Lee's Myth

A Hudson Highlands State Park Collection

2012-01-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to gather in one place a bunch of walks I've done (and blogged about) in Hudson Highlands State Park, on the east side of the Hudson River across from Storm King. It is one of the most accessible scenic hilly areas within easy striking distance of NYC by public transportation. Distance between the train station to the trailhead ranges from "just across the street" (Breakneck), to 0.8 - 1 mile (Cold Spring), to 1.8 - 2.4 miles (Beacon; the longer route takes you down through downtown Beacon for your choice of restaurants after the walk).

All of these trails appear on Trail Map 102 (East Hudson Trails, published by the NY-NJ Trail Conference).

Where available, I've provided my best guess as to total mileage including road-walking. [Road mileage, in brackets, is from google maps.] Total time, where provided, includes breaks for lunch, snacks, and photo shoots. My favorite walks (so far) are in bold below.

Loops

Cold Spring (Main St to Fair St & 9D [0.8 mi to trailhead])

Washburn (w) to Notch (b) to Brook (r) ~5 miles (3.5 hours)
Washburn (w) to Notch (b) to Brook (r) to Undercliff (y) to Washburn (w) ~7.4 miles

Cold Spring/Nelsonville (Main St to Pearl St [1.0 mi to trailhead])

Undercliff (y) to Breakneck Ridge (w) to Brook (r) to Cornish (b) ~9 miles (4.5 hours) (return via 9D [0.8 mi to station])
Nelsonville (g) to Notch (b) to Brook (r) to Cornish (b) (return via 9D [0.8 mi to station])
Nelsonville (g) to Washburn (w) to Undercliff (y) to Brook (r) to Cornish (b) (return via 9D [0.8 mi to station])

Beacon (Wolcott Ave/9D [1.8 mi to trailhead])

Casino (r) to Wilkinson Memorial (y) to Crossover/Blue to Fishkill Ridge (w) (return via Pocket Road/Main St [2.4 miles])

Traverses
Breakneck to Beacon

Wilkinson Memorial (y) to Crossover/Blue to Fishkill Ridge (w) to Yellow to Casino (r) ~12 miles (7 hours) (return via Wolcott Ave/9D [1.8 mi to station])
Wilkinson Memorial (y) to Breakneck Bypass (r) to Breakneck Ridge (w) to Wilkinson Memorial (y) to Casino (r) (return via Wolcott Ave/9D [1.8 mi to station])

Earlier Hikes (Route Uncertain)
These are from my pre-map days. I am fairly sure we drove to the trailhead for each of these trips.

Mt Taurus October 2010 - Although details of the exact route are shrouded in mist, I know we took Brook Trail up to a little lake. At that point, the leaders planned to split the group in two, sending the novice hikers back the same (easy) way, while the more advanced folks would take Notch to the Washburn Trail, tackling Mt Taurus from the north (not the typical approach). Ultimately, the novices decided they didn't want to be left out and we all stuck together. The trail proved more challenging than some of the novice hikers anticipated, and there were some bitter words en route. Everyone survived, but the leaders mentioned that if they'd know everyone would want to try Mt Taurus, they would have approached it the standard way, from the south.
Breakneck Ridge June 2010 - just a quick 3-mile loop with some folks from RPC.
Breakneck Ridge November 2010 - with folks from FAPC.

Hiking New Hampshire

2012-01-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

There's still a lot to explore....

Author, Author!

2012-01-18T22:57:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna be published! Well, OK, technically I've had works accepted for publication before - sometimes even credited under my own name. Poems in elementary school publications. Articles in high school newspapers. The (very) occasional op-ed or legal article. And even co-authorship of a chapter in a big fancy law book, with a real binding and everything.

All very nice, in their way. But I learned a month ago that I was going to be paid for the publication of some of my works. This is novel indeed. Although "novel" may not be the right word, since we're talking about two poems and an essay.

I actually got the first heads-up that my pieces were chosen back in July, but I've been keeping it pretty quiet. Partly because it's hard to know how much of an honor this is before I see the final publication (ye shall know them by the company they keep, as they say).

But still - this seems like an important milestone. I already cashed the check, and will try not to spend it all in one place.

Cold Spring

2012-01-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

Appropriately enough, it was chilly out for this trip to Cold Spring. There were a few small, stray flakes of snow as I walked up to Nelsonville, but it didn't last - mostly I saw ice crystals growing up in the soil and glorious icicle formations. But it was just above freezing, so there was some melting as well.

For the first time, I walked all of Undercliff (y), from east to west. It was a lovely route.

A small puddle, frozen, in the Nelsonville reserve.

Handicap-accessible? Bike-friendly? I just thought this was unusual to have an easy way over ...
when there is an even easier way through. The ramp appears to be "official" in the sense that
the wood is covered with chicken wire, and there is a ramp on each side of the log.

Ice crystals in the soil.

These ice crystals are more thin and curved, like mushrooms.

First glimpse of blue sky!

Cairn.

I'm such a sucker for the natural "verdigris" on the rocks (actually a greenish lichen of course).
Although I must confess the color doesn't show up very well on this particular photo.

I really couldn't get enough of the ice crystals! These thin and wavy ones,
you really could think they were vegetable matter rather than frozen water.

Clear and geometric ice crystals - much more rocklike in appearance, more traditionally "crystalline".

This S-bend in the river always makes me think of The Hobbit (probably one of Tolkien's illustrations).

Gorgeous sunshine!

Cloud shadows on the Hudson River.

Self-portrait: Large as life, and twice as natural.

Cloud shadows on a hill.

Leaves were frozen into this puddle on the trail at several layers - it was really beautiful in person,
but I found it difficult to capture the depth and nuance in a photo.

I love the icy edge of the submerged leaf at upper right.

Underfoot - more "verdigris" on the rocks.

At this point I'd veered off the Undercliff trail slightly, and encountered some
peach trail markings inviting me to climb the clean rock face.
Next time I will accept the invitation!

Storm King across the river.

A small patch of sunlight on the river from between the clouds.

There was a vast and stunning cascade of icicles on the face of the rock toward the end of the Undercliff trail.

Icicles catch the light.

Some of the melting was really cool - it looked at first like tadpoles endlessly chasing each other under the surface of the ice:

When I reached the end of Undercliff (y), I turned right on Breakneck (w), right on Notch (b), forked right on Brook (r), then left on Cornish (b). The total distance, including road walking, was about 9 miles from the Cold Spring info center, according to my iPod pedometer. I did this in 4.5 hours, which seems to be a typical hiking pace for me.

Beacon

2012-01-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

de Kooning ... or Pokémon?

2012-01-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

Knicks Get Knackered

2012-01-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, I know. That hardly qualifies as news. Despite the crowd's repeated reminders (DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!), it seemed like any time the Bobcats managed to get on the right half of the court, they got a few points.

The Knicks actually did better than I expected against the Bobcats, as the final score was 110 - 118. But when I see scores like that, I think cricket.

There were also moments in the game that reminded me of American football (a pileup of players on top of the ball) and bowling (self-explanatory).

What made the game fun to watch was that the Knicks started out ahead, and then whenever they got too far behind (by say, 14 points or so), they would rally and almost catch up...

Also the hecklers who were sitting behind me were hilarious. They kept up a running commentary, their increasing despair sharpening their wit to a bitter point. Gotta love the NYC 'tude.

But the game also brought back memories of my bad old days as a cheerleader. We didn't have a football team, so our "big" sport was basketball. That part was fine; we got to cheer for the girls' team and the boys' team, at home games only. Why exactly were those days so bad, then? Glad you asked. For example, when both teams were playing at the same time, we would routinely have conversations that went something like this:

Fellow Cheerleader: Should we cheer for the boys, or the girls?
Me: How about we cheer for the boys?
FC: Oh, I'd be too embarrassed! (She and others giggle.)
Me: Well, let's cheer for the girls then.
FC: Oh, the girls are too boring! I don't want to cheer for them! (More tittering. This would continue for a few rounds, then we'd go out and go through one cheer for the boys, followed by a quick retreat into the girls' locker room for more fiddling with makeup, clothes and hair.)

But there was one game where we actually stuck around and cheered a while for the girls' team. Unfortunately, my fellow cheerleaders had only bothered to learn two or three cheers, so our repertoire was rather limited. I think it was the second or third time that we did "A big V, we want a victory!" that one of the players took me aside and very politely, albeit with a tinge of desperation in her voice, asked if we would stop doing that cheer since they were losing 23-0.

So that particular memory flooded back every time the JumboTron announcer ordered the crowd to clap and cheer....

On Prayer

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

One of the best comment threads I've seen - from back in 2010 - and it's on the subject of prayer.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:05:00.000-05:00

This year, a friend hosted dinner for six in Brooklyn near the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, and then led us via the scenic route to see the fireworks over Prospect Park.

This was pretty, covered with red velvet bows.

A sculpture by Tom Otterness (there's a real manhole cover very near by).

There were a number of figures posed atop the train cars (now repurposed as shops in the DeKalb Market).
They looked like they were made of duct tape, but I imagine it was sturdier stuff.

The fireworks were nice, and the evening was mild - good for standing around and enjoying the free concert as well. (Although it sounded like the band members were already well into their cups.)

I loved the heart-shaped fireworks, which I don't recall ever seeing before. Here's a short clip that includes the heart at about 1:05 - so cool:

Afterward, we joined in a group hug (not usually my thing, but it works on New Year's Eve) and shared wishes for 2012.

Jim Henson & the Islanders

2011-12-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

In the afternoon, I headed into Queens for the Jim Henson exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image. On display were program proposals for a wide variety of programs (including some that were never produced), props, video clips, storyboards, and preliminary sketches, along with photos and writeups.

Of course, some of the preliminary sketches were pen or pencil on ruled notebook paper, etc. Surely Mr. Henson would have laughed to see them professionally framed, matted and curated for his admiring fans to contemplate. (It reminded me somehow of the fans' reverence for the muppets themselves -- essentially an inability to separate the muppet bodies from the performances that bring them alive -- and the puppeteers' clear-sighted understanding that these were just bits of fabric and styrofoam that could be thrown ignominiously into a drawer when not in use.)

Shortly after I started the circuit, right by the exhibit of Miss Peggy in a wedding dress, I saw none other than Frank Oz! He was present solely in his capacity as a member of the museum-going public, with two companions (perhaps family members). I might not have noticed, except that two kids approached and asked him if he were Frank Oz. He admitted it, but asked them to keep it quiet. They shook his hand and gushed about what he'd meant to their childhood (!). He seemed pleased, but very worried about attracting attention. The kids got in one question (why he performed his characters so rarely these days) which he answered (he said they don't ask him to). Of course I found myself wondering how Mr. Oz felt seeing his former collaborator getting all the glory these days, but of course it's posthumous glory and so I'd say right now Mr. Oz may have the better deal. (In the usual course of things, I suspect that Mr. Oz's friends and supporters will arrange retrospectives and fully celebrate his contributions only after it it too late for him to enjoy or be troubled by it.) He agreed to a quiet photograph with the kids after they left the exhibit area. He came across much as he did in the interview, as fully gracious and slightly reserved, and perhaps even slightly baffled at the attention. I was tempted to say hello, but decided to honor his desire for anonymity and so kept quiet and just smiled to myself throughout the remainder of the exhibit.

It was neat to see some of Jim Henson's earliest work, from high school and University of Maryland (he apparently started up a poster company on campus), as well a photo of the pre-adolescent Jim posing as a snake charmer with creative use of a garden hose!

I enjoyed seeing some of the early commercials, and their storyboards. One of them was a spoof of Hansel and Gretel for an anti-shrink item (it makes sense: dryer = oven). This was quite timely given that I'd just seen one of my FAPC buddies perform in Opera Manhattan's show (music by Engelbert Humperdinck). My favorite commercial: A muppet with a big old-fashioned camera announces he's going to shoot people who haven't tried product X; when the subject says "I haven't tried product X", of course the camera blows him off-screen; and then in a lovely twist, the muppet turns the camera to us and asks if we've tried product X.

I also liked the "visual imagination" video in which jazz scat takes over... and the main viewing area with extended clips from a good cross-section of the muppet show and others...

In the computer video gallery, I ran into G and her family - this serendipitous encounter resulted in (among other things) my stopping and enjoying a few episodes of Monsterpiece Theater (gotta love their version of Gone with the Wind), as well as a wonderful counting cartoon that takes us to the number 12.

Finally, I had to skedaddle to meet U and her family for my second-ever hockey game. I made it just in time to U's place... but it turned out I needn't have hurried, since C was delayed getting home after work. In the mean time, I was able to enjoy some homemade vegetable curry - yum!

Notice the new Jack Spade knit cap with built-in sunglasses!

So in the end we got there a little bit late, thus happily managing to miss the traffic and mayhem - and we snagged a wonderfully convenient parking spot! We also had great seats:

When we first arrived, Calgary was leading 1-0. This soon changed (thanks to #91, whose jersey now graces H's wardrobe) and eventually the Islanders won, 3-1.

Victory was sweet! We were true Islanders fans for the evening, except for our inability to join in the gratuitous cries of "Rangers suck!" after the game. All the way home, C led us in a rousing chorus of call-and-response: "EYYYYE-land-ers!" "YEAH!"

Vaughan Woods, ME

2011-12-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

Frost heave - ice crystals growing and pushing up the soil.

Soft pine needles, gnarled roots.

Letterboxing / Boxing Day

2011-12-26T13:41:00.000-05:00

My first-ever letterboxing adventure took place, appropriately enough, on Boxing Day. It was the warmest and sunniest day of the long weekend.

We started by climbing up a hill and crawling through the branches of a large dead tree on top.

The first clue was not entirely accurate - the words on the rock are different from those described - but that just made it more rewarding when we finally managed to track down the hidden box.

The boxes are tupperware containers hidden from view, marked prominently with words such as "THIS IS NOT TRASH". Inside each box is a sealed plastic bag which contains a logbook and a stamp.

We looked though the log book - one of the prior visitors had this beautiful stamp.

Returning the box to its hiding place.

After the first two boxes, we lost the letterboxing trail, so we just wandered down for a walk on the beach.

Holey tree!

The rough and the smooth.

Natural fault.

Scylla & Charybdis?

Tidings of Comfort & Joy

2011-12-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

Christmas tree with gifts - watercolor on stock paper (gift from the artist, 2011)

Christmas tree with ornaments - wood, metal, and plastic (gift from G ca. 1991);
Additional ornaments - various materials and provenance (gifts from M, L)

Quick Recap - Music

2011-12-19T08:21:00.002-05:00

Thurs - Handel's Messiah at Lincoln Center. I love how everyone stands up for the Hallelujah Chorus - it's sort of the 7th inning stretch. Of course, my friends didn't think much of my suggestion for installing a JumboTron in the concert hall. Nor did they agree that we should "Occupy the Messiah" and make this a sing-in. But there was one elderly gentleman in the balcony somewhere behind and above us who clearly agreed with me. His voice, frail and thin and slightly off-key, floated just above the voices of the professional singers during the Hallelujah Chorus. I'm sure he thought he was singing inaudibly, but it carried just enough for the folks in my section to hear it, and I couldn't stop smiling. It reminded me so beautifully of my maternal grandfather, one of the sweetest men I've ever met.

Fri - University of Chicago's Motet Choir at FAPC. All a cappella, a nice mix of secular, Christian and Jewish music, with a mini sing-along at the end (yippee!) of the two Christmas carols for which "everyone knows" a verse in another language. For those keeping score at home, that would be a reference to O Come All Ye Faithful (Latin) and Silent Night (German).

Sat - no concerts, but my iPod came through with a very pleasing assortment of fabulous songs in Shuffle mode. This was a relief, since recently I've found myself wondering whether I own any songs that are even vaguely tolerable. Also saw the latest Twilight movie, which featured an exciting new trailer for the Hunger Games movie. The Twilight movies have been a mixed bag (OK, the ones I've seen have been downright hokey with just a few redeeming moments), but I am very much looking forward to seeing the Hunger Games.

Sun - Christmas pageant at my church (spreading good cheer in endlessly new ways as children so often do) ...

... followed by our annual cider sing (yes, I will again appear in many tourists' photo albums).

This in turn was followed by a wonderful concert with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony (their last hurrah before they leave for a concert tour in China). I went to the concert because a friend of mine was their featured soloist for some selections from Carmen, but they also had a Christmas carol sing-along at the end. Or nearly the end. Because while we were all busy singing along with the orchestra, the conductor was busy off-stage... donning his DARTH VADER OUTFIT. Total awesomeness. He came back to conduct the final piece - John Williams "Star Wars" theme - in full costume, mask, cape, and all. And he replaced his baton with a red light saber.* So fun.

This clip captures an appropriate part of the theme (along with the back of someone's head, sorry about that!) ...

...while this clip gives perhaps slightly better glimpses of the conductor as he turns to acknowledge applause at the beginning and end of the segment:

*FN: Or at least it looked like a light saber. I can only hope he had all necessary licenses to possess, carry and brandish such a weapon, given New York City's reputation as a "No-Issue" jurisdiction.

I Still Miss Zuccotti Park

2011-12-18T19:11:00.000-05:00

They've turned on the lights, at least, but with the metal barricades and Police Line Do Not Cross tape, I still can't walk across my beloved park at night:

Meanwhile, advertising in a nearby subway station is targeting a particular demographic:

Falling Snowflakes, Running Deer

2011-12-17T17:46:00.003-05:00

About five minutes into today's hike, a deer ran right across the path, form and white under-tail visible as it sprinted through the bare trees and out of sight. Throughout the day, the slightest possible snowfall with the teensiest flakes.

Free parking!

This green plant seems to think it's spring!

A little bit of ice.

Mixed messages.

This guy and his friends were a bit camera shy. I used the burst-shot setting to capture this.

On this tree, the fungi are growing only in the crevices of the bark.

An old greenhouse.

A bit of a fixer-upper, this ample mansion boasts excellent air and light.

Sandy beach.

Is this possibly Diagon Alley?

Merry Christmas!

Brownies. Sort of.

2011-12-13T23:07:00.002-05:00

I wanted to make something easy for a treat swap tomorrow night, so I asked my mom for suggestions. She came through with three options. Two of them involved a tool I do not have readily accessible at the moment (a kitchen mixer), so I went with the third option - brownies. The fact that I've never made brownies before didn't faze me at all.

Nor did the fact that I didn't have unsweetened baking chocolate, regular flour, Crisco, or an 8x8 pan. Instead, I used a 60% cocoa chocolate bar with crystalized ginger; a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and buckwheat flour; butter; and 1.5x all the ingredients to fit the pan I had with me. So that was yesterday.

Today, I invested in few new items for a second batch. So for the chocolate, I used a mix of bittersweet chocolate chips and a Lindt dark chocolate/orange bar; for shortening, I used applesauce; and I baked it in my cupcake tray using my brand new cupcake papers. I also added a teensy bit of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

Based on my preliminary taste tests, I think both batches may have come out OK, but I'll see what my friends say tomorrow. I think I can pitch the cupcakes and the regular brownies as "chocolate gingerbread cupcakes" - and they will probably be amazing with heavy cream.

I'm kicking myself now, though. After I made my cupcake batch tonight, I looked more closely at my pantry and realized I actually had regular flour all along and could have used it in either or both batches. Sigh.

25 Hours in D.C.

2011-12-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what instinct made me say yes to G's 14th annual vegetarian potluck Hanukkah party (I have only rarely attended), but it turned out to be exactly the right choice. This Hanukkah party was a very special one indeed - G's last as a non-mom! She is due in February and is expecting twins; I suppose we can say she doesn't do things by halves - or no, that would be far too corny, so let's not say that. Forget that I mentioned it.

In any event, it was the perfect time to visit, because I could be helpful to G and get to hang out with her before the joy and madness of the parental juggling act starts. The party itself was perhaps more sedate than in previous years, in keeping with G's energy level. (In fact, a guy who is usually among the first to throw in the towel found himself - to his great surprise - the last one out the door! And he didn't even have to change his bedtime to do this.) After we put away all the leftovers, G and I watched The Muppet Show (season 3) until our brains started oozing out our ears. This was still all very efficient; I think I was in bed by 11 pm.

The next day, as G headed off to her baby shower in Baltimore, K graciously stopped by to take me on a tour of DC. Luckily, K has mad face-recognition skillz, and so he spotted me right away as I started wandering vaguely around the corner of Walk and Don't Walk, wondering how I was going to pick his car out from perhaps hundreds parked in the area.

We enjoyed lunch at Cafe La Ruche in Georgetown, selected - I believe - not only for its French cuisine and friendly vibe, but also for its proximity to Lock Zero (not to be confused with Prisoner Zero from Dr Who), the C&O Canal, the start of the Capital Crescent Trail, and the steps from The Exorcist. (I trained for this particular expedition by watching the Exorcist on the bus ride down to D.C. Creeeepy!)

K and I had not seen each other since college (a lamentable oversight), but you can judge for yourself by means of these amazingly high-quality photographs whether we've changed for the better over the years.

College photo (in doorway of student office):

Life in black-and-white

Post-college photo (at the base of the Exorcist steps):

Life in full color

OK, maybe these photos aren't quite the bee's knees, but I'd still say yes. Good times! Perhaps we'll be able to join forces in a non-urban setting (hiking expeditions, anyone?) in the future.

DC is a lot more accessible (and fun) than I remembered; then again, my last few visits were all work-related, and featured grim luncheons at fast-food institutions, complete with all the thrills of paper and electronic document discovery. But I'm glad I came back.

Birthday Bash

2011-12-02T09:08:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the view, mid-climb.

It went thataway!

Exploring the sine function?

A dramatic reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Good habits!

One giant leap for girlkind!

Monarchs of the mountain. Or rock. Whatever.

Darth Vader in her gentler years.

Tree #20.

I think we can see who's in charge here.

An intrepid hiker!

Pawtuckaway State Park

2011-11-29T19:13:00.001-05:00

My dad wanted to try this park. We loved it, and ended up going two days in a row.

On Day 1, we explored the east side of the park, near the campgrounds. This was a there-and-back-again trip. We didn't have a lot of time, so we didn't bother to pack a lunch, or water, or anything really. Just went and walked. It was rather flat, but quite pretty.

A close-up of pine needles and various lichen on a rock.

Ho hum, another beautiful forest scene. Note the two different shaped blazes marking a single trail.

On Day 2, we set out to do a loop around North Mountain and a boulder field on the west side of the park. We decided to do it counter-clockwise, starting with the North Mountain Bypass trail. We had a map (kind of - it was not very detailed, since I'd forgotten the real trail map at home) and written instructions on how to do the trail clockwise. All we had to do was follow the instructions backward, and voila!

I loved the root system rising out of the pine needles.

We stopped in the boulder field for lunch. It was truly surreal.

The area is very popular with climbers.

Supposedly, all the rocks in the boulder field were plucked up by glaciers eons ago, but there were some strange rock-tree interactions. In many places, it looked like the rocks had been merrily rolling along until they ran into a tree. Other places, it looked like the trees were growing into the rocks. Pretty cool any way you slice it.

After the boulder field, we walked over to what we thought was Dead Pond, and followed a trail we picked up near there. We got disoriented (I blame the stones) and went through the Devil's Den. We saw plenty of evidence of beaver activity in the area.

Exhibit A in People v Beaver

This tree was still clinging to life!!!!

A dramatic re-enactment of the arboreal feeding frenzy.

We saw a lot of people enjoying a large natural climbing/rappelling wall (it looks like a great place to learn!) and many more scenic sights....

These are not slabs of concrete, but natural rock formations.

This is where we should have had lunch - the perfect sunny spot, just off the boulder field.

Fissures in the rock.

A natural pulpit or balcony.

After following the trails to enjoy all these sights, we ended up (to our surprise) on Round Pond Road. Eep! Not part of the plan!

Luckily, the locals knew the area quite well and helped us get oriented again. As it was getting late, we simply walked down Round Pond Road all the way to Reservation Road.

Reflections in a pond (which we believed to be Round Pond).

The vegetation growing on this rock looks a lot like hair, doesn't it?

Round Pond featured a number of very large mud-holes or small lakes blocking the path, so I think next time we will stick to the regular route.

We did notice one very cool thing about the mud -- it seemed to dye the leaves black. These leaves weren't visibly coated with mud, and they weren't wet, but instead appeared to be truly dyed or stained. And it wasn't just one type of leaf, either - we noticed oak, beech, and others all stained alike.

Our wildlife sighting for the day - a small, nearly tailless mammal. A shrew, perhaps?

On the way back to the car, we took a look at the old cemetery on Reservation Road (headstones dated circa 1825-1890).

There were gentle climbs and descents throughout the day, and plenty of soft leaves and pine needles underfoot. The scenery was both gorgeous and incredibly cool. Definitely worth another return trip!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

Dave graciously hosted again, for a wonderfully boisterous Thanksgiving with 19 people from two families. The place looks great, and everyone seemed to have a lot to be thankful for. There was good food, Apples to Apples, a beach expedition and plenty of running around outside for the younger set, and even a great slideshow/travelogue of R's parents' trip to southeast Asia.

Mount Taurus Hike - New Path!

2011-11-20T21:48:00.000-05:00

I took the train up to Cold Spring and walked up to Nelsonville to a new (for me) trailhead. I think I may even prefer this approach; it provided a change of scenery and a sidewalk the entire way rather than road walking. Very civilized. Especially as it gave me time to enjoy a cappuccino from the bright, cheerful and friendly Go-Go Pops establishment en route.

My original plan was to take Nelsonville to Notch to Breakneck, and I'd left open whether I would cross over to Beacon or return to Cold Spring. Let's just say things did not go exactly according to plan.

Initially, the plan was working just fine, thank you very much.

The vehicle is nearly picked clean.

As I walked, I listened to a series of lectures on Ancient Greece from the Modern Scholar series, which was interesting in between car wrecks and other scenic points of the Nelsonville Trail.

JK Rowling's website confirms she earned a French and Classics degree from Exeter, and based on the lecture series, it would seem that the name "Draco Malfoy" is not only drawn from the French (mal foy looks like Olde French for bad faith) but also from Classics. That is, in 620 BC, a Greek named Draco wrote down the laws (yay!) but chose death as the penalty for most violations (boo!). According to Plutarch, when asked why he had fixed the punishment of death for most offences, [Draco] answered that he considered these lesser crimes to deserve it, and he had no greater punishment for more important ones. So there you have it, the genesis of the word "draconian" - and the much-despised Malfoy.

I think this is where I heard the lecture about Draco.

There were many downed trees on the Nelsonville path, but the light and the landscape were very pretty.

When I tried to turn on to the Notch Trail, however, something was wrong. I just couldn't put my finger on it, but things didn't look like I expected them to based on the map. So I forged ahead, and things started to look oddly familiar. Of course, I decided that was because I was so familiar with all the trails in the area.

Not because I had no idea whatsoever where I was. Nope, not at all. In the mean time, I continued on, confident that I was on the correct trail. The white trail.

Raptor's wing tip catches the glint of sun

This view -- and the viewpoint on the rock
marked * NYC -- looked very familiar.

As did this pool, though I'd approached it
mostly from the other direction before.

So it seemed like I was recognizing point after point on the trail, but was somehow going in a different direction than usual. The afternoon wore on, and I started to get a little nervous that maybe it was a little late to be pushing on to Beacon after all (which I thought I was doing when I turned right on to the yellow trail).

But it wasn't until I reached the oh-so-familiar and utterly unmistakable junction with the Brook Trail that I was finally forced to admit that I was way, way, way off base. In some ways, this was good, because it meant that I could easily get back to Cold Spring before dark.

I followed all the way to the tail end of the Cornish Trail which more or less tracks 9D on the way back to the trailhead.

The bare trees looked like cilia on the
hills on the other side of the Hudson River.

A few trees on our side clung to their leaves.

I liked this part of the Cornish Trail a lot - and it was new to me. Of course in some ways, this misadventure was an incredibly embarrassing reflection on my map reading skillz. I had taken the Washburn Trail up and over Mount Taurus. Which was not part of the plan. But that's not important right now. What's important is that there were stepping logs to help you get across the mud puddles:

These trees fell into the form of a giant jack!

Golden glow on the Cornish Trail in the last rays of the afternoon.

An arch cut through fallen trees.

The vines give this a Southern Gothic feel.

A tangle of roots.

The red sign says: "Emergency Road - Do Not Block"

I set off along 9D back to the train station.

Canada geese by a pond.

Turkey vulture at rest?

Cool mailbox!

All in all, I liked this route - especially Nelsonville and the Cornish Trail. Good times.

Quick Recap

2011-11-18T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hit the ground running this week; highlights included a conversation with Ben Kingsley (as an audience member, not the interviewer) and a preview of The Muppets at the Museum of the Moving Image. I also went to a poetry reading at the Morgan Library & Museum's exhibt on Islamic manuscript paintng (a friend of a friend was reading poetry by Rami in the original Persian).

Kingsley was a good storyteller, answering just about every question with a story. His theme for the evening seemed to be a childhood in which he was allegedly "not seen and not heard," for which he has more than compensated professionally. I like the MMI's interview format; they showed short clips from a variety of Kingsley's films and used that to get the conversation flowing. The clips ranged from Gandhi to Hugo, which is not very far alphabetically, but spans nearly three decades of his career (1982 to 2011). In the Gandhi scene, Kingsley pointed out the seemingly minor bits of dialogue from other characters (soldiers on a hilltop) which actually provide an important frame for the audience in giving a sense of the drama and significance of the unassuming fellow who alights from the train. In person, Kingsley comes across as slight and trim; probably the right word is compact.

MMI was essentially shut down for renovations for the past few years, so I became a member over their grand re-opening weekend back in January, to see if I could encourage them to remain open. However, I've only been to a few of their events so far (sneak preview of 50/50 and a conversation with Frank Oz).

I was also going to go to a sneak preview of The Way there with the director live and in person, but gave away my ticket so I could see a non-celebrity preview of the same movie the same night with friends instead. That preview would be more social, and much closer to home; and I needed to get up early the next day.

One mini digression (as if this entire post were not a digression) - the guy behind me in line to see the sneak preview mentioned that he himself had actually walked the Camino. That was really cool. But after our respective friends arrived, my gang was making unkind remarks about a media-friendly camping-out event, and my spider sense picked up non-sympathetic vibes from his gang.

Still need to see MMI's muppet exhibit.
At the Morgan, I spent a lot of time looking at what looked like a Persian version of St George & the dragon (A Qizilbash and His Horse Entangled by a Dragon) and amazingly intricate drawings of composite beasts. Overall, the exhibit reminded me of The King's Book of Kings, which I loved as a kid.

Sea & Land

2011-11-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

LOTR Nerd Alert: I thought it looked like the Cracks of Doom on Orodruin [Mt. Doom].
But I also thought the thing in the middle looked like an electric guitar (handle pointing to the upper right).

A fancifully decorated dessert.

Home sweet home?

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

Old San Juan

2011-11-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

West Side Story comes alive: "I want to go back to San Juan..."

I like when multi-national business have to fit in with a local appearance code, like this Burger King,
or the glamorous "Seven-Eleven" in Beacon Hill.

Note the rainbow progression of colors (red, orange, yellow).

Agua! Agua!

All the cool homeowners are doing their roofs in safari prints this year.

Though the houses were pretty, it was a hot day, which utterly sapped the girls' energy. Until we stumbled on this wonderful fountain.

Look, a fountainbow!

A bit hard to see here, but the air was filled with KITES!

We saw a lot of (presumably stray) cats wandering around town.
They were very cute, but a little shy. I thought this kitten was adorable.

A meadow in the rain gutter.

Tourists

Alas, all good things must come to an end, as they say. We had some smoothies and poked around a bit, then returned to the ship.

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

A living sculpture.

Back on board, some of us went on a kitchen tour. There were some long speeches (boo!), but finally we got to go into the galley (yay!). Luckily, we saw nothing that required us to survive on prepackaged crackers for the rest of the trip. That's always a risk with this sort of thing, I suppose.

Pastry chef at work.

That's Amor(e)! [If you can read the name tag, at least]

I liked this artwork.

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

St. Maarten

2011-11-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

I took no pictures today. We drove up around the island to a place on the French side where we could take the ferry to Isle Pinel. The girls played at being sea turtles, on land and in the beautiful shallow waters near our beach chairs. Seaweed was growing thickly in the area.

We saw some rather large lizards (perhaps iguanas) behind the restaurant. One was in a tree, the others on the walk or walls. They were certainly habituated to humans, and we wondered if they were pets.

After that, we went to the Loterie Farm, which is a "private nature reserve." We didn't have time to go ziplining (rats!!!) but instead went on a little rainforest hike. Some great views from the top. I'd have liked to visit the cafe/restaurant there (and linger a while). Maybe next time!

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

St. Barts & the Lazy Day

2011-11-09T19:33:00.000-05:00

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

Access to the island was by tender, and I did finally get on the boat just before dinner... only to meet up with the whole gang on their way back to the ship when I came ashore.[FN*] So I went right back with them after spending approximately 90 seconds on St. Bart. Let's call this "quality time," shall we?

Well, in any event, the view was quite nice from the ship - and I had a very enjoyable day.

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

======

[FN*]: Yes, I pretty much stayed on the ship today. I enjoyed my Wodehouse and my Bryson, and a nice pedicure.

I also tried doing a 5K on the elliptical machine. It took me (ahem) just over 42 minutes to go 5 kilometers, so I was not exactly setting any land-speed records. Or even any shipboard-speed records, for that matter. But then again, I'd chosen a hilly setting so my little 5K actually involved an ascent of 4,861 feet.

(Not that I'm at all defensive about this. Of course not.)

St. Kitts

2011-11-08T07:34:00.000-05:00

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

A lovely day on the beach in St. Kitts.

I believe these are some egg sacs washed up from the sea (set off nicely on the bright blue and white of the rented beach chairs):

Near the beach chairs, a crab scuttled in and out of its hole near some seaweed:

The girls frolicked in the ocean and dug a deep hole of their own in the sand (big enough they could both crouch down in it).

Later that afternoon, we went for a sunset sail & snorkel expedition on a catamaran. It was a bit bigger than the Wetzels' catamaran which I remember from back in the day.

The crew kept informing us that this was a party boat, and luckily they took on most of the burden of partying it up. In any event, the view was lovely.

However, the snorkeling area was marked by this somewhat inauspicious landmark:

The snorkeling was pretty good. A lot of fish with bright purply-blue tails (they looked almost neon, although I'm pretty sure they were not actually giving off light), and some needlefish types (though they're actually called something else). My favorite was a dark fish with what seemed to be lighter polka dots - sort of a 50's feeling to it.

A charming couple graces the catamaran as we make our way back to the mother ship:

Another passenger enjoys the sunset:

The boat cut a fine silhouette:

Fading to twilight:

A view of the mother ship:

One bit of cloud catches the last bit of light:

Goodbye, St. Kitts!

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

Dominican Birthday

2011-11-07T17:41:00.000-05:00

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

We stopped at Roseau, Dominica.

I walked around town counterclockwise, passing by the botanical garden. It is not a pedestrian-friendly place; the sidewalks are discontinuous, even haphazard, and the roads are narrow. This would not matter too much, of course, if there were fewer cars and trucks.

One of the highlights for me (albeit not pictured) was a restaurant called Italia, which boasted that it specialized in Dominican and Caribbean cuisine. I also walked into a clothing and sundries store, and later a tourist-friendly boutique, to see what the local wares were like (I was hoping to find something cute I could use as a sun-shirt). But I wasn't really in the mood to buy anything.

As I was returning to the ship, I ran into my uncle and grandfather, who were just setting out.

So I promptly turned around and joined them - after all, it was my grandfather's birthday! We walked down the main street, straight out from the pier, for a few blocks. I became extra aware of the uneven footing, so I stayed within easy arm's reach of my grandfather in case he needed an arm. After a few minutes, we went back to the ship.

Soon, I'd found a P.G. Wodehouse book in the ship's library (a "best of" collection, which contained many pieces I'd not read before, including his wonderful autobiography from a book called "Over Seventy"). Later in the afternoon, I got my hair cut - the first of several lovely spa experiences using our shipboard credits.

The sunset was nice:

That evening, we commandeered the onboard restaurant for my grandfather's birthday celebration; they made an announcement and brought in a cake, and we all sang and cheered. Luckily, he doesn't mind being the center of attention.

Happy birthday, Gramps!!

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

St Vincent & the Grenadines

2011-11-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

Our first stop in the Caribbean.

After getting oriented - and stopping at a few boutiques and a grocery store - we set off on foot for Mount Pleasant. It was very hot out, so some of the crew peeled off for the beach while the rest of us toiled upward.

We were rewarded with excellent views:

We saw quite a few goats as well:

A wall with conch shells:

Eventually, we headed down and rejoined the others, making our way to (I believe) the southern edge of Princess Margaret Bay. By that time, we had finished much of our water and were thrilled to throw ourselves into the cooling waves.

It was a somewhat small and secluded beach, with abundant sea glass and waves that were strong enough to ride in to the shore. There was also a tree with a warning notice on it - apparently its leaves, bark and fruit are toxic to the touch.

From Carribean Magazine:

Manchineel Avoid contact with Manchineel trees orfruit.The fruit, commonly known as Manchineel Apples, since they look and smell just like small apples, are very poisonous and sap from the tree and fruit blisters the skin. Therefore, if it is raining, be sure that the tree you are sheltering under is not a manchineel, as drops of rain falling off can still produce the same unpleasant effect.

After that, we took a taxi to a cafe near the turtle sanctuary. (It felt a lot like an out-of-season hayride as we bounced along.) The cafe featured a limited menu and slow service in a spectacularly beautiful location. But the fries were good!!

I wasn't sure what kind of fruit this was - it was bright red and grew in bunches on a palm. A search online suggests it might be the cocorite, which is apparently "a palm fruit ... with a light, sweet taste" according to the ABCs of Carribean Fruits and Vegetables by Julia E. Antoine.

Cocorite

The walk to the turtle sanctuary was actually a little longer than we expected, but the views were nice.

The turtle sanctuary was basically just a big open-air shed, which I suppose is fine in that climate. The turtles were all in really big uncovered buckets or tubs. There was no glass in sight, and certainly nothing as high-tech as an enclosed aquarium.

The baby turtles were just a few inches long, and I so wanted to touch them! But the signs expressly instructed us not to do this.

Luckily, the bigger ones were fair game... Although the keeper suggested we be careful not to allow our fingers near the turtles' mouths, at least the carniverous ones. (I saw some of the teenagers, one nipping another's tail a bit aggressively, so I'm inclined to heed the warning.)

The guys in the largest pool were a lot safer because they were herbivores

After this, we made our way back to the ship.

Island Hopping Tour: [At Sea] - [PR] - [St. Barts] - [St. Kitts] - [Dominica] - [St Vincent]

In Transit

2011-11-05T11:29:00.000-04:00

Mount Taurus: First Barefoot Hike!

2011-11-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

OK, so it wasn't really "barefoot" but with toe shoes. Still fun.

Went on Washburn - Notch - Brook (I seem to have missed the turnoff for the Cornish Trail, so a bit more street walking), roughly 5 miles including the walk to the train station. Took me about 3.5 hours (4 if you include a stop for hot cider on the way through town).

The Anti-Hike

2011-10-30T19:10:00.000-04:00

I figured this weekend was my big chance to see fall foliage at its peak. Initially the weather was supposed to be nice Saturday. (Really!) And so even when my friends started directing my attention to the weather report, I pooh-poohed it. But at 4 a.m. Saturday I checked one last time and despaired. After dawn, I would have almost two hours of clouds at near-freezing temperatures before the rain started. And the high would be nearly 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The winds would steadily increase all day leading up to a big snow storm at 4 pm. Let's face it, I'm not a hard-core hiker; this was too much for me.

So I stayed in the city. I worked out for an hour in the gym, interval setting on the treadmill, while watching the end of a free teaser for Lost (a TV show I've never seen), followed by the start of the pilot for Grimm (which I'd purchased on iTunes, since for some inexplicable reason the iPad does not let you watch TV episodes for free on hulu). I did a few bits of chores, skived off the service projects I'd been thinking about joining, and then ventured out to Union Square to buy my first ever Vibram Five Fingers shoes. The guy at Paragon Sports was super-nice and very helpful. He owns two pairs of the toe shoes so far.

The weather in NYC was kind of icky, alternating between mere clouds, rain, sleet, and wet snow. Your basic wintry mix. But I loved this view of Union Square from the north side; it looks like the city is rising out of the jungle:

Somewhat less cool to me - but probably of greater interest to Warhol fans - is this view, in which the statue of Andy Warhol overlooks the fog:

(Incidentally, I think the statue has been up for more than 15 minutes. Isn't it time to take it down?)

Throughout the day, I tried to capture images of our pre-Halloween snowfall. This one, from the south side of Union Square, is my favorite:

I also discovered that Whole Foods sells organic popcorn in bulk. This is wonderful news, because I've been having some trouble finding non-microwave popcorn.

Meanwhile, further downtown (on Broad Street & Wall Street), there was filming for "Magnus Rex" a/k/a Dark Knight Rising. Most of what I could see was Gotham Police Department vehicles, lined up and down the streets with their lights flashing:

Sunday was beautiful, but I am glad I stuck to my original plan and stayed in town for a talk on biblical translations (in honor of 400th anniversary of the King James bible) and - more importantly - the installation of the Rev. Kate Dunn as associate pastor in charge of pastoral care and outreach at my church. It was a lovely service, with some very moving elements involving her family and her childhood pastor. So cool. Congratulations Kate!

Birthday!

2011-10-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

Over my extended birthday weekend, two friends independently organized two "rival" birthday celebrations. This suited me fine, of course, since they were on separate days ... and I like to celebrate throughout my Birthday Month.

My friend Emi hosted a lovely dinner party with mostly small dishes (delicious kebabs, corn on the half cob, edamame, etc.) so that we could also play mahjong. It was so much fun! Although surprisingly, we scratched maybe 3 out of 5 games. I'm not sure if there was something about our configuration (who was upstream from whom) that stymied us. (Carolyn was upstream from Emi, who was upstream from U-chan, who was upstream from me. Although I must confess Carolyn is the only one of us who has a real strategy; if any of the rest of us block someone, it's a matter of sheer luck!) It was so wonderful to spend time with good friends and relax with good food, wine and cake.

On my birthday itself, G-san treated me to reflexology / foot massage in Chinatown, which was such bliss! I didn't let the guy do full-out proper reflexology (which hurts like heck even under the best of circumstances) since my right big toe still feels a little sensitive. But I could have stayed there for ages, it felt so wonderful to have my feet treated right.

Right after that, I walked over to a local restaurant where Patricia had organized a celebratory dinner. I'd only ever been there for brunch before (their vanilla bean french toast is to die for), but it proved to be a nice place for dinner as well. It was a lovely evening with some dear friends - filled with laughter and merriment.

I am so grateful for the friends who make life in NYC worthwhile.

Word-Frequency Images

2011-10-23T22:15:00.005-04:00

I was mucking about with the wordle program two weeks ago, and created some images based on prior blog posts. The program allows you to choose the colors and orientation of the words, as well as the desired degree of smoothness.

In one of my first efforts, I allowed the program to select words that frequently appeared in my most recent posts (I chose the option to automatically exclude very common words), I selected my own color scheme and random word orientation (rather than horizontal/vertical), and voila:

Later, I generated this one using only posts from my trip to Wales, and I deliberately excluded some specific words that didn't evoke the particular experience, to try to make Words such as "Cardiff" and "Wales" more prominent:

The customization options are certainly very addictive. For example, you can design your own color scheme (choosing how many colors to choose, and which ones) and then decide how much variation to allow. Then - even after selecting your desired option - you can click through repeatedly to see how it turns out....

Beacon Redux (Solo #2)

2011-10-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

For this solo trek, I got up early and took the train to the start of the Wilkinson Memorial trail. The goal was to follow the yellow blazes all the way up to Fishkill Ridge for a more challenging walk to Beacon.

On the way up, I chatted with my seatmate, who is just one assignment away from earning a marketing degree from Phoenix University. I was very curious to hear about the nuts and bolts of it, since I'm thinking about taking a class at the new (and not yet accredited) Mythgard Institute. I think MI is intended to provide a very different experience than PU (i.e., to simulate a more traditional grad school experience even though everyone's accessing it remotely - as opposed to a feeling of semi-isolated self-study). My seatmate noted that PU required a great deal of organization and self-discipline; it's also a bit of a financial investment, so I really hope that it pays off for her. Of course, regardless of what doors the degree itself opens for her, I think the determination and ambition that led her to seek and attain the degree will probably open doors, whether in her current job or elsewhere. In any event, she and her dog seemed very nice, and I wish them the best.

It was a beautiful day.

I liked taking the yellow blazed trail instead of the Breakneck Bypass. It seemed more scenic, and the steeps were more moderated.

Look carefully here, and you may see the yellow blazes on not one, but two downed trees to the left of the path:

There were bits of scramble, of course, which I thoroughly enjoyed:

The first viewpoint featured a bit of fall foliage:

The leaves are still in early stages of turning, and the colors are not as vibrant as they could be - it's mostly green mottled with yellow:

I remember this tree stump from an outing with the NEXT Ministries small group:

View of Bannerman's Castle:

Cloud shadows cast patterns on the Hudson:

In the woods, the yellow leaves bring you into the heart of Faerie:

I liked the fungi on this tree:

Although the individual leaves do not create that feeling. You can't see the forest from the leaves, as they say.

The mushrooms here were not as bountiful and exotic as in New Hampshire, but I loved the way they dotted this tree trunk:

Darkish clouds with a white border:

An island of moss on a sea of rock? Or clouds of rock floating in a sky of moss?

At 1:30, I reached last week's turn-around point on the Wilkinson Memorial trail - the fourth scenic overlook in a row, with a big yellow X marking the spot for a nice view. I relaxed and ate an apple.

Then I continued down the slope, following the yellow blazes up, down and around until I hit the blue Crossover Trail.

An amazing fungus ecosystem on a downed tree trunk:

This 0.8 mile blue-blazed trail is also known as "Dozer Junction" due to the rusting bulldozer carcass at the intersection with Fishkill Ridge (white trail). I did not take a picture of the bulldozer, however.

Once I made it to Fishkill Ridge, the white blazes led me out to some rocky ledges.

The air grew noticeably cooler, but it was not dark (despite the appearance of this photo!).

I watched a raptor circling overhead for a while:

The urban landscape visible from Fishkill Ridge is not as attractive as the views further south Breakneck Ridge, but the walk was very enjoyable.

Fortunately, if you're selective about where you look (i.e., if you don't look at Beacon or the fire tower), you can still enjoy unspoiled landscape from the Fishkill Ridge trail:

Lovely tree silhouette looking back up the trail:

Taking the white-blazed trail down toward Beacon was a lot of fun, with waterfalls and multiple crossings of little brooks.

Eventually, I cut over onto the Yellow Trail -- 0.8 miles with a moderate climb through the woods to merge with the last bit of the Casino Trail (red blazes). You miss all the zigzagging switchbacks of Casino, but you catch the three flights of metal stairs to the end of the trail. Not particularly efficient, but it spits you out on Wolcott Avenue for the easy 1.6 miles to the Beacon train station.

This time, I didn't find the stairs to be a strain. In fact, I didn't start feeling the aches in my muscles until after I stopped walking. Oooh. Now, I feel it when I stand up!

I noticed this "Rec Cling Center" at one of the stations on the way back to the city:

All in all, I think this was about 12 miles with plenty of climbing, and it took me 7 hours including photo and other breaks. My first few ascents were fairly slow, and I took a long photo break at the first scenic overlook to delete 108 pictures on my camera, but I didn't really stop for much (including lunch) once I really got going. I really loved this route - it seemed just the right mix of challenge and beauty, very motivating, and not at all crowded (unlike certain other trails I could mention).

The trains come once an hour and I had just missed one, unfortunately, so I had to go to Tamra's gig with the Park Ave Chamber Symphony straight from the station when I arrived. Lovely music though. Stayed through the whole thing, though it got increasingly difficult - I was very tired.

Interview with a Four-Year-Old

2011-10-20T20:23:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, I participated in the following dramatic interview.

Interviewer: That's a pretty ring.

Me: Thank you!

Interviewer: Is it your marriage ring?

Me (after a beat, brightly): No, I'm not married. Your Grammie and Gramps gave me this ring. Isn't it nice?

(Interviewer's brow furrows as she puzzles this out.)

Interviewer: But I thought you were old enough to get married.

(Slight pause; thou too, Brutus?)

Me: I am old enough to get married. But I haven't found the right guy yet.

(Interviewer thinks a few moments, clearly flipping through her mental rolodex of unmarried grown-up men with whom I might be compatible.)

Interviewer: What about Great-Gramps?

Hudson Highlands: Breakneck to Beacon

2011-10-15T18:41:00.000-04:00

This was a hike I've been meaning to take for a while, from Breakneck train station to Beacon train station. My friend Kat joined me (yay!) and we chose a route that turned out to be about 9 miles total and took us about 5 hours.

We started up Wilkinson Memorial Trail, and quickly switched over to the Breakneck Bypass, on the theory that a "bypass" is probably the easier way. It was tough going.

We stopped for lunch at a platform overlook, which was nice. I shared my hand sanitizer, Kat shared her extra peach. I think I got the better end of that deal.

After lunch, we started missing the blazes more often. I think we were getting tired. We usually were able to realize pretty quickly that we didn't see the next blaze, so we would just backtrack 10-20 feet and find our way.

However, we also missed some trail crossings, which was a little more disconcerting. We missed the turnoff for the white-blazed trail. On the one hand, that was fine because that's the steeper way and I wanted to stay on the yellow trail (which is what we did). But because we missed that turnoff, and also the turnoff for the red-blazed Casino trail, I was surprised when we suddenly found ourselves at a scenic overlook. It almost seemed like we had to be a lot further along than I'd thought we were - and sure enough, a British gentleman hiking in the opposite direction confirmed where we were on the map. He suggested we could keep going and see another 3 great vistas along the ridge, but commented that after the final vista - the one overlooking a reservoir - there would be a lot of ups and downs and another 2 hours of hiking if we wanted to continue on. So we decided to see the ridge views over the next quarter-mile and then turn around and come back on the Casino trail as we'd originally planned.

As we followed the yellow blazes, the views popped like fireworks BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! one right after the other. Just before the final one, there was a little sign on a rock, with yellow arrow, saying "VIEW". I thought that was pretty awesome.

Here is the final genuine accept-no-substitutes Official View:

You have to look at it from this specific point, helpfully marked with a big yellow X:

Hikers go a little crazy for a good view, it just can't be helped:

Yes, it's a good view 360 degrees:

We backtracked to the Casino trail, which was embarrassingly well marked. And we found ruins of what I assume is a former cog railway to take wealthy patrons up to the casino. Or at least presumably they were wealthy on the way up the mountain.

The Casino trail descends steeply with a lot of loose stones on the path. This made the footing a bit tricky in places, but we saw a guy and girl doing some trail running (it seemed like he was teaching her; who knows if the relationship survived that particular adventure). Then it gets more typically woodsy and goes into a long series of switchbacks before terminating in an unexpectedly modern metal staircase with several flights of stairs and a viewing platform that has all the modern conveniences except for a view. At the very bottom, we see the terminus of the railway:

The walk through Beacon to the train station was longer than I'd thought. I checked on google maps afterward, and it is apparently 1.6 miles.

Some political signs on the square (they were all gone the following weekend, but signs on private property remained):

We stopped for French onion soup and a glass of wine at the River Terrace Cafe. This bar/restaurant was pretty much the only dining option en route (if you don't count Bob's Sandwich Shop / Convenience Store and a pizza place and chinese take-out in a strip mall). But the French onion soup was delicious, the server was friendly, and it's hard to beat the view.

We timed it just right to rest and relax before our train home.

Birthday Celebrations

2011-10-13T22:02:00.002-04:00

We got together to celebrate two birthdays. What bliss! It was so good to see everyone, and I felt so connected. In fact, we were even more connected than usual, since the girls had walkie-talkies. We gave each other code names. Mine was "Ebb" (or at least I hope it was "Ebb" as in tides, rather than "Eb" as in Ebenezer -- hmm, well, better not to ask is my motto).

I was thrilled to learn that Ruth had read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with the girls. I had told them an off-the-cuff version of the story (unfortunately bowlderized to omit anything that might possibly be controversial since I hadn't cleared it with their parents first). I'd love to see the edition they read -- I'm imagining perhaps a kids' version, since the original Middle English can be a bit rough going -- and see how the material was adapted.

Ruth made a scrumptious birthday cake, and all the birthday celebrants were plied with wonderful cards and gifts. I gave the girls an articulated skeleton for a pre-Halloween surprise, and stalled on my mom's gift while waiting for inspiration to strike. (Good news: Inspiration has now struck, and I will be able to give my mom a present less than two months late, and basically just in time to run out of ideas for Christmas.)

While R+B went on a steep 9-mile hike up to the top of Mt. Liberty (I think), my parents and I hung out with the girls.

In our family, everyone has a job - even on holiday.

"Eleanor" was tasked with the hard labor of moving stones in a culvert.

Keep stirring - don't let it stick.

"Tiger", by contrast, only had to stir the river:

Victory at last!

The girls went barefoot on the icy rocks and in the water (their choice - we totally provided shoes for them to wear).

Even when the water is very, very cold, bathing suits are de rigeur. At least, if you are under 30.

The Chef

Others of us found fleece vests over long sleeve shirts were very comfortable.

The Eraser Queen

Indoors, we played some games, like Pillow, in which I try to relax quietly on the couch, only to be surprised that the wonderfully soft "pillow" on which I hoped to rest has a mind and will of its own.

Outdoors, we played Bear, in which I as a perennially hungry Bear chase a Snow Leopard and a Tiger who - in this particular instance - are able to coordinate with walkie-talkies to escape (how is this fair?!), thus repeatedly thwarting my last hope of a tender and juicy meal.

The Chef

In addition to feasting on birthday cake and unwrapping presents, the whole gang went out for dinner, watched a video about dams, put together a puzzle, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. It was a wonderful time, accept no substitutes! (I think maybe that will be my new motto.)

Odiorne Point

2011-10-11T20:18:00.001-04:00

Today we went for a walk on Odiorne Point. We followed a grassy trail down to a beach of smooth stones - they reminded me, incongruously, of river stones - most the size of a deck of cards, but well rounded. They clanked pleasantly as we walked. The stones got smaller and smaller, and eventually we reached a sandy beach.

We clambered out on some rocks where the receding waters had left tidal pools. In one we saw darting aquatic creatures. They moved too quickly for us to get a bead on what they were exactly. We stepped back to the rocks over what looked like a swampy marsh but was actually very firm footing anchored with grasses and sea lavender.

As we headed inland, ascending and descending a gunnery hill, I saw a sudden movement away from me under the leaves on the side of the trail. The quick-moving bulge looked about the size of a chipmunk, but I peered more closely into the scrabble of leaves and vines:

Sure enough, it was another yellow and black striped snake! (Presumably a garter snake.) This one was a bit longer than the one we saw on the Discovery Trail, and he didn't make a clean getaway. After his initial burst of movement, he tried to be more still and stealthy, but we were able to find him:

Here I captured a bit more of his length (maybe 18 inches altogether?):

But my mom caught him with his red tongue out - a great shot! (Really, surprisingly red. Not just pink.)

Sunset at the White Mountain National Forest

2011-10-09T23:48:00.000-04:00

As the sun set, we stopped at a scenic overlook in the White Mountain National Forest (on the Kancamagus Highway, NH Route 112).

Around the gazebo, rowan trees with large clusters of berries glowed in the golden light:

The folds of mountains made for an ethereal backdrop to the darkening forest silhouette:

Behind us, a nearly full moon:

It was easy to lose sight of our fellow nature-gawkers, who took pictures and spoke in subdued tones:

White Mountains National Forest: Discovery Trail

2011-10-09T20:46:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't necessarily recommend the Discovery Trail to people who have already gone hiking in the woods more than once (the focus is on very basic ecology and forest management), but it was getting late, and we chose it pretty much at random to get one last spot of hiking in before it got dark. For all our mockery, it actually met our needs as a short and very easy trail with occasional items of interest, such as this insect-laced tree:

Strangely, most of the benches en route had no view whatsoever. Except for this one, which we made a point of sitting on briefly just as encouragement for being in the right place. Not a bad view, eh?

Franconia Notch State Park: The Flume Gorge

2011-10-09T19:42:00.000-04:00

It was a spectacular weekend, so we joined the throngs at the Flume Gorge in the White Mountains (see also this nice blog post by someone I don't know).

At the start of the trail, some shelf-style fungi on a tree trunk:

Glacial boulders adorned the landscape - this one was specifically labeled as such:

A covered bridge over the Pemi.

A first glimpse of the Slide:

The surface was not worn smooth and flat, but smooth and rippled, as if from eons of waves:

I liked the mini-fountains that formed around the little rocks resting on the ridges.

Important warning for visitors:

In the Flume itself, an 800-foot long gorge formed where basalt dikes have worn away faster than the Conway granite, trees have sprung up in the (seemingly inhospitable) long horizontal cracks in the walls. It makes the roots look kind of espaliered:

And even some of the branches have a similarly artificial feeling:

It was slow going, as the boardwalk was clogged with people stopping for photos. (Unnecessarily, I might add, since the path is actually wide enough for a passing lane if only people would keep to the right when they are not moving!) A view up the Flume:

This natural archway to nowhere (it's very shallow) is labeled "The Pulpit":

The Avalanche Falls toward the top of the gorge were cool because the water kept ricocheting back and forth like a pinball machine:

Practically a whole ecosystem is on the rocks (literally), with lichen, mosses, grasses, dead leaves descended from the trees, etc.

As we exited at the top of the gorge, the temperature rose noticeably. The Flume must be great on a hot summer's day (natural air conditioning).

Unfortunately, in a crowd this large, it's inevitable that not everyone will actually obey the signs:

A picture postcard of tenacity - tree roots gripping a rock:

(I found myself wondering at times whether the trees maybe hoped to crush the rocks over time until they give forth all their nutrients - what a bonanza, if they pull it off! Cue the Far Side cartoon with a spider web strung across the bottom of a playground slide: "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings!")

Birch and pine trees grow at quite an angle on a steep slope :

Here, the water flows down through an arch to create a second waterfall:

A nice NH mountain stream view:

A close-up of water rushing through rocks:

The Sentinel Pine Bridge takes visitors across to a prime viewing spot for the Pool. From the NHDPR website:

The Pool is a deep basin in the Pemigewasset River. It was formed at the end of the Ice Age, 14,000 years ago, by a silt-laden stream flowing from the glacier. The Pool is 40 feet (12m) deep and 150 feet (45m) in diameter, and is surrounded by cliffs 130 feet (39m) high. A cascade rushes into it over fragments of granite that have fallen from the cliffs above.

On the high cliff above the Pool, the Sentinel Pine stood for centuries. It was one of the largest in the state, nearly 175 feet (53m) high, with a circumference of 16 feet (4.8m). The hurricane of September, 1938 uprooted the giant pine whose trunk bridges the river above the Pool and forms the base for the covered bridge. The bridge offers a fine view of the Pool.

Was this the scene after the Ents smashed up Isengard?

As we soaked in a view of Mts. Liberty, Flume, and Osseo, occasional gusts of wind would fill the air with leaves, fluttering and even glinting as they caught the sun:

The top of Mt. Liberty (4460') is supposed to look like a profile of George Washington's face. Imagine that he is lying face up, and the top of his head on the right. It's really just the nose and a hint of the forehead. Kinda almost works:

(You're actually supposed to imagine he's lying in state, but that really defies belief, IMHO.)

I couldn't get enough of tree roots gripping rocks. There's something so compelling about the imagery. It really makes the trees look human - in a chilling, inhuman way. It's like fingers, or arms, or tentacles. Oooh, that gives me the shivers!

It was a lovely walk, very fun. We had some lunch outdoors (including birthday cake - thanks, Ruth!!!) and then prepared for Round II.

Broken Bridge

2011-10-08T20:51:00.000-04:00

I went over to check out the bridge to Loon over the Pemigawasset River. It was a lovely day.

From the Loon side, it all looks kind of OK at first (if you don't mind that the casements for the bridge supports are perhaps a bit asymmetrical).

So I went further downstream to get a better view.

The trees are starting to change color, and the river is full of great boulders and rocks.

Looking downstream, it's just lovely:

But looking back upstream, I can finally see that yes, they were not kidding. The bridge legitimately needs to be closed to pedestrians and cars at this time. There is a big chunk missing on the highway side.

Muted colors of driftwood and river stones (no, this is not a ssssnake):

Closeup of swirling currents.

Just a few clouds in the azure sky:

I think this tree was washed up during Tropical Storm Irene:

A cairn to guide visitors to the river's edge? Or the sad memento of a snowsick wanderer (in the sense of homesick rather than seasick)?

Opposite of Hypochondria

2011-10-07T17:07:00.000-04:00

I was recently trying to think of a pithy term for the opposite or inverse of hypochondria, i.e. a condition in which one might willfully ignore symptoms of sickness or delusionally believe one is perfectly healthy. The term "hyperchondria" occurred to me, and indeed it appears in some blogs and an online urban dictionary, but it didn't feel right.For "hyperchondia" to make linguistic or philological sense here, "chondria" would have to mean something like health (or even belief in health). Otherwise, it's like taking the word "alcoholic" (addicted to alcohol) and creating the word "workaholic" - which technically should mean "addicted to workahol".

Sure enough, when I found etymology of hypochondia / hypochondriac online, it did not support creation of hyperchondriac for this purpose:

hypochondriac (adj.)
1590s, "pertaining to the hypochondria," also "afflicted with melancholy," from Fr. hypocondriaque (16c.), from M.L. hypochondriacus, from Gk. hypokhondriakos "pertaining to the upper abdomen," from hypokhondria (see hypochondria). The noun is from 1630s, "melancholy person;" in the modern sense from 1888.
hypochondriasis
1766, from hypochondria + an unusual use of -osis.
hypochondria
1839, "illness without a specific cause," earlier (1660s) "depression or melancholy without real cause," earlier still (late 14c.) ipocondrie "upper abdomen," from L.L. hypochondria "the abdomen," from Gk. hypokhondria (neuter plural of hypokhondrios), from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + khondros "cartilage" (of the breastbone). Reflecting ancient belief that the viscera of the hypochondria were the seat of melancholy and the source of the vapors that caused such feelings.

Source: http://www.etymonline.com

But then I suddenly grew curious about this meaning of "chondria" - why should there be a reference to the abdomen in"mitochondria" and what could it possibly mean? Of course, I'd forgotten that mitochondrion is the singular, so the origin of the "ia" ending is due merely to pluralization. Still, it was intersting to see the very different origin which resulted in a facially similar English word:

mitochondria
1901, from Ger., coined 1898 by microbiologist Carl Benda (1857-1933), from Gk. mitos "thread" (see mitre) + khondrion "little granule," dim. of khondros "granule, lump of salt."
mitochondrion
singular of mitochondria.

Source: http://www.etymonline.com

So this is pretty cool and I get to think of myself as a mini-Tolkien for a few minutes.

A Quiet Weekend in the City

2011-10-04T21:34:00.003-04:00

THE way to carry wine around town:

A slide of her own:

A dodo:

A glimpse of heaven?

Building blocks and speaking tubes:

Becky and Belle (the two belles):

In Which the Author Despairs of Mastering the Art of #Hashtags

2011-09-30T22:48:00.003-04:00

It's true. I'm a complete novice at twitter, and already I'm second-guessing my first 15 tweets and thinking how much better they'd be if I had even the slightest clue how to use hashtags properly.

For example, my most recent tweet was:

What is Bella Swan doing in the movie Into the Wild?? Guess she ran off to a hippie camp just before she moved to Forks.

Even I can see there is tremendous room for improvement here. There's a need for hashtags for Bella Swan and Into the Wild, at a minimum. What kind of hashtag do you think people use for Bella Swan? Well, I just did a quick search and found a bunch of tweets with #BellaSwan - so it's not too tricky in this instance. And it looks like #intothewild brings up other tweets that mention Alexander Supertramp, so it can't be that far off.

So right away, we can see that the tweet could easily be improved as follows:

What is #BellaSwan doing in the movie #IntotheWild?? Guess she ran off to a hippie camp just before she moved to Forks.

But the tone and rhythm are still off. It lacks that je ne sais quoi.

Maybe something more like:

Amazing - #BellaSwan appears in #IntotheWild - did she run off with hippies before buckling down to Forks with her dad? #damnhippies

I think that's better, but it still needs a LOT of work. So you can see why - as I feared - the deceptively simple 140-character tweets are ultimately far more of a time drain than an open-ended blog. ("If I had more time, I'd have written you a shorter letter.")

Alas, I'm still a nattering nabob of negativism I suppose - who seeks (maybe) to become a twittering typer of texts.

Tenth Anniversary Walk (Little Blue Job)

2011-09-11T21:11:00.000-04:00

Fungi, pine needles & acorns:

We saw many mushrooms that reminded us of sea creatures - I thought the one above looked a bit like a sand dollar.

The trail went through the woods and crossed some parcels of private property.

There were supposed to be some large rock reclining chairs at a scenic overlook, but we didn't see them where they were described (or anywhere else, for that matter). So we stopped on a fallen log to enjoy some lunch.

I liked the shape of these tree trunks:

Bright orange, delicate lavender, we saw some amazing colors in the shrooms:

The view from the water tower at the first summit:

We decided to walk on further, carefully following cairns as instructed by the trail guide.

The trail descended into the forest, with some clearings.

To our surprise and delight, we discovered that some of the abundant blueberry bushes still bore tiny berries -- even this late in the season!

A pond in the saddle between the two summits:

This frog unsuccessfully sought to hide under a blade of grass (it isn't easy being green):

There were a number of options for trails, but we knew the right general direction was UP to get to the top of the second summit. We glimpsed a flag on the top of the hill ahead...

I started chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" as we approached. I was half-kidding.

According to some folks who are frequent hikers in the area, there is not usually a flag here at the summit - this is special for this anniversary. So sweet.

On the way back to NYC, I was moved to write an account of my experience on 9/11. It's not a tale for the ages; I was neither a hero nor a victim, only a person who happened to be in the neighborhood. At most I showed some hobbit-like resourcefulness in my evacuation to Brooklyn -- and this still might be seen as a wild exaggeration. But it was still good to reflect on the experience and put it into writing.

On my arrival, the Empire State Building was also decked out in red, white and blue.

Hiking with Fungi

2011-09-10T11:48:00.000-04:00

Although I'd just returned from the UK and my sleep was very much off, I went for a quick visit to my parents to avoid the anticipated madness and mourning in NYC. I didn't bother bringing any hiking gear since I figured the visit was entirely too short.

But of course, I still wanted to go! I bought some new hiking shoes Saturday morning, and my parents humored me by taking me on a hike in the afternoon. We went to a state park that features a forest and a lake.

It was gloriously sunny, and you could see the edges of the lake glittering - it really looked like twinkling, actually.

On the road, we saw this cool green caterpillar (left).

My mom documented it.

The main thing we noticed throughout the hike was the glorious profusion of fungi. A wide range of colors, shapes and sizes. They were everywhere - apparently, it had rained a lot the previous week and they were taking full advantage. We actually didn't cover a lot of distance on our walk since we were stopping every few feet to marvel and photograph them:

I especially liked these (left) because they looked like cross-sections of a tree.

My dad took the prize (if there was one) for wildlife-spotting. He pointed out a dragonfly with a bright red body. I don't think I've seen one like this before:

And also two turtles on a rock, which although not quite as unusual, were not easy to spot at first:

It was a very pleasant afternoon. Afterward my dad went to a picnic to do some networking, while I went off with my mom to get more suitable hiking pants (tight jeans are not the way to go) so we could go again tomorrow.

Day 6: British Museum

2011-09-06T20:10:00.000-04:00

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I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time at the museum, so I got there at 9 a.m. to buy my ticket for Treasures of Heaven to grab the first possible admission at.

That worked out well, so I spent an hour looking around the courtyard and gift shop and the one open exhibit, called "Living and Dying," until the museum officially opened at 10.

The Wellcome Trust Gallery

The room included some interesting artifacts and exhibits. One display consisted of two long pouches of pills, symbolizing all the medications one modern British man and one modern British woman consumed during their respective lifetimes. I think they said the man consumed as many medications in his last decade as he did in the first five or six decades all together.

The room also contained an Easter Island statue - one of the smaller ones, but still cool. (It's #70 in the Museum's History of the World in 100 objects.)

I love the eskimo parkas, made of seal intestines:

This crystal skull, purportedly an ancient Mexican object, was actually a forgery that fooled quite a few people:

The Museum apparently acquired it from Tiffany & Co. in New York back in 1897.

Back in the Great Court:

This is a detail of one of the two totem poles in the Great Court:

Stela of Ashurnasirpal II: The Assyrian king worshipping gods and recording his achievements:

This sculpture is identified as Prince on horseback, possibly Caligula, Rome, 1 - 50 AD:

I loved the detail on his sandals:

Treasures of Heaven:

I spent two hours poring over the exhibits. Welcoming us was the bust reliquary of St. Baudime:

This mosaic is identified as a Hinton St Mary Mosaic Roundel (AD 350):

According to the exhibition notes:

"This is believed to be the earliest surviving depiction of Christ from Roman Britain. He is shown clean-shaven in the manner of a Roman emperor. ... The mosaic combines pagan and Christian images."

In the early portion of the exhibition, the organizers emphasized similarities with prior pagan practices. For example, they grouped items that showed people with various protector gods along with similar-looking Christian equivalents. It does seem clear that Christianity (like other religions) does not typically uproot older customs, practices and traditions entirely; instead, these things are often transformed and adapted as the believer's heart changes. So ultimately, I don't think the similarities or adaptations necessarily prove anything about the greater truths involved - though I suppose it is evidence that can be part of a number of different arguments.

This epitaph, with the inscription "SEVERA IN DEO VIVAS," caught my eye (as it did for another blogger, who has a nice meditation on the image):

This has been translated as "Severa, may you live in God." (The verb appears to be the 2nd person singular, active, subjunctive form of VIVERE, in the present.)

The reliquaries themselves were quite diverse - a wide range of materials and philosophies underlying their form and appearance. Should it be simple, plain and severe, perhaps with secret compartments? Over-the-top in opulence and reflecting the most ornate and complex craftsmanship? Is the beauty and expense really for God's benefit, or for humans, or both? There may be a fine line indeed between a desire to show off one's power and wealth and a sacrificially humble desire to offer the very best to God (knowing that even the best is far too little).

I'd like to try to remember the symbols of the four evangelists for future reference:

Matthew - man - reason
Mark - lion - royalty / courage / resurrection
Luke - ox - strength / sacrifice
John - eagle - sky / heaven

Other highlights from the exhibit:

A "griffin claw" from the shrine of St Cuthbert, which is actually an ibex horn from the late 16th or early 17th century.
Depiction of St Christopher bearing the infant Jesus made me think of Hagrid bearing the infant Harry in the JK Rowling story.
Learned that St. Lawrence was burned on a gridiron and is therefore the patron saint of chefs and cooks...
....and that the UK has at least two homegrown saints and places of pilgrimage, i.e., Thomas Becket (Canterbury) and Cuthbert (Durham). I knew of Canterbury as a place of pilgrimage from the Canterbury Tales ("And specially from every shires ende of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende"), but it didn't occur to me there was a specific saint associated with the place.
Head reliquary holding fragments of the skull of St Eustace (I never knew that any Eustace had been canonized, and this tickles me because of the way C.S. Lewis introduces a character by that name in The Silver Chair: "His name unfortunately was Eustace Scrubb, but he wasn't a bad sort.")
Foot reliquary of St. Blaise was really cool - I'd seen arms before, but not feet.
In the post-reformation section: a ring with a secret compartment showing portrait of Charles I (presumably so that the wearer could reveal his/her support to fellow sympathizers) reminded me of Suzanne Collins' book, Catching Fire. There is a scene early on where the head game-maker shows our heroine Katniss his watch ... which has a secret mockingjay symbol on it.

A Quick Run Through the Upper Floor:

I went through the Mesopotamian galleries on my way to ancient Egypt. I liked this demon mask:

Like everyone else, I flocked to the mummies. This ares was very crowded.

It was interesting to see the different ways the feet were depicted, with differing degrees of verisimilitude:

Alas, all too soon I had to leave for the airport. I skimmed through Ancient Greece & Rome and Clocks & Watches on the way out. I got to see the Lewis Chessmen (#61) and the Warren Cup (#36).

I have to say it's been quite a while since I've spent any time in London. Even though I was really just passing through, I have to say it was such an incredibly positive experience and a great way to end my trip.

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Day 5: Cardiff

2011-09-05T19:39:00.000-04:00

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After luxurious spa treatments (an hour-long massage for me and a massage/facial combo for Sarah), taking advantage of a very limited discount offer which just happened to coincide with my visit, we saw the sights in downtown Cardiff. This included a stroll through Roald Dahl Plass (plaza), the little Norwegian church, and the harbor area generally. We attempted to go out to a sort of bridge area (known, I believe, as the Barrage) for some great views, but we were buffeted - dare I say barraged? - by wind and rain as we started picking our way through the maze of construction fences. We took that as a sign, and sure enough when we gave up and headed back, the weather calmed again. Hmm.

The Wales Millenium Centre was nice and glittery, a very beautiful color in the direct sun, although the overall architecture of the area struck me more as in the soviet/utilitarian school. Clunky and modern, but with no love or appreciation of the space, and no lofty aspirations beyond mere improvement of the proletariat. I'm not saying that's what was intended, but it's what I felt.

We had lunch at Kemis Cafe, which was a pleasant, airy space with good food. Sarah went for the salad feast; I tried the sweet potato quiche with simple garnish.

In the afternoon, I caught the train back to Paddington and headed to Russell Square for my night's lodging at the Celtic Hotel. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, actually, since it had recently changed hands. But it was absolutely perfect for me - I had a small single room on the top floor (it's a walk-up). The furnishings were spare, but clean, and there was a shared toilet in the hall.

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Day 4: Offa's Dyke North

2011-09-04T19:36:00.000-04:00

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Once again, we crossed the bridge over the river Wye to head north, but this time we followed the Offa's Dyke path.

The clouds were impressive:

The path was mostly well-marked and easy to follow, although there were a few unexpected turns. We went through fields and crossed a brook, then came out into an area where the grasses and flowers were a bit overgrown. This meant that we got a bit soaked, even though it wasn't raining. Grrr. We went up a short incline to a gate that led onto a road. The gate was not well-designed for north-bound walkers, because you are standing downhill from the gate (it's a little steep right there) and the gate opens in toward you. Very awkward. (But of course very easy in the reverse direction.)

The path followed the road briefly and then turned in and up again on the other side. We had our eyes on the clock since we had a taxi scheduled to pick us up back in Hay-on-Wye, but we picked up the pace a bit, in hopes of reaching a waterfall that was marked on the map. We got to the area in the forest where we thought the waterfall should be, but we didn't see one. We did stand on a mossy bridge and look down on a small stream running over some rocks... but I don't think that counts. Oh well.

As usual, the return trip was much quicker than the outbound journey. We decided to look for a scenic spot to rest and enjoy the view.

I liked this tree stump, which seemed to have been chopped down and struck by lightning. Perhaps not in that order.

After a while, we sat down on the bank of the river Wye, near some sheep:

As we chatted idly of this and that, we gradually became aware of a strange croaking noise in addition to the rush of the river. No, on second thought, it was a grinding noise. I looked over. Sarah was right; it was the sheep. Chewing. They'd edged closer and closer as we sat there with our backs to them...

As you can guess, we did make it out of there alive. I'm almost sorry about that; it would have been a much better story otherwise.

We took the taxi to the bus to the train to Cardiff. Sarah set up the recorder for Dr. Who, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Juboraj Lakeside. I'd just like to recognize this establishment for a truth-in-advertising moment. Usually a restaurant which is practically beside a lake would be called "Lakeview" ... but here they could not get away with it since the lake is nowhere in sight.

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River Walk West

2011-09-03T23:58:00.000-04:00

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We came back to Hay for Crabbie's ginger beer and lunch at the Kilvert's Hotel. We paid for everything, and got our Crabbie's immediately. But my steak and ale pie, and Sarah's dish, were to be delivered to us out on the patio. Perhaps 45 minutes later, we flagged down the waitress to see what had happened. They'd forgotten our order. Completely. Sarah was quite cross with them, and wanted to take our custom elsewhere, but I was feeling lazy and also we'd presumably have to wait longer to eat if we first had to track down another restaurant that was serving lunch at that hour.

They did give us a second complimentary Crabbie's, with their apologies, and my pie was delicious, so I was inclined to forgive them.

Flowers at our B&B:

Grape vines with real grapes at our B&B:

We headed back to the river, passing by tonight's dinner location, the Three Tuns. I loved the color of the house next door:

Speaking of doors, as we wended our west-bound way along the Wye, we passed this old green wooden door in a stone wall:

For some reason, it made me think of the door at the back of the school in C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair - even though that door must have been far more solid, since the children despaired of it being open.

We never actually made it to the Wye River Walk pub, though. As we got within striking distance, it was growing close to the time we needed to turn around to make it back in time for our reservation at the Three Tuns. With all the time we'd lost at Kilvert's, even if we reached the pub, we wouldn't have time for a drink. And then the skies opened up, just as we were about to ascend a steep slope. A slope that would likely be turned to mud. Discretion being the better part of valor, we pulled our hoods around us and began the return trip.

The folks at the B&B helped us dry our clothes, and we started watching the latest episode of Dr. Who, The Night Terrors. Despite myself, I got very, very curious about what was going to happen. This presented a dilemma, since we had dinner reservations for 7:30 pm. What to do?! First, we tried changing the time of the reservation; they very kindly agreed to let us push it back 15 minutes, but they warned us we really couldn't arrive any later than that, because a large party was coming in at 8 pm and would essentially commandeer the kitchen (they put it more nicely than that, of course). Still, I was dragging my feet to eke out every minute I could, until Sarah had a brain wave - we could see the re-run on Sunday night!

So we made it to the Three Tuns for a delicious dinner. We were upstairs, where it was less noisy. I would definitely go back there again.

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Day 3: Wye River Walk East

2011-09-03T21:23:00.000-04:00

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In the morning, we set off East on the Wye River Walk. The idea was to save the west-bound journey for the afternoon, so we could enjoy one of the pubs en route.

We went past residences in town...

... and quickly reached fields and farms.

A plum tree full of ripe plums greeted us as we entered on to a golf course. I picked one from the tree, and one from the ground. They were both delicious!

Although we assume that golfers are probably not too keen on walkers tromping across their course (just as we are not keen on their hitting small white balls across our path), we saw no golfers on our way out. Instead, as we followed from marker to marker, we noticed many sculptures. Most were flat, puzzle-like metal outlines of animals (and often animals one might not expect to find in Wales, let alone on a golf course). These sculptures were more playful than most, and were the only human figures we saw:

I liked this flower, which reminded me of queen anne's lace, but with distinctive lavender and white petals. It's a bit hard to see here, but each cluster was a core of lavender fringed by white:

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Day 2: Hay-on-Wye

2011-09-02T19:49:00.000-04:00

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We traveled by train and taxi to Hay-on-Wye, a sister town to Timbuktu. (For reals.) The connections were easy, and it was nice to see the countryside en route.

After checking in to the B&B, we had lunch at a place Sarah's friends recommended, the cafe at Richard Booth's Bookshop:

The menu and atmosphere were very nice; they combined to give an impression of fresh, creative organic food. I ordered a side of turnip tops under the "at its best" category; they were delicious.

Thus fortified, we set out on the first of our four half-day walks. We headed south on the Offa's Dyke trail toward Hay Bluff.

The first field contained a flock of sheep, some of whom (not pictured here) were lying down in a circle around a tree.

I dubbed that first group the Blue Flock, due to the farmer's choice of spray paint. As we went on, the sky was overcast, but not threatening. Yet.

As we ascended a very gradual slope through a meadow, we quickly gained some nice views:

We went through many pastures with varying stiles.

Then we spotted this sheep - well, I mean, I guess it was already spotted before we got there, really...

This one (part of a rival Red Flock) I thought had a rather bovine pose and expression, as opposed to a classically ovine one:

Soon after we saw these three sheep, we saw two old men sitting on a rock at the field we'd just entered. They were resting, or eating snacks, or something. They didn't say hello, and we didn't either. We were too busy trying to read the faint imprints that would reveal the path of the official trail through the pasture. We concluded that it must veer a bit to the right. Before us, there were patches of sun on the fields from time to time, giving them a preternatural glow:

This was the first and only ladder-style stile that we saw. It was very easy to climb:

Which turned out to be a good thing, because by the time we reached the far end of the field, it became clear that there was no stile to exit that side.

And so we walked the entire perimeter of the field - I was going to say "bootlessly" but we were, in fact, wearing boots.

We finally climbed back into the previous field and set off in what we were reasonably sure now was the correct direction.

Sure enough, once we were headed in the right direction, we saw some other walkers ...

and some trail markers:

Things were definitely looking up.

We weren't sure, especially after the big detour, if we'd be able to make it to even the base of Hay Bluff, let alone all the way to the top, and then make it back in time for our dinner reservation. But we gave it a shot, and the bluff kept getting closer ... and closer ... and before we knew it, we were passing by the mountain sheep on our final approach to the top of the bluff. The one in the middle seemed more menacing in real life (I think it was a ram), but I love the Poltergeist-style neck spinning of the one on the right:

The clouds became more ominous, but if you look closely, you may be able to see the "rays" streaming down in this photo:

Atop the bluff, fields of heather made me feel like I was back in Scotland (Ah! to be in Scotland as summertime turns to autumn!):

I think this picture of Sarah was the most successful of my experiments with the self-timer on my camera:

We did a lot better when we collared a passing walker to take the photo:

Sheep nestled in the fold of the hillside as we began the descent:

We'd climbed up the long and difficult way, so we took a "shortcut" down.

Sarah thought the yellow flowering bushes were gorse. After seeing gorse bushes in literature for so many years (in works by Richmal Crompton, P.G. Wodehouse, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, etc.), it was really cool to learn what gorse actually looks like! I'd had no idea.

The return trip was far quicker and easier, a pattern that would be repeated on each of our outings. I liked the bits of fleece left on the wire fence (presumably from itchy sheep):

On the way back, we saw all the trail markers we'd missed in the big field where we'd gone astray earlier in the afternoon. Including the very first and very large trail marker that we should have seen on entering the field, the one that the two old men had been obscuring by sitting on it!!! Because of course it was only their interference, and not our tracking or map-reading skillz, that caused us to miss our way.

I stopped to take pictures of the beautiful brown chick, perhaps a sport?

So cute on promenade!

Taking refuge behind Mom?

Back in Hay-on-Wye, we had time to stroll around the town before our dinner at the Old Black Lion.

Based on the profusion of bright flowers in Cardiff and Hay, we thought it might be "Britain in Bloom" week.

Contrails in the twilight:

Hay Castle:

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