More Charleston~The Porches

I couldn't resist sharing this lovely part of Charleston. The porches on the houses were incredible. I feel like the city should be dubbed "The Porch City". I mean, I couldn't snap pictures fast enough in an attempt to get all of the insanely incredible porches.

This is just a small sampling of the beauty here. This place was hands down one of the prettiest cities I've visited so far.

The Other Reason We Travel

The main reason we wanted to travel full time was to see the world and do it together as a family. The other reason I love to travel is meeting all the new people we do. We've had a fairly transient life from the time we were married. We just never have seemed to want or need to stay put in any one place for too long. But the last place we lived, and it is the longest I stayed put in one house in my life, was South Florida. Southeast Florida to be exact. There is much I loved about the place and the people. And anyone that has lived there can attest to the fact that people being friendly or close to others is not one of the plusses. It is just how it is there.



Not to say I didn't make and keep great friends there, because I did. But they were few and far between. I didn't realize how starved I was for people interaction until we went on the road. I soak it up now that I have it so readily available to me everywhere we go. And I love it. I really miss it when I don't get it now.



Today we are sitting inside and I'm a bit pouty about that because we were invited to Happy Hour over at Ken and Faye's. All the pickle ball players will know who I am talking about because they are Pickle masters or ambassadors or something like that. And they are really great people to boot. (As a side note, I realized yesterday that Faye is one of the most regal women I've ever met. She has the kind of southern accent that makes me feel homesick. Someone once told me I was a southern Belle at heart and I think she meant that I want to be a southern Belle at heart, like Faye and my friend Marcia! Unfortunately, I'm more like Jenny from the block so I'll let them be the Belle's!) I'm really bummed that we are missing the Happy Hour due to rain. And I am just so grateful that I know we live a life that another and another and another will come our way. So it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of life.



I'm also pondering that the other day we went to Petsmart so we could waste more money on the pets who could care less about the gadgets and gizmos we buy them. While we were there though, I struck up a conversation with one of the managers and she was just the neatest lady. I'm thinking I'm going to have to drive back over just to talk to her again. She had lots of animals for pets, told us about some of them and told us why she moved to Florida, told us how she lost her mom and MIL both within six months and she is from my hometown. She is the first person I've met from Jackson. Well the first person that would admit it at least.

I was so touched that she'd share her life with me so freely and I hope I extended the compassion that I felt in my heart when she shared about being here without extended family around. While I can feel pouty about this or that in my life, she helped me to remember that most of the people I love the most are still here for me to see and visit with and talk to. And that's a pretty huge thing. She reminded me that while I lived for a season where I felt pretty lonely neighbor wise, I have now had a season where neighbors are abundant because most people in this country are still very neighborly. She reminded me of the other reason I love to travel. The people. They are every bit as incredible as the landscape!





Living the life in rainy Florida!

Pike Run Dry Tooling

The small outcrops at Pike Run work great for dry tooling

East coast ice climbing has had another dismal week. Above average temperatures and rain are preventing the ice climbing season from getting underway. Locally we've had 40 degree rainy days with evening temps hovering around freezing. Yesterday Laura and I had some time to get out climbing and didn't want the lack of ice this season ruin our motivation. With possible rain in the forecast, we decided to hit a small local spot for some dry tooling. We decided to head over to Pike Run for some dry tool investigation. Pike Run is predominantly a bouldering area with a few 25' outcrops that offer a little top roped climbing. I installed a few bolt anchors on top of the outcrops in 2000 to help lessen the impact of anchoring off the small trees at the top. For those that don't know, I used to own a climbing shop and guide service located about 5 minutes down the road in Donegal. Pike Run offered folks a place to climb very close to my shop. Much to my surprise Pike Run is still being used on a regular basis.

Tim checking out the Citronella Cave V4 to V6

Laura getting ready to give it a go...

Laura on our 3rd climb

Enjoying the new opportunities

The approach trail has had some impressive work done to it. Someone also went as far as to build landings at the bottom of the Tower outcrop at the descent trail. My hat is off to those ambitious folks that took the effort to help maintain this local climbing resource. The rock at Pike Run is sandstone. Its coarse, not nearly as compact and solid as the sandstone located in most places on Chestnut Ridge. The outcrops at Pike Run offer some great dry tool options. Laura and I had a great time exploring and trying out some lines. We climbed 3 lines overall taking laps on each several times. The moves varied from easier M3/4 to M8 with the climbing being somewhat technical and not as straight forward as it looks from the ground. Rounded and sloping are the norm with a few usable cracks here and there. It was nice to revisit and take a serious thrashing at an area I haven't climbed in a few years. I'm sure we'll be back to pump ourselves silly soon enough.

Laura practicing climbing in ice boots without tools

On a non climbing note:

On the way home from Pike Run we were pleasantly surprised to see a pair of Northern Goshawks near Acme Dam on county line road. One was actively hunting and perching while the other perched the whole time far off on a field edged by forest. It will be interesting to see if they are herewintering or passing through to other territory. Goshawks are our largest accipiter and are irregular visitors to our region. They live in the colder, northern climates of Canada during summer and migrate south for the winter. The Goshawk is related to our summer resident Sharp-Shinned and Coopers hawks. Here's a photo we shot of one perched on a dead snag.

Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis

near Acme Dam, Dec. 16,

Blizzard Report, from Somerville MA

As you may have heard, we've had a little snow here in the Northeast. We were out of town in the days before it was expected to hit, and hurried to make it back before the travel ban went into effect. Yes: a motor vehicle travel ban for all of Massachusetts was declared, with violations punishable with a year of jail time. Still, here in Greater Boston many doubted the seriousness of the blizzard to come. We've been fooled before with promises of sensational snowstorms, only to receive a measly couple of inches.






This time however, the universe followed through. Over 2 feet of snow had piled up outside our front door by morning, and that was after the stairs had been shoveled the night before.






Beyond the front door I could see an awkward heap of snow, which I realised was the neighbours' car.






Our street looked like this, after the plows had gone through it.






The normally busy main road looked like this.






And this. (Notice anything missing?)






At around 9:30am I saw a procession of plows making their way down the road.






But it continued to snow until mid-morning, quickly covering any progress the plows made with another dusting.






I encountered surreal scenes, such as this one. Any car that had been left out on the street had now turned into a giant snowbank.






Once the snow stopped falling, vehicle excavations began.






They would continue zealously until sunset.






Clearing sidewalks was tricky, considering how much snow had fallen. Some dug trenches, which had to be navigated single file - the snow nearly waist-high.






But for the most part the sidewalks had not been cleared and pedestrians took to the roads.






Mostly on foot, by sometimes on sleds, snowshoes, and skis.






I was a little envious of the snowshoes I have to admit; I would love to try them.






In the first half of the day, I did not see any bikes being ridden. The road surface was too uneven and soft for most cyclists and bicycles, myself included.






At least in the first half of the day, the driving ban was enforced. A police SUV slowly circulated the neighbourhood shouting threats over the loudspeaker at anyone who attempted to drive, other than snow plow operators and city workers.







Pedestrian movement was not impeded, and soon people took over the roads.







At some point, word came that a party was being held in nearby Union Square.








Pretty soon, it seemed like the entire neihgbourhood headed that way (except those still digging out their cars!).






There was music blaring and people dancing. Despite the potentially serious nature of a blizzard of this magnitude, the atmosphere in the entire neighbourhood was downright festive. Those out on the streets were saying hello to one another, and smiling ear to ear.






Kids, adults, everyone looked happy to be outdoors, enjoying themselves.






Some wore costumes.






Others came ready to fight.





Which they did, to the sounds of dance music, with the Somerville Gateway mural as proud backdrop.






As the afternoon waned and the snowplows laboured tirelessly, I began to see a few bikes here and there.






But still mostly sleds.






Andtoboggans.






And skis.






And various snowboard-like contraptions.






I did a lot of walking throughout the day. Many layers were donned to deal with the cold, but nothing out of the ordinary.






Others got creative with plastic bags, various DIY overshoes and blanket-capes.






To see our entire neighbourhood so active and energetic at a time when it was expected to be immobilised was quite something. By mid-afternoon a few local businesses opened their doors to meet the foot-traffic demand for coffee, alcohol and groceries. All of these places were packed.






It seems that Somerville, MA has weathered the storm well, and there have been no disasters. In the meantime, the snow plows are still at it. Excavations of vehicles continue. And although the motor vehicle ban is now lifted, along the largely unplowed side streets snowshoes continue to rule the roads.


More pictures here - enjoy the rest of the weekend!