Jackbear's Den

Muckrace 2011 Review

2011-10-11T07:48:00.001-05:00

I'm a month overdue with this report. My sincerest apologies.

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to the generosity of all those who contributed to our team! We raised over $700 towards conservation efforts in the Montezuma Wetlands! Amazing! Thank you to Micron Industries for again being the lead sponsor of our team! I would name you all, but fear some may not want their names printed, so I will again say THANK YOU, all of your donations were deeply appreciated.

Our team saw 68 bird species! I think this is only shy by three birds of our best year. The winning team saw over 100 birds, which is actually a little low this year, when last year the winning team saw almost 150 birds!

The real highlight of this year was having a new teammate, Dan Wood of Oswego fame. He is a great birder, but more importantly a really nice easy going guy who fit perfectly in to our team.

We were really excited to add two new owl species to our list this year with a little effort after dark. With risking starvation from not eating dinner, we pushed on after dark until we were satisfied we had heard Screech Owl and Great Horned Owl. We got to see some great displays of Sandhill Crane, Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, Black crowned Night Heron, and Glossy Ibis. Our only disappointment was not being able to find a blasted ROBIN! Go figure.

Once again, thanks to everyone for their love and support!

Photo credit: Dick Beery (from Montezuma Muckrace 2010)

Lyla at the Playground September 2011

2011-09-26T09:48:00.003-05:00

Lyla at Strong Museum

2011-09-25T09:58:00.000-05:00

These were taken by Dick Beery (grandpa) at the Strong Museum in late Summer 2011

Montezuma Muckrace 2011

2011-08-29T15:13:00.002-05:00

John Ballou, Dick Beery, and Dan Wood are team Mottled Mucks and they are participating in the 2011 Montezuma Muckrace! They are going to be finding as many bird species as they can locate in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in a 24 hour period beginning on September 9th.

They need your help!

This "Big Day" of birding helps to support the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, which in turn helps to create and maintain bird habitat for over a hundred different types of migratory birds. Montezuma has been identified by the Audubon Society as a "Important Bird Area" for its key location in the Finger Lakes as a migratory stopover.

By donating to our team, the Mottled Mucks, you are also helping us reach our personal goal of $500 in pledges raised.

You can donate with any credit card or paypal by simply clicking on the donate button below. Thanks for your ongoing support.

(if you don't have a Paypal account you can still use your credit card. After you press the "Donate" button above look toward the botton of the next screen to where the credit card logo's are, and you will see a link there to click on)

photo credit: Dick Beery, 3 Oaks Enhancements

Animals attack letterboxes

2011-04-21T19:20:00.001-05:00

Lyla plays Jingle Bells

2010-12-20T23:39:00.000-05:00

2010-11-01T13:22:00.001-05:00

Lyla learns to slide on her own

2010-10-18T14:14:00.003-05:00

Lyla 15 Months

2010-09-26T20:04:00.002-05:00

Yes she is now walking!

Duck duck goose

2010-09-06T10:43:00.002-05:00

Carosel ride

2010-09-06T10:40:00.001-05:00

Lyla's First Trip to the Zoo

2010-05-23T16:12:00.002-05:00

Lyla at 11 Months

2010-05-23T16:09:00.002-05:00

Easter Weekend 2010

2010-04-09T19:33:00.003-05:00

Lyla at 9 Months

2010-03-14T11:00:00.004-05:00

What I saw tonight.

2010-03-11T21:25:00.002-05:00

At Jesse Anderson's 2nd Birthday Party

2010-02-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures Brian took of Lyla at Jesse's 2nd Birthday Party. Thanks Brian!

Sledding!

2010-01-30T13:59:00.001-05:00

Lyla at 6 Months

2009-12-15T09:07:00.004-05:00

Lyla recently had her 6 month birthday, and Grandpa captured these wonderful pictures of her during his visit!

Lyla's 1st Halloween

2009-11-06T13:35:00.002-05:00

Visit from the Ballou's

2009-10-31T14:36:00.002-05:00

Aunt Marylee spent a lot of time with little Lyla, playing, pushing her around, feeding her, and just having fun.
We managed to sneak in a letterbox or two in Highland park!
It was kind of cold, but we bundled up.
We did lots of shopping, and on Sunday we got to take a wagon ride and pick some apples. Lyla fell asleep on the tractor ride.
Grandma Ballou loved feeding Lyla!

Lyla: October Update

2009-10-31T14:26:00.002-05:00

Lyla is now giggling, smiling alot, and just being a sweet old baby.
She has had visits from Grandma Ballou and Aunt Marylee, and from Grandpa and Grandma Beery.
The has had some fun times in the stroller on cold days, and even went apple picking.
She enjoys standing up, assisted by parent of course, and she is spitting up less. Oh yes, and she likes "zerberts."

Lyla Update: September

2009-09-22T13:03:00.003-05:00

September has gone by in a flash, and Lyla is quickly growing. She has lots and lots of smiles for us now.
She even has begun to giggle.
Here she is with her friends Clare and Sophia Cellura
Daddy just can't stop taking hooded towel pictures. Too Cute!!
Sometimes she sleeps with her hands over her head.
Fall days mean cooler stroller rides. Daddy preps her for winter with a "took".
Lots of stuff goes to the mouth now. She likes to "taste" lots of toys, so mommy has broken out the teethers.
How do you get to Sesame Street. Just ask Lyla and her friend Big Bird.

Slippery Jacks

2009-09-22T12:47:00.004-05:00

Every family has it's recipes. It has those foods that you just don't get at other people's houses. When new members enter the family, they simply must try this recipe to really become part of the family. In the Ballou family, that food is Slippery Jacks. These pickles are what some might call "tongue pickles." They look awful, but taste great! Instead of the ubiquitous dill, these are flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
I have never made the family's Slippery Jacks before, so when I planted a garden this year, I made sure I planted cucumbers. I let them ripen as long as I dared, and they didn't turn out too big, but I thought I would try anyway. Mom and Dad say that if you let them ripen to yellow, you don't have to boil them as long. I was afraid mine would get eaten, so I picked them a bit green. The look more like eggs after you peel and de-seed them.
After I soaked them in water and salt overnight, I was ready to add the vinegar, sugar, water, and spices and cook them up!
I did already say they look weird didn't I?
They may have needed to cook awhile longer, but I didn't want to end up with mush, so I tried to stop the cooking after they were mostly translucent.
Did I mention I only got enough cukes for one jar! Did I also mention I have never canned anything before in my life?
The end result! Well, I hope to crack them open this holiday season and see how I did. Hopefully I can grow more cucumbers next year and try to get a bigger batch. I'll let you know how they turned out.

Baby Lyla Book

2009-09-07T18:27:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Lyla's First Ball Game

2009-08-31T16:09:00.003-05:00

Here we are at the Red Wings game! Thanks to Eleanor for the pics.

High Fashion

2009-07-31T17:19:00.002-05:00

When Lyla was just a "mango", Mommy (Laura) was happy with neutral colored clothes and simple onsies. Now that we have a "girl," Mommy likes to dress her a bit more gender specific. Pink is no longer out of the question.

Hooded Towels

2009-07-25T13:22:00.003-05:00

We got several hooded towels as presents at all of Laura's various showers and as gifts in the mail. We joked we had too many, but you know, they are just so darn cute. Here's a couple.

Growing Baby

2009-07-25T08:51:00.004-05:00

Well, Lyla is going to be two months the coming Friday! Some things she is doing:
-smiling
-making sounds
-using her hands more
-continues to spit up
-drinks breast milk and formula
-kicks and wiggles
-almost holds her head up while burping
-sleeps for several hour stretches at night
We couldn't be happier!

Visting the Beery's

2009-07-24T13:00:00.003-05:00

John, Laura, and Lyla went to Ohio from July 16-July 21 to have Lyla visit the Beery's, and for John and Dick to go to St. Louis to go to a letterboxing convention. Here are some pics of all of Lyla's visits with family and friends! Great to see you all!

Four Generations

Here's a picture to make you jealous Katie.

Fourth of July with the Ballou's

2009-07-04T08:36:00.000-05:00

We had a great time over the 4th of July! We traveled north to see the Ballou family. Lyla got to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Ballou, Aunt Ellen, Aunt Marylee, and Aunt Angela. Angela cooked us up a great BBQ for the day, and we played pass the baby, and watched 1776 on DVD. Rain kept us inside most of the time, but we made the best of it, and Angela grilled in the garage.

How's Mom?

2009-06-17T10:45:00.002-05:00

Lot's of people have been asking me how Laura is? I keep saying she is doing better every day, and is doing a great job. I think these pictures show how well she is doing.

Yes, we still have a cat...

2009-06-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

She's adjusting nicely I think, don't you?

Family (Beery's, Liston's, and Yarnell's, oh My!)

2009-06-17T10:16:00.005-05:00

Brian came to visit us this past weekend! We had a great time. He got to meet Lyla. Dick, Brian, and John got to go play video games at the Strong Museum. We all ventured out for some dinner at the lake at Cheeburger Cheeburger. We had a fun weekend..thanks Brian!The Listons/Yarnells stopped by for dinner on their way to Halifax to see Julia off on her Semester at Sea! We got to have some Thai food and baby time!The Queen and her loyal subject Lyla.
Oh yeah, John was there too.
This is a great shot. All Yarnell's really, but you have a Yarnell, Beery, Ballou, and Liston in this one. No, they did not call each other in the morning to ask what to wear...it totally just happened.

The Grandparents

2009-06-17T10:11:00.002-05:00

Laura and I can't thank Sandy and Dick enough. Sandy stayed with us last week and cooked all our meals, did all our dishes, had some Lyla time, laundry....etc.etc.etc. She was elevated to "Greatest Mother-in-Law in the whole wide universe." Dick is staying with us this week and has large shoes to fill, but is doing a great job! We are keeping him supplied with coffee, and he is doing well. Thanks Dick and Sandy!

First few Days of Lyla at Home

2009-06-09T19:53:00.004-05:00

Mom happy at home.
A nice gift basket from the Dean of Students Office.
Learning how to do belly time.
First sponge bath.
Flowers from Great Aunt Sharon, Uncle John, and cousin Julia.
Drying off after bath.

Lyla in the Hospital

2009-06-09T19:42:00.003-05:00

Lyla's first outfit.
The Blowers family came to visit us in the hospital. Here's Lauren.
And Sarah with Lyla.
So peaceful while she's sleeping all swaddled.

Announcing the Birth of Lyla Rose Ballou

2009-06-09T19:30:00.004-05:00

Born Friday, June 5, 2009, 12:04 p.m.
8 lbs 8 oz., 21.25 inches long

New York Letterbox Hiking Challenge Patch Info

2009-04-03T08:54:00.003-05:00

Announcing the New York Letterbox Hiking Challenge! The NY Letterbox Hiking Challenge is a fun way to encourage hiking for letterboxes to improve health and spend more time in the great outdoors of New York. By logging miles on the trail while letterboxing in NY, we hope you will have fun finding, planting, and maintaining letterboxes and find more of our NY’s natural treasures.

The incentive? A beautiful 100% embroidered patch to commemorate your achievement. Patches will be released in 25, 50, 75, and 100 mile delineations, with 25 being the first launched at the end of April. Design for 25 Mile patch is pictured here.

The guidelines:
- Each foot mile you hike in NY while letterboxing counts. You keep track, and this patch is on the honor system. We won’t challenge your numbers, but you should challenge yourself. We recommend that you only count miles on the trail to and from letterboxes in NY, NOT miles driven to letterboxes…this is a “hiking/letterboxing” patch. We also encourage participants to make hikes that are at least one mile or more (i.e. 0.5 miles to a letterbox, and back)…yes, this is also a “challenge” patch. Miles can be counting finding, planting, and maintaining letterboxes.
- Challenge Patches will be available for both residents and non-residents completing a challenge.
- Start date for counting begins today, April 2 2009. Hikes while letterboxing before this date should not be included.
- Patches can be ordered by sending an SASE to Jackbear for a $3. Payment can be via paypal, cash, check, or money order. Your SASE can be mailed to John Ballou, 200 Hillside Ave. Rochester, NY 14610. Patches will also be available at gatherings in NY attended by Jackbear, Scout, or Sahalie.

Is this like the Treasure Hikers? Yes, this was inspired by the work the Treasure Hiker groups were doing in other states, and we are very grateful for the great ideas they came up with for such a challenge. Scout, jackbear, and Sahalie decided to go with a patch for New York instead of “pathtags” after a poll indicated that 3 out of 5 letterboxers preferred to earn a patch over a pathtag.

Again, our primary goal is to have fun and encourage hiking and letterboxing together! We hope that you will challenge yourself to get out and hike more this year, and enjoy what our state has to offer.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jackbear, Scout, or Sahalie and keep and eye out for more challenge patch designs as we release them in the coming months.

Now get out there and get letterboxing!

Baby Ballou

2009-01-13T14:24:00.002-05:00

Well, I haven't updated my blog in a long long time. Well, I finally have news to share!

Laura and I are having a baby! Here is the ultrasound photo we got yesterday.

To answer your questions:
1) Due date is first week of June.
2) Gender will be a surprise.

THANK YOU Muckrace Sponsors!

2008-10-28T08:10:00.004-05:00

A big THANK YOU to all our friends, family, and sponsors who helped the "Three Muckateers" birding team raise so much money for the Montezuma Wetlands Complex this year.

I am pleased an honored to announce due to your generous support, the Three Muckateers was the team that RAISED THE MOST MONEY!

Here is the email I received today:

Anyway - TATA!!! Your team was the top fundraiser, with $1430.20. Congratulations. The Capitol Cuckoos, came in second, with $1316.00, and the NYSDEC Crane-iacs came in 3rd, with $645.90. The FOTMWC matched the $3392.10 our three teams raised raised, and the total for the Muckrace was #12,286.50, well exceeding our $11,000 goal.

So I am very proud and very pleased, and we couldn't have done it with out all of you! Thank You!

Muckrace Fundraising Results!

2008-10-03T10:33:00.004-05:00

Just a quick note! I have all of the Three Muckateers birding team donations totalled, and I am thrilled to report that Dom, Dick, and I raised $1,455.20! Our goal was 1K, so we blew that away. Thank you to all our friends, workmates, family members, generous sponsors for your donations! Your donations will help migratory birds like the threatened Cerulean Warbler pictured above. All this money will be matched by the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex if we are in the top three fundraising teams. Cross your fingers, and check back here!

Jackbear Makes the Headlines.....sort of....

2008-09-18T12:24:00.003-05:00

The September 17th issue of CITY Newspaper, a free weekly alternative newspaper in Rochester, did an article about letterboxing that I was featured in. I think it turned out very well, and hope I did a good job explaining some to the writer the important and fun aspects of letterboxing. You can read this article online here.

Muckrace 2008 Results

2008-09-15T12:53:00.004-05:00

Another fun Muckrace! Where to begin?

Before the Muckrace began we lost another member. You will remember that Chris and Amy couldn't make it this year, since they are honeymooning in Panama (and seeing amazing new life list birds). Then I got a call from our other Pennsylvania birder, Dom, that he couldn't come. His grandmother had some serious medical issues, and the situation was not improving. Our thoughts are with your family Dom. You were missed, but we carried on, so hope to have you back next year.

So Dick and I decided to keep going, and make it a recreational team instead of a competitive team (need three for competitive catagory). This was actually refreshing since we didn't have to push ourselves, and we could take the time to really ID some good birds. Not that it slowed me down much, I can't seem to stop once I get going.

Anyway, we got the the Audubon Center in Savannah and set up or tent in the drizzle. The rain stopped though, and didn't rain again until the very last few minutes of the race to our delight. However, it remained gray the whole time. We drank a bottle of wine, ate some pretzels and chatted. We did go for a little stroll, but didn't turn up any birds before retiring for bed around 11 pm. Most other teams were just getting started with their owls around this time.

We got up at 6 am, and made our way to Howland's Island. Here we picked out some nice birds, but really didn't see any great numbers of Warblers, which is usually the target bird in the morning. We did see our best bird of the day, a Hooded Warbler to both our delights. We also had fun exploring two-tracks we had not been on before.

Then we explored some other smaller wetlands in the Northern Montezuma Wetlands, before heading to Knox Marcellus Marsh for lunch. Here we met a large crowd of birders IDing lots of species in the marsh below. But before we could get to see a lot, a tractor drove down on the property ajacent to the marsh, and scared all the birds off. I think he was mowing, but then he also proceeded to do some chainsaw work as well. So Dick and I had lunch without watching many birds.

We continued on during the afternoon, and bumped into some tired grumpy birders who didn't seem to approach the Muckrace the same way we did. I asked if they were having fun, and I was told, "No, this is serious business." Perhaps this was just a sarcastic crack, but no on on the team was smiling and they seemed annoyed with us, even though we at the spot already, and they were the ones that come up to us. Different strokes for different folks.

Watching the other teams is just as much part of the day as is watching the birds. We watched the winning team zip by us many times in the search for the next bird. At one water hole we were taking our time trying to ID shorebirds we struggle with, and they pulled up, backed up, repositioned, pulled forward, backed up again, went ahead, moved out of the way, then back to the first spot, then backed up......you get the point....all in an effort to get the best view for their window mounted scopes. It was kind of funny to watch.

Anyway, our faith was restored by the end of the day when we encountered the 10,000 Birds team. We were approached a spot for one last look, and they were leaving, and they told us the location of a Black Crowned Night Heron at the spot that we probably would have overlooked. Now that is the spirit of birding!

By the end of the day, Dick was dragging in energy, and I had just finished an energy drink, so I was ready to find the last five birds of the day. I said...just 5 more Dick. So off we went to find a House Sparrow (all day without one), a Kestral (we watched miles and miles of powerline to at last find one in a tree), a Bluebird (yes Dick, I'm sure of it), and our Night Heron.

Well, we were tired, and we ended with 61 species. Not a great number, compared the winning 130 species, but we enjoyed our time, and learned a lot, confident that we were better birders by the end of the day.

Now there is one more mission left....to raise some money for conserving this amazing treasure know as Montezuma. There isn't really another place in New York like it. Where could you go and see 180+ species of bird in a single day. It is recognized by the Audubon Society as a critical migratory bird area for the whole world. So if you didn't yet sponsor us, please do. I need to send in our contributions by October 1st. Our team might have been the team that saw the fewest number of birds, but I think we could shock the mucklands by being the team that raised the most money. Thanks everyone for your generous donations!

You can write me a check, send me cash, or donote here with paypal:

Montezuma Muckrace 2008

2008-08-07T12:28:00.003-05:00

My team, the Mottled Mucks, will once again be participating in the Montezuma Muckrace to support the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. We are losing our best birders, Chris and Amy, but for good reason. They are getting married the weekend before, and will be birding on their honeymoon in Panama! Congrats to them! Dick, Dom, and I will try to carry on without them as best we can.

To update those who are new, the Muckrace is a 24 hour birding event. We start on Friday, September 12th at 8 p.m., and bird until we drop at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 13th. We count the number of species we see, and there are prizes for the top teams. We are NOT usually one of the top teams. However, we have a blast, and see lots of great birds and wildlife.

What we have done well is raise money. Last year, we came in third place for the amount of money raised by a team! Thanks to all that donated last year, and I hope you will consider making a contribution again. I can provide you with a receipt for tax purposes if you request it. Our goal is $1,000. Monies raised go toward conservation projects in the Montezuma Wetlands that directly effects the conservation of this key migratory bird area. Montezuma has been designated by the Audubon Society as a Global and Continental Important Bird Area.

You can make a pledge in several ways. You can mail me a personal check made out to "Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex." You can give me cash. Or, you can pay by paypal or credit card by clicking on the Donate button here:
Thank you for helping out!

Whip-poor-will

2008-05-13T10:45:00.002-05:00

Last week I went birding after reading reports of woodcock and a whip-poor-will in a field nearby. I haven't heard whip-poor-wills since I was a kid when I would hear them almost every night in the summer. I haven't had the chance since I started birding seriously to add them to my life list (same for the Woodcock). So I was rewarded last week (May 8...my sister's Birthday) when I went and heard the lone Whip-pool-will. Oh, it was fantastic to hear one, knowing the population has been on the decline in NY. I also heard and saw the woodcocks. Later, another birder posted seeing and hearing the same thing I had heard. He made a recording of this, so I was please to know that this is the very same Whip-pool-will (and you can hear the Woodcocks "beeent" in the background) that I heard on May 8th.

The New Blues Brothers

2008-05-12T09:30:00.006-05:00

Well, you could probably write this story yourself:

You go to a birthday party. You have a nice dinner. You have a few drinks. In walks the Karaoke guy for the party. People started singing. Some are great. Some are not. Some are cool. Some are creepy. You think, I can do better then some of these people, or at least look equally foolish. So you sign up for a song. You think, "this song is easy, and short, and I've had enough to drink now." So you go up and sing. Then someone makes a video of it. And they send it to you. What are you to do? Put it on the blog of course!

Topozone has been sold to Trails.com

2008-04-22T12:24:00.002-05:00

I used Topozone a lot. It was a website that I could use to see topographic maps in the U.S. Of course, I would use these inconjunction with lots of other map systems, especially Google Maps.

To my surprise, when I went to Topozone today, a notice said it had been sold to Trails.com. I have never used Trails.com, primarily because it is a paid service. I'm sure their product is a good one, but I don't see why I need to pay for maps that are produced by our government.

Looking around a bit, I found a link to another service someone recommended called ACME Mapper. I found this very simple, yet very powerful, and best of all, I can still find the good old USGS Topo's on it. In fact, it's easier to use then Topozone was.

Out with the old...in with the new...

Backyard Project

2008-04-21T11:37:00.002-05:00

We began destruction of the backyard.

Yup, were are destroying the backyard. No fear though, we are going to bring it back to life. We are tired of the grass lawn. We had to carry our gas powered mower up a flight of stairs to mow the back lawn. We hate doing that. So instead, we are going to leave just a small spot for grass, plant a garden, make a path, and add some plantings for the birds and butterflies (and all the critters who like to dine on that stuff as well).

We had a magnificent weather weekend, so we were able to get some landscaping cloth put down. This will be the base layer for our work. We have a raised bed kit on order. We raked and cleaned out the exiting beds. We repaired some of the damage from the sidewalk plow over the winter. We erected a compost bin. We hung a couple of new birdhouses.

Still lots to do...we'll keep you posted, and put up some pictures in the future.

Carving Faces

2008-04-14T08:42:00.003-05:00

This weekend, we got together with some local letterboxers to work on carving faces. Laura and I had a great time. We have been wanting to have some small gatherings with local boxers to work on these things, and to build some community in our letterboxing circle here. I printed out lots of faces of famous people, and we practiced transferring them with xylene, and then carving them. I tried to pick a variety of levels for people to carve, but most people were intimidated at first. But everyone gave it a shot, and I think the results were really great. Afterwards, we managed to get to the Abandoned Subway box, with the help of RocNRon who had been there before. Laura wouldn't let me go to do this one alone, so with a group of six of us, we did it! We also finished up planting a new series called Hoodoo Blues. Here's a link to a music site I set up to support the clue. You will find some good old blues tunes and videos there.

Story at Work

2008-04-08T15:29:00.002-05:00

First, sorry its been so long since I have posted. I guess I didn't think many people were reading this...then I found out lots of people were reading it. So, onto the update.

I went to New Hampshire this past weekend with Dick to go to the League of Advancement for New England Storytelling (LANES). Dick and I presented a workshop on podcasting, and how it can be used by storytellers. It went off without a hitch, mostly because Dick was there for technical and moral support. Thanks Dick!

We also learned a lot about storytelling, and met lots of great people. The nightly "concerts" were amazing...these guys really know how to tell a story. I'm feeling more energized and creative right now, for all my different interests.

New Orleans

2008-03-22T18:25:00.002-05:00

We had a great time visiting New Orleans this pas March. I'm not a big "city" fan, but the French Quarter of New Orleans is totally awesome! I loved the food, and culture, and sights, and shops. Would love to go back. This video is of the courtyard of the little condo we stayed in. Dick really set us up finding this place that he usually stays in for jazz fest.

More progress

2007-11-11T15:15:00.001-05:00

You can click on this for a slightly larger pic.

It now has road markers, town names, water body names, and that big text you can actually see in the photo.

Still need some finishing touches, but at least it looks like a map now.

Mottled Mucks: Bling Bling!

2007-11-01T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hooozaaaahhh! to the Mottled Mucks!

Check out the news!

The team that raised the most money this year was the Plucky Mucksters who raised $1,302!!!! This is a remarkable amount of money for a single team to fundraise. It is the second year in a row that the Plucky Mucksters have come in first place for most money raised by a single team. The Plucky Mucksters team members include Bob McGuire, Deirdre Anderson, Susan Danskin, and Gary Kohlenberg. The second place team, the Capitol Cuckoos with members Jane Graves, Alison Van Keuren, John Hershey, and Larry Rowland, brought in $905. And, the third place team was the Mottled Mucks with members John Ballou, Amy Dreibelbis, Chris Langman, Dick Beery and Dom DeFazio, who raised $738. Ten teams raised over $250 and four teams raised over $500!!! We also received a number of cash donations from local businesses including Terry Precision Cycling, Wild Birds Unlimited of Johnson City & Ithaca, Nucor Steel, NYSOA, Bass Pro, and Avinet.

The total raised by all the teams was $10,411.10, breaking the goal of 10K. Way to go teammates, and way to go to all our idividual sponsors! We couldn't have done it without you. Special props to Dick and Sandy Beery, and to our coporate sponsor Micron Industries!

The Letterpod

2007-10-29T10:24:00.000-05:00

Here is the podcast I do for letterboxers...

Dillon Park

2007-09-25T20:22:00.000-05:00

I have probably said this before, and I'll probably say it many more times in my life. There is no better place to be on the planet then the Adirondacks in the Fall. OK, so that is a pretty bold statement. Maybe I should say there is no better place that I would rather be then the ADK's in the Fall. This September certainly proved this to me.

I got a chance to camp this year with Dom and Ken in a great place, John Dillon Park. Dillon Park is owned by International Paper and managed by Paul Smiths College. It is unique. And I mean unique. It is one of a kind. It is the only place in the country that we know of, and that the staff at the park know of, that is a park for folks with disabilities. ALL the paths are 10% or less grade. That means you can use a wheelchair or scooter. They have lean-tos with ramps. All the outhouses are handicap accessible (and have composting toilets). They have large battery trailers they can bring to your campsite to recharge your wheelchair that is charged by two large solar panels in the parking lot. And the lean-tos, they aren't just ones you drive up to. Ours was about an 8 minute walk. The park is on Grampus Lake, which they have an accessible fishing dock and boat launch (though these were taken in for the year because we were there the last weekend of the year.)

So, with such a special place, we were all able to enjoy it. The weather was perfect. The place was perfect. The fishing could have been better, but it was fun. The food lockers were great, didn't have to hang a bear bag. Composting toilets...come on, that's awesome. No bugs in September...can't beat that. It was an amazing trip, and I hope we can go back again when they finish the trail that goes even further into the wilderness to two more lean-tos on Hansome Lake. Incredible.

Montezuma Wrap-Up

2007-09-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

Well, this of course is a late report, sorry about that Marylee. But I wanted to thank everyone who made a pledge to our team. I still don't have a final total, but I think we will come in around the $500 mark again this year. Special thanks to our sponsor this year Micron Industries.

We succeeded in our goal, which was to come in ahead of the youth teams this year, especially the youth girls, which we dubbed the "Girl Scouts." They are probably not scouts, but last year we didn't beat them, so this year our goal was not be be beaten by a bunch of teenage girls. We didn't beat them by much, but we came in at 82 bird species, and that was up about ten bird species from last year. The top team saw 140 birds.

What is really more important to us is that we had fun. And we really did. Special kudos to Amy who competed despite having a broken foot. She is a real trooper, and probably still spotted more birds from the front of the car then the rest of us combined.

Some real memorable birds were an early morning pheasant that Dick spotted first, flocks of Bald Eagles, Bard Owls calling into the morning, and my first look at a Bobolink.

Thanks again for supporting the Mottled Mucks in our yearly adventure. You can read the full report of the Muckrace here.

Montezuma Muckrace 2007

2007-08-28T11:04:00.000-05:00

On September 7th and 8th I will again be participating in the Montezuma Muckrace. If you remember from last year, this is a 24 hour birding marathon against other teams competing to see the most bird species in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Western New York. Our team, the Mottled Mucks, consists of myself (NY), Dick (OH), Dom (PA), Chris (PA), and Amy (PA). Last year we saw 72 species, which was fine for our rookie year, but we are determined to up that number this year (and try to manage to beat the team of "girl scouts"). Last year we raised well over $500 to help Ceulean Warbler habitat.

This is the part where you can help us. The Montezuma Wetlands just opened a new Audobon Center dedicated to educating people about wetlands and birds. We are again asking for donations and pledges to raise money to support the center. All you need to do is email me how much you would like to pledge, and I will contact you later about payment. You can sponsor us a flat donation, or you can pledge us an amount based on the number of bird species we see (i.e. $0.50 per bird). Please let me know also if you would like a receipt for tax purposes.

Thanks again, and wish us luck!

Podcasts!

2007-08-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

So I have finally released the first episode of the Letterpod podcast, a podcast for letterboxers. I have picked up the reigns and taken it for a ride, and its been a lot of fun. Hope to hone my podcasting skills some more on a fun one like this.

I'm still working on my storytelling podcast as well, "Tell Me Again", and will be getting a new story out real soon.

New Letterbox

2007-08-14T14:13:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I actually planted an honest to goodness letterbox. I have done a ton of postals and event boxes, but actually going out and hiding one in the woods...its been awhile.

My newest is a series, and it took awhile. It began with a simple box in Ohio. It got washed away by a flood. I planted a new box in a new spot. I hadn't even posted clues, and that one got muggled. So then I planted two new ones, in new spots. This time when I returned they were still there, and I planted two more. So I now have a series of four in Ohio, called A Drive Through the Marsh.

Special thanks to Dick for helping me with the new plants!

I hope you enjoy.

Progress

2007-07-29T18:43:00.000-05:00

Work in progress

2007-07-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

This is the mural I am working on for my sister's at St. Lawrence Chocolates. Still have a long way to go, but am having fun with it so far.

Scavenger Hunt

2007-07-13T19:03:00.001-05:00

Today, I participated in an awesome scavenger hunt in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Below are some of the pictures I took and the points I got for them (I hope). Sorry they are not great, had to use the cell phone today as Laura has the nice digital camera at her conference this week. Anyway, will describe more here after the official results come back.

Headless Eagle - 5 Points

2007-07-13T19:01:00.001-05:00

Raines and Snow - 5 Points

2007-07-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Warrant - 4 Points

2007-07-13T18:58:00.001-05:00

May B. Mabee - 3 Points

2007-07-13T18:56:00.000-05:00

Embossed Cross - 1 Point

2007-07-13T18:55:00.001-05:00

Trinity Symbol - 1 Point

2007-07-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

Headless Statue - 1 Point

2007-07-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

2007-07-10T17:41:00.000-05:00

My dad turns 60 this week! I used the blog to announce my mom’s 60th birthday earlier this year so I thought I would give my dad the same honor. He now cannot make fun of my mom saying she is older since he has now caught up.

As my brother would say, “We have the best dad in the whole wide world,” and then my dad would correct him and say, “You mean, the whole wide universe.” Whether it is the world or the universe, the bottom line is that my dad means everything to me. I could not have asked for a father that is more understanding and generous. He thinks my crazy ideas are fun and is always willing to take on the next adventure that we propose. I sometimes get funny looks when I say that I am willing and excited to go on vacations with my parents, but it is the truth. I am truly thankful for the friendship that he has formed with my husband as it makes me proud that the two most important men in my life get along so well. My dad’s passions for photography, music, reading, and traveling have definitely rubbed off on me and I now share these passions with him. I have always said that I am “Daddy’s Little Girl.” And even though I have done some growing up, I will always be my Daddy’s Little Girl.

So when you read this, please help me wish my Dad a happy 60th birthday!

Love,
Laura
(John also approves of Dick.)

Listing Podcast

2007-07-02T13:29:00.000-05:00

You can ignore this message pretty much, I think I need to do this to get my Tell Me Again Podcast listed in a directory called Podcast Alley.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-a0f61db39790bb4af6df62af299f45ad}

New Toys

2007-06-28T19:06:00.001-05:00

So, I got a new phone, and I had to try out the camera and posting directly from the phone to the blog. All is working so far. Now have to test out the audio downloads to the blog next.

Bird Quest 2007

2007-05-29T15:35:00.000-05:00

How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend? I spent mine birding....a lot. I participated in the Finger Lakes Land Trust's (FLLT) Spring Bird Quest. The Bird Quest is a new program to help raise funds for the Land Trust, an organization that buys and preserves sensitive habitat, much like the Nature Conservancy. Bird Questers help by getting sponsors, and counting as many bird species as they can during the three days of the weekend on FLLT preserves. Currently the FLLT has over 20 preserves.

I am very proud to say that with the help of my kind sponsors, I was able to raise over $350, and succeeded in seeing 56 different bird species.

Though I had truly hoped to find more birds, since I spent at least 20 hours actively birding, I fell short of my optimistic goals. On Sunday I encountered thunderstorms, and muggy weather followed, so this slowed my progress. Also, with full leaf cover, my visibility is greatly decreased. I was pleased however that the top birders saw (heard actually) over 100 species of birds. Since all of my birds, except one, was actually SEEN with my own two eyes, I was pleased with this result knowing that one day when I become an auditory birder, I too may be able to reach these numbers.

I visited 8 of the preserves. They varied in habitat from forest, field, and wetland. Some had very well established trails, others not. All of these lands were very special though, and their preservation is and will continued to be appreciated. Not only did I see birds, but frogs, turtles, snakes, butterflies, salamanders, deer, rabbit, damselflies, etc. And I heard one coyote.

Yes, I didn't think I would be scared of a coyote, but I was. Once when I was in high school I heard coyotes when camping in the wilderness of the Adirondacks. I was quite concerned then about them on that night, and I think my gut instincts still keep me afraid of these ghostly calls even today. My close encounter this past weekend was in broad daylight however, and in Wesley Hill preserve, a very remote and under visited preserve. It is very close to lands that I have seen bear tracks on, so this is quite a wild place. I was perhaps on the farthest point I could be on the trail from the car when I heard it. At first, the call was a bit distant, and I didn't freak out right away. I had been "pishing" for birds, which is when you make a pssssh, psssh, pssssh call with your lips. This attracts birds. It is also know to attract other things. Today, it attracted coyote. The second time I heard it, it was VERY close, and in the direction I was headed. I was on one side of a deep gully, and I prayed it was on the other side that I had just come from. I grabbed a stick in one hand, and a rock in the other. I began up the trail banging the still on trees as I walked, and tried to make as many scary sounds that I could. I also quickened my pace. When I finally slowed down a few minutes later, I heard it again, but much further away, and thankfully behind me. I didn't see many birds after this, and was really more concerned with getting to the car.

My next close encounter was much more to my liking. That night, I decided to go to the Martin Preserve, as it was reported as a spot where Screech or Great Horned Owls live. I went around dusk with hopes of hearing one of these birds to add to my list. I know the calls well, though I am lousy at trying to make the calls myself. However, to my surprise, I heard a different owl altogether. I heard, "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all!" The call of the Barred Owl. I had heard this owl before back home in Colton, but I had never seen one in the wild. I headed up the road in the direction I thought it was coming from. I stopped at different places along the road, and broke out my Owl Whistle, a wooden cylinder that makes a perfect owl sound when you blow into it in the right way. I hooted, and listened. Nothing. Next spot. Hooted and listened. Nothing. One more try, last spot. Hooted. Then across from me flew a Barred Owl and perched in a tree in clear sight. It worked! I was overjoyed. I slowly got out of the car, to get a better look. Then behind me I heard "whoooo-awlllllll". A second one!!! I stood slack jawed that I had called in two. The second one I think thought the first one was making the call, because it chased it after a few minutes out of its tree and they both retreated back into the woods! This is why I bird.

I had many highs and lows of joys and disappointments over the weekend, but I got a lot of outdoor time in, and my legs are tired, and I lost lots of sleep. And I feel pretty good about it.

Here are all the birds I saw if you are into that:
Mourning Dove
American Robin
American Crow
Black-capped Chicadee
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-winged Blackbird
Red Tailed Hawk
Eastern Phoebe
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
American Goldfinch
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Tufted Titmouse
Grey Catbird
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Northern Flicker
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Bluebird
Baltimore Oriole
Northern Cardinal
Scarlet Tanager
Ovenbird
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Redstart
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Common Grackle
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Wild Turkey
Common Yellowthroat
Ruffed Grouse (heard)
Barred Owl (two!)
Killdeer
Hairy Woodpecker
Canada Goose
Barn Swallow
Eastern Kingbird
Savannah Sparrow
Veery
Prairie Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Belted Kingfisher
Field Sparrow
Black and White Warbler
Wood Duck
European Starling
Great Blue Heron
Mallard
Green Heron
Tree Swallow
Common Moorhen
Brown Thrasher
Grey Cheeked Thrush

Where has the time gone?

2007-04-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Since San Antonio hasn't been much to report.

That changed a bit this week. I learned earlier this week that my father would be needing triple or quadruple bypass surgery on his heart. Keep in mind, Dad is 78 years old, and is in real good shape for his age. I am told the doctor said Dad's heart is as strong as a horse, but the arteries are of course the issue here. One is completely blocked, and three others are 80% blocked. Dad was having some tightness in the chest that clued him in to the problem.

Of course, heart disease isn't uncommon. This type of surgery is done everyday. Both my Uncles on my mother's side have had heart surgery. High cholestrerol is common in my family. However, the family eats very healthy diets, and remains active, so Dad has made it 78 years without a problem, beating the family trend. I hope I'm in as good as shape as he is when I make it to 78.

He goes in for surgery on Friday, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

60 Years Young!

2007-03-18T21:46:00.000-05:00

Posted by Laura

My mom is turning 60 this week! While she might not like that I just told the world this, I do not think she has any reason to worry. At least from my perspective, she has been the best mom I could ever wish for and her turning 60 won’t change that!

I am sure that I have caused her many grey hairs over the years, but my memory is filled with wonderful times – from making peanut butter popcorn on the camp stove when the power went out, to spending my Christmas holidays at Disney World in the campground, to throwing me a surprise sweet sixteen party, to helping me decide which college to attend, to being there when John proposed to me at Cape Point, to helping me celebrate my 30th birthday on vacation in Maine. And the list could keep going, but the bottom line is that my mom is one of my favorite people to be around. She is a true friend and I want to wish her the very best on this very special birthday!

Last Stop...Brackettville.

2007-03-16T13:18:00.000-05:00

If you get on Route 90 and drive west out of San Antonio, you will see a lot of farms. After you drive through Uvalde, you will see only ranches, that are surrounded in high fences, to keep the wild game inside. If you keep doing this for two hours, you will come to the town of Brackettville. As my Dad used to say, "Don't blink or you'll miss it." But on the south side of Route 90 here in Brackettville you will find Fort Clark Springs. Inside it's gates you will find a strange and wonderfull world. You will find my Aunt Addie and Unlce Jim too!

Laura and I were so delighted that we had a chance to go and visit my only aunt and uncle on my father's side of the family. Of course we had seen them before, but as we visited we realized it was six years ago since we had seen Aunt Addie. They told us we were the first Ballou's to come and visit them in Texas, so I realized our visit meant a lot to them as well. We really wished we could have stayed longer, but we really enjoyed our short visit.

Addie and Jim took us to the restaurant in the Fort that they like to go to, which is right on the creek that runs through the community. This creek is fed by a natural spring that surfaces here from the Hill Country to the north. This spring is literally like an oasis in the desert. It attracts all the life around. Aunt Addie showed me her wonderul bird feeders, and I was treated to Lesser Goldfinches and a Nashville Warbler to add to my life list. Then at lunch along the creek, she pointed out the Vermillon Flycatcher, a bird that is even brighter then the Cardinal. After lunch Jim showed me how to drive his golf cart, and how to take the trails along the creek to get back to his house.

Laura and I enjoyed the drive, and saw a two red shouldered hawks along the way, and a pair of Golden Fronted Woodpeckers as well (another life lister!). Then Addie and Jim gave us a driving tour of the Fort community and of Brackettville proper. The Fort has an amazing history, and a variety of residents, from families to snowbirds, from RVers to upscale homes, from historic barracks to modern car ports, it has it all.

We really enjoyed our short stay, and would really encourage anyone else in the family to go to this truly unique place! Can't wait until I can get back and explore more.

Botanical Expedition

2007-03-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

Why do we love Botanical Gardens? Why wouldn't we! Besides having beautiful flowers, we learn so much about native and nonative species. We look for birds. We get ideas for our own yard. We get great excercise! The San Antonio Botanical Gardens was very nicely done. Their conservatories of ferns, cactus, and palms were really attactive. The topography of the site was dynamic, and we had great places to see photograph the city and local birds and plants.

We saw many butterflies, and a few birds. We really enjoyed the section on landscapes for your lawn. They had build five little houses, and had modeled the front yards after different styles of yard. There was the typical american yard, the wildscape, the spanish garden, the xeroscape (little water), and cottage yards. Really can see them side by side and see which ones you like.

The central spot in the gardens had this lookout tower, where we could see the city and surrounding community. We tried our best to capture some images of the Black Swallowtail butterfly as he danced around us, with no luck.

Water is a precious commodity in Southern Texas. Though drought conditions are common, there are oasis of water for the life here. Of course this particular waterfall is inside the Fern Grotto conservatory, but we liked it anyway.

Going Downtown...SATX Style.

2007-03-16T12:51:00.000-05:00

I don't really like cities that much. I get a bit "urban-phobic", and don't really relax much. I didn't feel the same way in San Antonio. The River Walk run through the middle of the city and is well landscaped and is really a major assest to this city. The city also has lots of history and public works of art. And most importantly to me, there are trees, which always make me feel more comfortable.

Katie took us downtown one of our nights to eat a very nice bistro on the River Walk. We had gaucamole made for us fresh at our table, and we sat right on the river. She had a plan though, and that was to put our name in at the restaurant, then do a walking tour of the city, including a stop at the Alamo. I said I could take or leave the Alamo on this trip because I didn't really want to deal with a mob scene. Honestly, going at night is pretty cool though, there were more people on the River Walk then at the Alamo. And lit up, it reminds you of a national monument in Washington, DC. No, I didn't see the basement.

Easting in San Antonio was a real delight too. Like any great city, we had lots of variety. Of course the Tex Mex cuisine is the most common, and we got our fill. We ate outdoors whenever we could to enjoy the warm temperatures.

Katie pointed us to great works of architecture and art on our visit. The library is really a site with its stark color and modern angles. The glass sculpture inside was a real treat to see also.

I don't know why I lauged so much at this, but I'll tell you this story anyway. We are sitting at dinner on the River Walk. The sun had gone down, and we were all getting cold. Katie and Laura both asked for blankets, and the restaurant obliged by giving them wool ponchos. So the water taxi boats and tour boats are going by us just a few feet away. We are enjoying our deserts, when from a passing tourboat we hear, "PONCHOOOO!" I thought I say the guy who yelled it from the front of the passing boat with a smile on his face. It cracked me up, and was glad I suffered the cold, and had not donned the Ponchooooo!

Mission San Jose

2007-03-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

We ran out of time to see all the Missions in the San Antonio area, but we did get to the San Jose Mission. Katie highly recommended the movie at the visitor 's center here, and we wer not disappointed. The movie told the history of South Texas, and carefully explained the native people who lived here, and why they build this. Considering the age of these missions, it is really amazing architecture.

After the movie we wandered the grounds. The sun was low in the sky and we had amazing light and shadow effects on everything. I thought it gave a real eerie effect to the place.

I assume these are fireplace/ovens. I want one of these in my backyard. Also on this site is the oldest operating mill in Texas. The mill is water driven and we watched as it ground wheat. It was impressive that they continue to keep this working. The Mission still has an active congregation and we saw the end of a wedding party as they were leaving the chapel area.

Katie wanted our picture here outside the chapel. The artwork on this window is pretty stunning. The funny part is that in downtown San Antonio there is a storye that made many of its display windows look just like this one. Katie wanted our picture there also, but I kept walking.

Don't Mess with Texas

2007-03-16T10:31:00.000-05:00

For part of our "Spring Break" we decided to make a trip to San Antonio, Texas to visit our friend Katie. Katie could not have been a better hostess! She let us sleep in her bed while she slept on the couch. She made us breakfast each day. She gave us rides to and from the airport. She let us take her car when she had to work. She took us to some really great restaurants. She showed us all the attractions downtown. She even served at driver for our bird drive. How can you beat that! Thank you Katie!

Not only did we have a great hostess, but we had a great host to, Katie's cat, Fred. Fred is not like our cat Daisy. Fred is nice. Fred is quiet. Fred is friendly. Fred is the kind of cat you can really get to know.
Some of the things we did... ate on the River Walk...saw the Alamo...went to several parks birding and letterboxing...toured the Botanical Gardens...ate great Tex Mex...had sushi...saw old an new artwork...supported local businesses...shopped at the market...day trip to see Aunt Addie and Uncle Jim...had a BBQ...watched movies...met Katie's boyfriend Chris and his dog Shawnee...and had a lot of laughs!

2007-02-27T21:53:00.001-05:00

Orange Cake

2007-02-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember, I have requested orange cake on my birthday. Why? Well, I certainly have always loved the flavor of "orange". Its sweet in its own way, but also balances sugar well. I love to eat an orange. Its funny that I developed and allergy to orange juice though. Yes, I can eat an orage, but can't drink orange juice, whether its from concentrate, or freshly sqeezed. As we said in toxicology class, "It's the dose, not the poison." What complements organge cake best? Buttercream frosting of course. Maybe because my birthday is midwinter, I have always craved the sweet fresh flavor of orange cake. Don't get me wrong, I love the other kinds of cake, but for my birthday, its orange cake all the way. I'm not really that picky, but Better Crocker makes the orange cake mix that I usually get at birthday time. I remember one year Laura going to about five different grocery stores before she was able to find the mix. Apparently nobody in Ann Arbor appreciated orange cake like I do. So step right up and share a virtual piece of orange cake with me today on my birthday.

Desparately Seeking Snow

2007-02-19T12:17:00.000-05:00

Desparately Seeking Sun 2007 was a letterboxing gathering in Brewerton, NY, just outside Syracuse. We went last year, and the hostess Lockwench knows how to host, so we couldn't wait to go back. In 2006 it was cold, but not that snowy. This year it was warmer, but a whole lot more snow. In many places you would be up to your knees. I would sink a foot in the snow even on snowshoes. But snow doesn't stop this crew of letterboxers.

We stayed in the lodge most of Saturday. And why not, this was a great lodge at Oneida Shores State Park. It had a huge wood fireplace, and lots of room. Folks brought great food, I loved the chicken soup since I was fighting off a cold. There were around 105 letterboxers in attendence and sadly I didn't make it all the way around the room. But I did get a ton of exhanges and personal travellers, and met some really nice people.

I did an ice fishing demonstration, and the kids and adults who came really asked great questions and had a good time. The Jiggs girls tagged along with me, and I'm glad they did, they were really nice and were really curious about the fishing. Alas, we couldn't put one up, but a stamp did reward those who came out.

On Sunday we did get back out to do some letterboxing. We found a bunch of the easier ones, since we didn't have a lot of time. We were able to help out the Phoenix family get their 4WD truck out of a snowslick road. Boy, it was hard work, but that is just what you have to do in times of need.

Anyway, can't wait to get back again next year.

Curling Fab 4

2007-02-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

We looked good. We drank good. We didn't curl all that good, but we had a great time at our first Francis Dykes Curling Tournament. This tournament is for male curlers with five years or less experience. It was being held this year at our home club, so we couldn't miss it. Brian and I teamed up with Steve and Jeremy for a fun weekend of curling. Though our record was 2 wins and 3 losses, we enjoyed playing against clubs from Utica, Vermont, Masschusetts, and Maryland.

Dom Visits...Eats Tacos

2007-02-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

What is the best way to eat tacos? Well, first have a good friend visit you for the weekend. Make sure the friend knows how to ice fish, and make sure he is good at filleting fish. Then make fish tacos, and you are in for a good weekend.

It was so great to get out on Cranberry Pond to do some ice fishing with Dom. We had a fun time, and the fishing was good. Our tip-ups kept us busy, and when it was warm we had good luck jigging. The the cold wind came up, and we understood better the meaning of Jack London's words in "To Build a Fire". We managed to keep ten perch, and threw back twice as many. Even my rustic "Tiki Tip-up" produced a few nice ones.

Locals were out on the ice, fishing, playing hockey, and running their snowmobiles. Not that I thought there was enough ice to snowmobile, but that's why I don't own one of those things.

We also kicked backed and watched some movies, and got to the UR basketball games. Tony and Cait had us over for some late night chatter, and we had brunch with Eric and Julie. It was a great weekend, and especially great to catch up with Dom.

So remember, if you want fish tacos, make sure you invite Dom first.

Winter Has Arrived....late

2007-01-16T11:57:00.000-05:00

We have been waiting a long time for this winter. Oh yeah, we had a few flakes, and we have had the ground covered. But in the last two days, we have had it all. First it started with freezing rain. Then the temperatures dropped below the 20 degree mark, and now we have started to get some lake effect snow. Yes Virginia, there is a Jack Frost.

Now don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed our El Nino enhanced temperatures this winter, but I welcome the change. I welcome it because I would like to use the snowshoes once this year. I would also like to get out ice fishing once too. Am I asking to much? I haven't missed the shoveling so much, but this morning it felt good. I know it doesn't feel good to do it in late March though. But, if I can be so bold....let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Christmas Redux

2007-01-06T11:44:00.001-05:00

The Beery's are so kind to make the trek to Rochester to do Christmas with us. We sure look forward to their coming. We always have an exciting weekend of gift exchanges, eating out, and watching movies. This year we were blessed in many ways.

First, the weather was good for the driving. Well, it was rainy and cold, but it wasn't a blizzard, so that was a good thing. Then we exchanged gifts, and everyone was very generous. We got great movies and toys from Brian, Sandy always knows how to give the gifts that make us laugh, and Dick sure spoils us. Special thanks for the new computer, and helping us set it all up. It is running like a charm, and I have already thought of a million things I can do with it now!

Dining is always the best too. We have fun making brunch for Sandy and Dick who rise earlier then Brian. But once Brian is up, we always find fun restuarants. Bugaboo Creek was a winner this year for great food, and fun entertainment watching the buffalo or other talking creatures.

Speaking of talking creatures, Daisy was very lucky too, and got great toys to play with. She likes the fishing pole mouse game alot, though she likes to watch it more then attack it. OK, so I really like it more then he/she does, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, thanks again to Sandy, Dick, and Brian for really making our holiday a special one.

Christmas Redux

2007-01-06T11:44:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2006-12-30T14:39:00.000-05:00

Have a Holly Chocolate Christmas

2006-12-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

This was a special Christmas indeed. There was much excitement in the Ballou household this year, and lots to celebrate. Saint Lawrence Chocolates has opened!

Ellen and Angela, in cooperation from the entire family in Potsdam, has opened up a dream. One day Ellen was driving home along the river, and she thought she should pick up some gourmet chocolate for her work mates. It was stressful time of year, and she knew it would lift their spirits. Problem was, she soon realized, there was no where to get gourmet chocolate in St. Lawrence County. Ellen's vision became clear, why couldn't she use her skills to open a gourmet chocolate shop? She could make chocolates, couldn't she?

Ellen went to work. She took chocolatier classes online. She started to taste different kinds and brands of chocolate. She began practicing, and purchasing molds. At first, the plan was to run the business from home. However, after inspectors deemed it necessary for many renovations on her house, it seemed wiser to open a shop right away. Then Ellen found the space. A storefront right downtown in Potsdam, right near the movie theatre and across from the Clarkson Inn. She could hire Angela to make chocolates. If she only had the money.

After months of securing loans, and remodeling the shop, it happened. She opened the shop. Ellen and Angela couldn't make chocolate fast enough. The customers wanted chocolate, and they cleared out the cases as fast as they could. Ellen needed Tom to help sell chocolate. She needed Marylee and Mom to put together boxes. She even needed a temporary employee to help run the cash register during the week. It became a family affair. Everyone chipped in, and the shop was up and running. It appeared that even chocolate could catch fire.

The most popular items became the handmade chocolate cream, solid chocolate shapes, and dipped oreo's and pretzels, not to mention bark. They bought Jelly Bellies too, and sugar free and organic chocolates. Don't forget lollipops. Special orders started to come in too. And with Christmas only 15 days away! Long days and nights followed. No stopping now, the chocolate show must go on!

At Christmas, even Laura and John helped chip in where they could. The Warmers made some chocolate too. The whole family wanted some! Adam couldn't believe his eyes. The whole family was there, and behind them 100%. Congrats to Ellen, Angela, Tom, Marylee, Mom, Dad....you all did an amazing job. We are all really proud!

North Country Christmas

2006-12-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

Laura and I headed north for Christmas 2006. We had a great mix of new and old traditions this year. We exhanged gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas day, because we had everyone there, and Adam couldn't wait. After a real great meal, we gathered around and had our first sibling gift exchange. Instead of buying for everyone, we drew names last year so that each sibling gave a gift or two to only one other sibling. I think it worked out great! We all gave to Adam and Mom and Dad, no restrictions needed there.

Laura and I had drawn Ellen and Angela. Here they are with their new aprons for the shop. After the sibling exchange, we also did a "Dirty Santa/Yankee Swap" with handmade gifts each of us made. I loved the ginger snap cookies I got that Dad made...yum. We decided to do it again next year, and we drew names again.

Adam was so much fun this year. He has reached a great age, and is really into unwrapping gifts. He is also in command of a bigger vocabulary, so he is real funny to talk and play with. He really loved playing with Tom! He really is doing great, and we all had a good time interacting with him!

Well, it was a great time, and I guess someone has to clean up after the party, so of course Wendy volunteers for dishes. I'm glad someone like to do them, thanks Wendy! Merry Christmas everyone!

Dirty Santa Gift Exchange

2006-12-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

It has now become an annual tradition for us. Laura and I love to host a holiday party, and include our version of the "Dirty Santa" gift exchange. Why is it "dirty", well, its not because of the questionable tastes in gifts (or is it?), but because you can steal gifts away from other people. As long as everyone knows its in fun, it is always a good time. Thanks to Brian for his great pictures...

We do two rounds, the first round is for gag gifts...

The second round is for more tasteful gifts, this year the theme was, "Made in Rochester."

Chocolate for Gerry.

Wine for Chris.

Cards for Brian.

Grrrrr...owler for Cait!

New haricut for me!

Good times for all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all!

Christmas Bliss

2006-12-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

One of our true joys of Christmas is getting to spend time with our friends Lauren and Sarah. Though sometimes we exchange gifts, it is the time spent with one another we truly cherish. I love seeing the excitement in Lauren and Sarah's eyes when we get together. They are so full of the joy of life, that it is easy to understand the real meaning of the Christmas Spirit.

This year we started with dinner out at Friendly's. The girls ordered drinks that would change their tongues colors, and we teased them about their friends seated at others tables.

Then we headed home to bake some gingerbread cookies. But we had fun first posing for some pictures with John's new funny hat.

The smell of gingerbread filled the air from fresh cookies, as we decorated a gingerbread house. We were all very pleased with the kit, but we had fun adding extra candy left over from Halloween too.

It was a night full of laughs, and everyone got a chance to eat some candy.

So what is the real meaning of Christmas? You don't have to look very far if you have young friends who can remind you. Nothing is more important than time. We are thankful to have this special time with our special friends.

Chips: The Ones without Ponch

2006-11-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

Check out the Reduced Fat Potato Chip Taste Test.

Thanksgiving Letterboxing

2006-11-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

What a wonderfully mild Thanksgiving! The temperatures were in the sixties, so what better to do then get out and walk off that turkey, and do some letterboxing.

We have been talking to Julia about getting out and doing some letterboxing. So we went up a little early to Lobster Dinner and showed her how its done. Julia had no difficulties of course, and she found the first box like a pro.

Though the second one was a bit trickier, we had a real funny surprise as the clues led us to this historical gem in the woods. We were kind of freaked out walking up to this derelict old shack, but once we saw the sign we got a good chuckle out of it.

We also did some letterboxing with Sandy and Dick. We walked a real nice trail, that was really flat at first, but then had some real big up's and down's. Everyone took it like champs, and we had another stunningly warm walk.

Dick knows how to rehide a box, even down to covering his tracks!

Strangest Bird of Ohio

2006-11-25T18:18:00.000-05:00

This bird may be coming to a feeder near you!
Enhanced photo copyright of Dick Beery

Lobster Dinner

2006-11-25T17:41:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most unique traditions we celebrate with the Yarnell side of the family. It's the annual Thanksgiving Lobster Dinner, typically done a day or two after Thanksgiving proper. Most recently it has been done at Sharon, John, and Julia's house. Scott does the lobster honors, and he does an amazing job each and every year. Large or small, Scott has gotten the lobster boil down to a science.

Sharon is famous for her soup, whether it's hot or cold. Everyone else fills in the holes with deserts and appetizers and sides. The laughs are frequent as members are sprayed with lobster juice, or friendly teasing about one another. This year everyone had a lot of fun with "Hot Sex" after the meal (that would be the vodka cordial that Sharon kindly shared). We ate coffee ice cream cake, pumpkin cake, and sugar cookies for dessert.

Julia kept us entertained with a cornstarch and water concoction that we were told demonstarted anti-Newtonian physics. If you slapped it hard, your finger wouldn't go in. If you slowly pushed your finger in, it would sink and get covered with goo. We were impressed. Sharon and John have been celbrating lobster tradition for 25 years, and I hope we continue it for another 25!

Birding Ohio

2006-11-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

Sandy and Dick's birdfeeder always brings in a nice variety of birds in close. I decided to try to take a few pictures on high zoom to see what I got. Not too bad for my first try, I thought. Here we have some tufted titmouses (mice?), and a red-bellied woodpecker.

This morning though, I wasn't getting very many birds at the feeder and I couldn't figure out why. After about twenty minutes, I saw some movement in the closest tree. You can see why the birds were keeping their distance. Kitty was about 20 feet up this tree. I didn't call the fire department, the cat got down somehow later in the day.

I've Been Sick...Feel Bad For Me!

2006-11-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

click on the play button below to listen...

Gabcast