Bogieblog

Castle in the Clouds

A couple of weeks ago, I promised some pictures of some of our travels this summer. Without further fanfare, here is one of the places.

When you get to the entrance of the Castle in the Clouds, you pay to get in and are told to follow the road until you get to the Pebble (you can't miss it) then park just beyond it. Here is the Pebble:

We certainly couldn't miss that! So we parked in the small parking area, to a short hike, and found the falls:

After viewing the falls, we walked back to the vehicles and proceeded to the Castle. Everything was so awesome that I took few pictures because pics really wouldn't capture everything. However, they did have a pretty nifty view from the back of the place:

Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in New Hampshire. This picture only show a small portion of the lake, and the view.

Mount Washington Observatory Video

I haven't written any posts about the Mount Washington Observatory lately. I decided to rectify that today, and in going thru the Observer Comments, found that a reporters from the Hartford Courant had been up there this week and put together quite the video tour.

If you click on a number (blue circles), it will produce a short vidoe. My favorites were 9 (Cog Railway Station) and #7 (Observatory / Summit). If you watch the Cog Railroad video, rest assured that all the film was taken on the same day. It is sunny and warm in the valley - cold, cloudy and windy up top. WS and I went up there about 11 years ago under similar conditions. Make sure to turn on your speakers , as most of the videos have interviews or narration.

See the idiots in shorts? They don't pay attention to the signs that say dress warmly. The all-time high temperature for the mountain is somewhere around 72 degrees (F). It is almost always windy and the weather is very erratic up there too.

Blowin' in the Wind?

Check out this video of a chopper crash (no, it's not gruesome)

Thanks to AMCGLTD for the link!

Flower Garden Pics

Now for a couple of gardening photos:

Here is a continuation of the series of one of the gardens by the driveway. A couple of weeks ago, I gave you pictures of the garden in Spring and then Summer. Here is the same area in late summer (taken 7/27/06):

The astilbe is all but spent (it actually looks much better in the picture than it did in person), but the Purple Coneflowers and Gay Feathers have come into their own.

Here is a close up of the Gay Feather with a Hummingbird Moth (pretty much centered)

In the garden on the other side of the stone steps leading from the driveway, there was a butterfly that was in love with the Phlox:

Then of course, there are several different lilies

Lazy Weekend

Yesterday we took a day off from yardwork. We completed our usual Saturday morning routine (dump, bank, breakfast, a few indoor chores), then got on the bike and went for a ride.

We went to Bennington, to pick up Jimmy and then chose our route as we went along. We took all secondary roads and back roads, going thru a miriad of towns in a big loop:

Peterborough, Sharon, New Ipswich, Greenville, Mason, Brookline, Hollis, a tiny bit of Amherst, Milford, Wilton, Lyndeborough, Greenfield, Francestown and then back to Bennington, then home. We rode for about 5 hours before coming back so I could perform pet-sitting duties.

Today it is raining (which we knew it would), so we are working on indoor projects (can't you tell I'm working really hard right now?). Actually, I just got done writing out bills and reconciling the checkbook - which is plenty exhausting.

I think I will quit soon and go "watch" the NASCAR race while I read.

I am Clairevoyant

Apparently there is a bit of scientific interest in the weird animal that was killed in Maine. Scientific tests are being performed on the remains to try to determine what it was.

Amusingly enough:

One man sent along photos of his blue chow [emphasis mine - ed], which has features similar to the animal that died in Turner.

"Your mystery creature doesn't look like much of a mystery to me," the Wisconsin man wrote in an e-mail. "Sadly, this is probably just a stray dog."

Sounds pretty much like what I concluded.

And then there is this opinion from a researcher:

His early opinion: That the beast was possibly a chow, a breed of dog, that had turned feral. The breed originated in China where it was often used as a guard or hunting dog.

Not to rub it in Wolf Walker, but I have some good company in thinking Chow or at least Chow mix.

Both newspaper links from Atlantic Avenue.

Robot Sports

Robot soccer - I laughed so hard I cried!

Thanks to mAss Backwards for the link.

Haven't Changed Much

You've Changed 20% in 10 Years

You've hardly changed in ten years, from your lifestyle to those very retro clothes. And unless you were really ahead of your time, you probably need to acquaint yourself with the modern world!

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

HA HA HA!

I'll agree I haven't changed much, but what I have changed has kept me in the modern world. The things I have changed; I am now on the Internet, have a cell phone, have a college degree, have a PDA, etc. I was already into computers and had been for a couple of years. Just because I haven't changed my spouse, where I live and basic monetary situation, doesn't mean I haven't kept up with the modern world.

Sure, I still wear plain jeans and t-shirts (except at work), but I don't need to wear the street-sweeper clothes of the youth today (no point in it and would look like a 44 year old trying to look like a teenager - ridiculous).

Quiz gotten from Jay.

Weird Animal Finding

Apparently it's no Chupacabras, but Maine seems to have its own misterious animal. Anything that can kill a Rottweiler or Dobbie is certainly nothing that I want to to tangle with.

I just wish that a wildlife specialist had taken a look!

UPDATE: Through supersleuthing, I have obtained a picture. I am putting it below the fold because it isn't the prettiest thing in the world (no blood or guts, but may be disturbing sto some).

Clubbed Out

I used to belong to a gardening club. One of the benefits of membership was participation in the gardening forum. Sure, there was a magazine, but there are better magazines out there than what they provided. There were also test opportunities of products, but I never got anything useful, and really didn't care so much about that part.

What I really enjoyed was the forum. No, I didn't participate often but I did get some useful information from it.

Yesterday I cancelled my membership because the hassles outweighed the benefits.