NEWFAZE

Munchausen by doggy

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

31 December, 2013 Munchausen by doggy

Alternate title: “Can’t chock the wheels.”

Turner cut his foot charging through the woods recently. No big deal except he had to have a few stitches. Also no big deal except it’s reduced our hiking time at the river – he’s restricted to home until the stitches come out after the first of the year.

Fortunately for us, a friend took a trip and we got to take her dog to the river a time or two. He’s a big, handsome white German Shepherd named Yuki and he loves Pony Pasture. As every dog does. Here’s a picture of Yuki and Evie from the river a few days ago:

Handsome boy and a pretty girl!

The “alternate title” seemed appropriate to the New Year. I’m re-reading a superb book called For the Time Being (1999) by a superb writer named Annie Dillard. The river makes me think of this too. Ms. Dillard writes: “Time: You can’t chock the wheels.”

Another great New Year’s quote from my favorite Paul Simon:

““Well, we got to get going,” said the restless Lord to the Son

“There are galaxies yet to be born

Creation is never done”

The song is Love and Hard Times. Click that link to see a super, super video of him singing that song – it’s about four minutes long and very worth watching.

Munchausen Syndrome is a psychiatric problem where people fake sick to get attention. The illnesses are fake but the psychiatric problem is real. If you find that confusing, that makes two of us. Turner’s not faking it; he had a serious gash on his foot. But man, that dog just cannot get enough attention. I haven’t gotten any pictures of him (incredible, I know) but he is constantly putting his foot in the air for inspection. That’s not really why he’s doing it; his foot is fine. He’s doing it for the belly rubs. He doesn’t even limp. What a bum.

Another picture or two and I’ll put up this final brief post of 2013. Only one picture. I was hiking with my friend Ethan at Bryan Park and we saw a mockingbird hopping around in the dry grass. They’re good looking birds and this is kind of a fun picture:

Serene, don’t you think?

I’ll close with a few more quotes from Ms. Dillard, also from For the Time Being. This is the quote that led me to the book; I read it in a different book. I try to remember this when I hear about how rotten things are now and how great they allegedly used to be:

“There were no formerly heroic times, and there was no formerly pure generation. There is no one here but us chickens, and so it has always been: a people busy and powerful, knowledgeable, ambivalent, important, fearful, and self-aware; a people who scheme, promote, deceive, and conquer; who pray for their loved ones, and long to flee misery and skip death. It is a weakening and discoloring idea, that rustic people knew God personally once upon a time—or even knew selflessness or courage or literature—but that it is too late for us. In fact, the absolute is available to everyone in every age. There never was a more holy age than ours, and never a less…

There is no less holiness at this time—as you are reading this—than there was the day the Red Sea parted…”

Dillard, Annie (2010-05-06). For the Time Being (p. 86). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

“In any instant you may avail yourself of the power to love your enemies; to accept failure, slander, or the grief of loss; or to endure torture.”

Dillard, Annie (2010-05-06). For the Time Being (p. 88). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Those were important concepts for me to keep in mind in 2013 and they’ll be no less important in the coming year. I’m looking forward to it!

Thanks for reading my blog; I’m looking forward to some good posts in 2014. I hope you had a great 2013 and I hope 2014 is even better. All best,
Jay, Evie, Mackey, Turner, Dash, assorted others

Posted in Rivers | 4 Comments

Late fall blues

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

18 December, 2013 Late fall blues

It feels like winter – the days are short and damp. But meteorologically it’s still autumn here in central VA. Winter officially begins Saturday, December 21 at 12:22 PM EST. The true definition of the beginning of winter (here in the northern hemisphere) is the day with the least amount of daylight. The shortest time between sunrise and sunset. And it’s the precise middle of that day, the time when the sun gets as high as it will get all day. Which on that day is not very high at all. So this coming Saturday, by the time you’re finished lunch, the sun will be very low in the sky – but that’s as high as it will get all day! Then the days will gradually begin to lengthen – and that’s the beginning of winter!

If you really want to be nerdy about it, there’s a phenomenon called “seasonal lag” that means the weather doesn’t become truly “wintry” until a bit later. The winter weather “lags” behind actual winter by a few weeks here in central VA. January is invariably our coldest month, and February has a lot of cold and dreary days too. “Spring” begins in Richmond on March 20, 2014 at 11:57 AM. Day and night of equal length. Of course there’s a seasonal lag in spring too – April and May are the truly beautiful (and delicious smelling) months in these parts.

I haven’t had the blues (so far) but I’ve gotten some pretty blue pictures. I took this one in the parking lot at Pony Pasture earlier this month. Bluebirds were my Dad’s favorite bird, by far. So here’s a bit of “late fall blue”:

A beautiful bluebird – my Dad’s favorite – Sialia sialis – in the parking lot at Pony Pasture

Since it’s late fall, the leaves are off the trees and it’s harder for birds to hide. I was hiking in Bryan Park with my sharp-eyed friend Ethan earlier this week and he spotted this beautiful female kingfisher working (hunting) in the creek. More late fall blue!:

Gorgeous female belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Of course our beautiful blue James River reflects the beautiful blue sky:

It’s easy to see why I don’t get tired of this

Mackey and Turner and I get to the river when we can. As people who know us are aware. Earlier this week we spotted this handsome guy munching berries in a tree. Evelyn identified him as a Red-bellied woodpecker. Not really in the “blue” theme but still a handsome boy:

Handsome Red-bellied woodpecker. Although it's tempting to take credit for the good "timing" of this shot (berry in mouth) anyone who takes a lot of outdoor pictures can tell you that's mostly luck. But it's still a fun picture.

Handsome Red-bellied woodpecker. I’d like to take credit for the “timing” here (berry in mouth) but anyone who takes outdoor pictures can tell you that’s luck. But still a fun picture.

More soon! Have a great day,

Jay

Posted in Birds, Fun, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | Tagged Pony Pasture | 3 Comments

Every sandwich

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

25 November, 2013 Every sandwich

Beautiful bird at a beautiful lake on a beautiful afternoon

This is not a post about Thanksgiving leftovers. Although it applies to them too.

Warren Zevon was an American rock and roll singer in the late twentieth century. In 2002 he was diagnosed with a rapidly spreading cancer and given a short time to live. After his diagnosis he was on David Letterman and Letterman asked him if knowing he would die soon had taught him anything. Zevon said “how much you should enjoy every sandwich.” Don’t take the mundane things in life for granted – it’s all important.

I’m reading The Wisdom of Slowing Down by Eknath Eswaran. It too is about enjoying every sandwich.

I was reading it in the waiting room when I visited my dentist’s office this morning. I looked at the table next to me – you can’t make this stuff up – and beneath it was this:

The wisdom of slowing down…

Reminding me to slow down, clearly. To enjoy every sandwich.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the holidays and spending time with family and friends and to eating a lot. I could fill a hundred blog posts with the things I have to be thankful for and not even scratch the surface. The mere fact that I’ll be able to enjoy a lot of sandwiches is evidence enough.

I’m thankful for all of my friends who take me around the central Virginia area so I can get lots of fun pictures. A friend moved recently and we began visiting Three Lakes Park in north central Henrico County. They have a beautiful nature center and three gorgeous lakes. We were hiking around the lakes recently and the light was spectacular and I got this lucky shot of a heron:

Beautiful bird at a beautiful lake on a beautiful afternoon

I was at the river Sunday morning and a cold front was blowing in. It was crisp and clear and the wind was blowing a gale. The dogs and I were out on the rocks and my hands were practically frozen to my camera. I think the colder it gets, the more the buffleheads like it. This isn’t a spectacular picture, but it’s kind of fun. A flock of buffleheads skimming above the miniature whitecaps:

Skimming a COLD river

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I think about blog posts a lot. The original title/theme for this post was “In the moment,” inspired by my brother’s admonishment while I hiked at Pony Pasture with my first smart phone. I was speaking with him on the phone, and told him I was using my phone while I hiked so I could take care of some office business while at the river. His immediate dry response was “be sure to take some pictures so when you get back to your office you can enjoy your hike.” It was a good reminder. Be present. Pay attention. Enjoy every sandwich. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Posted in Dogs, Endurance, Fun, People, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | 3 Comments

Veterans Day 2013 – Battleship2Buffleheads

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

11 November, 2013 Veterans Day 2013 – Battleship2Buffleheads

The moment I put up my post yesterday I realized I’d left out a couple of nice pictures from Beach2Battleship. Then I was driving to Pony Pasture to go for a bike ride with my friend Ethan this afternoon and he looked out the window and spotted the first buffleheads of the winter. So why not a brief blog post with the missing shots from Beach2Battleship plus a few bufflehead pictures Ethan and I got this afternoon. Just as robins are a sign of spring, buffleheads are a sure sign of winter.

Since today is Veterans Day, this is a fitting picture to begin this post – Evie standing next to a WWII era 155 mm howitzer at a rest area on our way home:

The perfect Veterans Day image

This was the inscription:

Oldest Veteran’s Day Celebration site

Ev took this picture of T1 an hour or so before the race started. It makes me shiver just looking at it:

If you don’t think it was cold out there, guess again

Speaking of cold, me about to get on the bus to the swim start:

Didn't warm up until I swam in the ocean at dawn. How is that for crazy?

Didn’t warm up until I swam in the ocean at dawn. How’s that for crazy?

Flash forward (“flash forward” – I’m totally cracking up – try “crawl forward”) sixteen hours to the finish:

The whole thing is my favorite part. All fifteen hours and fifty-eight minutes.

Dazed and happy the next morning:

Been dazed and confused for so long…

Flash forward again (to this afternoon at PP):

First buffleheads of the season

Just a quick post – hope you enjoyed.

And Happy Veteran’s Day, and thank all of you for your service, including my late father, his late father, my mother’s late father, and all the rest. All best,

Jay

Posted in Endurance, Fun, People, Rivers | 3 Comments

Owl pajamas, candy corn, a beautiful day – Beach2Battleship 2013

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

Owl pajamas, candy corn, a beautiful day – Beach2Battleship 2013

10 November, 2013

This is (in part) a “race report.” From my experience at the Beach2Battleship 2013 Iron Distance Triathlon on Saturday, October 26, 2013, in Wilmington, NC. I don’t “race” in the conventional sense so this is not a race report in the conventional sense. My goal is to enjoy the experience (“Have a good time”) and get the most out of my day. Which I very reliably have every time I’ve completed Beach2Battleship – 2013 was my sixth in as many years. And I had a great time. Slow, but great.

My “run” in 2013 was a whopping 37 minutes (!) faster than 2012. My swim and bike were nearly 20 minutes slower each and when you add slower transitions, I only broke the 16 hour barrier by 2 minutes. A long day! But as always a joyful one.

Evelyn and I got to Wilmington on Friday (October 25) and went out for dinner at Rx Restaurant & Bar in downtown Wilmington. Rx is just across the Cape Fear River from the USS North Carolina Battleship – where the race gets ½ of its name. Our pre-race dinner was delightful. Not least because of a gracious couple and their young daughter who sat just across from us. The daughter was out late (perhaps she was five years old) and she was wearing owl pajamas. If you have pre-race anxiety (I have pre-race anxiety) or any other anxiety-variety, a well-mannered little girl in owl pajamas is the perfect antidote. Who even knew? Seriously, look at these things, could you imagine looking at them and feeling anxious? Seriously, no way, check this out:

Owl pajamas – unfortunately I’ve been unable to find any in my size

Ev and I got up at 4:00 the next morning to race; we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and were just ten minutes from the swim start. I went through all my pre-race anxiety reduction rituals which were as ineffective as they are every year. Some people may be better at this than me, but the only thing that reduces my anxiety is having the race finally start. It was clear and beautiful out which means cold, but it was a nice swim. The current wasn’t as helpful this year as it’s been some years and I swam an uninspired 1:20. But it was a pretty morning and I enjoyed starting my day in the ocean – it honestly is a great pleasure. I’d like to do it more often. Ev wasn’t out there – it’s pretty far out – and there are no pictures. Plus the race began at 7:30, 4 minutes after sunrise, so it was mighty dark. And did I say cold? Oy. 35º was the low temperature in Wilmington that day. And we swam in the ocean. What we were thinking I have no idea. The water was close to 70º though so it wasn’t awful once you got moving. The current was bland and it wasn’t my slowest swim ever, but it wasn’t great. I finished my swim in under an hour for four of my first five races at B2B so I was a little discouraged to get out of the water in 1:20. But it’s always nice to finish a segment.

Getting out and getting on the bike was cold but it didn’t feel bad because it was sunny. I was fooled by the lovely day and didn’t notice the gentle but persistent breeze. If you ride long distance a lot, wind like that is no big deal for an hour or two, maybe not even three or four. My ride took 7:14 (!) so the novelty had worn off long ago by the time I racked my bike in T2.

Being worn down physically that way wears you down as much – or more – mentally and I was in uncharacteristically low spirits when I began my “run.” But I was very characteristically checking on (not to say obsessed with) my time for the first mile. And extrapolating it over 26.2 miles, trust me, this is what obsessive people do. And balancing the way I was feeling against my time per mile and the distance remaining, a reasonable run time began to look achievable. So about nine and a half hours into the race, I began to feel better. I came to the first aid station, which was stocked with everything excellent, I looked down, there’s a row of little paper cups – this was five days before Halloween – filled with:

Natural autumn colors. The little white tops are my favorite part.

When there are no pleasant dining companions wearing owl pajamas in a fancy restaurant, little medicine cups filled with candy corn are… just what the doctor ordered! So fun. Anyway, I cruised along (I use that term loosely) for 6:45 (yes, that does mean I was “running” for six hours and 45 minutes) and crossed the finish line in 15:58. Fifteen hours, fifty-eight minutes. And glad to be done!

Sixteen hours-ish is slow. Believe me it’s slow, they’ll kick you off the course at seventeen hours, and the winner finished in 9:04. This year was my eleventh 140.6 mile triathlon in eleven years and I’ve never finished faster than fourteen hours. So I am clearly not in it for anything other than the experience. But the experience of spending the day outdoors with hundreds of like-minded healthy people, of moving non-stop under your own power for 140.6 miles is second to none. In my life, it’s not often that I feel more alive than I do during a long triathlon.

It’s still sublime to go back to the hotel and jump in the shower and collapse in the bed for the usual jagged post-race sleep. I should go to the post race brunch some year but I think as long as I race in Wilmington, I won’t. Because for all six years I’ve completed B2B, I’ve gone to brunch the following morning at Boca Bay in Wilmington and it is out of this world, every year. Go there next time you’re in Wilmington – I mean it. Except for this race and all the amazing people, Boca Bay is my favorite thing about Wilmington. There is, naturally, a caveat – the day before eating there I have burned, estimating conservatively, 10,000 calories. So of course it tastes great. But I know I’d enjoy Boca Bay any time – it’s a great restaurant.

I’m always happy to get home and resume my “normal” life – my favorite thing this time of year is fires in my woodstove and my other favorite thing any time of year is hikes at Pony Pasture with Mackey and Turner. This was on the Tuesday we got back:

Home at last

I took this damsel fly picture down there a couple of days later:

Damselfly on a twig

Today (November 10) this turtle was sunning itself at PP. The first real Canadian cold fronts of the season are coming down this week, these I’m thinking are the last turtles of 2013 up here (in central VA):

Last turtle of 2013?

Part of what’s held me back on blogging (lots of things have held me back on blogging) is I haven’t gotten any pictures I really enjoy. But when we came off the river bank and up to the pasture this morning, this little beauty was perched in the sun:

Pretty perch

The moon was lovely this afternoon around 4:15:

Goodday moon

Same day, three hours later:

Goodnight moon

The light this time of year is wonderful: I took this picture of one of my neighbor’s trees from my driveway:

Autumn light

On these dry, clear days, high-flying jets leave crisp contrails. These two planes were nearly invisible to the naked eye. Their contrails were easy to see but the jets were just silvery dots. Here is a two engine jet zoomed in to 200x:

Twin engine jet with contrails:

This is a four engine jet at the same time:

Four engines, four contrails

Enough for now. I hope to put up a new post quickly. Now that I’m relieved of the time constraints of swimming and biking and running every free moment. Have a great day,

Jay

Posted in Endurance, Fun, Rivers | 15 Comments

Wonder and rejoice

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

22 October, 2013 Wonder and rejoice

“…everyone hears an inner voice

A day at the end of the week

To wonder and rejoice” – Paul Simon, How Can You Live in the Northeast?, 2006

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m training a lot as my race draws near. I was on a long (five hours!) very rainy solo ride last week. When I’m on a ride like that I tune out a lot but tune in to my “inner voice” and it made me think of that song. “Inner voice” is not a great blog title (maybe it is) so I went a line or two later.

My race (Beach2Battleship) is this coming weekend. You can see my times for each section of the race in real-time. You’ll need to enter my race ID #, which is “9”. Very low number since I entered really early. Here is the link: Live results . It says this on the race site: “(NOTE – Nothing will populate until athletes start to cross the timing mats at swim finish on event day).” Also FYI, my times are incredibly slow; it may be more exciting to watch your grass grow. But the results will be there.

I love comments on my blog, by the way. Some people are regular commenters, which I love, and some are occasional, which I also love. But I love any kind of comments and I reply to all of them. I don’t reply instantly but I reply. I always enjoy hearing what people are interested in.

I’ve said it often – a lot of the reason I get good pictures is because I have my camera with me. The other day I pulled into my driveway and looked out the car window and this guy was hanging on the fence. I just put the window down and he stayed. I picked up my camera and there it is. Fun shot:

Handsome male downy woodpecker next to my driveway

I also played around with moon pictures a little more. The moon was rising very, very clear on Monday, October 14. I got a handful of pictures of it at 5:30 or so, still over an hour-and-a-half before sunset. Then I took a couple more around 7:30 and a final set close to 9:00. I use an app called MoonPhase that shows some moon info. So I took a screenshot each time I took a photograph. The screen shot is of the “ephemeris” data from MoonPhase.

“Ephemeris: a table or data file giving the calculated positions of a celestial object at regular intervals throughout a period.”

I’ll put one picture I took from my front porch followed by one MoonPhase screen shot. It’s interesting (to me). :

Moon – October 14, 5:37 PM EDT

Same moon, 7:29 PM:

Same moon, 8:55 PM:

Same moon, 8:55 PM

More moon info

Enough about the moon – hope that wasn’t overdoing it.

Except for swimming I do all my training outdoors, which is maybe my favorite thing about long distance racing. Not only do you spend a long time outdoors while you race, you spend hundreds of hours outdoors training. Some of it (a lot of it) is running at West Creek, and I even get enjoyable pictures there. I took this one standing next to my car:

What a present.

Human beings (with notable exceptions) are warm-blooded – we have an internal heat source. Not so for turtles, they rely on the environment to keep warm. Mackey and Turner and I were at the river on October 15th. In mid-June the sun rises around 5:45 AM and sets after 8:30 PM – it’s above the horizon for nearly fifteen hours. If you rely on the environment to keep warm, you are loving life on those long days. We all notice the days getting shorter, but if we pay our utility bills and dress right we keep warm no matter. When we were at the river on the 15th, the sun rose at 7:15 and set at 6:30 – above the horizon for barely 11 hours. These guys don’t have calendars or anything else but they are totally making the best of these shortening days. Notice their heads are way out of their shells and check out those guys on the right, spreading their toes to get every last bit of sunlight:

Making the best of this moment

Or maybe they were just spreading their toes in ecstasy because this was the view. I mean, seriously:

Those turtles were craning their necks to get a better look at this. Can you blame them?

If you look very, very, very carefully at that picture, just below the middle and just to the right of center, you can see something sticking out of the grass. This is the zoom-lens version:

Aren’t zoom lenses incredible? Look what you get to see. Without even bothering him.

Sometimes when we’re down there I look at the water and just stare. I mean, this is water. I just pointed the camera at it and pressed the button. That’s one of the treasures, if not the treasure of being in a river environment like that. You can go there hundreds or thousands of times and each time there is something new. You just never know what it will be. Look at this:

It's a photograph but it almost looks like a painting.

It’s a photograph but it looks like a painting.

We were down there on a less sunny day this week also. Turner and Mackey run hard on the river side and settle down by the time they reach the woods:

Happy hikers

Turner has his own special tag. I made it myself. There wasn’t enough room to write “USUALLY” after the second “I’M”:

I’m USUALLY a great little boy! (OFTEN, really)

I took a little time off filling bird feeders but I bought some bird seed and we’re at it again. I took these pictures out of my car window so the focus is not what I’d like. I’ll perfect it. This tufted titmouse was filling up:

Handsome tufted titmouse (with a mouthful of sunflower seed)

Meanwhile, this squirrel found a safe place to contemplate his (or her) next move out of reach of marauding dogs:

Remaining above it all

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I’ve enjoyed training but I’m looking forward to settling back into real life. Or what passes for it. I’m also looking forward to seeing everyone soon! Have a great day,

Jay

Posted in Dogs, Endurance, Fun, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | 8 Comments

Moving Meditation (subtitle: In training)

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

2 October, 2013 Moving Meditation (subtitle: In training)

I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that an acquaintance refers to my method of “racing” (and consequently of training) as a “moving meditation.” I concentrate on “having a good time.” Life is short. I’m deep in training for my October race. Today (Wednesday, 2 October, 2013) is the middle of Week 10 of the 13 week training cycle. That means that (at least by my standards) I’m relatively fit and if I’m awake I’m either working or training or eating, and I’m tired and/or hungry a lot. There are some very long training sessions now, including 90 minute swims, 4+ hour bike rides and 2+ hour runs. It gives me a lot of time to think. Too much sometimes, but it goes with the territory.

I’ve wanted to blog more but I’m busy but I want to put in a few images. Also a brief story at the end that I copied from J.D. Salinger; he copied it from a Taoist parable. The stuff I think about when I have too much time to think is addressed in the story.

Meanwhile. We’ve had a run of lovely weather here in central VA – it’s been a lovely weather summer – and it makes for easy picture-taking. I should look over some of my old blog entries to ensure I’m not repeating myself. But the three “L’s” of real estate are, as you are perhaps aware, “Location, Location, Location.” In photography (in my opinion) the three “L’s” are “Light, Light, Light.” And the light has been enchanting (again, my opinion) all summer and into this delightful early autumn. My last blog entry was “Hump Week” on September 19, just before the end of calendar summer. It’s now officially early autumn and the light – my opinion again, third time in one paragraph, sorry – continues to improve.

This picture I took a few weeks ago in the Fan. Not an example of great light or anything, just a pattern that caught my eye:

Subject for meditation

This isn’t great light either, it’s just a little hidden-away place in the woods at Pony Pasture:

Gated community

And while I’m on the subject of miserable light. I pulled into Pony Pasture on September 24 and a deer walked directly in front of the car – twenty feet away. I sat there very quietly and another one walked out of the woods. For a long time the dogs and I just stared. I always have my camera with me so I got it out and as I did, two more came out, a total of four deer. This picture is miserable quality since it’s taken through my very dog-slobbery windshield. But it’s not every day – at least not within Richmond city limits – that you can photograph four deer at one time:

Embarrassingly poor quality, but what a sight. See the spotted fawn 2nd from rear? Mom in back?

Boy all this talk about great light and no examples yet. On the evening of September 19, an hour or two after I put up my last blog post, I was going out the front door to take Mackey and Turner for our walk. They lunged at a holly tree on the northeast corner of my house – directly outside my office window – and put their paws up on it and both had a fit. I went in and got a flashlight and my camera and came out and saw this guy in the tree:

Evening caller

I had recently filled the bird feeder (on my office window) and he (perhaps she) was no doubt filling up. It was a good night to be outdoors; I pointed my camera in the opposite direction to take this picture:

Better light for stealing bird seed

I’ve put a lot of these on facebook, so some people have already seen them. I like them better in the blog.

I take zero credit for what grows in my yard. I cut the grass – the extent of my horticultural talent. You’ll notice the only thing involved there is cutting things that have grown. The roses were here when I bought the house. They somehow managed to survive my living here. Evelyn brought them to full bloom. You’ll pardon the expression:

Evelyn cuts them and brings them inside too – they’re old and they smell amazing

Here’s one with my boys in some pretty decent light at PP:

dogs/river/sky

Heck, they look so handsome in that picture – and the river is so lovely – how about another:

dogs/river/sky (II)

Also – I’ve been training a lot at West Creek. My short “runs” I do around home (they’re really dog walks), and my long rides I do out in the counties. But I do my long runs at West Creek and also any rides that are an hour or less so I get very, very familiar with it this time of year. And as I jog (or walk) near the eastern entrance I notice an amazing smell and I looked up and there was honeysuckle in full, fragrant bloom! I’m such a nerd. I noted it on my calendar and said if that’s still here October 1, I want a picture of it. So I was out there yesterday and took several. It smells like May – it is incredible – I can hardly believe it’s October.

I cannot believe it is October. I think they use really great fertilizer in West Creek.

I have my camera with me whenever I’m at Pony Pasture. I love to get pictures of dogs, deer, flowers, bugs, fish, trees, birds, there is no lack of subjects. But the river doesn’t need anything added:

I've looked at some variation of that precise scene literally thousands of times. And I never, ever get tired of it.

I’ve looked at some variation of this precise scene literally thousands of times. And I never, ever get tired of it.

Speaking of beauty at the river. I was down there with Mackey and Turner earlier this week and they bolted straight to the water’s edge. This guy was already in the air before they even got their paws wet. He (or she) flew out about fifty feet and settled down to relax:

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, Pony Pasture, James River, Richmond, VA, USA

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My friend Luigi gave me a gift certificate to buy some books. I got some great ones and I’m working my way through. Lots of learning and lots of enjoyment. The first one I got was an old favorite, Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck, 1962. “Charley,” if you’re unfamiliar, is Steinbeck’s dog and cross-country traveling companion. The book has a line I’ve always enjoyed, “A dog is a bond between strangers.” Dogs help me bond with strangers nearly every day. I am especially fond of the dedication:

I was with a buddy last week who was having a tough time. We’ve known each other for years. We have what Mr. Steinbeck might have termed “respect born of an association and affection that just growed.” I’m sure he’s better now. He’s one of the more resilient people you’d ever meet. Spending time with him brought this story to mind.

It’s a parable, so it’s not of course about horses. And maybe it’s about people, but more broadly it’s about appearance v. substance. What’s beneath the surface.

Have a great day,

Jay

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This is an excerpt from a 1955 book by J.D. Salinger. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters. The excerpt is worth reading and so is the book:

Duke Mu of Chin said to Po Lo: “You are now advanced in years. Is there any member of your family whom I could employ to look for horses in your stead?” Po Lo replied: “A good horse can be picked out by its general build and appearance. But the superlative horse — one that raises no dust and leaves no tracks — is something evanescent and fleeting, elusive as thin air. The talents of my sons lie on a lower plane altogether; they can tell a good horse when they see one, but they cannot tell a superlative horse. I have a friend, however, one Chiu-fang Kao, a hawker of fuel and vegetables, who in things appertaining to horses is nowise my inferior. Pray see him.”

Duke Mu did so, and subsequently dispatched him on the quest for a steed. Three months later, he returned with the news that he had found one. “It is now in Shach’iu,” he added. “What kind of a horse is it?” asked the Duke. “Oh, it is a dun-colored mare,” was the reply. However, someone being sent to fetch it, the animal turned out to be a coal-black stallion! Much displeased, the Duke sent for Po Lo. “That friend of yours,” he said, “whom I commissioned to look for a horse, has made a fine mess of it. Why, he cannot even distinguish a beast’s color or sex! What on earth can he know about horses?” Po Lo heaved a sigh of satisfaction. “Has he really got as far as that?” he cried. “Ah, then he is worth ten thousand of me put together. There is no comparison between us. What Kao keeps in view is the spiritual mechanism. In making sure of the essential, he forgets the homely details; intent on the inward qualities, he loses sight of the external. He sees what he wants to see, and not what he does not want to see. He looks at the things he ought to look at, and neglects those that need not be looked at. So clever a judge of horses is Kao, that he has it in him to judge something better than horses.”

= = = = = =

Posted in Dogs, Endurance, Flowers, Fun, People, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | 4 Comments

“Hump Week” / Too much fun

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

19 September, 2013 “Hump week” / Too much fun

I’m mid-way through Week 8 of my thirteen week Ironman training program. If you’ve known me at all for the last decade, you know that when I’m this deep in training my life reverts to its five step routine: eat – sleep – work – train – repeat. Fortunately week eight is a “recovery week” and I only have to do two swims, two bikes and two runs. To allow my body to repair itself (that’s the theory, anyway) for the final push to race week.

I am not a discriminating eater under any circumstances. Now that I’m training a lot, I’ve gotten even worse, if that’s imaginable. If someone asks if I like a certain type of food I nearly always agree. In my mind I say “Mmm, calories, my favorite!”

Last weekend was a special treat, since I had a four-hour ride on the calendar. I don’t think the temperature went above 75º, the humidity was almost non-existent and there was no wind to speak of. You can not make better bicycling weather than that. Pat rode with me and we did our Goochland/Louisa/Hanover short loop, which came out at around 60 miles. Later in training we’ll head out 522 and extend it to around 80 miles. Hopefully the weather will stay like this.

Saturday we were well out in Goochland and had just passed the twenty-mile mark on our ride. We were really in Maidens. We saw a sign by the side of the road that said “Honey for sale” and Pat and I both love honey so we stopped. What a treat. The owners, Donnie and Louise Ware, welcomed us into their home and gave us a brief education in honey making. They showed us several of their twenty-five hives, a lot of bees, the impossibly clean room where they spin and bottle the honey, the whole operation. It was the perfect mid-ride break. Since we were on bicycles and two-plus hours from our car, we could only carry a couple of small bottles. It’s delicious (I’ve already had a ton) and I may have to drive back out there in my car and get a bigger supply. Pat took this picture of me by their sign:

Best stop ever

And this is a couple of the bottles we bought:

Mmm, fuel!

Anyway. It’s been quite some time since my last post and I’ve piled up a few decent pictures. I’ve liked sassafras since I was a little kid. I found a small tree out in the west end:

Delicious and beautiful sassafras

Evelyn and I threw a pumpkin out in our garden last fall and some of the seeds sprouted. They made these gorgeous flowers but so far no pumpkins:

Beautiful!

Earlier this summer there were a lot of yuccas flowering and I’d hoped to get a decent picture. They’ve gone for the most part but I saw this late-blooming variety near my house a week or so ago:

Lovely contrast

My interest in sassafras (above) took root (sorry, couldn’t resist) as the cabin/camp years began, in the early to mid-1970’s. I was born in 1961, so when I was between say ten and fifteen years old. At the cabin a time or two we’d pull up little sassafras plants and scrape the roots and boil them and add sugar and make sassafras tea. Which doesn’t taste precisely like uncarbonated root beer, but the difference is not huge. I also read lots of Eric Sloane back then; I’m rediscovering him now. I’m currently reading a lot of his weather books, but I think the first thing I read was A Reverence For Wood. How is this for remarkable – Evelyn just gave me an old copy that she’d given to her father when she was younger. Anyway, in that book I’d read about ironwood, Carpinus caroliniana. There was plenty of it at the cabin and it’s easy to find at Pony Pasture as well. I was interested in it because it was so hard it made saw blades and axes dull very quickly. I’ve been told it’s the only wood that sinks. I haven’t tested all other wood, but ironwood does drop straight to the bottom of the water, and I haven’t found any other wood that does. Here’s a picture of a small one I took at Pony Pasture:

Hard, hard wood, and very handsome.

I was walking the dogs the other night and the moon was just setting; I grabbed one shot. It’s hard to get a good view to the west from my neighborhood, so I don’t get a lot of shots of the setting moon. I don’t retouch these photos at all; this is the actual color:

I’m told it’s made of green cheese, but here, not so much

While I was playing with my camera the dogs decided to lie down on the grass. We were under a street light; they have an unusual color. First Mackey:

We’re two houses away from home; he’d prefer to not stop.

And Turner, a.k.a. T-bone:

I'm not a dog mind-reader. But I guarantee you Turner is thinking this will lead to some new and unexpected way to have fun. That's just how he rolls.

I’m no dog mind-reader. But I guarantee Turner thinks this will lead to a new and excellent way to have fun. That’s just how he rolls.

Maybe the best picture I’ve gotten recently I took, surprisingly, in the parking lot at Martin’s! Mainly because I had my camera in the car. I was getting out in the back of Martin’s and I noticed movement in the bushes. I looked more closely and saw a goldfinch! I later learned the bushes were coneflowers, and that coneflowers are irresistible to goldfinches. And they’re easy to grow, so if you like goldfinches, put a patch in your yard. But I enjoy this picture, and I enjoy even more that you can get a gorgeous shot like this in the parking lot of your neighborhood grocery store:

That’s a goldfinch – isn’t that just a pretty thing to see in the parking lot of a grocery store? So pleasant.

Since I dragged my feet so much I let this post get too full. So I’m going to put it up, then get another one out (I hope) within the next week. My intention is to put up at least two posts each month. And this is my first for September. So expect another one soon. Until then, all best,

Jay

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

All the pictures on this blog are taken by me. But I go to Bryan Park with my friend Ethan a lot, and I’ve gotten some good pictures there. Ethan’s been practicing photography for a long time. He used to rush too much, but he’s learning to take his time. This picture of a turtle is one of his most recent efforts – and he’s still improving – way to go Ethan!:

Great turtle image by a budding amateur photographer!

Posted in Dogs, Endurance, Flowers, Fun, People, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | 6 Comments

Birthdays and Bugs and UNbirthdays

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

25 August, 2013 Birthdays and Bugs and UNbirthdays

A mea culpa – I credited Cappy with the first photograph of my last blog entry, the photo of my family at Shane and Kristin’s wedding. Cappy told me she didn’t take it! Whoever took it either a. doesn’t read my blog (billions of people don’t; I don’t take it personally) or b. knew they were actually the photographer but were gracious enough not to say anything. I suspect it’s b., and I suspect it was my brother-in-law Greg, an excellent and modest photographer. If he tells me it wasn’t him, look for another mea culpa on my next entry.

I was fortunate to have a birthday on Friday (August 23). I am even more fortunate to have Evelyn to celebrate with, and many human and dog friends. And the weather here in central VA is beyond compare. Very un-August like. I’m looking out my office window now at my blue car and our green lawn and red maple and the colors are so brilliant it’s like I’m wearing special glasses. Reality enhancement glasses. “Just like reality, only better.” That’s the kind of birthday I’ve had.

I just read Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll’s (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s) 1871 sequel to Alice in Wonderland. Here’s a relevant passage:

= = = = = =

‘They gave it me,’ Humpty Dumpty continued thoughtfully, as he crossed one knee over the other and clasped his hands round it, ‘they gave it me— for an un-birthday present.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Alice said with a puzzled air.

‘I’m not offended,’ said Humpty Dumpty.

‘I mean, what IS an un-birthday present?’

‘A present given when it isn’t your birthday, of course.’

Alice considered a little. ‘I like birthday presents best,’ she said at last.

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!’ cried Humpty Dumpty. ‘How many days are there in a year?’

‘Three hundred and sixty-five,’ said Alice.

‘And how many birthdays have you?’

‘One.’

‘And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?’

‘Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.’

Humpty Dumpty looked doubtful. ‘I’d rather see that done on paper,’ he said.

= = = = = =

So my real birthday was Friday, and it was superb, but Evie and I put together a string of un-birthdays, and what a gift. A present, if you will. But I digress. As I occasionally do. Two plus weeks since my last post and it’s been sunny and beautiful and this whole summer has seemed like spring. The deep green outside my window is much more common in May than August. Flowers continue to bloom vigorously and there are lots of bugs taking advantage of it.

Last Saturday (August 17) would have been Dad’s 78th birthday, if we had been fortunate enough to still have him with us. Dad was in my estimation unsentimental; he knew that life goes on. And lived in the present. I was impressed that one of my siblings posted this on fb on the 17th with nothing leading up to or away from it:

“I note with dismay the ad hominem phraseology that is appearing in the…discussions. It is understandable but unacceptable…I request that the participants review their inputs prior to submission and edit out phraseology that is not relevant to the issue. It is not fair to expect the forum’s moderator to be a censor.”

– Warren M. “Mike” McLaughlin, 1986

What a perfect quote for my Dad. What a communicator. When he wrote that he was younger than I am. And the youngest of his five children was eighteen years old. Astonishing. He wasn’t quite a grandfather yet – that was still two years off – but wow. Anyway, Evie and I took the dogs to the river for a quick hike (on August 17) and saw this beautiful flower in Dad’s favorite color:

Dad’s favorite color – with bug!

That Monday I was hiking at Bryan Park with a buddy of mine and wow. Talk about flowers still blooming. There were passion flowers in the gutters, by the dozen. Covered with bees. I got a few images; this one turned out well:

A bee on a passion-flower

Just down the path there were berries ripening. I don’t even know what they were. I just liked the Easter-egg-like shades:

Wild grapes maybe? They look like Easter Eggs.

Spiderwebs are looking great now too. Last Tuesday (20 August) when the boys and I got to the river this web was in mid-construction in a broad sunbeam off the path. I watched her go around and around; what a treat. It’s hard, at least for me, to get good pictures, despite a lot of tries. This one’s not bad:

Under construction

It’s marsh mallow time of year; they’re graceful and delicate and sway over the river. These face east toward the rising sun so I only see them from behind:

Marsh Mallow drinking up the sun on the river bank

Part of this beautiful summer has been beautiful clouds – constantly. I took this picture on Wednesday, right across the street from my house:

Speechless

That was (I am moderately certain) just before a cold front came in. There was a massive storm and a few days later (Saturday) at Lamplighter I took this while Evie and I had birthday celebration #2:

Blue sky cloud

I am (if perhaps you have been unaware) fond of taking pictures of the superb canine and feline friends that live with Evie and me. But I liked the way this fine boy looked at Lamplighter the same day:

Taking it all in

Today (Sunday, August 25) has been I think the last “official” day of my ongoing celebration; it’s been the best. Ev and the dogs and I went to PP this morning of course; I continue to try for the “perfect” spiderweb shot. Which may be like e.g. the perfect snowflake shot, or even the perfect river or cloud shot – they’re all different, they’re all perfect. Finding a great looking spider in a great looking web in great light is a vanishingly rare occurrence. But I like the attempts:

Another spiderweb attempt

We left her to her breakfast and went home and cleaned up and went out for our breakfast – or brunch or late lunch, what have you, at Portico. It was our second time there (the first was Ev’s birthday) and the food and service and experience were as good or better – and the first time was beyond compare. My skill as a photographer or writer are not up to the task (or I’m not up to the task) of describing just how great this place is. If you’re a Richmonder, just go there. Especially for Sunday brunch – it is sublime in every way. Here’s the crowd who helped me celebrate today:

Priceless!

Unfortunately for us (not for them, they were going flying with their son) two of our party had to leave just after we ate. But our waiter Manny took the indoor picture and graciously took an outdoor picture too:

We moved outdoors…

I’ve taken lots of pictures of bugs this summer – it’s fun. When people complain about the cold in the winter at Pony Pasture I always tell them winter has two advantages – no mud, no bugs. So I might as well get bug pictures while I can. Portico grows lots of their own fruits and vegetables and berries, and they even have their own beehives! Nice looking crowd here:

Very busy…

And finally a colorful flower from Portico’s prolific garden:

Colorful…

I was just getting ready to post this when I found an image I almost neglected to use. Perhaps you’re aware of the word “mashup.” In the internet, it’s when people take parts from two disparate sources and combine them. My Mom sent me the perfect birthday card; I called it an “analog mashup.”

Because Mom was so perceptive and because I enjoy the live-in-the-moment sentiment so much, I’ll close this birthday-and-unbirthday post with the text:

YOU MUST LIVE IN THE PRESENT,

LAUNCH YOURSELF ON EVERY WAVE,

FIND YOUR ETERNITY IN EACH MOMENT.

FOOLS STAND ON THEIR ISLAND OF

OPPORTUNITIES AND LOOK TOWARD

ANOTHER LAND. THERE IS NO OTHER LAND;

THERE IS NO OTHER LIFE BUT THIS.

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Posted in Dogs, Flowers, Fun, People, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | 6 Comments

It takes two

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Jay McLaughlin

10 August, 2013 It takes two

It takes two people to make a great couple and a great wedding and boy did I get to see an excellent one last weekend. My brother Shane married Kristin in Blacksburg, VA on Saturday, August 3 and it could not have been any more superb.

I normally only put pictures I’ve taken in this blog, but my niece Cappy took a family shot I love and I appropriated it without permission for this blog post – I hope she won’t mind! Since I’m in the picture, I feel less bad. That picture, left to right, is: my sister Sheila, yours truly, Shane (the groom), Kristin (his lovely bride), my Mom (Jude), my brother Kevin and my sister Katie. And you can barely see Shane and Kristin’s dog Tara’s head sticking up there in front of Kristin. Tara’s leash is in Shane’s hand:

Thanks for taking our picture Cappy!

Evie and I stayed in Blacksburg at their friend Tom and Erin’s beautiful home in the mountains. With their two great Border Collies Casey and Chloe. And Tara was staying with them for a while too so we even got to take her for a couple of nice walks.

Kristin and Shane are a great couple, and their wedding was outstanding too. I’ve met lots of great couples and been to many joyful weddings, but Shane and Kristin pulled it all together to make this I think my favorite wedding ever.

Our lodging at Tom and Erin’s was so fantastic – it was so great to stay in a home, and better yet a home with dogs, and even better a home in the woods in the mountains. It was much bigger, but it reminded me a whole, whole lot of being at our cabin.

The view off "our" porch - a lot like the view of the porch of the cabin.

The view off “our” porch – reminiscent of the view off the porch at the cabin.

I loved being able to walk out the door and take Tara for hikes in the woods. I always love the granite in Appalachian Mountains. It’s everywhere you turn at the cabin and on the Appalachian Trail and it was all over the place near Tom and Erin’s.

Beautiful granite

I could have stayed up there all day. But of course the wedding was compelling too… Here is the bride and groom, being read their vows – by Kristin’s father! They wrote the vows themselves and it was a beautiful, unique, touching ceremony. (It’s easy to see why I’m not a wedding photographer!)

Mr. & Mrs. McLaughlin – 3 August, 2013

This is the bride and groom with Kristin’s parents, sister, nephew – and dog!:

Shane, Kristin, and Kristin’s family

And this is the happy couple with Kristin’s nephew and MY five beautiful nieces:

What a great looking bunch!

Shane sent around a calendar of wedding preparations the week leading up to the big event. The Thursday before the wedding from 5:00 to 6:00 the calendar said “Arrange flowers in Mason jars.” If you ever come to my home, most of our glasses are Mason jars. I was looking forward to it. The bride and groom walked down an outdoor aisle lined with these:

These are so beautiful

They built in a several-hour gap between the wedding and reception so we spent a lot of time exploring Blacksburg and its environs. The weather was beyond flawless and we got to see a lot of sights. It’s hard (for me) to get a good crow picture and this one’s not outstanding – but I like it:

Shiny!

Evelyn and I visited the gorgeous Hahn Horticultural Garden not far from Lane Stadium. It was worth a trip in itself. I took a million pictures; I regret only having room for a couple. Here is a water-lily:

Glowing water lily

I hope you’ll excuse my fascination with bugs while at a garden filled with beautiful flowers. It’s also a fascination with being able to take a picture like this from a long way off:

This is why they make telephoto lenses!

Planes were taking off from the nearby Blacksburg airport while we were at the garden. Here’s another non-horticultural picture I enjoyed:

Aerial view

All good things must end; we left for home Sunday afternoon. One thing that does not end is the need to cut my grass; the rain has been steady all summer. I cut my grass Monday afternoon and this grasshopper popped out. And lingered long enough for me to take this picture:

Colorful!

Congratulations, Shane and Kristin!

Posted in Rivers | Leave a comment

NEWFAZE

Munchausen by doggy

Late fall blues

Every sandwich

Veterans Day 2013 – Battleship2Buffleheads

Owl pajamas, candy corn, a beautiful day – Beach2Battleship 2013

Wonder and rejoice

Moving Meditation (subtitle: In training)

“Hump Week” / Too much fun

Birthdays and Bugs and UNbirthdays

It takes two

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