Weekend...

In a few hours I'll be heading back to the Adirondacks to camp for a few days, so soon... more pictures and stories!

Until then... a picture of the pie I made to return Hannah's pie plate to her!

A delicious small kitchen creation of crumbled oreo crust, vanilla ice cream, and drizzled peanut butter. Yummy (I hope)!!

The last few days

First, I apologize for the great delay between posts. The semester started yesterday, and it's been a bit busy leading up to it. Last Saturday I drove to see my parents where they are camping for a while in the Adirondacks. Their campsite is beautiful, and right on a lake. Absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately I've been under the weather since Friday, and classes were starting, so I didn't stay for more than a few hours. But I managed some kayak time, and some swimming time in the lake!

This weekend I'll head back there for some more adventures, and hopefully a great deal more swimming and kayaking, and pictures! I've heard the stars shine off of the lake at night. I can't wait to try and capture that.

I must say I've missed camping a great deal. It's not the same coming back to my place now, as it was when I was camping. I can't just bike up to the registration booth to hang out with Hannah and cause a ruckus. But in any case, there's something that causes a great deal of peace in my heart, being there. Partially for the area, the ambience, the stars, the birds, the people, the new friends, the water nearby, the biking. I'm going to try and continue biking every day, because it gives me that peace. And taking nature pictures every day. I need those too, and that time to thoroughly immerse myself in nature. I love that.

Well I've got to do some work before class tonight. Today's quote has a lot to do with missing places, people, and feelings:

Gone - flitted away,
Taken the stars from the night and the sun
From the day!
Gone, and a cloud in my heart.
-Alfred Tennyson

Camping again!

Stargazing

Beautiful!

The final days

An hour ago my parents and I finished tearing down the campsite, or as my father said "we have vacated our site". It's been a few days since I posted, so I'll fill you in on the happenings since.

Tuesday afternoon I left work and returned to the campsite. I was surprisingly exhausted, so after changing out of my dress clothes I climbed into the sleeping bags and took a long nap. Without anything to eat in the cooler, I took Hannah's suggestion and went to a small diner/cafe up the main drag a bit. It's a small place; every head turned to look at me when I came in the door, and was packed with locals. Good food, and a great price, so I didn't mind eating by myself. Okay I did a little bit, but I was easily distracted by a straw wrapper begging to be folded into an origami crane.

Afterwards I drove back to the campsite, and curled up with Eragon. A while later I heard my name being called, so I sat up to find Hannah at my door with homemade fresh raspberry pie! What a welcomed surprise! We were just about to have some when I asked her why her car lights were on. She forgot her sister was in the car! The three of us sat around the table inside the camper, eating pie, laughing, and telling stories. It was a wonderful few hours. After they left I couldn't help but still feel warm inside, even though it was bitterly cold outside. When Mom and Dad found out that Hannah had brought me pie they asked why she didn't just wait one night until they were there! So Hannah and I planned to make a pie for them.

Yesterday (Wednesday) evening I went over to Hannah's home, met her family, and had dinner with them. I had the most delicious sweet corn I've ever tasted! It was literally picked off the stalk, and cooked immediately, as Hannah's family has a farm, where they grow sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squash.

I'm going to relay as much of this story as I can, if only to reflect the way my heart still is lifted by the time I spent there. Also, by documenting it I can better remember and cherish my time last night. When we sat down for dinner, holding hands for grace, everyone went around the table to say one thing they were thankful for. I was so touched when they said they were thankful for me. I was so thankful for them, their hospitality and friendship, and the gift of their amazing daughter. It was a wonderful feeling.

Throughout the meal we told stories back and forth, and the kitchen filled to overflowing with laughter and warmth. It felt as if even the darkest corner of the night could be touched by this joy. After a quick trip down to Hannah's grandmother's to get some Crisco, we started our pie making business. We made the pie crusts from scratch, so next Thanksgiving... watch out!!

We made two blackberry pies, and one raspberry, all from fresh (well frozen after being picked) berries. When it came time to roll out our crusts, Hannah put a ton of flour on the table. The younger kids came in, after doing chores, and I teased a couple of them with flour on my finger tips. They went off to bed, while we continued cooking.

While we baked Molly and Ira (two of Hannah's siblings) sat with us, and we watched the movie Enchanted. I'll have to watch it again sometime to catch all the jokes, but we had a blast singing lines (I didn't sing, I just listened), and repeating funny parts. Actually most of the time when Hannah would wander out of the room she'd be singing the same song. I know that first line really well... the rest is a bit fuzzy.

The flour from our rolling area (Hannah imagine the hand signal here) got everywhere... though it probably wasn't helped by the fact I put flour directly on Hannah's face, and she did the same to me! We are trouble.

Of course with each berry filling we made, it needed to be taste-tested. For the blackberry pies I had my hands in the dough, kneading it, so I couldn't pick up my own spoon. Hannah kindly helped, as she did later with this delicious concoction of melted peanut butter, chocolate, and bananas. She was too kind though; she might have well smashed either one of those things into my face!

At one point while two of the pies were in the oven Hannah and I ran outside with a blanket and my camera, to lay on the ground and take pictures of the stars. I knew only a few key constellations. Hannah had been a TA for an Astronomy class, so she told me stories and pointed out the stars. We saw quite a few shooting stars, though they were dim, and brief. It was a beautiful, though freezing, night. After a while we each grabbed half the blanket to pull over ourselves. As we lay there I took a few star pictures, which I will post later. Hannah teased me, because I would start whispering when the camera was taking a pictures, thinking that would help the "don't move it" mode.

It was an incredible night, filled with so much warmth and laughter. My sides hurt a bit from cracking up. After spending nearly two weeks without a family around me, it was nice to share in a part of theirs. The spoils of our labor provided a very delicious blackberry pie for breakfast this morning!

After "breakfast" this morning, Mom, Dad, and I drove into town to see my room, drop some things off, grab lunch at one of our favorite spots in town, and then head out to a used bookstore out of town. This is the most amazing bookstore I've ever visited, and I love going there.

The front walk is a wooden platform, serving as a covered walkway for an ivy like plant growing on it. Today we found out that plant is hops! Dad thinks that's a wonderful idea, and I do believe he may try planting some at home. The bookstore is a home, and every square inch of it is covered in books. Bookshelves have been built out of thin slabs of wood, and the bookstore has over 50,000 books in it!

Mom recently cleaned out some of our bookshelves at home, and we gave them 3 boxes of books. Mom said it's justification for buying more books. We each bought a couple; I picked up Euclid's "The Elements" Vol 1 & 2. For those of you who aren't math nerds in the audience, I am a proud math geek! I'd hang a poster in my room that had thousands of digits of π on it. I tell corny math jokes (What did i say to π? Be rational. How did π retort? Get real!) So this book suits my geeky nature, and is just a fun thing (for me) to read through. In town I also picked up the 2nd book in the Eragon series, Eldest.

Well after packing up the camper, and having dad "lose" his phone (he left it under the trailer, thank goodness we hadn't moved it yet), we parted ways, as they head off for a week and a half camping in another section of the Adirondacks.

I already miss being at the campsite; the cool nights, the nightly show of stars, the smell of the campfire, my blue jay neighbors, the deer who greet me on my walks, Hannah's friendship, the sleeping bag cocoons... I hope to still explore and connect with nature. I just won't be sleeping in it every night.

I've been asked to continue this blog, even though I won't be camping. I will do my best. Hopefully I'll be able to still take adventures and travel around the area visiting great nature sites!

My quote for today is humorous. I've been so blessed by great friends in my life, and I do feel I've made some new ones over the past two weeks, and met some people with beautiful hearts. I am so grateful for that.

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” Bernard Meltzer

Days 10-11

Day Ten

Good morning all! I'm a bit tired at the moment, so please excuse any excess words, or unmanagable sentences. Though to tell this story, I should start at the beginning... where we left off yesterday.

Turning tides- by yours truly

Yesterday afternoon, on an adventurous streak, I took off to find some hidden falls, north of where I am. Scribbled on a post-it I had directions given to me by a friend, and I clasped it in my left hand, while I navigated the roads, looking for all of the landmarks. It wasn't until around 6pm I found the trail, locked up my car, grabbed my camera, and started the hike. The first part of the trail was almost impossible to find; just a dirt path overgrown by wildflowers and plants. Skirting through the chest high brush, I found my way.

A pine ladden floor directed by path, in and out of trees. I surmise this area experienced the micro-bursts which occured near the campsite, due to the massive numbers of full grown trees ripped up, roots and all, and laid down. At times the path was a great mystery. A triplet tree blocked my path; three trunks connected to the same set of roots. To manuever my way through I had to climb over the first fallen tree, under the second, and hurdle the third. I felt a little bit like an army recruit in training. Run, dive, go under the wire, climb the wall...

The path to the falls follows the river from the bridge, to the zenith, down to the base of the falls. The beginning of the path weaves in and out of the forest, allowing hikers to venture out onto the glacial boulders in the river, and then diverge back deeper into the woods. The path splits at one point, one section continuing through narrow valley surrounded by tall pines growing out of the ground at unreal angles. At the end of this path you can climb out upon the large stone outcroppings just at the break of the falls, and stand taking pictures. Moss and the water itself make these rocks a little slippery though; I nearly lost my footing a few times.

Scrambling back to the path, I took the other fork, and found myself climbing up even higher. At this point the path leads you to the base of the falls, but in a mirror to the falls, very steeply. There are a few pictures I took trying to show this. I spent a great deal of the way down on my bum, trying not to slip. Switching tactics, I went down backwards, moving like a climber back and forth over the escarpment, following and grasping roots. At the base, I quickly moved to the rocky beach at the base of the falls to take pictures.

I didn't venture much more, as the sky turned quickly dark, far to early to be related to the sunset. I dashed up the hill again; a feat to say the least. Running along the path, I could barely see. All I could think of was a children's book I remember having read to me as a child. It starts off "We're going on a bear hunt, gonna catch a big one, I'm not scared... can't go over it, can't go under it, gotta go through it...". At the climax of the book the family on the bear hunt find the bear, and the next few pages involve them running back to their house, through all of the obstacles they crossed earlier. That's what I felt I was doing. I jogged through the forest, over the fallen trees, and under a few. When I reached the mouth of the path and I heard the threatening creak and crack of an overhead tree I made a mad dash for my car.

As I unlocked the door and jumped inside large raindrops started to fall on my windshield. With the aid of my local map (thanks Dad!) I found my way to a shortcut that would lead me back to camp. As I drove, I beat the rain out, making my way ahead of the storm front. Stopping only to check in at the campsite, I made it back to camp seeing lightening and thunder follow me. As the rain finally caught up with me, I readied the camper by pulling the canopy down sharply.

The rain was like a flood, and within a few minutes the ground surrounding my campsite was mud. Rain poured off the camper in many places. Lightening would flash, and no more than a few seconds later the thunder rumbled and cracked back. The firework display in the sky was so frequent, only seconds passed between each pair. I'll admit I was a bit frightened. I had to shout to be heard, though you may ask who I was talking to. My security blankets; mom and dad.

Zipping the camper up tight, grabbing my pillow and wrapping it in my raincoat, and securing the canopy I dashed for the car, and drove back to my new place. We made the decision it was probably best I stayed there, seeing as the only change of clothing I had were my pjs, and I was soaked and muddy from the rain. The twenty minute drive was frightening, and I don't think I ever reached the speed limit. Wipers at their highest speed, and still I couldn't see the road. Lightening and thunder continued their symphony, making me jump quite a few times. I tried to capture a few pictures of it, placing my camera upward on the dashboard, clicking everytime the lightening flashed. I did get a few pictures of clouds lit up right after the lightening. I made it back to my new place safely, though my phone died on the way. The storm continued throughout most of the night, waking me up quite a few times when the thunder cracked loudly.

It is currently 55ºF out, and very damp from the storms. I'm happy I stayed in town last night, because goodness knows I would've scared much easier at the camper. I'll head out there this afternoon to check on things, and make sure the camper survived.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures, because even though I was scared, I loved taking them.

Today's quote is a favorite of mine. It's about remembering joy, and staying positive. "Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?" - Rose Kennedy

Panorama, again

This one of the falls

Rainstorm

Falls

Day Nine

Good afternoon (by the time this posts) all. Today's blog is coming to you from a small cafe in town. I decided to get out of the office for a little bit, and get a little lunch. A delicious BBQ Chicken wrap is my treat for today. I had to pause to eat it. Quite good, though the bbq sauce wasn't as delicious as the stuff we had at the graduation party.

Yesterday after I drove out to the campsite I made some delicious chili for dinner, which I had with Tostitos hint of lime chips. I love those things. Anyway, then I hopped on my bike and rode on up to the registration booth to hang out with Hannah again. We had a blast, making pictures, mumbling, and unloading wood. It is just wholly heart-warming to meet someone new, and be able to just laugh and relate. At just about 9pm (or because mom will make fun of me, 21h) I decided I should probably bike home, as it was dark. The bike ride home was extremely interesting. Much like being on a roller coaster, in the dark. I kept my eyes open wide, and looked up towards the sky a little more trying to allow the light to enter my pupils indirectly, giving me a better view of the road. (At the time I was biking with my eyes wide open all I could think about was a scene from Get Smart when Max is told to use his peripherals, and instead just opens his eyes bigger. In that case it doesn't work, in my case it did.) The trip back to camp is all downhill, so my main worry was potholes, and animals. It was amazing. When I didn't look directly at the road I could see so much more, the trees, and quite a few stars already shining in the azure sky. At one point I noticed a bright light poking through the trees, orange in color. Looking I saw the moon, just past full, rising over the horizon. It was an amazing site. It was most difficult when oncoming traffic came up, temporarily blinding me. It took a few seconds after their departure before I was able to see the road again, so I road as best I could.

Back at the campsite I curled up with Eragon, and read another third. My mind was vivid with images of dragons flying, sapphire wings, and deep purple eyes. While walking to the bathroom I noticed something moving by the door. It was a deer, at 11pm (23h) eating away. I whistled to get it's attention, and it frightened and dashed off. When I left the bathroom I saw it's reflective orbs glowing through the brush. An amazing occurrence!

This morning I woke early to a low rumbling. I still haven't figured out what it was, but it was definitely less pleasant than my bird chorus. In any case, I faded in and out of sleep, until nearly 7am. A beautiful start to another picturesque day.

There will be an addition to yesterday's post, as I forgot the quote of the day! Our quote today was given to me by my uncle Ric, and I think it's a wonderful quote: "The task of the artist is to sense more keenly than others the harmony of the world, the beauty and outrage of what man has done to it, and poignantly to let people know... art warms even an icy and depressed heart, opening it to lofty personal experience. By means of art we are sometimes sent revelations unattainable by reason." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Day Seven

Days Seven and Eight

First, my apologies for not writing yesterday. I moved all of my things into my new place, and set up "house" as it is. I'm a bit sore today from all the lifting, as my building does not have an elevator. Anyway, after I finished unpacking for the day I drove back out to camp. The cell tower in the town by the state park is down, so I have no service out there. I had picked up the book Eragon before going out, and spent a bit reading. Deciding to go for a bike ride, I rode out to the beach, stayed there for a few, before deciding to bike up to the registration booth to ask about a local waterfall I wanted to go check out. The bike ride up to the registration booth was just that... up. It's a long steady climb from the campsites up to the booth, and it wasn't all that fun, though the slower pace did give me the opportunity to look into the woods and see some amazing birds. Once at the booth I chatted with Hannah for a while; a few hours. We had fun cracking jokes, drawing pictures, and discussing life and watermelons. At one point we looked outside to see the sunset's reflection up some clouds. We took pictures, and those will be posted soon. It was a blast. I took off just before dusk so I wouldn't be biking back in the dark, and the way home was a blast! Downhill nearly the whole way. Couple that with some great tunes, and it made for a wonderful, exhilarating ride. Back at camp I continued reading and got nearly a third of the way through the book. I had to leave it at my site, otherwise I would've read it today and had nothing to read tonight when I got back out to camp. It's a fantastic book!

Today I woke early, as always, and drove back into town to set up my place and finish unpacking. I love my new place, and it's really looking great. While unpacking I donked my dome, as my mom would say, on the bar in the closet. This morning while washing my hair the crown of my head felt supremely tender. With the numbers of bruises and scrapes you'd think I was an 8 year old kid, fearless. Alas... I'm just clumsy!

Well I haven't much else to say, as I feel the pictures give you all much greater detail than my words could muster. I do have a short writing I did the other evening sitting at the campsite. Enjoy...

Somewhere in the distance the river rumbles; at times as simply a low vibration, other times when the winds are right, as an enveloping percussion, complex and powerful. A campfire up the way drifts to my down-wind location, perfume of smoke, burnt marshmallows, and melted chocolate. The air is comfortable, varying between the warmth of the sun, and the chill of the breeze. A blue jay squawks in protest upon the arrival of a few joyous youths racing downhill on bicycles. His brilliant blue hue is mirrored in the heavens above. Clouds as white as fresh snow drift lazily by. Peeking in and out between the tall evergreens, these vaporous creations coax the mind to daydream. Knobby pines guard this respite, stories tall, scars and growth towering, with humbling effect. Stubs of branches jut out, at concentric angles, spiraling upwards. The perfect tools for scaling these ladders, they remain just out of reach. Sounding like the piercing whir of a weed-wacker, insects call and chime across the greens, invisible except for their songs.

Well I'm off to fold some laundry, then find some chili to make for dinner. I miss you all a great deal.

I'm sorry, I forgot my quote of the day. I'll add it now. Today's quote comes from one of my favorite musicals, AIDA (not the opera, though that is good as well). Most of you know I love music, all kinds. As this computer currently houses 5582 songs, you can imagine there is a great variety. Anyway... I'm surprised I haven't quoted music before.

"We all lead such elaborate lives, Wild ambitions in our sights, How an affair of the heart survives, Days apart and hurried nights, Seems quite unbelievable to me, I don't want to live like that, Seems quite unbelievable to me, I don't want to love like that, I just want our time to be, Slower and gentler, wiser, free." -Elaborate Lives, AIDA

Choir Party

Day Six

This post is going to be incredibly short, as it's been a busy day, and I worked through my lunch. I just wanted to let you all know I'm doing well, and safe. I found out today I can move into my housing this weekend, so I'll be doing that, though still camping every night. When I was up here previously for school I sang in a church choir. Tonight is their choir party, so I'm headed there now. I promise to have more pictures and stories for you soon!

As it is just about to start raining, I thought this would be a good quote... "Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds the sun is shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It seems a bit a depressing, but it's a great quote. Sometimes when it hurts the most, we've got to remember the joy comes again.

More Pictures

Day Five

I can't believe it is day five already! Wow, that time has flown by. This morning I woke nice and toasty, thanks to some brilliant thinking by my mom. It was very cold last night, so I took my sleeping bag, put it inside of my parents sleeping bags, and piled blankets on top. Of course getting out of bed was a bear, but I didn't mind waking up toasty.

While driving to work this morning (extra early as I wanted to get some things done), I came across the first river crossing to find it covered in fog. Deep fog, the kind that lingers well into the morning, until from one side of the bridge you could barely make out green hue of the evergreens on the other side of the river. I wanted to take a few pictures of it, so I parked the car at a little church and walked up to the bridge. Every time I turned to look at another part of the river the fog moved, shifting, and revealing another rapid, or another branch. Nature provides the perfect symphonic poetry available in this world. I've posted pictures of that. Sorry I haven't taken as many pictures lately. I've been less adventurous after my ankle sprain, and haven't had the same amount of time.

Yesterday a brand new Walmart open nearby. Keep in mind the next closest Walmart is a good 45-50 minutes away, so needless to say, there was quite a lot of hullabaloo. I went there last night to buy some hot dogs, and mac and cheese for dinner. Actually, right now I'm eating my leftovers for lunch! Delicious with ketchup. While making my dinner last night I realized I didn't have any hot dog pokers, so instead I used some 12 inch skewers, and held them over the open flame. I'm sure my next-camp neighbors were highly confused, as I kept bending down, standing up, moving quickly away from the fire, and then going back. It was a bit buggy, both of my hands were full, and the fire was hot. Funny combination.

Today is my second day of work, and I want to let you all know I love it! I'm working on teaching some tech courses, and I have a few weeks to plan. I've already developed the course materials, and I'm working on some assessment measures using the computer. I've got some great ideas just budding in my head for things to do throughout the school year, and I hope I can.

I also want to thank you all for you comments, through email and on here. I am far away from my family and friends, and knowing you all are sharing in this adventure with me makes me feel a little more at home being away.

The quote for today has to deal with friends and family:
"Sometimes our hearts get tangled, And our souls a little off-kilter, Friends and family can set us right, And help guide us back to the light." - Sera Christann

Another Panorama

This morning on my drive in fog was so low and heavy I could barely see the road. I thought it was a picture worthy time, and so this is a panorama of a 360º spin on a bridge over the river, covered in fog. I hope you enjoy!!

Day Four

If text could demonstrate the amount I was shivering when I woke up this morning, I would be ecstatic. Since it cannot (I won't turn it blue and make it shaky), I'll just describe. Last night the temperature was around... 45-50 ºF, though it seemed much more impressive when the radio meteorologist said "11º". I was up at 6am, again woken by mother nature, as opposed to any alarm clock. With a hooded sweatshirt, with the hood pulled up, long pants, a sleeping bag, and two wool blankets, you would've thought I was a toasty as a cup of hot chocolate. Tonight I'm thinking of putting one sleeping bag within another. We'll see how that does!

Yesterday after I left school I drove back to my campsite, and decided to pick up some ice from the ranger station. My friend, Hannah, was there again and was weeding the garden. So I decided to lend a hand. We had a good time laughing about the gardens, the things we thought might be weeds, but weren't sure, and books. When campers needed her assistance I left, though she did offer that I could just stay. I told her I'd just jump onto that side of the counter.

My mom says I have my father to thank for that, which I do. Those of you who know my dad are probably well aware that no matter where we go he seems to make friends. And once they are his friends, it's for life. Being friendly, kind, and open-hearted has served me well in the past, and I'm glad it is still.

Last night was a rather quiet evening. I didn't go on a bike ride, as my ankle had swollen more, and was painful to walk on (insert wisecrack from mom in which she says "why would you walk on your ankle? Most people walk on their feet."). I was able to finish reading Randy Pausch's book "The Last Lecture". For those of you who haven't read it, I suggest you go out right now and by it. A great meditation piece on life.

At some points in our lives we are forced to reflect upon our past, past loves, past pain, past joy, and how it exists still. We have all been hurt in the past, when we've opened our hearts to joy or love, and had it handed back to us in pieces. I can honestly say I wouldn't go back and change any component of my life, even those that caused such a depth of pain and re-evaluation, because those parts made me who I am. And I am joyous for that person. There will be times in the future, uncertain and filled with doubt, but no matter those times they are outweighed by the magnitude and joy of the times of purpose. As mom says, always focus on the positive. Life isn't about forgetting things in your past that you've lost, loves or friends. It is about remembering those things, with quiet contemplation, being thankful for your current development, and knowing and demanding of yourself the want and accept nothing less than what you are worth.

For those of you who aren't aware, today marks my first day of work up here. I'm nervously excited, as I guess I always am the first day of anything. Please keep me in your thoughts!

Quote of the day. I picked this one, for the short diversion I took earlier in this post about love, remembering the past, but living in the present. "You must live through the time that everything hurts." -Stephen Spender

Panoramas

These are few panoramas compiled on Photoshop Elements 3 (thanks sisters for the gift!)

Day Two

Day Three

"Way up in the sky the little birds fly while down in the nest the little birds rest. With a wing on the left and a wing on the right the little birds sleep all through the night. Shh.... YOU'LL WAKE UP THE BIRDIES!! The bright sun comes up, the dew falls away, good morning, good morning the little birds say."

If you didn't sing along with this morning's song of the day, then I am highly disappointed in your camp spirit! Actually that is what I woke up singing to myself at 7am. Partially because I was excited for today, and partially because there were a few little birds waking up in the tree just above me. I'd say that's a pretty good alarm clock.

Yesterday on my way back home I took a detour, which I know doesn't surprise anyone. For those of you who attended my undergraduate graduation, and the party for it up at school, I drove down towards that lodge. I took some more pictures, which should be appearing shortly. It was a beautiful day out; mostly sunny, with large cottony clouds floating along. The kind of clouds you find animals in.

I was inspired to go on a hike, though when I asked one of the staff at the campground, she didn't have any ideas for me, so instead I jumped on my bike and took another trip around the campgrounds. I'm currently compiling a few more panoramas, which should be posted later today. At the campsite I cooked up dinner; a delicious burrito! I have a lot of leftovers, which will be helpful when I start either becoming busy, or lazy, and don't want to cook much.

Last evening, around 10pm I drove to the beach (too dark and far to bike), and laid out on a picnic bench taking pictures of the stars. I think they turned out pretty well, and yes a lot of the credit needs to go to my mom who helped me figure out how to make it work. It was a gorgeous night out, with the moon illuminating the sky. Tonight there is supposed to be a meteor shower, so I'm excited to hopefully take pictures of that.

This morning I decided to go for a hike, on a path following the river not too far from my campsite. The hike started off well. Fog hung low on the river, like a velvet cloth; heavy and engulfing. The path was thin at places, and in the very beginning crosses over a large pipe (about 12 feet in diameter). In the woods there were signs everywhere stating the safety precautions necessary due to the dam upstream. The water rushed by, rapids and whitewater. It was difficult to take pictures through the thick foliage, but I managed to snap a few from the path. No more than a quarter of a mile down the path I managed to twist my ankle pretty sharply. I had rolled it a few days earlier when packing up the car, so it was already weak. At this point I do feel I need to allow my parents to say "I told you so!!". They wisely told me not to go hiking alone. But I had only planned to go a half hour down the path and then back. Needless to say, walking was incredibly painful, but I managed to walk back to my car. I was a bit disappointed, though the walk kept the muscles stretching, so I didn't swell up too horribly. I am now, but not then.

There's a gift though. Due to the shortened trip I came back to the campground much earlier than I had planned. On the first day at camp my father asked one of the staff at the park to please make sure I was doing alright. Yes I wanted to biff my father upside the back of his head, but his heart was in the right place. Anyway today I was able to have a long conversation with Hannah (the park staff member) about hiking, the stars, music, books, etc. What a wonderful way to start my morning.

Sometimes what may seem like a hinderance, a bother, and painful is actually a gift. The blessings we receive when least expect it, and most need it.

Our quote of the day holds within it something I've always believed to be true: "When it is darkest, men see the stars." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Camping Day 1

Day Two

Well we are on to day two, and you'll all be happy to know (or you'd better be happy to know!) I made it through the night. It was very cold last night, so I woke up with a bit of a sore throat. Yesterday was a treat, letting nature rediscover me, being reminded of the kindness and generosity of strangers, and forging new connections. The road leading from town back to camp is about 30 minutes, and crosses over a river around 3-4 times. On the way home yesterday afternoon I stopped at each one of these crossings, parked the car, and got out to take pictures. I've zoomed past these spots at least a dozen times, but yesterday I took the time to explore a little. And what I found was amazing!! At the first stop I found a little hidden state park which allowed me to walk to the base of a large power dam in the river. The water spilling over it was extremely powerful as it crashed upon everything. At the top of the dam the water was placid, looking a bit like glass until just before the fall. Polar opposites, and yet contained within the same fluid. It's a powerful statement upon life and this world to see this transitions. Within each person there exists great strength, great power, and great hope. When given an opportunity where we our lives are defined by our utilization of these things, we are shocked by our own potential. What happened yesterday does not determine today's outcome, but remembering with humility and hope our past accomplishments and downfalls, we can be confident that we will succeed in today.

The next stop on the way home looked more akin to a lake, rather than a river. Here while walking along the road to get a shot from the middle of the bridge I spotted something in the water swimming. It was difficult to see, but due to the color, length, and pattern it was swimming, I'd venture it was a river otter. I did a little research, and apparently they live in the rivers around here. There is a picture in the slideshow (above I believe). When I returned to camp I had an urge to go for a bike trip. So I hopped on my bike, packed my camera up, and rode around the camp. I took a few pictures, though I'm not satisfied with all of them, so there will be more to follow

For dinner last night I decided to make some goulash, minus the meat, with spinach and cheese. It was delicious! Granted I was rather hungry, but still. After dinner I decided to burn a few pieces of wood, and my paper bowl from dinner. I didn't really care for a huge fire, so I didn't mind when it wouldn't start much, but I took to fanning it with a plate while I read my book. The family camping across the way saw me fanning for a while, and came over with some lighter fluid. The kindness didn't surprise me, as I had already been faced with it many times yesterday. When grocery shopping I was in the way of one woman, and I didn't realize it. When I turned around I apologized, and she smiled brightly telling me it wasn't a problem at all. No one is in a rush, and every one seems genuinely happy to interact with me. I love it.

On my way to pick up some ice last evening for the cooler I saw a white-tailed doe and her fawn eating in a field behind the shower house. Stopping the car (obviously this would have been much more difficult had I not), I grabbed my camera and slowly approached them. I took a picture, walked five steps, waited until they were comfortable with me, took another, and repeated the process. They let me get pretty close, which was awesome.

Today I have to run a few errands, but then I'm hoping to make it back to the campsite in time to do some more exploring on my bike, and take some more pictures. The colors here are amazing, and I fear the pictures won't do them justice. In any case, something about being in the middle of nature relaxes and releases me. It doesn't matter what tomorrow brings yet, for now I am secure and happy in living today.

Quote of the day, this one about water: "Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it." - Lao Tzu

Camping Photos

Day One

Well today marks the first day of the camping experience.  Yesterday we drove up, set up camp, and had a wonderful bonfire.  It was not without its hazards though...

At around 9:30am yesterday morning I went to go put some gas in my car for the trip.  Unfortunately my father had been packing his car at the same time, so when I backed out of the driveway, I backed directly into his open passenger door.  I cracked my tail light, and broke his door pretty significantly.  Hours later the dealer had basically used a few bungee cords to hold it shut, and we were on the road.  Other than that it was a pretty uneventful 5 hours trip up.

My campsite is in a beautiful section of the Adirondacks, on a river.  I'll have some pictures of that soon.  Last night we had a nice and toasty campfire, crucial in the frigid evening, and made some Reuben bo-bo pies on it.  Delicious!  Granted after the long trip, and setting up camp, I'm pretty sure just about anything would taste delicious.

Currently I'm holed up in a local cafe with wireless internet.  Unfortunately the campus is closed for the weekend, and as I needed to get online I had to venture into town.  Imagine the following:  the town is older, all buildings made of sandstone, and the main drag is only about two blocks long.  Small stores crowd the lower floors of the buildings, the tops house rentals.  There's the small music store, brimming out over the main street with discount CDs and DVDs.  There's the "green" store, with cloth diapers and all organic produce.  The small coffee houses, all two of them.  The barber shop, usually crowded with older gentlemen, with constant commentary on the passersby.  The green ivy growing over every building, trimmed away from the windows.  The nearby river running along behind the main drag, bringing with it a cool breeze.  Today is overcast, with every so often a mist-like rain falling lightly.  It's quite poetic, and wonderful.

Okay I've got to finish up some items before they kick me out!

Quote of the day, it appeals to both the nature and math parts of me: "Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere." - Blaise Pascal

Moving time

In a few hours, camping will officially commence.  We will pack up the cars, and hit the road.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate for set-up, for any of you who have camped before know that setting up a pop-up trailer in the rain is less than fun.

While I'm up there I may have a little (though not much) free time.  If you know of anything you'd like to see or hear about, let me know.  For instance, there will be a meteor shower one of the first nights I'm there, so I'm hoping to take some pictures to share.

I came across this quote tonight, and I thought it was very true to hopefully this entire experience...  "A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town"- Henry David Thoreau

Camping 101

Starting in a few days I will be camping for two weeks straight, at a site in the Adirondacks.  My friends at home (specifically one Ms. Angie Gnann) have asked me to keep this blog, as a means of conveying all of the fun times of this adventure!  So please enjoy!!  I'll be posting pictures, as soon as they are available.