Fall 2007 Gatherings

Nearly everyone at the Labor Day cookout asked when what was next, and those that didn't asked what was next when. Here's the remainder of the planned schedule for the year.

The December 22nd one remains extremely tentative. More details on the Full Moon celebration will be forthcoming.

The Hawkwatch days - one a month through the season - are just that: days to go sit on ridge along the Appalachian Trail and watch hawks. Company is welcome and encouraged and so forth. Lunch is bring-yer-own for the mountainside. Any other food - a warm breakfast (highly advised) and a warm meal after (also recommended, especially on the colder days!) - is strictly a matter of whim. These aren't planned feasts on my part. People can meet at my house or at the Bake Oven Knob parking lot. Any other details - or anyone wanting to cater a feast before, during, or after - can be worked out as we go along. There's a pizza place along the return trip, a winery a short distance down the road, and a diner that won't serve french fries for breakfast or home fries and omelets for dinner.

September
Sun 23 - First Day of Autumn/Hawkwatch

October
Sun 13 - Hawkwatch
Sat 27 -(slightly past) Full Moon Costume Party

November
Sat 17 - Hawkwatch
Sat 24 - Thanksgiving (not a turkey day substitute! =)

December
Sat 15 - Hawkwatch
Saturday 22 - First Day of Winter

Kids These Days...

So last night was "Meet the Teachers" night at Rachel's middle school.

Deb and I have decided at least two, maybe three, of the teachers look to be young enough to date our son.

I think she's in a bit of shock about that.

Bridges

When a certain bridge fell down quite recently, I mentioned that sort of thing is not in the category of complete surprise, as I think about that sort of thing happening on quite a few bridges.

There's one in particular that, over the last four years, I've spent many an hour sitting motionless between eighteen wheelers and other traffic, studying the road surface, and pondering exactly how I would get out of a situation should one end or the other of the particular slab I was on start to tilt.

That kind of stuff, of course, is considered silly nonsense, because bridges don't just fall down. After all, on a scale of 0 to 100 with 100 being the best, that particular bridge rated a whopping 29.1. The good news is, because it passed with flying colors, they don't have to look at it again for two years.

Random Updatia

So, the bug that's bugging me lately - maybe even more so than the Japanese beetles - is the European hornet. Here's a picture of why, part one. Part two is that they like lights at night and have stopped us from coming in the door a few times.

And tonight, the damn hornet - a little bigger than my thumb - is in the CFL by the garage. Flew up into the coil. I replaced the light in front and back with CFL bug lights, and we were going to do that one when we noticed the hornet's business end. Hoped it was dead, but at a tap from a stick, it climbed further in. So we skipped that light.

In other, unrelated news, Justin is off with friends watching the football game at the high school.