Training Log Archive: barbIn the 7 days ending Feb 21, 2009:
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Wednesday Feb 18, 2009 #
Note
Had dinner with Leif & Margo on Monday night, at their house on a ridge in the foothills with a laden lemon tree and a view out back. We found out that Leif, who summers in Stockholm, is part of a skating club. "Summers" apparently includes some very cold weather. Skating sounds wonderful - swishy beautiful fast easy.
Kids skating
Snowflake cracks in ice
Speed
Do they have skate-O?
"It's a feeling of freedom unlike anything I've experienced," Larsson explains. "And since there's very little friction between your blades and the ice, you can just let the wind carry you for long stretches at a time."
Ref
They skate out on the sea ice. Sometimes it breaks off, like on Lake Erie. Often a big new section will freeze further out into the water overnight. It might then be covered by a layer of snow so you don't notice the boundary. That's how 5 of Leif's 11-person ice skating party once fell into the water. Want to know what happened then?
Kids skating
Snowflake cracks in ice
Speed
Do they have skate-O?
"It's a feeling of freedom unlike anything I've experienced," Larsson explains. "And since there's very little friction between your blades and the ice, you can just let the wind carry you for long stretches at a time."
Ref
They skate out on the sea ice. Sometimes it breaks off, like on Lake Erie. Often a big new section will freeze further out into the water overnight. It might then be covered by a layer of snow so you don't notice the boundary. That's how 5 of Leif's 11-person ice skating party once fell into the water. Want to know what happened then?
Tuesday Feb 17, 2009 #
Hiking 20:00 [3]
Big hike up Sabino Canyon. Well, I felt really tired and sleepy and then the lady at the parking lot said there had been recent mountain lion sightings (in Rattlesnake Canyon) so I used all that as an excuse to go back and take a nice long nap at Peg's before we headed out to a yummy vegetarian dinner at the Indian monks' restaurant followed by a fun lecture on evolution and memes by Daniel Dennett.
Some cell phone photos of plants on the previous day's hike:
Bird's nest in a cactus.
Some cell phone photos of plants on the previous day's hike:
Bird's nest in a cactus.
Monday Feb 16, 2009 #
Note
Chickens!
Today's topic is chickens!
I have become seduced by the idea of getting an eglu, and 2 chickens.
I vaguely remembered Cristina thinking she could have chickens in her back yard so I asked her about it, when are you getting your chickens? Soon! she said. I think it's all the rage. So for all of you readers I have some more information.
Here is what my (rural French Canadian now living in Concord) friend Louise says about chickens. She knows; she has a dozen or so:
Each breed is good at something. Here is what I have. Many of these are heirloom breeds and will survive in the winter without heat in the barn given that there are enough of them. I have mostly layers, no meat breeds.
2 Barred Rocks, 1 White rock, 2 Laces: good layers, they also lay in the winter, not great pets, sexing is relatively accurate
1 White Leghorn: very flighty, great layer per pound of food eaten, will not make good pets.
2 Australops: Good winter layers, sexing is accurate but not fool proof, they make good pets.
4 Araconas: Great pets, intelligent, great winter layers, lay green eggs rooster large to keep predators at bay, sexing is inaccurate so I have 2 roosters
1 The Black star: Sexing is fool proof (the rooster are brown and the hen black so you have 100% chance of getting a hen), intelligent but not great pets, one of the best layer
2 Speckled Sussex: Average layers, a mixed breed, decent pet
Buff Orphington (got eaten by hawks last year) can be good pets but they are more of a mixed breed (meet and eggs) and not great winter layers in my hands.
1 Campine: My favorite, she loves me, hates roosters, only lays when she is outside (will not lay in captivity), great tick catcher, sexing inaccurate
1 English game: One of the most beautiful breed, flies away and confuses halks when they attack, the rooster is aggressive and attacks my kids.
2 Bantam Cochins: The are setters (have feathers on their feet and will sit on eggs), make great mothers, fabulous pets (one is carried everywhere in my 5 year old arms), good layers of small eggs, sexing is inaccurate.
1 with feathers on head: very gentle rooster, hens are decent layers of mid size white eggs, not good pet
1 giant white: Not a good pet, not sure how well she lays, flighty
2 Buff rocks: average layer in the winter, not great pets but wise and can be pesky. They come to the front porch and sneak inside the house when the door opens and will not get out unless given food. Will follow us around if they run out of water or food, otherwise, they don?t care about us.
Today's topic is chickens!
I have become seduced by the idea of getting an eglu, and 2 chickens.
I vaguely remembered Cristina thinking she could have chickens in her back yard so I asked her about it, when are you getting your chickens? Soon! she said. I think it's all the rage. So for all of you readers I have some more information.
Here is what my (rural French Canadian now living in Concord) friend Louise says about chickens. She knows; she has a dozen or so:
Each breed is good at something. Here is what I have. Many of these are heirloom breeds and will survive in the winter without heat in the barn given that there are enough of them. I have mostly layers, no meat breeds.
2 Barred Rocks, 1 White rock, 2 Laces: good layers, they also lay in the winter, not great pets, sexing is relatively accurate
1 White Leghorn: very flighty, great layer per pound of food eaten, will not make good pets.
2 Australops: Good winter layers, sexing is accurate but not fool proof, they make good pets.
4 Araconas: Great pets, intelligent, great winter layers, lay green eggs rooster large to keep predators at bay, sexing is inaccurate so I have 2 roosters
1 The Black star: Sexing is fool proof (the rooster are brown and the hen black so you have 100% chance of getting a hen), intelligent but not great pets, one of the best layer
2 Speckled Sussex: Average layers, a mixed breed, decent pet
Buff Orphington (got eaten by hawks last year) can be good pets but they are more of a mixed breed (meet and eggs) and not great winter layers in my hands.
1 Campine: My favorite, she loves me, hates roosters, only lays when she is outside (will not lay in captivity), great tick catcher, sexing inaccurate
1 English game: One of the most beautiful breed, flies away and confuses halks when they attack, the rooster is aggressive and attacks my kids.
2 Bantam Cochins: The are setters (have feathers on their feet and will sit on eggs), make great mothers, fabulous pets (one is carried everywhere in my 5 year old arms), good layers of small eggs, sexing is inaccurate.
1 with feathers on head: very gentle rooster, hens are decent layers of mid size white eggs, not good pet
1 giant white: Not a good pet, not sure how well she lays, flighty
2 Buff rocks: average layer in the winter, not great pets but wise and can be pesky. They come to the front porch and sneak inside the house when the door opens and will not get out unless given food. Will follow us around if they run out of water or food, otherwise, they don?t care about us.
Hiking 4:20:00 [1]
Climbed Wasson (?) Peak in the West Saguaro Natl Park. Sweet, gentle trail.
Sunday Feb 15, 2009 #
Orienteering 1:17:50 [3]
Butterfly courses set by Leif Lundquist at Ironwood outside of Tucson AZ. Felt pretty slow. No caffeine this morning (unlike yesterday), and perhaps tired from the unusual physical activity (i.e., any at all) from yesterday. Still, no big problems.
Orienteering 30:38 [4]
Well, I psyched my own self out and had a huge error (9-10 min) going to #2. It happened right after a discussion with Ludwig who was looking for the glasses he'd dropped. I thought about staying and helping him look but he urged me on. Other than that, I went faster than I usually do. Fortunately the lost time didn't change my standings any as I wouldn't have beaten Cristina even without the nav error, and the next female finisher was still slower than me. After I found 2 and finally started off to 3, I was telling myself the rest of the race was about how I did on the individual legs, and in fact, I did come in first on 3 legs! Wahoo!
Note
Some photos from Tucson.
Often this do-your-taxes establishment has a guy out front cross-dressed as the statue of liberty complete with the crown, waving and smiling. If PG ever needs to increase business, here's an idea.
Often this do-your-taxes establishment has a guy out front cross-dressed as the statue of liberty complete with the crown, waving and smiling. If PG ever needs to increase business, here's an idea.