Welcome to the New Xanga

Because the old one wasn't Xangtastic enough.

Hubbardton Battlefield & Mt Zion

Yesterday I went hiking near Hubbardton, Vermont, visiting the battlefield for a second time (now armed with a camera), and hiking to the top of Mt Zion, which is more impressive than it sounds. It's really barely a mountain. Plus, you have to drive half-way up just to get to the trails. So it's only a 45 minute trip to the top.


Here's a view of the Taconics from Hubbartdton battlefield, the place of the only Revolutionary War battle fought on Vermont soil.


More viewy views, this time with grassy grass.


Taconics to the west, which aren't nearly as tall.


The hilly parts of Mt. Zion, in partial fall foliage glory.


More Taconic action, with Lord Actin.


Sky business!


Mt. Zion. Note the rocky rocks. I will be there soon.


And here I am, on those same rocky rocks. Call me Mr. Outback.



Finally, a foolish video I made. With Lord Acton, DP.

Friday Morning Leaf Erikson

Taken on my way to work this morning. Our warm September has delayed leaf-peeping season by a week or two. "Too much green!" the old folks cry, their tour buses zooming through our sleepy town, leaving diesel fumes and Fixident in their wake.


A church! The Presbyterian one I think.


A red tree! Surrounded by others who refuse to cooperate.


That's from my back porch, by the way. I am sooo suave.


Side street by my house. Yes, you read it right. Nickwackett.


The tree above my car. I shouldn't park there, knowing how often trees tumble down around my house. But it's a nice space.


Go yellowy, go!


Too much green. The old folks were right.

Tinmouth and Clarendon Gorge

Electric line gap. Looking down on Clarendon? I'm no good at geography.


Dobson the car, looking snug in the mountains.


Some hill. Somewhere.


Down the road from some hill. Somewhere.


The road. Hill not pictured.


Opposite of road. Another frakkin' hill.


The sleepy town of Clarendon Springs. Yes, that's really a town.


Tinmouth Mountain....Maybe.


More (possible) Tinmouth.


These I know. Danby Hill in the foreground. Mounts Dorset and Woodlawn in the back.


Beautiful Clarendon Gorge, which looked like another mountain from Google Maps. I had printouts to hike it and everything! But what I really needed was a canoe.

Very Emergency

Tonight at Club two sixth graders got into an argument over whether "emo" meant you cut your wrists.

What would the Promise Ring say about this?

My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco will pay at the Great White Thrown Judgment for their impertinence!

Let's review:


The Good Guys (aka, the funnest band of 1998)


The Bad Guys (aka, we're all very constipated)

Where's the Beef?

It's still very green around here. And warm. I figured we'd be a couple of weeks ahead of the Midwest as far as fall goes, but unseasonably warm temps have put my deductive skills to shame. Shame!


Getting there. But still a ways to go.


Some red. Some sun.


A sea of green. (Or more accurately, a small pond.)

Mason Dixon

Remember how I said I took seven pictures on my autotour down to Tennessee? Here are four of them. You're welcome.


A storm in Virginia! I had to pull over twice during the nastier bits.


My parents new kitten. They named him Pumpkin.


Pronounced Pun'kin. Which is kind of stupid.


I'm alternately calling him Joey Ramone and Samuel L. One of them will stick eventually.

The ground is falling onto the ground. And onto houses, too.

Last week I drove to Tennessee to see my parent's new home on Paint Rock Road. I was going to take a million pictures. I took seven. So instead, here are some pics of what I discovered outside my house when I got home yesterday. A(nother) tree had fallen onto my building, this time on the opposite side of the house. It broke two of my neighbors windows.


So that's the tree. Safe as houses.


More of the tree. The leafy parts.


My front door. Eagle Eye Charlie's can spy my bike on the right of the frame, hidden by the fence on the porch.


My building from across the street. Two months ago.


My building from across the street. Yesterday. (One of these things is not like the other.)


And then this morning, only one day later. Look what's disappeared!


Spirited away overnight, I guess.

In conversation, whilst walking to the swimming pool with the Club.

9-year-old kid: We should be be able to walk to the pool on our own.
Me: I don't think you're old enough yet.
Niner: Well, nine is the new 18, Jonny.
Me: Then what's 18?
Niner: 18 is the new 89.
Me: So I'm as good as dead? Thanks.