Tuesday, November 22, 2011
So, here we are trying to get a grip on the meaning of winter. Hasn't happened yet. No snow.
We walked on a trail near Anne's house, and it was a beautiful day, We saw the remains of a woolen mill, and it was really cool to see the way they dammed the river, sluiced the water to a generator, and could raise the level of the dam with planks. We also learned that there's a kind of CLOTH named shoddy - which is recycled wool - just like rayon is a kind of cloth. And that our word shoddy meaning not so good is taken from the shoddy cloth, which was reputed to be less good than from unused fibers. The baseball uniforms of the red sox were made from shoddy. I think the yankees too, it did say, but I forget - some new york team, maybe the dodgers, maybe the yankees, maybe the giants - in the 1800s or early 1900s.
Then, after walking a trail near Anne's, we climbed a mountain near Elizabeth. Bob and Elizabeth went to the top, I pooped out 3/4 the way there. But there were fabulous views, and they say the top was so windy Bob's coat was poofing out, his sleeves were flapping like a flag, and he said he almost had to hold on so as to not get blown off the rocks. I can't figure out how to turn the picture. You do it.
And THEN (these are three separate days) we had an EXPLORE. We walked along an unused train track - which had trees growing in the middle of it, not a traditional "rail trail" - and saw ducks and a still functional dam and a broken down one. They were gone ducks. (As opposed to widgeons or harlequin). Because by the time we got the picture taking tools out and could take a picture, they were gone. And the trail went ON and ON just like the poem. We walked across the river on railroad ties THREE TIMES and I did not fall in or lose my nerve entirely (just almost). It was a GREAT explore.
