Saturday, September 27, 2014

More 'What Not'...

... been staying out of the 'ridge' - haven't been up there since probably last winter...

... got bored this evening ...took the 'Stinkman' for a cruise to see "what's up" ...

... stopped at 'Foleys Cabin' - his favorite "old age" walk...

... natural reclamation... that was all water not many years ago...

... attempting to get "artsy fartsy" - definitely not our thing...

... the "old boy"... 

... so afterward we took a ride down to the mine...

... Look!! - the 'PA Game Commissin' installed a gate!...

... and a parking lot!...

 
.... with another a little further up the road... OK.... so we were maybe wrong about these "new" guys (see 'Little Green Men')... but... maybe not... 

... good work!!... (none the less)... 

... some fall wildflowers headin' out...

... some kind of berries...

... more wildflowers... look at the small blue insect...

... a few more ...

... and last...

... speaking of "animals"...

..."To a Cat"...............

... "stately, kindly lordly friend...
... condescend...
... here to sit by me..."
(Algernon Charles Swineburne)...

Saturday, September 20, 2014

'SNAKE'BIT'!!

... was takin' the 'Stinkman' for a walk out at the 'Gun Club' earlier tonight - around 7:30pm - just gettin' dark...

... never, ever, saw any trash along the 'Gun Club Road' in all these years - so what's this - some 'jack-!!XX' tossed a plastic bag along the road just above the 'CatFish Pond'... I stop to pick it up - will toss it in the trashcan at the club - it's gettin' dark... 

... 'Holy XXX!!!! - all the sudden got a 'Copperhead Snake' latched in to my hand!!!!... he was layin' out of sight next to the bag!!!...

... luckily (I think) quick reflexes (total panic!!) saved my ass (so far) - yanked' my hand away quick as shit - now I'm shakin' off a !!!XX' snake!!! - and XX!!! the language everybody!!!!!... not lying - heart immediately went into hight gear and legs went totally limp - total panic I guess!!... sat in the Jeep for a few minutes... XXX!!... calmed down after about five minutes and regained a bit of composure... believe it or not.... even managed to snap a few photos... he definitely "smelled blood' after latchin' on to me.... look at that XXX!!!!!!... he must have struck at me five times while snappin' these photos....

... about twelve inches....

... he's a mean !!!XXX...

... back to the woods...

... "fresh bite" - let 'em go back to the woods, though... that's sweat on my hand - was pouring out of me - with the heart pounding a million miles an hour... I'm figuring it was just a "shock" reflex...

... this is after gettin' home and some cleaning and medication... fang marks about 3/8" apart at "beast"... I'm still upright with no ill effects (so far)....

... about 10:45pm - got some "funky white shit" seepin' out the forearm about twelve inches below the "bite"... ???...

09/21: Cleaned up the "vernacular" - was the "heat of the moment" as they say... here's the bite this morning...

... was lucky I guess - obviously injected no venom - no ill effects and only hurts slightly if I press on it... have no idea what the white stuff was... was always told that the 'Catfish Pond' was polluted with 'Copperheads' and have seen them crossing the road several times before at about the exact same spot - be careful if you're walking around down by the pond...

... know a local guy who was bitten on the hand after reaching into his swimming pool scupper to remove some leaves a few years back - snake was lying in the scupper - last time I spoke to him he said that he has some permanent nerve damage to his thumb to this day...

... this is the same hand from about two weeks ago after I pissed 'Stink' off and he sunk his fangs into me...

... that lower puncture is a full fang length - maybe 3/4 inch...

... he bites...

09/21: Around 8pm - had no ill effects all day long from that bite and looked up a lot of information on-line - only a little sore when I press on it - after viewing a lot of horrible on-line photos I figure I probably should have gone over to the emergency room and had it looked at - said that the majority of bites are "dry bites" (inject no venom) - figure that was one - measured the distance between the punctures - exactly 3/16" - couple guys said that was probably a small, young snake maybe just born recently (young are born late summer/early fall - newborn's up to 8" to 10" in length I read - but didn't have a yellow-tipped tail - can still inflict a painful bite, however) - have no idea and am not complaining... as I mentioned a few posts earlier, was backpacking once with a gal who I am pretty sure was bitten on the bottom of her foot with similar results - can only figure lots of luck both occurrences...

Monday, September 15, 2014

'Sly' and Wonder Woman

... was "surfin the internet" the other night checkin' out as to where the new 'Expendables' movie is playin' - do I want to go see it or not? - 'ZMan' and 'MG Sarah' got the DVD (before the movie hit the theaters), said it was great - but I still like the "big screen" for the "first run"... is it even still out??...

... anyway... while pullin' up links, with much reference to 'Sylvester Stallone' - forgot about this....

... lived in the Baltimore/DC Metro area for many years back in the late 80's to late 90's... 'Silver Spring, MD' at this time...

... to stay in shape, played a lot of 'racquetball' at the various 'racquetclubs' - from 'Bethesda' to 'Laurel, Md' ... was a big sport at the time... liked to play a rough game, especially against the " big city slickers" (I'm renting a very cheap basement apartment in 'Silver Spring' from an old lady who is letting it go pretty much for nothing just so she could afford to pay her real estate taxes and keep her own home herself - love ya' Gilda)... anyway, these guys are mostly (apparent) "big buck" 'DC government /lawyer-types...

... as mentioned, played a rough game - close as you could get to 'ice hockey' on hardwood - mostly played regularly with three likewise-thinking pretty rough "dudes" (all three played Division I football in college) - would take opponents "into the walls" left, right, front and rear - sent one guy to the emergency room with a split nose once - not bragging - he was OK in my opinion - was his decision to have his wife drive him there....

... another time had a big head-on collision with a guy I was playin' - I saw stars - immediately recovered (somewhat) and am chasin' what I thought was the ball sliding(?) across the floor - turned out was his false teeth that got "ejected" from the hit... Ha!...

... anyway - was hangin' out at the club in 'Wheaton' one evening when the desk manager walks over ... "hey... got a guy lookin' for a game... you want to play him?"... "sure"...

... was an older guy than I was used to playin' - name was 'Sly' - one tough SOB - played dirtier than me (think we had built a reputation by then) - don't even remember who won (best 2 of 3 games - 21 points the winner per match) - definitely had to keep one eye on the ball and one eye on this guy - shorter than me -  I received a good "accidental" elbow to the ribs or "nuts" more than once... didn't let on but was ready to buckle a time or two...  returned the favor  - "accidentally" caught his ankle sending him sprawling hard head first into the wall - very slow to get up... "I'm OK...!" he says, in a voice sounding much like 'Rocky Balboa'...

... anyway, hung out with him in the bar afterward - we're shootin' the "bullshit" - say's he's a 'real estate developer'... big deal... every third guy ya' talk to in DC is... good guy, though... the whole time I'm thinkin' "this guy reminds me of Sylvester Stallone..."

.... Ha!!..

(internet photo)
... turned out it was Sylvester Stallones dad, Frank!... said that he lived in 'Bethesda' as I recall... pretty cool...

... another time...

... pay the bills by working engineering... same place - DC Metro area again... loved it there...

... company I worked for did a lot of engineering /consulting work for the local 'Sanitary Commission'... we got a project along 'River Road' in 'Potomac, Maryland' realigning/renovating some infrastructure...

... I'm out one day checkin' out the planned re-alignment - pretty ritzy neighborhood... I'm walkin' around with 'plans in hand' + hard hat + safety vest = lookin' pretty official ...learned my lesson a few months earlier when I walked up on to a 'Rockville' gal's "rural" front porch totally unannounced with no ID  and was immediately lookin' cross-eyed down the barrel of a loaded 9mm pistol ... "I'm a Montgomery Police Officer and I demand to know who is on my front porch!!!"...

... anyway - was required to notify the local land owners of the proposed construction and verify to them the legal 'Right-of-Way'... while checkin' out the "job", I spot a lady outside in the yard of one large residence doin' some flower gardening - I walk up and introduce myself - she's pretty tall (maybe 5'-8") and dressed in some good fitting jeans, flannel shirt, long brunette hair pulled back under gardening hat - recognized her right off the bat - it's the actress 'Lynda Carter' from the 'Wonder Woman' TV show - was told she lived in the area somewhere - and just as gorgeous as on TV - let on like I didn't recognize her but I managed to "bullshit" a conversation and "linger" for at least twenty minutes ...came across as definitely a "very classy chick"... "love at first sight" on my part...

(internet photo)
... here she is hangin' out at the "homestead"... 

(internet photo)
... 'Charlie Rich' couldn't write her any better...

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Cathedral Rock, Spring Mountains, Nevada

... a pretty impressive limestone rock spire that rises 1000 vertical feet (summit El 8597ft) above 'Kyle Canyon' and the town of 'Mt. Charleston', located in the 'Spring Mountains' of southern Nevada...

... 'Cathedral Rock' as viewed from low on the 'Cathedral Rock Trail', which winds clockwise around the formation for around 920 vertical feet before reaching the summit - a relatively easy "out and back" hike...

... 'buddy Matt' not far from the trailhead...

... equally impressive adjacent 'Echo Rock' located to the southeast (summit El 8794ft) - viewed from low on the trail...

... the trail ascends through 'Mazie Canyon' to the south, a treacherous avalanche chute in the winter - 'Mummy Mountain' off in the distance... the large 'butte-looking' formation along the skyline is what forms the mummy's "foot" when viewed from the low desert and Rt 95...

... 'Cathedral Rock' south face...

... at the time there were only two technical rock climbs that ascended 'Cathedral Rock' as I recall - may be wrong - but didn't appear to be much of a climbing destination for it's size...

... viewing across the avalanche gully...

... viewing south through 'Kyle Canyon' from high on the trail, with the low desert off in the distance...

... the town of 'Mt Charleston' far below...

... nearing the summit - pretty nice hiking...

... the summit and eastern skyline...

... 'Kyle Canyon' from the summit...

... perched on the summit overlook...

... the town of 'Mt Charleston' viewed from the summit...

... this is a 'Palmers Chipmunk' - native to the 'Spring Mountains' and nowhere else in the world...

... sweeping pine, fir and aspen forest...

... return view through the 'avalanche chute' - some pretty decent-sized trees snapped like twigs...

... viewing west along the return...

... return to the trailhead parking and 'Kyle Canyon'...

... not far up the road along Rt 158 is this pretty cool overlook viewing northeast toward the low desert and the old 'Nevada Test Site'...

... where "back in the day" you could hang out and watch 'em test fire atomic bombs - sure it beat any display that 'Zambelli' ever put off... how much fun would it have been to have taken an unsuspecting friend up there to hang out and have a few beers and all of a sudden they detonate one of those "firecrackers"...

... a final shot from the high desert along the return "loop" heading down Rt 156 toward Rt 95 and back to 'Vegas'...