A Beautiful Day

Monday was a beautiful Indian Summer day, so at lunchtime I decided to take a hike. I ended up at Tinton Falls. I decided to trek the trails at the feeder of the falls first and work my way back to the falls proper. I pulled into the driveway of the historic Crawford house, an 1800s butcher shop and the entrance to the trails that rap around the stream and rapids. I walked past the slave burial ground that was uncovered several years ago and began to trek into the woods.

The paths are wide and many unique trees line them. I often see deer tracks, but have never seen any deer on the trail. The birds are deafening and the squirrels scurry as the water rushes quickly in a deep ravine. I followed the trail to where the grooming ended and decided to keep going up stream. Someone had placed a bench by the rapids, so I sat there for a few minutes watching the water react to the light.

I decided I needed time at the falls proper trails, so started back to Escape. Getting to the other side of the road and walking down to the falls was such a contrast. I left well groomed trails just 50ft away to pretty much make my own in the brush and tall grasses.

Today's goal was to go farther than I had previously gone. I took the usual route that cuts on an angle slightly away from the stream. Due to the change of season, the tall grass that impeded the trail was starting to brown and die, making it an easier path to travel. I got to the high spot that looks over the hidden pond. The pond was quiet except for the call of a hawk somewhere above.

I knew through the grass to the right, the narrowest part of the stream awaited. I was shocked when I got there to find that the water had subsided enough that I could cross. I had never been to the other side and was excited at the proposition of traveling new ground. There was no real path after I crossed, but knew if I kept going I would pick up a trail. Most animals go to the water and therefore leave some type of trails behind them.

I walked about 200 yards and weaved in and out of that area. I was in exploration mode. There were a lot of small creatures in that area and I could hear them scurrying about as I walked. I never have gotten trail fright. But with expanse palette of colors, textures, sound and smell, I was starting to experience sensory overload. I decided to narrow my field of view to a shorter distance and continue on. I waked for a couple hundred more feet when I saw something that looked like it may have been a dried up part of the riverbed. I moved towards it with the thought of using it as a trail to walk back towards the falls. The idea seemed feasible as I took my first step onto the bed. I looked down it and did a bearing check. Then I realized my foot was sinking. The top of the bed seemed dry, but deeper in the ground, it must still have been wet. I know better than to panic in these situations so I slowly pulled up my right foot, it was not in as deep. I stepped about one foot forward from where I left the indent and slowly pulled my left foot out. It was an amazing ground condition. It was solid when stepped on but slowly sank. It was not quicksand, more likely dry ground on an underground stream or water source.

I was too far in the woods to be playing on potentially dangerous ground. Especially when hiking alone. I decided I had accomplished my goal and needed to head back anyway. This was turning out to be a long lunch time. I headed straight for the crossing of the stream and began to slowly walk back.

One thing I love about the falls trail is the amazing variety of mushrooms. The colors and diversity of them is one of natures most overlooked gifts

I continued on the trail parallel nearly thirty feet from the water, I decided I wanted to get a picture of the stream, so I walked toward the water, I could hear the activity in the dried grass increasing. In the distance I spotted a box turtle and hurried my step.
As I reached the box turtle, I raised my camera and took e a shot.  I was only several inches from the water. Activity about a foot away beckoned my eyes to between me and the trail. It was a green and yellow Garter snake . It lifted it's 35 inches or so of body out of the grass, angled it's head towards me, spun around and slithered quickly away in the camouflage of the dried yellow grass. My heart had stopped, but now I could hear it pounding fast. I have run into five other varieties of snake while hiking and luckily have not been bitten. Garters are non-venomous, but from what I've read, their fang-less mouth still feesl like being hit by a bolt of lightning when their teeth connect with flesh.

The turtle now frightened by my movement, tucked his body into his shell. I had already broken one of my hiking rules by not paying attention while rushing through the grass to the turtle. I was not going to violate another by picking the turtle up and trying to coax him out of his shell. I always tell the kids that it is important that we leave nature the way we found it and not interfere. Our footprints should be the only changes we leave behind. It could be argued that I interfered with the snake and his turtle lunch, but a lesson was learned of rules I need to self enforce.

Walking back up the trail, I heightened my senses. I could hear birds and small creatures rushing through the grass, leaves fell disturbing the air and scratching other leaves as if to coax them into the trip to the ground.

I got to the edge of the trail and looked back in a gesture of goodbye, the 'wind controlled' trees waved in return.

Allhallows Eve.

To me, there is no holiday greater than Halloween. I will argue it with anyone. I know most people like Thanksgiving or Christmas, or Passover, but those holidays are reflections of things you cherish, have, or have done. The gifts if any are for those, or from those, closest to you. It's relatively easy to be thankful for those closest to us and we should be everyday. The problem I have with these holidays is this. You reflect, You remember, You give, You receive, you, you, you.

Halloween is the only religious holiday in which people of all creeds and all races give freely of themselves to others, mostly strangers, with no expectations in return. Wouldn't it be great if everyday we would give a stranger in need something they wanted or needed, just for uttering a three word phrase. It would not even have to be "Trick or Treat.", it could be as simple as, "Please help me.". Sadly though and I see this in myself, as we get older, the world hammers the lesson of getting taken advantage of into our brains. Cynicism becomes the religion of everyday detachment from the simple act of giving.

I'm not saying people don't give to charities or drives during many of the holiday seasons, I'm saying, that it is not enough. There is a big difference in giving to someone directly and paying someone to do it for you.

Happy Halloween

I'm In Love!

One look and my heart was racing. She has great curves and is beautiful to look at. It's probably not what you think. A friend of mine got a Tesla Roadster 2.5 and let me test drive it.  I love this car! This was a serious bucket list item, so scratch one more off.

One of my best friends somehow got this impossible to get car. He's the guy that has it all, great wife, great kids, great house, great toys. If anyone truly deserves the life he has, it is him. He and his wife have taught me so much about people and compassion. He is also the friend mentioned in my Karma post.

Back to the Tesla. It is an all electric sports car. No other car company anywhere has anything that can compare to it. It's probably the most innovative car produced since Ford rolled out the Model A. When I found out my friend had gotten one, I begged him to let me test drive it. He laughed and told me to come over his house. Another of our friends was over, so the three of us went out to the garage. I was handed the keys and told to have at it. Seeing a Tesla, amazing; getting into the Tesla, challenging; once inside a Tesla, WOW! You feel like you are sitting in a high end race car. It has all of the amenities and then some. I quickly put the key into, what I guess could be called, the ignition and turned it. My Ape brain did not hear anything, so I turned it again, nothing. The third time, my friend knocked on the window and said, "Dude, the car was on the first time you turned the key, it's electric.".

Did I feel stupid? Let's just keep going. The steering wheel is much smaller then anything I've ever encountered which helps give the feel of driving a formula1 race car. There is no shifter, just buttons marked 'R', 'D', 'P'. I pushed the button marked 'R' and pulled out of the garage. The car slows down quickly after you take your foot from the gas(Err, electric) pedal. It's like downshifting times two and a half. I then pushed the button marked, 'D'. I stepped on the gas and the car smoothly accelerated. I took my foot off at the end of the driveway and the car slowed to enter the road.  I looked up to see if it was all clear and punched the gas. With no sound coming from an engine and no torque curve or shifting noise, your head messes with you. With these simple driving queues gone, your brain can not determine the speed or acceleration, that is left to your stomach and body. From the time it took my brain to scream, "PUNCH IT!!" until the time my stomach cried, "Look at the speedometer.", the car was already approaching fifty. It didn't seem possible.

  It was eerie and refreshing, hearing only the noise of the road. I decided to turn around, so I pulled into a driveway. Upon exiting, I hit the gas(well not really gas) and again the car was at Forty before I gave it a second thought. I wanted one more crack at the long straight road, so I turned around and punched it again. At the stop sign, I took a left and brought it on some windier roads."What's the hurry?", I thought, I  wanted to test this baby out.

Coming back to the neighborhood, I had the car going about sixty when I realized I was about to pass the road. I took my foot off the gas and made an insane hard turn. I gunned it and the car came around smooth as butter. The wheels never pulled or left the road, it felt like I was going much slower. I read the performance reviews on the car, but cornering at that speed with that much confidence was amazing and probably stupid. The movie line, "Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash.", flashed across my brain. I punched the gas and with the acceleration building made it down to the house. I pulled slowly up the driveway and as I reached the spot where I had left my friends, pushed the 'P' button and turned the key.

Getting out of the car was a challenge both emotionally and physically. Once I got out, I thanked my friend and in a fit of adrenalin, described how awesome the car was. They suggested I get in the car for some pictures. I stupidly left my camera in manual mode and did not adjust it for the light. So some of the pictures that they took were dark. As I sat there posing, I decided I needed to do another test drive, so off I went again.

I am not a car person. I've never bought a copy of 'Road and Track' or whatever other car magazines are out there. I've never been to a NASCAR race. When I first saw a pre-production Tesla being put through it's paces almost three years ago while flicking through the channels on TV, I was intrigued. An all electric car, made in America that would be on the road by 2009(Before any foreign competitor). An American car that could get over 200(now over 250) miles per charge. An American car that drove silently, An American car that could out 0-60 a Ferrari, a Porsche a Lamborghini,or a Vette.  This could be an amazing success story.  I followed the progress on the internet.  Now I can say I had the pleasure of driving one.

Tesla is the kind of business we need to encourage and keep from failing in America, not the large corporations.

Artistic Thursday - Color My World.

Perspective One... 2:00p.

Perspective Two... 4:00p.

The effects of light on color.

Would I Date Myself?

I was reading a great blog at 'Chelsea Talks Smack' when I asked the blogs question of myself. 'Would I date me?'. After weighing the argument, I think I probably would. I'm not saying I would not be challenging or that my perspectives aren't 180 degrees off of the main stream. I've just seen the competition and feel pretty good about it. That being said, I'd probably break up with myself shortly afterward and 'just be friends'. That seems to be my pattern.

I've said before that I have a macabre sense of empathy. When I watch a romantic movie, I don't rejoice for the hero who gets the girl, but feel sorry for the nice guy who gets left at the altar so that the hero, can get the girl. In real life, that guy has more in common with me than the lead character. I'm the guy who is Mr. Right Now, not Mr. Right. I don't see it as a self esteem issue, more as a personality flaw.

Being a hopeful romantic, I open the car door, pull out the chair, bring flowers and write poetry. For guys, these are terrible qualities. If you do any of these once for a woman, god forbid you EVER forget to. The first time you miss a door or a chair or don't bring flowers, women become irate and you suck. Women would rather have a guy who never does these things, then one who does them 'most' of the time. They want stability and predictability. On paper, I'm the guy women say they want; in practice, I'm the guy they break up with to find the guy who they said they didn't want. Strangely it works out for them.

The good news for me is that the above is a generalization. I'm sure there is a woman out there who would truly enjoy a guy with these qualities, just from my experience, they are few and far between.

Arguments as to why I wouldn't date me. I am neurotic. Not that you would get that from my blog. I have ever changing neurosis about things that most people would ignore. I am extremely goal focused. Once I am set on a path, I must bring it to it's logical conclusion unless of course a new goal is set in the mean time. Once a conclusion is met, I need another goal to occupy my thoughts or my mind will obsess on what cellphone to buy, all of the latest physics articles, politics or anything else that will eventually become an 'eye bleeding' research project on a moot topic.

I also have high expectations. I always go for the brass ring. I feel eventually, I'll get it. I expect a lot of myself and of others. I would go to the ends of the earth for the right person, but under my terms. Gone are the days of frivolous journeys to the land of broken heartedness. Will I make any changes to myself? Nope! I'm self confident enough to be who I am. I've learned now that changing to be the 'right' person for somebody means that I was the wrong person for them from the start.

Back to the original question. 'Would I date me?'. Yes, I think I'll ask myself out to dinner tonight.

Now, what to wear?

Blame the Vitamins

Lately, I've decided to be more healthy so Friday I started to take vitamins, nothing fancy, just some b's, e's and c's. I very rarely get sick, usually less than once a year. I'm really taking them because I watched a documentary on how good vitamins are for your body and how little nutrition the fruits and vegetables we eat actually have.

So, Friday day I made a pot of BBQ ribs for the kids and me.  That night Lizzy wanted to watch wrestling so it was snackapalooza. Saturday for lunch I made some fried chicken.

When I said I never get sick, I was referring to every type of disease but of the stomach variety. So Saturday night, there was a thunderstorm brewing in my stomach.

To show you a glimpse of my ape brain in action, the first thought that came to my mind is, "Damn vitamins!". It couldn't be the fried chicken, ribs, the large quantity of coffee or countless other junk I ate. No, it must have been the good stuff.

By Sunday day the storm had passed. I took some vitamins again and nothing. I guess even I can't blame the vitamins. Until next time.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

After posting, 'Lizzy's Brain', a few blogs ago, I thought I had something to explain. Whenever the kids do artwork we usually name the pieces, as a group, before they are put on the Frigidaire Museum. It started when Lizzy did a piece we refer to as 'The Scream...Of the Fly.'. Now we just rattle off names and if one sticks, we give it to the particular work. It's actually a lot of fun. Lizzy will, once in a while, sneak a new piece into the gallery without it being named.  That is usually short lived. By short lived I mean until Emily or I expose it. Emily's works get named too. Lizzy named the following, 'Zombie Balloon Ride.' It was one of those Paint-A-Canvas kits that Emily had worked on. I love those things. They are basically a small, cheesy piece of canvas(or sometimes paper) stretched over a frame. The canvas has the lines of the image and the kids just have to paint the colors to it. The first two they attempted as a kid's project turned out pretty well.

Much better than the design your own T-shirt kid's project fiasco in which my floor was painted blue and red with fabric paint. Emily's shirt came out well, Lizzy after having a real nice design done, decided, if the shirt looked good with a little paint, it will look great with a lot of paint. After pulling the paint-glued fabric apart and letting it dry, the shirt didn't need a hanger and stood up by itself. You would think fabric paints would have been designed to dry soft, like me, you would have thunk wrong. They also seemed to dry better to vinyl tile than to fabric. After scrubbing the floor to the point of near damage, I got it clean.

Lizzy's, 'Falling at the Brook.''

The kid's projects overall have been a big success. Lizzy has gotten interested in photography and Emily, well she is a teenager, I just hope she will continue to enjoy the different projects that we plan. I will post more from time to time.