Counting Books

I had a fun two days this week rearranging ALL our books, culling out some, and counting them.
I didn't intend to do this. I had walked to the big bookcase in the library looking for a particular book and noticed that the shelves were looking messy and that a lot of books weren't in their proper categories making finding them difficult.
When you have as many books as we have, you have to categorize them or you'll never find anything! I arranged them by the Dewey Decimal System several years ago.
"And how many books do you have?" you might ask. I'll tell you; 2,506! I figured that if I read one a week, in 48 years I'll have read them all. I'll be 104 by then. Fortunately, lots of them are children's books and ones I've already read. Whew! I'll only be 98 by the time I finish the rest.

Flash flood

This is becoming a regular event these days. Another ride immediately following a flash flood, a flooded creek that had to be forded three times in Urliup alone -- insanity! Yet after missing the Alpine Classic, I had to do something. The Black Magic backed up yesterday after Sunday's incredible day at Springbrook (that will be my next blog post). This time I went back to the Garden of Eden, in the Macpherson Ranges backing the Gold Coast.

The dirt roads were just a little torn up after the previous evening's downpour, yet the one usually the most treacherous, Glengarrie Road, didn't appear to have suffered at all. The cynics might suggest that this is because it's usual state is pretty close to "rock bottom". Still, I had fun in the rainforest, and the ridgetop dirt roads are virtually always deserted, making it a pleasant escape from the craziness of the coast.

I'm still considering a possible weekend tour to Mt Jerusalem National park next weekend. The loss of The Blue Flame has cast some doubt on it, but I'm half tempted to just use The Black Magic regardless. It seems to have handled the weekend as well as could be hoped for, and the circuit that takes in the Garden of Eden will test any bike. Whatever happens, I have plenty to look forward to.

Glen Avon Falls, Beaver River

Taken last Wednesday on our way home from Duluth. We took a short detour off Highway 61 and headed up to Glen Avon Falls on the Beaver River. This was only my second time visiting this location, and I can't wait to go back and see it when the water is higher. It is a spectacular section of the river with lots of photographic possibilities.





























I had a lot of fun with my 100-400mm lens taking shot after shot of this particular spot in the river. It was at the bottom of one of the many cascades that make up Glen Avon Falls. Each shot was so different from the one before, amazing how infinite the patterns of water can be when you freeze the action like this!

Snow Day by Billy Coffey

Snow had always been one of the wider gulfs between grown-ups and children. Adults wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible and so get on with their lives; children wanted to keep it around for as long as possible and so enjoy theirs more.
This quote is from Snow Day by Billy Coffey. I first heard of him when I was reading his blog http://www.billycoffey.com/ He's one insightful man, so I was glad to see his book in my local library.
I mostly enjoyed it but felt that at times he was too didactic; trying to cram in way too many lessons learned in a short amount of time. One day actually. I'd recommend it, though. It made me think.

St Andrews Castle

To continue with the mini-series of 'the ski trip that wasn't', here's St Andrews castle. A bleak but easily defensible location, looking out across the cold North Sea. The first castle on the site dates from around 1200. It was originally the Bishops' Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of St Andrews. After much siege and battery over the years, it was eventually destroyed during the Reformation, around 1560, when Scotland broke from the Roman Catholic Church.
I'm very honoured to have been given the 'Kreativ Blogger' award by Guy at Liege City Daily Photo. Thank you! I will pass it on, but with life as it is at the moment I'll inevitably take some time about it.

Hiker's Heaven

Enjoyed a beautiful hike this morning along the Superior Hiking Trail near Lutsen, MN. The colors along the ridge between Lake Agnes and the Poplar River Overlook were AMAZING! This is my favorite time of year to be out walking in the woods :-)


Above image: Poplar River Overlook
Last week I hiked the Superior Hiking Trail past Lake Agnes and was intending to hike as far as the overlook of the Poplar River. Unfortunately, there was an error in the communication about how far it was to the overlook, and I didn't make it (I thought I had missed it, so ended up backtracking then ran out of time). This week I went back and hiked to the overlook. As it turns out last week I was very, very close to the overlook (that's the way it goes!). It definitely is an overlook that you can't miss! The view of the Poplar River is incredible. I was hoping there would be a bit more fall color in the view, but even without many colors the view is one you have to see to believe.

Smooth Green

A new leaf on my 'Dwarf Namwah' banana plant.