Random Bits from the last couple weeks

Sorry I've been getting behind on posts again. I've been out enjoying the beginning of summer. Around here spring takes its sweet old time getting around, then summer shows up in style. Usually, all this happens right around Fartab weekend. This year was no different. Plus, the battery in my cellphone/camera died a couple weeks ago so I haven't been taking as many pictures.

Anyhow, after Fartab Mrs 40 and I took a bike trip out to Martha's Vineyard to celebrate our many-year anniversary. It was a good trip. We didn't get too crazy with the biking, but had some good meals, good wine, and did not a whole lot else. Just right. We stayed in Oak Bluffs, which (Thank Dog) is the only town where they sell alky-haul out there. Whew.. Thanks to Mrs 40 for picking the cool hotel. We were right next to this old campground/village thing. I'm not sure what they call it, but there's an outdoor church in the middle which used to be surrounded by a campground. As people kept coming back they started building these tiny cottages that filled their campsite. We wandered around in there for hours.
Here's my attempt at an artsy-fartsy photo of the inside of the church at sunset.


For dinner we had wine and fancy appetizers on the upper deck of the restaurant across the street. It was wicked good.

Then, back to work for the week.

Last weekend I headed up to BBW's parent's cottage at the lake. Snoopy came with me to hang out with GardenGirl and BBW. We went kayaking, had some beverages, rode bikes for cheeseburgers and fries.... etc. It was a great time. Except for when GardenGirl got hit by a car on the way to cheeseburgers. That sucked, and yes, she's fine. The next day we all went out int eh kayak, and Snoopy was *not* happy this time. I think it was too hot for him, too many distractions, and being a horrible doggy-dad, I let him plop into the lake when he was already unhappy with the boat. I felt awful. But, he has since recovered and is back to his usually snoopy-self. He really liked the screen porch on the back of the cottage. He could lay in the sun, without getting eaten by bugs, and look out on the back yard.

When I got back home I headed to work the next day. All the way there on my bike I kept thinking I should just go home and take the day off. I went in anyhow. I read one email, said "F This, I'm going home" , I put in for a vacation day and went kayaking.

I went down to my parents house, picked up the wooden kayak, and headed out to bradford. I took a trip upriver all the way to the tressle bridge/campsite and hung out for a while listening to the ibucket. I stopped at another possible campsite along the way and had lunch.
The ibucket fits well right on the back of this boat too, but its Swamp Yankee styling doesn't quite fit the wooden boat. Owell.

Last week was uneventful up until friday when I found out I passed by licensing exam that I studied for all winter. I'm wicked excited to have passed!

Anyhow.. I just got back from a mtbike ride with FlatTires, Ingrid, and Snoopy. He did great!


This week should be pretty quiet, and next week I'm on vacation. Same week off as BBW, GardenGirl, FlatTires, FlatTire's brother, Kaptin Krunch, Mrs Kaptin Krunch(my sister) and... I'm sure... about half of the country. Not sure what I'm goign to do yet.. but i'm sure it will involve bikes, kayaks, mtbikes, ibucket(s), fire, and beer. Yay!

Check out this link: New York Bike Snob
-40

psssst

I passed my exam. Beer will now be drunk.

-40

Snoop-a-loop

Come on bring your green hat. Snoop-a-loop.

Fartab-a-riffic.

Yeah- so 40 already had a nice wrap-up of the trip, so I am not going to double up on his efforts. I do have a video ready to go, but apparently Blogger is about to release video upload capabilities, so I think that I will wait for that to post the video rather than upload it to YouTube and link to it. Unless there is great demand for it right now?

Anyways- the float/drinking worked out quite well this year- I am digging the alternate route. Less portages. Easier portages. Arrival at the campsite in plenty of time to set up and eat while it is still light out. That saves rushing around, which is nice...

The weather forcast was rain, so we set up tarps over the main camping area and collected enough firewood both for the night and to cook breakfast the next morning. Actually- we ended up collecting more than we needed, so hopefully the karma-coaster will pay it forward for us the next time around.

Sleepy showcases his version of the Lynndie (no trip is complete without one) while dinner is cooking:

The rain held off for most of the night- only a few passing light showers. The next morning we actually managed to sleep in a little and had plenty of time to prepare the all important breakfast of champions before hitting the river again

The sky was pretty ominous when we started out, but for some reason I was really optimistic that the rain would hold out.

Unfortunately I have no future as a psychic. If we set out 20 minutes earlier we would have had the car packed up and been on the road before the sky opened up- instead we were within sight of the landing when the rain began

I know that 40 can't wait for the movie to be put up on the blog, so perhaps I will make it happen sooner than originally planned. The film through the mousehole is a good time. Planning will soon commence for RAMHADAB- hopefully I will no longer feel like I was run over by the time that arrives...

FARTAB Vol 4, 40's Pix

FARTAB vol 4 started like all the others, with a mtbike ride. This year we went up in Big River with GUDG, CTLP, BBW, FlatTires, and myself(40). CTLP showed off his new cycling accessory, an Ahearne spaceman flask holder:After the only short uphill we tested this new device.

Post ride refueling was supplied by the Owl's house: buffalo wings and beer. It was yummy as always.

I need to note we were down a man for the paddle from the core group this year. GUDG was overwhelmed with work and family responsibilities that prevented him from taking part in the Friday paddle. It was as if a critical ingredient in the mix was absent... We pressed on anyhow with the addition of Sleepy G for the paddle portion.

The next day we started on the float part of the event. This year we skipped the traditional Friday breakfast at the 'ballet', and opted for more sleep. We also chose a slightly shorter route. I didn't snap any pix at the put in (I think CTLP did, hopefully he'll include one in his post....).

Here we are at the first portage.
The route we chose has three short portages in a row, as opposed to five long portages on the other river. In no time we reached the dreaded horseshoe dam. This thing freaks me out...you have to paddle ten feet or so from the lip to get to the takeout. It's not that bad, but freaky.

It was a good spot to take a lunch break. Sleepy provided the tunes from his ibucket
Here is the horseshoe dam from just downriver by the put-in.
After the horseshoe dam there's another short and scenic paddle.

The paddle betwen the horseshoe dam and the next takeout is *just* long enough to listen to the Dead's scartlet begonias->fire on the mountain from Cornell in '77 ....(~26 minutes).

At the next portage we took precautions for the only fast water on the trip, the Mousehole. CTLP put on his (spray) skirt:
Sleepy practiced his air guitar. Between his Air Guitar and Air Drum skills he would be a strong addition to any Air-Band:
CTLP had his fancy new camera and took some *amazing* pix and video of the trip as well, especially the trip through the 'MouseHole'. Here's a couple shots of just after the bridge, and before we get into more fast water:


CTLPs new kayak seemed just about perfect for a trip like this. Big enough to carry one persons camping stuff, food and beverages, yet capable of paddling straight during the long open sections and small enough to wiggle through tight spots. I 'tried' his boat a couple times during the trip and it was pretty cool.

After the Mousehole the battery in my cellphone/camera was running low. I'll have to let CTLP provide the pix and video(sweet!) for the portion of the trip below the mousehole. We stopped at the campsite in carolina for the rest of our sandwiches, then grabbed our camping gear and floated lazily down to the regular campsite. We got there early this year, plenty of time to set up tarps and the tents and collect firewood. Dinner was IPC and packets. It rained a little at night but nothing was ruined. We even got all the way back to the cars before it really started raining. It was yet another great trip!

Woodville/Alton is almost ripe....

Sunday afternoon snoopy and i went out kayaking upriver from alton to woodville, then back. The place is getting ready to pop into bloom all along that huge bank of mtn laurel on the east side. By next weekend it should be a pretty amazing place to be.

South county is best seen from water level. Check out the woodville dam and goat island.
Snoopy's getting the hang of the boat. We figured out he's most comfortable in the backseat. This trip he didn't bark once, even when a convoy of 12 canoes went by with kids in them.

Tonight he went on his first mountain bike ride with FlatTires and Ingrid. He rocks.

Cya this weekend for FARTAB Vol 4!!! -40.

Roadtrip: Wine festival

Yesterday was the J.E Vineyard's summer wine festival. Mrs 40, her mom, Mrs CTLP, her friend and I headed up there to check it out.

It was a good time. Mrs 40 packed a cooler full of crackers, cheese(two kinds), fruit, procuitto, pretzels.. you name it. By coincidence we met Mrs CTLP and her friend there right when they got a table... in the shade. Sweeeet.

Pretty much the day was about tasting fancy wine, listening to music, eating, and wandering around the vineyard. Here are some pix of the day in no particular order:

Tasting table:

The Big Tent:Vineyard:
Winery (It used to be a dairy farm)
The deck... this is usually jam packed with people on a normal day.

The 2007 Chardonay(spelling?) in progress:
On the way home Mrs 40's car hit 200k miles. I took a picture of it.
We'll probably start looking for a replacement for her car. We got it when we lived in PA and her 80s Thunderbird was dead, and my 87 Reliant died after I dropped her off at work, in a snowstorm. I got to walk back to our apartment down the highway and be late for work. Yay. Well, the following weekend we headed out to *gasp* dealerships and learned about payment plans (ugg.) We bought the car used with 50k miles on it, and spent 3 years paying for it. I hate payment plans. But, the car has been extremely reliable(never let us down, knock on wood). But, now its starting to burn oil, not leak it, and while it'll probably be fine for another 50-100k miles, its getting time to find another one. Owell.

Time to head out... Snoopy and I are going kayaking this morning. Cya. -40