The Kicker

A Pee Wee League kicker working out before the main practice
A Pee Wee League kicker working out before the main practice

With the shortening days, the best light falls earlier and earlier each day. Before the main practice of Young Grandson’s began, three boys were working out on kicking at the extra point distance. There was still enough light for me to use the compact camera (which has the most reach of the cameras with me), so I got it out and made a few captures.

The Woodpile

A Woodpile on our Morning Walkies Route
A Woodpile on our Morning Walkies Route

On our regular walk/run route there are a couple of woodpiles. I’m not certain why the fuel has not been picked up (I would certainly pick it up if I had a stove). The texture and pattern of wood fascinates me still. The texture of tree bark fascinates me. There is a combination of regular and random (or pseudo-random, or chaotic) nature to the texture that I find interesting.

We were walking one evening and the light was decent, if a bit flat. However, sometimes flat light brings out the texture in an interesting fashion.

Chickies Rock Climbers

Rock Climbing Students on Chickies Rock, Lancaster, PA.
Rock Climbing Students on Chickies Rock, Lancaster, PA.

On our geocaching adventure last weekend, the Girl and I paused for a few images of the rock climbers on Chickies Rock before finishing our logging of the Chickies Rock Earthcache. When we returned later to visit with one of the guides, Katy, we learned that this was a group of students learning to climb.

International Earthcache Day

Rock Climber on Chickies Rock near Lancaster, PA.
Rock Climber on Chickies Rock near Lancaster, PA.

Yesterday, 11 October 2015, was International Earthcache Day. I decided to celebrate by traveling to a nearby park and finding at least one earthcache.

An earthcache is a particular kind of geocache that is peculiar in two ways — it does not have a container and it is focused on one of the earth sciences, usually geology. That means I love them because there is something to see and something to learn. I am still all about science and geology is one of my favorites.

So I was excited to get out, see if I could find and log at least one earthcache, and also to enjoy a beautiful fall day with my Girl. We headed east from Daughter’s about 1130 hours and drove east to Chickies Rock Park adjacent to the Susquehanna River. I parked the geocaching 4Runner in the area around the Breezy Overlook, got my gear, and let the Girl out. We hunted around for a virtual cache (Breezy View) near the parking lot, but I couldn’t find the answers to the questions so we headed down the trail.

The hike down to the Heritage Trail was pretty-darned steep (technical term), but we managed. The Girl has all-paw drive and a high strength-weight ratio so steep doesn’t bother her. This old man was happy to have his hikers on because there were slidies (another technical term) on the path. Regardless, we got down to the trail without issue. It was only a short distance down the trail to the Henry’s Clay Furnace earthcache. We greeted numerous other walkers/hikers along the way and paused at the site to read the description, collect the answers to the questions for the log, and explore. I came away with a couple of nice frames of the ruins and a fascinating glimpse into the local history.

Climbers on Chickies Rock, near Lancaster, PA.
Climbers on Chickies Rock, near Lancaster, PA.
We hiked on north to find the Chickies Rock earthcache. I wasn’t too surprised when we approached and there was a group of rock climbers working the rock, but it was a mildly surprising — and pleasing — event. I paused to collect a few images and begin collecting the answers for the questions posed in the description of the earthcache. We moved along a little farther north to visit more of the rock (and collect more answers). I sat on an old railroad tie and made a few notes to use later when I logged the find. Then we headed back south.

Katy and Ryan, the Rock Climbing Guides at Chickies Rock.
Katy and Ryan, the Rock Climbing Guides at Chickies Rock.
As we passed the group of climbers, a young woman made eye contact and greeted us. So, I stopped to chat. This is a big part of what makes life interesting to me — stopping and talking to people. I love hearing their stories, finding out what they do and what the love, and asking questions about those things. As it turns out, Katy was one of the guides for this group and is working on her degree in a field that I don’t remember the name for, but is about how our bodies and minds are connected and the impact of stress and similar pressures on our systems. She’s interested in how outdoor activities affect that system and how outdoor activities can be used as therapy.

After a few minutes, one of the other guides (the lead) came over to visit and give some direction on capturing some video of the climbers. So, I bid them farewell and the Girl and I headed back toward the trail up the hillside and back home. It wasn’t a long hike and the climb up wasn’t as steep as I thought. It was enough to get my pumping, but I wasn’t tired when I reached the top.

At the top, I was also able to find what I needed for the Breezy View virtual cache, so I collected my information and then we mounted up and headed home. The round trip (boots on ground) was shy of three miles, but it was still a good day.

Football Season

The Bobcats beat the Wildcats in a close game.
The Bobcats beat the Cougars in a close game.

Both my grandsons are involved in football. It’s something one of them loves and the other loves more. It’s my pleasure to support them at practice and at games and at home.

Dad loved football. He played in high school many years ago and talked about it now and again. It was a tradition in my parents’ home that weekend football was something not to be missed. Dad would put on a big pot of soup or stew or beans (with ham) to cook in the morning. We watched the afternoon games (there was only Sunday all day and Monday night football then), cheering and laughing. Even Mom, who really didn’t care much for sports, would join in.

After we moved to Missouri, Wife (then Girlfriend or Fiance) would come up. The smell of simmering soup made us crazy. In between games (or at halftime), Dad would cook fried potatoes (in a cast iron skillet) and biscuits or cornbread. This added to the anticipation of the upcoming meal.

When all was finally ready, we’d grab big bowls of hot soup, sometimes just dumping the potatoes and/or cornbread into the soup — sometimes putting them on the side, and return to the living room to watch the afternoon games.

There was almost always a nap involved at some point. For me, that was often after the meal. I can remember Dad snoring in his recliner. We all laughed about it.

Now, here I am almost 50-years later. I’m enjoying Grandsons’ games. We’re watching football on Saturdays (college) and Sundays (professional). I’m laughing a lot with my family and we’re all disappointed with the Longhorns’ inability to execute. We eat together and this is good.

Grandsons’ games provide me some opportunity to shoot sports. It’s not something I usually do and my place in the stands requires me to use my compact camera (a Panasonic TS40) because it has the reach to make shots from the stands or the sidelines. I’d prefer to use my Fuji X-T1 (and wish I had my Nikons here), but I use what I can to get the job done. It’s fun and I have a few decent frames.