North Pith

These Guys Must Have Parachutes on Their Backs

2012-01-25T16:28:00.001-06:00

Being There - Happy New Year from Field Productions on Vimeo.

Family Values

2012-01-23T15:10:00.001-06:00

Watching the Recall Petitions Passes Snowmobiling and Ice Fishing as the Most Popular Winter Sport in Wisconsin

2012-01-21T06:36:00.000-06:00

A humorous take here.The actual live stream here.And, yes, even Twitter comments here.Oh, my.

The Joy of

2012-01-17T22:30:00.002-06:00

Beauty Secret

2012-01-15T20:16:00.001-06:00

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Spring?

2012-01-08T10:04:00.002-06:00

Pretty sunsets, river opening, otter playing, eagles taunting, dripping snow from the roof.--January 4 is a little early to be thinking about Spring. We must concentrate on coaching the Packers to victory (again).

Body Calamities (Part 8)

2012-01-04T10:17:00.001-06:00

The crack (excuse the expression) staff here at North Pith has discovered, uncovered and revealed the latest in prurient personal bodily trauma.

Last Monday, the editor, publisher, and reporter of the truths-as-he-sees-it experienced his twelfth mishap of the season and the 3,469,210th of his life.

As he was walking the dog he pulled the famous sideways-feet-out-from-underneath-him triple salchow. Well, the triple part is a slight exaggeration. It was more like a one-eighth salchow. And it was not successful. He landed on his left hip. More accurately he landed on his left knee, left hip, left elbow and left temple.

It would have been funny if it weren't so, well, funny. The sound was sort of a flap, fwop, flap, fwop, groan. The dog loved it! The dog thought Mithter Pith came down to play, so he snatched his hat and paraded around with it, while the Pithster was trying to catch a breath.

Oh, he would like to claim that the accident occurred while playing on the practice squad for the Packers, but vainglory knows no bounds. The pain was no less than that of a 'hip pointer' (no exaggeration here).

After a week of hobbling around with his dutiful spouse on his arm as well as the occasional cane, he is making very slooooooooow progress toward mobility.

Absent from all the aftermath was bruising, that is, until now. Deep purple splotches surrounded by putrid yellow looking perimeters make for quite the conversation starter.

As the Pith has freely displayed his spouse's colonoscopy results, it's only fair to see the following:

And We Thought Blackbirds in Autumn Were Something

2011-12-31T11:43:00.001-06:00

Otter Playdate

2011-12-26T09:00:00.003-06:00

Best of 2011

2011-12-20T04:35:00.000-06:00

More here.

Worst Headline of the Day

2011-12-17T16:20:00.004-06:00

'At Last' singer Etta James terminally ill--AP

Adding a Small Item to my Christmas List

2011-12-11T22:09:00.001-06:00

Just in Time for Christmas

2011-12-07T14:11:00.001-06:00

The 5 best toys of all time are a click away. You can thank me later.

Holy . . .

2011-12-05T08:20:00.001-06:00

. . . Moly!

It's Still Winter, But It Is Even More Beautiful

2011-12-04T09:38:00.000-06:00

Winter is here

2011-12-01T12:23:00.001-06:00

Christmas Wish List

2011-11-29T08:16:00.001-06:00

So many of you found it useful for me to send out my birthday wish list that I thought I would update it for Christmas (on the slim chance you may have missed the earlier opportunity.

This first item is a modest little request. Find out about it here.

Thank you, in advance, for your kind consideration in this matter.

If kids designed their own school

2011-11-29T07:47:00.001-06:00

Here.

Artsy Fartsy

2011-11-28T11:00:00.000-06:00

We have a little treasure in our neighborhood. That's if you count 50 miles as being 'in our neighborhood.' Which I do.

It's this.

Each summer the museum features an exhibit of birds--sculptures, paintings, etc.

But this day they had an exhibit entitles Boxes and Their Makers (details here.)

Joe Paterno was there. OK, not really, but . . . well, use your imagination. A lot.

This JoePa look alike is working an a lathe that was around in the 1800's. Not many exist, lathes that is, although not many Joe Paterno look alikes exist either I suppose. At least none that would admit it.

This lathe was use for children to learn turning wood. It wouldn't go very fast so danger was taken out of the equation. This guy pedaled to make this work, reminding me of Grandma Newcomb mending.

Other turners were there, most with more modern equipment, and they let some viewers participate, too.

Well, something bit me at the exhibit and I left the building feeling all artsy myself.

In the parking lot we discovered these crevasses in the asphalt with little rivers of needles.

Something else bit me too. It has been around lurking inside, sometimes subconsciously, sometimes overtly. So we went home and I disassembled a fallen maple tree.

To be continued.

decide.com

2011-11-27T21:08:00.001-06:00

Is there anyone who can explain airline ticket pricing?

This is a question that has vixed some air travelers, namely myself, for years. And now there is an answer. And the answer is as suspected.

Airlines price their seats to maximize their revenue. Adjacent seats, therefore, may vary widely in costs depending upon . . .

. . . an algorithm.

And the algorithm is called 'dynamic pricing'. It has been in existence for years in the airline industry but is now expanding to other walks of life, errrr business.

Electronics, for example, now uses dynamic pricing to maximize revenue.

Now comes a website to counter this. Decide.com predicts price increases or drops based on a algorithm it created.

Listen to the complete story here.

There is hope for us yet.

Considering buying something electronic in the next couple of weeks? Check out decide.com to see what could happen with the price.

Marsh Adventures

2011-11-27T15:44:00.001-06:00

This morning we awoke to find four otters on the marsh, one with a fish, and a scavenger eagle watching lustfully. The eagle feigned disinterest, but kept waiting for the otter to slip up. And quicker than I could get the camera out, it swooped down and stole the fish the otter was eating.

This fazed the otters for about a second and a half, so they decided to play on a muskrat house.

Someone else we know, however, was also keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.

Mayday Emma of Newbold, aka

2011-11-16T18:18:00.001-06:00

Emma Dilemma, aka

nEMMAsis

Emma came in to Ann's life when she was 38 days old on May Day.

Today, she ate half a quart of ice cream and spent a great part of the day with her head on Ann's lap.

And then she died.

I suppose all dogs have a distinctive personality and Emma was as distinctive as the next.

But . .

. . . she could be so impatient with arriving guests that she would often take them by the arm to lead them inside. This would be somewhat disconcerting for the uninitiated, and . . .

. . . she could be so patient, waiting for an hour sometimes for a chipmunk to emerge from between the back steps only to lose the chase, 3,217 times in a row.

. . . she was Marian's favorite dog saddled with the endearing moniker of "You Big Goop!"

. . . she would greet open car doors with thievery, taking whatever happened to be on the floor and parading it around for all to see.

. . . she had a distinctive prance when she had something delectable, like a well-worn muskrat.

. . . she loved to play tug of war with Clark, made even better by Brody barking at both of them.

. . . she tormented Brody when she was young, just as she was tormented by Aramis.

. . . she could be so contrary, vehemently protesting going on the metal pier, but after a losing tug of war with Ann, was the first one on the boat.

. . . she was so used to carpeted floors that she would not walk on the hardwood until this past week when Aramis left some food in his bowl.

She loved walks, loved to watch us garden, loved to build bunkers (currently the number is 6. She had to start over after the landscaping.)

We loved her and miss her enormously.

May all her chipmunks be slow-witted and/or slow afoot. May she win every game of tug, and may she be reunited with her friends, Brody and Clark.

Old Things

2011-11-14T18:23:00.000-06:00

Dropped A-dog at the groomers and went on a little excursion.

At the very top of some of these enormous trees were heron rookeries.

We enjoy standing near things that make us look young.

Costume of the Day

2011-10-31T14:15:00.001-05:00

And the runner up

Anniversary in Duluth

2011-10-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

From Anniversary in Duluth

Ann and I spent a delightful, albeit short weekend in beautiful Duluth staying at the Inn on Lake Superior (see photo above).

From Anniversary in Dul

From Anniversary in Duluth

uth

If you've not yet visited this wonderful city, we highly recommend it. That holds true ANY time of the year. We have wanted to visit Hawk Ridge for a number of years, so that was the first stop we made upon arriving in the city.

What a thrill!

I couldn't concentrate on the birds for all there was to take in from such a vista.

But birds there were.

One of the volunteers gently cradles a junco as his counterpart explains the capture (mist netting), banding and release process.

Eventually he/she (the bird) was banded and released by an onlooker who sponsored the bird for a $20 donation.

The volunteers supplied binoculars to interested onlookers like this one. It turns out that over 100,000 birds fly near the ridge on a good day when the wind is just right and the migration patterns are at peak.

This day was hawk day--30 different hawks made their way from the north--some rare ones too. The merlin hawk is on my list and one was spotted this day, but before we arrived.

When we got back to town, Aramis Pajamis and I took a stroll along the lakefront, as did a few hundred others. Aramis was very interested in a couple of young boys chasing pigeons. He wanted full participation, but his new nose collar prevents this. He consigns himself to watch from a respectful distance.

Plenty to see on the lakefront.

Anniversary in Duluth

Beautiful weather in a great city with a couple of loved ones. I couldn't ask for more.

We meandered up to Bayfield on the way home, had lunch at Maggies and made it back before dark--tired and happy.

2011-10-14T06:51:00.002-05:00

Ricing

2011-10-10T19:00:00.001-05:00

Free

2011-09-29T20:59:00.003-05:00

Surprising Things Whilst Glancing out the Window

2011-09-16T10:49:00.002-05:00

The marsh is constantly a surprise.

Today was another.

This thing was very close despite how the above images may seem.

And I want a ride!

I Smell London; I Smell France; . . .

2011-09-13T13:53:00.004-05:00

. . . I smell Minnesota's Underpants! See here.

Grape Shot

2011-09-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

This has been a berry good year in the garden. It's been a very good year elsewhere, too. With the exception of the major league baseball field, where the Cubs failed to show up this year. What were we talking about? Oh, yes, produce.

Unlike the Cubs' production, the garden has done well all year. We even had blueberries up until a couple of weeks ago. The bounty ended when the Cubs completed the longest win streak of the year--4.

And the raspberries, oh the raspberries the Cubs received whenever another bonehead play in the field led to 6 runs for the other team.

The garden was good at every attempt. Even the good things became attractive to the raccoons, who purloined every last kernel of corn. But vengeance will me mine. Oh, sweet vengeance will be mine.

After the Packers' game that is. It's not even 'Wait 'Til Next Year." Now where have I heard that before?

What in the world are we going to do with all these grapes?

Happy Management Day! from Governor Walker

2011-09-05T04:59:00.000-05:00

WHEREAS, the people of Wisconsin are beholden to management for the creation and continuity of their jobs, and . . .

WHEREAS, the extraordinary compensation and other benefits of those jobs are bestowed only by management, and based on objective criteria, and . . .

WHEREAS, the necessity for unions has been eliminated because of the efficient and fair exercise of authority by management, and . . .

WHEREAS, managements' concern for the environment, human rights, fair and equal treatment, safe working conditions, respect for and appreciation of families, elimination of suffering worldwide, and the effects of climate change all supercede the profit motive, and . . .

WHEREAS, management is the only source of jobs, and . . .

WHEREAS, the goal of everyone should be to attain a management position,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, Scott Walker, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby declare today, Monday, September 6, 2011, be designated from this day forward as Management Day.

Celebrations such as Happy Bosses Day, Thank you Dear Leader Day, We Are Not Worthy Day, or The CEO Knows Best Day are suitable and to be expected.

Big Honkin' Fish!!!!!!!

2011-08-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

Click on image for the full effect!

This morning this young man caught the biggest fish of his life just a few feet off our deck. And it was huge--48"!!!!

And, . . .

. . .he released it!!!!! (You can't have it, Kurt.)

Political Name Dropping

2011-08-11T07:05:00.001-05:00

Once immersed in the occasional murky waters of politics it is easy to begin swimming in the maelstrom of fundraisers, cold calling, donations, debates, forums, cajoling, begging, asking, walking, driving, donations, shaking hands, donations, phones, donations, and more donations.

In return one often runs in to various influential leaders, as we did last night with Senator Herb Kohl. But on the rarest of occasions, one encounters the annointed one--the one that transcends mere politics and transforms our lives.

Such was the case with . . .

BOWSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (He's the one on the left.)

For a review of his accomplishments, click here. (He's the guy at the end of the clip in black and the high waters.)

Oh, but I wasn't alone in the reflected glory of all that is Bowser. Here's . . .

There are Dogs. And there are . . .

2011-08-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

. . . shaking dogs.

Osprey Attack

2011-08-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

A Cautionary Tale for all Eshelman pranksters

2011-08-04T18:13:00.002-05:00

From the Northwoods River News:

A Vilas County deputy will not face charges in connection with an accidental shooting of a family member.

Vilas County District Attorney Al Moustakis announced Tuesday he will not charge Ty Peterson with a crime.

"The Vilas County Sheriff's Department may take care of any issues through their administrative process," Moustakis wrote in a memo to Vilas County Sheriff Frank Tomlanovich. "The circumstances surrounding this incident clearly indicate that the officer was in fear of his life and the pranksters created the dangerous situation."

According to the Vilas County Sheriff's Office, Peterson shot his 20-year-old niece in the hand and shoulder at approximately 9:14 p.m. on July 25 after he mistook her for a cougar.

Reports filed by the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant David Kroll of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, indicate the shooting happened after Peterson's niece hid in the woods and played a YouTube clip of cougar sounds while Peterson was rolling his garbage can down his driveway in the town of Arbor Vitae.

"(The victim) went on to say that, while concealed in the vegetation adjacent to the driveway, she heard Deputy Peterson approaching, pulling his wheeled garbage can," Kroll wrote. "As Deputy Peterson passed by, (the victim) states that she played the 'Cougar Snarl Growl' audio file on her cell phone, but that Deputy Peterson did not respond. Deputy Peterson continued to the end of the driveway, where he left the trash, then began walking back up the driveway. As Deputy Peterson passed a second time, (the victim) states that she played the audio file again and that she also 'rattled the bushes' to make it sound like she was a cougar. (The victim) states that she then heard a single gunshot and realized that the bullet had hit her."

The witness interviews indicate the deputy's mother, who lives in an adjacent residence, had seen what she thought was a cougar earlier in the day and advised the deputy's wife of the sighting. The deputy's wife told her husband about the cougar and advised him to keep his eyes open and then called the deputy's sister (who also lives in an adjacent residence). The deputy's sister suggested a practical joke be pulled on the deputy. She asked the deputy's wife to advise her when he was going to take the garbage out so she could try and scare him by "throwing rocks and stuff" to make him think the cougar was in the area.

The deputy's wife also spoke to his niece who also came up with the idea to pull a prank. According to the report, both the sister and the niece left the house when Peterson started down the driveway but the niece was the only one to approach the Peterson driveway by "army crawling" through the vegetation.

In his interview with Kroll, Peterson states that he also saw a cougar in his yard earlier that night and brought his duty weapon with him to take the garbage down the driveway because he felt uneasy about the animal's presence.

He stated he heard branches breaking and "a commotion of some sort" when wheeling his garbage down the driveway.

"Upon hearing the noise in the woods, Deputy Peterson states that he began screaming, 'Get out of here! Get out of here!' and clapping his hands. 'Milliseconds later,' he reports, he heard a sound that he knew to be that of a cougar. Deputy Peterson explains that he began to walk backwards towards the center of the driveway and that he continued to yell, 'Get out of here.' Deputy Peterson explains that, as he backed up, he also drew his weapon and chambered a round. As he continued, Deputy Peterson states that he observed what he believed to be two eyes in the brush near him. In hindsight, Deputy Peterson believes that these 'eyes' were in fact light or reflection being emitted from (his niece's) cellular telephone. Given the totality of the circumstances described, Deputy Peterson states that he believed he was about to be attacked by a cougar and that he feared for his life. For that reason, he fired a single round into the area where he believed the attack was coming from."

After he fired, Peterson stated he heard screaming but was so convinced he shot at a cougar that he believed the sound he was hearing was the result of a cougar attacking someone.

"After firing the shot, Deputy Peterson states that he immediately heard screaming and realized that there was a woman in the bushes. However, still absolutely convinced in his mind that a cougar was attacking, he now believed that the animal was attacking another person. Accordingly, Deputy Peterson responded by running into the bushes and yelling, 'Where is he?' Upon approaching and grabbing his niece, Deputy Peterson realized that he 'had just shot her.'"

Peterson immediately provided medical care to his niece, who suffered a shoulder wound and a graze wound to the hand, and insisted she go to a hospital.

He also submitted to a breath test which showed he had no alcohol in his system.

In her interview with police, the niece was adamant that she did not want charges pressed and felt the entire incident was her fault.

Kroll appears to conclude at the end of his report on his interview with Peterson that the deputy's actions were understandable.

"The information obtained in this investigation seems to suggest that Deputy Peterson's fears were warranted, and even expected, in that his niece had planned and taken specific actions that were intended to induce such fear, although in good humor and in keeping with the family's tradition of practical jokes."

Vilas County Sheriff Frank Tomlanovich said in a press release the matter is still under "internal review."

Peterson, a 12 1/2 year veteran of the department, is on paid leave pending the completion of the internal review.

Editor's note: And you thought you didn't want to go back to work on Monday!

Tilt Shift and Time Lapse

2011-08-03T12:49:00.001-05:00

The Village from Pedro Sousa | visuals on Vimeo.

Let There Be Light

2011-07-25T08:19:00.001-05:00

Dancing Wildflowers

2011-07-24T10:04:00.000-05:00

News from Abroad (No Jokes Please, Marc)

2011-07-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

Mr. Pith had a phone convo with Mrs. Me halfway around the world. Pictured above are two hotels. The one on the left is 3 Rivers where she stayed on the way in. And the one on the right is where she is staying now. I think she'll like that a little better.

For more pics, click here. ($40/night)

Now This Guy is Good!

2011-07-22T12:18:00.001-05:00

It Gets Better by Stephen Colbert

2011-07-21T21:18:00.002-05:00

Eaglet Follies

2011-07-21T11:34:00.001-05:00

It's eagle fledging time around these parts. And since the weather has gone from inferno to just plain hot, it's about the only entertainment around.

These youngsters have two, make that three distinguishing characteristics. First they are a mottled grayish black with an occasional patch of something in between. Second, they are large than the adult. So they evidently must shrink as they age. (No comment, please.)

But the third characteristic is that they are klutzes (again, no comment please). They rat around the marsh willy-nilly raising all sorts of havoc among the ducks and other critters. And the can't land in trees, at least not gracefully. Their technique seems to be to hurtle toward a branch, and if they happen to hit it, try to hang on.

I'll try to capture some images for the next post.

Too Cute

2011-07-16T19:26:00.001-05:00

I Had No Idea

2011-07-16T18:49:00.002-05:00

Foreign Language

2011-07-15T13:01:00.000-05:00

I'm to keep things afloat around here while you-know-who is on the other side of the world.

Sometimes I'm even successful.

Not today though.

I went up to the garden to do some picking (broccoli, raspberries) and some tomato tying. The weeding was where I ran into some trouble.

We always plant something unusual each year. Two years ago it was romanesco; last year it was tomatillo. This year it is bok choy. The only problem is, I don't know what that looks like after it emerges (if it emerged). I only thought of this after I was nearly done weeding and came upon a row marker that said, "Baly Choc Bad" or "Baby Ceal Tod" or some other derivation of whatever it really is.

Ms. Me may be coming back to a barren garden. Well, no, I can still identify corn and tomatoes and broccoli and . . .that's about it. That doesn't mean they are safe. It only means I can identify them.

Now Comes Word Through Another Person I Don't Know,

2011-07-14T09:07:00.001-05:00

that Ann is doing "great". And that she "has been hanging out with the elephants. Trekking up and down muddy mountains in monsoonal rains, but having fun at the same time." And then there's some other personal, mushy stuff after that.

I'm clinging to the hope that I'll be able to IM or Skype with her tomorrow a.m.

Update

2011-07-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

I have received a couple of missives from the missus and thought I'd bring those of you interested up to date. She was able to post and entry to her blog, but I'll try to fill in the rest.

She did take a tour of the 'depressing sites' in the area--the Killing Fields in particular.

It turns out that Jack, the project manager spent 3 months in UW-Eau Claire (and lived to tell about it) and is from Maidstone, Kent, just a couple hours from Canterbury. Ann likes very much to make these kind of connections.

As of today, Sunday, she is at San Menoram, a little town about the size of Lake Tomahawk and reports that she is feeling fine although hot and tired after a 'harrowing ride' from Phnom Penh (Ed. note: Must have been some hills and precipices.) Her fellow travelers, three Australian women and a young guy from Oregon who has joined the group for a few days, are fine but 'not very communicative.'

At this writing she is no doubt at the project, but it feels like she has fallen off the edge of the earth and I don't expect to hear from her until next weekend.

What Went Wrong in Wisconsin

2011-07-08T17:29:00.002-05:00

Simply Jarring

2011-07-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

I followed Ms. Pith's progress all the way to Cambodia. So I decided to call (using Skype). The English on the part of the receptionist was somewhat wanting, but that was to be expected.

After spelling out A-N-N, etc. she handed the phone to . . . well, Ann herself. We both were giggling at the improbability of it all.

She reports her flights went as planned. She was met at the airport as planned. She rode to the hotel in a little carriage pulled by a motorscooter. And it's dark as planned.

'Twas thrilling to hear her voice.

A Red Letter Day

2011-07-06T08:47:00.001-05:00

Ms. Pith reports that after all the fireworks, after all the boat traffic, after all the noise and conflagration, on her morning walk with the dogs she saw a mother and two baby otter.

Bubba Junior?

2011-07-06T06:50:00.000-05:00

It seems as though each day something new crosses our radar screen up north. Much of it has to do with hanging out with Britannica Bob, naturalist par excellence.

But sometimes it stumbles upon us.

It's breeding seasons for bears. And last year's cubs are kicked out (insert your own reference to a noted baseball team here) to make room for the upcoming brood.

Well, these yearlings are stupefied. They seem to be wandering aimlessly all over the northwoods. Factually, it's not aimless at all. They're hungry. And learning how to fend for themselves.

A couple of weeks ago one meandered into our friends, the Oehler's yard and wouldn't take 'No' as an answer to the question "May I please have your bird feeder?" This is Richard's snap on the right.

Last week one (maybe the same one) gallumphed in to a campfire roast tended by the aforementioned Bob. After shooing it away, it ambled down the creek and circled back on the chance the Bob might share his sausages. No such luck.

These stories amused us.

Until yesterday.

Mrs. Me and Aramis (now spelled Aramiss after his neutering also known as his lobotomy) came upon a little guy in the chicken coop pen.

An aside: We knew one had been around. Evidence was everywhere including dragging bags of cracked corn out of the coop. Thankfully he was too big to get in, but it was a little disconcerting that one was loitering about during the day time.

Back to yesterday. It didn't take much to startle all three participants. The bear streaked away. Aramiss went into full metal defense aggression, and Ann wet her pants. (OK, that last part isn't true. I wet my pants when I heard the conflagration up the hill.)

So now every inky spot in the woods seems to be a bear. Aramiss thinks to too.

8 and Counting

2011-06-26T16:40:00.002-05:00

Our friends, the Martini's, have taken it upon themselves to show us the ropes of the Northwoods. In plain fact, we asked for it.

You, faithful reader, will recall a sojourn to the Prairie Dells, one of Bob's legacies in his career with the DNR. And you'll also recall the ramp excursion at the break of spring.

This day it was a trip to Menard Island, nee Negro Island. Why? Because it was a stop on the underground railroad, offering a huge hill with views up and down the river for a mile or more.

In more recent times, this area was polluted from the upriver paper mill in Rhinelander. It was so bad during that time that small animals could walk across the river on the scum.

After tireless work, and much resistance on the part of the mill, the area cleansed itself and is now a local treasure, although most locals are completely unaware of its existance.

It was a beautiful day and we decided on a paddle to an island in the river. We also decided to take along Aramis, his first canoe trip.

To put it kindly, it may have been a lapse in judgement. He was, shall we say, skittish about the canoe. It was, oh who knows what, too something for him. It was certainly too tippy for me, but it was all Ms. Pith could do to keep him from hurtling out of the canoe into the river, which was flowing at a good clip. Combine that with a little wind and paddling against the current and it was a workout.

Upon arrival, Aramis immediately took off to follow his nose and about 50 yards away found some poor critter at the base of a tree. When I arrived the little guy was crying, the 'little guy' not being Aramis. And it took some doing to pry him away from such adventure.

The island was beautiful and could be called Fern Island for all the luxurious ferns. (Photos courtesy of Ann, preparing herself for photojournaling in Cambodia).

Lunch was great, as usual. We just plopped ourselves by a log, laughed and talked some trash.

When it was time to depart, your truly was somewhat concerned about how the boy would do on the return trip. I thought he might be somewhat unwilling to re-experience all that transpired to get here. I was convinced he was going to go in the water.

As it turned out, someone did, indeed fall in. It was me. In the back of my mind I thought I was going to take a header and had our waterproof (down to 3 feet underwater) camera in my pocket.

With pride shaken (but not stirred) , your correspondent remained undaunted as we made our way toward the rope swing.

This time, though, discretion reared its ugly head and we decided to drive to the swing. A paddle of 1/4 mile turned into a drive of about 5. But we arrived at the rope swing after a drive down rutted dusty roads and a hike through a fly and tick infested path.

And then Bob did this:

We all walked back, Bob with hat in hand, and counted the ticks that took the opportunity to travel upon us. At last count, Ann had 10 and I had 8.

Tomorrow, we are all headed for Marquette, Michigan, for more exploits.

Spring Forward -- 5 stars

2011-06-24T11:28:00.000-05:00

An odd couple of men, one "of a certain age" (Ned Beatty), the other, twenty-something, recently released from prison for armed robbery (Liev Schreiber) work together at a Parks and Rec. Department in the northeast.

Throughout the time depicted they encounter various members of the public and in the process grow very close. This is a guy movie of a different kind--no guns, no mayhem, no blood. Only two guys working their way through life, trying to understand things as well as one another with occasional cursing and drug us thrown in for measure. Watching the seasons change as well as the two men makes it work.

Pith loved it; Mrs. Me liked it.

Why Do We Spend So Much Time and Money Fishing When We Can Do This:

2011-06-24T06:57:00.001-05:00

What the Hula Hoop Sees

2011-06-21T16:11:00.003-05:00

Interesting Quote

2011-06-10T19:45:00.000-05:00

"Richard Nixon, if he were alive today, might take bittersweet satisfaction to know that he was not the last smart president to prolong unjustifiably a senseless, unwinnable war, at great cost in human life. ... He would probably also feel vindicated (and envious) that ALL the crimes he committed against me–which forced his resignation facing impeachment–are now legal," - Daniel Ellsberg

Google Doodle

2011-06-10T17:58:00.004-05:00

It's the 96 years after Les Paul's birth. And google honors it in an inimitable manner. They created a guitar in the likeness of the name 'Google.'

And you can play it. Here's my unimpressive contribution.

And here's someone who knows what they're doing:

And a pretty famous Cub fan:

The Scent of Green Papaya (4 stars)

2011-06-09T11:07:00.001-05:00

Like understated movies? This one's for you. Like lots of action/violence/screaming/smart remarks? Watch TV.

The story of a young servant set in 1951 and then 1961 Saigon, it depicts a simple, yet moving life, beautifully photographed. Watch the trailer here.

We're Flying the Missing Man Formation Here, Because . . .

2011-06-09T05:51:00.000-05:00

Aramis is getting neutered today.

Gentlemen, please remove your caps.

Bliss (2007) (5 stars)

2011-06-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

With this house business and this puppy business we have been unable/unwilling to undertake much travel together. We're able to squeeze in the occasional trip to Middleton and Chicago; the frequent trips to the grocery store; the once in a while dinner in Minocqua and the infrequent journey to Cambodia to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary (see blog here).

The upshot is that we seem to be doing our traveling via streaming video that Netflix provides. Last night was bliss. And that was the name of the movie, filmed entirely in Turkey, the nation that is.

Beautifully filmed, exquisitely acted; and filled with tension--the tension between cultures and times; the tension between a woman, who must be killed according to custom, and a man, a shirttail relative duty-bound to perform the deed.

Of course it has subtitles but the action rarely outpaces the words.

Trailer here.

Here's One for You

2011-05-31T17:17:00.000-05:00

Literally Unbelievable--stories from The Onion that people believe. Fasten your seat belts here.

Heavenly Display

2011-05-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

Last night unfolded in one of those magical ways. The evening began with an eagle nabbing a muskrat over at the 'point'--the projection of land on the left.

The muskrat was too large for the eagle to fly so it 'swam'--butterfly stroke to the near shore with its prey, where it divvied it up to fly back to its nest. We had some dinner guests over who were able to witness this, some for the second time that week.

Later in the evening, the above image appeared. Words won't do justice so I'll just shut up and encourage you to click on the image to get the full effect.

Iceland--Where Light is Made

2011-05-29T15:55:00.002-05:00

Raw Lightscapes from Enrique Pacheco on Vimeo.

A Quick Chi Trip

2011-05-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

The Chagall windows are back after a six year restoration. They look spectacular-brilliant blues, glowing greens, shimmering yellows. The painstaking process employed provided interest as well.

Sorry. I'm in one of those alliteration moods.

After the Art Institute and lunch, Mayor Emanuel's beautification projects continued. They dig up the plants and give them away. As you can see, if you time it right, you can go home with a bushel basket full of free seasonal plants.

Should be quite a conversation at the next dinner party.

No visit to Chicago is complete without baseball. Here's Jack at the ready, poised to pounce on the ball and fire it to first. Hopefully it's the batter running to first base.

And here's Maddie telling a five hour joke to Toby and Candace.

Soon enough Maddie gets hungry and wishes to go to the, as she calls it, confession stand.

Here's the confession stand.

They wanted us to order from our knees. Maddie cleaned out the place.

Meanwhile, back at the game, Jack awaits the next pitch.

It's high. Ball three.

Jack looks to make the next pitch his very own.

Oops. Dropped, but still a strike. Jack looks the ball all the way to the catcher. Good job.

Back in right field, the j-dog takes a breather. Either that or he has gas.

Maddie continues her foray through confession treats.--

--with fierce concentration.

A Kid and an Otter

2011-05-27T15:09:00.001-05:00

Hitchin' a Ride--Galapagos Style

2011-05-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Rapture Day

2011-05-21T16:09:00.000-05:00

Headlines we've seen so far:

Apocalypse Later

Apocalypse Not Now

Ads we've seen:
Post-apocalyptic pet care service

tired Just Watchin' These Guys

2011-05-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

Funny Bit

2011-05-20T07:21:00.001-05:00

American White Pelican

2011-05-14T17:38:00.000-05:00

I think it was last year we spotted an American White Pelican on the marsh. Usually found in South Dakota, it had been windblown 'off course' courtesy of a virulent spring storm.

Our conjecture at the time was that such an occurrence may be observed once every five years or so.

Well, guess what? We were wrong (again).

It turns out that the range for these spectacular birds is quite extensive. While concentrated in the Dakotas, they may also be found, well, everywhere.

click on image to enlarge

How did we come to find this out? Nine landed on the marsh the other day, within an hour after Ann told Karla (the omniscient hair stylist) that a pelican makes an appearance every so often.

What was particularly entrancing was learning more about these guys. If you look particularly closely, you'll notice the birds have an unusual display on their beaks, something like a dorsal fin. At first glance I thought they had a fish. But all of them couldn't have one.

Here's a better view (Not mine, encyclopedia Brittanica)

They are also unusual in that this particular species does not dive for food like the grays on the Gulf Coast. They not only just stick their ''nets" in the water, they herd like some mammals to 'corral' their prey.

We watched, spellbound, for several hours, the wind helping by blowing them in our direction.

I know these guys come every year, and this is this year's winning family, the first one of the season. The goslings are so young, they almost look green.

Objective Criteria Determines Minnesota as "Most Hipster" State

2011-05-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

Stunted Growth

2011-05-13T15:42:00.001-05:00

GIANT TARP EATS GROUINDS CREW MEMBER

2011-05-12T08:38:00.000-05:00

Click here if you dare.

Ramps

2011-05-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

DISCLAIMER: I am a city mouse. I know which backyards you can run through; I know which sewers are safe to retrieve a ball from; I know where to hide when your snowball hits a car; I know which old ladies give the biggest tips for shoveling her walk.

I've lived in the country for a total of 8 of my 64 years. If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about in the following post, it's only because I have spent an hour out in the woods with our friends, Kathy and Bob.

This morning we found ourselves in the Oneida County forest in search of ramps. I had heard about these guys, a combination of onion and garlic and leek. And I had heard that the perfect season for these is early spring. And as the snow has yet to leave us completely, this would qualify as early spring.

We were not only going to search for ramps, we were going to dig some up and have them for lunch at Bob and Kathy's.

Can you spot them?

They are in clumps in low lying and moist areas.

And their roots are all intertwined, so they come up with a shovel and then much separating.

Ms. Pith did the separating part.

We also dug up a clump to install at our place as well as moosewood, which Bob also found for us. Moosewood was used by American Indians to tie things together because its bark can be peeled horizontally, but can not be broken.

Bob also found some blood root.

These pretty little egg cups are blood root.

And here is where they get their name.

Bob tells me that as kids they used to put this stuff on their faces to look like war paint. It only took 5 or 6 days to wear off.

Now can you see the ramps?

We hustled back to Bob and Kathy's and watched Bob whip up some potatoes with ramps, pine nuts with ramps, and scallops without ramps. Indescribably delicious.

For dessert he created some bananas foster. I will be unable to eat for the forseeable future.

It was a spectacular day with good friends, lots to learn, and being outdoors.

As for Aramis, he got a nice long walk with his special friend, Kathy.

Friday pic

2011-05-06T21:38:00.002-05:00

Another Unusual Sighting

2011-04-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

A great egret visited late today. Ms. Pith had never before seen one in these here parts. We rushed to the window to see it and ran through the list of what it might not be, eliminating albino heron, and landing on Great White Heron.

In doing so, we discovered that the name, Great White Heron, was no longer in use and Great Egret is the acceptable term now.

We had seen these critters in Florida where that are not uncommon, so I thought it must have been blown north from the spate of tragic tornadoes in Alabama.

But further research here, shows that their range covers the Continental US.

Willy

2011-04-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

Bubba's Back!!!!!! (Yet Again!)

2011-04-26T11:38:00.002-05:00

Over the years, kind reader, you may have been able to follow the exploits of a local bear we've christened 'Bubba'. Why Bubba, you ask? This bear is so easy going, strolling around the neighborhood in search of food, which is amply supplied from bird feeders.

This time of the year, he is particularly hungry, having hibernated for 5 months or so. I don't know about you, but I get hungry after 5 hours, 5 minutes if it's Chinese food.

Over the past few years we have been somewhat concerned--no sightings, and worse, rumors of a kill of 'a huge bear' by a 13 year old girl.

But we never gave up hope. And yesterday morning, Mrs. Me spotted him near the creek. I was only able to grab the camera, get to the deck and snap off three images before he disappeared to our neighbor's feeder.

This next image is the best of the three at full zoom (8x).

(As usual, click on any image to enlarge.)

And this one is Photoshopped to get a little better view.

Today Bubba dialed it up a notch. Here is the thistle feeder that was full yesterday. Today I found it on the ground, empty with the slightest dent in its side.

Just below the feeder are these fresh scratch marks, fitting the size of Bubba's mitts--that is unless it's one of my brothers.

And if that evidence isn't enough, below the scratch marks, on the sidewalk is this irrefutable evidence. These nuggets of effluence can only come from a mammal, a large mammal. Which doesn't rule out either of my brothers.

Bubba's back. And the dogs are not so sure about this turn of events.

My Peer Group

2011-04-22T12:44:00.001-05:00

I often joke around here that my 'work'/play at the 'Y' involves my involvement with my peer group--2-5 year olds. Today that was all too true.

I asked Ann if she wanted to stop by to observe the proceedings. She agreed. It was good she did as the usual suspects were there, names she's certainly heard recited.--Sarah, Katie, Lindsey, Anderson, etc. etc.

When Ann showed up looking through the glass, she saw us in full swing. A couple of kids saw her and went up to the window to make faces. When Sarah saw me looking at Ann, the following exchange took place:

Sarah: Is that your Mom?

Me: No

Sarah: Do you have to go now?

Gasping at the Finish Line--9308

2011-04-21T09:35:00.001-05:00

Sunday comes and the Pith is tired. It's difficult to keep up with these 30 somethings, and I don't even know why I try. So I lobbied hard (read 'threatened', 'cajoled', 'pleaded') for an easy day. It didn't take much.

Even this little guys are aggressive.

Erik readies to roll dirty.

We began with goofy golf at the world's most difficult and interesting course. To begin with, there are no shortcuts on any hole. Secondly each hole is distinctive and there are no others like it. Thirdly, the theme continues throughout the course--this one being Dr. Livingstone in Search of the Something or Other. Fourth, the theme has lots of cool add-ons, planes, waterfalls, etc. Fifth, there are live ALLIGATORS lurking. Sixth, there are prizes, though not for me because Erik beat me. And I owed him lunch.

So I paid up at Park Avenue--a very unique street with lots of interesting shops, including a wine room that you can sample wine by the ounce.

When Erik isn't in the Duck Truck, he rolls dirty in this 'chine. See the thing about rollin' dirty, is that according to Erik's rules, it can't be a derivative such as 'rolls dirty', it has to be rollin' dirty. Further, there is not opposite. Rollin' clean just doesn't make it, according to the linguist. And oh, the anguish if one tries to change up the idea to include other methods of rolling, err I mean rollin', such as rollin' cheesy.
After a sushi platter and some wine sampling we watched the Cubs blow one to the Rockies. The first place we went to claimed they couldn't get the channel of the game. It was on WGN, so Erik persisted until they found it. About the 7th inning we went to another hangout called, of all things, The Friendly Confines. They were only using the Cubs as a come on, because the game wasn't even on any of the 319 tv's. In fact, it seemed every other game in play was on the tv's except the Cubs. That was soon remedied.

We skulked out of the place and went over to Erik's. He has a nice pond in his backyard that contains a bevy of ducks, Erik's ducks. As soon as we arrived and Erik shook the bread bag, up they came. They also brought with them a six-pack of little ones, barely a day or two old. They were delightful and made me wish for spring back home.

These little guys were fearless, letting us hold them, getting stepped upon by bigger ducks, and generally just exploring the world around them before they waddled after their mom back to the lake.

Another wonderful day, and oh, yes, 9308 steps.

US, Crawdads, Rays and 8989

2011-04-20T10:06:00.001-05:00

Another phenomenal day with Erik. We packed in a tremendous amount today, and I'm not talking about food.

To begin with 8989 is the number of steps we took despite the fact that we spent 5 of the 12 hours on the road. We went to Universal Studios to City Walk and well, walked. A stream of humanity including subhuman beings was at the gate and riding the moving sidewalks to get in to the place. And when there, stores of every shape and function appeared. We did a fair amount of people watching and, after an hour or so, left for Tampa.

Next destination? Crabby Bill's in St. Pete's Beach. After depriving them of a platter of crawfish and some fish taco's we headed for the baseball game. The Twins were in town to play the Rays and neither of us had been to this stadium.

Unfortunately, I had pre-purchased parking and admission. I say 'unfortunately' because parking was much, much cheaper than the pre-paid tix. And once you are admitted to the stadium, you can sit anywhere.

While we did all the touristy things like petting the rays in the tank, the game was very good, with the Rays ekeing out a win in the bottom of the 9th. The ride back to Orlando made us hungry so we hit up Harry's for some more oysters and planned for tomorrow.

7620 and Rollin' Dirty

2011-04-19T09:08:00.001-05:00

After what seemed like a month of medical tests, the verdict is in on the Pith-lose weight. So if the question is why do I have shortness of breath? The answer is lose weight. If the question is what's causing the left cluster block? The answer is to lose weight. In fact, it seems to be the answer for any question is to lose weight.

So what's wrong with the Cubs? What about all these budget deficits? When's winter going to end?

Lose weight!

So I commit to walking 10000 steps a day.

And reducing the portions I eat.

So what did I do?

I took off for Florida to visit Pith the Younger.

The trip down was fun. I sat next to a couple of cool kids on each leg of the trip. One was going to Denver from Rhinelander and the other was going to Orlando from Minneapolis.

Erik and I didn't really make arrangements to meet up upon my arrival. So here are the texts we exchanged:

Me: I'm here.

Him: Me too.

Me: I'm on Level 2.

Him: Me too.

Me: I'm under number 29.

Him: Me too.

The reality is we didn't even get to the last exchange, because as I was typing 'under #29', I looked up and THERE HE WAS!

I must preface this next part with a brief explanation. Erik bought a new car since I last saw him. It's a really cool car--a BMW with all the doodads and a manual transmission. I was looking for that whilst curbside.

So what did he pick me up in? No, the answer is not lose weight, (but that still applies).

He picked me up in the coolest limo I've ever ridden in--the Duck Truck.

This was even better than I hoped. He interrupted his work to go to the airport and now I was going to get to finish his work with him!

He did his work. I took a couple of pictures. One customer yelled at me for taking pictures of her lawn. (Erik told me that Orlando people are crabby.)

After work we cleaned up, got settled, visited his digs, and went out to dinner. It was a fun, fun, day and it was great to be with ET!

Being a lover of language I even learned a new phrase, current in the vernacular, 'rollin' dirty'. This is a positive recognition. If someone is looking good, or driving a nice car, or, presumably ending a war, they are rollin' dirty. As we shall see it takes several attempts at its usage and definition before the Pith rolls dirty.

At day's end 7620 steps.

Another "How Do They Do That"? Video

2011-04-07T08:06:00.001-05:00

Ballhawks

2011-04-04T08:14:00.001-05:00

Ballhawks Teaser from Mike Diedrich on Vimeo.

Even more of nature's tricks

2011-04-03T19:18:00.000-05:00

For the past couple of months, something strange has happened each time I pull out of our driveway with the truck. This biggish bird attacked the truck. The first time, I thought it was my imagination. I was driving, it was cold, I was headed somewhere, etc. etc. and this flurry passed before my eyes and in a flash was gone.

The next time came shortly thereafter and this thing actually hit the radio antenna as I turned out of the drive. I couldn't have been going more than 5 mph, when doinnggggggg. I looked in my rearview to no avail.

Then it happened again and again; over and over. Some of you know how frequently dogs pass this way. So the thought of a bird conducted a rampage against big, brown trucks is one thing, but golden retrievers? Out of the question.

Each time I was confronted with this beast, it was in a strange way, a reminder that it was there. I almost always forget about it, that is, until the next time.

So yesterday, as I was pulling out of the drive, it happened again. This time I had my trusty camera.

Ann and I had a discussion about this weird behavior and can't figure out what it might mean. We of course can not determine its gender, so we don't know if it's protecting a nest, or seeking a mate. If it was seeking a mate, the annual drumming has yet to commence.

But one thing is certain, it is aggressive. Soon a major college will be nicknaming their teams the Stalking Partridges.

Spring, when it comes in about four months, brings many changes to the marsh. Swans often stop by on their way north, but not in the fall. And in the morning, the water is warmer than the air, so unusual mist/steam forms.

(As always, click to enlarge any image.)

You Ever Wonder What the Brothers Talk About When We Get Together?

2011-03-30T13:35:00.001-05:00

Tools for Thinking--I sure like where David Brooks is going these days

2011-03-29T06:10:00.002-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/opinion/29brooks.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

My New Favorite Protest Sign

2011-03-25T20:43:00.002-05:00

Scott Walker = Blago Without All The Hair

From Wonkette

2011-03-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

G.E. So Good At Evading Corporate Taxes That IRS Owes G.E. $3.2 Billion

Click here for full (too true) satire.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

2011-03-25T11:55:00.000-05:00

Perhaps not the greatest ever in moviemaking, but an interesting little story that intertwines parrots and their relationships with humans and ours. 4 stars.

Perhaps You are One of the 15,000,000 that have seen this video, . . .

2011-03-20T17:26:00.003-05:00

. . . but on the chance that you haven't, I found it to be beautiful, sad, embarrassing, astounding and hopeful. We seem to be living in an era where facts, reason, logic, and science don't matter much.

Maybe pictures will.

It's an hour and a half, so get a cup of coffee. And it's even better in HD, and even better than that if you can hook it up to your LED TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

Wild Life Cam Captures Some WILD Life

2011-03-18T17:25:00.001-05:00

We've had a wildlife camera set up on a tree to take photos of anything that moves. In the past we've been able to capture an otter, and well, that's about it. After a couple dozen 'D' cell batteries and hundreds of images, that's about it.

So you, poor reader, will get the benefit of seeing some of the leftovers.

Above is Emma trudging toward the camera.

And here are three more.

But wait there's more.

We captured four pictures of Ann walking away from the camera, and . . .

. . . two pictures of Scott and Aramis looking out in to the woods.

But perhaps the money shot was this:

5 Stars 2 Nights in a Row!

2011-03-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

Those Scandahoovians can sure make some movies. We saw Elling a couple of years ago now, then came Kitchen Stories one was as good as the other, both wonderful. And now comes As It Is in Heaven.

A world class musician returns to his boyhood from which he fled as a youngster with his mother. His return, his leadership of a little church choir, his impact on the choir and its members, and the obligatory love story weave a wonder of human spirit, community, and music.

Yesterday

2011-03-15T19:40:00.000-05:00

A moving movie that puts a face on AIDS in Africa, this little gem of a movie is beautifully acted and filmed. We give it 5 stars.

Back to the Future Hamburgers

2011-03-13T20:41:00.001-05:00

In one of life's many ironies, I live exactly 12.7 miles from where my family used to vacation. (See map.) I have many fond memories of vacations there, among them the freedom to experiment with lots of things--including food.

One day we had hamburgers on the grill and my brother, Kurt, if my memory serves me, (which is often a challenge these days) invented a new food--peanut butter hamburgers. They tasted terrific, so terrific in fact that we paraded around Musky Point extolling the virtues of this new epicurean delight.

We were met with responses ranging from skepticism to ridicule. But we loved them so much, it didn't matter what others thought. In fact, we were claiming to be the proud inventors of this taste treat and planned on its copyright.

That was almost 50 years ago.

It all came rushing back to me today as we stopped for lunch at the Moondance Bar and Grill in Sugar Camp.

When I flipped open the menu I saw this:

Yes, Moondance had purloined our sirloin, calling it 'Sticky Burger' presumably in reference to their fingers. Sensing an opportunity, I inquired after it, specifically the little pinwheel to the left of the item.

The waitress thought that it had to do with keeping the guests' eyes moving around the page.

In my internal voice, I said, "HA!"

And then, "I'll bet it has to do with menu items that they had stolen."

The lawsuit is currently in the works. The Pith's team of lawyers anticipates that Moondance's flimsy argument will be that their recipe includes 'Monterey Jack cheese' and a 'sourdough roll' which could not have been invented in 1958.

If we can get past those assertions, we stand to profit handsomely, perhaps in the millions.

Dawn, dusk and in between

2011-03-12T12:35:00.001-06:00

From the Power Line

We have four new wood duck houses ready for customers. Ms. Pith observed a pair scouting for suitable housing last week, so I may be a little late. Also, two old ones need rehab and one more needs installation. The aluminum on the post is to prevent raccoons from intrusion.

Our own personal, natural Stonehenge awaits next week's arrival of the sun.

From The Guardian

2011-03-12T11:08:00.000-06:00

A mother plover warms her chicks.

Today's Parable

2011-03-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

A unionized public employee, a teapartier, and a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across and takes 11 cookies, then looks at the teapartier and says "Watch out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie!"