Fun In The Woods

Peepers!

2011-03-19T22:51:00.002-04:00

A welcome sign of spring.

Rocky!

2011-03-19T20:31:00.007-04:00

The snakes were definitely cool. The umpteen types of multicolored mushrooms that sprang up overnight were very noteworthy. The salamanders, red efts, fence lizards - - all amazing. Even the copperhead and the black widow spiders were eye-opening from a "stand well away" perspective. But they all paled when compared with Rocky.

Rocky made his presence known one day when the bluebirds were trying to get into the bluebird houses in the side yard. As they flitted around the opening to one of the houses, something that was definitely not a bluebird stuck its head out the window. Trying to get a closer look, I went outside and (with the mechanical advantage of a hockey stick), opened the side flap on the bluebird house. All of a sudden, Rocky comes scurrying out of the front hole and climbs another 4 feet up the tree, out of my reach.

Now, having seen plenty of squirrels around here, this one looked pretty sorry and malnourished. It appeared to have immature/stunted growth, huge black eyes, and rather baggy/sagging skin. My mind landed on "undersized, underfed baby squirrel", and carefully closing the bluebird house door, I went back inside.

My Chief Everything Officer went out over the next few days and put grapes and cranberries out for our baby squirrel, all of which would habitually disappear. But for a few days, we didn't see our friend. So the CEO heads outside, determined to empty the nest and/or carcass of our underfed/malnourished baby squirrel and give it a proper burial.

Propping open the door, CEO gave a small shriek as - surprise! - Rocky made his appearance again, scrambling up the tree to safety. CEO then fished into the bluebird house and retrieved the nest material.

And then it got fun.

The nest - surprise! - was NOT empty; instead it housed a number of tiny furry gray squirrels with baggy skin and big eyes. Backing off immediately, CEO stepped back so Rocky...or rather, Rocqui, could tend to her babies.

Once we'd given her some space and quiet, Rocqui went straight to work, retrieving the first of her babies (1), putting it in her mouth, and scampering quickly some 40 feet up the tree.(2)

And then she jumped.

And then she soared.

And then she flew.

This was no ordinary grey squirrel, this was a flying squirrel, and she'd just jumped from a height of 40 feet, soaring for 30 feet of distance and then pulling up at the end to make a nice soft landing on the tree that held our other bluebird house (3). Scampering up the tree, she stashed the first of her children in the empty (safe) house, and then climbed up 40 feet on that tree(4), jumped, soared, and flew back to the original tree to retrieve another baby(1).

We watched, slack-jawed, as Rocqui repeated that process an additional four times. And while she did, we came to recognize that this was no 'dumb animal'. Rocqui immediately sprang into action, taking care to not waste a single trip, but grabbing her babies and heading for the nearest and safest house alternative. Also, the reason we hadn't seen much of Rocqui before was that she is, like most flying squirrels, a noctural creature, which explains the oversized bulging black eyes.

For a little bit of what we saw, check this out:

We're still on the lookout for Rocqui, but since we're on different shifts, we're not expecting that we'll see a lot of her. Still, it's definitely cool to think of swooping, flying squirrels, soaring through the darkness, just outside the window.

Playing with Fire

2010-12-06T18:31:00.004-05:00

Since joining the work-from-home labor force last year, I've discovered the delights of working in various places around the house: Bedroom, kitchen, living room, family room, back patio, etc. A good wireless connection and a pretty slick laptop make for a pretty productive combination, and the landscape outside makes a pretty nice window view in all directions.

By far, there's no delight like settling in on the couch, feet up on the ottoman, with a good fire going in the Buck Stove as the temperatures dip outside. We were told the house's prior owners had a heck of a time getting the stove to not belch wood smoke inside, and generally left it unused. We have had no such problems (well, maybe once or twice), and can regularly keep the house at 78-82 degrees using only the stove and the interior circulating fan. (Happiness is a silent and inactive heat pump.)

By far, the biggest challenge has been the finding the right types and quantities of firewood. The first winter, we ran out around Christmas and were saved only by a neighbor who donated some unused cords of well-seasoned pine. Year two found us running out as well, though we resorted to cutting down deadwood in our yard. Still, we found ourselves buying a half truckload of pretty unseasoned oak that the seller swore he'd burned with great results (though I suspect he used napalm as an accelerant).
This year, we've been blessed with good friends who donated dead trees from their yards. But not just any tree - - some well-seasoned Hickory, about two cord's worth. Cutting, splitting and stacking it back in late August was a herculean task, but has proved well worth the effort. A chart from The Log Rack blog shows the BTU potential of several types of firewood (along with ease of splitting, burning, sparks, smoke, etc.) and Hickory regularly comes out on top.

We've finally dialed in our stove damper/vent combinations, and have found that we can easily get two hours of unattended burn time out of just three pieces of wood. This is a vast improvement over prior years when we've burned maple or poplar (which seems to burn to ash in minutes).

I can't deny, I look at those with propane fireplaces and sometimes feel a touch of envy at those who enjoy the warmth of a fire without the backache of tree felling, log splitting and stacking, ash scooping, chimney cleaning and more. But then I look at a woods full of potential fuel and it all seems worth it (especially when the electric co-op bill comes). And besides, if I close my eyes, it almost feels as warm as a summer afternoon on the beach.

Just in time for Halloween: Snakes and Spiders!

2010-10-01T18:54:00.010-04:00

It's been a while since we encountered snakes - - having cleared out 12"+ of leaves from around the house when we moved in two years ago, we've long since seen large ring neck or black snakes around. And it's been a little over a year since I nearly stepped on a smallish copperhead that was lounging just off our patio.

I was surprised to come across this little fellow out front near the front steps, lounging near a hole that went under the cement foundation. Because the snake is juvenile, I can't identify this one properly. I think it's a ribbon snake or an eastern garter snake. Regardless, I know enough to tell that the head isn't triangular and the pupils are round, not vertical slits.

Great resource, just discovered: The Virginia Snake Identification Guide, courtesy of the Virginia Herpetological Society.

Also making an appearance in the front flowerbed was this fine lady, the Yellow Garden Spider. We're used to seeing these when we travel to South Carolina - - we often see these in the palmettos, with massive webs framing the large females.

Fungus Amongus.

2010-09-30T15:51:00.012-04:00

The scene: Our front yard

The time: September, early Saturday morning

The scenario: Husband looks out the window and grabs camera, tearing out front door, spends next 15 minutes hunched over various areas in the front, side and back yards, shooting pictures of wild mushrooms that have sprouted up almost overnight. Wife looks at husband and shakes head sadly, acknowledging that while husband finds pleasure in this activity, that maybe, just maybe, his cheese isn't resting squarely on his cracker.

editor's note: Due to time constraints, I can't do much more than offer up these "cool shroom photos" with no reference to species or varieties. What amazed were the sheer variety of types that showed up at once, with at least six or seven different colorations and textures in evidence. That said, I will make a token nod to my favorite common mushroom name, the poisonous "Death Cap" mushroom, Amanita phalloides. (Photo via Flickr courtesy of Gianpiero Meazza)

Treehouse: Done!(ish)

2010-09-17T19:56:00.009-04:00

Finally, finally, finally, it's done. Over Labor Day weekend, in a burst of final contruction, a roof frame/support was put up, a roof completed, and supports put in for the plywood wall siding. While I don't think it'll survive a tree falling on it, the platform will handle the collective weight of a family of four.

Big and Little Red did spend an overnight out there last weekend, and with the exception of evening temps in the 50s, it was a comfortable and secure sleepout in the woods. They did report hearing the bobcats (or so we believe) in the middle of the night. Fortunately, we'd warned them about the owls, fox and bobcat noises, as well as the potential for a raccoon raid.

On to the next: Big Red has agreed to clear the rest of the front yard trail, completing the loop between the side yard and the back creek. It's not easy work, but tearing around the yard on a mountain bike trail is soon to be a reality.

Treehouse Update.

2010-05-03T19:55:00.003-04:00

I was asked recently about the treehouse progress we've made recently and in general how the build was going. In a recent fit of weekend activity, we actually got sides on the platform, so it's more contained, and actually sleep-worthy. The entire 6' x 10' platform has a 36" wall all the way around, with the exception of an opening where they climb in.

I had ambitions of making a rope ladder with wooden rungs, similar to what you see here. But while my ambition was good, the rope just didn't live up to expectations. 1/2" sisal, it turns out, just can't hold up to the weight and stretch pressures of two boys and their dad. Instead, I built a custom ladder out of 2 x 4 sides and salvaged the 1 1/4" dowels as steps for the ladder. All in all, it's a very reasonable replacement and a whole lot more comfortable/sturdy for the climber. The one thing that did need some unexpected attention were the bolts I'd installed that hold the platform to the crossbeams. I hadn't expected them to loosen up as much as they did over the winter, but in some cases, they were loose enough for me to hand-tighten. They've been seriously cranked down, but it's a good reminder for me of the need for ongoing inspection of any construction that's going to live outdoors and be subject to nature's stresses and strains.

The only part that remains is some sort of roof structure, and I'm looking at clear corrogated plastic panels from Lowes for strength, flexibility and weather resistance. The only unexpected thing is the need to severely angle the roof in order to shake off the elements; specifically if we have another winter with 17" snowfalls. I've been trying to go for lightweight construction overall, and don't have any plans to install full roof joists and plywood. But lightweight can't handle the stresses of sixty square feet of snow at a depth of 18" (at an average weight of 15 pounds per cubic foot, that's a load of 1200 pounds). Long story short, when the treehouse-building-advice websites suggest that you angle your roof at least 30 degrees, they know what they're talking about.

Amphibian Heroes - Part 2

2010-05-03T19:14:00.003-04:00

Well, despite what we may want to happen, nature often has its own ways that have nothing to do with our wishes. After spending 5 hours with the hose running and filling the vernal pool in the woods, I returned three days later to find the pool empty again. Seems like our lack of rain recently not only dried up the pool, but also dried up the grounds, and the water we filled the pool with was almost immediately sucked into the earth. And once again, our little gelatinous egg sacs were left high and dry, just waiting for dessication or to become a scavenger's dessert.

And with that, Big Red and Little Red sprang into action. Hoisting a 5 gallon bucket on a rake handle, the two environmental stewards went into the muck of the pool and scooped out at least seven different egg clutches, depositing them in the bucket and heading up the road on a 3/8 mile hike to the other vernal pool (a.k.a. The Bog, since it never dries up in the spring and summer months). Once there, they relocated the eggs into the deep murky waters of the bog, so they might have a safe place to hatch, or else might have a place in the bog's food chain.

I have to say I'm proud of my guys. Not only did they see and recognize a threat to nature, but they took the time to do something about it. I think they appreciate the coolness of a jet-black salamander covered with day-glow yellow spots crawling across the forest floor, and can appreciate how such things come to be. Good job, guys.

Big Red - Hero to Amphibians

2010-04-27T21:13:00.004-04:00

If you've been here, you know about the bog/vernal pool/big hole occasionally filled with water out back in the near woods. And last year, how we rescued a clutch of salamander eggs, but were not successful in getting many to hatch.

Well, this year, our bog/pool/etc was just littered with amphibian egg clutches. Must have been at least 15 of the gelatinous masses, all crammed full with tadpoles and salamanders. But unfortunately, as often happens at this time of year, the bog dried up, and we were in danger of losing our little slimy friends to dessication or raccoons.

Big Red to the rescue: The first plan involved hauling buckets of water up from the artesian well over to the bog and dumping those in. After convincing him that the bog had the volume of roughly twenty bathtubs, we decided to haul a hose down from the house, turn it on and fill the bog naturally. Surprisingly, it only took about 5 hours for it to fill most of the way up, and now our egg clutches are submerged again. And soon, we hope, we'll get to enjoy a chorus of evening frogs or see the spotted salamanders crawling across the woodland floor.

Go Big Red!

Outdoor Resolutions for 2010

2009-12-29T22:24:00.003-05:00

In no particular order:

1) Finish the treehouse

The kids have been incredibly patient with a project that should have been wrapped up by now, and time's a wastin'. The platform has been put up, the deck secured, and it's been weather/season tested with no apparent flaws or failures. The next step is to build sides and a roof structure, along with some sort of climbing pegs or steps. Two thoughts for the remaining construction: Lightweight but sturdy walls of plywood and 2x2 framing, and clear corrugated roof panels.

2) Trails, this side of the creek

Tools: Rake, axe, lopping shears. Ten feet at a time, or fifty, but progress is needed. The most challenging part is figuring out the best path to take around our pools and ravines that run parallel to the creek.

3) A temporary bridge

There's no way I'll have time, energy or money to make the dream bridge this year, but coming up with a sturdy and reliable way to get across the creek shouldn't be that far out of reach. Right now, crossing the creek means heading down and up the banks on either side, and there's really only one or two good places to do that. Some simple bridge options are here, here and here.

4) Camp overnight in the back woods.

It's good practice for "hike in" camping that will be coming with our transition to Boy Scouts. Getting a tent, groundcloth, sleeping bags and air mattresses up the hill in the back would be good experience, and clearing a site and fire circle would be a nice way to start making some progress at the flat ground at the back side of the woods.

(to be continued)

Fun At Bayport By:Big Red

2009-11-04T19:53:00.001-05:00

This summer I went to a place called the Bayport Scout Reservation. It was pretty fun. Although it did take me 2 hours to set up, and the bug bites didn’t stop itching until a month later. The activities were really fun though, they included rock climbing, playing fun games, and swimming. There was also an amazing show every night.

The nights were hard to get through, especially with a very talkative friend,(who I will leave unnamed) but he only stayed for one night. Unfortunately, that friend left food on the floor of the tent. One day later, there was a skunk in it. I saw it’s beady eyes first, thinking it was some trash my friend had left on the ground. Then I got really angry at my friend.

By the last day I was worn out and tired. It was very relieving when dad showed up with his car. It actually felt good to sleep on a real mattress rather than a rusting cot with a one-inch-thick one. But with me, as long as I get sleep, I’m okay. Bay port is a pretty good place, but remember this, bring bug screen!

Movin' On Up

2009-09-28T21:14:00.005-04:00

There have been some requests of late for an update on the treehouse. It's been a long slow process, but we're starting to take shape. In the last post, I talked about the general design, which resembles a platform balanced on rails mounted to two trees. Since that time, a platform has been framed and balanced on top of the rails.

As soon as we put up the frame, I saw the solution for my mounting problem. If you look at the pictures, you'll see that we needed a pretty sturdy method of affixing the platform to the rails. Two 100-pound kids on the edge of the platform would create a tremendous amount of torque; our means of attachment would need to be just as strong to maintain a level platform.

Solution? 1' segments of 4"x 4" beams, drilled and bolted into the 2"x 8" beam "rails" and then bolted at a right angle into the platform itself. As seen from the underside of the treehouse:

The test was when I asked Big and Little Red to hang from the edge of the platform so it would carry all their weight. Using a tape measure, I found that our platform only shifted 1/2" vertically when two boys put their full weight on the opposite edge of the platform. I still plan to install at least two more 4" x 4" supports in the center of the beams, which will bring the number of supports on each beam up to three. I'm also thinking about adding some sort of reinforcement between the beams to distribute the torque among more supports.

Up next are low walls (about 30" high) to keep bodies securely on the platform; from there, we'll finish with a roof of some sort. At this time, I'm still not fully decided on a roof, but am thinking about this material for its durability and ability to resist leaks. I'm also considering one more support up top that would secure the peak of the roof to the trees. Maybe over-engineered, but it'll give me some peace of mind.

The build continues. More soon.

Creepy Crawlies

2009-07-13T21:29:00.012-04:00

It seems that our "discover" rate for slithering or creeping things has slowed considerably since last year. Maybe it was the fun of finding a large black snake making its way across the front yard, or turtles, lizards and the like that make it so noteworthy. Regardless, here are some fun up close encounters that made me stop and grab the camera this spring.

This guy (or gal, based on its size) surprised me as I uncovered the lawn mower in May. It was easily 3" from front legs to rear, and a vibrant shade of orange/brown. I've searched far and wide and haven't been able to come up with an identity for this one. Have an idea? Email me and share your insight!

CEO recently found another awesome crawler outside a local restaurant. Her cell-phone picture is a little blurry, so I'll share this photo from bugguide.com. The Goliath beetle (Dynastes tityus)is one of those monster insects that are usually shown in horror movies, crawling in a carpet towards a hero and damsel, presumably to eat them alive. These usually grow between 2.5 - 3.5" long, and can live for as long as 1.5 years.

And finally, our 'prize' encounter of the year. We'd heard the neighbors say that encounters of this type were a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. Coming across the patio one night, I went to step down onto the driveway, when I saw it: A copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) laying still and partially camoflaged against the aggregate concrete surface. I pulled my bare feet away, confirmed what I was seeing, and - of all things - got our critter net to capture and show the snake to CEO and Big/Little Red (better to have seen what you need to stay away from). We popped it into a clear plastic cage for a better look and saw the poisonous snake characteristics: Triangular head (pointed nose) and two 'pits' in front of the eyes used for sensing heat. Our friend was about 12" long, and apparently had just finished molting, as evidenced by the snake skin found on our patio.

I'm sure we'll have plenty more encounters with new and interesting critters (especially when Little Red gets to open his birthday gift), but that's most of the major species we expected to see within the first year. The only ones not yet on our "seen it" list are bobcats, black bears and coyotes, all of which are supposed to roam the Piedmont. More news from our encounters as they emerge...

CORRECTION: The beetle seen by CEO and shown above is not a Goliath beetle. Goliath beetles are native to Africa and are in the Scarabaeinae family (dung beetles). What she saw is Dynastes tityus, one of three North American rhinoceros beetles. Awesome page of a multitude of beetles in the Dynastinae family (rhinoceros beetles): http://www.insectaculture.com/dynastiphoto.htm

Thanks to Sonia H. for making me dig deeper on this!

Flying Friends

2009-07-12T22:56:00.020-04:00

We've had a number of one-off animal encounters recently; some repeats, some new. None of these are really worth a full post, so I've gathered photos and "extended captions" here for your enjoyment:

Last summer, the big find was the Polyphemus moth, with its 5" wingspan and large yellow "owl eye" markings. This year, we've found two Luna Moths (Actias luna) hanging around our front door, taking refuge from the day's predators and waiting for night. An internet search reveals their caterpillar's dietary preference for tulip poplars, which we have plenty of in the woods. The adults emerge for one purpose only: To find a mate, reproduce, and die. Like other moths in the family Saturniidae (the largest and most spectacular of all moths, with more than 1300 individual species worldwide), these moths have no functioning mouthparts, and survive off the stored nutrients in their bodies. The large feathery antennae of the male are used to sense the pheromones of the female from up to a mile away; a sensitivity essential to the survival of the species.

We've enjoyed feeding Ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) for over a year, and have a regular pair of birds who visit our back porch feeder. They will hover and feed every few minutes, drinking about 2 cups of nectar every seven days. The males are very territorial, and actively chase after any interloping hummingbirds who try to feed at "their" food source. I recently had another chance to hold a live hummingbird, this time rescuing one that had flown into some cobwebs in the garage. A few gentle tugs and its wings were free of the web strands, and it flew off into the daylight. More on our prior encounter here.

When we first moved to Hanover County, our next door neighbor talked about a tropical bird that would occasionally be seen in the woods with amazing colors and a unique call. A few weeks back, I looked up into one of the trees next to the house and saw a bright, bright red bird, larger than a cardinal, with jet black sings and a tail. I never got a great shot of the bird, but based on what I saw, it was likely a Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), a regular inhabitant of eastern North American forests, and a migrant to northwestern South America during winter.

Have you had a unique animal encounter recently? Share a comment, a story or a link! Next up, we switch from winged encounters to crawling ones. More soon.

Building the Treehouse

2009-07-05T22:49:00.015-04:00

Earlier this year, I asked Big Red and Little Red which one of three things we should build first: (a) a treehouse, (b) bike trails or (c) a zip line. The feedback was unanimous, and we began researching the kind of treehouse we would build this summer.

Treehouses can get pretty elaborate. A quick Google search on the subject reveals projects by individuals easily running $10,000 and up, outfitted with electricity, appliances, carpet, windows and more. Don't get me wrong, I admire the vision that these individuals have, and given unlimited time, money and resources, I might attempt such a structure. But times being what they are, and the myriad projects around the house, I looked for a design that was relatively simple, but offered a unique and authentic look and feel.

I found a goldmine of information in the books of David Stiles, a treehouse expert whose designs include 1, 2, 3 and 4-tree designs. I was intrigued by the 2-tree version, which looks like a pup tent balanced on two beams. See photo at left, from David Stiles' book.

The location I've chosen is about 50 yards behind the house - far enough to be removed from the house and not visible in summer, but not so far that essentials aren't accessible. Two oak trees were chosen as supports, each about 12" in diameter, very straight, and more than 70' tall. They stand about 11 feet apart from one another, which will make our finished platform size about 6' wide and 10.5' long.

Overall, the build will happen in three phases: (a) The main supports or joists, (b) The platform and (c) The Enclosure. I've just completed the main supports, and included a photo below. The two tricky parts of this build were sistering the 2x8s (bolting them together to improve their strength), and creating the flexible slot connections as suggested by David Stiles.

Why flexible slots? Simple really: Wind blow, trees bend. Only if identical wind gusts are blowing on identical trees will the trees (and the treehouse joists) move in unison. Because the trees bend differently, at least one joist connection needs to be flexible and accommodate varying amounts of sway. David Stiles provided different options for flexible slots, but the one that made the most sense for me was the grooves that would allow the four 1/2" lag screws (two on each joist) to move horizontally while not compromising the level of our platform. I added some steel framing connectors above the lag screws to protect the wood from wear over time.
In the end, it seems like a lot of work just to hang four boards on a tree, but given the importance of the foundation, it was well worth the time to get this right and feel good about what is to follow. More to come as we get into the second phase, and the challenges of securing the platform to the joists.

The orange ones are poisonous? You don't say...

2009-05-09T23:32:00.009-04:00

Saturday morning, and the garage door goes up. Immediately, my eyes go to something that's unnaturally bright against the charcoal grey of our blacktop. From a distance, it looks like a day-glow carrot, but immediately, I know it's not.

Long story short, it turns out that our driveway visitor is a red spotted newt, also known as a red eft. This is the middle developmental stage for this guy, inbetween aquatic tadpole life and aquatic adult form. They're not as smooth as the spotted salamanders we've seen, and don't have the leathery look of skinks. What's most striking though is the skin color of the juveniles: it's honestly the color of glowing coals in a fire.

And it's this orange coloring that helps them survive during the terrestrial phase of their lives before returning to the water as adults. It's a warning sign to would-be predators, giving them nature's signal that this meal might not be the best choice. When threatened or injured, the red eft secretes a toxin that will stimulate regurgitation in predators. But the toxin, similar to a blowfish's poison, can be washed off first by crafty raccoons, and fortunately for me, isn't toxic to humans (see the pictures to find out why I'm relieved to hear this). Kudos to Little Red who asked me "Daddy, is it poisonous?" when I brought inside to show him.

Another fun fact: Apparently, the Red Eft is equipped with magnetic orientation, helping it find its way back to the waters from which it came. According to Wikipedia, they likely have biogenic magnetite present in their skins which helps orient them to their surroundings.

Fun pictures of our BFTs (Big Fat Toads) as well, who have reappeared to feast on the nightly bug buffet.

Charlotte's Babies

2009-04-21T22:49:00.011-04:00

At the end of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, Wilbur has returned from the fair to the farm and Charlotte has gone to the great spiderweb in the sky. Templeton the rat has retrieved Charlotte's egg sac, which is stored in a pile of hay to await what comes next. Springtime arrives, and one day the hay is alive with hundreds of tiny spiders who cast a web strand to the wind and float away.

We encountered a real-life swarm of spiderlings on Sunday afternoon as they came into the world and went upwards to cast web strands to the wind. Photos first, then descriptions:

(For reference, each of these spiders are about the size of a sesame seed.)

Just like Charlotte's Web, there were probably hundreds of spiderlings that had just hatched or were getting ready to join the world. Instead of climbing a fence to catch the breeze, they had constructed a web walkway from our chiminea, to a chair, to the top of the market umbrella. And in an orderly fashion, they were heading for higher ground to see if they could head out on the afternoon winds. No idea what these were, though given our frequent encounters with wolf spiders, this would likely make the most sense.

kaBOOM.

2009-04-21T21:40:00.011-04:00

Gray trees dead leaves gray trees dead leaves gray trees dead leaves a little bit warmer dead leaves gray trees torrential rain and BOOM...spring is here again. Our neighbor's houses are disappearing behind emerging foliage and suddenly it's not as easy to see far into the woods anymore.

Spring also brings back our lizard friends who sun themselves in and around the front courtyard and generally skitter away when you come too close. However, today we saw one of the bigger fence lizards we've come across, just hanging out on the brown cedar siding, enjoying a little solar therapy. When we have time, we practice catch and release observation of these guys, and using a butterfly net, we got an opportunity for an up-close look.
The Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) generally grows to be between 4" and 7" long, and this particular guy was pushing the 7" end of the spectrum. I learned later that the blue markings just under his neck indicate the male of the species. They mate in spring and will help produce between 3 and 16 fertilized eggs. This particular one seemed fairly easy-going, and I'm told they can make good pets if properly cared for (diet consists of spiders and insects, which we seem to have in abundance). Some more photos of our briefly captive visitor:

Using the highly accurate measurement method with a standard US nickel, we estimated his length as around 9.5 nickels long, or 20 cm, which is just under 8" (for the metric impaired).

We had our 5 minutes of fun observation and then opened the lid to let him scamper away. Surprisingly, once the lid was removed he stayed in place for at least 5 more minutes, wondering what kind of strange aliens captured him, probed him and then set him free. It allowed us one more shot, capturing the quizzical look on his face. I'm sure we'll see him again real soon.

Springboro Class of 1986

2009-04-17T23:36:00.005-04:00

Originally posted to Facebook on 4/17/09. Class photo produced by Easterling Studios, Inc. To download, click on the photo, then right click on the large image and save to your local computer.

Three...two...one...

2009-04-09T22:18:00.012-04:00

For many, it's one of the rites of passage: Launching a solid-fuel model rocket. For many, it's also a rite of passage to have that rocket float downrange and forever out of sight. Or have it land in a tree, forever out of reach. Or have it explode in a bazillion pieces, forever to be confetti.

We've had such a rocket in our posession for over a year now, a gift with great appeal, but lost in the shuffle of daily life. Today, we vowed to put that rocket into a very low-altitude and short-duration orbit and take it off our "someday" list.

When we left home, there wasn't much of a breeze, but when we arrived at the Hanover Courthouse park, about 20 minutes away, there was enough of a wind to extend the colors on the flagpole straight out. Knowing we'd have to consider some sizeable downrange drift, we set off across the soccer fields, eyeing the perfect launch site.

The video below speaks for itself, along with the "recovery" follow-up.

The one adjustment we made was one that, ironically, Big Red had suggested while we were assembling the rocket at home: In Boys Life, he had seen a suggestion to cut a hole in the parachute, in order to allow a faster (but still controlled) rate of descent. One knife, one slice, and poof, instant holey chute (pun not intended, but not bad).

Unfortunately, during the packing of the chute for launch #2, the protective wadding must have been too tightly packed, for the parachute failed to deploy, resulting in the main tube burying itself about 2" in the ground. We also suspect the rocket engine may have been faulty, for the observed altitude achieved seemed much lower than on launch #1.

All in all, the experience was positive, and we'll likely be heading to WalMart for more rocket engines. We'll also be investing in a backup rocket. Because the trees always beckon, and they're always hungry.

Our periods are now commas.

2009-04-07T22:09:00.009-04:00

A few weeks ago, we discovered some egg masses in a vernal pool behind the house. We've taken one and put it into an aquarium tank to see how it develops and discover what hatches in a few more days/weeks. One thing seems pretty clear - these are not frog eggs, they're truly salamander, which are usually covered with a thick layer of "gel" versus a clustering of individual eggs.

The original photo was taken March 21, so we're about 2 weeks down the road from that picture. In that time, our little dots have elongated and grown, but aren't yet showing active movements. Based on where we are in the timeline, we can expect our guests to arrive in anywhere between 1 to 4 weeks. More pics to come, but this is where we are.

UPDATE 4/9/09 - Our blob of commas is showing very slight signs of movement.

"Honey, my laptop has been overheating a lot recently..."

2009-04-03T23:01:00.001-04:00

Impressive visitor? No, it's just the food chain.

2009-04-03T20:38:00.004-04:00

This winter, we put up bird and squirrel feeders (separate ones) to see what we could attract. We put the feeders about 40 feet from our kitchen windows, so we always have a great view of the show. We saw all the usual suspects: cardinals, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, doves, blue jays, bluebirds, goldfinches, black-capped chickadees, red-belied woodpeckers, and more.

Imagine our surprise one day when we look out our window and see a beatiful red-tailed hawk, perched in the tree not 20 feet away from us. Wow, we think, we're pretty special to get such a majestic encounter like this. We've never seen such an impressive bird up close in the wild, close enough to see the bird's yellow feet and talons.

Wow, we think, what makes us so special that we have such an amazing bird so close. We must be doing something right to be attracting visitors like this. Turns out, that's partly true.

Hawks will often perch and swoop after their prey, which in this case are the doves which scour the ground under our feeders, looking for scattered birdseed. Doves are some of the slower birds we attract and would definitely make the easier prey for the hawk.

We're still impressed with our visitor and look forward to his/her return. However, we won't overly romanticize the next encounter. For this raptor, we're not a beacon, we're a buffet.

The Spring

2009-04-01T22:45:00.005-04:00

Calling woodpeckers

2009-03-31T23:45:00.009-04:00

The first time you see a Pileated Woodpecker in the wild, your first thought is probably "my goodness, that thing is big." The average Pileated is between 16-19 inches from beak to tail, and can have a wingspan of up to 30 inches. We have our share of large birds out here, including crows, turkey buzzards, red tailed hawks and other large scavengers and raptors. What Pileated Woodpeckers can do that these others can't is fly with precision and intent through forests. Seen from below, they look like flying darts with short, furled wings. The attached video gives you a sense of their agility. (Video source: David Nolin at BirdViewing.com)

Pileated Woodpeckers are territorial birds and will defend their turf from interlopers. That's where the fun comes in.

Myxer is a site that lets mobile users download free ringtones, games, wallpapers, etc. They have the usual expected provocative, improper and rude content, but they also have a variety of nature ringtones that you can download directly to your mobile. And that's where I got this:

Spring!

2009-03-21T23:13:00.010-04:00

note: The challenge of writing discovery-based blog posts like these is that often, we find out little facts that significantly change the nature of the post. There are several of these half-started, half-finished posts in my drafts area. I think the lesson here is write often, be concise, and if facts or understanding change later, then so be it. On with the show.

Vernal pool - a temporary body of water, usually appearing during the spring, devoid of fish and thereby allowing the development of amphibian and insect species.

We first noticed our vernal pool when we were looking at the house last year when we in the throes of house hunting. We referred to it as "the bog" back then, thinking that it would be a year-round fixture. My mom called it for what it was - a temporary body of water that serves as a watery incubator for a variety of species. And today, I saw it hard at work, setting the food chain into motion.

Our vernal pool is roughly 15' x 10' x 1', and forms in a large divot that runs parallel to the creek. In the late spring/early summer it dries up, leaving no indication of its function from February to April. The water is stagnant, and it serves an important role in our biome for three creatures.

First, the mosquitos. No surprise here, big stagnant pool of water means mosquito central. In one egg cluster, one mosquito will lay between 100-200 eggs. Think exponential growth. And in looking at the vernal pool, just beneath the surface were thousands, possibly tens of thousands of mosquito larvae, or "wrigglers" as we call them. They look like long specks of (something) in the water, except they bend in the middle and wriggle their way through the pool. Taken at face value, it's all pretty disgusting, right? Mosquitos are responsible for spreading a wide variety of diseases including Yellow Fever, Malaria and all kinds of encephalitis. The temptation to chemically treat the pool and wipe 'em out is kind of tempting.

But also in the pool are whitish globs that look like sunken snowballs or balls of cotton. Look closer and you'll see small black dots in the center of the sphere. Using a stick to pull one closer, we pulled a tennis-ball sized mass out of the water and identified it as a cluster of eggs. There are roughly 20 eggs per ball and a total of five egg masses that can be seen in the pool. Within a few more days, the eggs will hatch, and there's a good chance that the creatures that come out of the eggs may be snacking on the larvae.

And now, the new facts: My first impression on seeing this egg casing is that we were looking at frog eggs. A little searching on the interwebs reveals that these may instead be eggs of the spotted salamander, which - - like other amphibians - - live the first part of their life in water and then adapt for life on land.

Since last summer, we've had several encounters with spotted salamanders, mostly when moving logs. Last fall, as we were picking up some rotten firewood, I let out a shout when I saw a 7" spotted salamander. Minutes later, I hollered again, having discovered another one, same size and markings as the first. Big Red took some photos of the find and entered them in a local arts competition, ultimately winning judges recognition for his work. His shots of our salamanders are below.In the coming weeks, we'll check in on these guys as they hatch and develop. To make this easier, we've filled a glass tank with some of the pool water (yes, mosquito larvae and all) and can watch as they grow. We'll eventually return them all to the pool, but can't wait to see what comes out.

Gadget envy: The Weed Wrench

2009-02-18T10:27:00.003-05:00

In addition to near-term treehouse ambitions, I also have summer plans to create bike trails through the woods so Big & Little Red can experience trail riding. We have just under 6 acres running in a narrow corridor in front of and behind (mostly behind) the house, and a fun downhill/uphill slope with the creek in the middle.

What's challenging is the number of small saplings that will need to be cleared so our trails can be relatively straight and navigable on bike. That's where the weed wrench comes in. I haven't actually seen one of these in person, but the idea is pretty straightforward: Grip sapling trunk in the jaws of the wrench, and pull. The inventor is this guy named Zeke Archimedes, who famously said "Dude, watch what I can move with this awesome lever."

Seriously, there's more on the Weed Wrench here. Probably put this in the "cool, but not right now" category.

Ribbit

2008-11-13T22:59:00.002-05:00

ABowman makes fun little gadgets for iGoogle pages. My favorite in the ball clock, which I remember seeing somewhere/sometime in my youth. Whimsical fun: http://is.gd/hSyx

Chunkin' the Punkin'

2008-11-05T22:15:00.002-05:00

Those who know me are familiar with my persistent promises/threats to build and use a trebuchet. Since stumbling across the official punkin' chunkin' in Deleware a few years ago, I've been captivated by the thought of building a big machine capable of flinging a 5-10 pound pumpkin 100 yards or so.

Imagine my chagrin when I returned home this past Saturday (after spending the day in Scout Leader trainer training) to find out that Big Red, Little Red and some friends have just returned home from a local chunkin' for charity. CEO shot the above video, showing Big Red pulling the trigger, the machine flinging a multi-pound pumpkin downrange, and the reaction of the crowd as Big Red's pumpkin strikes the plywood-castle target.

A day at the rat races, a night at the observatory...

2008-10-20T22:05:00.004-04:00

I remarked to the CEO tonight that one of my true joys is driving to and from work. Like many others in western Hanover County, I head in to the West End on Rt 33/Mountain Road/Staples Mill Road. But the drive from our house to 33 has got to be some of the most scenic stretch of asphalt in the state. However, unlike many scenic roads in VA, this one doesn't go on for miles making your stomach churn with every dip, bend and twist. It's just fun enough to drive, and offers many scenic moments: winding roads, majestic tree canopies and rolling pastures filled with cows. It's pleasant enough when the weather is nice, but add in some morning fog, or changing leaves, or even snow and you have a recipe for breathtaking beauty.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/petitepomme/

One of the neat things we have near us is the Keeble Observatory at Randolph-Macon observatory. I first went here a few years ago when it was announced that they did free public viewings starting in September. The observatory is usually manned by a few undergrad students checking out the planets, stars and galaxies. Tonight we went so Big Red could finish up a belt loop and earn his Webelos Scientist activity badge. Highlights of the evening included seeing the bands on Jupiter through the 12" cassegrain telescope, seeing a binary star, and seeing what was most likely a satellite moving across the night sky. However, the highlight for Little Red was getting to rotate the observatory's dome with the press of a button. Big fun, advancement award - check.

Keeble Observatory photo courtesy of Google Maps, Street level view

For more on the Keeble Observatory, see the links at the right.

OK, now that's just unbelievably cool...

2008-10-09T01:43:00.004-04:00

It's late and I need to head off to bed (just got finished watching Iron Man). We had an amazing encounter this past sunday with two yellow-spotted salamanders as we were moving a rotten woodpile at the edge of the driveway. Salamanders seem to have a thing for hanging out in wet/rotten wood, becauews the one I found back in June was also burrowing under some landscape timbers. That one was cute, but small - - only about 4" in length, max.

These were bigger. Much bigger. About 7-8" each.

They were both a muted purple color with bright yellow spots, though one had considerably more markings than the other. We took them out into the sunlight (they loved that part - - not) and Big Red got the attached shots before returning them to another under-a-log habitat.

Just another lesson in what is so terribly fulfilling about living out here. Big Red and Little Red got to see and touch these guys in person, and they'll carry these memories with them forever. These are just a few of our animal encounters; more to come soon.

Wait, that's not a worm...

2008-08-13T21:25:00.006-04:00

CEO found this ring-necked snake crossing the driveway tonight, soaking up the last of the radiant thermal heat before retiring to the flowerbed. This is similar to the one I found a few weeks back, but this one is MUCH smaller.

He's about 4" long when spread out from tip to tail and about as thin as a piece of fettucini (uncooked). Interesting thing you can't see from the picture - - his underbelly is bright pink.

Also found tonight, one of our larger toads, courtesy of Big Red. The toad could easily have eaten ten of these snakes for dinner and had room for more. Big, big toad, as evidenced by the toad poop that welcomes us every morning when we open the garage door. Never fear, fall and frost are coming. See video for the releasing of the toad - - note that he's in a clear plastic cage, and not doing a Marcel Marceau imitation.

I love a happy ending...

2008-08-12T00:05:00.008-04:00

So as I wait for the Perseid meteor shower to begin (I need to figure out who schedules these things and make sure they're at a more convenient hour...sheesh), let me recount a tale that didn't start out well, but had a very happy ending.

Coming out into the garage tonight, I looked at the apron out onto the driveway and saw something buzzing and flapping around the asphalt. We've had some really, really big cicadas this year, and the occasional polyphemus or other monster-sized moth. But this didn't look like any of those.

On further inspection, it turned out to be - - of all things - - a hummingbird that had somehow gotten the leading edge of one of its wings tangled in something, and now it didn't have the wing aerodynamics to take off again, leaving it to buzz around the asphalt. (actual photo at left with tangled wing)

I went to it and saw that it had a piece of poly tarp thread attached to its wing, along with what appeared to be a sticky residue of some sort that had deformed its leading wing feather. Scooping it up in my hands, I called my CEO (Chief Everything Officer) and asked her to come help. Working together, we removed the tarp thread, but something was still fouling its wings.

About this time, Big and Little Red came out for a look-see and we realized that this was probably the first and last times that we would ever see a live hummingbird this close, much less hold it. Lots of excitement, and we gave her a name (Rose). We gave it direct access to our feeder, and it drank the sugar water nectar with real gusto. We got to see her stick out her tongue and open her beak, and after a few drinks, she seemed better. We set her up in the gerbil cage of our recently departed rodents and tried to figure out what to do next. Given what appeared to be sticky stuff on her wing, we assumed that she would need a serious wing cleaning of some sort, or would need to have her wings clipped while she regrew her feathers (in captivity).

Long story short, after Big/Little Red went to bed, CEO and I took a long hard look at the problem and decided we would see if we could help clean up the wing. With a little exploration, we determined that the sticky mess was actually very fine thread wrapped around her feathers, which was removed with a little delicate maneuvering with tweezers. After our procedure, she seemed a little shell-shocked, we we left her alone in the cage we'd set up for her. Halfway through putting away the dishes, I went back to look and saw that she was now freely flying around the cage, bumping into the mesh top and waiting for her parole. We took her out back and she flew off into the evening's darkness to roost, clean herself up and reflect on the benevolent giants who helped her out tonight.

(Image courtesy of drash at weatherunderground.com)

p.s. The Perseid shower was a bust. One or two meteor streaks, and I went to bed.

Seventeen golfballs, jumping spiders, nectar suckers

2008-06-23T22:17:00.007-04:00

It's been a week at the little house in the woods (no connotations with the book). We've walked from front to back, crawled around in closed spaces, looked down when we should have looked up, and observed nature enjoying our flowers.

Seventeen golf balls. In a recent poll, I asked how many golf balls we'd find in our front yard within the first month. Apparently the former owner used to stand in his front yard/driveway and chip balls into the woods towards the road. I can only imagine being a driver coming up past the house and WHAM - you take a Top-Flite to the windshield. Any such activities in the future and I'll take a note from my neighbor - - hit towards the BACK woods.

Jumping spiders. So a few days prior, I was showing my workmates the photo of the wolf spider covered in babies (see previous post). She commented that in a former out-of-state residence, she learned how to kill Black Widow spiders - - freeze them with aerosol hair spray, than WHACK them with a flyswatter. Why? Because apparently these spiders like to jump to catch their prey, or as a defense mechanism.

Good to know.

Two days later, I'm looking inside a storage shed and there it is - - a Black Widow spider. Big one, with the unmistakable large abdomen and red hourglass marking. So in order to let the guys see a Black Widow up close (so they can identify it on sight), I try to catch it in a baby food jar. So I'm maneuvering near the spider, trying to figure out the best approach to trap it, when BOING, up jumps the spider from a standing start, about 12 inches straight up. Suffice to say, the spider got in the jar, I didn't get bitten, and the boys now know what a real Black Widow spider looks like.

Fast forward to the weekend, and Big Red and I are getting ready to go into the downstairs tool room to get some rope. As I've learned, I'm scanning the ground, scanning the bricks, scanning the house exterior looking for snakes. All clear, open the door, go in. Big Red says "Uh Dad, snake". Where? "Up there." And up above the door jamb, in the space between the jamb and the framing is the unmistakable coils of a black snake. Long story short, I "coaxed" the snake down with two dowel rods (think chopsticks/scissors) and then "transported" it in an aerial fashion about 10 feet into the woods. And I pick up another place to look for lurking snakes.

So let's end on a nice note. Sunday afternoon and the butterflies and bees are out in the front flowerbed, spending the afternoon perched on the flowers. The pictures speak for themselves.

Oooooooh. Aaaaaaah.

2008-06-15T21:14:00.002-04:00

Yes, they really are that awe inspiring.

Polyphemus moth, found on back porch.

Awake, creatures of the night (and a few daytime ones as well)

2008-06-11T23:19:00.010-04:00

Well, at least this post isn't about snakes. Since taking up residence here, we've left the outside lights on at night for safety/location/just because we can purposes. Subsequently, we've made a significant shift in the food chain, or at least its location and operating hours. Yes siree, the bug buffet is open for business, and what an amazing array of arthropods we have!

Toads, spiders, moths and....something else (and a very cool looking something else, at that).
We also have little piles of *something* poop outside the garage door. My money is on snakes (there we go with the snakes again), but we'll find out some night soon, I'm sure.

We've had some closer-than-expected encounters with snakes and are developing a healthy awareness of watching where you walk. The brain works like this as you scan the ground in front of you: "rock....dirt....another rock....stick....rock....stic, er, snake" But this fellow was a delightful surprise. I took photos of him with the camera phone but won't share them here. Instead, enjoy this wonderful shot of the Yellow Spotted Salamander from Wikipedia.

Big Red and Little Red are back from adventures with the grandparents on Friday afternoon. I'm sure they have their own stories to share. Perhaps its time for that first post from the chilluns. Look out internets, here they come.

Post-script: Some quick searching has revealed that the little lumps on the spider's abdomen are, in fact, little spiderlings that ride around on momma for awhile before sojourning forth to freak out unsuspecting relocated suburbanites. Click on photo to enlarge and see details on the babies.

Is it time to go yet?

2008-05-29T18:36:00.002-04:00

Not just yet. But soon.

S-N-A-K-E-!-!-!

2008-05-26T21:51:00.004-04:00

Very tired from day's worth of chores at the new place. Mailbox has been replaced and work on ceiling fans in upstairs bedroom has commenced. More drywall anchors are needed to mount the hardware to the junction boxes - - this is the first time that I haven't bolted the fan directly to the box.

Two big pieces of news: First up, snake. Big. Black. 3'+, Crawling across the front yard. Little Red chased it into the leaves/woods just outside our front door and watched it slither into the woods. I go inside to get some food, and Little Red comes in telling us that the snake is climbing a tree. This I must see, so I do, and it was. See pix for blurry cameraphone shots. Still, check out the wrinkles and bends in the snake as it climbs the bark by forcing its coils into the spaces between the bark folds. Truly amazing.
Second and last point for tonite - - we found the property stakes out in the woods! And the property goes back farther than I ever imagined it would. More soon. Sleep now.

Even more lizards...

2008-05-25T14:14:00.012-04:00

So yesterday was move-in day #1. Highlights:

- Three lizards! Fence lizard, little brown skink and either an immature skink (blue tail) or a five-lined racerunner. The fence lizard (little, brown scaly) was the bravest of the three and actually stayed on the sunporch watching us as we moved in.

- Met new neighbors who were having a small warming fire on their gravel driveway for their kids and grandkids. Visit cut short, but looking foward to visiting them again. Priceless moment: When telling the neighbors where we were from, I pointed and said "about fifteen miles to the southwest." Too bad I was pointing northeast at the time, which they were kind enough to clarify for me.

- NDN was terribly kind and cut down branches blocking the front of the driveway and impeding the progress of the moving truck. We did a few branches on our own during the first trip, but when we returned for our second trip, discovered NDN had cut down a number of branches and really opened up the space over the driveway. Very pleasant surprise.

- Finally, an interesting twist as NDN is describing the fauna that we will likely encounter in the woods: Apparently at night, there have been bobcats making noise outside. I won't even try to describe the sound - - you can check it out for yourself here. I'll repost when we hear it for ourselves some night soon.

More packing, cleaning and holiday weekend bumming around today. We're off to the new place tomorrow to unload some more boxes, move out the riding lawn mower (which we've decided to keep, not sell) and get the dish network TV installed. We will soon have internets in the woods. Will let you know when we're blogging from the back porch.

Let the fun begin.

2008-05-20T22:47:00.003-04:00

It's ours.

Ooh, ooh, lizard!

2008-05-19T12:59:00.004-04:00

So Saturday afternoon was spent doing the final walk through and identifying those things in need of repair prior to our closing tomorrow. In the midst of walking around the house exterior, Big Red and Little Red walked close to the base of the house, rustling leaves that had collected there. All of a sudden, *ZIP* up the side of the house goes a small skittering thing.

We have our first lizard, a skink. And not a small one, either. It's similar to the one we found on a Scout outing last summer, which had laid eggs under a log that we intended to burn (lifted log, and discovered the scene in the photo.

Of course, Big Red and Little Red spend the next five minutes chasing the lizard, which only climbed higher and higher up the house exterior trying to escape the clutches of its would-be captors.

No woods trudging this past trip, but lots more to come very, very soon. Let the moving begin!

Disorientated.

2008-05-12T20:51:00.006-04:00

Both times I've been for a serious walk in the woods (behind CCPITW), I've tried to discern which way the property line runs. It's tough because the plot gets narrower as you head toward the rear of the property, and the house (which you should be able to use as your perpendicular), isn't squarely oriented to the property edges.

What happens is you start walking straight back from the rear of the house, and about 100 yard in, you've crossed over to the neighbor's property. It's a bit confusing - - kind of like you've lost your internal compass and aren't sure which way is truly north, south, east or west.

The good news is that the northern property line runs pretty true to an east/west orientation, so starting out by the mailbox, I should be able to set the compass and start walking. Provided I don't get shifted too far left or too far right, I should come across a property marker a few hundred yard back.

The other thing that makes this place so cool is that it has not just one creek ,but two. The second one is a bit less reliable (since it's not fed by a spring, but it's definitely there, and will definitely get your feet muddy if you step in. But because of the weird "narrowing" of the property from front to back, it's hard to get a fix on the angles of the creeks relative to the northern property line.

Some Saturday morning very soon, I'm going to get up early and go walk the lines with a compass and see if I end up at the corner markers. Along the way, I plan to marker tape small trees just so I can get a visual on these lines and see where/how the plot runs. All of this leads up to (1) showing Big Red and Little Red where they can run freely and where they need to break left or right, and (2) thinking about laying out a biking/hiking trail along the length of the property.

The one thing I am noticing is an abundance of No Trespassing signs as we drive through Hanover. What's the motivation here? Exercising one's right to privacy/property? Ensuring that hunters don't come chase Bambi in their hot pursuit of venison sausage? Not getting this one just yet. I'm sure it'll become apparent very soon, most likely in a conversation with NDN.

We close next week. Woo hoo! Let the moving fun begin!

Coming soon: Uncovering the treasures in the yard. Check my poll!

Storm coming in

2008-05-08T23:04:00.007-04:00

Tornado watch until 3:00 a.m. tonight, and a big, big red line coming our way. Based on what I see on animated radar, we're likely gonna tango with that red blotch down on the VA/NC line. Place your bets folks, place your bets. Now duck and cover. (Image courtesy of weatherunderground.com, my fave weather site, despite annoying expanding banner ads.)

It wasn't but a week ago that Surry felt the bite of 10-ish tornadoes (potato/potahto, tornado/tornahdo, let's call the whole thing off). A quick scan of Dominion Virginia Power (dom.com) shows the outages down there are fixed, but you can see the outages starting to pop up around South Boston and Charlottesville. I'll post an updated outage map in the a.m. just for comparison's sake.

All of this takes us back to September 2003 and our dear friend Isabel, who wreaked havoc on our fair city and then headed up north to Canada. We lost power for 10 days, which was not fun on a number of fronts. We now have a gas generator for exactly that kind of event, though we've been lucky for a few years to not have to use it (no ice storms, no intensely bad storms).

All of this leads to the good side/bad side of storms when one's house is in the forest. First and most importantly, you're pretty much on your own with the exception of neighbors. Two, the possibility of a tree blocking your driveway is a very real possibility. Three, the possibility of multiple trees blocking your road is a very real possibility. Four, you're still on your own.

The good sides would appear to be: You get to go buy a REAL chainsaw, not just some plug-in electric one. A...

[the first rumble of serious thunder has been heard in the distance. Must save frequently.]

...recent experience in Hanover was when a windstorm knocked a tree onto one of the local roads. In short order, multiple passers-by were out of their trucks, many with chainsaws in hand, making short work of the tree. I am told they live for this kind of stuff.

Good point #2, the power lines in our neighborhood are buried in the ground. And while that's not a guarantee against losing power, it would seem to eliminate the "tree took down my power lines" scenario, and the "live power lines draped on my car, may need to work from home today"

Good-ish point #3, even though trees may surround us, they can also deflect one another, so one falling in the general direction of the house may be stopped by another tree in its path of inertial destruction. Where we live now, the only thing stopping a tree branch from falling to the ground is (a) power lines or (b) your car.

It's going to be wild when the first ice storm comes in or the first truly mighty oak falls in the forest, ripping up a huge swath of ground and exposing a massive hole where the roots used to be. And while we may lose a treehouse in the process, it's good to be reminded that we are guests in nature's yard, and not the other way around.

Next time: Getting (re)oriented in the woods.

And now, the front yard

2008-05-07T21:37:00.006-04:00

A "quick trip" past the house tonight turned into a walk in the back woods, and for the first time, a walk in the front yard woods. There's so much out the back yard that we're naturally drawn that way and have pretty much ignored the front yard. Until tonight.

As we pulled out of the driveway, I stopped the car and walked over to something we'd never noticed until today: A clearing in the front woods, roughly 30 feet wide by 70 feet long. There are saplings coming up about 3-4' high and a mix of groundcover, but this was obviously a very intentional clearing that someone made at one point in time, and given the age/height of the saplings, it hasn't been all that long ago.

We ran into NDN out riding his bike (not literally. wouldn't be very neighborly of us), who didn't have much background to offer on the clearing. It's a curiosity, but rather than just let it grow wild, I think we might try to do something with it. We'll see.

Curious finds: off to the west side of the clearing there are several trees, some of which are tulip trees, that are mostly dead, and some new ones that are flourishing. It's strange to me to see a cluster of all one variety of tree, and all dead (given no other disease apparent nearby). Oh yeah, we have wild raspberries in the clearing. Big Red and Little Red will love this, but they'll probably have to fight the birds for these.

I made another trip back to the creek as well and tried to get some audio of sounds of the woods on my phone, but I don't think it's going to transfer well. I got some audio of the well splashing into the creekbed, but for now it just sounds like crinkling paper. Hopefully we can get something cleaner to share - - it's a great sound.

So next post I'll talk about the property lines and getting disoriented in the woods.

Q: What is THAT? A: C'est un pipe

2008-05-06T12:54:00.010-04:00

Back in January of this year, we made our first visit to the CCPTIW (Chocolate Cream Puff In The Woods) as potential buyers. We looked through the interior, walked around the exterior, made notes, had thoughts and pondered deeply over carpenter bee holes/damage. After looking the house over thoroughly, we began to walk through the woods.

One of the first discoveries in the woods was the bog, a roughly 10' x 5' stagnant (?) body of water with no apparent source or runoff. Hmm, we mused, wonder what the mosquitos pay to get into that amusement park? Should be interesting when we hit the mid summer months. But that was (and is) something to explore for another day. We walked on.

The next geographic feature that we found was the creek. Again, WOOT! You have to understand that I grew up with an actively running creek in my parents' backyard, and it was a cool place to play in the summer, a treasure trove of fossils, and when it rained steadily, an awesome display of nature's power as the creek would occasionally destroy the bridges that were built for us to cross the creek. So multigenerational party in our back yard, we have a creek! And it's flowing! And...what's that sound?

It was the sound of running water, or at least falling water. Cool, we must have a waterfall somewhere. Let's go check it out! And as we walk further in the direction of the sound, we suddenly see it: a 6" PVC pipe emerging from the ground and spilling a clear, colorless liquid into the creek (see photo @ bottom of page). Holy superfund, Batman!

Of course, we do what prospective home buyer would do. We freak. Is this active runoff from someone's waste line? Is this toxic? Will our children grow additional appendages if they play down here? What's going on?

Relief (or at least answers) came from NDN (Next Door Neighbor), who noticed strangers snooping around in the woods and came over to investigate. He told us that the pipe was actually the redirected runoff for an artesian well, which supplied a regular flow of water into the creek.

Ooooooh. The gears start turning. We could build boats and send them down our "always on" creek. We could build a dam and increase the depth to something more than shoe-soaking level. We could...we could...install a hydroelectric generator? Ooooooooh.

Next time: Getting lost/oriented in the woods

Our house....

2008-05-05T19:37:00.003-04:00

...is a very, very, very fine house; or at least it will be very soon. After months of searching, our family is moving out to a wonderful house on nearly 6 acres of woods in Hanover County. Providence has been kind and we've found a great house (well, pretty great), in a great location, at a great price, on a great lot. One of the mini-celebrations we've been having recently is that there is virtually no grass to mow - - a real blessing, given that we haven't even been able to touch the grass on our current 1/3 acre lot. No grass, no grass problem.

The house is very cool - - contemporary design, good flow, great space but not a McMansion, a garage (woot!) and.....the woods.

And before you say it, yes, we have carpenter bee/woodpecker damage. Any suggested preventative measures are welcome.

Next time:
- What are all these pipes doing out here?

Don't look now, but a little purple alien is following us.

2008-05-05T12:51:00.005-04:00

Again, Big Red at work/play. Remains to be seen if the purple person will remain to be seen.

UPDATE: The purple person has a name, chosen by Big Red: Mr. Tchotchke (how appropriate).

Ha Ha. You so funny.

2008-05-05T12:29:00.003-04:00

Big Red came to a Scout meeting with me and took this picture of the back of my head. I really want him to feel good about contributing content for the blog, so I'm glad to let him find his web voice. It's also good to see that I have no active bald spot yet.

Lots of little mouths to feed

2008-05-04T15:25:00.004-04:00

Mama? We're hungry mama!

One of two robins' nests on our (current) back patio. I'll try and shoot a photo of the other one later - - it's significantly higher than this one.

Welcome to the Woods.

2008-05-03T15:34:00.001-04:00

Hey all, welcome to our little slice of heaven, or at least our little slice of heaven-to-be. After 11 years in the suburbs, we're moving out to the country: me, COO (Chief Operating Officer), Big Red, Little Red, two cats and a gerbil. We'll chronicle our adventures in these and other woods, including what we do, what we find and everyone who comes along for the fun.

We are 17 days from closing on our new home, so we'll start with backstory in the next few days, including us, the place, the woods and ideas of what to do first.