2011 — Another Year Over

The finished basement finally was really finished with the books and bookcases brought down in January. Then the furnace and water heater venting problems were addressed resulting in replacing the water heater and the vent. The new tank has electric ignition (instead of a pilot light) so it will NEVER go out!

Also had an energy audit that reduced air leaks A LOT! From 1250 cfm to just over 300. The fireplace had to be sealed up in order to achieve that. Fireplace looks good…just can’t use it.

2011 was a brutal year for weather. We had record-breaking snow and by the end of the winter I was really, really glad that all I had to do was shovel off the deck and my car. The rest was taken care of. One benefit of condo living!

In April my mother passed. She was 5 months short of her 99th birthday.

The end of June I went to Maryland. Anne gave me a birthday present of a day at Sandy Spring Adventure Park. I kept thinking it was just zip lining, but what it turned out to be was a rope course. Long story short…after the 2nd zip and in the middle of the 3rd set of challenges I froze in fear. I could not get myself to go over the slack cable. Yes I was hooked in. Yes I had two slack cables to hold on to. But fear is fear and I aborted. It wasn’t until after that I got mad at myself. So I’m doing a lot of visualization (and not enough balance work) and in June of 2012 I will go back and I WILL COMPLETE that run. If I don’t do any more than that one, its OK. But I will do that one!

Summer saw record high temps and lots of rain…notably tropical storms Irene and Lee. Each of them dropped enough rain to fill the basement window well causing minor water issues. Irene was worse than Lee for window well flooding. The condo association is working on the “why” it happened in hopes of preventing it from happening again.

September saw me on Cape Cod at the same cottage I’ve been going to for 22 yrs. In October I went to Maryland to work as a volunteer at the Next To New Sale at Sidwell Friends school in D.C. Exhausting but fun.

On October 29th, Connecticut was treated to a major snowstorm while the trees were still in full leaf. I went to bed that Saturday night with my bedroom window open and listened to the snap, crack and hiss of trees breaking and falling. While most of the state was without electricity for up to 10 days, I did without for 37 hours. I don’t know how others did without for 10 days!

A week and a half after the snowstorm I rode my bike the length of the “impassable” Windsor Locks/Suffield Canal path. It was blocked every few feet with downed trees, but I managed to go over, under, around and through all obstacles. At one point I was pinned by my upside-down bike to a limb that had me snagged and my cell phone was on the ground six feet behind me. Obviously I got out of this jam unscathed. (What doesn’t kill me only makes me look forward to another adventure!)

Now winter is here, the end of another year, and the weather has been unbelievably mild so far. We have set records for high temps in the summer and precipitation for the year…warm and wet! My creative urges have been satisfied with cooking (most unlike me!) and, now that my sewing machine is up and running, probably some sewing. I haven’t written any poetry since August.

Since it’s the end of the year I feel I should have some words of Wisdom to offer. I don’t think I can do any better than what I wrote in my May 3, 2011 posting:

We can’t keep throwing hate at hate and expect our problems to be solved. Only Light dispels the darkness and only Love will replace hate.

I ask you to pray that Love and Light replace negativity on the planet.
I ask you to pray that all negativity be transmuted back to the Light.
I ask you to pray for Peace.
I ask you to Love one another.
I ask you to try really, really hard.

Happy New Year, everyone. May Peace be the theme of 2012!

Impassable Canal Path – or so they said!

Today was an absolutely beautiful day…deep blue sky, not a cloud in sight, temps around 70°. How could I resist taking a bike ride…especially since I had not ridden since Sept. 22nd, when I was on Cape Cod.

I went down River Road in Enfield. The damage from the snowstorm was pretty much cleaned up. At the East Windsor town line it becomes North Water Street, and was open all the way to Bridge Street. The transformer and pole that had been blocking the road is now repaired.

I crossed the bridge to Windsor Locks and made a right onto the access road to the canal path. Already I could see trees down and lots of debris, and the entrance to the path was bridged by a small partially fallen tree. Two young men were fishing in the canal (are you kidding me?) and I asked them about the path. They said it was pretty bad and I wouldn’t get very far. That’s like showing me a sign that says “Do Not Touch - Wet Paint.”

Within a quarter of a mile from the entrance I encountered the first of many obstacles…some were not so bad and others were very challenging!

Photos of canal blockages

If you go to the link posted above you will see the pictures I took.

All the photos were taken in the first mile. When I got to the railroad bridge, my camera battery gave out. There was only one horrendous hurdle after that and a lot of little stuff. But this last big blockage was a quadruple branch over which I had to lift my bike from branch to branch. At one point my bike was practically upside down. It had me pinned to one branch while my shorts were caught on a snag and the handle of my bike was caught under part of the limb. I will admit I was a little concerned at that point. The way I was pinned, if I moved the wrong way the next snap I heard would have no doubt been a leg bone. But I managed brute strength and got the bike up and over and out. Then I went back and retrieved everything that had fallen out of my bike bag. ☺

I tried very hard to locate the eagle nest. From the Enfield end of the railroad bridge I scanned the canal bank with binoculars, but saw nothing. I was told this was the spot to see the nest. Could be there’s still too many leaves on the trees. Once on the canal path and right at the railroad bridge I scanned the trees…no nest. Either I missed it or the nest came down in the storm. Probably won’t know until they open the path next April (or not). Eagles nesting will keep the path closed until July 1st.

Riding Route 5 south to my street was a challenge. People have shoved the fallen tree branches out onto the shoulder where I ride. I had to dismount and walk around these obstacles a couple of times. At one point, I had to divert to the sidewalk.

All in all, it was an exhausting 12.44-mile ride. Normally it’s a piece of cake. Today I had to climb over more trees in one 4.5-mile stretch than I’ve climbed over in a lifetime of walking/hiking in the woods! ☺

I invite you to check out the photo album indicated above and marvel at how, if there was a Badge for Lack of Good Sense, I earned one!

Until next time…

Historic Snow Storm – October 29 – 30, 2011

For pictures go to:
What it looked like at my house

North Water Street in Warehouse Point

And best of all…Andy’s house in Warehouse Point

This storm was no surprise…it had been forecasted for days, and because all the trees still had leaves it was a disaster waiting to happen. AND happen it did!

I can speak only for the towns of East Windsor, Windsor Locks and Enfield, Connecticut.

I lost power at 11 p.m. on the 29th here in Enfield. I went to bed with my windows open a bit and listened to the trees in the woods booming, cracking, snapping and wooshing and they snapped and fell. Eventually I feel asleep until about 7 a.m.

Sunday, October 30th
Once I was up, I didn’t know what to do. Because of no power, my morning routine did not exist, so I walked around the house in a lack-of-caffeine fuzzy haze. I got dressed by flashlight but was unsure what to do next. No coffee, no morning news on TV, no catching up with email or Facebook. I was very concerned about what I was going to do for food…I had plenty, but I couldn’t cook it. And, how was I going to keep warm. If there were any warming centers in town how could I find out about them? Even my cell phone service was down.

I shoveled out the car and went to Friendly’s restaurant down at Sophia’s Plaza in Warehouse Point. Closed. Noticed I had a call from my daughter, Anne, in Maryland on my cell. I was able to call her back with false reassurance that I’d be just fine. At least it was warm in the car from a combination of sun and heater.

I spent a lot of time looking for coffee, food, and my lost wallet (yes, lost wallet).

Headache over no coffee and distress about the wallet. ☹

By noon I was getting very hungry…no breakfast. I opened a can of tuna and ate just a little with crackers…had to conserve…don’t know when I’ll get real food.

Threw my sleeping bag into the back of my car thinking I would go to Barbara’s (friend) because I knew she would have the wood stove going and had a gas cook top. But went to Pat’s (another friend) instead hoping their generator would be working. Not!

Still no coffee!

I went back home and put on three layers of clothing, wrapped up in my sleeping bag and sat in a rocking chair in my living room. The temperature inside was down to 55°, no TV, radio, phones…I felt so isolated.

THEN, the light must have hit it just right because I suddenly saw MY WALLET! It was on the TV stand next to the sliders to my deck. I must have walked past it a dozen times…why didn’t I ever see it? So grateful. Tears even.

Now I needed real food. Hot food. But how do I find out what’s open and serving food? Go to the Enfield PD, of course. The dispatcher didn’t have a clue, but a gentleman in the lobby directed me to the Red Rose restaurant in Springfield, MA.

There was a wait of 1½ hours, but it was warm and the food, once I got a seat, would be hot. I eventually got a seat in the waiting area and checked my cell phone to see if I had service. I had a missed call from my daughter, Kathy. I looked up and saw her. There she was in front of me. I had to call her name twice before she realized it was me calling her. Too funny. She and Lou were there for dinner. I joined their reservation and within 20 minutes or so we were seated.

Coffee…three cups later I was finally headache free.

Monday, October 31st
Kathy and I wound up in Springfield on Riverdale Road at a Burger King for breakfast. We were also able to stop at a gas station that had gas and no line.

We then made the rounds…Paul, Andy, then Kathy booked a room at the Clarion Motel in Warehouse Point. From here I let Kathy off at her house and I went to see Pat in Windsor Locks just as she was leaving for a motel. I was at Alice’s checking up on how she was doing when the power came on. It was 11:55 a.m. Thirty-seven hours without power. Since we both live in the same condo complex I knew I had power too! We jumped up and hugged each other we were so happy.

Since then I have opened my home to family and friends needing a shower and BYOF for a hot meal. I have had takers…my pleasure!

We have lost our ability to live as our pioneers did. We’ve grown soft because of all our technology…and happily so until something like this happens!

One thing I noticed is that people at intersections with or without non-working traffic signals were very good about stopping and taking turns going through. People I saw were very patient. The one place where I suspect patience was worn thin was the gas station on Route 5 at Exit 46 off I-91. They had two Enfield cops there to keep things moving in an orderly fashion. You could tell which neighborhoods had power because the gas stations were pumping and the lines were long.

So, all in all, my life is slowly returning to normal. Please keep a good thought for those who are still waiting.

What I Did On My Fall Vacation ☺

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 5 a.m. Groan! Are you kidding me? Why am I up at this gawdawful hour? Oh, yah. I have a flight at 8 this morning to Baltimore. I’m going to DC to work on the Next-to-New Sale. The sale benefits the scholarship fund, so it’s a very important event. This was my second year and I’ll be back next year!

Coffee pot started; ran up stairs to get dressed; finished packing; lugged everything downstairs; drank coffee, downed two pieces of toast; lugged everything (very heavy suitcase, very heavy backpack, purse) out to the car.

Back in the house to double check:
drapes, blinds, curtains closed…check;
clock alarm shut off so it won’t go off at 5 a.m. every morning while I’m gone…check;
garbage taken out…check;
water heater turned down to “vacation” mode…check;
make sure thermostat is OFF…check. Well, I guess it’s time to go.

I drove to the home of my friend, Pat, and she took me the final 1+ miles to Southwest Airlines Departures.

Anne picked me up at BWI and we headed straight for Sidwell. Once we got in the gym I went straight to “textiles” where I spent the next 5 hours sorting and pricing bedding, table cloths, etc.

At 3:30 I went over to the bicycle section where I would stay for the remainder of the sale. At 4 p.m. the doors were opened.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were each designated for different groups of the Sidwell “family”. On Friday and Saturday the doors opened to the public. Also on Saturday, it was homecoming day so we had a lot of alumni and parents of alumni as well as the general public.

Each day started with my needing to get up no later than 7. It was easier if I waited until Rick and Jacob were out of the house…fewer people to deal with. After coffee and getting dressed it was a quick breakfast and off to the sale with Anne. We would get there around 8:30ish…after leaving Andrew off at his school.

The doors opened 9:30 and closed at 9 each night except Saturday when they closed at 4. Anne would try to get me home at some point during the very late afternoon, then she would go back.

On Thursday night, Anne and I went to a Celebration at The Sienna School, where Andrew goes to school. There should be more schools like that!

Anne was co-chair of the entire event this year and she, her co-chairs and her entire core committee did a magnificent job! Plus, congratulations to ALL the volunteers.

On Sunday morning Anne and several volunteers went back to finish cleaning up. A lot of packing up of left over clothing, textiles, etc., was done Saturday night after the sale was over, but there was still a lot to do. I stayed home and had a late breakfast, packed up my stuff and waited for Anne to get back so I could get to the airport to come home. By the time she got back she was so exhausted Rick volunteered to drive me to BWI.

Different charities came Sunday morning to pick up the left-overs!

My day-to-day in the bicycle department was to sell the bikes that were donated. We had everything from the sublime…the highest priced was $175…to the sad little Mongoose kids bike with the front tire off the rim, lots of rust, needed a new seat, but the frame was good…priced at $5. We also had trail-alongs and trikes and biking shirts and shorts. Also in our section were the strollers. I never did count how many bikes we had, but it was a lot as you can see from one of the pictures. As for the bikes: we sold all but one of the trail-alongs. I learned last night that the bike sales were record-breaking. The entire sale came in at a couple hundred dollars short of an all time record high.

I flew out of BWI for BDL at 6 last night (Oct. 23rd) and was picked up by Pat. We sat at her house drinking coffee for a while, catching up on our respective weeks.

I slept until almost 8 a.m. this morning and plan to do nothing for the rest of the day. Starting tomorrow it’s back to the dust cloth, vacuum and window cleaner. Yes! I have to finish my fall cleaning before it all needs to be done again! ☺

I have two weeks to get my Christmas book to Staples for printing. I’m early this year because I have a 30% off coupon. That will make a big difference in the cost to produce 12 books.

So, there you have it. I'm sure I forgot some of the things that happened during the week, but, until next year…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

There’s a First Time for Everything!

My Beautiful New Mantle
A few months after I settled into my condo, I was in Goodwill looking for something…don’t remember what. However, I did find these beautiful candle holders. Perfect. Well, guess again. When I put them on the mantle they were too wide! My bargain $4 each candle holders would not fit on my mantle…for a year they sat on the hearth. There was a solution…but it cost me!

After a year of planning and saving, my bargain candle holders have a brand new mantle to sit on. The old mantle was very narrow and painted. When I taped up Christmas decorations the tape pulled the paint off. Ooops! ☺

I had never stained anything before and here I was faced with this super important focal point in my living room. I took more than one deep breath before I started. I consulted my son, Paul, since he had done an entire floor and knew more than me. His advice was priceless!

(exhale! ☺☺)

Spaghetti Sauce
This I don’t have any pictures of…just use your imagination. ☺

I had the opportunity to get a lot more tomatoes than I could use right away at the end of the tomato season. I had never prepared tomatoes for freezing before but I knew you should blanch them first to take the peels off. With one batch I tried squeezing the water out of them before freezing and decided that was not my method of choice. The next couple of batches were frozen whole (after blanching) and I’ll poke holes in the freezer bag when I defrost them for sauce. The liquid can drain out the holes and save me the squishy job.

Even though the seeds are not an issue, I think next year I’ll de-seed the tomatoes in addition to blanching.

Doing things you’ve never done before…that’s what keeps life interesting. ☺

Cape Cod 2011

Saturday, September 17 – travel day
Up at 5 a.m. Yuck! Coffee was the first order of business, then get dressed and start finishing packing. Suitcases (yes plural…one summer clothes and one winter clothes) and box of bathroom stuff brought down to the front door. Then all bedding put into one of those bags you vacuum the air out and it compresses to almost nothing. Bedding is kept clean and takes up hardly any room in the car.

Sunday, September 18 – Day 1
Breakfast out and then beach hopping. It was very windy and off and on showers. Good day to just go looking.

Stopped at Billingsgate Art and Antiques on Route 6 in Wellfleet (next to Dunkin' Donuts) just to see if they might have some sort of bench I can put in my bathroom. I've been looking for cane or rattan or just anything! Found this bench. Has the ugliest hand painted oil cloth cover on the seat. Seat cover will be replaced and the bench will be painted. I think I'm happy!

Monday, September 19 – Day 2
As I was huffing and puffing up this one never-ending curving hill this panorama opened up before me once I reached the top. Made all the agony worth it.

Rode the killer Province Lands dune trail. Walked only one hill. One of these years… ☺

Tuesday, September 20 – Day 3
Made my annual visit to the Birdwatcher’s Store in Orleans then walked Coast Guard Beach out to Nauset inlet. The beach has been terribly eroded by Irene and Lee. Nauset inlet is no more than a mile down the beach. Usually I plan on 1.5 miles one way…not this year.

Went to Provincetown for my annual visit there. Maybe it was because it was raining, but I just wasn’t feeling the good vibes.

Wednesday, September 21 – Day 4
Rode the Cape Cod Rail Trail from the cottage to Nickerson Park. Round trip mileage, 20 mi. Haven’t ridden that many miles in a long time.

Thursday, September 22 – Day 5

Two videos: I bet you will remember this one every time you go to buy fish! ☺
One video of the catch of the day being dumped and the other video of a seal swimming next to the pier.

For the rest of the pictures from the fish pier go to this link
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2574000469680.2154293.1244354945&l=99d0df9eb5&type=1

Chatham Fish Pier on the agenda today. Watched boats come in with the catch of the day and dump the catch down a slide into waiting containers to be transported to market. The seals were pretty cute. Thanks goodness, the waters are cooling off and (hopefully) the great whites are gone. I understand they did come into the harbor…followed the fishing boats…and attacked the seals. Glad I didn’t see anything like that.

Friday, September 23 – Day 6
Decided to pack up and come home a day early. Weather today not so good, and forecasted to be worse tomorrow. After visiting friends in Provincetown, I headed for home…white knuckle for the last 2 hours of the trip. Got home around 5:30 in the pouring rain, but happy as all get out to be here…safe and sound…well sound of body anyway! ☺

To My Followers

I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but since I am a Certified, Champion Procrastinator...

Welcome to my blog!

Of the eight followers I know only two of you, so I'm curious how you found out about my blog and how often do you visit?

Best way to answer my questions is to email me...go to "view my complete profile" and click on "email." Looking forward to hearing from you.

Before and After (flooding) on the Canal Bike Path

As I started on the canal path this morning I was taken by the water looking cleaner. It’s still dirty, but compared to August 31st it’s clean.

In these pictures you can see how much the canal water has receded…in spite of the deluge we received from Tropical Storm Lee...the bottom picture shows the brown foliage left from receding water.

This picture shows a substantial sand bar being created in the middle of the neglected canal. It doubled in size with the run-off of Hurricane Irene and TS Lee. If something isn’t done, the canal will be dammed up. Maybe that’s what Ahlstrom (sp) is waiting for. Ahlstrom is the company that bought Dexter Paper Co. The Dexter family owned the canal and every year they would drain it, make repairs and dredge if necessary. Ahlstrom refuses to do it and refuses to allow anyone else do it. Since the canal is on the National Historic Register, this is pretty sad.

One of my favorite spots along the path is where the water flows under the railroad bridge…especially when the water is high and swift. The top picture is from Aug. 31. The bottom two taken today.

The river giveth…look at all the junk left at the base of the canal wall. The top picture shows what it looked like flooded.

And the river taketh away…there used to be a pile of trees and other river debris piled on the right...toward the open river. This flood took it all away.

I call this picture Reflections. It shows the trees, a beautiful cloud, and the sun reflected in Stony Brook where it flows beneath the canal to the Connecticut River.

Another Storm…More Flooding

After the clean up following Irene I called the condo management people and asked for help in preventing the window well flooding. They said someone would be over to caulk the window AND the well.

Well.

I popped out of bed this morning at 5:30 (having been awakened by something) and ran down to the basement just in time to see the first trickle of water come over the window sill. I stuffed towels everywhere I could and ran upstairs to gather umbrella, rain jacket, flashlight, shovel and small pan…and out I went in the torrential downpour wearing my nightgown and thin summer bathrobe.

I bailed and bailed until I almost reached bottom. In the meantime, I was able to figure out why my window well floods. As water pours off the entryway roof (no gutter) it digs a channel in the soil. This is, in essence, a long narrow pond that empties right into the window well. AH HA!

That’s where the shovel came in. After getting out of my soaked clothes, I put on my bathing suit and boots so I could dig a ditch out to the sidewalk. It is obvious the lay of the land is all wrong! It dips in the wrong direction. (Can’t you just see this crazy lady out in the dark and pouring rain in a bathing suit and boots wielding a shovel and bailing pan?)

You can’t tell me the young couple who lived here before me didn’t have the same problem. Because the basement was not finished at that time, I guess they didn’t care and just let it flood. There were a lot of things they apparently let go…I would love to see their new house.

Another call to condo management and I told them I want someone out here TODAY! Actually they have been very nice and understanding. I expect a crew here sometime this morning and I’ll show them the problem and let them solve it. Actually I have already solved it, but they need to re-dig my ditch and caulk the well and window.

Then I’m going to take them around out back and show them the standing water there. My neighbor has at least 3” of water at her back door…always…whenever it rains.

I don’t want to be on vacation in a couple of weeks and have to worry about my basement flooding.

My problem is minuscule compared to what others are going through…but to me it’s huge.

Post Irene Bike Ride Pictures

Go to this public link to see the pictures I posted on Facebook this morning. You don't have to be on fb to look at this link.

I took these pictures on my bike ride this morning to look at the CT river and any storm damage I might find. Check out the link of barrels (?) floating in the river.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2478580164232.2151119.1244354945&l=411408a761&type=1

Raging River of Mud

I went out of my way to go to the Suffield end of the Canal path just to get a look at the river. I was speechless!

I've seen the river higher. I've seen more debris floating down the swollen river. But I've never seen it look like mud. It looks like a slurry.

People were standing in the observation area just looking. No one was talking. Like attending a funeral. Very surreal.

And, darn it, I had neither binoculars nor camera. Grrrrrr!

BTW...both North and South Water Streets are closed. And there is a huge tree split and laying across one of the side streets from Main St to South Water (I think it's next to the police station). Try as I might, I could not get down to the river. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll walk down to the boat launch...with binoculars and camera. This isn't going away any time soon.

After the Storm

Getting these pictures loaded is giving me fits...but here they are.

Now that Hurricane Irene is over I have some cleaning up to do.

When I came down to my Mom Cave yesterday morning, I thought it smelled damp, so I checked the utility room. Water was just beginning to run down the wall from the window well. YIKES! I raced up two flights of stairs to get dressed then grabbed a small pan to bail the water. Of course I got soaking wet, but at least the water stopped coming in. But, before it stopped, the damage was done.

I bailed the window well twice more before the rain stopped! I have a well cover, but the water was seeping in from the soil into the well along the foundation.

Because the window well filled up and spilled into the basement I had to pick up the pieces of vinyl on the floor. They were just set aside so I could put towels down on the floor to absorb water. Once that was done the towels went into the washer to spin then into the dryer…then back on the floor.

That vinyl has to be brought outside today so I can wash the backside with a bleach solution to prevent mould. Once the sun and wind dries the backside, I can put the pieces back on the utility room floor. Piece by piece the topside will have to be washed down also, but not until they are on the floor.

The big job is in my office area. Water seeped under the partition and under the vinyl. However, there is a lot of furniture on top of that vinyl! Another job today will be to move my couch forward so I can move some of my furniture onto the carpet. I unloaded both file cabinets yesterday just so I could move them…but they need to be moved off the vinyl in order for me to be able to take it up and outside for cleaning. Then the floor underneath has to be completely dried before the vinyl can go back down.

I have informed the management company and have requested someone come over and caulk the window. Little by little I’m fixing things. If I hadn’t finished the basement it wouldn’t have mattered. I need to get a small pallet to get a couple of heavy things up off the floor…even a few 2x4’s would do.

Yep. Little by little. A lot of work to be done!

Zip Lining Adventure

If you think Zip Lining is hooking onto a cable and flying from treetop to treetop, let me tell you it is not that simple/easy!

Yes, there is sliding from one tree to another, but in-between, there are obstacles. At Sandy Spring Adventure Park, there could be two or three obstacles before you Zip.

The trails are set up similar to skiing: yellow trails are beginners; green trails and blue trails are, each, more advanced; then there are the black diamond and double black diamond.

You will see in some of the pictures the many levels on the trees. The higher the platform, the more difficult the trail. Any platform with a downward lip is the end of a Zip. Make sure you click in each picture to get the full effect.

NOTE: This is a lengthy post so you will have to click on "older posts" at some point in order to get all of it.

Our group: Barbara (blue shirt) a good friend of mine; Terry (orange shirt), Barbara’s daughter; Anne (white shirt and grey pants) my daughter; Jacob (black shirt) Anne’s oldest son; Andrew (red shirt), Anne’s youngest son. Oh, and me, of course. I’m the reason we are all here. Anne gave me the present of Zip Lining for my 75th birthday.

Terry has lots of rock climbing experience, so she was really looking forward to doing this course.

We registered and paid then picked up our harnesses and gloves. In the picture is Terry, Jacob, and Andrew.

We were assisted in putting on our harness if we didn’t know how. I sure needed help! ☺ We picked out our gloves from a bin then proceeded to the instruction area. We were shown how to use the carabiners (how to lock and unlock using the tweezlers) and the proper way to use the gizmo that is used for zipping. Then we were turned loose to enjoy ourselves. There is staff on the ground, but no staff on the platforms.

In order to get to the first platform where all the trails begin, you must hook in with the carabiners and ascend the log steps. This is the first time where you must hook in and use the tweezlers… it’s to give you practice. Right off the bat I’m out of my comfort zone because of how far apart each “step” is and the slant of the whole thing. The entire park is set up to get you out of your comfort zone. What I call obstacles, the park calls challenges. ☺

In this picture on the right: Jacob, Anne, and Andrew. On the left me and Terry.

Barbara and me hauling ourselves up the log steps.

There I am on one of the obstacles. Next is Anne then Barbara. Barbara, Terry and I were on one beginner course and Anne chose a different one. There were three different beginners courses…I’m not sure about how many each of the others have.

I was very tense and hesitant on the planks. They were like swings and when stepped on they moved. I got through the first set of obstacles and zipped to the next platform. Then I got through the next set and zipped to the next platform.

A word about these platforms…there was not a lot of room on any of them and you most likely have to duck under cables to get to the next obstacle.

The next obstacle was two iron hoops with three narrow slats on the bottom and I had to get from one platform, through the hoops onto the next platform. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out how I was going to do it. I decided to go sitting down, feet first and haul myself through the hoops and up onto the platform.

The next test was a single cable that I would have to walk on while being hooked in and holding onto two cables for support. I put my foot on the cable a couple of times. It had a lot of play/dip/give and I decided that was not going to work for me.

These pictures show a staff member coming up a ladder to rescue me. You see Barbara but it was me he was coming to help. I’m on the other side of the tree. Once I was securely locked in, I climbed down the ladder to solid ground that wasn’t going to move crazily and make me dizzy. In the pictures you can see the metal hoops.

Also notice in the top picture there is a cable that goes out from the platform to a piece of wood (which was actually a wooden triangle with the apex at the bottom). You can also see above that, two cables which would be all I would have to hold on to. If I had gotten to the triangle, I would have had to reposition my carabiners to the other side using the red tweezler to unlock/lock them to move to the other side and continue to the next platform.

In the last photo you can see Anne waiting for me to climb down. She had already finished her trail and was ready for more.

As for me, I was happy to be on solid ground and I was done for the day. I had no problem calling it quits.

In the pictures you can see Anne, Terry and Andrew doing more trails. Andrew was so happy that Terry would go with him on the harder trails. I think there was a restriction that under a certain age you had to have an adult with you. That definitely was not going to be me and Anne was happy Terry was willing.

Look closely at these pictures and you’ll spot members of our group in the trees. Just look for the color of the clothes. Try as I might, I can’t find Jacob in any of these pictures. He must have been on some of the more difficult courses further back in the trees. I do remember we lost track of him for quite some time.