To the Patuxent

ready for the morning 

 

kitchen box for the boat, and spare gear box for the car

 

Sometime around noon tomorrow, a handful of guys will rendezvous at a long closed fishing camp on Broomes Island in the Patuxent River for the start of a four day camping/sailing cruise, exploring that relatively unspoiled tributary of the Chesapeake. I’ll be one of them.

There will be twelve boats, at last count. Oddly enough, most will be some variation on the catboat theme – a time-tested design for single or short-handed camping/sailing in this area – with a Navigator and a custom design or two thrown in for good measure. I’m hoping Mike Wick brings his newly adopted Haven 12 1/2. I’d love to see it, and this will be good deep water for it.

The weather outlook appears to be as ideal as could be hoped for. Warm and clear, with steady, mild wind out of the SSW all four days. Perfect for long easy reaches up and down the river.

Conditions permitting, a short post or two may appear here from the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m going to try something a little different this time, using the GPS in my phone for navigation instead of a dedicated GPS. I’ve been doing this since last summer, poking and  testing the limitations. There are some drawbacks, for sure, but some perks as well.

For one, I can automatically send our current location to an online map – sort of a nearshore SPOT system. Just go the map on the web, and enter the Channel code of 23232. If it works, an icon called EyeInHand should appear at our location in 10 minute intervals. Unless they ditch me. Otherwise, I’ll be in the company of good friends.

Click on the map to open in a popup, or click the link below to go directly to the MotionX website:

 

http://gps.motionx.com/iphone/liveupdates/

 

More soon.

 

Short Season Opener – Deltaville

Inside

click to open the images, then you can zoom and pan 

Outside

  Continue reading “Short Season Opener – Deltaville”

Seventeen Year Cicadas

 Seventeen Year Cicada, midway through transformation

 

direct Youtube link

A few days ago, the hatch of Magicicada Brood II began here in Virginia. These are the periodic cicadas on a 17 year cycle. It’s pretty amazing how many there are. They’re everywhere.

They’ve only started tuning up on their “singing” – in another week the noise will be deafening. Almost literally. At close range, a cicada can pump out 120 decibals. That’s enough to do permanent damage to your hearing.

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End of Life

A term used in the tech industry.

Refers to the moment when additional investment in upgrades no longer makes up for the outdated fundamental underpinnings, and the product is allowed to die a natural death without further intervention.

Metaphorically, also applies to things like ideologies, relationships, and human beings. Indicates it is time to greenbox the old stuff and start over.

It should be noted, however, there is a small but devoted market for this discarded material within certain circles of the salvage culture for those things that have outlived their era.

The Amish, for instance, still use horses to great effect.

Orchards in Bloom

video link 

 

The girls came home from their separate away homes for the weekend. Amanda brought Paul, and we all had a little birthday get together. Storms knocked out the power again Friday night, but we happily made do with grilling and eating by candlelight. When the power finally back on, we just turned out the lights and kept going.

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Reprieve

 

Winter took one last swing at us, then skulked off into the woods. Friday evening was snow flurries and sleet. Saturday was almost 80 degrees. Took only three days for leaves to bust out on the trees.

Continue reading “Reprieve”