Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show:2010 edition

Not much to report.

Joe and I succeeded in making it to the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show on Thursday. In an uncoordinated fashion we arrived at the center (I from the Aerie and he from Linden, NJ) within 15 minutes of each other and both of us were nearly an hour earlier than the time we said we would meet and 45 minutes before the doors opened. Absolutely no traffic on the road that early in the morning. (That was NOT true as we left a little after 1 PM. Lines of cars stretched out onto I-81 on both the east bound and west bound sides. And that intersection is two miles or so from the Farm Show Complex.)

Our first order of business was to find the Caesar's Lodge booth so Joe could book a trip for this summer. No problem! Caesar's had two booths--one in the outfitters section of the main hall and one in the fishing hall. We happened to enter in the fishing hall and found the booth just about 200 yards from the door. Oliver Brossard was back in charge of the outpost fishing and all the flying while his cousin George remains is in charge of the hunting and main lodge.

Joe booked his trip and then we set off to see what else there might be to see. We walked, and walked and walked some more. Along the way, Joe picked up some 1/4 inch cord, some 6 lb. test fishing line, and a leather wallet. We both bought some leather belts. And that was about it. We looked at lots of ATVs, admired all the horns at the outfitters' booths, inspected and got information about some Treewalker Tree Stands and did lots and lots of walking. We easily could have spent the rest of the afternoon and, perhaps, part of today if we had spent more time talking to outfitters, suppliers of calls, suppliers of archery equipment, etc. or if we had opted to watch any of the shows/demonstrations that were going on, but we both were faced with about 150 mile drives to get home and had nothing in particular we wanted to spend our money on...at the moment. So we headed our separate ways around one in the afternoon.

All I can say is that this is indeed the largest outdoor show on the east coast. The space is simply huge. Four different halls that could have each housed their own shows and, in a sense, did. The main hall held all the hunting supplies and outfitters. Then there was a fishing outfitter and supply hall (including boats and RVs). Another was strictly set up for archery supplies and held a shooting range of 3-D targets ranged up in the seating gallery. Another hall held all the man toys like ATVs, motor cycles, tractors, and such. And there were other halls as well. I even saw one or two full sized, two room log cabins and a two-vehicle garage with a full loft. One thing we didn't see much of was guns. There were only a few booths for manufacturers and gunsmiths/modifiers. I'm sure there must have been more, but then we weren't really looking.

It was difficult maneuvering through the aisles because of the number of people in attendance--on a work day. I don't know what kind of purchasing power the folks coming in to the show carried with them but I'm sure that lots and lots of cash changed hands during the eight days of the show. And looking at the number of pick-up trucks in the parking lots.... I'll definitely be putting this on my calendar for next February. And this time, I believe I'll make a point of seeing some of the shows and having a shopping list. I'll also see about getting into and keeping in shape for all the walking that's involved.

I thought to drive over to Cabela's after the show (it's just 50 miles or so east on I-78) since it would have added just 50 miles to the trip. (The leg back to the Aerie from Cabela's is about the same as from the Aerie to the Farm Show Complex.) But near the end of our walking around the Outdoor Show (and we covered perhaps two-thirds of the show floor space walking several miles in the 3+ hours we were there), my back started to complain and my left hip joined in. Not willing to be 100% stupid I headed directly home.

Two-and-a-half hours in the truck did nothing to improve the back or hip. The wine for dinner helped a little as did the Ibuprofen before hitting the sack early. Slept like a log until the cats started at 6:30 AM.

Let's Try this One More TIme...

It's a beautiful day here at the Aerie. The temperature has soared into the mid 30s as bright sunshine streams down through a cloudless sky. All the while AccuHunch and Weather.com are telling me the high will be 32 (been there, done that) and the sky is mostly cloudy (huh?).

I spent some time this morning with Mr.Craftsman Snow Blower clearing the driveway. I was surprised to see there was barely enough snow to warrant the use of the blower. I'd estimate it was just 4 inches deep out there except where it blew off the roof. After watching it snow all day long yesterday I thought sure we had more than that on the ground. Perhaps the fact that the snow was extremely fine and almost granular allowed it to settle more than normal.

Anyway, I did get the stuff cleared using the blower. I'm glad I got it done early, too. There was not a breeze blowing while I worked which meant I didn't have to worry about the stuff blowing back on me as I went about my clearing. The snow went almost exactly where I wanted it to with the exception of when the skids on the front of the blower hooked a chunk of gravel and suddenly jerked the machine one way or the other.

I called my buddy Joe in New Jersey. He was out from around 5:30 AM until 11 using his snow blower to clear his driveway, his mother's sidewalks (corner lot) and my mother-in-law's driveway and sidewalk (one block from his Mom's). He said he was pooped from having to move the machine around and muscle it through some of the deep snow (12-18 inches of it).

He and I will make one more attempt to go to the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg tomorrow. The weather looks good and barring a freak snowstorm we should be okay. He wants to book a Quebec fishing trip for himself and one of his sons. I'd go fishing with him but Terry and I have already made plans to head to Alaska this summer...all summer. Still, it will be nice to touch base with the outfitter about going fishing in 2011.

The Harrisburg venue is immense and could easily be the largest outdoor show on the east coast. We'll get there around 10 to 10:30 AM and probably won't get out until late in the afternoon. I'm going to make sure I have comfortable walking shoes on 'cause it looks like there are miles of aisles to walk.

Aerie PM Report, February 10, 2010

The snow finished sometime around sundown this evening. The winds picked up considerably rising from just one or two miles per hour to over ten. They also switched around from coming from the east to the north.

The final measurement is a mere 6 inches or so. Not much considering what fell south and east of here. Certainly no blizzard or "snowmageddon" for us. I held off clearing the driveway and now will be waiting until tomorrow when I'll be out early in the morning with the snow thrower. With any luck it won't take me more than a couple of hours to clear it all.

Aerie AM Report, February 10, 2010

After watching the radar screens carefully tell the tale of the impending storm last evening, and after experiencing a brief foray by the leading edge of the storm, I decided it would be safe to attend the Grand Canyon Photography Club meeting in Wellsboro last evening. Leaving the Aerie at 6:30 PM I experienced nothing worse than wet roads and a few brief flurries on the road west. No snow fell while the meeting was being held but the prospect of the storms arrival had everyone talking.

We had a presentation on Adobe Bridge for organizing our stacks (digital as they are) of photos. It reminded me that I've been extremely lax in the organization department of both the slides I've been scanning and the photos I've taken. I'm left with the daunting task of going back over thousands and thousands of pictures. *sigh*

A second presentation was on Gestalt Theory for composition. Interesting but way more deliberate thinking than I put into snapping a picture. Then again, I'm not doing it for "Art".

Anyway....The meeting broke up around 9 PM at which time it still wasn't snowing ad the "downtown" temperature in Wellsboro was 34 degrees. As I headed back east, the temps dropped quickly to 27-28 degrees along Route 6 and then to 25 as I turned up the hill to the Aerie. It wasn't until I neared home that the number of flakes increased, though not dramatically. When I hit the sack at 10:30 PM the snow still hadn't kicked it into high gear. It did so over night, however.

Three or four inches of white powder had fallen by the time I rolled out of the sack at 8 AM. (Terry was up earlier to feed the cats who left me to sleep.) The snow has continued all morning and, while we may see a little slackening in the quantity for an hour or two early this afternoon, it will last into the evening. Seven or more inches before it's over does not seem like a stretch. Could be a whole lot worse.

Won't be so easy tomorrow

moar funny pictures

The weather guy on the radio is saying 2 to 4 inches tonight and another 3 to 5 inches tomorrow. I guess we're due. And thank goodness we aren't on the southern border of the state.

I recall back in 1966 or so we had two snow storms a week apart that each dumped 12 to 18 inches of snow in a very, very brief time frame. Why does that stick out? They happened on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and I was responsible for clearing the sidewalks at the church at the time. And it was a corner lot. With lots of sidewalks. And a long, wide entry walk to the front doors. And the church had midnight services both nights. And there was no snow blower, just a straight handled shovel.

Then there was the 30+ inch snowstorm we got when we lived in Dover, NJ, sometime between 1973 and '76. Narrow streets with small (short) driveways. At least the mayor lived two houses down so the road got plowed early and often even if that meant the street parked cars got buried. I went to help his wife dig out figuring it would be necessary for him to get to the office. When we finished she mentioned she just had to get out to go get her hair done. She's lucky she wasn't found later in the snow bank.

Compared to that and the nearly 45 inches Baltimore and Philly have had dumped on them since Friday, 5 to 9 inches doesn't sound like much. But then I'm not as young as I used to be.

White-breasted Nuthatch

At least one White-breasted Nuthatch has figured out what to do with the checks (splits) in the deck posts. Rather than taking a sunflower seed all the way out to a pine or some other tree with rough bark there to wedge it in place before hammering it open with his bill like a woodpecker, this bird uses the cracks in the deck posts.

Now, I can't be sure there is only one White-breasted Nuthatch that has figured this out as they all look the same. But I have only seen one do this at a time despite there being several posts on the deck that could--and have--been used. Conversely, I've seen more than one W-B NH at a time take a seed to the bark of a tree to perform the opening ceremony.

Below I've posted a sequence involving just one Nuthatch for your enjoyment.

Having placed the seed in the crack, the White-Breasted
Nuthatch does a quick inspection.

Finding it not quite to his liking, he makes an adjustment...

...and wedges the seed in more tightly.

He takes another look and then lines it up like a golf putt.

A-N-D....THWACK!!! It's lunch time!

More daily visitors

Blue Jays come to the feeders in packs. If there's just one on the tray, there are five or six in the trees. They are the roving bullies. They will intimidate the smaller birds and even the large Mourning Doves. Yet they are also cowards. The Red-bellied Woodpecker can scare them away when she comes to the tray and they all take off when I step out onto the deck.

Their cowardice, however, can be a blessing for the little birds. When the Jays flee from me or a hawk that appears in the yard, they don't go quietly. They'll screech and scream quite loudly. When that happens all the little birds either freeze or head for the thick, protective branches of the pine trees and become still and silent as they assess the threat.

Blue Jay doing a little soft-shoe dance

We've only got a couple of Northern Cardinals that show up in the yard. Actually, just one pair--male and female--makes an appearance. Usually they feed on the ground beneath the feeders on the side of the house picking up seeds scattered by the other birds and squirrels. These visits frequently occur in the twilight hours of sunrise or sunset when it's just not practical to snap a photo. Once in a blue moon, however, one or the other will make a mid-day appearance on the deck.

Northern Cardinal

Another group that appears as a pack is the Mourning Dove. Or, given their usual docile nature, perhaps flock would be a better descriptive. Twelve to twenty of these subtly colored birds will be pecking at seeds on the ground, snatching one off the tray, or slowly policing the driveway for gravel that might be just the right size for their crop. (Without teeth, birds depend upon gravel in their crop to grind up ("chew") their food.) They don't pick fights with anybody but another Mourning Dove and will shoot off en-mass in erratic flight when they perceive a threat. Usually, they will fly in a circle and come back to roost in the pines to determine if it is safe to return. Sometimes they skip the circle flight and head right to the pines.

I expect to see some courting behavior from them in a couple of weeks. Males will walk after a female cooing all the while. She will act coy and rebuff his attentions right up to the last second. At least that's what it looks like. With both sexes looking the same, I could be mistaken. Perhaps they are merely re-enacting the last San Francisco street parade for Gay Rights.

Mourning Dove

Aerie AM Report, February 9, 2010

We've been downgraded from a Winter Storm Watch to an Advisory. That means we won't get as much as they feared but AccuHunch is still saying between 4 and 7 inches of snow may fall between tonight and Wednesday evening. The higher accumulations are to be to our south and/or at higher elevations. (Have I mentioned that the Aerie is at 2100 feet? That's actually quite high around here where maximum elevations are around 2400 feet or so.)

Scattered snow is already falling in the southwest corner of the state and is slowly creeping this way according to the Weather.com radar. The heavier stuff is still down in southern Ohio and West Virginia.

Anywho.... It's not supposed to start until well after dark so, while the trip to Harrisburg has been postponed until Friday, I should be able to make it to the photography club meeting in Wellsboro.

Joe and I were discussing how we might be able to make some $$$ out of our ability to draw in precipitation whenever we have anything planned together. We've already put out feelers with the Canadian government to bring an end to any drought they may experience during the summer. All we ask is that they pay for our fishing trips. We can guarantee that it will rain at least five of the seven days we book an expedition.

We thought Vancouver might be interested, but it's kinda short notice for the Olympic ski slopes. Bear season would have been a good time. If they had called us a little earlier.... They probably called Al Gore and...well...like all liberals, he failed to deliver the goods.

(We'd issue an official apology to Baltimore and D.C. but that might get us into a position of being financially responsible for their clean-up costs. So all we'll say is: TS!)

Holy Moly!

I'm looking around at some sports sites (Super Bowl on CBSSports.com, Mets at MetsBlog, when I got to the Baseball Crank and see that Rep. John Murtha has died. The Washington Post has the details here.

Also in the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza, says that state law requires the Governor to declare a date for a special election to fill the Congressman's now vacant seat. That election, says Cillizza, will probably coincide with Pennsylvania's primaries to be held on May 18th. No interim appointment can be made.

Mets Alert!

Pitchers and Catchers in 10 Days. (February 18)

Saints 31, Colts 17

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on their victory over the Indy Colts yesterday in Super Bowl XLIV.

They got off to a slow start falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter but out played the Colts from then on.

Drew Brees was chosen as the MVP. He was 32 for 39 for 288 yards and two TDs and one 2-point conversion. In contrast, Payton Manning was 31 or 45 for 333 yards and had one TD and one fatal interception (returned 74 yards by Tracy Porter for a TD with just 3:12 left in the game).

Good (?) Morning

Went to sleep immediately after the Super Bowl last night and woke up with a congested head at around 4 AM. Tried to fall back to sleep but between the sniffles and the warmth (can you really be warm when the room temp is just 62 degrees?) it was no use. Especially when Julie the cat started to meow at the door.

So I got up and dressed at 4:50 AM and headed down stairs. Fed the cats, poured myself some java and have been up since then. Being vertical has done wonders to clear my sinuses. I'll either take a nap later this afternoon or crash early this evening. If I try to stay up until a reasonable bed time (post 9 PM) I'll probably have a tough time falling asleep. I'm sort of odd that way.

Speaking of odd. We have one cat, Shadow, that absolutely will not sit in anyone's lap. Nor will she even sit on the couch next to you. The other two, Julie and Chester, will not only sit in your lap but will cling to each of Terry's hips as she stitches on her couch. Yet, whenever I get up early like today, it's Shadow that finishes breakfast and then, after a brief stalk of the house, heads for the bedroom door to demand that Terry get up. I can go and haul her away from the door--as I did this morning--stroke and pet her for 10 minutes and then place her on the living room couch where she normally naps the day away--alone--only to see her bolt right back upstairs to continue protesting Terry's slug-a-bed ways. At 6:30 AM.

******

We got just a tiny dusting of snow during the night. Probably lake effect. The areas to the east of us (over toward Ithaca and Binghamton, NY) got/are getting more as the winds sweep down the Finger Lakes. Looking at the ice maps of the Great Lakes seems to indicate that most of Lake Erie has frozen over thus cutting the moisture supply for the snow machine associated with that body of water. Not so Lake Ontario, however.

AccuHunch and the National Weather service have posted a Winter Storm Watch for the area beginning Tuesday late and ending late Wednesday. Two storms, one from the northwest and a second from the southwest are supposed to converge over Maryland and sweep up the coast. We may get five or six inches from this one while Maryland, DC and NJ can get something close to a foot.

Joe and I might have to postpone our trip to the Outdoor Show until Friday.

Some everyday visitors

There are about a dozen bird species that show up at the Aerie's feeders ever day. We also get about a dozen gray squirrels each morning.

Gray Squirrel

White-breasted Nuthatch

Downy Woodpecker

Black-capped Chickadee

Best Team Ever?

I understand there's a football game being played this afternoon. The game has sure changed since it was first played ont he Banks of the Raritan between Rutgers and Princeton way back in 1869.



If you're new to the sport of Football and wish to learn how the game should be played, Goofy has a tutorial.

There's only ONE National Pastime.

For quite some time, it was a morning ritual on a New York radio station to play read the following poem on the morning of the Super Bowl. The reason was obvious: The program's DJ/host was not a great fan of football but was a fanatic of the Nation's Pastime. Time and distance have robbed me of the name of that host and of the station upon which he held court (although I believe it was WCBS). Even so, I would like to provide you with the iconic baseball poem: "Casey at the Bat".



Of course, it was made into a cartoon which was NOT faithful to the original poem but entertaining nonetheless: "Casey At The Bat"



Which brought about a sequel: "Casey Bats Again"

Back to normal

The temps dropped to 9.4 degrees overnight and the winds shifted to come out of the north and then the north-northwest. This has produced some light snow flurries here at the Aerie and the return of The Blob over Armenia Mountain although there's some blue sky between the clouds at the moment.

******

I mentioned yesterday that whenever Joe and I go to an outdoor show it seems to snow. Friday, he suggested we shift our planned date from Monday to Wednesday so as to give the folks in Harrisburg more time to clean up the parking lots. Well, now AccuHunch is forecasting 5-plus inches of snow for Harrisburg starting Tuesday night and continuing through Wednesday. Guess I'll have to give Joe a call later this afternoon.