Tuesday, October 30, 2012

More general fall pictures


 Look what I did!
 No, really I did this!  Why doesn't anybody believe me?
 This is how I look when I'm hiking with the boy.  Had a beautiful fall out here this year.  Lots of great colours and the weather was fantastic.  Got a lot of hiking and trail running in.  The trail shoes are just about shot though.  Gonna have to go find a new pair.
 Sarah and I went for an incredible ride the other weekend.  Just really stellar.  The boys did great on the slick fall trails and nobody got shot, so it was a successful day.  How good do Sarah and Bodie look?!

Sarah took this shot of Murphey and I.  It was such a gorgeous fall day!

 We had a field day at school last week.  A couple other teachers and I planned and executed it, and by all accounts it was a success.  My team's name was Trechter's Roadkill Stew.  This is the shirt I made to lead them into competition.
 Here is a massive and intricate fungus I saw while hunting last weekend.  Thought mom would enjoy it.  I believe it is called a bearded tooth fungus (Hericium erinaceus).  Supposedly it's edible.  Think I'll just enjoy it with my eyes.

 I'm really good at knowing where turkeys will be... (this is a scratch where one was looking for grubs or insects).... but not so good at being in the right place at the right time.  This scratch was made in a 20 minute period between my two passes.  They are wily creatures.
 The feathers often indicate a roosting location as they are lost in the laughable and incompetent attempts to fly into and out of treetops.  Found this one right by the tree I'd planned to sit under, but didn't at the last minute.  
 Murphy's report on my hunting attempts lately.
 From this past Sunday after Shannon left.  Grey day pose number 1.
My hurricane survival kit.

Hope everyone is doing well.  Things are good here.  The wood stove has been on a few times, but until this past weekend the weather was pretty mild.  I have been incredibly busy with school this year.  I'm involved in a lot of different activities: Saturday school, field trip planning, field day, 9th period (an extra hour after the school day for reteaching and homework help), rewriting the technology plan for the school, and two PLCs.  Plus I have a study hall for the first time, which is miserable.  I lost 39 minutes that I used for grading and got 39 minutes of yelling at kids to stop talking.  Awesome.  But outside of the job things are going pretty well.  Sarah and I have been blessed with many house guests lately and have been riding and hiking and working in the yard.  We need to plant the garlic this weekend, which is fun and exciting.  I'm looking out the windows as I write and can see a red bellied woodpecker, two downies, a hairy woodpecker, gold finches, chickadees, a red breasted and two white breasted nuthatches, mourning doves, a couple robins, some sparrows, and four bluejays.   All without moving from my seat.  We watched a movie, called The Big Year, last night about bird watching that was pretty funny... if you like watching birds.  We also went to see Argo over the weekend.  That movie really stressed me out.  Sarah says she was stressed, too, but I wouldn't know because I was busy hiding behind my had and holding my breath until I almost passed out.  That's about all the news that's fit to print.  Going to stop procrastinating and get back to school work.  Cheers.

Friday, October 19, 2012

New favorite song of the week!



This is the original version for Ian and Adam



This is the clean version for those with sensitive ears



Macklemore is a strong and thoughtful advocate for gay rights


He is also a strong advocate for dancing



It's great to see that political hip-hop isn't dead.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Having a great weekend

Emily and Sarah found a pretty cool spot to check out at Watkins Glen State Park.
Sarah looking into another beautiful abyss at Watkins Glen State Park
 My new toy.  Picked it up for a couple bucks at an antique store.  Something about it just really appeals to me.  It now has a happy spot on our increasingly (some would say ludicrously) congested bookshelf.
Went to see Driftwood at the Haunt.  Had a lot of fun.  Then went home and had even more fun playing music off the i-pod with just my couple friends and dancing without bumping into anybody.
Artsy shot of the knobby thing. The sound guy seriously only uses like 6 of these.  The rest are just there for cred, I'm convinced.
This is a bird's nest made of moss on a ledge covered in moss.  Sarah spotted it!  Ole eagle eye.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Had another "grown up" moment

So we had some friends over for drinks and a campfire Saturday night to celebrate Sarah's birthday.  We had a raucous good time.  Highlights from the night include me punching Sam for being a smart-aleck and other hilarity.  I learned a lot that night; how to carve a fire log, that the fire log looks a lot like a burning cross, that Sam can't take a punch like Adam can, and that I've grown up and have grown up friends.

 Carolina Chocolate Drops show on Wednesday with Sarah.  They're even better than you think they'd be.

 Marjie and Nathan came up to share in the festivities and to wear Sarah's new glasses!

 Had to get in on the action.  Consensus is they look pretty cool with my hat, but I totally look like a supervillian when I wear them without the hat.

 Nathan and I did some chainsawin' out at Pat's while the girls went for a ride.
 Tractorin'
 Margie's blurry here (sorry Margie) but I like the movement of the background with the crispness of Sarah and the Murph.

 Like I said, cool trick, but not for every occasion.

 So I went out to the fire circle Sunday morning to clean up after the party only to find the fire circle clean, the chairs folded and put away, and all the bottles sorted and boxed neatly, ready for the recycling.
 The bourbon wasn't gone, and everyone got up happy and ready to go... all grown up now, I guess.
 Or maybe not.
 I think this one really works.  At the antique mall trying to figure out if I'm a super hero or super villain.
New toy from Nathan and Margie.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Ocean breeze

Just found this picture while looking for another.  My senses were overwhelmed with warm salty air, sunshine, and a warm breeze.  Hope it brings you the same.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Another great weekend (heavily doctored photos)

So I got a new camera.  It happens to have a phone option as well.  Here are some of the pictures that I have been creating with it.  We are entering full on fire season here in ithaca... it was actually so cold last night and this morning that I was sporting a fleece coat.
I made a prototype of a super manly end table.  Chainsaw carpentry is good fun, but has some challenges, including but not limited to precision, danger.... well, i guess that really is it.

This is how our kitchen looked until last weekend.  I can't believe we lived with it like this for so long.  No new tile floor, back splash, or counter top, but the transformation is still impressive.  C'mon up and check it out!

The tools of the trade: cordless drill, journal, oktoberfest beer.

This is what I am doing, guys!  Now stop inviting me to come over for a beer.  Come here if you want to hang out.

Painting and beer.  They go together like yard work and beer.
The dogs are wondering why they're not allowed on the big dog bed anymore and why there is no fire in the stove.

This breakfast brought to you by Erik and Margret's chickens, the Piggery (a farm to table establishment), our tomato plants, and Trader Joe's coffee.
The stove still looks and operates like garbage, but somehow the new paint in the kitchen makes it look a little vintage... a nice surprise.

Went for a hike with Sarah and the dogs on Sunday
Still hiking

Still hiking

I actually did nothing to this photo.  This is actually really what the Brooktondale swamp looks like right now.  Very pretty.


Rambo is ready to go.
So is murph.
Kodah chromed this one.  Field and sky out by Pat's house.  Shot from horseback.

Our long horns.  Shot from horseback.


Did a lot of work on this photo.  The corn definitely doesn't look like it's been painted onto the sky in real life
This took some work, too.