ever paid $5.99 for a quart of table creme.

Do the Amish have a thing for sweets or is it all of us that crave it?

They do know how to process their animals into some very tasty meats. Yes, I not only eat all you see in the case, but I love it.

Halloween was celebrated at the campground. Some actually took the decorating very seriously.

For me, it is all about the campfire.

I really want to thank the nice people of the WDCU for making me feel so welcome. It was very nice seeing you all after so long.

Gifted

2011-10-08T03:17:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if this gift was intended for me or weather someone else is trying to move in on my girl, but we got an awesome gift last week.

In the mail came this gorgeous 1962 plate from Ohio. My client Chris saw this on Ebay and thought of me(and Anna I suspect). For a number of years now I have been collecting old plates to decorate Frank's Trailer Works with. I mostly go for the old rusted ones collectors all pass on. This plate is not going on the wall however.

Anna will be wearing it proudly. Thank you Chris, I love it and so does she.

The Wet One

2011-10-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome time this weekend camping with some friends at Greenbrier State Park, here in Maryland. I did not take a single photo all weekend long. Though not my own video, this one kind of sums it all up.

Storm Chasers (chased by)

2011-08-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

As most know,the east coast was hit by hurricane Irene over the weekend. The forecast for West Virginia was supposed to be perfect, so we hooked up Anna and headed West. In all honesty, we had already planned on going out with Anna for the weekend. This was the last weekend before Halle starts kindergarten, and we wanted to get one last trip in. Our destination? Seneca Rocks. Irene, however decided to push a little further inland than the weather guys thought it would and we had a lot of clouds and a little drizzle to contend with. Seneca Rocks looked like a Japanese print from our campground across the street.

Right up yonder holler is the tallest mountain in West Virginia. We thought, why not go and check it out? What we forgot to take into account was that the cloud ceiling was about 3400 feet. Spruce Knob is way higher than that. Are my knuckles white? The 30 feet of visibility was comforting since the left side of the road dropped straight down into the trees and there were no guard rails.

So at the top, we were way up in the clouds. There is no way around getting wet in this situation. What to do, but go for a stroll.

The path through the woods was an absolutely lovely walk.

This fire newt didn't seem to mind the weather. He was out for a stroll, making the best of it. too.

The view from the observation tower was truly wonderful. I could see my house even better here than on top of Mount Evans a few weeks back.

Dropping out of the clouds brought us back into fairer weather.

By the next morning the cloudy skies and drizzle had gone north and we went about seeing the sites. Seneca Rocks is a very popular rock climbing destination. We hiked it instead of climbing it with ropes. There are many cool hikes in this area. Up the road in yonder opposite direction is one of our countries best kept secrets - Dolly Sods. Dolly Sods is a wilderness area and offers some spectacular hikes. We did not make it there this trip, but hope to go with the girls in the near future. Even further up yonder way is Harpers Ferry. We wanted to visit it on the way back home.

Honestly, the day could not have been more perfect. The weather was cool with low humidity and the crowds were sparse due to the hurricane that had just gone through.

Many years ago I worked for a historic restoration company. One of my projects, while there, was fabricating the windows and exterior mill work for this building you see here. I was very proud to see it looked so good after all these years. How would it not? I built them exactly as the originals were, from wood of the same era. During one of the numerous flood the water was past those third story windows.

Most people know Harpers Ferry because of John Brown and his armed insurrection. There is a reproduction of the building that it took place in. Oddly, historic buildings were often taken apart and put on exhibit. More than once they were "lost" between exhibitions. This same fate fell upon Lincoln's boyhood home.

Walking the old streets is a cool step back in history. Harpers Ferry was a major player in the American Industrial Revolution. Many successive floods and a civil war, followed by more floods ended that era. The population today is half what it was before the Civil War.

For architecture geeks, there is a great deal to admire.

Railroad geeks will find the town interesting also. After Harpers Ferry we headed off to find a campground. Right next door to Harpers Ferry is a gigantic KOA. We pulled in and did an immediate U turn right back out of the place. Camping like sardines is not my bag. Next we headed to our 'go to; state park, Greenbrier, just west of Fredrick, MD. Unfortunately the gate was locked tight. All Maryland state parks were closed due to 'storm clean up.' We saw no evidence of storm damage that needed clean up. Instead we moved on to a private campground literally 15 minutes from our house. Good Sam's was very good to us. Though the campground was full with seasonal people(in HUGE fifth wheels that never move) we were given a nice site almost all to ourselves.

There was a good deal of 'storm clean up' that needed to be taken care of at Ramblin Pines, and to make up for the closed pool, we got free mini golf. Halle is a natural, even if her stance, poise, grip, and swing are all wrong. Ava is an ace hitting par at every hole.

Beth, well, like her Dad, takes the golfing very serious.

Hey, give me back my ball!!! I want to play another round.

Even though, not a perfect weekend, it was perfect to me. With Ava turning thirteen I feel my trips with her are reaching their limit quickly. I will take every one I can get, even if the weather is not perfect and if things do not go as planned. I hope we can squeeze a few more weekends in before the year comes to an end. Halle starts kindergarten tomorrow, so as far as we are concerned the summer is over for us.

Another Restaurant Review? No, Two.

2011-08-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

I will not lie, I love to eat. I think I have been very open about that on this blog. When I find a good meal, I like to share my experience with anyone that will listen. I need to tell you about two super places. I hope you all visit both. Sorry neither have websites, but both are on Facebook.

The first is Prost. Not Prost in Aberdeen Maryland, which is also way beyond good, but the one on Main Street in Frisco Colorado. Being about 80% German, I am drawn to any restaurant offering German food. Like the percentage of German in me, 80% of the time it sucks. To my total astonishment, Prost exceeded all my expectations.

The menu is simple Gausthaus fare of sausages, cucumber salad, potato salad, and an awesome Tellar plate(cheese, cured sausage, pickles, and bread). The draft beer is as good as it gets, real imported draft beer. We loved this place so much that of the seven days in Frisco, I visited five of them. Nothing like a weisswurst and a liter of beer at 9017 feet!

The second place needing to be highlighted is actually one of my five favorite restaurants (oddly two of my top five are in Taos) The Guadalajara Grill is a flat out 10ten10. The food is a perfect distillation of authentic Mexican and New Mexican cuisine. No bullshit TexMex here!!! I am always so excited when we pull up that I forget to take out my camera.

They have all the usual stuff on the menu and also some great specials. Chili beef colorado was my pick for the night. Not even a smear of sauce remained on my plate.

We come once or twice a year and this guy remembered me. He asked me why it has been so long since I came in, he even asked why I cut my hair off. I was astounded he remembered me, because lots of long hairs come in. I think it is in the dress code there. They do a brisk business and there must be a flood of faces. I told him I live in Baltimore and in all honesty it has not been that long. I asked if he would deliver to Baltimore. It is under consideration...

Once again, super clean operation. The place is no frills, but the kitchen is spotless, and food flawless. Just like the arrival excitement, once the food hits the table, I loose all focus of taking photos. Maybe next visit.

On (with) Reservation

2011-08-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have debated how to write about our visit to the Taos Pueblo. As someone of Anglo descent, I probably have no place talking about Indian affairs. I should probably keep my mouth shut and just talk about what a fascinating and educational visit it was. Unfortunately, this goes against my nature.

After many visits to Taos, we finally went over to the Pueblo to check it out for ourselves. A few visits ago we met a young man from the Pueblo attending the same wedding as us. In conversation, he told me if I every come back, to look him up and he would show us the "real Reservation life". He promised to take us to parts that very few Anglos were allowed. Unfortunately, Christopher has taken a job working in the gas drilling business out of state. He lined us up with a young lady that would show us around. Turns out she showed us the same three spots all the tour guides show the tourists. We saw the North Plaza above.

We saw the cemetery. This is said to be the spot where Federal troops bombed the church which was filled full of women and children. Some Pueblo inhabitants killed Charles Bent, governor of Taos and went there to hide. The Pueblo filled the church with human shields and in this game of Mexican Standoff, the Pueblo people lost. Since then, the church has only been used as a graveyard.

There is no electric or running water in the old part of the Pueblo. The houses are used only during feast days and important celebrations. Each family has their house for these times of use. Many families seem to have shops open during all the other days of the year. Cold coke, turquoise jewelry, silver jewelry, blankets, and all the usual indian tourist junk was for sale.

Many of the buildings are very picturesque. There is a great deal of restoration going on all over the old section.

Just about all the buildings are in very good shape for 1000 years old. However besides a few photo opportunities, there is not much to see. There is not much going on either.

All the buildings are closed off to the general public. All over the place there were signs saying "restricted area, no entry". For $40 for the family with the camera, I kind of expected to see a little something besides the outside of the Pueblo and the inside of tourist shop. Maybe if Christopher had been around to show us, it might had been different.

Somewhere half way through the tour, I realized we could have just looked at the photos on Google. I learned more about the Pueblo via Wiki than I did on our rather expensive 20 minute tour. The continuous line of cars pouring in must bring in a rather large amount of money each day. The casino at the entrance of the Reservation looks to be doing a swift business also. My impression of reservation life has always been of server hardship and poverty. I guess the Lakota should build themselves a Pueblo and offer up daily tours to the tourist like us. They too could have a captive audience.

Thares Gold in Dem Hills

2011-08-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Actually there isn't any gold. Well, there might be gold, but not in an significant quantities. There is however quartzite and some mineral deposits related to quartz formation in the area.

I learned later after this hike that had I gone a little higher on the mountain, I could have hunted for garnets. Oh, well, I was just out for a stroll, looking to see what I could and maybe finding some cool stones along the way.

Another fine day in northern New Mexico.

I could clearly see this old quartzite works 3/4 of the way up. It looked like a great destination.

Going up I followed what were just goat trails. Well, probably not goats, but something that makes a narrow twisting trail easier on four legs than just two. Though not as high up as Frisco Colorado was, the elevation kept me knowing that in my chest, I had a beating(throbbing) heart.

The ore bin was covered with images much like petroglyphs. I did not realize it, but a four wheel drive road lead right up to it. With a little determination, I probably could have driven the rental Camry right up to it. That's what rental cars are for right?

This is the stuff they were mining here in Pillar. That vein, which runs much wider in other area of the mountain, is quartzite. There is some cool mica seams running in the rock also. The waste rock looked like finely ground aluminum. It was actually kind of surreal. I could not seem to get a good photo of way it reflected light.

One thing about rock hunting is the constant scanning of the ground...

... the eyeballs get tired going from rock to rock. Tailing piles like this are places I love to search through. Often, in the hunt for larger deposits, the discarded rock hold some some very cool specimens. There are entire mining operations that do nothing but work the waste of previous operations.

The hike netted me a few interesting rocks, but it really netted me a nice relaxing morning in the mountains.

After the hike, I was very hungry. I thought I was in need of a tamale, so I stopped into Mary Janes. The item on the menu catching my eye was "the Mexican Burger". The tamale would have to wait. So would the chili rellano, the frito pie, and the burrito Rio Grande.

They tell me that for thirty years they have been serving up food in this same location. It is nothing fancy, but it is very friendly and extremely clean. The line of people stepping up to order and take away was brisk the entire time I was there.

So here is the Mexican Burger. It is your ordinary run of the mill patty fried till very well done. They then wrapped it in flour tortillas. There is cheese inside and on top, along with green chili sauce, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and more chilies. I have never had a burger so good in my life. Hands down, this concoction has blown all previous burger experiences away. I thought the street cart burger in Mexico City with bacon, ham, roasted pineapple, and hot salsa was the best, but Mary Janes Mexican Burger jumped clearly to the top.

This is not the last fantastic meal or adventure. Stayed tuned for more to come.

"it's just 'RAFTIN'"

2011-08-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Day two in El Prado and I felt my energy level rising like the morning sun. You can feel the solar power as soon as it hits your face. Warm, fresh, and a new. For some reason, I always notice it is a new day in Taos. Back home I just wake and begin my day. Jonathan had a high energy day planned for us. It was his daughter's seventh birthday, and as a celebration we were going to raft the Rio Grande.

I think the following song should be playing in the background as you read. I was humming, whistling, or singing it out loud all day long...

The Rio Grande grinds down through the mesa West of Taos. Almost as soon as it enters New Mexico from Colorado, it begins cutting down into the bed rock. It makes for some awesome rafting. Now my rafting partner, Perry, had to straighten me out about rafting. I kept calling it "white water rafting". All the "rafting" trips I have taken in my life, have always been "white water rafting". There were class III to class IV rapids involved, sometimes even some FIVERS. The chances of death are always in the cards. Every year some person does die in "white water rafting" mishaps on the Appalachian rivers . They just call it "rafting" here. When raging, you might get some class 2.5. It has been very dry in New Mexico, and the river is very low. So Perry, it is just "rafting".

So here is our crew, except for Leslie. Sasha, the birthday girl, is in the center. Jonathan in the white was our guide. Birch, standing to the right was along as was his daughter Adelaide. What a great bunch to spend the day with.

Perry and I got to take the kayak. Perry kicked butt all day long never slacking on the paddle. For a five year old, he put out a very impressive performance. He was also an excellent help at reading the class I rapids.

Halle was strictly along for the ride. Going for a ride down the river suited her well.

Sasha and her best friend Adelaide, sure enjoyed the ride too...

Occasionally the girls were asked to paddle. But pretty much the entire trip involved relaxing ..."across the Rio Grande O, across the lazy river"...

Our hosts. So much THANKS to both of you!!!

The whole family was a glow after the trip. What a way to have an awesome vacation. It is only half over. Life is real good in Northern New Mexico.

.."across the Rio Gande O, across the lazy river,. across the Rio Grande O, Across that lazy river"...

You Are Now Entering a Recharging Zone

2011-08-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Our Family reunion came to an end and since we were right next door to our favorite State(of mind) we headed South to Nuevo Mexico. Collectively our family was hoping to recharge it's batteries. Nothing nourishes the soul like New Mexico. First we needed to recharge the belly. First stop, some local, greasy spoon, for haute cuisine.

Beth's choice was a total classic. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, chilaquiles fits the bill. She managed to get half the plate in her before the gauge hit "FULL". I will let her off the hook, for nothing will fill you like this meal will.

I am a HUGE green chili cheeseburger fan. I ordered mine with, yep, the green sauce. When it came out smothered instead of gringo style(on a bun) I was totally stoked. Three fries remained on my plate. It was good and I was hungry.

The kids both had chicken fingers. I almost asked them to sit at another booth.

Next stop, El Prado. El Prado is a sleepy suburb of Taos. If you ever have been to Taos, you would understand the humor in that statement. Taos is as laid back as it gets and it couldn't pass for a suburb, let alone having a suburb.

Leslie and Jonathan have been allowing us to free load off of them for a few years now. We love staying with them because they make us feel like family and their house is so comfortable for us. We have many similar tastes and much of their house is identical to ours. We do not have a ski fence going however.

WARNING: This may get hippie dippie, touchy feely....

During a previous visit to Taos we met a man from the Pueblo. We were telling him how much we loved Taos and that we thought about moving there. The Pueblo People practice Catholicism, but also their original religion based on nature. He told us about the mountain and it's control over those who lived within her sight. He told us that if the mountain accepted you, life would be filled with happiness, but if it did not, no matter how hard one tried, life would always be very difficult. Eventually it would wear you down and that either you left or you would die. I did not really know if to believe the man or not, but often thought of what he had told us.

It has been very dry and hot in New Mexico all summer. When we arrived, so did a good long soaking rain storm. The land needed it, and it really cooled things down.

However upon the mountain something else arrived with us. One rainbow formed, then a second, and to my astonishment, so did a third. It almost felt like a sign to us. Was the mountain welcoming us back?

Chugga, Chugga, Eureka!!!!

2011-08-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

I am an absolute sucker for a steam train. I am just old(or young) enough to remember steam trains being used. Though their use was phased out by those nasty diesel electrics here in the United States, steam locomotives were used in many parts of Germany where I spent my younger days. My Oma lived very close to an industrial area where the little steam switch engines buzzed around day and night. I sometimes still hear their high pitched three tone whistle when I drift off to sleep.

When I found out we were going to be so close to the Georgetown Loop, I quickly added it to my personal agenda. Beth and Halle willingly went along for the ride, and Ava, well, she is thirteen now. There was no way she was going on any stupid train. Her and her Grandmother went shopping and did their nails together. We headed off for Silver Plume.

Honestly, I thought I might piss my pants when we pulled up to the station in Silver Plume. Right next to the car was Number 12 taking on water. I could feel the pulse of the boiler through the car door.

This narrow gauge Baldwin locomotive was built for the sugar plantations of Hawaii. It spent most of it's life hauling sugar cane. Luckily it was bought by a museum in Idaho and brought back to the main land. The only thing negative I can say about it, is it does not burn coal or wood. There is no coal in Hawaii and oil was easier to transport over. None the less, she is a beautiful locomotive.

So why is it called the Georgetown Loop? Because it is one of five rail lines that utilizes a loop track to drop the elevation it cannot do over distance. The train runs between Silver Plume and Georgetown which would require many more miles of track to drop the elevation. By looping it around and under itself they gain the distance needed.

It does this feat by using both sides of the canyon and this beautiful steel bridge. The bridge was rebuilt as was the railroad. It had all been torn up and sold for scrap when the mines played out.

Spectacular view. All that water is heading for the Atlantic. It has a long way to go, down the Mississippi, out through New Orleans, and into the Gulf of Mexico first.

Hey, we were just up there and now we' re down below.

A part I left out is the old Number 12 is too tiny a locomotive to pull us back up hill. A very rare, narrow gauge diesel switch engine is used to assist. They said only three of these type locomotives still exist. This is one, another sits on cribbing in the repair shop. The third is in a museum somewhere else. Not a big fan of diesel locomotives, but the way cool narrow gauge factor more than made up for it.

Next year this locomotive will be pulling the cars up the mountain. She will need no help with the task, for she is a Shay.

The Shay locomotive was built to tame mountain grades. Developed by the logging industry to climb grades with very level loads. Once this locomotive is done, she will be spectacular. The reason a Shay can climb such grades is due to geared drive wheels.

This is one of the three geared trucks. I am sure a return visit is in the cards.

Hopefully when I return this parlor car will be on the rails also. Man, do I enjoy a train ride.

I like rainbows too. A double rainbow was even nicer....

We visited another boomtown the day after the train ride. The full time population is zero here now but once it was 5,000. There are some seasonally occupied cabins in the area, but we saw no one. There is also a few operating claims here too. We saw no one, not even ghosts.

What we did find were many abandoned mines in the area.

Blown down and torn up stamp mills were a testimony to the gold and silver taken from this area.

The leaching tanks still sit where they did even though the entire building is fallen down around it.

Now somewhere in this general vicinity others have found gold. They did not find it all however. A little bit of it was left behind to be found by me. Now I just need to file those claim papers with the BLM. I will call my mine The Wandering Fool Mine.

More is to come soon. Hope you will stop back in soon....

Wandering

2011-08-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I like to wander. Unfortunately, often, I am not lost. As hard as I try, I always seem to find my way in the end. My most resent wandering was to Colorado and New Mexico. I did not have my camera cord with me and even though I took tons of photos, I was unable to share any of them with you. Now that I am home, I can share. There is a lot to get through, so be prepared for multiple posts about my trip.

We went to Frisco Colorado for a family reunion and despite the hundreds of photos on my camera, not one is a shot of the entire group. I will have to tell you all about the adventures we took while in Colorado instead.

Hiking was high on the list of activities. Before I get into the hiking I need to lay out some ground rules; We live at just under 200 feet above sea level. Frisco Colorado sits at 9097 feet above sea level. So? Well, at that elevation there is only 40% of the oxygen there is at sea level. For low landers, this factor can make any activity difficult. Just sleeping can be a challenge. Hiking up a mountain to 12,000 feet can be a super challenge on your second day up high. All my girls pressed on determined to make it to the top.

Another ground rule; you might see that damn shutter in the photo. I dropped my camera and the shutter does not always open automatically as it should. On the hike we went through an area where bristle cone pines used to be. Only a few dead trunks remain. If you do not know, the bristle cone pines are some of the oldest living things on earth. They grow very slowly in just a few locations. Unfortunately, this location is no longer one of them. They require a very specific micro climate and as our climate changes, so does the places they can exist.

We were able to press on through the thin air and make it to the top as a family. I was very proud of my girls. I was also proud of myself for making it. For 45 years I have abused my body and it was good to know I still had it in me.

See that point? That is where we were sitting in the previous photo. It does not look so far in the photo, but trust me, it was a serious hike.

I also got off on my own for some hikes. I enjoy rock hunting, prospecting, and exploring abandoned industry. Colorado is littered with these opportunities for me. It seems that just about anywhere you go, there is an abandoned mine or workings.

Virtually all of them are fully accessible if you desire. That desire has to be strong, for the danger is great if you enter. This horizontal shaft had a river flowing out of it. The water smelled of death and must contain a very high acid level. As far as I could see, nothing lived near the water which turned everything it contacted orange. This water flows right down to Lake Dillion. Lake Dillion is a reservoir for Denver. I guess all the snow melt coming from higher up dilutes it enough to be safe. I bet most people drink highly filtered water to be safe.

I also managed to stumble through some ghost town during my wanderings. No matter how far from the road I got, how deep in the woods, or high up on a mountain, there was always evidence of others having been there before.

Some of these ghost, or boom towns, had thousands of inhabitants at one point. They came chasing the gold, silver, lead, or other metals found in the rock. Most of them left when they found nothing but a thankless job surrounded by misery. How these men labored up in the thin air is beyond me. The lure of gold fever is a strong mistress I guess. I know it has me always scanning the rock formations and creek beds. I just know one of these days I will find my own claim.

Another awesome hike was to the top of Mt Evans. At 14, 258 feet, a guy like me learns all about that rocky mountain high John Denver sang about. I was so light headed the entire time I was up there. A total LEGAL HIGH!!!!

There is not too much higher than you, as far as you can see, you are the highest.

If you look really hard, you can see my house 1879 air miles away. It is right there in the center of the photo. Tan trim on a deep green body. Airstream sitting in the back yard...

Amazingly, there are things thriving up here on the mountain.

I do not know what these flowers are, but in contrast to the stark granites, they glow.

As we were about to leave the peak, a quick snow storm whipped through for about 10 seconds. Above the tree line, you can expect any weather situation.

Remember those bristle cones I was talking about earlier? Well, on the side of Mt Evans there is a huge grove of them. Though the center of the grove is healthy and thriving, the edges show that the grove is slowly moving down slope. I guess the micro climate is better there. It is a shame that it takes a thousand years for the tree to reach maturity.

There is plenty more to come. I have just begun to delve into this trip. Hope you will check in later.

Don't

2011-07-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the camera cord while on vacation. You might not be able to post about your trip.

Just saying....

I Wants

2011-07-10T03:50:00.000-07:00

I want to say "THANK YOU" to all those that attended. Everyone was an absolute pleasure to be around. The group dynamic was like no other I have encountered. After last years Bash, I thought it would all be down hill but instead, I feel we are on a smooth road, climbing uphill. It is my hope that everyone who attended this year will be with us for Bash III in 2012. The hosts have learned a lot and feel next years event can and will be even better that this years.

I also need to say "THANK YOU" to the Coopers. Their campground is just like it should be. I have often used the term "20 years out of date." That is a compliment not a put down. Coopers Lake Campground is out of date in the right way. They do not shoe horn you into a space where your awning is touching your neighbor. There are no concrete pads you must park on. They give you grass and trees instead. You can park where you want and this gives each rig their own version of an ideal site. The facilities are not fancy, but very functional. I kind of wish I had taken pictures inside their store. Slurpies, ice cream, and lots of candy for the kids. Sodas, lunchmeat, and even bread. Tools, hardware, and supplies to make repairs to your rig. Hammocks, lawn chairs, and folding chairs. If they do not have it in the store, you most likely can do without.

Their staff must be complimented also. They helped with anything we asked. They were always present without really being seen. If an issue came up, they took care of it instantly. They treated us very well and charged each of us very little to do it.

The Coopers were also very complimentary toward our entire group. We were told how polite our entire group was. They told us that our kids were all very respectful at the store. The Coopers also liked that we left our area so clean. The weekend before 2500 bikers had used the area we were in. They left behind a great deal of trash. Many in our group spent considerable effort to clean this stuff up. All of these small actions paid off in spades because the Coopers have made us an offer for next year we cannot pass on.

BASH III will be July 3-8 2012 next year at Coopers Lake Campground. Put it on your calendar.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA(and canadians too)

2011-07-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful sight it was every morning, to roll out of my trailer and see this across the lake. There is nothing like the early morning light for a photo. I often love to roam about snapping photos before the sun gets too high in the sky. Why get up so early? To cook breakfast for everyone. Coffee service began at 6 am.

A full breakfast was served at 8 am officially. Our volunteer staff was so efficient this year we were able to start serving earlier most mornings.

Doug and his Brother in law made a heck of a pancake team. Doug purchased that fancy pancake maker from a Club whose unit folded. I bet we served 600 pancakes over the four days time.

There was home fried potatoes, bacon, sausage links, and eggs to order. We even had corned beef hash one day. There is talk of sausage gravy or chipped creamed beef for next years menu.

But the key to the breakfast was third shift. The clean up crew made it all sparkle for the next morning.

Don made a tremendous contribution to our Saturday dinner. He began trimming six pork butts of all the fat and skin on Friday morning. He then applied a secret dry rub and let them rest in the refrigerator until mid night. For the next 18 hours they slowly cooked in his smoker. The pulled pork was unreal. Don drove a home run, touch down, and a bulls eye all at once.

Tom and Juliet know how much I like bacon. When they saw these at the Rustic Bakery they brought me back two. Maple glaze with smoked bacon. It was actually very yummy. I didn't eat them both. I cut them into pieces and passed them around.

Rose and Diana are two of the Scotty Camper Enthusiasts that joined us. They also came to last years Bash. These ladies make the best kettle corn. It is a perfect blend of sweet and salty.

The show that is part of making it is something to behold.

It gets very exciting to see all the kernels trying to jump out of the pot. With in moment their entire batch was in the hands of the masses. Everyone wanted a bag.

We had some fun activities for young and old. Model rocket workshop took place. I had kits of different skill levels. Hank was a tremendous help, having worked for Estees.

Even Antsy's posse got into the building of rockets.

Here is the group of rockets I helped the kids with. This kit is the Zippy. They were real nice flying rockets.

Sig had three of his kids building rockets. I think all three built different kits. He said he was about 10 the last time he did this. I suspect Sig will be building rockets and launching them in the near future at home.

I know Bill will be. He had a great time building them and launching. His daughter Gabby launched hers four times I think.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

LIFT OFF!!!!!

Lisa put together a tye dye party. It is so fun to tye dye. Young and old were dying shirts.

Groovy Bash wear.

Some very creative shirts were produced.

There was face painting. Hanna gave her sister Rebeca an awesome face painting in honor of the Fourth of July and Wally's birthday.

Obie the Clown also did face painting. He showed us how a clown paints his face.

I never knew there were so many steps to doing it. The whole show he did was to demonstrate that clowns are not scary as some kids think. What a great performance and lesson. Obie is awesome and a damn good clown too.

Thanks Obie.

"X" Marks the Spot

2011-07-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

Every treasure map has a giant "X" marking where the the treasure is hidden. Last week the "X" was over Coopers Lake Campground. Under that "X" marking the spot was a huge treasure just waiting to be found. It was mostly silver.

A good number of others also saw the spot marked by the "X". No matter how many times I see trailers rolling in, I get very excited by each and every one of them. Obie stopped everyone on the road and took them around in his golf cart. We wanted to make sure each and every attendee got the perfect site. What makes a perfect site? Each attendee had different parameters of what constitutes a perfect site. Do you want full sun? Water front? Deep shade? Morning sun? Right next to the bath house? We could accommodate just about any situation.

It took very little time for everyone to begin socializing. Many of the attendees have known each other from the past. Some have never met before. In the end, everyone got to know each other very well.

There was great deal of sitting out in the front yard talking with the neighbors.

Even the pets socialized. We let Tim our of his cage to stretch his wings. He was beside himself. The parrot enjoyed getting out too. That parrot liked me, she kept whispering dirty words in my ear. I did not know say when she said "ahhh, hey big boy, want a kiss?"

Some practiced their Tai Chi lakeside. I actually think Rick was worried the IBT would see him having fun instead of slogging through another meeting at the International. We gave Rick 5 amps of power even though he did not ask for it. Sorry Rick, your back in the 5 amp section again.

Thoung(brother if I spelled that wrong forgive me) was smiles from ear to ear. He was always smiling. Thoung brought his family to Bash I last year. It was their first rally. So nice to see so many repeat offenders.

Even the dogs were in bliss with the Bash. No yappers or snappers in the mix. Thank you dog owners for cleaning up behind them. If we could get the Bikers group from the week before to do the same we would have a real good thing.

Only a few boats were put in the lake. I hope to see that number increase next year. Hopefully some of them will be RC boats. I know I will not be forgetting my RC boat next year.

"YO!, DONAL! How much fun ya havin?"

We even had a handful of SOB's in the crowd. This is "Scotty Grove." There were a few Scotty enthusiasts that came. Anyone is welcome at the Bash. One of those Scotties is now for sale because the owners went out during the Bash and bought a 2011 Flying Cloud. They told Ace "If this is what Airstreaming is, we want in. That is how you recruit new members. " My 1960 Fan can be seen to the right. It was Antsy' guest quarters.

Everyone was coming together. I was so proud I cried (literally).

I found Bounder Buddy

2011-07-06T03:23:00.000-07:00

After many years of searching he has been located. Bounder Buddy was a frequent caller to the Vintage Airstream Podcast. He suddenly dropped off the map. I found him full timing at Coopers Lake Campground. Even though I knocked, he would not let me in.

Bash Bound II (there is another post entitled "bash bound")

2011-07-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a significant mile marker, roadside attraction, or point of interest that mentally registers that the journey has begun. Heading west, I cross under this bridge on I-70. The Appalachian Trail crosses over right here. I always get excited going under this bridge. For a full year, the anticipation of hosting the Birthday Bash has weighted heavily on me. The day had finally arrived and it was time to put plans into action. I was westbound. I was Bash II-bound.

Sideling Hill is also one of these significant landmarks. Sideling Hill is where the Piedmont ends and where Western Maryland begins. Now, this technically may not be totally correct, but once you go through the Hill, you have entered a totally different part of Maryland.

This cut through the Alleghenies is very impressive, slicing through 340 feet of solid rock. I generally stop here to take care of business. The view from up here is spectacular on a clear day. When heading East, I always know that in two hours I will be home. I was heading west, and I knew that in two and a half hours I would be at Ace's house. Westbound it was, Ace-bound it was also. It was a beautiful sunset as I got back on the road.

The next day, Ace and I headed out very first thing in the morning for Coopers Lake Campground, the site of this year's Birthday Bash. We headed North from Bethel Park and across the Ohio River. Why is the "Ohio" River in Pennsylvania? Nice bridge, smooth tow. Anna seems to be towing very smoothly these days. It must be the new jalousie windows.

We pulled into the campground and began getting things set up. This was the view from my front door. It would soon be obscured by a bunch of silver trailers.

Our Parking Czar, Obie, showed up soon after we did, followed by the third Bash host, Steve. Things were quickly falling into place.

Just a little foreshadowing; The view from my front door on Day Two.

Late Spring Tour of Rockwell Avenue

2011-06-15T01:45:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post one for the gardner types. Spring is virtually over in Maryland and with it comes many things I love. This is my favorite flower. I cannot remember the name of it. About 10 years ago I dug it up along some railroad tracks in South Baltimore. It was a shinning beam of light in a wasted landscape. It has thrived in our yard. It is an annual plant and the seeds move around in the gardens at will. We never know where it will pop up next.

We have been adding edible plants into the flower beds. Blueberries have awesome fall color. The fact you can eat them makes it even better. This is the first year for this Polaris bush.

I generally pick non hybrid plants when I select fruit bearing items. These native Brunswick Blue were chosen for the texture of the plant. The fruit could not taste more like a blueberry should. One berry for the first year.

Ten years ago I planted a dozen asparagus crowns. We eat it from early April until mid june when it starts getting woody. Our patch gives us about 3 pounds every three days. Good thing I love asparagus as I do.

The tomatoes are all with fruit now. Not too much longer and standard lunch in our house will be tomato sandwiches. Dinner will be accompanied by tomato salad. All visitors will go home with tomatoes too.

Ah, the garlic. I was lucky to be given some garlic from Baker's Acres of Chenango. Instead of eating it, I planted it on the shortest day of the year. Harvest day is coming very soon. Never has the garlic crop looked so good.

And finally the peas. This year they were a very short crop. Normally we harvest a few weeks. This year, we picked them twice before they were done. Oh, well. More space to plant fall crops in.

Weekend to SlowMarVa and An Unfortunate Rant.

2011-06-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have been chastised for being too direct in this blog. If you are a minor or if you are easily offended, please stop reading now. What I am about to present to you just might contain a few strong images. There may be a few bad word seen and written in my text. I just want to be open about this. My intended reader is an adult not a child. I do intend to rant just a little too.

No matter how many times I go over this bridge, I am always amazed by her. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a beautiful structure. The view from the center is simply astounding. By now I must have 200 different photos of Anna, in tow, going over the bridge. I even have a number of photos going under it on the numerous fishing trips I have done on the Bay.

The weather has been very hot this past week. Work has been beyond stressful for me and compounded with the heat, a weekend away from it all was needed. A weekend at the beach had been planned over a year ago, thank God!!! Schools were closing early all week due the heat wave, so we took off a little early. Normal post so far? Well, here it comes...

We learn things from our parents, for better or worst. Beth's Mother cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, go to the Shore without stopping at a farm stand. I think it was her own Mother that instilled this in her. More on Mrs Hardy later, but Beth's Mom cannot resist "The Farm Stand". The word "STAND" is really painted over the word "SHAM". Beth, like her Mother, cannot resist the roadside farm sham. The Farm Sham in the photo above is not the culprit of my rant, but it implores the same tactics. "LOCAL PRODUCE" Hello, it is June... I plant way early for Maryland and my tomatoes are only blossoms at this point. Even though the Eastern Shore is three weeks ahead of us, there are no local tomatoes. The cantaloups, corn, cucumbers Beth felt compelled to buy, were all trucked in from the wholesaler. Beth asked, "are these local?" To be told "yes, I grew em myself". All I heard in my head was "LIAR!!!!" I held my tongue, because like I said, Beth cannot resist. Liar, Lair, old man, I hope your dick catches on fire.

Okay, back to the regular post...

We headed to Milburn Landing. I told you all about this place a few posts back.

What a lovely park it is. The Pocomoke is a beautiful river. The fish were jumping like I have never before seen. Huge fish were jumping at bait fish.

And we had the entire place to ourselves. No one but us. We left the trailer at the park and headed out first thing in the morning to do some sight seeing and some trailer hunting. I love driving back roads and see where we end up. I actually had an appointment to look at some trailers. We found a lot of candidates. Many cards were left on many back doors.

We wandered into Parksley. They have a railroad museum there.

It was too early in the day to go into the museum and there was not too much outside in the yard to see. We wandered around however.

It was kind of groovy.

Things for the kids to climb on. No one around to say, "Hey, get off of that"

The caboose was really cool. They should lock it up like the rest of the stuff.

Surprisingly, both my girls enjoy this stuff. We all liked Parksley very much. It was a surprise in what Ava would describe as "the middle of nowhere interesting." We actually made note of the local realtor.

As I said, I had an appointment. As soon as I turned the corner I knew it was worth while for me to come down here. I am not saying where we are. Sorry, but I just do not want the vultures sweeping in.

Because this is HEAVEN to me.

And this guy is one the coolest dudes I know. (Sorry, Don, you are the deepest. This guy is cool). Ben has a very cool collection of toys. He is a total kid at heart and loves to show his toys off. Many would call Ben a hoarder, and he is, but he has a very distinct taste in things. His yard is not filled with trash, it is filled with objects of beauty. The items he collects are very interesting to me. He has a thing for Cushman' of all sorts. Mini bikes, three wheeled bikes, dump trucks, delivery trucks, anything Cushman was in his yard. Funny thing, it almost all starts right up. Another thing Ben likes; Busses and campers.

In 1947 this bus ran daily between Richmond and Salisbury. It had to take a ferry each way.

With the push of a button it started right up. Within seconds it had the air tank full and was purring like a kitten. Four cylinder diesel motor.

In the 1970's an owner turned it into a house bus.

He retained many of the original items.

It all works. No power steering here. It takes many revolutions of the wheel to make a turn. The air brakes stop her on a dime. I so much want this bus I offered my entire family in trade. Anna too.

Far from trash if you ask me. Before you ask, "You do not have enough money to make it happen" I already tried. My personal line of credit is fairly large. Ben is serious, this rig, NotFuckingforSale!!!

But this was. Or is, we have not exchange the cash yet. Photos to come soon. Probably NFS when you ask me. It is a 1947.

Ben has a number of trailer. A lot of bikes too. Some bikes he has are very cool.

Two Scotty in the yard.

1959 Cardinal.

58 Avion.

I was all over it until I saw this. I think that is a little more "road history" than I care for. If the interior had been more intact, I probably could look past this. Maybe. It's just a little aluminum and a bunch of hours.

Cool ass Cushman patina...

American Pickers would love this place. Mike would be flipping out over the bikes. I have avoided posting most of them. The box of old cans I noticed would have had Frankie covering his crotch so no one would see how aroused he was. Ben is not the least bit interested in Mike and Frankie stopping by.

Do you like motorized bikes? Ben does. How about Harley?

He offered to let Beth take a spin.

NOW THAT, IS A BLUE DOT TAIL LIGHT!!!!!

Ben, if you read this, thank you so much for showing me your toys. I sure hope we can play together real soon.

Almost...

Okay, here comes a rant....

Our destination for the weekend was the beach. If you want to camp at the beach in Maryland, you will have to go to Assataegue. Either the State Park or National Park are the choices nothing else. Both are extremely popular.

Many love to come here and see the ponies. Maybe you read Misty of Chincoteague as a kid.

People love to see the ponies. They stop their cars in the middle of the road to take photos. "Whoa, look Brandene, them what be wild horses" Unfortunately I hate the ponies. I would love to eat them. I bet low and slow they would taste great.

Explaining this to Halle was a treat. This was going on a lot this weekend in the campground. Nothing like a little pony sex show. To think I didn't even have to go to Nuevo Laredo to see it. Another thing that goes on is lots of shitting. The ponies love to come visit your campsite with a cloud of flies. They always leave lots of presents when they move on. If your real lucky, your site is where they all congregate. It is so picturesque. "Look Brandene, them horses come ta visit!" They like to shit collectively in one area. They then take turns pissing in the same spot. If you are real lucky, you might have the same site where they choose to do this. The smell of equine urine and salt air is simply relaxing.

We did however muddle through the shit and make it to the beach. Did I mention Ava just turned Thirteen? Well she did. She is no longer my little girl. The beach, Grade A for sure. The water was cool, but not cold.

Halle could not get enough of the water. She was very happy to sit right where the waves ended and take it all in. All three of my girls love the beach. I think it comes from Beth's Grandmothers influence. I mentioned Mrs. Hardy earlier.

Beth's Grandmother began coming to Ocean City for the season back in the late 40's. During those boom years, it was very common for the Wife and Children to "go down the ocean" for the summer. This was a time before air conditioning, the kids were out of school. Either you escaped the heat at the beach, or you had to go to the mountains. Beth's Grandmother never missed a summer until she passed on in 2000. Beth and I would go just about every other weekend and stay with Mrs. Hardy. We enjoyed the free place to stay and she enjoyed having us there. We were her excuse to walk down to English's Chicken and get some fried chicken. In the last few years of her life I was the one to drive her and her two blue suit cases down. The geraniums would fill the back of the truck.

She lived in Ocean City when it was a very different place than it is now. Very little of old Ocean City remains. This incredible survivor is now a head shop. Every thing changes. For many years after Mrs. Hardy died we did not go to Ocean City. Assateague is right down the road, so we thought we would take the kids to ride the rides and see the boardwalk...

... maybe eat some junk like we all did.

Another survivor of old Ocean City is almost at the beginning of the boardwalk. Trimper Rides has been a land mark since before Beth's Grandmother began coming.

I wonder how many generations have laughed in front of these mirrors.

How many times the dog has pranced around this carousel and the horse has galloped around to never reach the end. This is the real deal here. Hand carved, painted in a folk art manor with thousands of little clear glass screw in bulbs. I sure hope this never changes.

Halle loved her rooster.

There are some more modern rides like the Himalaya. Ava loves this ride. There is nothing like good old fashioned centrifugal force. Yeah, that and $3 in tickets...

Ocean City has changed a great deal. Not too many years ago this was all two or three story individual houses. Families rented them for the entire season. Kids had their friends on the beach year after year. Beth grew up doing this at her Grandmothers place. Now it is all commercial spaces on the ground level with weekly rentalsabove. The commercial spaces are full of henna tattoo t shirt hermit crab hooka pipe sunglass discount airbrush license plate your name on a grain of rice all you can eat and drink by the bucket kind of places. It has become seedy too.

Do not misunderstand me, I love seedy. This kind of seedy is not the good kind. Unfortunately just after this photo my battery in the camera died. I really wanted to take photos of our dinner. I am just going to say avoid the Angler on Dorchester Street at all costs. The food is VERY expensive and FUCKING SUCKS!!!!! Our waitress was great though. Thanks Megan. Make sure the boss sees this.

Did I tell you how much I dislike the ponies? If you look at the road you can see the nice presents left. In the grass is one of those collective fecal urine areas. A virtual "shit hole." A few times a day someone came by to spread the shit and scrap the road. Nothing like road side service.

Nothing like crossing back to the Western Shore either.

Spring on Rockwell Avenue

2011-05-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have a number of gardeners who read this blog. I thought I might share a few shots of my other hobby.

We have been very fortunate this year. Spring has lasted over a month now. Generally spring comes and gives in to summer within a week or two. This year has been spectacular. We almost turned the AC on today, so I am sure summer is right around the corner.

Virtually every plant you see came from our good friends at Radmer Farms in Denton MD. Anthony and I used to be landscapers many years ago and have remained friends ever since. His wife Debbie and he have a very nice nursery. They grow for the trade and allow me to come shop from time to time.

When we bought our house, there was nothing in our yard. There was only two holly trees. All the rest or the yard was a blank slate. Major changes in eleven years' time.

Beth and I love our flowers. The baptisia is really awesome this week.

Six years ago that birch was only 6 feet tall. It has been moved twice. I do not think it will get moved again.

Hope you enjoyed the little stroll around the yard.

Oh, Yeah. Signs II

2011-05-15T17:18:00.001-07:00

Is this legal in America?

I Seem to Forget the Name of the Place.

2011-05-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life I feel a strong inclination to not reveal my location. I really do not want to see people flood the place. There is already a bit of second and third home building going on here. For years now, Beth and I have been wanting to relocate. We live in the suburbs of a very large city and have yearned to live in a small town. We have explored many Western States thinking it to be the right direction to go. Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Arizona were all strong contenders. New Mexico was leading the fight for many years. I think Virginia just knocked them all off of the list.

We had the pleasure of going to Central Virginia for a little rally. The rally was at someone's family log cabin. Pretty cool to inherit such a beautiful place. What a treat to be able to camp there. Thank you for the honor.

For the first 24 hours it was totally overcast and rainy. The weather never damped anyone's spirits. The weather did however obscure the mountains...

and the mountains behind the mountains. In that general direction is Walton's Mountain. There is no Walton's Mountain on the map, but the one they called Walton's Mountain in the TV show is over yonder.

We absolutely fell in love with this place. The sound of the river lulled me to sleep each evening and even during my nap on Saturday. The air was clean and fresh. I was sold by the fact that the entire county only has one traffic light. What more can you ask for? Still not revealing where we went. Okay, it is Fairfax County, everyone should move there. Oh, right, they already do.

Well, not all went as planned.

I managed to get Anna a little too close to a tree. It was a big old walnut tree. The tree won.

The porch light lost.

As did both jalousie windows.

The entire lower window is destroyed as is most of the top one. The frames are twisted and both will require major surgery. I am very doubtful they will ever be right again. All I can hope is that someone has a wrecked trailer I can glean some parts from. Anyone? Please?

Lovely huh?

Are You Trying to Tell Me Something?

2011-05-08T01:30:00.000-07:00

I often find myself saying "WTF? Do you really have to tell me that?" I always read the signs I encounter. It is incredibly difficult to avoid this sort of visual pollution. Though we are not as bad as the Japanese, we have a great deal of it. Often I make a concerted effort to do exactly what they tell me not to do...

No, actually I am not there. I was right next to the sign, but never was I right there. I have considered writing this on my shoe so I will always know where I am. What's that saying everyone loves? "All you wander are not lost." It is the full quote that has a real bearing on my life, not just the wandering part.

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
— J.R.R. Tolkien (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Is the awareness month taking a stand for or against the consumption of alcohol? The colors are rather faded on the sign. I have a feeling it has been alcohol awareness month for a while now. The irony of this sign is that on the opposite corner there was a liquor store. The lot was full of cares looking to become aware. I am sure some were hoping to forget all they were aware of.

Yep, broke that rule twice. Honestly, I did not see the sign until the second time. At that point it was water under the ferry.

Permit? Is that another way of saying "pay the fee?" BYOB, but collect the fee before you pass go. I think I have my permit somewhere around here... Honey, where's my passport?

This one is my favorite. I always wonder if this guys Jesus loves me so much, why must I be told over and over. If I were, wouldn't I already know it? The answer is "yes, I have been saved," just not like you have. Everyone needs a hobby and many need a cause to get behind.

den sjätte och slutliga posten av min semester

2011-05-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

I do not like saying the phrase "good bye." I either skate out without a word or say "see ya soon". There are other deviations, but "good bye" is so permanent sounding to me. Unfortunately all good things come to an end and Thunder and Anna were forced to part ways.

We took the bridge over the Tappahannock and headed North West. Thunder headed due North over the Bridge-tunnel we had crossed seven days previously. It was a gloomy day and our spirits were in the same state. There was no turning these lemons into margaritas, we were homeward bound. We needed a side trip to break up the funk of saying "see ya".

Most would pass this house and think how fortunate it was not theirs. This country is covered with houses just like this. Once someone sat on the porch proudly. Today it is left to slowly rot into the ground. By todays American standards this is a shack. Once it was someone's home. I cannot help but look at these houses and think of all the good times that must have been shared there. The births, deaths, birthdays, anniversaries.

The memories in this house also make me wonder. It was here that our first President was raised. George was actually the forth generation on this plantation. He went on to have his own plantation further up the Potomac. Having visited both, the view here is much better.

I wonder how many times he must have run through the door looking out on Pope Creek. He couldn't have run through that door. The real house burnt down. This one is close to what historians think it looked like. You understand my thoughts though.

To walk the same paths and be on the same property.

This was a very prosperous plantation in the day. It never reached the status of Mount Vernon, but it still did well. Maybe if Augustus Washington has opened a distillery he might had made it bigger. He just stuck to tobacco.

We had not planned on coming here. Honestly, we had no idea it was here. We saw a brown National Park sign and turned right. Very glad we did, the kids got another stamp in their National Parks Passport and the parents got to experience something they never knew existed. There is something to be said for making an unexpected right turn and seeing what is over the next hill. Thank you Wally Byam for teaching me the value of this. I will never look at a wrong turn as anything but an opportunity to see the unexpected.

We glided over the Potomac into Maryland. As we did the whole trip seemed to come to an end. Within minutes we were in thick traffic on 301. The worries about work flow and cash flow and everything else I had left home eight days previously came back like the rising tide. I wanted so badly to just take the next right turn and the one after that....

公佈 5 號 (you follow the pattern by now)

2011-05-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Music has a major part in my life. Often a single song can effect my entire day. This song by Dave Mason set me in the mood for this post so perhaps you will listen as you read. Sorry for the bimbo in the beginning that ruins the entire lead up Dave is going for. The song rocks though and is something I try hard to do every single day of my life.

We shipped out of Ocracoke to begin the journey North again. The week was coming to an end and honestly I needed to do something besides RELAX.

The ferries were unusually empty unlike the previous times we used them. I think bike week was over and traffic had thinned out. Maybe the Outerbanks was trying to make our leaving easier.

The terns even guided us off the island.

Ava wanted me to know I need to touch up the polish on Anna. She is such a teen now. The cold water showers at the camp ground were labeled "unacceptable" and thus required me to buy an extra 100 foot hose to actually reach the spigot. A hundred foot hose at an island hardware store... bend me over, here it comes. We had to fill the tank often. My girls all use way too much water.

The aliens in Frisco said bye to us also.

Is that triple legal? These folks from Texas think so. You are looking at 75 plus feet of rig going down the road.

Our next camp site was New Port News Park. This was the first place we ever camped at with Anna. Halle fell out of the trailer and busted her head on the asphalt here. The WDCU was having it's installation rally and we had a great time despite the head crackin. That was over four years ago and my God have priorities changed in my life. As then, once again, I highly recommend this place. Very nice wooded sites and clean, clean, clean. Not as much privacy here, and when busy, it would be rather crowded. This is still far more space than afforded in any KOA. New Port News is a great launching off point to see the Historic Triangle. That is what they call Yorktown, Jamestown and Williamsburg. When in Rome, do as the tourists do.

We first hit Yorktown. This is where one of the most decisive battles of the Revolutionary War was fought. We opted to hit the National Park instead of paying to enter the Yorktown Victory Center. The Victory Center is a commercial venture that has a location at Jamestown also. I suspect they also control Williamsburg. The kids ran up and down the earthworks while we tried to figure how the movie version of the battle worked into where we were.

The collection of cannons was very nice. I was struck though by how little information there was on the battle field itself. I guess there is no money for signs here to at least give a little info on what happened where. Yorktown was very important to the entire Revolutionary War. A little more importance to the site is needed in my opinion. Maybe if the Park Service turned it into another Disney Land it might get a few signs and some guys in stuffed soldiers uniforms shaking hands with Mickey.

We next visited Jamestown. The real Jamestown, not the recreated one. Here is a bronze model of what the settlement was like in the day.

We were fortunate to arrive just as Sara the Chicken Lady began her tour. She was a perfect enactor that never once stepped out of character. Her colorful insights into Jamestown life really brought it to life for us. She was an indentured servant brought over to care for her Masters chickens. The short and skinny; we got it real good.

Very recently archeologists found the actual Fort that historian thought had been lost to the river. The walls are exactly where the original ones were. It is amazing to walk the same streets that such early Americans did.

It was a very tough life here at Jamestown and most of the settlers died behind these walls.

Captain Smith was a resident that went on to chart much of the Eastern parts of North America. As a teen I read his journals. John Smith had big balls and a jumbo sized horse shoe was imbedded up his back side. He skated death many times and lived a life of high adventure. He was helped by Pocahantis.

Not sure why she guided him. I guess love is blind. Maybe she liked a guy in uniform. How history could had been changed had her people not helped the English. We would have been speaking Spanish 300 years ago instead of today.

Moving on...

To happy hour... We not only ate very well, we managed to have happy hour each and every afternoon. Hey, now, we are civilized Neanderthals! We, we, we. Who is we?

Amanda at the beginning of happy hour. Always with that warm inviting smile.

Me during happy hour. Yes, short hair. I cut it all off. Short, clean cut, even mistaken as "the Man" Yep, Someone took me as an undercover cop. If your reading Rob, it is shorter than yours.

Now Don knows how to have a real happy hour. I want to use this venue to announce my astounding love for Don. He is truly a great friend, and I am so honored to know him. In case he does not realize I feel this way, now he does. Don always lives up to Dave Mason's song.

Beth, my wonderful wife. She ponders the lack of reservations and total lack of a plan. Though totally out of her comfort zone, she was such a trooper.

Troopers? That is Ron Vance. Ron lives 15 minutes from me. We have talked via email a few times. Of all places, I run into him here. Nice 70's rig there, I suspect it is a Cali unit though. Just joking, I love Cali trailers.

We also went to Williamsburg. I will apologize right now. I came to distain Williamsburg in 6 short hours.

You will notice the badges we are all wearing. Without a badge $38/ day badge you see nothing except the street. Somewhere in the past 13 years since we came here, Williamsburg has become a Disney type attraction. You wait in long lines to be funneled into a gift shop followed by a 30 second ride. Sorry, you Disney fans, but that is the experience at both places for me. Spend a bunch of money to wait in a que to spend more money for a brief experience. When we were here before, one could walk around freely. There was not a costume shop on every corner trying to sell to the kids. There was not a family entrance fee equal to a days pay either. I guess I am either getting cheap or places are feeling more exploitive to me. Williamsburg has truly become one of those places for me.I hope the money they pried out of me was worth it, because I will probably never return even though this period in our history fascinates me the most.

During this time, a man built his entire house using an axe. An axe was the one and only tool a settler would need to provide everything for his family.

Hand split singles look like nothing a machine can produce. He and his children might spend a year splitting singles and three foot long boards to build a house. Everything was done by ones self. A pound of nails was worth a years wage for a frontier settler.

Houses were small and everyone lived in the house. Often livestock did also.

If he had some money, he might afford an adz to turn logs into cabin sides.

If he was really put together, he might afford a city house like this one.

This guy was very put together. Each addition is another generation. Which house do think was the first generation? The smallest one.

Every board was made by hand. No power tools, lumber yards, or saw mills back them. Just men and lots of time.

Even the paint was made using elbow power. Pure iron oxide and linseed oil. Crude but very effective.

But the law was made by the men of means. This building(the original burnt down three times) was where they wrote such laws to govern us all. It is also from this building that the choice to not follow the rule of the crown occurred. A beautiful building it is and the subtle colors of the woodwork really caught my eye.

I am sorry if in any way I detracted from your Williamsburg experience. I tried my best to get it off my chest as quick as possible and move on. Go, see it for yourself, just transfer some savings into checking before you go. Practice a great deal of patience also.

Everyone of us had a great time none the less. There is something at Williamsburg well worth the cost. At the edge of the historic district is the Rockefeller Folk Arts Museum. As previously, it was high on the list of must sees for us.

I love all the weather vanes on display.

It is a rather extensive collection.

Things like this are just not made any more and those that are will last a fraction of the time these have.

Nor will they be collected someday.

Advertising will never be the same either.

The carvers are all computer driven now. Very few craftsman can do this work today.

Why bother to learn how, the Chinese will do it cheaper until the skills are all gone .

You looking at me? I don't think your looking at me. Stop looking at me.

The carousel animals are all made of fiberglass now.

And very few artist can release the soul trapped in a block of wood.

We are all seeking our block of gold the easiest way possible these days.

Even Saint Nicholas is a part of this change. Man, what a dour note I have gotten off on. Sorry.

If you love folk art like I do, the collection here is awesome. It is not for everyone, but for me, it is special.

This is my favorite object. It is a record player.

When cranked up, not only does it play music, but it's tongue moved back and forth to give the feeling it is singing. It also winks it's eye every now and then. People just do not build things like this any more. We were so glad to have visit the collection again.

We made a correct turn going back to the campground and happened upon this place. It is a commercial venture called Presidents Park. It was closed and had little appearance of opening soon.

We almost jumped the fence. The fence had a huge hole in it and there was not one sign warning of trespassing. Ava was so worried about getting caught that we didn't. Ava is the one in the group that follows the rules. She is a good kid.

There just might be another post coming. I promise to have a more positive attitude next time.

Έναρξη αριθμός 4 (yes, it's Greek to me also, #4)

2011-05-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

So what do you do on an island 9.6 square mile? RELAX. There is not a ton of stuff to do besides relax.

Ever want your own beach? On Ocracoke, you can have it. I know this is off season, but there is no development for about 4 miles in that direction. The entire beach is vacant except for the occational surf fisher.

The water was not too bad even in April. Halle went right in. Even if it was January she would probably go in the water. This is my little hippie daughter who prefers to go bare foot even in winter.

No development except the ferry terminal in that direction either. Just clean beach and about 50 million mosquitos. I will save those island residents for a later.

Donal had this wicked high flyer kite. I do not know the brand, but that kite just lifted right up and went. I was flying my dollar store kite at the same time. It too was willing to go to the end of the string.

My other kite, though it looked great would only hover 30 feet off the ground. Damn Harbor Freight $10 kite. I really should have known better.

The village of Ocracoke has a very picturesque harbor. Edward Teach aka Black Beard used to sail through that harbor channel back in his day. He actually used the island as his hide out for a while. The British had big boats with a deep draft but Black Beard had a shallow draft boat. His boat could navigate the shallow shoals found in the Outerbanks and the back bays behind.

There is a light house to see. With two parking spaces at the light house and no parking allowed on the street, we never got to see the light house. The locals all ride bikes and the week long tourists all rent golf carts. I guess parking spaces for a 3500 Dodge like mine are not very important.

We did enjoy a nice ice cream cone on the pier after our three hour tour of the island. It was so yummy, butter pecan was my choice. We then went looking for some fresh fish. Easy task on a fisherman's island right? NO, not easy at all. We went to the fish house three days in a row and "no fish today." Oddly, even the grocery store didn't even have frozen shrimp. There was frozen frozen fish sticks though. We ended up buying ribs instead.

Ever see my Texas smoker? There is is. Three hours in the smoke followed by two in Anna's oven.

Oh, yeah baby! That's how it's done son! A little of Marcus's Dad's sauce on the side... Absolute heaven in porcine form.

We ate well at every meal. Oddly, we only ate out once for dinner and twice for lunch during the entire trip. Food just tastes so good while camping. The love that goes into it blends well with the fresh air and gets the taste buds all worked up.

Three days were spent eating, drinking, and of course RELAXING.

Now we did get our fish and it was local, however we had to take the ferry to Hatteras and drive an hour up 12 to find it. It was so worth the wait and the journey.

I hope these posts have been worth the wait. There are at least two more to come. Stay tuned.

Publique Numero Tres ("Three" for all you non linguas)

2011-04-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

The next day we headed South even further. The Tar Heal State. Now I had to go look that one up. No concrete explanation unfortunately, just speculation.

I sure do know why they call Maryland the land of pleasant living. Having a few as I write this from the back yard...

Instead of posting a blurry photo, I have lifted this one from the Currituck BBQ Company's site. We all ate some North Carolina BBQ in North Carolina and it was pretty good. Lunch was short and sweet then right back on the road.

I hope I do not have to explain Grave Digger to you. Okay, Grave Digger was old school monster truck when I was a kid and the so called sport started. I saw Anna looking cute for that early generation truck in the yard.

He was grinning back, all country boy bashful, over the hot city girl.

He was puffin out and looking tough.

Givin her the wink.

Grave Digger was so bad ass at the first Monster Truck show I ever went to. Monster trucks are way more sophisticated now. Wonder if this was the one I saw and cheered on. I wonder how many of those old panel truck bodies they went through.

Anna and Thunder rolled further on South and onto the Outer Banks. Smooth driving, exit stage right, enter, slow, Harley infested, tourist not knowing where there going , weekend of Easter, weekend traffic. We worked our way South on 12. Lots of "12" stickers. Even more "OBX" stickers. I have never seen an Impko OBX water decal.

The drive South was followed up with a nice long que at the ferry to Ocracoke. Time to make lemonade? Nay, squeeze limes for margaritas.

Show time...

It started with a three hour tour, but the weather never starting getting rough. The little ship was never tosses. If wasn't for that fearless crew, the ferry never even got close to being lost.

Once on Ocracoke we made camp as quickly as we could at the National Sea Shore Park. The grill was fired up and some burgers put on for the adults while the kids ate mac and cheese with hot dogs. Big smiles and full bellies all around.

We were smiling, the flag was smiling,...

Even the man on the moon was smiling.

Good night Thunder. Goodnight Anna. Good night John boy.

Post #2

2011-04-30T04:54:00.000-07:00

All road to good intentions are paved in gold, but few take you to your intended destination. I never wrote again after day one and a week has passed since we returned home. I am human and I often fail to do the things I intend. Sorry. I also found adding photos to what I write to not work well for me either. I now intend to go back to my old ways. Hopefully, I will post more often this way.

We intended to meet Don and we did. I will tell you, the entire family was so happy to see Thunder (I just realized I might be assuming; Thunder is short for Vintage Thunder. That is the name of Don and Amanda's trailer given to her by Rich Lurh, one of her previous owners) come rolling down route 50. It was like seeing your favorite family members arriving home after too long away.

The loose plan was to attend a BBQ festival and unfortunately, the weather was not having us see that one through. Usually I can make the best of things, but it was cold, rainy, and windy. We just felt that we wanted to head South towards a promise of sun and warmth. Ironically, as I am at this juncture of writing, a very apropos song came into the shuffle of my Itunes. Maybe you might listen to it as you read on. The photos on the You Tube video are worth coming back for though....

When we got to the Chesapeake-Tunnel Bridge we were told we could not cross. The wind was so strong that they had it shut down to all trucks, camper, and travel trailers. We were turned into a parking lot to wait it out. What to do when served lemons? Squeeze limes and make margaritas is what you do silly! The looks on all the other wayward travelers faces when the chairs got whipped out and happy hour began was priceless. Fortunately for us, the wind kept up just long enough for us to finish before it dropped below so called "dangerous levels".

The waves crashing against the bridge might not convey how strong it was blowing. Fortunately it was blowing steady so I was able to steer a bit into it. I was picturing Anna going for a swim the entire time. The left lane was further from the edge, so I promptly moved over there to assure myself it would be a longer tumble once the wind won the fight.

Good bye Maryland, see ya in a week...

Not sure, but I think I might have just run a red light. I was not stopping till I was firmly on the Virginia side.

The tunnels offered a rest-bit from the wind. Oddly enough, as we reached land again the sky actually cleared. By the time we hit the campground it was a beautiful afternoon. Campground? Yes, we can highly recommend another one. First Landing State Park. This used to be known as Sea Shore State Park. Before kids, Beth and I tent camped here. The sites are almost all under the trees.

Though the sites are not very large, they are all fairly secluded from each other. The place was spotless and well kept as I find in most State Parks. With all the budget cut backs the State Parks have been hit hard. I am glad the system is adapting and keeping the experience top notch.

If you plan to come here, be warned anything over 26 feet will have a hard time fitting in a space. A 30 foot space is 30 feet total here.

Happy hour was resumed as soon as we got settled in. Fortunately happy hour was only interrupted by dinner. It resumed after dinner in Thunder.

These are those horrible candid drunken shots so favored by underaged girls at dance clubs.

They are all off kilter and have some element of blur to them. You know the type of photo I am talking about. Oh, sorry, you might use an Iphone as a camera and think all photos like this look good.

Don, you just couldn't resist could you...

As I said, the beach is right there and a beautiful beach it is. All those ship are waiting for their turn at the Port of Baltimore or Norfolk. You only see 5 in this photo, but I counted 23 that I could see with the naked eye. They are all bulk carries waiting to be loaded with American goods. I see this as a clear sign that our economy is coming back. A busy Port has a tremendous trickle down effect. Keep them boats lined up...

Did you lose your sunglasses? They might be at the lost and found glasses totem.

Time to follow that board walk back to the rig and head further South. Thanks for reading. Oh, on a parting note...

2011-04-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is going to be an experiment of sorts. I usually compose my posts by selecting photos and then putting my thoughts to them. I am a visual person and this system works well for me. I think for the readers of this blog, it works well also because the picture is worth a thousand words and my 30 or so I add give an extra bonus. I find that often things I wanted to share get lost because there are no photos to write to. However this time around, I am going to write about my trip and add the photos later. Why the change Frank? Because we are on the road for the next week and I doubt (or actually hope) there will be much WiFi along the way. I am also writing all of this in Text Edit on my Mac so when I do get a chance to be connected, I can then bring it all together. I am also hoping that once I import the photos onto my computer, they will just fall into place. I sure hope this works...

In good Airstream spirit we are off on a family vacation. Eight days on the road with no real time frame, no real agenda, and best of all ZERO RESERVATIONS. I have many good excuses why we are doing this; Ava is out of school and we have not been out in Anna since late October. I reversed rolls with my friend Don and instead of me only saying "yes" to anything he asks of me, He said "yes" to me; spend Spring break on the road with us. I have always wanted to cross the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge. I have always wanted to cross over to Ocracoke on the ferry with my trailer, I have always wanted to eat North Carolina BBQ with Don, in North Carolina. The list goes on and on, but the real excuse is I need a vacation. Work has been taking a serious toll on my psyche lately and I need a week to stop thinking about work flow, cash flow, and over working my elbow (come on, that was a great line. Elbow, get it? It takes a lot of elbow grease to restore trailers). Bottom line, we are on vacation. The cell phone is turned to off and my desire to kick loose is turned to ELEVEN.

The loose plan was hatched with Don that we would meet somewhere and travel in the general direction of the Outer Banks. The only limit in our plan is that Key West is as far South as one can drive on the Eastern Seaboard. The plan was to have no real plan. We would embrace each day fresh and see where the wind would blow us. Everyone came to the table with some suggestions of things to see and do, but in general we would have no reservations either physically or figuratively. Foot loose and fancy free is the goal. This is a serious job and I am seriously ready for it. Beth on the other hand is somewhat uneasy with this. Having reservations is a means of exerting some control over the unknown. For Beth, this vacation is going to be a learning experience on how to let go. So far, she is doing great with it I might add. As long as I promise her she will see Ocracoke, she is happy. A happy Wife, is a happy Husband.

I am so serious about the job at hand that instead of leaving on Saturday morning we shoved off as soon as Ava got out of school. Though it put us well after dark before we would stop, we were on the road. It feels so (cuss) GOOD to be on the road again. We made our way to Pocomoke River State Park, South of Snow Hill Maryland.

It is an awesome place to camp. Typical of most State Parks, it is clean as a whistle, well laid out, and about 15 years out of date.

I say that lovingly. I like the fact that it is somewhat out of date. Unlike an out of date KOA, State Parks age gracefully and are still very user friendly. Would I recommend this place? (cuss) YES. Pocomoke River State Park used to be three parks until they were all combined into one large one. This is a very cool ecosystem consisting of swamps cypress and pine forests. The Pocomoke is a meandering tidal river awesome for canoeing and kayaking. We are in the Milburn Landing area right on the river. Just across the river (25 miles by car, 2/10th by boat) is Shad Landing area. This summer Shad Landing is to close for renovations. I sure hope they do not modernize it too much. Modernizing usually means tighter spaces, larger rigs, and cable TV. Time will tell. If one likes to fish, bird watch, or canoe this is an excellent place to go. The beach is about 25 minutes away, Crisfield (the soft crab capital of the world also known formally as the seafood capital of the world) is about 30 minutes away, and countless other historical and man made attractions are close by.

Where does Don and his family come into play? We are meeting them in Salisbury at the Pigs in the Park Festival a little later in the day. Hopefully he and I will eat some North Carolina BBQ (no worries Marcus, I still think Texas BBQ is the top of the heap. I mentioned NC BBQ only because earlier, I referred to eating NC BBQ in NC) in Maryland. We will both be unofficial judges. If I can scam or forge some credentials, maybe we can eat our way around without paying. Maybe I can bluff my way through by saying I am a press agent with the Airtstreamer's Club writing an article. The press always get in that way.

Well, time to pack it up to meet up with Vintage Thunder. We need to dump the tank on the way out and that will take some time. All winter long Anna was the Anna Inn to all the guests that came and visited us. We did the old enzyme and ice treatment on the ride down. With our use overnight and all the guests, she is ready for unloading. Now where are those gloves?

The Yes Man (and his wife)

2011-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

We have some very dear friends that have appeared many times over the years on this blog. We have a very unique relationship with Don and his wonderful wife Amanda, and we never say "NO" to them. When asked if we could meet halfway between our two homes, the answer was a firm "YES" even if it was late Friday afternoon. It was determined that Atlantic City was close to the mid point. What the heck, I have never been to Atlantic City. It is my favorite Band song, too...

Then there was yet another temptation-- an RV Show.

I have never had an RV Show experience. I had always wanted to have the RV Show experience. I actually kind of felt dirty afterward. Like Outback's Bloomin' Onion, I needed to do it once. The anticipation of it was far different than the actual experience.

We toured the $250k class A motorhomes. Even looked at a $400k Diesel pusher with 5 huge flat screen TV's.

Colonial Airstream was there.

We inspected the workmanship. I am refraining from too much commentary.

I kind of like the different tones on the segments and rear panel.

A popped rivet on a brand new unsold unit? It probably pulled out when someone tried to pluck all the plastic film that was left when the rivets were popped on top of the film.

At least there were a few Airstreams in a sea of white boxes. Check RV Show off the list, been there, done that, moving on for sure.

We love living so close to the Atlantic. Last year marked the least amount of visits to the beach. We only went once. In past years we went every few weeks, all summer long.

Watching the sun rise will never be crossed off the list.

Atlantic City has casinos. I'd call it the Poor Man's Vegas.

Many casinos look so foreign on the landscape...

...especially when they sit right across the street from an old Victorian. This is the only house left in the entire block. The day we arrived in A.C., a building still stood on this lot similar to the one remaining.

All over the city are lost, single houses facing a big black wall like this one. Imagine how nice it was when houses lined the street. This one sits less than a block from the beach.

Notice all the vacant lots.

So much undeveloped land. The vacant lots, boarded buildings, and solitary homes give A.C. a truly depressing feel. Enter a casino and it is a totally different world from the one outside the doors, though you can't escape the seedy desperation that permeates the smoke-filled air.

Something outside the normal to see is Lucy the Elephant. To avoid any mistakes, the history of this roadside attraction is best left to Wiki.

Unfortunately, this is the off season and the attraction was closed. Now I will have to come back to Margate City.

We had to admire her from outside the fence. Pretty cool building. Hard to believe it was built in 1882. I am so glad someone has the foresight to preserve it.

Spontinaitty Baby

2011-01-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

I need to apologize for my sever delay in posting. I began this post the night we returned from our "spontaneous weekend". A dying dishwasher, a start up business, and the dark doldrums of Winter have all gotten in my way. So with no further delay:

How far would you drive for a good sledding hill? We went all the way to Connecticut.

Someone in Connecticut didn't want us sledding on their hills. They just knew we would try and sneak across the Mason Dixon Line and come ride their hill. Even though this private golf course had a fantastic hill, I am talking world class Free Style Hill here, it was off limits. Fortunately not everywhere we went, they had their noses so far in the air.

If you have never been to Connecticut, it is very picturesque. It was also blanketed in close to 2 feet of the white stuff. Beth has been wanting to go sled ridding since the first dusting a few weeks back. A spontaneous decision was made to head North, visit the Collimores, and to get the sledding fix filled. A long weekend was here and we were off to have some fun. The entire plan went from thought to reality over night.

The best part was visiting the Collimores. They had their walks all cleared off for us. Within minutes we felt like we were home with family. We met Don and Amanda very early in our Airstream life and they have been like family ever since. A great friendship that began with a "hello."

It is winter in Maryland, but it was really much colder just a few hours North. The fire was crackling in the fireplace, the spirits were flowing, and we were so content being home. We had however, come with a mission.

Donal was more than happy to take us to his favorite hill.

Very quickly I was an eleven year old boy again. Unfortunately my 44 year old body does not bounce like it did, when at eleven, I fell off the sled going over "the real jump".

Beth never got down to my eleven year old level, but she did have a great time.

Ava, she will never go back to eleven. She is twelve going on a solid Twenty one.

She wipes out like a five year old though.

Speaking of acting five... Halle is going to be five. She swings a knock out like a twenty five year old. She is deadly with the left hook.

She is even deadly when she isn't looking at her match but at Sponge Bob instead.

Speaking of left hooks, look what Don fixed for us. Prime Rib.

It got smoked.

Then baked at 7000 degrees for a little while. Then it got eaten with zeal. We ate and drank a good deal all weekend with zeal. I am so grateful for such good friends. It is rare that I relax. Most people that know me will tell you even when I am physically at rest, I am still working a mile a minute in my head. For the entire weekend, I relaxed. What a sweet luxury it was just to be relaxed. Amanda and Don thank you for the 48 hours of peace. Donal, thank you for helping me grow the confidence to go over "the real jump". It will be a fond memory until I am a very old man.

To all my friends all over the World, thank you too. We need to see each other soon.

Where Did 2010 Go?

2011-01-02T05:58:00.000-08:00

So much has happened in the past two months since my last post and not one mention here on my blog. It was the gentle reminder from Tom in Alabama that got me feeling guilty enough to post.

I should have posted when we got our first snow. In typical Maryland style, the forecasters had us all whipped up about a possible blizzard. Instead of a blizzard we only got a dusting. Had they forecast a dusting, we would had gotten dumped on. I bet if my business had not moved indoors, we would had been dumped on too. With three more months of Winter, I am sure it will happen.

I probably should have posted about our trip to Washington DC last month...

I often have a huge problem with how our Government spends my tax dollars. However an exception to this is the Smithsonian Museums. If I were King of the USA, I would triple the funding to this wonderful public institution. If you have never gone to Washington DC and taken in the numerous free museums, you really should put it on your list. I am not talking your "bucket list", I am talking your "right now" list. I also suggest that as you pass one of these boxes, you drop in some dollars. Euros, Pounds, Yen, and Kugerands fit through the slot too. The fact that these museums are free to all it a great asset to everyone.

We went to the Museum of American History to see an exhibit of pop up books. Both Beth and I love pop up books and felt it was a good excuse to spend the day in DC. Unfortunately the show was rather poorly lit and only contained a couple dozen books. Fortunately, it was only one of many exhibits in just this one building.

There is an exhibit dedicated to Julia Childs the French Gourmet. Even as a child, I watched her with fascination as she made crepes, creme bruele, and so many other French dishes. Julia instilled a confidence in trying something new even if you had never done it before. She always made me realize, if it did not come out right, you could always start fresh. Her kitchen is a permanent display. I would love to sit at that table and have a cup of coffee with her.

In the lower level is my favorite exhibit. This is the history of transportation in America. It covers every form of transportation from horse to iron horse.

What I love about the exhibit is that the displays are interactive. This gigantic locomotive has speakers and plates around it that give you the feeling it is alive. The floor rumbles and vibrates making a very realist encounter.

Part of the exhibit is this incredible 1936 Prairie Schooner. The skin of this trailer is Leatherette over Masonite. She is such a beautiful trailer. I sure hope to find one of these in the woods someday.

I wouldn't mind finding an old Dodge like this either.

Or a Buick Dynaflow like this one. "Hey, there Sailor, don't be eyeballin my Buick".

These life like figures are so realistic it is scary. They all tell a story about the exhibit they are part of. I think this boy is telling how excellent that Country Squire would pull a vintage Airstream.

This traveling salesman is waiting for a train. I think Ava bought a Hoover from him.

I love the Fresnel lens in the Shipping and Navigation section. What a work of art they are. It would also be very cool to find one of these laying out in the woods.

After four hours our feet were so tired and we had only walked through half of this one museum. Good thing we live less than an hour away.

Then there was Christmas. I should have posted about Christmas. My favorite thing about the Holidays is all the train gardens that pop up. Perhaps it is the little boy in me, but I love going and seeing these.

This one even had some trailer trash in it. I think that is a Eribe Puck hiding in the woods. I better go back and see if I can track down the owner.

If I did not already do so, Merry Christmas. Happy New Year too.

And what Holiday would not be complete without a dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies? Halle tried her hand at Ballet this year. She was very graceful and had a great recital. I am hoping she is rounded out for working on my trailers, she can dance her way around the rivets.

Hopefully in the New Year I will post more often. Hopefully in the New Year I can do more camping...

Old Friends Meeting House

2010-10-18T03:55:00.000-07:00

I found this sign over the weekend to be somewhat hilarious, but also very ironic on many levels.

This weekend was spent visiting with some very dear friends. All of the friends I spent time with are very special people that I wish I could be around more. Anna Airstream was the magical vehicle to see a few of them. Our first destination was a visit with my old friend Doug.

Doug Claytor and I worked together many years ago. Doug is a Master Restorer. I know that is not really a recognized profession, but he is a Master in his field of historic restoration carpentry. Doug and I worked for a company that specialized in the restoration of historic places. We built elements for these historic places in a manor that replicated the original structure in both material and method. Doug taught me a great deal about this niche field of construction. Doug also taught me a great deal about being a person of principle and focus. Doug has always had a special place in my heart and even during the hour we visited, I left learning something new.

Doug and his lady Michele live on the grounds at Fort Fredrick State Park. Their house is in the National Parks Stewardship program. In exchange of work to the property they live there free. The program requires a good deal of physical investment and sharing the project with the public from time to time. Their 1830's farmhouse can be seen behind them. Doug does all the work by hand I might add. No power tools or modern equipment. It is being restored exactly as it was built in the 1830's.

Behind Doug's house is Fort Fredrick. Fort Fredrick was a restoration project done by the CCC during the depression. Here is part of their camp built during restoration project.

The Fort was built in 1756 to protect settlers during the French Indian Wars.

It is a rather imposing structure in, what was at the time, very far out in the wilderness. The Fort also served as a prison durning the Revolutionary War for British prisoners. By the time of the Civil War, it was in sever neglect and only served as stockade for a local farmers animals. The CCC restored it back to it's original look.

This building was the CCC headquarters during the project. It now houses a CCC museum. Unfortunately it was closed. There was actually very little going on at the Fort on this Friday. We were the sole visitors for the day.

I think the girls pretended that they were interested for my sake. Things like Fort Fredrick always tweak my curiosity, my girls, not so much so.

I can only imagine what a lonely place this must have been for the guys stationed here. This was many days ride on a horse to get here from Baltimore or Washington. To be a prisoner here would had seemed hopeless of rescue or escape.

We will keep our eyes out for a reenactment with people in period costume. This would make for a good reason to come again.

So a nice little stroll we had at the Fort. Wish there was a little more information about it. Did I mention there was not much going on? There were not many signs to read either.

Nice front door...

The Fort made a good place to meet up with Steve Loden. Steve is a Airstream Pep Squad Leader. He loves Airstreaming and his enthusiasm is infectious.

Steve and Marti enjoy putting on some Lucky Dube, don the rasta hats, and RELAX.

Now when you add Don to the mix you are assured a great time. Don makes it his personal mission to make sure I have a big smile on my face the entire time. He tried very hard to make sure I RELAXED...

In the end, I out RELAXED him. It really is not too hard to fall asleep on a nice crisp night, sitting next to crackling campfire. Not too hard to over RELAX. Don, thank you so much for keeping me well lubricated.

It was a sweet little gathering The Airstreamer's Club had. Vintage Thunder was there...

If Steve has a name for his rig he has not told me. Steve has she got a name besides "the House"?

Anna was happy to be there. She didn't make me have to fix anything, so I know she had a good time.

Saturday Morning, after breakfast we drove over to Sharpsburg. This is the place where the Civil War battle of Antietam was fought. During the span of 12 hours 23,000 men died here.

There is a presence here of all those lost souls. The number of horses, oxen, mules, and dogs that died here was almost as great as the human numbers.

The battle field is very much like it was back in 1862.

If there were not so many monuments around the battle field dedicated to the various regiments that fought here, you might feel as though you are stepping back in time.

There are a few after the battle photographs placed in the very spots they were taken. Standing in the very spot adds a perspective that sticks with you. This photograph was taken two days after the battle at Dunker Church. Many of the bodies were removed from this area by the time it taken.

This was where a very small group of Confederates held back a much larger Union force for many hours. Very few of them left this sunken farm road.

Like I said earlier, if there were none of these monuments, it would look just like it was back in 1862.

The surrounding farms sure fit right in with the landscape. Many of them are in the paintings depicting the phases of the battle in the Visitors Center. They all look the same today as in those paintings. Make a note of that detail when visiting the Battlefield.

The contract for split rail must have been gigantic with the Park Service. Miles and miles of rail fencing done in the snake style. It sure looks beautiful and fits right in.

This is the Burnside Bridge. This was the site of a very pivotal battle. A very small number of Confederates were able to hold of a rather large group of Union troops so they could not reenforce other regiments already in battle. Though the water was very shallow, the Union troops would only cross on the bridge out of fear of wet powder and wet boots. I am not singling out Confederate strong holds. It just happens that the strong holds were in very picturesque locations.

I must say, I really liked the monuments that featured a soldier on top...

... the look of determination they all have.

Shear focus peering out of stone...

... perseverance in the face of immanent doom.

But the road did bring us together for the weekend. There are plenty of roads just like this one. Now just to find more time to follow more of them. So glad the road we took this weekend lead us to the folks it did. Thank you all.

So Short, So Sweet. Part 5

2010-10-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ava had a field hockey game on Sunday afternoon. In order to make game time we needed to be on the road by 7am at the very latest. So, in the rain, cold rain I might add, I got us unhooked, hooked up, loaded up, and ready to roll. Beth worked on getting us ready inside the trailer while the girls both attempted to try and sleep longer. At 7am on the dot we pulled away from Pennwood. I pulled onto I80 East bound and set the cruise control on 70mph. We needed to roll all the way to Baltimore in hopes of making a B line for the game. We were going direct, trailer and all. About 45 minutes up the road the sky broke and we saw beautiful weather in front of us. I bumped the cruise up to 75mph and put caution to the wind. HEY, GET OFF MY BACK, my Carlisle are perfectly inflated and I know the risks. Don't you even comment in my excessive speed. I know, I know, I know.

Back to the story... At this point I pulled my phone out of the console, where it lives from arrival till departure on every trailer trip, to check for messages. Only one: "Hello, this is Anne, Ava's coach, BelAir does not have enough players and is forfeiting the game. Sorry but no game today. Practice on Tuesday". I will tell you, we almost pulled it into the median where it says "Emergency use only" and headed back to Pennwood. It was a serious debate. Instead I pushed the "COAST" button and dropped the speed down to 62mph, my usual towing speed(3mph UNDER the speed limit). A half hour later we pulled into a Cracker Barrel and had a nice leisurely breakfast. Damn, I love that hash brown casserole. Damn, it was a great rally.

So Short, So Sweet. Part 4

2010-10-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

An early afternoon return from the Clarion parade was required so we could make Happy Hour/ Open House. I will be honest, I rarely use Open House as a reason to visit other people's trailers. That is what the gathering is all about, right?

There were a bunch of trailers to visit though. Many had good eats out to share with visitors.

Where to start, where to start?

I guess right next door is the best place.

And right on down the line...

Beth and I always spend a good amount of time visiting the Lodens. No need for a formal open house with them.

Some chose to nap, while I was visiting, but most attendees had open inviting doors. The rule is, if the door is open...

Sometimes the door is closed. Tom was busy preparing some goodies.

Eventually you end up at your own rig again.

I needed to get back to make wings for the Potluck. That's tandorri and homemade jerk. Both were very spicy, but the jerk was super hot.

There really is no place like Pennwood. I think it is the nicest campground we have ever visited.

The grounds are so well cared for. The facilities could not be cleaner or more comforting. We will be returning in the near future even if there is no rally planned. To all the hosts of the Fall Colors Rally, a deep, heartfelt, thank you.

A place was earned on my door with in a door for certain...

So Short, So Sweet. Part 3

2010-10-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

With only one full day during the entire rally, I wanted to take at least one side trip. Ace and his family were also wanting a day trip. The Clarion Farmers Bank Parade was billed as being a good time and worth the drive.

We loaded up our families in in Ace's van and off we went to Wendy's. Wendy's ???? Yes, Wendy's. It was right at the beginning of the parade route. We parked in their lot and bought some Frosty s. We could park now for we were paying customers. We actually got burgers and fries later in the day. I would have never thought to park in the Wendy's lot, but the Goldberg family set us up fine once again.

From the edge of the parking lot we had a tremendous view of the parade. Honestly, it was a step back in time.

I kept waiting to see Andy and Barney drive by in that 1963 Ford Galaxy police cruiser. I am not calling Clarion some hick town Mayberry, it was just a good old fashion event.

The fire department had some beautiful rigs rolling down the street. Unlike my own town's parade, they did not have lights and sirens blaring.

There were many marching bands. Some were very good at marching and playing as a band.

Others were way off key and out of step. Not this one per say, but some of them. There were many marching bands.

And some horses are always required for a good parade.

The Kid Rock song Cowboy, was just bouncing in my head as this guy rode by. Not sure why, the guy looks nothing like Kid Rock.

The numerous homemade floats were charming. These young kids were having a great time for sure. Did I mention all the floats were throwing candy to the crowd?

I love a classic car. A classic truck is even better. A classic armored car? How does that stack up in the pyramid? This was a perfect restoration. The truck appeared to be brand new. I was so captivated I walked right out into the street and walked all around the armored car taking photos.

The Shriners were doing their thing. My best friend from high school is a Shriner. I always thought it an odd thing for him to be into. Now I totally understand. Shrine on Steve, Shrine on. It is a cool thing you do...

There were numerous drill teams also. I think this drill team was sponsored by the local adult book store. There routine was a lot racy for teenage girls. A tremendous amount of booty shaking and pelvis thrusting to put it lightly.

Maybe it is just me getting old...

The log cabin float was awesome. It had smoke coming out of the chimney. The candy they were throwing was awesome too. Yes, Goetze's Caramel Creams gets me knocking down kids, trying to scramble in to get my candy. I am a sucker for caramel creams.

We had various beauty queens come by. Some of them actually were beautiful. We saw a Corn queen, homecoming queen (college and high school), teen queen, even the milk queen. The only queen we did not see was Percilla, queen of the desert. After three hours of parade watching, my group was ready to head back to Penn Wood. I only agreed because it was getting close to happy hour time.

In my next post, I will tell you about open house, happy hour, and the mother of all potluck suppers.