Back In The Saddle

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Eighteen days since the hip replacement and I've been making steady progress.

Today - the ladies and I fired-up the four-wheeler and ventured forth for a romp.  Me riding with Sister and Girlfriend tearing along.

With my trusty crutch we swapped the memory cards from the trail cameras so there'll be some selected pictures to follow.

Feels terrific to be back outdoors...

South of Broad

I've been feeling pretty darn good. My physical therapist says I'm in the top decile of recovering hip replacement patients she's had an opportunity to work with.


So when I'm not doing my exercises or puttering in the kitchen I'm reading everything in sight.


One of the recent blissful pleasures has been the opportunity to read two daily newspapers over coffee each morning. Pure decadence.


Finished this book last night.

South of Broad - by Pat Conroy


Set in Charleston, South Carolina, between 1969 and 1990 the story tracks a group of friends, their adventures, loves and battles.


If you like stories from the south mixed with Catholicism, segregation, sex, intrigue, murder most foul and a surprised ending - you'll enjoy this book.


Learn more about it here.

Frohe Weihnachten

From our house to yours...

The Ghost Map

Take a couple million people crammed into a something on the order of ten square miles. 

During the hot summer of 1854 London was literally wallowing in its own shit.  

It had become the perfect breeding ground for a disease that nobody understood or has a cure for.  And it lead to one of the most horrific epidemics since the plague.

This is a story about how this event changes science and urban sanitation forever.

Learn more about it here.

Whitetail

Another solitary deer.

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The next time I have an opportunity to post any deer pictures we should have snow on the ground. 

That's all for now.  See you soon...

Tatooed!

Been back home following my hip replacement in the big city.  Shortly afterward the Frau pointed out that I had a number of autographs on my right leg.

Seems everyone had to sign-off and be in agreement that this was the correct limb before anyone begins dislocating and hacking-way at it.

I happen to think that it is good policy.

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Holiday Parody

In keeping with the holiday cheer...

A Strange Aparition

I'm not a drama queen but this does creep me out.

A ghostly light captured in the woods beyond the deer trail.

Spirits?

A UFO?

Alien visitation?

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Busy Spot

The location of this trail camera has furnished plenty of evidence that this is a busy and well-traveled deer trail.  Amazing...

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Nocturnal Hunter

For a refreshing change of pace I caught a series of pictures of an owl. 

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Judging from the scale of the head of the deer in the picture from yesterday's post and the position of the bird behind the licking branch my best guess is that this is a Great Horned Owl.  I know we don't have Barred Owls as I never hear their distinctive call.  We do have Screech Owls - but they're much smaller raptors.  That leaves - Bubo virginianus.

This bird is sometimes called the Flying Tiger as it is fearless.  It is one of the few animals that will kill porcupines and skunks.

A Couple of Deer

A one and a one-and-a-half year-old buck and a thoroughly startled doe.  The photo with the buck was taken by a camera positioned next to an active rub.  The buck is checking out another male whitetail's licking branch.

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Blogging About The Blog

By the time you read this I will be at the hospital being prepped for a new hip.  Ordinarily I wouldn't be looking forward to a major surgical procedure but I'm being optimistic about a pain-free, new year and getting my life back.  I will be partially bionic.

Following my discharge I've got a couple weeks of in-home  therapy before I get to wear my dancing shoes again.

Anyway, I've got some additional trail camera shots to post this week - but after that the blog will go on a short hiatus.

Busy Night

Wednesday, November 30th was a hopping morning for the whitetails.  This isn't all of the pictures - just a few of the better ones... 

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Big Buck

This guy is still coming around the usual spot...

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More From the Trail Camera

Sister and I went out yesterday to fetch the memory cards from the trail cameras.  You'd think that post hunting season the deer would be few and far-between.

Not so... 

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Braumeister, Big Tim and New Guy are coming up tonight for some late season deer hunting.

Yippie-kai-yay

For pure escapism you cannot beat a good tale from the wild west.

I've been curled-up by the fire with this.

Classic Cowboy Stories - 18 Extraordinary Tales From the Old West

With authors like Theodore Roosevelt, Owen Wister, Zane Grey, Frederic Remington and O. Henry - what's not to like.

Git along little dogie...

Pole Dancing

Ordinarily I would not post anything involving pole dancing - but this girl can dance!

Wild from Wyoming...

Sticker Shock

Here's an eclectic mix of bumper stickers.  If you think about the logic of it - its a good way to patch-over the rust and dents on this pick-up truck.

Funny thing though. The rear tag is Wisconsin while tag on the front bumper was from Wyoming... 

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West Point Tree Farm

Perhaps the most unusual Tree Farm in the U.S, is the West Point Tree Farm, located on the banks of the Hudson River in New York on the campus of the historic military academy founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1802.  It is unusual because its 12,736 acres are the only federal land certified as part of the American Tree Farm System.  The one-of-a-kind designation was granted by ATFS in 1987 and resulted from West point's long-standing commitment to sustainable forestry.  that commitment began when the Academy hired its first forester - Gifford Pinchot - in 1903.

Pinchot, a pioneer in forest management and the father of the U.S. National Forest Service, developed the first management plan for West Point's forestlands.  This is still reflected in West Point's Integrated natural Resource Management Plan for the 21st century.  The plan focuses on maintaining ecosystem viability, protecting ecosystem integrity, protecting and enhancing biological communities, and protecting the forests from unacceptable damage and degradation - all while serving as a setting for rigorous military training.

Learn more about the West Point Tree Farm here.

Source - American Tree Farm System

Tatooed!

After returning from the hospital following my hip replacement the Frau pointed-out that I also return with a number of tatoos on my right leg.

Seems everyone's got to sign-off on the job and be in total agreement that they have the correct limb before anybody weild a saw to it.

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