Old Baldy and Green Point Hikes

 
Today was a hike with the Spirit of the Woods Chapter of the NCTA. We chose to go somewhere other than on the North Country Trail for a change. We used to do this a lot, but the past few years we've stuck to the NCT because of the 100 mile challenge. But we wanted to see something different again. We went north and hiked two trails at Arcadia Dunes. I thought I had hiked all of those in July 2017, but somehow I missed Green Point, so that one was new to me.

Here's our group picture. It's taken at almost the exact spot of the fourth picture down in the post linked below. Different season! We did a three-mile loop at Old Baldy. (Of course there are many bare dunes along the Lake Michigan shore nicknamed Old Baldy, but this is the one at Arcadia Dunes Nature Preserve.)



Out on the bluff at the top of the dune, you look down to the lake. It's a lot farther than it looks in this picture!



This is the view to the north.



It's early April. We have to take our green where we can find it. This is a club moss, probably Northern Ground Cedar, They used to all be in the Lycopodiums, but now there are new genera. Diphasiastrum complanatum



And probably shining fir moss, Huperzia lucidula



Then we drove a few miles north to hike a two-mile loop at Green Point. This trail has three overlooks above Lake Michigan. Since the day was gray and misty (but we didn't really get wet), the views are sort of magical. This one is looking south with the big lake on the right and Lower Herring Lake off on the left.



At the third overlook there are stairs so you can go down to lake level. Here's the view north toward Frankfort.



I just liked this picture of the bluffs. Looks wild.



The best green on that trail was some moss on a lumpy tree.



and I liked this fungus growing on a dead tree.



Fun day!

There is no other news. This really took all day. After I got home and cleaned up I've just been taking it easy and looking up a few odds and ends.

Arcadia Dunes, Old Baldy loop 3 miles, and Arcadia Dunes, Green Point loop 2 miles, Banzie County, Michigan

	See Arcadia Dunes
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The Return to the Great Trailer Project

 
Ta-da! Yes, after not even unwrapping my baby trailer last year, here I am working on it already in 2019.

Yesterday and today I removed the rest of the windows. I had pulled one of them in the fall of 2017. I had gotten the paint stripped around that one, and simply put it back in without sealing before tarping the whole thing for what turned out to be winter and a whole year.

Here's the side with the previously removed window temporarily back in place, and the front window out.



The back window.



The other side window.



There is a reason I've started on it in April. Since I do better with deadlines, Marie and I have decided to take it to the North Country Trail Celebration May 2-5. No, don't panic. It's not going to be anywhere near done by then. But I do need to do the following:

Paint around all the windows frames so they can reinstalled and properly sealed.
      • Pull out the windows. DONE
      • Repair the wood in two of the frames. Can't do till temperature is above 55 for epoxy repair
      • Replace one of the pieces of wood in one frame. It's in the wrong place and the screws don't even engage it!
      • Strip around the window openings. Almost done- worked on that yesterday and today. Stripper works poorly at temps in the 40s, but it does work
      • Clean residue around the window openings. Started on this today
      • Clean the window frames.
      • Lubricate the window mechanisms.
      • Decide if I'm going to apply some sort of sealer/coating on the aluminum. Waffling
      • Do the actual painting. Have the paint, but can't do till temperature is above 55 degrees
      • Reinstall the windows. Have the butyl sealer tape. Need new screws
      • Replace one broken window knob. Ordered today

Reconnect the basic wiring for the lights.

Possibly build in the primary support "beam." I need to assess if it's too flexible to drive without this in.

Check the tires.

Clean out the inside mess, so we can at least sleep on the floor.

It's going to look ugly to use, but so be it. At least it will be a start. If I don't get cracking on this, I'll be too old to play with it before it's done.

And part of the decision to start this so early in the season is that I managed to cook up a way to put the tarp back over it alone for covering it when rain is expected until the windows are back in. And it worked!

The result is certainly not good enough to withstand wind storms, but it should be OK for the short term protection I'll need till the windows are back in properly.



My big idea? Fasten a 1x3 along one edge of the tarp, and then attach ropes to the bar. I was able to pull the tarp over the trailer by myself. Good thing I did it before much of a breeze came up, though. In a wind it would be too hard. The tarp is really heavy.



Hiking tomorrow, then rain Saturday and part of next week. But I can work on cleaning the windows inside the house.

In other news: I worked on my story in the morning and did a bit more sorting this afternoon before working on the trailer.

These are work days 62 and 63. (Not full days, of course, but just counting the passage of time that I have actually worked on it.)

	See Index for Trailer Refurbish It's a Wrap
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Philadelphia Flower Show 2019 - The Four Seasons - Winter

 
This is the last of the seasons displays from the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show by the American Institute for Floral Design. It's also possibly the last of the pictures I'll bring you from the show. I have something else for tomorrow, and a hike on Friday. So if you are bored just stay tuned. Things will change. That's one thing that sure to be true of my life.

The text for winter was: "A Time of Retreating and Reflecting. Winter branches are clothed in glittering snow- frozen crystals, temperatures begin to rise, the ground starts to thaw, and the former world we once knew beneath that blanket of white is revealed." (reminder- I did not write these blurbs. These folks are great floral designers. Writers, not so much.)

As you can see, that tree trunk construction appears again in winter. I wish they would have made these three-dimensional instead of flat. You could still see through them, and it would have been easier to recognize what it was. Of course the primary color for winter was white.


I did love the "ice" and "frost" on the branches.



Something about this whole display made me think "Russian." Maybe I'm just associating it with Dr. Zhivago!



Of course, there are a few more cool pictures I have, but I'll maybe just save them for a slow or dull day when I need something.

In other news: I wrote about 1000 more words on the short story that I've tentatively named "The Valley." I spent an hour sorting crap. Actually timed it to be sure I wasn't just fooling around. (I'm afraid to jinx it by saying anything out loud, but I'm trying to clean up a bit of my office). Then... well, I'm just going to save what I did next as a surprise for tomorrow.

	See Autumn
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Philadelphia Flower Show 2019- The Four Seasons- Autumn

 
The exhibit for autumn, created by the American Institute for Floral Design was beyond impressive. It was exquisite.

The sign said, "Time of Sensing a Shift. Thousands of leaves falling to earth, and the sun takes a step back and autumn was awkward."

This first picture is a close-up detail of less than a square foot of the base.



So, I did correctly realize yesterday that the central sort of wispy construction in the center of the display is supposed to be a tree trunk because it's repeated again in autumn. (and also in winter- stay tuned for tomorrow). Only in spring was the tree "fallen."

Here's the overall shot of the display.


And up above, the canopy is almost clear of foliage.



Now I'm going to concentrate on the "forest" floor. Just think about how much time it must have taken to create this.



Look at all the different kinds of plant material. Orchids, locust pods, anthurium (those orange spathes like a peace lily with a central stalk), fungus, berries, dried hydrangea, leaves.



But if you sat on the floor and studied it (we did), there was even more to see. Pine cones, sweet gum pods, protea, more dried flowers (I see roses and maybe zinneas), lichen, roots, and woven or braided strands of leaves and stems.

Let's be clear on the fact that these aren't supposed to be realistic, but the colors are so rich it's fantastic.



This picture also shows lotus pods and a couple of things I can't identify. The only thing that wasn't real plants was the skeltonized leaves. I'm pretty sure those were purchased fakes (of course, I didn't dare pick one up to check. I suppose they might have learned some way to quickly skeletonize a whole bunch of leaves, but I think they were too perfect.)



This picture shows yet another kind of pod, and the way the green leaves were looped into the display. Think about how much time must have been spent creating this carpet. I'm wondering if they did it in sections over several weeks or months and then fitted them together and covered the seams with the orchids and added the other fresh flowers. I think the anthurium isn't dried.



This is the kind of display that sets the Philadelphia Flower Show apart. No one would invest this kind of money for a smaller show.

In other news: I worked on a short story in the morning. Woke up in the middle of the night with the idea just plop in my brain. Spent the rest of the night trying to get back to sleep and also working on refining the idea. It's probably halfway written- have to do things like this when the idea is fresh. Spent the afternoon sorting stuff (blech), and then went to bell choir practice. I'm thinking I'll be able to sleep pretty soon here.

	See Summer
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Philadelphia Flower Show 2019- The Four Seasons- Summer

 
Next up in the American Institute of Floral Design exhibit of the four seasons is summer.

"A Time of Celebrating and Playing. Summer lush and green everywhere the eye can see, think lazy days and sunshine."

Whenever there is more than one of something, there is going to be a gradient of quality. I think the summer display was the weakest of the four seasons, but it wasn't shabby.

The view of Summer from a distance was also less impressive, maybe because the central construction didn't seem to pull the roof and the base together very well. I'm not sure if it was supposed to represent the trunk of a tree, or what.


Looking at the pictures now, I think it was supposed to be a tree, and the upper layer was the leafy canopy.



Some of the hanging parts of the canopy seem to be moss, and some were little planters.



At the base was a design in summer colors.



This was quite pretty, although you had to get close to really see that it was orchids and tropical foliage.



These displays had to cost a small fortune in plant material. But, this is the Philadelphia Flower Show, which has been described as the "Event of the Universe." Stay tuned for autumn, which I think was the best of the four.

In other news: It's STILL wintry here. Bummer. I wrote in the morning, and worked on sorting and cleaning in the afternoon. Such a pain!

	See Spring
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