Animal Crackers

Animal Crackers

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Faces in Places Blog

I ran across the Faces in Places blog (link) on waymarking .com (link). It is a neat picture blog looking for things looking for things that look like faces. Kinda neat. check it out.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Compass Rose at the Rest Stop





















I have gone by this compass rose several times on my travels. It is at the Michigan Welcom Centre along I-69 northbound. I just really like the looks of it. This picture was taken on my trip to Canada.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Saint Paul's Lutheran in Leamington



















































I went over to Canada to visit my folks. Naturally, I was not going to pass up the chance to go gps gaming so I hunted down a Canadian benchmark. It was in the foundation of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church. The nice thing is that this benchmark was right along the route I was going for the trip so that makes it really nice. It was a two for one spot since it was a Lutheran church with a benchmark on the property.

Benchmark waymark.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Garrett is a railroad town, Can't you tell?





















Garrett, Indiana got its start as a railroad town and it is reflected in the paint job on the water towers. They are also waymarked.

water tower 1

water tower 2

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Feick Memorial



















One of the categories on waymarking.com is for memorials for citizens (as oppose to military or police). One that I found and posted was for Fred Feick, one of the past mayors of Garrett, Indiana. The park it is in is also named for him. Just some of the local flavor.

LINK for waymark.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Fretwell Flutes

I have picked up a Native american flute this past year and needed a book to learn how to play it. I found Fretwell Flutes site. Good site with good service and good product. The link is here.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Mild Winter

We are at the statistical worst of winter here in Indiana. so far it has been mild. No where near the deep freeze of last year. I am grateful. Lower heating bills are always nice and particularly so when the energy costs are going up and the economy is soft. I think the current administration should be focusing more on that instead of health care. It is about the economy, stupid! It is not like I think health care in America is perfect and wonderful and farts rainbows and unicorns but a government run health system ain't going to fix things.Washington, please take the senate race for Kennedy's old seat as a message against the current direction. Sorry, I was intending to only talk about the weather. Just getting cranky in my old age or at least my middle age. Take this post for what it is, the ranting of a committee of one.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Police Memorial


















I realize that I have addressed one waymark looking like this but I actually found this memorial as a pair of twins. One for the eastbound and westbound highway. Just thought it was neat that's all.Both of the waymarks are linked below.

Eastbound

Westbound

Monday, January 18, 2010

Local Catholic Church History




















It has taken me a while to get around to doing this blog post I was out benchmark hunting and waymarking and it took me to St Michael's Catholic Church. It is a NGS Benchmark at at least the church's sphire is. It makes sense, you can see it for miles. a lot of church sphire's water towers and ourhouses are since they are generally very visable. I also think it is interesting because Father Young who was connected with the Garrett Catholic Church and Cemetery also had fingers with the Catholic churches in Auburn and waterloo as well as the now closed Sacred Heart Hospital in Garrett. It is nice to see a historical connectedness for these churches. Their waymarks are following
Garrett Catholic church
Auburn Catholic church
Waterloo catholic church
Sacred Heart Hospital
Calvery Cemetery

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The Heart of Winter

We are in the deepest part of the winter deep freeze, at least by the statistical averages. The days are getting noticeable longer and I am waiting for Candle mas or Ground Hog Day for the pace of day lengthening to pick up. One thing I like about Lent apart from the more important celebrations of the Church, is watching the days grow long as the season progresses. This is most noticeable, at least for me, by taking note of sunset versus the time of Wednesday night services. Sunset is often before service even starts at the beginning of Lent. By Easter, it is light after the end of Wednesday night service. Not to get overly theological or philosophical, Lent and Easter seams to waken the Earth along with the spiritual promise it tells. Probably making too much of this but take it as it you will. I also know this is also only true for the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern hemisphere is totally opposite to us. Shoot me for my bias in imagery.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Hackerspaces

I have been listening to the radio show, Off the Hook for a while and also have been getting more geeky by gettting into linux more. I have heard about hackerspaces quit often and found this website about them. (link) check it out.

Friday, January 15, 2010

GPS Games

It is that time of year when I don't do as much with my gps. The benchmarks and caches are covered with snow. The snow can add something to pictures for waymarking but in most cases, I would prefer more green in the pictures. Time to sit in the warm and listen to the shortwave and police scanner a bit more. I have a few ideas for waymarking for the next month or two but nothing serious. Maybe I can work on getting benchmark database info to the PDA so that when warmer and less snowy days come, I will be once again ready to start looking for things. I wil try to keep blopgging as I find stuff but I got a feeling it is going to be intermittent at best. Considering I have always been more or less intermittent about blogging and what I blog, it won't be anything new.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Christmas Decorations II























































This is a part of my mother in laws Christmas display. I think it is also the last of the christmas pictures I will be posting this year.(Unkess you count the ones I post for next Christmas that I may post before the New Year but until then)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Christmas Decorations

























































































These are some pictures of decorations at my in laws and their church. I think I have a few more on the camera. I will upload those soon.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Michi8gan Snow























































This is what a White Christmas looks like in Michigan.

Monday, January 11, 2010

2010 Diet Update

Amaze, amaze, another year has come around and I am still going on lasts years diet. I actually am 10 pounds lighter than my pre holiday weight. I don't understand that since the week of Christmas and New Years, I was not exercising like I should and had some epic fails with my diet by eating all the wrong things and too much of all of it. The big plus, I think, was the fact I went snow showing. I went for only a couple tens of a mile at most and it like more of a work out than walking a mile or two. Getting the heart to pound felt good. The snow and cold is getting to be a challenge for the daily walks and the worst of it will probably be the end of January. I am doing a count down to Candlemas and looking forward to noticeably longer days and hoping for a slow warm up in February. Not going to count on that but I will hope and the light will get more.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Bear Lake, Michigan
































One of the towns I went through going on Christmas vacation was Bear Lake Michigan. they have a carved bear at their welcome sign. It has been waymarked here. I have heard of snow backed gorillas before but never a snow backed bear.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Distrowatch.com

I have been investigating different linux distros and came across this website, distrowatch.com. (link) I have not checked it out fully but it has given me ideas for some distros to try out.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Archive.org

While listening to the Linux in the Hamshack podcast, I found out about the arhive.org site. It is a library of digital material coverin the history of the internet. It by no means has everything but it is an interesting place to take a look around. It is HERE.

Kai Loves Snow




















































Kai is a snow dog. can't you tell?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Police memorial


































On my Christmas travels, I came across this memorial. There is a web page about it here. i also made a waymark out of it. It is listed here.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Friday, January 1, 2010