Monday, September 24, 2007
Developments in late September
We got to Sidetrack again. The first time this summer that we made it up there two weekends in a row.
I went up on Thursday afternoon to meet someone from Maxwell Heating on Friday who was to check on the space heater. (The repair man didn't make it, but the scheduler did call and make a new appointment for next Thursday before the day was completely over.) Thursday was a stormy night. The weather radio went off three times with watches and warnings. The last time it went off was about 6:00, just after I'd gotten up. Friday was just very windy all day. The rest of the weekend was gorgeous. When I left on Sunday, the temperature was about 85.
I told Jeff, I misplaced my camera after downloading a first batch of pictures last week. Then on this Saturday, I found the camera. It was hidden in the bottom of my book and CD-filled back pack. So, I took some more pictures -- many of N working.
I worked on reviewing her edits of the last chapter and then proofreading the first 8 chapters. Besides working on the cabin, N edited other chapters. The manuscript should be ready soon. Now, when do we want to publish the 3rd edition?
Last week, when I returned from my morning jaunt to Grandma Bonnie's in Amery, this big Polk-Burnett Coop truck was parked in front of the garage and the new electrical service had been installed. (Now comes the clean up.)
An unexpected job was revealed when the old electric meter was removed. Ah, the joys of a sixty-year-old cabin.
Of course, on the lake side, there is more obvious deterioration. That's what N spent most of her time working on.
She did take time to sit and meditate on the lake.
The leaves are changing.
And the last daisy is about ready to give up for the season.
We love fall. It really is one of the best times to spend at Sidetrack.
I went up on Thursday afternoon to meet someone from Maxwell Heating on Friday who was to check on the space heater. (The repair man didn't make it, but the scheduler did call and make a new appointment for next Thursday before the day was completely over.) Thursday was a stormy night. The weather radio went off three times with watches and warnings. The last time it went off was about 6:00, just after I'd gotten up. Friday was just very windy all day. The rest of the weekend was gorgeous. When I left on Sunday, the temperature was about 85.
I told Jeff, I misplaced my camera after downloading a first batch of pictures last week. Then on this Saturday, I found the camera. It was hidden in the bottom of my book and CD-filled back pack. So, I took some more pictures -- many of N working.
I worked on reviewing her edits of the last chapter and then proofreading the first 8 chapters. Besides working on the cabin, N edited other chapters. The manuscript should be ready soon. Now, when do we want to publish the 3rd edition?
Last week, when I returned from my morning jaunt to Grandma Bonnie's in Amery, this big Polk-Burnett Coop truck was parked in front of the garage and the new electrical service had been installed. (Now comes the clean up.)An unexpected job was revealed when the old electric meter was removed. Ah, the joys of a sixty-year-old cabin.
Of course, on the lake side, there is more obvious deterioration. That's what N spent most of her time working on.
She did take time to sit and meditate on the lake.
The leaves are changing.
And the last daisy is about ready to give up for the season.We love fall. It really is one of the best times to spend at Sidetrack.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Ah, September
I got to Sidetrack Saturday afternoon. It was to be a three-day vacation. Little did I know how much I needed it. I found out because I kept falling asleep.
I'd read for awhile. I'd fall asleep. I'd go for a walk. I'd fall asleep. I'd try to watch television. I'd fall asleep.
It was quiet. Skip was the only other person on East Little Blake Lake Lane. I didn't touch the computer until Monday morning when I went to Grandma Bonnie's in Amery.
One of the highlights was seeing three swans fly across the lake headed northeast. It was the first time I'd seen swans since the failed attempt to install swans in the Straight River bog north of Little Blake.
I also got a front row seat to a young eagle's confrontation with something in a tree next to the cabin. I don't know what got the big baby so upset, but it was a loud scene.
On a quieter note, we have our own little solar calendar in the courtyard at Sidetrack. At sunset, there's a pretty distinct shadow across the courtyard. I have laid bricks in the courtyard so the long side matches the shadow on the first days of months. Here's a photo of the September 1st brick taken on September 15. You can see how much the shadow has moved in two weeks as the sun retreats to the south.
The other things I looked at were the treetops. Usually, I'm intrigued by the lake. I spent time meditating on the waves in the water. (Waves are energy moving through the water. That's hard to understand even when it's visible.)
I stood on the dock, turned around, and looked at the trees in just the right light. Wonderful.
I'd read for awhile. I'd fall asleep. I'd go for a walk. I'd fall asleep. I'd try to watch television. I'd fall asleep.
It was quiet. Skip was the only other person on East Little Blake Lake Lane. I didn't touch the computer until Monday morning when I went to Grandma Bonnie's in Amery.
One of the highlights was seeing three swans fly across the lake headed northeast. It was the first time I'd seen swans since the failed attempt to install swans in the Straight River bog north of Little Blake.
I also got a front row seat to a young eagle's confrontation with something in a tree next to the cabin. I don't know what got the big baby so upset, but it was a loud scene.
On a quieter note, we have our own little solar calendar in the courtyard at Sidetrack. At sunset, there's a pretty distinct shadow across the courtyard. I have laid bricks in the courtyard so the long side matches the shadow on the first days of months. Here's a photo of the September 1st brick taken on September 15. You can see how much the shadow has moved in two weeks as the sun retreats to the south.
The other things I looked at were the treetops. Usually, I'm intrigued by the lake. I spent time meditating on the waves in the water. (Waves are energy moving through the water. That's hard to understand even when it's visible.)
I stood on the dock, turned around, and looked at the trees in just the right light. Wonderful.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Labor Day Weekend
N and I were lucky. We got to Sidetrack for Labor Day weekend and I got to stay a couple extra days. The extra days helped with relaxation, but not with getting more work done.
Saturday's parade of pontoons was a bit disappointing. There were only four boats on the lake and only two of them were dressed up. Evidently, someone made a rule that previous prize winners couldn't win a second time, so the design pros didn't even bother. Another tradition in crisis.
The most colorful entry.
The militaristic entry: a tank on the water.
The mayor of the south end of Little Blake Lake and his entourage.
On the up side, the lake is less weedy than last year. I guess we're on the low side of the cycle for weed growth. There probably wasn't much agitation for weed control or cutting at the meeting after the puny parade.
The big news on land was the construction efforts to bury the electrical service on East Little Blake Lake Lane. The crews had parked some of their big tools.
They had also marked some of the hazards they faced while digging trenches for buried power lines.
They had gotten as far as Sidetrack in "stringing" power cables, and were ready to connect as soon as they had individual service lines up to cabins to our south.
It was a wonderful few days of relaxation and wonder. I didn't get a photo of the biggest wonder for me, but I found someone else's on the Internet. I was sitting in the lake room, reading and looking at the lake, when a pileated woodpecker landed on the deck railing about 10 feet from my nose. It only sat there for a few seconds, but these marvelous and shy birds have long been special totems to me. Seeing one up close and listening to it for much of the afternoon as it hung around the neighborhood were real treats.
The salvia are healthy and attracting hummingbirds. I hope the two tubs full of these red beauties make up for our not getting the hummingbird feeder hung up this summer.
Recent rains have finally brought out the local fungus. Before the LSU mowers showed up on Tuesday, they made the lawn look like it was littered with abandoned yellow golf balls.
And I noticed a bit of the fiction section of the Sidetrack library, and marveled at the selection of good books.
Until next week.
Saturday's parade of pontoons was a bit disappointing. There were only four boats on the lake and only two of them were dressed up. Evidently, someone made a rule that previous prize winners couldn't win a second time, so the design pros didn't even bother. Another tradition in crisis.
The most colorful entry.
The militaristic entry: a tank on the water.
The mayor of the south end of Little Blake Lake and his entourage.
On the up side, the lake is less weedy than last year. I guess we're on the low side of the cycle for weed growth. There probably wasn't much agitation for weed control or cutting at the meeting after the puny parade.
The big news on land was the construction efforts to bury the electrical service on East Little Blake Lake Lane. The crews had parked some of their big tools.
They had also marked some of the hazards they faced while digging trenches for buried power lines.
They had gotten as far as Sidetrack in "stringing" power cables, and were ready to connect as soon as they had individual service lines up to cabins to our south.
It was a wonderful few days of relaxation and wonder. I didn't get a photo of the biggest wonder for me, but I found someone else's on the Internet. I was sitting in the lake room, reading and looking at the lake, when a pileated woodpecker landed on the deck railing about 10 feet from my nose. It only sat there for a few seconds, but these marvelous and shy birds have long been special totems to me. Seeing one up close and listening to it for much of the afternoon as it hung around the neighborhood were real treats.
The salvia are healthy and attracting hummingbirds. I hope the two tubs full of these red beauties make up for our not getting the hummingbird feeder hung up this summer.
Recent rains have finally brought out the local fungus. Before the LSU mowers showed up on Tuesday, they made the lawn look like it was littered with abandoned yellow golf balls.
And I noticed a bit of the fiction section of the Sidetrack library, and marveled at the selection of good books.
Until next week.
