Archive for the ‘Images Captured’ Category
Progress Continues
When I got home yesterday, the heavy equipment crew was just preparing to pull away from our driveway. I had a chance to introduce myself and deduce how satisfied they were with their day’s work. They mentioned, several times, being frustrated with part of it, because some of the ground was too frozen, and they ended up leaving some bigger chunks of soil than they wanted.
I was prepared to find the area looking “chunky,” but it wasn’t bad at all. It showed me they are pretty fastidious about doing the best possible job. That’s a trait I am happy to see in my service providers!
However, while they were pulling away in their trucks, I reached to open our mailbox at the end of the driveway, only to find the handle was missing! There was no way to open it. I had to go back to my car and get something to wedge in the side of the door. Upon closer inspection, there is evidence that something made contact with the mailbox, and that must have popped the plastic rivets that held the handle. I searched far and wide, but found no evidence of the missing handle. Tracks in the snow reveal their equipment was the likely cause. 
My evening project was then to fabricate a way for the mail deliverer to pull the door open. The quick fix was a piece of plastic line looped through the holes in the door and knotted. Problem solved. A small price to pay.
After that, I wandered over to the burning brush pile to enjoy the glow. The project is progressing nicely.
New View
Long ago, I posted an overhead view of our new property that I captured from the Google satellite view. Here it is again:
Compare that with the new view I discovered over the weekend that Google has updated:
Great Present
Yesterday I got a chance to play with the new ‘toy’ I got for Christmas from Cyndie’s parents, …after I successfully accomplished assembling it without any instructions. I am a manual-reading kind of guy, and I must have looked in and around that box, 4 different times, in search of a piece of paper that would define which screws are supposed to go into which holes. Left to my own designs, I came up with a plan that seemed logical to me and didn’t leave any unused parts, and now I have a shovel/plow, with wheels, that I can use when there isn’t enough snowfall to warrant using the tractor.
Therein lies the big challenge: determining how much snow it takes to justify using the tractor. We have been enjoying the beautiful views of light snowfall for a couple days now, but the accumulation has been very slow. After I got started playing with the new hand-plow, it became apparent that there was enough to make it worth getting on the tractor and doing a cleanup, but I was having so much fun with the new shovel that I just kept going with that. Plus, the snow kept sprinkling down throughout, and I’d rather not plow until this snow squall ends and moves out of the area.
Today, I hope to use the tractor to clean the 2/3rds distance of driveway toward the road, which remained to be cleared after I called it quits with the hand-plow yesterday. I made it all the way to the shop/garage, but that was it. I probably would have kept going, because I was having so much fun, but I was running out of daylight. That, and I’m growing self-conscious about the neighbors who seem to be enjoying a bit too much entertainment from observing my every move here. They have admitted to a fascination with my prolonged efforts in our driveway.
I don’t blame them, I expect my trial and error style of learning must look a bit funny. I can’t wait for them to ask about this latest device I am employing to remove snow. It works slick enough that I can brag it up until they want to have one for themselves. It provides great exercise! It is pollution free! There is no expense for fuel! It’s win/win all the way.
Isn’t that a GREAT present?
Moon Lighting
Yesterday afternoon, we were out walking and I decided to find the skeleton of the buck that was in our woods. I wanted to retrieve the head with antlers before any critters got around to nibbling on the antlers. As I was walking back up the hill toward the house, I spotted the moon rising in the east. I set down the deer head and stepped back to see if I could get my little camera to focus on the moon in the distance. It looked captivating to the naked eye, but I was skeptical that I could capture the view I was seeing.
It turned out okay. Not really remarkable, but sufficient in its representation of what I saw.
By the time we were turning out the lights to go to sleep, the views out our windows were aglow with a luminosity unlike anything I have seen in years. It seemed like I would need sunglasses to go for a walk. Tonight will be the full moon, but the forecast is for clouds and a chance of snow, so I don’t expect to see it as bright as it was last night.
Next month, the full moon falls on a Sunday, so if weather cooperates, that weekend could be an opportunity for a moonlight snowshoe hike.
Sounds like an excuse for a party…
Renewed Wish
Again, from “Previous Somethings,” this time, 2010:
Merry Christmas to you, one and all!
Relative Something 
