Mom's New Dieting Technique

Backyard Ice Rink

Cooper Dash

My mom watched Cooper Dash for a little bit today. He belongs to Tim and Molly. He's such a happy lil kid.

See the red glow of evil desire in my eyes? You better watch my BC consumption... muahahaha.

Goodbye, Nellie

Sort of a sad title, but these were some pictures I took when we went up to the land to bury Nellie.

When I first got there, I thought it was funny seeing Sam, Brandon, and my Dad's trucks. Only Wesley wasn't there.

When I was walking up, they had already buried her, but I thought it was kind of a pretty sunset for it, and you can see the standing around where we buried her.  

And there's a little stake to mark where she is.

Lookout ride - 11/11/11

This is the ride I went on yesterday that according to my bike computer was 18.34 miles. In the beginning I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to make it all the way because of too much water. The spot where I took the first picture is a little swamp right next to the dirt road and its cool because the water is higher than the road level, it's like a natural spillway, because this section of road is always a little flooded, but it is worse than usual now.  In the second picture you can see the swamp water, the natural dam (spillway) and on the bottom you see water also, but the road is actually under the water.  I went through it though, it wasn't too deep and its not soft, because its a hard packed road under all the water, so that makes it a lot less difficult.

The picture on the right of the two below is the one I took first, it was right in that same swamp area.  The one on the left is actually of a part of the road (when I made a wrong turn) around a bridge that must have gotten washed out either from the hurricane at the end of the summer, or from all this snow melt from the storm.  My bet is with the hurricane, I know it was ok over the summer though, because last time I tried to do this ride, I messed up and went the wrong way and crossed this bridge, but kept going.  I made the same mistake this time, but realized it right away, but it was cool because I got to see this, and it was okay because I made it to the lookout :).

This lookout is probably only a mile or so from the one we hiked to during the summer and tried to bump up by the lookout.  This one is further up the chain of reservoirs though.  From this one, if you look left you can see the dam that we were looking at from ours, but this one is right in line with the next dam up.

Here's a picture of me and my bike.  It has to take your place in these sorts of pictures for now.  It came out pretty well though... hope you like my pictures. <3

Pumpkin Carving

Mine is the cat!

Living with the Rents

My Mom just got home from JC Pennys. My dad and I are on the couch watching football.

Jim asks Jeanette, "So, did you find some new Brenda R Averleys?" (bras)

She responds, "Yea, but I was very meticulous which is good. Some of them said that they would cover the nips, but thank goodness I put my shirt on, because they definitely didn't. So that ruled out those ones."

To this, my dad replied, "Darn!"

Then my dad takes a bra and holds it up to himself. "Look at all this padding. This is going to make you look so big."

He holds up the picture on the tag, "Hey, Rach, look. Mom looks better than the girl in this picture. Honey maybe you should put it on. I'll take a picture of you and send it in and maybe they'll use it on their bras."

It makes me even more excited to come see you and get away from these crazy folk!

Also, this is a picture of the "helmet", which is next to the Sphinx, which is one of the mountains we climbed this summer. 

It's cool; you can see it sticking up from far away, then it's just this huge rock outcropping. It's on one side of the saddle, and the Sphinx is on the other. So you hike up to the base of it, and then go across the saddle to the Sphinx.

See my sweet poles? ha they got annoying this hike, though. 

where oh where has Chris gone?

Heyyy my horoscope is right on track today! Except for the insecure part.

"Lack of contact with a close friend or romantic partner might find you feeling lonely and insecure, wondering if he or she has forgotten you or simply doesn't care to be around you anymore."


You poop.

FTR

I know you already saw this, but I don't take very many good pictures, so I figured I would put it up here, just for the record ;-)

Riding 10.22.11

I just thought of something kinda funny.  When I talk about dirt biking, I say "riding" and when I talk about mountainbiking, I say "biking."  That will help you differentiate between what I'm doing maybe.  But anyways, I didn't get any action pics bc its a pain to stop and take out my camera, but maybe next time for you!  We did have a really nice day though and here are the two pictures I did take, besides the one that I emailed you previously when we stopped to check out the old stone building.

This picture was when we were just about ready to go after loading up Casey's quad at his house.  Lookin' cool huh?

This was just before we left to go out on the trails (in BEARTOWN!).  There was a guy out there with his girlfriend that we saw (also a bunch of beaners with brand new bikes which is funny), but they were having problems.  The guy was leading and they came up to a hill which was kinda tough with big rocks and a little steep, and he got stuck or something so Casey and I passed them and went on our way.  Someday I'll let you ride my dirt bike.  I would prefer you try the quad first just because its a little less intimidating, but same sort of shifting, you just dont need to worry about balancing and dealing with a heavy bike that could fall over.

But if you do a good job riding around, maybe someday I could take you for a little ride :-)



Gone Till November

HEY! Your fleece!

G-pa Hogue, rockin the fleece over a nice belly.

How To: Make a Box Separator

Step 1: Measure the length, width, and height of the box you want to make a separator for.

Step 2: Cut out two pieces of cardboard. both should have the same height as your box, and cut one to be as long as the width of your box, and the other as long as the length of your box. 

Step 3: Since you are not a very good cutter, and since cardboard is ugly, cover them in some pretty paper. 

Step 4: Cut a slit in each piece, right in the center, half way through. 

Step 5: Slide the pieces together at the slits. Put them so that the cuts you made are touching, and then push hard to get them together. 

Step 6: Put them in the box and organize your stuff. You may have to cut them down a tiny bit to get them to fit.

Step 7: Organize your stuff!

Haha I thought you would like this. 

Bike Ride 10.14.11

Ok so I'm gonna start off with this map. We did not exactly follow the map (because of the directions mistake, but I double checked the directions from the book and they arent exactly right). I did however, write some new directions, so I think you should make the corrections in the book. :) The point at which things started being wrong with the directions was at point K, but we figured it out. At point L we got messed up though. Thats where we came out to the main road and took the bike path bc I was confused, and then I realized where we were and that we were going the wrong way so we turned around.. (I'm sorry!) But it wasnt completely my fault I promise!

                                              

Corrections to make in the book:

@~22.6 Turn RIGHT at Stop Sign on Terry's Plain Rd.

@~23.7 BARE RIGHT on East Weatogue Rd.

(That part of the directions said turn right at stop onto E. Weatogue at 25.2 so it was all messed up)

@25.3 turn RIGHT onto CT-185

@25.4 turn RIGHT onto dirt road into park etc... (for the tree)

@25.5 turn LEFT at light onto Nod Rd. (the directions said go straight :-/)

@28.6 turn RIGHT onto CT-44

@29.1 turn RIGHT onto Mt. View Rd

@ 29.5 arrive at Sperry Park

.....

Also, at 20.5 you take a left onto Hoskins Rd., but it is a stop sign not a light

And I promise those directions are accurate

So I think sometime maybe we could retry this bike ride? :-) On a nice sunny day, maybe with enough time to rest for lunch...

Anyhow, now that I've solved the problem, here are a few of our pictures..

This one actually came out pretty well, but to put it into perpective...

You could build a little hideout in the middle of the tree... it'd be a good one for a tree house... now we need to go to Red Wood St. Park or National Forest (?) and take the same picture on some of those trees :-)

I thought this one was pretty funny because it worked out pretty well (we were right in the center of the frame and you can see the tree perfectly), but we weren't ready.  I think that makes it even better though.

I LOVE YOU THIS BIG!

-CCS

Me and My Bear

Your lips are soft against my ear, 

The moonlight streams softly down.

Little kisses everywhere,

I don't notice the hard ground.

Curled up in your arms,

In a place that no one knows,

Out here, fireflies and charm.

Somewhere only we go.

This is the place I most prefer,

Beneath the thin silk of a tent.

No two others in all the earth, 

have ever been this content.

A warm glow burning in my heart,

Lighting up the darkest dark.

We doze in our lair,

Me and my bear. 

The Slowest Summer I Ever Had

The slowest summer I ever had

Was the summer without you.

The days were such a drag,

And the nights were longer too.

I watched the clock,

My eyes like a hawk,

And my swollen heart

Only grew.

Each moment I wished,

That you were near,

and my heart was filled.

I was overcome by fears,

Of being without you,

For years and years.

Now the days are shorter,

And the nights are darker,

And the distance seems

Even farther.

I want you now,

There is no other. 

If I travelled the world,

And searched it through,

If I took to the skies,

Looked down from the blue,

Millions of people, 

But I'd still see only you.

How long will it be?

How long must I wait?

I am tired of being

Stuck in this state.

While you are there,

Such enticing bait!

I'll not wither here,

That I have decided,

It seems that already,

Enough time has been bided.

"I search for you,"

To the stars I've confided.

So wait for me, 

My darling and dear,

And hope and pray,

That our time is near.

Till then, towards you always,

My thoughts I do steer. 

Look up, look up and see,

The same moon smiling

Down on you and me. 

Ride Into Town

Hey there, this is the route I took yesterday.  Casey and Julie were running a half marathon that started and ended up by that reservoir we hiked to look over the day we went to the pond with my family (also the dam we walked out on)  And I did my expense report but wanted to take it to the post office rather than just put it in the mailbox, because I wanted to see if it required one or two stamps. 

Anyways,  I left from my house and road down the big hill where I hit 41 mph which was pretty cool haha, and saw a bunch of runners along that road when I got to the bottom.  I was hoping I would pass Casey and Julie while they were running, but didn't have any luck.  They had either made it through town already by the time I got down there, or passed the post office while I was in it.  So then I went along the river road (the one we started on when we did the little loop and stopped to eat our chinese food in the state forest by the river).  There I saw a lot of runners, and after I made it to the end of that road, I headed back uphill towards my house. 

The way I went home was basically half of the ride that is in your biking book in my town.  It was pretty tiring, but I was trying to do it as fast as possible, so that didn't help.  I think later this year I'm gonna do the loop from the book.  There will be a lot of nice foliage along that route if I wait.  On the map you can see the reservoir, and that route is obviously around the reservoir, so that gives a little perspective.

It was a fun ride though, not as relaxing and enjoyable as ours through Salisbury (:, but it was a good workout and I mailed my letter.

<3 



143

I'll love you to the moon and back

I'll love you all the time

Deeper than the ocean

And higher than the pines.

Myth Buster: Can Bats Take off from the Ground?

Today we are going to be investigating the claim that bats CANNOT take off from the ground.
After researching a few sources, the final conjecture that I have reached is that most bats can't, but there are a few who actually can.

Our first source is the San Diego Zoo's website. This zoo is one of the most progressive in the world, with over 4000 animals of more than 800 species. Thus, we consider them to be a viable source when it comes to bats. On their website we read, "Most bats take off by dropping from a hanging position, and many can’t take off from the ground." What bats, we now wonder, can take off from the ground, and what in their biology enables them to be able to take of?

According to biologist and researcher Carl Zimmer (http://carlzimmer.com/bio.html), "Birds only need two limbs for flying, leaving their remaining two relatively free to land and walk around on the ground. Bats, on the other hand, make their hind legs part of their wings, and so natural selection has to strike a compromise between several different functions. And while birds can stop flying by using their feet to land on the ground, most bats have to use their feet to hang upside down."

Carl continues, "With their delicate legs yoked together by their wings, you might expect that bats don’t do very well on the ground. And indeed, most species won’t win any track and field medals." As part of his research, Zimmer spent some time with two Brown University biologists, Dan Riskin and Sharon Swartz, watching slow-motion movies of bats. "When Riskin puts a typical bat on a treadmill, they stumble around. If the treadmill goes too fast they start to lose all control. It’s likely, then, that the ability to walk efficiently and to run was lost in the early evolution of bats. But millions of years later, that ability evolved once more in at least two species."

"One place where bats have taken to the ground again is New Zealand. The remarkable isolation of New Zealand left it without big predators and without any mice or other ground-dwelling mammals. One species, the New Zealand short-tailed bat, has adapted to this niche. While it can still fly, it now moves around comfortably on the ground in search of bugs, nectar, fruit, and pollen."

The second type of bat which has taken to the ground is the vampire bat: "A vampire bat will walk on the ground to sneak up on its victim. If its victim tries to get away, it can scramble in pursuit. Riskin found that if he put vampire bats on treadmills, they can walk like New Zealand short-tailed bats. But when he speeds up the treadmill, they suddenly switch to a bizarre form of running. Instead of pushing off with their hind legs, like a squirrel, they use their long, heavily muscled arms. It’s a mammal version of front-wheel drive versus rear-wheel drive."

To read more and see videos of these rats with wings, see the full article: http://www.batcon.org/index.php/media-and-info/latest-news/433-bat-research-video-footage.html

And look out for this huge bat if you're ever in Tanzania! http://paradoxoff.com/pemba-flying-fox.html

The bat that my dad picked up and threw so that it could fly was probably a Little Brown Myotis - Myotis lucifugus. Here is a picture that I took of it on the ground:

forget-me-not

So tiny no one seems to see,

These flowers beneath a sea

of green. 

But I saw them there,

 and I knew their name,

For they and I plead the same:

From here to there is quite a lot,

So admire these, and forget-me-not.

Mom Packs a Mean Lunch

This was where we stopped near the top of Blackmore for lunch. You hike up to the saddle and then all along that ridge there. We met some people at the top who for some reason just hadn't packed lunches, and since my mom always packs a crazy amount of food, I offered them the chips and the granola bar I had left over, and my mom gave them her trail mix. We found out later my dad has his trail mix left over, too, but he was being selfish and didn't give it to them. Sheesh. 

Things to bring back east -->

Ok so I don't really wanna tell you the exact things I have thought of for us to do, but I'll try to give you a good list of things to bring:
Bathing Suit
Sweatshirt and Pants
Active Clothes
Sunglasses
Now that I think about it, you don't really need anything special.  But definitely bring clothes for doing active things and a bathing suit.  But then bring something you would wear to go out at night and stuff to wear to be comfortable just hanging out and then on saturday when everyone comes over for a barbeque.  Ummm....
Sneakers
Sandals
Prison Break if you want (totally up to you)
Yeah as you can see, just bring clothes to be prepared for some fun things, plenty of undergarments just incase we keep getting dirty ;-)..

Thats it for now, haha sorry but as long as you have clothes for doing pretty much whatever, we have everything else here for you..

Toothbrush
Shampoo and Conditioner but if you don't really care what you use, my mom has a bunch im sure
Ok xoxo cant wait :)

Thinking 'bout You

Thinking 'bout you,

And the way it all started.

You were my sunshine,

The cause of my smile,

And now I don't know where it's gone.

The sweet little emails,

And texts all the time,

I'll love you forever,

Was stuck in my mind.

Now something is clearly wrong.

I'm here, you're there.

It's my turn 

To light up your life

But I can't seem to find

The way. You're brilliant,

You're perfect, you're just not smiling today. 

Sometimes I think,

Quit the job, find

a way now to be with him 

Always. I don't like this wait.

I'm impatient and I want you this moment. 

Six days. Just six days more,

And yet I'm sitting here on my floor,

Tears streaming down, 

because six days means only

Eleven days, until I say goodbye

Again. 

I see the scene in the airport

Again and again,

I'll likely cry when I see you,

Happy tears, but in my heart

Is also, a feeling of dread.

It crushes me, hurts me,

To have so many nights

With a forced goodbye,

I can almost hear your sad sigh,

And every time it makes me cry.

Breathe in, breathe out,

But all I want to do is shout.

Pound my fists on the earth,

And shout out a curse,

Against the miles holding us apart. 

Kiss of the Sun

This was also on the Blackmore hike. I thought it was kind of pretty under a tree with the sun shining through. Can't wait to be kissed by you! :-*

X Marks the Spot

These were two jetstreams crossing that I saw the day we hiked Mount Blackmore. In a few days it will be me up high in the sky on my way to see you. :-)

A glimpse of Sam Adam's Penn. Brewery

This is a picture of one of the many cellars. They store beer and Twisted Tea and unfinished product sometimes too in the middle of the processes. But there are probably 5 of the cellars at least, with like 30 of these huge storage tanks that are probably 10ft. in diameter and close to 100ft. long. Pretty huge.

Sorry for this being sideways, but I did this quickly. This is a picture in the packaging area of the huge stacks of cases of the different kinds of beer and Twisted Tea, and then on the right past those boxes. are huge stacks of kegs. You wouldn't believe how much goes out of this place, but if you think that Sam Adams is everywhere in the country, and is fairly popular, and that this is the largest of their 3 production facilities, maybe you can imagine.

Above is the view down the tunnel I talked to you about. Pretty dark and scary. Seems like a good place for a serial killer. Because there are motion sensor lights in there, they aren't on until you get under them.

This is the less scary view, behind me. You can see how many pipes are in just this one tunnel. Its like a jungle throughout the brewery.

Hotel Room

Heres me, with my mystery mark on my cheek. This was from last night, despite being so pissy.

And this is my room! Kinda cool I guess..

Exploring Allentown

Just the path was like 15 miles, but I did a lot of backtracking and riding in circles because I couldn't find the street names I was looking for, but then I got lucky and found one after being off track for a while. I had given up on my destination and was just riding straight and then took a right so that I wouldn't have to cross a major road, and saw a street name I recognized. So it turned out to be pretty fun, the roads are all mostly flat, but like I mentioned, theres not much room for riding so I was in the middle of the road almost and the destination wasn't very cool, but it was nice out so I enjoyed it. I have a bike computer on my bike right now so it tells me my speed and distance and all that, and the total mileage was 21.74 and it took an hour and 37 mins. :) And now I know my way around! Hopefully I'll have other chances to ride after work.

Bruschetta / Caprici

Yum! Look what I made to contribute to dinner tonight. :)
The parental units say I have to start making dinner once a week, which is definitely fair.
Tonight, I just made the side dish.

The Toilet Seat

Wesley always leaves the toilet seat down, so today, when he gets home from work, he will have a nice surprise waiting for him in the bathroom....

FOOD THIEF

There's a food thief on my floor at work.

Haha whoever it is took my carrots one day. When I went to get my lunch out yesterday, one guy just stood and watched me, and then asked, "Are you the food thief?" I couldn't tell if he was serious or joking.

They even made a fake camera by putting a plastic clear cup inside of a piece of an old monitor:

My boss' office mate told me for a while I was a prime suspect, because it began happening a month ago, about when I started working. They even made a flow chart to help you know if you are the food thief: