IT IS SKYWATCH FRIDAY AGAIN

This time we are visiting the state of Maine

I really like the sky and ocean in these pictures.

The sky and the ocean can be either blue or gray depending on the temperament  of the day. Check out other great shots at SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Technorati Tags: SKYWATCH FRIDAY,OCEAN,SKY,STATE OF MAINE,MY QUALITY TIME

CHANGE THE WORLD WEDNESDAYS I’m usually a day late

My friend at REDUCE FOOTPRINTS has posted a “GREEN CHALLENGE”. Pretty easy this week. 

At least once this week, take a short shower ... time it to no more than 10 minutes.

If you accept the challenge, leave  your commitment in the comments section and be sure to leave your site's link. Then ... invite your readers to accept the challenge as well.

So lets save WATER (pretty neat link) and if you want to see some really neat pictures of water check out Martin Waugh’s LIQUID SCULPTURE PAGE. We will also save some energy.

SO LETS JUST DO IT..

Technorati Tags: REDUCE FOOTPRINTS,WATER,ENERGY,MAKE A DIFFERENCE

PICTURES FROM THE PAST: LAKE PENAGE NEAR SUDBURY,ONTARIO FRANK’S CAMP & WALTER

Yesterday we had the carpets cleaned in our house.

 

John H. from the Canal Winchester branch of Stanley Steemer did a great job.(a little plug for Stanley Steemer) Linda and I had to move a lot of small stuff and in so doing I ran across a couple pictures from my youth. In the early and mid 60’s I had the opportunity to spend some real quality time in Canada helping to build Frank’s camp.

This picture was probably taken in 1965 or 1966. Finnish sauna on left (before porch was added) storage shed in middle and main cabin on right. The cabin is located about eight miles by water or ice from Penage Bay Marina (take a second and click on this link) I knew all the people mentioned in this article;  Gemmell's, Sutinen family, Bill Blanchard,Vic and Judy Erola, and Louis Dozzi. I had the opportunity to have a camp dinner with Vic and Judy Erola one time. Judy later became Minister of Mines in the Canadian government. This would be equivalent to a cabinet position in the U.S. Anyway, on this winter trip we installed a fuel oil stove in the main cabin. For one night the only heat was from the wood burning fireplace(no heat). The temp that night got to 30 degrees below 0. The Canadian Ale froze and for breakfast the eggs had to be peeled like they were hard boiled before we could cook them. Remember no electricity,no cell phones etc. etc. and pretty much pre snowmobile or snow machine. We hitched a ride to the cabin in a Unimog:

There was just enough room for us the fuel oil stove and the Canadian ale. A couple evenings later we were invited to Walters for dinner.

Walter BellChambers lived on the lake year round and being pre everything except snowshoes didn’t get a lot of visitors in the winter. Living about  ten miles from the landing made for a pretty good hike especially in the winter. Walter had most of his supplies brought in by boat prior to freeze-up. In the 40’s Walter was the personal guide to the Fruehauf's of trucking and trailer fame. The Fruehauf’s camp was in Killarney,Ontario and is now known as killarney mountain lodge. Walter commuted by float plane between Killarney and Lake Penage. Walter was a great cook. That night we had POT ROAST AND ALL THE FIXINS cooked on a wood burning stove, a sauna,and a lot of Canadian ale. On the wall of the main room was a black bear “rug”. One winter Walter had shot the bear when it broke into his cabin.  Several years later Walter died of a heart attack on his back porch in the middle of winter. Gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “frozen stiff”. Walter was quite a character; he never stopped talking and telling stories about the lake and his guiding trips. As I remember in particular he liked the trips to Bass Lake and Silver Peak.

 

This is a picture of “Frank’s Camp” taken in 2006. Frank is no longer with us nor does the camp belong to any of his remaining family and that is a shame..

LAKE PENAGE OR LAKE PANACHE MORE THAN ONE SPELLING. This summer hope to be camping on the French River and then around North Bay Ontario.

There are to be no comments about the uneven sidewalk and steps in front of my house. Thanks Joe Todd

Technorati Tags: MY QUALITY TIME,LAKE PENAGE,LAKE PANACHE,PENAGE BAY MARINA,WALTER BELLCHAMBERS,FRANK'S CAMP,CANADA

 

DIAGNOSED WITH A.A.A.D.D.

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.
Somehow I feel better even though I have it!!
I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table,
put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back
on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think,
since I'm going to be near the mailbox
when I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my check book off the table,
and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
so I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks,
but first I need to push the Pepsi a side
so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
The Pepsi is getting warm,
and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi,
a vase of flowers on the counter
catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Pepsi on the counter and
discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk,
but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter,
fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers,
but quite a bit of it spills on the floor..
So, I set the remote back on the table,
get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to
remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,
and I'm really tired.

THERE IS A CURE::

I HAVE TO CREDIT THE INTERNET AND EMAIL FOT THE ABOVE DESCRIPTION OF Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. I DO HAVE DAYS LIKE THAT,,,

TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY:: MY BIRTHDAY AND AS A SPECIAL TREAT FOR ALL MY FELLOW BLOGGERS; A BABY PICTURE RIGHT OUT OF MY “BABY BOOK” My sisters don’t  have there own baby books and I’ve heard about it for years.

AT BIRTH: 7 pounds 2 ounces and 19 inches long. Blonde Blue eyes, I will skip the picture of the foot prints and the picture of my bronzed baby shoes. At my first medical check up 2 months after birth I had gained 3 pounds but the major complaint was: Gas on stomach “need for frequent use of suppositories” AND NOW I KNOW WHY I HAVE A.A.A.D.D. The entries in the “baby book” stop after about 3 months so I was already becoming a P.I.A.

THANKS FOR VISITING JOE TODD

MY SATURDAY IN THE HOCKING HILLS AREA NEAR LANCASTER,OHIO

     This Saturday adventure starts in Lancaster,Ohio (my hometown) and meanders to the Hocking Hills area of Ohio. Heading S.E. on Rt. 33 our first stop is in Logan,Ohio and:

 

For a charge of about $36.00 Linda and I coasted down the hocking river in a canoe. (Linda did the paddling and I steered)  It was about a two hour trip.

The Hocking Hills Canoe Livery rents canoes (duh), Kayaks, and rafts. Notice the rafts in this picture a little partying going on. I was once that young but it has been a couple years.  They also have Cabins and private primitive campsites.

In order to get to the start point of our canoe trip ( near Enterprise,Ohio) we took the old bus.

Make sure to say Hi to Sandy the dog that sits in the front seat. After all that work steering the canoe we were hungry.. So off to Laurelville,Ohio and:

This was my first time to the Ridge Inn and was I ever impressed. My wife Linda introduced me to Jo Eaves and her husband David the owners, as we sat outside on the deck. Daniel took our order and all I can say is, the food,service and ambiance was GREAT…

   

I had the Santa Fe wrap with salad and highlander grog coffee.. Some of the salad fixins come from the garden at the back of the inn.

When we have more time we will stop in and see Jo at her shop:

If your in need of some patio chairs

Right across the street from the restaurant is:

In season this is a must stop.

One last item about The Ridge Inn Restaurant: They make there own donuts and are they good…

Laurelville,Ohio also seems to be a crossroads for motorcycle touring in the Hocking Hills

As we leave Laurelville we make a quick stop at the local park

and take a short hike along the stream..Our next stop is just a couple miles out of town ( a place we camped when they first opened back in 1997.

 

 We talked to Mike at the “Bunk House” and/or office

They offer one two and four hour trail rides and seem to be reasonably priced and of course camping is available.

Linda says we will save the trail ride for another day. Sounds good to me…

Mike says for a trail ride one must be a least seven years old. In about six months William will turn seven then all my GRAND CHILDREN  will be old enough for a trail ride and a visit to this working ranch

 That is all for today. Smiley says have a great day.

Technorati Tags: LANCASTER OHIO,HOCKING HILLS,LOGAN OHIO,HOCKING HILLS CANOE LIVERY,CANOES,KAYAKS,RAFTS,LAURELVILLE OHIO,THE RIDGE INN RESTAURANT,KALEA HOUSE,LAUREVILLE FRUIT COMPANY,SPOTTED HORSE RANCH,TRAIL RIDES,WORKING RANCH

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Check out SKYWATCH friday for some great photos.

SUMMIT OF MOUNT WASHINGTON ON A CLEAR DAY.The mountain is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, in Coos County, New Hampshire.