 November 
          6, 2009
November 
          6, 2009
        
          The day was gorgeous, sunny and about sixty 
          degrees.  We arrived to only a few campers and none where we 
          wanted to camp.  We got set up and then did the 2.4 miles of 
          Mouse Trail, the trail around the campground.  So much 
          development has encroached on the park!  Now about half the trail 
          backs up to people's backyards.  Sad.  They should have left 
          a buffer.  About seven-tenths of a mile in, Moosie decided the 
          trail was haunted.  He demanded, bounding against me and acting 
          all weird, to be put back on his leash.  Something evil was about 
          and he was near terrified.  It lasted only a bit but it was quite 
          odd.  A couple of deer were right off the path looking at us.
        
          The park filled to near capacity!  Only a few 
          sites left.  
           I have the fire ready to be started.  
          Awaiting the kid's arrival.  And those grand dogs!
        
          
          
          
          
 
        
          
          
          
          
        
           
        
          
          
          
          
          
 
        
        Some explanation ...
        Some explanation should precede the 
        pictures.  Joe has been disappointed in my excitement upon entering 
        a bar and reading the drink menu, exclaiming, "Look!  They have 
        blueberry mojitoes!"  He suggests I need to temper the foo-foo 
        drinks and find something, well, manly.  This was brought home 
        again when my law school friend Barb made mention of the same 
        idiosyncrasy.  I had the audacity to order Zin at the Great Lakes 
        Brewery.  Barb's comment worried me more.
        I had a constitutional law professor 
        who used to look down his nose and ask, "Who brought the foo-foo 
        coffee?"  That would be me and it was normally coffee-toffee.  
        I have thirty two years of putting people in jail, a BA, MPA, JD, good 
        family and I carry a gun.  I have no need to impress anyone with my 
        manhood.  Having thirty years teaching law, I, too would be suspect 
        of my manhood.  I have the scars.  He doesn't.
        But, then, I'd hate to bring 
        disrepute on Joe.  Barb's opinion matters even more.  So here 
        I am awaiting their arrival with a $50 bottle of Macallan's 12 year old 
        Scotch Whisky.  It is to be a manly night about the fire, forsaking 
        the Fruity Red Sangria, of which I have two five liter boxes for Megan.  
        That might be enough.  $50 worth of Scotch is enough, right?
        
        Here is the progression:
        Start:
        
        
        
        
 
        
          
          
        
           
        
          One:
          
          Two:
        
          
          
          
          
          
          
        
          Three:
          This might be four: 
          
        
          
          
          
          This isn't five, we didn't take a picture.  
          Pretend it is five:
          
          
        
          
          
          
          What was left at the end of the night:
          
          
        
           
        
           
        
          Interesting stuff, this Scotch Whisky.  Over a 
          period of many hours we did not become intoxicated and I have to 
          admit, the stuff kept the fire stoked, us warm and provided the best 
          of company.  I had no hangover.
        
          Of course I could have bought 
          how many five liter boxes of Fruity Red???
        
          Follows are some more fire pictures:
        
          
          
          
          
          
           
 
        
          
          
          
           

          
                
          
          
          
        
          
 
          
        We took a small, half mile walk upon 
        their arrival.  On Saturday we had some cinnamon buns for breakfast 
        and took a nice 4.3 mile walk.   Garmin's maps are off on the location 
        of Lake Erie by a few hundred feet.
        
          
          
        
        
        
        
        After Megan and Joe left I decided to 
        do kites.  Opening a bag and what is this?!??  A new kite.  
        A parafoil 22.  Looks big.  Better use the 150 pound line.  
        I got it in the air only to have it literally pick me off the ground.  
        At the same time a ferrule failed, I let go and it went sailing high 
        into a tree.  This is a very expensive sled!  My antenna 
        masts, duct tape and my awning rod proved high enough to snag it and 
        pull it down.  No worse for the wear.  I tied better knots 
        avoiding the linkages and put it in the air again.  I used some 
        rope to tie it to the picnic table.  It decided it was going to 
        take the picnic table for a ride, pulling up one end and beginning a 
        slide.  I had all I could do to get it back down.  The winds 
        were high.  Very high.  
 
        We ended the day with a two miler 
        where deer ran out into our path twice and both times they were fifty 
        feet ahead of us.  They are making so much noise themselves and are 
        not expecting company.  Surprise!!!
        
        November 8, 2009
        We slept so very well.  I slept 
        twelve hours and the dogs never budged.  They were so tired.
        After getting up the dogs wanted to 
        go on a walk.  I promised them a short walk about the campsite.  
        Yeah, right.  It is a sunny and warm morning with highs promised in 
        the seventies.  We ended up doing 6.4 miles.  Look at the 
        graph below.  A couple of things are odd.  The first loop, to 
        the left, is us walking west from the campsite, to the main camp road 
        and then being inexorably drawn down the paved all purpose trail to the 
        beach trails.  Second, although we walked to and along the lake on 
        the way out, we used a grass trail to cut the field part of that loop 
        out.  This walk also went to the end of the cottage loop.
        Another thing I noticed is the 
        difference between the prior graphs and this one.  The prior graphs 
        show speed being quite unstable.  I am calling that first effect "Piperization".  
        The second graph, being not being logged with a Piper, shows much less 
        Piperization.
        
        
        
         
        
            
            
          
        
        
          
          
         
        I begged Moosie to pee on this sign.   
        I offered him cookies, an extra egg on his food.  He just didn't 
        have it in him.
        
 
        
          
          
          
        
        
          
         
         
        This crabapple tree was intensely 
        orange.  I wish it would have come through against the November 
        colors. 
         
        
          
          
        
        
          
          
          
         
        The sparrows report the Martin doors 
        on this house and the gourds were much appreciated as the November wind 
        is fierce.
        
 
        
        
        
         
         
        Stepping on out!
         
        
        
        
        Sure is pretty for a November day!
        
         
        
 
        
        
        
         
         
        November berries.
         
        
 
        
        Nearing dark, we decided to check out 
        an odd trail that ran off the paved path right where the path into the 
        campground met the beach/field loop.  We turned right and walked 
        into a mowed trail that ran through deer field.  It is deer field 
        because each of the below pictures was taken after a deer popped its 
        head up as I walked by.
        
        
        For example (and remember these are 
        not the full picture, click on the picture for the full image):
        
        
         
 
        
        
         
         
        The deer on the left is about fifty 
        feet into the field.  Surprised both of us.  Until ...
         
        The deer on the right is about twenty 
        feet into the field.  I heard something.  I looked.  She 
        looked up.  I don't know who was most surprised.
         
         
        
 
        
        
        
         
         
         
        This continued on.  These are 
        about 50 yards in.
         
        
 
        If you can't see it in this version 
        of the picture, click on the picture to get the full version and look to 
        the lower right of the sun:
        
        
        
        
        
        
         
         
        The bat house.  On the trail you 
        walk right by it.  Knock, knock!  Anyone home?  Wouldn't 
        do this except it was November.
        That's not a bat.  Blow it up 
        and look at it.
         
        
        
        
 
        Night, night site 161
        
        
        
        Not done yet!  There was one 
        last fire and a wee-bitty left in that Scotch Whiskey bottle.  It 
        kept me company for about an hour.  I did not burn the bottle!
        
        
         
 
          
          
        
        
          
          
        
 
        
        November 9, 2009
        We took a nice walk, again through 
        deer field although the deer weren't to be found.  We also had to 
        take a trip up the big hill.  Must do that once, right?  On 
        the way back they needed no rest area.  They were quite restful 
        where they were.
        
        
        
        
         
        
        
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
        
        
        
        For up-to-date park maps and information, check 
        the
         
        Ohio State Park website