In Search of Sasquatch - Greenville SC

Soon after we arrived in Greenville, reports surfaced about sightings of enormous footprints in the general vicinity. The police seemed to be stumped, but I knew right away what it was. I am pretty sure "there's squatch in these here woods". For safety sake, we sent the girls off to shop ... oblivious to the danger that lurked in the woods nearby. They were hardly out of sight  when we headed out ... to heck with the danger. We would face whatever was there with walking sticks and the single knife we had between us.  And that danger ... call it what you will ... yeti, the abominable snowman, swamp creature, skunk ape, bigfoot, whatever ... we knew it to be a sasquatch!




The proof we needed soon presented itself. Sasquatch, if nothing else, is known for its personal hygiene.  Any sasquatch hunter worth his salt knows that when a sasquatch poops in the wild, he covers it with lots of straw. We were all over it!














We plunged deep into the forest ... hot on the sasquatch trail. Clearly, the uprooted tree we found was the work of a bigfoot.


We climbed to the top to check for hair samples or other evidence it may have left.

I can't tell you how surprised we were with our next find. Turns out, we were dealing with an urban sasquatch. Urban squatchs do not poop in the woods ... duh ... they use squatch toilets!

















Believe it or not, even squatchs like to have fun.   What's more fun than a swing suspended over the creek. Bigfoot had made a good one and we took a few minutes to enjoy it ourselves.


















Even ole deadeye got excited and joined in. You might know her as Putter.














We stumbled upon a bigfoot nest nearby. They like to dig out small caves amidst the root systems of large trees and hide out there during the day.  This spot had definitely been used recently.

In fact, we spotted him heading over the ridge.














You really don't want to corner a bigfoot  ... in the woods ... in broad daylight. When they have been chased out a hiding place, they can be pretty bad-tempered! We thought, "Why risk all of us getting hurt?" So, we sent one of us up the hill to check it out.







We were so close to getting him. He knocked over a gate at the top of the ridge and then we lost his tracks in the creek. Man  ... those things can fly when they are scared!












None of us realized how hungry we were ... up til now, it had all been about the chase. We flopped on the ground and dug in -  trail mix, cookies and the rest!









We didn't get a sasquatch this time. But, that doesn't mean that we are giving up. Daniel Boone didn't get to be a mountain man by not killing a bear. Jim Bowie did not get famous by not sharpening a knife. William Bonney did not get his picture in the newspaper by not "Kid"ing around.  So, we used our time to train our youngest sasquatch hunter a bit  ... to teach him a few tricks of the trade





... like standing in cold water on a brisk day.


















... and how to cross the creek ... adventure style!

... and this time 

... nobody fell in

 ... a MIRACLE!

And then ... another miracle!  We spotted the rare "bumpy" tree .... sasquatchs love to scratch their backs on a bumpy tree! But that chase will have to be another day.

Yep 

... another day

... cause 

... even the most seasoned sasquatch hunter 

... gets tired!

Byway to Bomaseen - Stone Valley

August 24, 2012

Anne and I had been trying to visit as many of the Vermont State Parks as possible before the summer was over. Each one seemed to have a unique character of its own. The formula for our day was basically to either pack a picnic lunch or stop at a deli to pick up sandwiches and chips and head for the selected state park. I did research beforehand to find out about the fishing possibilities, not that fishing was a primary objective. In addition, I tried to find an obscure route to get there that would provide other things of interest to see or do. Kinda like a Robert Frost road less traveled. 

On this adventure, Bomoseen  State Park was our choice. Lake Bomoseen was quite a bit larger than most of the bodies of water we had visited so far. The drawback to that was more people and more boats. Most places that we had been did not allow gas motors to be used at all, which I really like. 

Little did we realize when we headed out that our route along the Stone Valley Byway was in reality "the land that time forgot". The corn was six to seven feet high, but not high enough to hide the dinosaurs that seemingly roamed at will. 

I tried my best to catch one to take home, It would have been a wonderful present for Quinn and Barrett.  Believe me, those things are incredibly strong.

I had to get a picture of this little church. Love the spires!

We arrived at Bomoseen and it was a gorgeous day. I fished a little with no luck, but it was a beautiful lake to paddle. While I was out in the kayak, Anne read. We had a great spot by the lake for our picnic.

We wove our way home along a network of back roads. Found a neat farm stand  that sold a little of everything. I bought a new bird feeder for a good price. The feeders were actually made by a guy in Townshend that we had known.

They also did some interesting things at the farm with round hay bales. 

As always, Anne had to get fresh corn ... she is insatiable for corn on the cob.

A few miles down the road, we came upon an extraordinary sight. There was a huge, flat-topped boulder alongside the road. Someone had constructed oversized chairs for it and created a giant roadside dinner table. 

Once a teacher always a teacher. We ended our day of adventure checking out this schoolhouse. It was steeping back in time to see it. 

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site - Cornish, NH

June 15, 2012

In the process of searching for sculpture parks, a friend of mine asked me if I had been to Saint-Gaudens. I had seen the name on the Internet, but really knew nothing about the park or the man. I did a little more research and discovered the  man to be Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a sculptor known primarily for his monuments commemorating Civil War heroes. In his later years he founded the "Cornish Colony", an artistic colony that included notable painters, sculptors, writers, and architects.  The site of the Saint-Gaudens home and the colony would become the Saint-Gaudens National Historic  Site. The site was only an hour's drive from Brattleboro. ... yet, we had lived here for 20 years and had never heard of it, nor visited. We decided to check it out. While in the area, our plan was to cross the river to Windsor, Vermont as well.




Since Saint-Guadens is a national historic site, we inquired about the senor citizen lifetime passes. Eligibility starts at age 62 ... that would be us. For $10, we get an admission pass for most national historic sites in the U.S. for the member and up to 3 guests per entrance. It more than pays for itself on the very first site visited.  The only drawback was the unusual way one had to display the pass while visiting the site.












Let me begin by saying that the Saint-Gaudens site is an incredible place to visit whether you enjoy historic sites or sculpture. The Saint-Gaudens grounds are beautiful. One could easily make a day of wandering the gardens and grounds, picnicking, and relaxing. Anne and I both regretted that we had not packed a picnic for this adventure.

The formal gardens were a favorite for us.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens is known for works such as the grand equestrian monuments to Civil War generals John A. Logan , atop a tumulus in Chicago,  and William Tecumseh Sherman, at the corner of New York's Central Park,  as well as the design of the $20 "double eagle" gold piece, for the US Mint, still considered the most beautiful American coin ever issued and the $10 "Indian Head" gold head, both of which were minted from 1907 until 1933.  One of my favorite pieces was the replica of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial  sculpture on Boston Common.  However, when the sculpture discovered that I was from the South, things went bad.

We did a brief tour of Aspet, the Saint-Gaudens home.

We visited the Ravine Gallery and talked with the artist in residence.

We said goodbye to Saint-Gaudens and headed to Windsor across the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge.

To our delight, Windsor offered a funky, diner option for lunch. It even had a sassy waitress.

I demonstrated no restraint. Naturally, I had to try the hot dog that was billed as the best in Vermont.  It was not ... but the second meal I had, meatloaf and mashed, was great. 

Lucky for us dessert was free.


















Our last stop for the day was the Nuance Gallery ... the owner knows my neighbor Paul. I discovered that there was a new show in July and decided to try to show a few pieces of my work.  Picked up an application. 

We decided there were more things we wanted to see in Windsor. We would definitely be making another trip here ... hopefully in combination with the next show opening at the gallery.

In the Land of Cheese - Cabot, VT

Early risers. Anne never was and I got over it. This day, however, we had things to do. Cabot Creamery was in the crosshairs. Got up at 6:30AM. Anne headed across the road to feed the neighbor's cats before we hit the road. 



I got an emergency call from Anne that the pipes in the neighbor's basement had sprung a leak ... and there was already 4 inches of water pooling and salmon were starting to spawn. I donned my emergency gear and rushed over. I assessed the situation in a glance and narrowed the options to three: 1. Stock the basement with landlocked salmon 2. Stand on the basement floor for about 15 more minutes and the water level should be waist deep and I die a horrible death when the power shorts out and I am electrocuted 3. Call a plumber! Given that I didn't even know how to cut off the pump, I chose the plumber.  Got lucky. He came right away and in 1 1/2 hours, the leak was repaired and we were on our way. Had Anne not heard the leak when she did, more than likely the pump would have burned up or the well run dry. The planets and stars were definitely in alignment for us today. Or were they?

It was pouring rain by the time we left. We headed for the Cabot Creamery in Cabot VT. 2 1/2 hours later we arrived and got these cool wristbands that we will never take off.

The Cabot Tour was no floor show in Vegas, but interesting. I  especially enjoyed  the part where I ate about two pounds of samples. Being a senior citizen, I sensed the opportunity to eat the equivalent of a meal at the sample table and thus save on the cost of lunch. Since there was a senior discount on the entry fee, I did not wrap any samples in a tissue and put them in my pocket for later.

Although Anne had been a bit grumpy to start the adventure, what with the upheaval, she was UTTERLY fascinated with the tour ... she actually MOOed when I asked her to in this picture.

Adventure days are somewhat like going to a restaurant. You ultimately are there for the entre ... in this case, the Cabot Creamery. The meal typically includes an appetizer and maybe dessert. And inevitably  somebody orders at least item from the a la carte menu. Today's a la carte find was this sculpture at a Tennessee Walker Horse Farm along the way.  

We continued on our way,  headed for Stillwater State Park in the Groton Forest.  Couldn't wait for our picnic lunch. I had packed the cooler with the makings for special sandwiches ... except I forgot the tomato ... and the sauce for the shrimp ... and the bread. We drove around and found the local bakery ... but they had sold the last loaf of bread ... soooo, it was on to the Groton General Store.

 I assume that there is not a significant Indian population in the area. In the circles we travel, this general store decoration is generally frowned upon these days. My sensibilities were slightly bruised, but the store did have bread ... and I was hungry.

Oops, it turned out that Stillwater State Park (where we hoped to picnic) was camping only ... and so was nearby Rinker's Pond. It didn't seem to matter that I had driven three hours to get here. Androids, gotta love 'em. Finally, got a tip on how to get to the edge of the lake, avoiding the main entry points and the park rangers, ... if I would promise not to put my potentially milfoil-laden kayak into the water. All we had to do was to shove a few baby ducks around to make room for us at a pullover on the edge of the park. Picnic at 4:00 PM. Anne seemed to be starved.

I fished a bit from shore just to say I had. Across the lake, a line of boulders creased the surface of the water, announcing to the trained eye the location of monster bass of the lake ... the one I would never catch ... the one just out of casting range of the shore. 


Our bellies full ... an accomplishment in and of itself ... we headed to Artesano in Groton to sample mead wine (made with honey).

We were still within the boundaries of Groton State Forest.  We passed a trailhead for Owl's Head Scenic Overlook and decided a short hike would be a nice change of pace. It was a short hike, but perhaps a bit steeper than we had anticipated ... especially in our street shoes. On the way up, I found a good spot to leave one of my Talking Heads. Eventually, we made it to the top. The view of Kettle Pond was worth all the pain and made us deeply ashamed of the things we had said to one another. We both knew that the wine tasting would help us to forget all of the unpleasantness anyway.





We had a great time at Artesano. It was a small set-up but seemed to run pretty efficiently. I had tasted mead beer before, but had not realized that there was such a thing as mead wine.












The wine tasting made us hungry again. So does the sun shining, the clock ticking, water dripping, and cats purring. Fortunately, the wine shop was also an ice cream shop (a natural pair). We had the Funny Monkey which was banana ice cream with swirls of Fat Toad Caramel Sauce... and it was great. I wonder if they have considered a mead wine ice cream float? I would be willing to give it a try. 

I love this sign in the ice cream shop window. The remainder of the adventure was just the long drive home. If I had just had a CD in the car by the Man in Black ... it would have been the perfect ending to a perfectly flawless day.