Anniversary of The Fall of the Berlin Wall - part 3

Adding a few more scans of Berlin Wall photos today. By looking at the dates mixed in with the graffiti on one of the color scans, these date to Fall 1985, while the black and white one has an inscription on the back that dates it to March 1986 - just a few weeks before my departure. I scanned the b&w at a higher density, apologies if the page is a slow load while this is up.



The b&w photo was taken by my friend Brian. I'll have a few more of his timely photos in a few days, but the significance of this one is in the quote that you can read on the Wall section:



"Take a walk on the wild side. And the Commie girls go: rat-at-tat-tat. - Lou Reed"


I'm not sure that this is an accurate attribution but I am also not sure that Lou would mind his song being taken out of context like this.



The next one - "Rambo" - is a fairly typical example of the polyglot graffiti you'd see on the Wall. There's Russian at the top - "Shnoozel loves Shni..." - where the text is cut off in the photo, and there are those drawings of Yuki and Tsutomu at the bottom, where it also says "Come on Tokyo."

Then there is the colorful "Rambo" "burn" that is the centerpiece; and the anti-american (or maybe just anti-commercial) graffiti painted over it. What's lost in this one is the black and purple paintings underneath of Rambo - Yuki and Tsutomu were part of this - but I like that you can still read "bunga bunga" where it was part of the earlier drawing.



The next photo has another anti-commercial message - this body draped over the Wall about to fall into a Coke can. I've always tried to figure out exactly what the point of this photo was - these were the days of New Coke, and the introduction of Cherry Coke - maybe it's about that?

The final one is one of the rare ones where the artist first painted a new base color to block out all the graffiti that had gone before. I think the artwork is actually a demonstration against American militarism and specifically Reagan's "Star Wars" program. Both were hot topics at the time, with nuclear cruise missiles arriving in Europe during the early '80's, and the continued political discussion about re-arming Europe was always in the news.

The artist chose a good spot for this protest, as well - this is clearly a high traffic area, as indicated by the shadows on the ground. There is one of the scaffold overlooks of the Wall here, and on the day this photo was taken, it was pretty crowded.

The color photos were taken by my friend Denise back in the day. She actually had them as Kodakrome slides and I had prints made. She loaned the slides to me back in 1987 - I used these as part of an extra credit presentation I gave in a class I was taking at USF: "Two Germanies."

Funny, almost five years in West Berlin and I was on the verge of failing that class at one point, as I recall!

Anniversary of The Fall of the Berlin Wall - part 2

My original tour in Berlin ended in October 1983, but they incentivized me to stay another year - it was common for them to do that and a lot of my friends stayed for longer than one tour as well. The offer, as I recall, was to choose from the following: (1) an additional $50 per month; (2) a flight home and 2 weeks of leave; or (3) a month of leave. I chose the most expensive option, a month of leave for the first extension, and then again my second extension.

You had to take this time off all at once. I can't remember which month off it was, 1983 or 1984, but I decided to stay local in Berlin for it, getting out in town most nights and seeing parts of the city as a tourists that I hadn't yet been to. And so it was that one of my friends suggested that we walk around the Neukolln District, following the snake of the Wall to see if we could identify where David Bowie had painted his name and had his photo taken. I found this interesting article about Bowie in Berlin, by the way:

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46010,news-comment,news-politics,did-bowie-bring-down-the-berlin-wall

So finally one weekend morning Jim and I decided to head for a walk. We chose a U-bahn stop that seemed close to the Wall and navigated through alleys and yards to get up close, arriving at the overlook above as a first milestone. We then took a very crooked walk along the Wall, lots of detours and dead-end streets.

We started noticing the guards in the towers, who after we'd passed two of them, were all acting the same way towards us - looking at us as we approached in binoculars, making a phone call, then ducking out of sight. And so on, after the next kilometer at the next tower, there would be the guard with the binocs pointed at us. We had a good time trying to sneak up on them.

There was one situation that I found out of character for my adopted city - on one dead-end street with an overlook at the end of the block, there was a group of Germans with a video camera and a boom microphone. We'd stumbled into something, maybe a do-it-yourself video project. As we passed them, they stopped what they were doing and glared at us.

Then one of their group broke away, following us up the scaffold of the tower and glaring at us in person as we looked across into no man's land. Not a word, just an impatient glare the whole time.

But we couldn't help lingering in that spot once we were up on the landing. There was some sort of training exercise going on just across the way, with a Soviet officer in a car with East German police (you can see the car in one of the photos above). It was an added bonus for us - the full Cold War experience: Soviets and East Germans over there together, the tower guards watching us, these hostile West Berliner artists, and us, two bumbling American servicemen touring through it all, thinking about where we were going to wind up for a beer.

Anniversary of The Fall of the Berlin Wall - part 1

Regular readers will recall that I was stationed in West Berlin during the 1980's, during the Reagan administration. My colleagues and I were surrounded by the Berlin Wall there - more than 140 miles of it encircled us.

The culture of the time sometimes held that Berlin was the flashpoint that might turn the Cold War into World War 3 - we were constantly reminded of that fact.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall this month, I thought I might go through some old photos to see what I might find of the Wall as it stood back then, as well as of various memorial installations I or my friends have encountered. I will also try to recollect some thoughts about how I regarded the Wall back then.

Of course, to my colleagues who were there as well, you are welcome to use the comment section on the blog to share any thoughts you would care to. If you are reading on Facebook, I will copy comments I receive there into a future blog post over the next week or so.

The photos today are of the recently installed memorial at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. During the early part of my enlistment, this is where I received Russian language training.

Also, a note of thanks to my friend Yiming for sending these - he was at Monterey at the same time I was all those years ago.

New Blog - Canine Renal Failure Specific

I appreciated all the interest in Gracie's kidney failure - the thoughts and messages were very touching and appreciated.

This blog continues to get search hits about the condition, so in response to all that traffic, I have started a second blog that will contain only those posts. It will take a few weeks to get them all transferred over, edit them to the new context etc., but if you are interested, here is a link:

http://graciedawg.wordpress.com/

It's about Gracie the border collie.

Looking at the Oaks

I’ve been keeping an eye on the oaks. At the Hawksbill Cabin, most of the deciduous trees in the yard are White Oaks. Among the benefits these trees provide, such as shelter for the plentiful birds and squirrels in the yard there, are the bountiful crops of acorns every year.

Those annual acorn crops are one of the main differences I noticed between the White Oaks at Hawksbill Cabin, and the varieties of Red Oak we have in the Alexandria neighborhood. The acorn crop for Red Oaks takes two years to mature – and 2009 is a bountiful year for these trees.

For the last month, the sound of acorns falling from the street trees has been going on around the clock. There is either the ping/thud of their hitting parked cars or the click-click sound as they hit the pavement, followed by a first bounce of four to six feet.

Here is a comparison of the two acorn varieties – the long green ones are White Oak acorns from the cabin, while the dark round ones are the Alexandria red ones. The Red Oak acorns seem to usually fall out of their cups, while the whole thing falls from the White Oaks. Both are passionately enjoyed by the local squirrels, as evidenced in the photo here, and the White Oaks are the key reason we have so many deer in the yard at the cabin.

Here are a couple of views of the trees (and fall color) in the Alexandria neighborhood. The large oaks date from the late 20’s and early ‘30’s. We know that there was at least one and maybe two in front of our house at one time, but those have been lost at some point.

A young Pin Oak – a Red Oak variety – has been planted to replace the old trees; there are still five or six of the really old oaks in the neighborhood, but they are gradually succumbing to the stress of city life. Our Pin Oak is the smaller one in this photo.

New Market's Southern Kitchen

I think it may have been Chris and Jeneane that turned us on to it first, but we have been in love with the Southern Kitchen in New Market since we first visited a couple of years ago. They make a stop for breakfast there whenever they are out camping in the GWNF. Of course, we just drive over the mountain whenever the inspiration strikes – just as likely for lunch as for breakfast.

And apparently we are not alone. There are fans among my fellow H-burg bloggers, and there is a review here, with general favorable results: http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=427.

We like the décor. From the roadside Americana outside to the fifties era Formica (we took some inspiration from the chartreuse boomerang pattern for the Hawksbill Cabin kitchen remodel) inside, and the Wurlitzer jukebox – it all makes a comfortable post card dining situation. The geraniums greeting you road side are still in bloom right now, even in November.

We’ve found the portions large enough to satisfy. For breakfast, the meal might include a western omelet with biscuits and sausage gravy – which always reminds me of having breakfast with my grandfather at a drug store counter in Sanford, Florida – or one of the hearty combos, eggs over easy. For lunch, it’s got to be the two piece fried chicken dinner, shown here with homemade potato salad (Mary likes the beets).
The Southern Kitchen also has a nightly dinner special, although we’ve yet to make it over there in the evening. A last note, they have a legacy dish, peanut soup – it’s worth a try if you’d like something you haven’t had before. It’s been a menu standard there for more than 50 years.

Battle of the Species: Snake on the Terrace

So, once again, I was working on a chore, whistling while I worked, and suddenly, I hear a plaintive, “JIM, what kind of snake is this?” Mary had once again nearly put her hand on a snake, this time resting peacefully on the hose bib at the front of the house. As before, she calls me for help AFTER she has disturbed it.

Once again, we had a nonvenomous species here, which I have tentatively identified as a milk snake. While there is a lot of good material on Wikipedia about these snakes, I am quoting from the Iowa state on Herpnet – link: http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=26, and the extensive description is summarized below.

In researching this snake I encountered two interesting factoids. The first is that the color variation of this snake can range from the golden brown we saw to a number of other patterns, including red, black, and yellow, so that the snake mimics a coral snake – which would be dangerous. The second factoid of interest is the source of the name – as quoted in the herpnet article; it was once believed that these snakes drank cow milk!

“The milk snake is a medium sized Iowa snake that is 24 to 52 inches in length, but quite often maintains a slender build. It is nonvenomous. Although this snake's blotched pattern remains consistent, its general coloration is quite variable. Some specimens can be beautifully light colored, having a light gray or brown ground color and bright to rusty red body blotches. Others can look a lot like fox snakes having an overall brown coloration. Still, others can be a dark gray with little or no difference in color between the ground color and blotches, only the black borders (which are always present) indicate the presence of blotches.”

“Milk snakes feed on a wide variety of animals including mice, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, reptile eggs, birds and birds’ eggs. They are a type of kingsnake and will consume venomous snakes when they chance upon them. They are at least partially immune to the venom of the venomous snakes in their range and many venomous serpents will use defensive tactics other than biting to protect themselves from kingsnakes. Young snakes comprise a large portion of a baby milk snakes diet, but they are not found to be the most significant food item for adults (Breckenridge, 1944). Adults consume mainly rodents. Milk snakes are constrictors and kill their food by suffocation.”

“Milk snakes are so named because it was once believed that these snakes would enter barns and steal milk from cows. This is false; snakes only drink water. They would become sick if they were to drink cow’s milk. Snakes also have sharp teeth; no cow would stand still for that! The milk snakes were in the barns actually helping the farmers by looking for rodents to eat.”

This is the second time I’ve seen one of these rare snakes – they may not be so rare, but are rarely seen, since they are nocturnal. The first one I saw was a dead one, similar in size to this one (by the way, the bulge in the snake body here indicates that it had recently eaten). A link to that earlier sighting, now two years ago, is here: http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2007/10/battle-of-species-2-snakes.html

This time, I coaxed the snake up onto the rake I was using and then tossed him into the front yard, away from the house. I am happy to find these nonvenomous species around, like I’ve said before, and especially ones that are known to eat young venomous snakes. But we prefer to keep them outside – AND away from the house.

Clarendon Construction October 2009

Here with a monthly update on the progress with the two buildings going up near my office.

First, big mixed use building across the street. They've reached the top now, and it looks like this new addition is higher than anything else in the neighborhood. A lot of action going up around the penthouse - there may be more than one of them.

And this shot also shows some of the exterior detailing going on in the lower right.

Then the mid-block building. They are still down in the hole, but yesterday I did see concrete moldings getting moved around so fast progress with floor pouring is going to start happening.

Since these photos were taken two weeks ago, I've noticed that quite a bit more of the exterior moldings have been installed, and they are already working on duct work and interior infrastructure as high as the ninth floor. Yesterday morning they were installing exterior elevators so the could do masonry and detail work - I will try to get a photo of that in the next week or so.

The "New" Overall Run Bridge

Back in April 2008, I posted about the construction of a new span across Overall Run on US 340. The original post is here: http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2008/04/bridge-construction.html . I also posted on the new bridge construction that had started at Jeremy’s Run, in Page County at Rileyville. It turned out that these were the two remaining bridges in Virginia that had used the same construction methodology as the bridge that failed in Minneapolis a few years ago, and they became high priorities for replacement.


For two years Mary and I have been passing by the old bridge at Overall Run, which was made into a sort of park – I heard somewhere that there is historical interest, but I am not sure where I heard that or why it would be so – maybe a regular reader could shed some light on this?

The highway bridge is paralleled by a rail span at this point, and Overall Run passes underneath from the east, joining the South Fork of the Shenandoah very close by – the river is visible from the bridge here. (I don't know what the blue tarp is in the picture, but you can see that it is set up right on the river bank there).

The little park features an old millstone and a highway marker that describes Page County and how it was formed. Overall Run marks the boundary of Page and Warren Counties.

Although I haven’t taken this hike, I’ve heard that Overall Run is a good hiking route. It doesn’t begin at the confluence or near this new bridge. I looked at the review on Hiking Upward, which is located here: http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/OverallRun/ . It looks pretty good, and since it is 8.5 miles long with almost 2,000 feet of altitude gain, I would probably rate this one a moderate hike once I have done it.

Here is a short quote from Hiking Upward:

“ The Overall Run circuit passes one of the largest continuous waterfalls in Virginia. The trails also go through valley streams and meadows, no wonder this loop is another local hiker favorite. With Beecher Ridge having one of the highest concentrations of Black Bears in the park, this is one hike where you may still catch a glimpse of a bear in the wild.”

Compton Peak: An Easy SNP Day Hike

Last month, on my vacation in early September, I did this short, 2.4 mile out-and-back of Compton Peak at the recommendation of Ranger Mike at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center. This little hike is in the North District of the Park with a trailhead off of Skyline Drive, but I forgot to note the milepost; if I recall correctly, it is near Indian Run Overlook.

This trail includes a short part of the AT, and while I rate it as easy, it does include a climb of more than 800 feet.

At the summit of Compton Peak, there is a crossroads to overlook hikes to the right and left – the one to the right has better views, looking out on the Shenandoah Valley, while the one on the left is a bit overgrown with forest and looks over the Park, and you descend 200 feet to get to it. However, I’ve subsequently learned from neighbor Dan that the one on the left has a significant geological feature that I did not see while I was there.

Frequent Park and Valley visitors will recognize the name Compton – it is the name of a little borough on US 340, and there is a rapids on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River going through here. I was surprised to find there also was a mountain that shared the name.
According to the Heatwole guide (URL is http://ajheatwole.com/guide/log1/log12.htm) the exposed rock on this hike are Catoctin lava, which can be seen throughout the Park.

There are large boulders along the trail, including basalt, and as you approach the summit, the path is covered with the rocks. I was worried in this section for a couple of reasons – it was the beginning of leaves falling so there were slippery places, and in general I am very wary of the potential for snakes resting on sunny rocks in the Park.

As far as the geologic features at the second overlook, I am going to quote directly from the Heatwole guide:

“…it's rather rough and rocky, and the last part of it is quite steep. If you skip it you can shorten the hike by 0.4 mile, and reduce the total climb by 230 feet. But I recommend that you go anyway, to see a fine example of columnar jointing. (This particular rock raised my interest in geology from near zero to the threshold of enthusiasm. Maybe it will do the same for you.)

"Follow the blue blazes downhill to a boulder that rises ten or fifteen feet directly in front of you. Climb to the top. There's a view directly ahead, out into the Piedmont. The Blue Ridge goes to the right, with a good stretch of Skyline Drive, including Jenkins Gap Overlook, in view. Straight out from this rock, The Peak rises beyond the near ridge. At the right of your view are the two summits of Mount Marshall.

"The blue blazes continue down the left side of the rock you're standing on, but I consider that route a little dangerous. To be cautious, climb down the rock the way you climbed up, and then go around it. You'll promptly pick up the blue blazes again. Follow them for about 50 yards, steeply downhill, to the base of the cliff. Then look up. The lava cracked into these prismatic columns when it cooled, some 800 million years ago. The thrusting force that formed these mountains tilted the columns to their present angle. During subsequent erosion, the downhill side of the cliff crumbled away, so that you now look up at the lower ends of the giant prisms.”

Tech-watch geek: Those GPS Trek-tools

This post is not exactly about a tech watch, but I’m categorizing it with that label, since it is about similar gear.

Yesterday my buddy Chris told me he was looking into a "Spot" GPS tool yesterday – these are the devices that can journalize your location on a map, and also send out a 9-1-1 call if you run into an emergency. Coincidentally, I came across this interesting news story about using the locators on Sunday.

“FRESNO, Calif. - Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon — just in case.

In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls.

What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst "tasted salty."
If they had not been toting the device that works like “Onstar” hikers, "we would have never attempted this hike," one of them said after the third rescue crew forced them to board their chopper. It's a growing problem facing the men and women who risk their lives when they believe others are in danger of losing theirs.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33470581/ns/us_news-life/

By the way, from the NPS Grand Canyon website, here are the warnings about the Royal Arch Loop trail: “…The Royal Arch Loop is appropriate for experienced canyon hikers only, walkers who have paid their dues and acquired the appropriate wilderness skills, whose experience allows proper rigging of rappel anchors, and who can easily and safely rope down vertical cliffs. For such people the Royal Arch Loop offers a top drawer canyon adventure, replete with more natural beauty than humans can absorb. For those lacking the required skill and judgment this hike offers about a million ways to get into serious trouble in a remote part of the Grand Canyon.”

I’ve actually been thinking about these products to add to my gear while I continue exploring the hikes of Shenandoah National Park. I’ve enjoyed posting hike reviews on the Hawksbill Cabin site and have even considered compiling them into some sort of a guide, recognizing that they need a bit of technical enhancement information that gear like this could provide.

In my research I checked the Outside magazine gear guide to see if any of these accessories were reviewed or recommended there – none were. Chris had read a number of reviews, most of which indicated that there was trouble with the devices – not in the emergency call mode, but because the map tracking element failed to transmit – something you wouldn’t find out about until you returned from your adventure. Imagine returning from your once in a lifetime trip (one that you were well prepared for, not like our hikers above) only to find the GPS marker from where you saw the grizzly on Denali hadn’t been recorded, or your swordfish mark off Saipan was not to be found?

Maybe it’s a gene pool thing, heading out unprepared like this, trusting in one’s own resourcefulness to stay safe, but it’s just common sense to realize that these devices aren’t going to replace good preparation for a rigorous hike. That’s coming from someone who won’t even do Old Rag without a shakedown hike to prepare – and it is patrolled by qualified volunteers (see http://oldragpatrolsbyrsl-blook.blogspot.com/ for more information about what these folks do). It can't be underestimated, how important it is to know your own limits and limitations.

Fall Foliage Walk

Mary and I managed to get out for a short walk around the neighborhood this weekend. We walked about two miles, roughly following one of our old dog walking circuits, taking in the fall foliage - just peaking here in town. During the day on Saturday and Sunday there was a chorus of leaf blowers.

The Rosemont neighborhood of Alexandria was developed starting around 1920 as a streetcar neighborhood, an early commuter suburb of Washington, DC. So a couple of the streets have median strips which is actually where the old tracks and stations were. Nearby local industry included a rail yard, and railway workers (or managers and executives as you climb the hill) lived in many of the houses here.

The George Washington Masonic Memorial is one of our landmarks as well, shown in the photo here, up on "Shooters Hill."

Today we are privileged to have a few 70-year old oaks left that were originally planted as the neighborhood was being built. There is also one majestic elm in the neighborhood that dates to that time, although I don't have a photo of it. I will be sure to get one over the course of the next year, as it is stressed like all the trees, and there just aren't many elms like it around - not just in Alexandria, but in the country as a whole.

In addition to the trees, we walked by a couple of "famous" houses. This first one, the colonial, was used as a location in "West Wing" a few times - I believe it was where the Alan Alda character lived. It's funny, the exterior probably never had more than a few seconds of air time, but they filmed here at least twice and the production activity lasted two days both times.

This second house, the picturesque and charming little bungalow, was featured in a book called "Bungalow Nation" a few years back. (The book image will take you to an Amazon link.) While I didn't pose this one to capture all the fall foliage that surrounds it this week, you can see from the cover what it might look like.

We also walked by the little townhouse where we lived before we moved into our current gabled bungalow. I didn't get a photo, but we both agreed that it was a good place, and was a place where we wouldn't mind living again if we downsized from the current house.

Beer Anxiety

We are having a few friends over tonight. In addition to a spread of ribs and sides, I need to buy beer, and I am planning to have two cases there...When it comes to beer there really isn't much that scares me. Oh sure, I've had some unpleasant experiences.

Once in Paris, I got hold of some year old bocks that were deep in the bar's cooler. Those gave me some miserable hiccups that lasted all night. I can hardly remember where else I might have gone in Paris after those. We started in the Latin Quarter and there was a taxi ride or two and I remember a disco. And I remember we had to wake the doorman up to get back into the hotel. So much for that adventure.

Another time, I had a Moretti with lunch. I only had one. But I failed to note that it was 18 proof, meaning 9 percent alcohol. Needless to say, I thought I was a lightweight back at the office when I couldn't concentrate the rest of the afternoon! But that was when I decided no beer at lunch anymore.

Oh, and then there is the story of how we talked our German bartender Nada into adding Pilsner Urquel to go with the smoked beer she traditionally served. That's a long tale, and since it occurred during Reagan's reelection campaign and I wouldn't be able to resist political commentary, I'll save it for later.

I would like to buy one of those mini-kegs but I would only do it if I can find a German beer. I am thinking, Bitburger or Tucher or something like that. Just can't do the Heinecken thing, although I am glad they are carrying on the concept.


My usual beer store in Alexandria is the Total Beverage, you can get just about anything there, but traffic to it is bad and would add about 45 minutes of unpleasantness to what is already a very challenging task. I decided to go to Shoppers instead, they share distributors and they have one of those big frigerated rooms for all the beers.

...I'm back now. Not too much agonizing. I did, however, buy 8 six packs, shown in the photo. I have a Helles Lager, a blonde bock and Shiners, an assortment of ales including some seasonal ones.

And oh yeah, there will likely be leftovers. But that's part of the plan. Just don't tell Mary.

Top Dawg

Since Gracie passed away last month, we have been a little worried about Sofie. We've always thought she was older than Gracie, maybe by a year or two. (And we've always hypothesized that she might have had a litter of puppies before we got her, but we don't know that for sure.)

For the first week or so after Gracie died, Sofie didn't want to go too far on her walks. In fact, Mary told me she would dig in before losing sight of the house, constantly looking back for something. This could have been the new routine, walking without the other dog, but Sofie also has a little arthritis in her paws that probably make walking painful.

We've had another recent change in her routines as well - Mary took a new job downtown and isn't here for a mid-day break. So we have hired a walker.

At first, Sofie wasn't very responsive to this; it took a while. She might not leave the deck in the back when our walker was here, for example. It just took her some time to get used to the change.

This week the walker left a note. He said that now Sofie will go down into the yard when he asks her too, or that she will come with him for a short walk. She also now greets him at the door.

That's a relief. We know she grieved for a while too after Gracie, but like we are, she's coming around.

"Buy one or two to beautify your home..."

It’s funny that our last two home improvement purchases have been made in pairs – one by me, and one by Mary. I’d like to start out talking about mine.

Here they are, carefully positioned on the couch. I bought these two, hologram-certified, Coleman camo thermal pillows to use around the Hawksbill Cabin during the winter for warmth. Apparently the foam filling is designed to retain body heat and they are useful in hunting blinds, ice fishing camps, and the like. I’ll mainly use them sitting in my folding chair out on the brick terrace on cold mornings and evenings. But they do fit right in with the living room color scheme, don’t they?

The second purchase was these two bar stools that Mary found at an antique store in Alexandria. They fit the era of our other furnishings, although they are later in the Mid-Century time frame. We replaced two cheap stools that we had gotten at Wal-Mart with these. They are quite a bit more comfortable even though they are an inch or two lower than the others.

Byrne's two-wheeled assault

My coffee stop in the morning is actually a book store chain. Recently I noticed David Byrne's new book, "Bicycle Diaries" on the new releases table - the image here will link you to the Amazon page. I'd heard about this book and enjoyed leafing through the pages - and it's on my reading list.

Mary and I have known about Byrne's passion for bike riding since the 2004 show we took in at the Birchmere here in Alexandria. She was coming out of the restroom when David arrived from biking to the show - the doorman wasn't letting him in because of how he was dressed and because of his general appearance, clearly in "warm down" mode. Here's a quote from the journal entry about that show, and a link to the post: "...I ride my bike to the venue in Alexandria...it's a nice ride along the river, leading past the Ronald Reagan Airport and then out to tree-lined residential neighborhoods..." http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2004/06/6104_washington.html

Bike rides are a common thread in David's blog so I am not surprised that he had accumulated enough material there to be the foundation of a book. It turns out that bike riding is also his primary mode of transportation in Manhattan, where he lives - he's been a rider for 30 years. He has a number of recent projects centered on the theme, including those new bike racks in NYC.

I also caught a couple of book reviews in Outside magazine and National Geographic Adventure magazine this month, following the release. Besides the typical interviews about the book and bike riding experiences, there is some insight into how Byrne thinks about the cities he has been to as a bike riding experience, and for general "bikability:"

• Classic urban centers: New York and San Francisco
• Emerging, few bike paths but good possibilities: Rochester and Pittsburgh
• Chaotic, challenging old world cities: Rome and London
• Memorable, great rides where least expected: Detroit and Istanbul

I'm looking forward to picking up the book for a read soon. I have a couple on the list ahead of it just yet.

Return to Blackrock

I mentioned in some previous posts that our intention on Saturday was to do a relatively aggressive hike on Saturday, taking in Jones Run Falls (42') and the Doyles River Falls (28' and 63') in the Southern District of Shenandoah National Park. With the foreboding forecast - depending on what source you consulted, the temperatures might fall to near freezing, with accompanying precip - Chris and I decided to change our plans rather than taking in a four-hour plus 7 mile hike.

After stopping by to visit Howard at Evergreen Outfitters in Luray we headed down to Rockfish Gap in Waynesboro to make our way to the trailhead. I picked up a new pair of Vasques from Howard, shown in the picture of me here at the Blackrock summit. We did make a stop at the outfitters at Rockfish Gap, too, enjoying a leisurely and thorough browse of their exhaustive store, but making no purchases - this time.

Then it was up into the Park for our short hike to Blackrock Summit - this route is only a mile roundtrip, so I didn't even bring a pack, only a small bottle of water. Chris went in full gear, as can be seen in the photo of him in the rock gap. He was disappointed to find that the scale of this passage was exactly human, somehow he had gotten the impression that this was a giant rock formation from my previous photos.

We spent a lot of time just below the summit scrambling on the quartzite formations, and then we climbed to the top and hung out for a while. We were finally interrupted by the storm warning on his Suunto, as the barometric pressure dropped sharply and clouds started moving in, shown in a couple of these photos.

We quickly got off the mountain, returning to the parking area via the AT. It started raining by the time we reached the car. We stopped by the Loft Mountain Wayside for some chili before making our way home.

As shown in the photos I posted yesterday and in this blog post here: http://oldragpatrolsbyrsl-blook.blogspot.com/2009/10/wilderness-weekend-sun-10182009.html, the rain that started on Saturday night eventually turned to a pretty, light and envigorating snowfall.