Christmas in September

Our three grandkids have birthdays in September, along with their father Gregg and their maternal grandmother Suz (AKA Nana). Two of their birthdays are on the same day, September 1. With Connor, the first out of the chute, Amy went into labor and delivered on.... well, Labor Day.

So Labor Day holiday weekend has become a standing family gathering on Oxford. We celebrate all three kids birthdays. The result is that we arrive with a van load of wrapped packages that sometimes fill up half the living room. There are lots of gifts - no minimalist effort ever for this event.

The youths are wide-eyed with excitement as the gifts are unloaded along with our stuff and the 2 dogs. "Can we open the gifts tonight?" "Can we open just one tonight?" "Nana, can we open one NOW?"

We hear the same litany the next morning. The birthday party is almost always Saturday night. We usually hold them off until then. Other activities usually fill up the day. At last the big moment arrives. It's like Christmas. Gifts, anxious kids, adults scurrying around with cameras, and four dogs overwhelm the normally placid living room.


Zoey relaxes in the midst of chaos.


Let's take a trip!

Then a flurry of activity erupts, along with lots of chatter and wrapping paper flying through the air. In 10 minutes or less, the whole thing is over. The kids are exuberant. The adults shuffle around, picking up the mess and returning to more mundane activities.


alRIGHTY then.

The celebration winds down with a birthday cake and a movie. Just think....it's just a few short weeks until Christmas, and we can do this all over again. Financial crises and political turmoil loom large this year in the national news, but more important stuff goes on in Bittersweet Woods.

On the Appalachian Trail

The Buckeye Trail Association organized a hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. I reviewed the itinerary - 60 miles from Mt. Rogers Visitors Center west to Damascus. A couple of the days were 12 miles of hiking. It seemed a little intimidating to a once or twice a year hiker like me. So I did some extra hiking in Bittersweet Woods and the treadclimber to get in shape.

Saturday, Sept 10. Karen Smith from Canton area and I arrive at Iron Mountain campground outside of Damascus, VA. The tent camping area is primitive but located next a beautiful stream. I found a level spot and was ready to put up the tent. To my surprise, there was a garter snake curled up in the exact spot I want to use. It did not seem to happy about hikers invading its habitat. After a some flicks of its tongue, it quietly left the area. Later the group went to Quincy's for good food, legal beverages and reminiscing about previous hiking trips.

Not putting my tent here. These and other photos by Karen Smith


Fuel for the trip at Quincy's in Damascus.


Sunday, Sept 11. Mt Rogers Outfitters shuttle us to our starting point. We decided to start where VA 601 connects with trail. Our shuttle driver is a former sheriff but says he has never been on that part of 601. "Don't worry, I'll get y'all there." He did. But the last mile was a narrow, rutted one lane (if that) track hugging the side of an incredibly steep drop off. Whew!

Ready to go.

We hike to Trimpi shelter. There are great tent sites there, but.......no water. The pipe from the spring is dry. No water!? All the AT shelters are supposed to have reliable water sources all the time. Never mind. We bushwack to some less than optimal water on nearby private property - and live to talk about it. That evening we talked some about the 9/11 anniversary, then lapsed into campfire chatter, games of Farkle and a few sips of wine - a first day hiking treat. The evening winds down as a tired hiker snores softly in the shelter.

Monday, Sept 12. A pleasant hike to Hurricane Mountain Shelter except for a steep, unrelenting uphill section on a road just before the shelter. Not a switchback in sight. Shelter is nice, but tent camping areas are marginal. A few more hikers are tending their feet and limping more noticeably. We camp between roots and rocks, spend an hour trying to get a fire started, reminisce about the antics of a group member who passed away since the last trip, and savor the prospect of the great scenery ahead.

Tuesday, Sept 13. Started off with an uphill climb, nice walk through the woods, and lunch at the Pine Mountain trail. A beautiful open area with expansive vistas beckoned before we were back in the woods. We emerged at The Scales, an open area with distant hazy views, long horn cattle grazing, camping, and....real live toilets.

At The Scales near Grayson Highlands State Park

Camping and water near Wise shelter is excellent, along with a new privy built by an eagle scout. Morale is good. Some of the group bathe in the rushing water of the nearby creek. There are a few more blisters among the less experienced hikers. Everyone is a little sore. But we've made it this far, weather is great, and even better scenery is ahead. Campfire chatter is lively.


Mess hall on the AT

Wednesday, Sept 14. It's my wife's birthday. I think wistfully of her and the dogs at home. We're on the move in the open areas of Grayson Highlands State Park. Views in every direction amaze and distract us.



Rock climbing slows us down, but close up visits in Grayson Highlands State Park with the wild ponies are a delight.



Lunch at Thomas Knob shelter, then we press on to Whitetop Mountain road. It's our longest mileage day, 12.9 miles. Thank goodness the weather holds - warm, clear, light breezes. We camp in the open. I guy out the tent just in case. There is an amazing view of mountain ridges from the side of Whitetop Mountain. We talk quietly; a few of us lay on the ground peering up at the milky way. Early to bed.

Thursday, Sept 15. Skies are grayish with high clouds. We hesitate to think of the r word. Scenery is great along the ridge from Whitetop Mountain to Buzzard Rock. Almost a 360 view. Then we head down - back and forth along superbly aligned switchbacks. As we reach the gravel bed along the Virginia Creeper hike/bike trail the sky darkens. A steady rain starts. A quick passing shower, surely. Wrong. Rain continues for 30 minutes, an hour, two hours. Dang, we're climbing again. Is it getting colder? The wind picks up, too. We reach a ridge and hike through rain and low clouds. Where IS that Saunders Shelter? On we go. The hikers with sore feet slow way down but trudge on.

Finally the shelter trail appears. We file in one by one over the next half hour. It's getting colder and windier. Wind chill has to be in the 40's. The rain lets up enough to pitch tents. We huddle in the shelter, layer up, and cook. We share thoughts about the trip to date and talk about where to go next year. Off to bed. Sleeping bag feels good; pine needles underneath make for a comfy bed. About midnight I awake with a start - the camp is lit up. Then I realize it is moonlight. Good news - that means the sky is clear; back to some much needed sleep.

Friday, Sept. 16. Temps in low 40's. But we're up and moving, ready for the final push to Damsacus. Trail drops steadily along another excellent set of switchbacks. Flora surroundings change as we move through successive zones to lower altitudes. Rhododendren, Mountain Laurel, Golden rod, iron weed, white snakeroot, solomon's seal, cohosh, lobelia, angelica, and other fall wild flowers appear...then disappear as we descend.

White Snakeroot

Great Blue Lobelia

We reached the Virginia Creeper trail and hiked into Damascus. There we got cleaned up, stopped for a final lunch at Quincy's and hit the road.

It was fun, mostly, except for some of the more strenuous sections and the rain. But the beautiful scenery, camaraderie with our hiking group, and beautiful wooded areas more than offset the unpleasant parts. The weather for 6 of the 7 days was great. A big thank-you to John Rethman for organizing yet another great trip! I made my obligatory post hike notes on what items to pack, not pack, or add to my gear. I always learn something new from other hikers.

A week later, I'm rested up.....and ready for another hike.

Keeping Cool

This has been a warmer than average summer here and across much of the US. Temps have been above average for weeks, especially at night. So, many creative solutions have appeared to keep cool. Here are a few of ours.

First, we can walk in the woods. Temperatures in the shaded valley along the creek are usually 10 degrees cooler than in the sun on pavement. Walking the dogs is good therapy - for aerobic benefits and to stay a little cooler.

Water helps keep cool. Gabby immediately heads for the water if it's around. She is usually the first to dunk herself in the creek. Or, she steps into the water-filled black tub (I believe it is a livestock watering trough)and lays down.


Our grandkids visited recently. The slippery slide was a hit. It is a plastic sheet with water inlets along the side to wet the slide and the participants. It cools and helps dissipate excess energy, don't you know.


We rented a pontoon for a cruise on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. It's very relaxing and enjoyable to be out on the water. It lifts the spirits as you can see in the photo.


Or, you can simply dial back the activity level, stay in where it's cool, and take life easy. Zoey, the puppy in the background, has the ultimate relaxation response.


Sometimes staying cool is a state of mind in Bittersweet Woods. An enjoyable outdoor activity - like golf if you are playing well - causes you not notice the heat as much. And listening to good music - such as streaming internet radio really keeps you cool and relaxed. Try it.

Visitors

We have visitors often in Bittersweet Woods. I call them visitors; most of them really live here - and we are the visitors.

A box turtle greeted Suz as she drove up the driveway yesterday. We moved it into the lawn. Ten minutes later it had disappeared.

We have had several snakes "visit" us this year. The latest resides in our newspaper box at the end of the driveway. It is probably a garter snake. Our newspaper delivery person left this message with our mail - which she left near the house: "I wanted to make you aware that there is a snake in your newspaper box; that's why your paper was not in there yesterday." The box in question is part of a larger brick enclosure. Apparently the reptile lives in a compartment behind the newspaper box.

Then we have Amy and Gregg's two dogs (Holly, a boxer and Zoey, an american mastiff puppy) visiting with us for the week, along with Gabbie and Tess. The Wentzells are vacationing in Hilton Head - without us! There will be lots of action here and a few extra piles of excrement to clean up.



Today, this beach scene image popped up randomly on my desktop. It reminded me that we visited Hilton Head recently. One morning we are standing on the beach at sunrise. Low clouds block the sun from our view. Suddenly the sun appears from behind the clouds. Lunge for camera. Pelicans fortuitously swoop into the frame. Click.



We are all visitors in this earthly life, and our real citizenship is in heaven. It is easy to overlook that on many days.

Life Goes On

Tomorrow is Father's Day, my first one without an earthly father. Dad died in March of this year. Ironically, he never liked Father's Day - considered it a nuisance, a distraction. Dad never was really comfortable receiving things from others. It made him feel awkward, as though he did not deserve it. Today I will remember his dry sense of humor stoic acceptance of his frailties. I will be thankful I have a heavenly Father.

Last week Wandalee died at age 96. I had taken communion to her for several years. Turns out the same priest who married her also married my wife's parents - at the same rural catholic church. She struggled the last year. But even when feeling down, she always asked how I was and about my family. She had a wonderful family, including 22 great grandchildren. They will miss her; I will, too.

But life does go on in Bittersweet Woods. My niece gave birth to a baby girl. We are godparents; the baptism will be in a couple of weeks. Steve, our former neighbor, was married at age 69 to a Thai lady. It will be a new beginning for both of them. Herb, a hiking and trail building friend, is as active ever after a near-disabling tractor rollover accident a year ago. He has a new lease on life, as the saying goes. Today Suz proudly showed me a small flower pot with a formerly dead palm tree - that had amazingly sprouted back to life with four tender shoots.

The natural world goes on, too, with births, deaths, and struggles. We caught a glimpse of such a struggle today. As we drove by a nearby house, there was a 30 second chain reaction drama with a baby bird, a 5 year old boy, and a puppy. The baby bird fluttered in the grass, perhaps hurt. The puppy kept circling the little bird, probably wanting to play with it. The bird's parents squawked and dove at the puppy to keep it away from the bird offspring. The little boy was yelling at the bird parents to keep them off the puppy and at the puppy to keep it from the baby bird. You're probably wondering how this life and death drama (for the bird, that is) came out. We are, too. As we drove on, the scene passed from our view before there was a resolution.