03/01/12 The sun has just arrived this morning and is flooding the wilderness with warm rays. There is a little bit of crispness in the air - left over from the almost-winter we just had. Temps will be in the 70s today in the Ozarks, even warmer down south. Today is the official beginning of SPRING at Cloudland, the very best season of any on earth!
I got to wander around a bit last night and marvel at the beautiful moonlit landscape all around me. I've been spending some time each evening outside to watch the dance going on with the moon, Venus and Juniper in the western sky. It has been fun to see the old moon flirt with each planet, but now it has climbed higher into the sky and getting brighter - plenty of light for me to get out and dance with the trees and the stars and the moon. There is magic in moonlight for sure, and the more time one spends in moonlight the better off they will be!
A couple of nights ago the sky was full of dark clouds, in fact those clouds were down low and blowing and swirling around like crazy. As darkness approached I wanted to be up there in the clouds, and so I hiked on through the forest to the very top of the hill where I could almost poke my head up into the clouds. But I wanted to get closer still. The tops of the trees were in the clouds, and were being blown by the strong winds, swaying back and forth. I found a redbud tree at the edge of Aspen's meadow and started to climb it - I am NOT a very good tree climber, but this guy welcomed me and made it so easy. A minute later I was as high up in the tree as I could get. And my head was indeed up in the cloud, and it blew through my brain and into my soul. I closed my eyes and just let the wind and the tree take me where they may (of course, I was still holding on for dear life!).
Like most every other time I've ever climbed a tree, when it came time to come down I was in trouble - I'm not good at climbing down a tree either! In fact I didn't really climb down this redbud at all - rather I let me feet go and held on as best I could - it was more of a controlled fall - but a moment later I was on the ground, sitting on my rump, and laughing out loud.
MARCH is going to be a big month around here. First off, I'm hoping to be able to write something for the Journal EVERY day - I won't be able to POST something each day since I will be traveling quite a bit and not at the computer, but eventually each day's thoughts will be posted. And there will be lots more pictures too - this will begin a three-month marathon run up to the publication of my next picture book, which means we'll be visiting many scenic parts of Arkansas - some of them several times - and I'll be shooting thousands and thousands of new images for the book.
And what perfect timing for this next item - a cousin who is "between assignments" in life is moving into our guestroom at the cabin for a while and so will be able to take care of things here while we are gone. How long is he going to stay - that depends on how much yard WORK he gets done, ha, ha! He will not be able to open the canvas gallery for visits, but he will be on hand to keep any spooks at bay. We normally have family, friends, or neighbors come stay at the cabin while we are gone, and so him living here all the time for a while will give us a lot more freedom - and we won't have to impose on others all the time!
And finally, I'm beginning training for another trip of a lifetime - this fall I'll be spending a week backpacking deep in a northwest Yukon Territory wilderness above the Arctic Circle, taking pictures of the spectacular fall color AND northern lights. We'll be doing some pretty serious backing each day and so I will not only have to get my old and feeble body back into hiking condition, but also build up some muscle to be able to carry a heavy backpack full of camping and camera equipment. My camera equipment has grown so heavy that I rarely am able to actually backpack with all of it, so I usually don't - for me it is usually backpacking OR photography, but not both. I hope to have all four limbs healthy for the first time in a long while this month, so am keeping my fingers crossed they all stay that way during my training! I'm not getting off to a very good start with this one though - I've been up working since 3-something this morning and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get my very first day of training in today - oops! I'll have to do double-miles tomorrow.
And lastly of course, today is the 40th anniversary of the date that President Nixon signed the law that created America's first National River - Buffalo National River. It took ten long years of struggle by Neil Compton and the rest of the Ozark Society, as well as many other groups and countless individuals to save the Buffalo. It has become perhaps the single most important tourist attraction in Arkansas - and also bragging rights as one of the most scenic locations in this part of the United States. I live and work here because of the quality of LIGHT, but the air and water and the PEOPLE are also first class. THANKS TO EVERYONE who made this all possible! Now, get out and enjoy the Buffalo River this spring!
And just for fun, I've made two March Prints of the Month - both from the Buffalo River area (and available at the special prices). Enjoy!
03/02/12 Jimmy Buffet helped save my shoulder. I'm coming near the end of my rehab for a frozen shoulder - those of you who have had one know what I'm talking about. The great folks at the rehab center's job is to twist and turn and crank and sit upon (well, not really) my arm until it is able to do what it is supposed to do - something it has not done in many months. Wednesday we had a major breakthrough - literally - as I think the entire complex heard the POPS coming from my room as Rusty pushed my arm back against the bed and some adhesions broke loose. YIKES!!!!!
In between rehab sessions I am supposed to push my arm/shoulder as far as I can stand to keep what progress was made at the rehab center the day before from freezing back up again. I was on the road most of yesterday and did not have the time or location to do my stretches. By about 11pm my shoulder was beginning to freeze up again and getting pretty stiff. Just then - near the end of the Jimmy Buffet concert in N. Little Rock - he had the crowd do the "fin" - putting your hands together way above your head, then lean to the left, lean to the right, etc. At first I could hardly even get my hands together above my head, but seeing 14,000 others doing it with ease to the rhythm of the music pushed me farther and farther, higher and higher, until at least I could fully extend my frozen shoulder - indeed I was reaching higher than anyone around me! It hurt so GOOD! Thanks Jimmy - it would have been an even more painful rehab session today if not for your help last night!
We camped along the banks of the Arkansas river after the concert - it was breezy and just lovely there. I was up and out walking along the river early this morning just as the sun appeared. You know how the sun comes up on a large body of water and its reflection stretches all the way from the horizon to your feet? It was quite golden and beautiful this morning - pretty as a picture! The river was calm, the air still, and it was a great moment of serenity right there at the edge of the campground. And for once in about as long as I can remember, I did not run for my camera! I stopped and watched and listened to the morning birds and took in that great air deep inside. All of this within a stone's throw of the big city of Little Rock - you don't always have to be deep in the wilderness to have a wilderness moment!
It was about 80 degrees there this morning, but by the time we reached home the temp had dropped into the 40s. Momma Nature just wants to remind us who is in charge, and that SPRING doesn't officially start until March 20th! I rather enjoy these weather changes - both going up, and going down.
Two notes before I call it a day and crawl up into the loft - one sad, one a little humorous. First, there is only one trumpeter swan remaining in residence at the Mill Pond in Boxley. There was a total of six or seven that were released there several years ago. (There had been an increasing flock of wild swans there the previous three winters, but they have not reappeared once the "zoo" swans from Iowa were released.) A couple were killed by some critter the first week. There were four that remained for the past couple of years, although recently one pair of them flew away and stayed away - sometimes seen at Lake Harrison. A little over a week ago one of the last two remaining swans disappeared - I don't know if he/she left on his/her own or if something bad happened. But now there is only one lonely swan. We some wild swans will return next winter to spend the winter - they typically will fly back north in the summer months to hatch young and bring buddies back to Boxley with them. But for now we can only hope the last one hangs around a while longer for everyone to enjoy.
And the other item - I am severely allergic to yeast. I found that fact out after doing battle with allergies for more than 45 years. Since then I have only have one big relapse plus a couple of smaller ones. Last weekend my lovely bride left me ALONE at the cabin with a full PIZZA and a box of ICE CREAM! By the time she returned everything had been consumed - and I was not able to blame Aspen for any of it. I had eaten an entire pizza. That on its own probably would have triggered an allergic reaction, but we discovered that adding ice cream to the mix only pours fuel on the fire. I've been suffering all week with no signs of relief (normally takes several weeks for things to calm down). I know I KNOW! Every time Pam looks at me I know what she is thinking - and I know - I should not have eaten the entire pizza! Oh well, I LOVE pizza so was weak and could not resist. I will, however, probably not eat another slice of pizza for years to come!
03/03/12 It was a little brisk outside this morning, but the crispness felt really good. Cold air seems to go down easier and often smells and tastes better too! Sunshine often makes it all feel warmer, and so wandering through the forest, especially this afternoon, was very nice, although a light jacket helped block the brisk wind.
My lovely bride and I spent some time looking for rocks today. There is no shortage of rocks at Cloudland! These rocks had to be 3-4 inches tall, mostly flat on both sides, and about 2-3 square feet. We're going to add a flagstone walk to the front of the cabin and figured local rocks would look better than store-bought - plus it would be a lot cheaper. We found lots of great flat rocks to use, but more importantly got to spend some time together just out rambling around in the woods together. With both of us working so much at what has become an electronic lifestyle, we rarely get to spend time like this in the outdoors anymore. Sometimes the simple things are the very BEST!
One thing we noticed was that just about every flat stone that we turned over had at least one mole/snake burro underneath. When I was a kid (well, OK, a younger kid), I used to spend many hours a day out in the woods doing the very same thing so I have not come very far - turning over rocks looking for snakes! I used to LOVE snake hunting, and I found a lot of them under rocks and rotten logs. No snakes today - in fact I don't think we even saw a single bug.
Not too much in the way of wildflowers either - although we did find a nice stand of trout lilies along the outer edge of a bench about a quarter mile west of the cabin. Each bloom was open wide but still bent completely over as if to protect themselves from the chilly winds. Probably in the next sunny day or two these little ladies will turn upwards and soak in all the rays they can.
That bench is also where we found one of the most beautiful rocks. Oh my goodness, I have passed by this rock a hundred times and always make a mental note to myself how interesting it is, but today we sat down and got a close look and it was just wonderful! The rock is about six feet wide and four feet tall, 4-8 inches thick, and domed just a little bit (so it won't work in our flagstone project). It was laid up against a tree during construction of our little hiking trail that passes through the area. The really neat thing about this rock is that the surface is now covered with small lichens of different colors - each probably about a half inch across. It is just an amazing rock! I want to photograph it one day, but will wait until we have some really wet conditions and then quality light. I believe this rock was totally covered up with dirt before we hauled it out of the way of the new trail, and all that lichen has grown on it in the past ten years. If we can get a tractor into that location and get a chain around it we might just find a new home for it next to the flagstone walkway. Or perhaps just leave it be - it makes a great backrest while stopping to admire the view of the broad bench far below.
Later in the day "cuz" (our cousin that is spending some time here at the cabin) and I want out with the tractor and collected a few of the flat stones that Pam and I had selected, and moved them to the cabin just to see how it all looked. Everyone agreed that the natural stones were the best way to do. I suspect it will take a week or two or three to get all the rocks moved, the prep work done, and then everything laid down and set into place. We used to have a large pile of sand here, although Pam said that it has filled up with cat poop so it will take a bit of work to clean up the sand.
I spent a good part of today working in the print room on Prints of the Month and the new Buffalo River 40th Anniversary prints - my oh my those big prints look TERRIFIC! Speaking of that photo, if you are an Arkansas electric coop customer you probably received the new Arkansas Living magazine today - a different version of that same photo - with three canoes - is on the front cover. There is also a photo of the cobblestone floor of Amber's "honeymoon" cabin inside the magazine with the very nice article on the Buffalo River birthday.
03/04/12 There is a ring around the moon this evening, and fire clouds in the western sky just after sunset - a beautiful light show all around! There were fire clouds in the east before sunrise this morning too, and I spent a little bit of time taking pictures out the bedroom window of the light streak that shot up through the clouds before the sun arrived. The clouds and sky went from burnt red to brilliant orange to pale yellow in a matter of minutes. Colorful bookends to a classic early spring day in the Ozarks!
We had lots of wind all day that kept the temps down a bit, but there was enough sunshine to make it comfortable. Aspen and I went out into the middle of the woods and took a nap. He is recovering from yet another surgery and is doing well - so well in fact that he would prefer to hike ten miles instead of stopping to take a nap - but I fear he would tear open stitches.
While on the ground I got to looking around and found about a hundred trout lilies in bloom, with a few spring beauty wildflowers sprinkled about as well. I had my picket camera with me and tried to get a picture of a flower or two, but the wind was blowing so much I would never get a good picture. When I do that for real I carry a small light tent that I set up over the flower - it does help break the wind a little bit sometimes, and also bathes the flower in beautiful soft light. The trout all had their heads turned down but the spring beauties were pointed up at the sun and just beaming with joy! I do believe little flowers have big smiles. Or perhaps these little guys are just so amused at what I have to do to get a good look at them - get down on my hands and knees and lean down really close to the ground - they are only an inch or less tall with a bloom hardly larger than 1/4" across. But I love to get up close and personal with them since the purple veins are so pretty.
Our classic pioneer daffodils are peaking here right now - you can find them sprinkled all over the Ozarks - mostly where old homesteads once stood - sometimes all that are left of a once-great homestead. When you find a patch like this you know they are hearty plants - they've survived 50-75 years or more - and always produce large, bright and beautiful blooms. The modern varieties for sale these days just don't seem to be as nice, nor live as long. There may come a time when these pioneer flowers are the only things left of the old homesteads.
The moon was high and bright although instead of a ring like the night before there was a wide glow all around the moon from a thin layer of clouds. In photography terms that would be a diffusion filter, which took the already soft moonlight and spread it out even more, making it very, very soft moonlight. Great for romantics like myself, but even better for seeing things in the nighttime forest - the soft light went around corners and really lit up shadows.
Venus and Jupiter have been getting closer and closer to each other and really stand out in the western sky - even visible through the trees. With strong winds tossing the trees around, the planets seemed to be dancing - or perhaps it was me that was dancing! The music of the wind, the swaying trees, and that soft moonlight made for a quite delightful stroll. One odd thing though - every where I went I was trailed by a pair of CATS! It was so bright that I could easily see them, even though in the daylight their color is pretty close to the same as the brown forest floor right now. But they matched me step for step, and when I would stop, they would stop - often sitting down to admire the same view I was. My brave attack dogs were no where in sight, but it was comforting to know I had the cats with me in case I came upon a giant mouse!
Speaking of critters, the lone coyote I heard the other night must have found a mate because the howls and yips and yells were multiplied. Sounded like they were right across the cabin at the base of the bluff on Beagle Point., with their music bouncing off the bluff and being sent throughout the wilderness. I wondered what they were singing about - the moon no doubt - but what else? Or is the moon enough to make critters howl all on its own? Perhaps they knew about the approaching rain front that we hope arrives in a couple of days. Or maybe they were just trying to get my cats to come closer so they could have a midnight snack!
The predicted rainfall should fill up streams and get WATERFALLS flowing nicely again. Winter and early spring are the best times for waterfalls since most of the moisture that falls runs off and is not sucked up by growing vegetation. By the time the trees start to really leaf out it takes a lot more rainfall to make waterfalls run. So if you have been waiting for some great waterfall viewing, I suspect this might be a great weekend for it if we get what they are calling for - but please remember - if the water is high and fast, or you can't see the bottom, DON'T CROSS THE CREEK!
03/06/12 I dreamed about her all night. In fact I woke up thinking about her and couldn't get back to sleep. I saw her for just a moment the day before, but didn't get to spend any time with her. I wanted to go see if I could find her today, but was not sure if I could, and then if I did find her I didn't know how I was going to be able to get her to hold still with the high winds!
I always look forward to the first bloodroot wildflower bloom, and yesterday I made a quick stop and hunted for one - and found a single pure white bloom in the middle of the vast forest. No camera through, nor any time to enjoy. Sometimes these blooms are only open for a few hours during the day, then close up again due to lack of sunshine or perhaps even the cold. We had winds in the 40-50mps range all day long, a nearly impossible situation to try and get a little wildflower to hold perfectly still for a picture. But I had to try.
So I drove and I hiked and to my great surprise I found the little lady still right there, wide open and just waiting for me to return. Plus there were at least 100 others nearby! Wow, these flowers really popped open overnight! It took me nearly an hour using a special small light tent to surround the flower to help block the wind, and then just sitting and waiting for the howling winds to die down completely. I did get a few quiet moments with this beautiful little wildflower and I was a happy camper. When I got back to the car I found four or five flowers that had opened up during that hour - including one that was three inches wide - a huge bloodroot! FYI , these are named for the deep red sap in the roots - I suspect the Indians would have used this for face or pottery paint.
Not only did the winds howl and swirl all day today but there was something different about how they did it. There were more large limbs flying around than I've ever seen before. I had to stop and remove large limbs across the road more than a dozen times, including while following behind Joseph ("cuz") back to the cabin - he was only a few minutes in front of me. If this brings us the much-need rain that will be great - I just hope we still have some deck furniture left in the morning!
I spent a little bit of time out wandering in the moonlight again tonight. There were no clouds to diffuse the light and it was really BRIGHT outside. Not sure why, but I am fascinated by tree shadows in moonlight - they are actually about the same as tree shadows from sunlight but not quite as bright. I guess there is just some magic in moonlight. The shadows were really vivid and well defined - and MOVING around quite a bit too from the strong winds! It is possible to photograph these shadows now with the high-sensitivity digital sensors we have, but it is kind of a catch-22 in that if you make a proper exposure for the shadows and the forest floor it will look just like daylight.
03/07/12 When I stepped outside late tonight to get some work done next door in the gallery a feeling of euphoria washed over and through me. Funny how a certain aroma can do that to a person. And also funny that the very same scent can make folks cringe. I generally tend towards the euphoria side, but that is probably 'cause I'm a little weird. The lovely scent was that of approaching RAIN, and all I can add is YIPPIE COYOTE!!! It has been a long time since there was moisture in the air, and while I know some areas may get more rain than wanted this week, in general it will be a welcome relief for many. And we'll have WATERFALLS flowing well once again - DOUBLE YIPPIE COYOTE!
It started to sprinkle a bit, and instead of heading to the computer to get a print done, I wandered off into the night woods - there was just enough moonlight drifting down through the clouds for me to move around without bumping into too many things. I walked slowly, but mostly I stopped and closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I raised my head and let the wonderful drops land and dribble down my face. And then the drops halted, the sky above parted, and I was washed with brilliant moonlight! Can a person purr?
03/08/12 Darkness remained a long time this morning and there was a heavy layer of clouds all around. A bright flash to the south now and then lit up the landscape and revealed a few baby clouds forming down in the canyon. We had heavy winds most of the night, and that kept much rain from falling, but those winds stopped by 5am and that wonderful scent of rain was back in the air. As light began to creep ever so slightly into the scene I grabbed my camera and took a few 30-second exposures off the back deck. And then a slow and steady rain began to fall. Most folks love the sound of rainfall on a tin roof - and me too - but unlike most I prefer to run out into the rain instead of letting it lull me to sleep! They are calling for rain showers most of the day and it will be a great time for this - just the thing to really get SPRING kick-started around here - ENJOY!!!
03/09/12 A bright light woke me up at about 4 this morning. It was the full moon shining in from an upper window on the western wall. Guess it was telling me to GET UP and get to work! And so I did. A couple hours later I was spread out flat on the ground - a VERY cold 33 degree ground that felt frozen solid - with my camera and zoom lens trained on the very same moon as it set behind a neat walnut tree.
If you take a picture of the moon with just a normal lens on your camera the moon will be tiny. There are two ways to make the moon larger in a photo - one, get CLOSER to the moon. Most of us will never have that opportunity. So the only other thing you can do is use a LONGER lens. The longer the lens, the larger the moon. The longer the lens, also the more difficult it is to get a sharp picture of the moon since every tiny wiggle in your camera setup is magnified. I will often take dozens of pictures of the moon and only get one or two that are sharp enough. Anyway, it doesn't take an expensive camera, but it does take a long lens, a sturdy tripod, and above all else - GREAT TECHNIQUE!
The moon and walnut tree were the perfect compliment to each other - with the tree's long arm sort of reaching out over the moon. I was down flat on the ground - and my tripod legs were also spread flat with the camera just a few inches above the ground - because that was where I needed to be in order to get the view that I wanted. The camera is also a little more stable like that, and with a long lens you need all the stability that you can get. I spent about ten minutes on the ground taking the picture, then got up and moved a little bit and took more pictures - the moon moves really fast when it gets low like that.
Later in the day I made what I hope is my last rehab trip to town for my frozen shoulder that has hampered me since last September. I'm not back to 100%, but am back to where I can use the arm for most things without too much pain. The folks at the Ortho Spine Rehab Center in Harrison have been just terrific!!! And on top of the great care they have given me (for both shoulders now), I get to rub elbows with the great musician, Joel Sebag - he owns the center and is there several days a week (they also do Zumba classes and have exercise equipment).
Anyway, so tonight Amber was home from college and my lovely bride was teaching her how to do cross-stitch. The cabin was glowing with the warm tones of our lodgepole pine logs. Our two pups were spread out at our feet, and I was all stretched out in the aging over-stuffed leather chair sipping a cup of Earl Gray tea. The girls were in quiet conversation, Aspen was snoring (we went on a three-mail hike this afternoon), and the muted notes of Joseph's radio downstairs were drifting up. And then I looked up and saw a HUGE moon rising - I had to look through our living room, through the library (now the computer room where we do most of the book business), through the drawing room (which was turned into the shipping department years ago - sorry Pam), and finally out the window to the moon. The painting that I got from my grandparent's farmhouse in Minnesota was hanging on the wall right next to the rising moon - this painting is of a log cabin on a lake at night, a waterfall at the far end of the lake, and a full moon rising! This painting formed the basis of my idea of "wilderness" from the time I was about five years old. And now it was all in real time - the log cabin and the rising moon and the serenity of the moment and all the happiness within our home. Sometimes - and often - the best times in life are the simple times spent at home with the ones you love - and the rising moon!
03/10/12 Another beautiful bright moon hanging in the western sky early this morning. It was lighting up the lower deck so much that I decided a picture was in order. I love shadows, and especially moon shadows! So I set up the camera carefully and tried to focus - for camera geeks, this is a LOT easier to do with an "optical" viewfinder but much less so with an "electronic" viewfinder.
There was a neat scene behind the railing as well - one of our popcorn trees was in full bloom and glowing from the backlit moonlight. I had to raise the camera pretty high to get a clear shot of the glowing tree, and ended up having to get a step-stool from inside to stand on (my tripod goes up to nearly seven feet tall). The moonlight had already gotten much dimmer in the few minutes since I started taking pictures of the railing, and the exposure time had more than doubled. I only got one picture of the backlit glowing popcorn tree before the glow from the eastern horizon behind me overpowered the moonlight and the shadows at the base of the tree disappeared. What a terrible position to be in - stuck between moonlight and sunrise!
'Tis the weekend and we have several folks coming out to visit the canvas print gallery this morning - and then we're hoping for MORE RAIN later today! Wildflowers should be popping up this morning, and tomorrow waterfalls should be abundant. We didn't get nearly as much rain as predicted in the Buffalo River area on Thursday, but there will still be some good waterfalls today, although they are tough to photograph in bright sunshine - although I'm sure the warmth will be welcome!
03/11/12 Lots of cold rain today, some of pretty hard. We're seeing waterfalls coming off the big bluffline around us and the Buffalo is finally getting cloudy - and muddy by the end of the day. The rains during the week helped to saturate the ground and so now with today's rain there are many more great waterfalls running.
Since I love rain so much I bundled up and went on a hike with the dogs during some of the really heavy downpour. Nothing can really keep you dry during this sort of rain, especially if you are hiking. But knowing I had a nice warm and dry log cabin to return too it didn't matter how wet I got. The pups seemed a little annoyed by the heavy rain hitting their faces, but they scampered on since they love to be outside no matter how heavy the rain. All the little drainages were full of flowing water, and the forest had come to life with sound and movement. And then some heavy fog rolled in and began to swirl and it became a magical place.
We all loaded up on Saturday and took a nice drive over to the Stack Rock area near Richland Creek and spent some time hiking on the Ozark Highlands Trail. There was a report in the local paper about how the trail had been "obliterated" by the forest service there, but that report was TOTALLY FALSE. The trail was in great condition and had not been touched by the recent forest service activities at all. Perhaps the guy who wrote the article had not actually set foot on the trail - or maybe he did not recognize what ice storm damage from three years ago looked like? I don't know, but the trail is FINE. That part of the trail was damaged by the ice storm in 2009, but our OHTA volunteers had it all cut out and the trail back open again within a month. Fact is that most of the 165-miles of the Ozark Highlands Trail has a 400-foot wide protected corridor along it (actually 198 feet on either side, or 3 "chains"), and the forest service has been pretty good through the years about honoring this protection zone. This protected corridor is clearly marked on the "Phase II" forest service maps, and I expect the trail will also remain protected throughout that entire project.
We had a lovely hike down to one of my most favorite part on the OHT - an old homestead that was built on a narrow bench with an incredible view looking out into the lower Richland Creek valley towards the Buffalo River at Woolum. The homesite sat next to a giant sandstone block that rolled down from the bluff above that no doubt towered over the old log cabin (only the chimney and two base logs remain of the cabin). It was a terrific spot to live.
And nearby is Stack Rock Homestead Falls (listed in the Arkansas Waterfalls Guidebook), a beautiful 35' tall falls that pours over the bluff just below the cabin site. The creek that feeds this waterfall was no doubt the water supply for the homestead, and the creek and falls were running well yesterday and sending lots of beautiful music up through the forest. No doubt the family that lived in the cabin spent quite a bit of time on the front porch listening to this music and admiring the spectacular view.
RICHLAND CAMPGROUND remains CLOSED, but it probably will reopen sometime later this spring. The gates at either end of the Falling Water Road have been opened - however road closed signs remain in place so it may not be officially open to public traffic yet. It looks like work on the giant landslide area along that stretch has been completed - the forest service and contractors did a wonderful job with this terrible spot! This road has been closed for several years due to the landslide, which has made it tougher to access several wateralls in the area, including Six Finger, Fuzzybutt, and Keefe Falls. So once the road is officially back open again be sure to go have a look at the waterfalls and the new section of road. FYI, I've added an alternate route in the new Arkansas Waterfalls guidebook to reach Fuzzybutt Falls that does not require wading the creek - but it does require a longer hike on an easy trail.
The forest has come alive with blooming popcorn and wild plum trees, and we saw hints of the first redbud trees just beginning to show a little bit of color - I suspect the redbuds will bloom with lots of color this week and next - a sure sign and spring had taken hold, YIPPIE! Dogwoods won't bloom for a while yet, although since some other things have bloomed a week or two early I suspect we'll have Dogwoods by early April, or perhaps even sooner? I have a feeling we are going to see a color explosion soon and this will be one of the best springs ever - of course, they all are so that is a safe bet!
Sort of an unoffricial announcement - we'll be having a low-key Spring Open House at our Canvas Prints Gallery on March 31st - all canvas prints will be on sale for 50% off! Shhhh, don't tell anyone...And oh - I FOUND IT!!!
03/12/12 My lovely bride hiked to a neighbor's pond today and with her second cast caught a MONSTER catfish! She was just fishing for a little perch or two. I was napping in the warm afternoon sunshine. Lucy was guarding the pond from bears. Aspen was, well, anytime Aspen gets near water he is IN the water, and so he spent most of his time swimming back and forth in front of Pam - that is until she wrestled the big fish near the shore, then he lunged at it and hung on for dear life!
We were totally unprepared for a fish this size, and the entire time she was fighting the fish I was kind of wondering how in the heck I was going to get it ashore without breaking the light fishing line. The pond was kind of muddy and so we could only see glimpses of the fish every now and then when she would get close to the surface (the fish, not Pam), then she would bend her powerful body and swish that wide tail (the fish, not Pam), and Pam's Zebco 33 reel started singing as the big cat headed for the other side of the pond.
I've been fishing for more than 50 years and this was the 3rd largest fish I'd ever been part of (one of the others was a giant appaloosa catfish that we caught on a trot line, the other a lunker Kentucky bass my dad caught - both from Tablerock Lake back in the 1960's). This girl was a so fat with eggs I don't know how she could move (the fish, not...).
We had quite a tussle when Pam finally got the fish to the shore - me struggling to grab the fish with both hands while Pam tried to keep Aspen from pouncing. We did not have a camera with us, and after admiring the monster for a moment or two we gently returned her to the pond and set her free - Aspen was not happy about that!
Later on I got the camera and took a picture of the next fish - also a nice fat female catfish - Pam caught four in all and we turned them all loose to fight another day. It was a beautiful WARM spring day with bright sunshine and smiles all around.
03/13/12 I spent most of the day in Fayetteville on dog duty - Aspen to get shaved in the morning and both dogs to the vet in the afternoon (Aspen also had to get stitches removed from recent surgery). In between Lucy and I spent the day hiking around on the Lake Fayetteville Trail. Part of the trail was closed, so we kind of did one direction to the closed part and back, and then the opposite direction to the closed part and back - all in all about 7 miles. Lucy has always been a "free range" dog ever since moving in here 11 years ago and has never worn a collar or been on a leash in that time, however when she lived in Missouri with the girls she was well trained by Pam to walk on a leash. I must say that Lucy remembered all her training and did very well on the leash all day, and in fact never even barked a single time at any passing hiker or other dog. And even though she is NOT a water dog, she ran and jumped into the lake several times and had fun swimming around.
It was a great day to be on the trail, and the Lake Fayetteville Trail is one of the better urban trails in the region. Popcorn trees were in full bloom, although I did not see many wildflowers - soon to explode I suspect. It was really great to see SO MANY people out hiking, jogging, riding bikes, and generally enjoying the great outdoors. Such a huge change to when I used to live in town - I really do believe our urban folks are getting more healthy in that regard - or at least taking the time out of their busy lives more often to get out into the great outdoors and exercise. Heck there were even a lot of folks using the frisbee golf area - all of this during mid-day on a Tuesday. We also hiked part of the Mud Creek Trail and also found lots of folks using it. KUDOS to all city managers in Arkansas for putting some real money into TRAILS!
The popcorn and wild plum trees continue to bloom throughout the Ozarks, and also a lot more redbud trees just beginning to come out. In the overall landscape I'm seeing individual green trees "blooming" too. The wilderness will transform daily for the next several weeks all across the state - is there a better season anywhere on the planet than here in March and April - I think not!
03/14/12 I try to photograph the large and beautiful popcorn tree that lives at the top edge of the bluff just down below our cabin each year. It is a tough spot to get to since the two benches above it are extremely steep - in fact where I must place the camera is so steep that I cannot stand up unaided - I must hold onto something or slide over the edge of the bluff. One reason I love this tree and composition so much is that in the early morning just after the sun rises I can capture the entire glowing white tree against a completely dark background, making the already brilliant blossoms stand out even more. The background is the big mountain directly to the east of our cabin, and with the sun rising above the mountain, the side of the mountain that faces me is in shadow and very dark.
So early this morning I slipped and slid and finally landed at my shooting location right above the popcorn tree. But as soon as I arrived I knew it was of no use. Not only where there two large dead branches from trees above lodged in the branches of the popcorn tree, but the very top of the popcorn tree blossoms were already past peak. So no picture. Oh well, I needed the exercise, and it was a great way to WAKE UP!
Later in the day I spent a couple of hours visiting some of my favorite wildflowers along the Lost Valley Trail in Boxley - Ozark wake robins. It was a sunny afternoon with LOTS OF WIND, but it was warm and the winds felt great. Lots of wildflowers all over the place too - not so much as in some previous years - but thousands and thousands of at least 12 different species that I counted.
I found a nice pair of wake robins growing right next to each other and set up shop - which includes a small light tent around the flowers to help cut down on the wind, which also bathes the flowers in beautiful soft light no matter what the sun is doing (direct harsh sunshine is generally not good for delicate wildflowers). My light ten only cuts down the wind - it won't stop a strong wind - I still have to wait for nearly calm conditions before I can take a picture. And so I waited. There are worse things to be doing than sitting on the forest floor on a textbook early spring day in a national park waiting for the wind to stop. But on the other hand, it was also a chore to be able to wait it out, and I've so many other photographers that give up and just can't do this - "It is good enough." I try not to take pictures that are just good enough - I want them to be TERRIFIC! And so I waited.
It was about an hour before I felt good enough with my picture - there were seven or eight lulls in the winds, and a couple of times when things got dead still. The key to success in this situation is being READY when those rare moments of stillness happen. I was not prepared once, but I was the second time and I think got a nice image.
Part of the trail was washed out last spring due to really bad flooding, it was great to see all of the heavy-duty rock work that the national park service put in to rebuild the trail - KUDOS to them for making this happen and getting the trail back open again in record time! Note that the little campground there remains closed and may or may not ever open again.
I shot a few more flower pictures - LOTS of great bloodroot, liverwort, yellow trout lilies, and toothwort flowers growing all over the place. And Eden Falls was running nicely. It was just a beautiful day to be in the woods.
The highlight of the day came while I was sitting there on the ground waiting for the wind to stop. I was surrounded by beech trees - most of them still had their leaves, which they keep during the winter. These golden leaves add a touch of warmth on cold winter days, and it is just great to see that added touch of color in the landscape. In the early spring when new leaves are ready to appear, the new growth pushed the old leaves off the limb. It seemed like all the beech trees in my area today wanted to give me a really nice show, and one time when the wind blew really hard there were thousands and thousands of those gleaming golden beech leaves that got pushed off and took to the air - it was LEAFFALL in the spring! Oh my goodness it was something to see, and to feel, and to experience! This went on for five or ten minutes - it was quite a show!!!
One sad note about the Lost Valley area. The only grove of aspen trees that I know of in Arkansas has been cut down - every last one of them now in a pile. I suspect this was done due to the trees growing in the powerline right of way, but I don't know for sure. The neat grove of aspens with their glowing white barks have lived right in front of the old sway-back cabin that you pass on the way into Lost Valley (planted - they were never native here). I have photographed the trees and cabin many times over the past ten years, usually with some great fall color in the background (these were not "quaking" aspens like you see in Colorado, and their leaves were never brilliant orange - but I still loved the white bark).
Tonight I reopened our outdoor shower for the season, and as I was standing there enjoying the hot water and being outdoors, I happened to look down upon the very same popcorn tree that I had tried to photograph this morning. Much to my surprise the ENTIRE tree had turned GREEN! All the blooms were gone - in a single day! Wow, in some places springtime is progressing at a fast pace.
03/15/12 After my failure yesterday I decided that today was going to be my popcorn tree day! And so I spent about half the day in search of the perfect popcorn tree, and for no wind. Finding great trees was not issue - but getting the wind to stop was tough, especially since I could not cover them with a light tent, ha, ha! I spent a while hiking along the tops of bluffs and saw many beautiful popcorn trees at the peak of their brightness overlooking lush green valleys with many ridges running off into the distance. Many of the blossoms were being blown off by the wind though, and the branches were moving around quite a bit - great to look at, but not good for photography. The sun played hide and seek all day, and it was one of those times when I did not know if I wanted sunshine or shade - I guess the sun knew I could not make up my mind so it kept giving my both options.
And then I found a striking popcorn tree right along the road into our cabin - in fact it is just across the lane from the Arkansas state champion popcorn tree (that champion tree is tall and not very photographic). The tree was backlit and against a darker hillside when the sun was out - with those pure-white blossoms really glowing in the sunshine. And when a cloud got in the way the blossoms still stood out against darker hillside behind. The problem was the wind. I visited this tree three different times during the day, each time waiting and waiting and waiting for the wind to quit. I knew I could probably return in the evening and get calmer winds, but the light would not be the same. So I kept trying. Turns out I was successful and I got an image that I like with the beautiful blossoms in sharp focus and not moving, while the darker background is blurred and out of focus (draws your attention more to the in-focus and brighter blossoms).
So it turned out to be a great popcorn tree day!
LOTS of other trees are popping out in a manner of hours right now - the overall landscape is dotted with them, perhaps more than I've ever seen here before - especially in mid-March. And with redbuds and fruit trees popping out now too the landscape is getting quite colorful. I've received more than 100 requests already this week for "When are the dogwoods going to bloom?" My answer - I have no idea. Neither does anyone else. But I'll post a few photos here when they start to bloom for sure! And of course the trees down south would normally bloom before the ones up here in the Ozarks.
I got to spend some time today talking with Benny about fishing - he knows a lot - and was surprised to learn how big the catfish were in his pond! He gave us some pointers about how to catch Cave Mountain perch, and I suspect there will be a frying pan full of them soon (catching perch is pretty easy, but the problem up here is there are so many catfish that get on the hook first!). Benny has decided to acquire the services of our cousin to do a bit of yard work and look after their cabin while they are gone. We may never get Joseph to leave the mountain now!


text:
54th RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing
Hilton Head's economic anchor
Lisa Allen | PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING
Previous Article Contenders to win the 2016 tournament
Next Article 2016 RBC Heritage
For the 48th year, all local eyes turn to the RBC Heritage golf tournament
Once again, Hilton Head Island will be riding a little lower the third week of April as more than 100,000 people flock to the south end of the island for the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, held at Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort.
For 48 years, the tournament has been the party of the year, drawing locals and visitors from around the country to the nicest, friendliest tournament on the tour, played on one of its quirkiest courses.
Just a shade over 7,000 yards, the Pete Dye-designed masterpiece forces players to use finesse, not brawn, to card birdies. Unpredictable breezes from Calibogue Sound keep the contest interesting right until the final putt on the last round.
But the tournament is much more than a golf competition in these parts.
It's the event that put Hilton Head on the map as a tourist spot in 1969, and it's the event that keeps us on televisions around the world, framing an instantly recognized red-and-white lighthouse as a backdrop. It's the party of the season with social events, planned and impromptu, packing the week.
The first Heritage, deemed the Heritage Classic to give it heft, was held on Thanksgiving Day weekend in 1969. Sea Pines founder Charles Fraser could not have scripted a better first chapter for the fledging resort island.
Arnold Palmer regained his status as a champion after a troubling winless streak, holding aloft the trophy with that picturesque lighthouse in the background.
Ever since, the Heritage has been the highlight of the year for players, residents and visitors.
Christmas in April
The tournament is also a highlight for area cash registers. Just as toy sellers rely on Christmas sales to shore up their profits, local business and charities rely on the Heritage for a large share of their annual revenue.
The week stuffs county tills with $75 million from hotel rooms and restaurant tabs to bike rentals and Salty Dog T-shirts. (Seriously, doesn't everyone already have one?) Another $21 million wanders just past Beaufort County's borders, bringing the event's money generation to $96 million a year, according to a study by Clemson University and the University of South Carolina Beaufort. That's not counting the millions in local sales taxes.
The crowds, more than three-quarters of whom attend the tournament year after year, are a merchant's dream: 63 percent of the spectators have an annual income over $100,000, 52 percent are 50 and older and 73 percent have a four-year college degree.
The Heritage put Hilton Head on the map as a tourist spot in 1969, and it's the event that keeps us on televisions around the world for one weekend in April.
Not only is the tournament a boon to local businesses and governments, but it spreads its wealth, showering nonprofit groups with $34 million since the foundation was formed in 1987.
The tournament bestowed $2.4 million to local charities in 2015, ranging from concession proceeds for eight local service clubs to its annual scholarship program, said Steve Wilmot, tournament director.
Never satisfied
The Heritage, as it's locally known, gets better every year, thanks to the work of 11 full-time tournament employees, a half a dozen interns and an army of 1,200 volunteers.
"The staff is challenged every year to come up with ways to make the tournament better. We've learned not to be complacent or content," Wilmot said. "Let's not do it just because we've always done it that way."
Wilmot said that point was made abundantly clear in 2011 when for the first time the tournament couldn't find a sponsor to replace Verizon, which announced 18 months earlier it would cease its title sponsorship after a 22-year run.
At first, no one thought much of it, convinced finding a replacement would be easy. It was anything but.
The tournament had no sponsor in 2011 and had to use its reserves and plead for help from state and local government to keep the tournament going.
"We learned a lot from that," Wilmot said.
While trying to woo a new title sponsor, Wilmot heard more than once that Hilton Head Island was showing its age.
"As they said, sponsors were used to staying at Ritz-Carltons at other tournaments. We couldn't compete."
With added persuasion from Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the tournament brokered a five-year deal with RBC and Boeing to serve as joint title sponsors in 2012.
But the near miss shook the entire island. In the few years since, every major resort on the island, including Sea Pines, launched massive renovation projects. Sea Pines tore down the two clubhouses serving its three courses and rebuilt them, spending tens of millions of dollars. It closed Harbour Town for months last year and replaced its turf from tee to green and overhauled its irrigation system.
Westin, Omni and Sonesta poured millions into renovations at their Hilton Head properties.
"When Sea Pines did its renovations, it helped the Westin. When the Westin renovated its property, it helped the Omni, then the Omni helped Sonesta, and so on," Wilmot said.
After that sobering lesson from the sponsor search, the tournament — not to mention the rest of the island — doesn't take anything for granted.
"We're good through 2017, but we're already working on beyond that," Wilmot said.
The tournament has hired Populous, a Kansas City-based design and consulting firm that has helped stage several Super Bowls and the Olympics in London and Sydney.
"We want fresh eyes to look at the tournament," Wilmot said.
The tournament often has to juggle competing desires from the PGA Tour, spectators, sponsors, area residents and local governments.
It's a careful balancing act, Wilmot said, especially since the tournament means so much to the local economy, perhaps more so than the PGA Tour's 41 other tournaments.
"We are a destination event," Wilmot said. "For example, for tournaments in places like Atlanta, spectators eat breakfast at home, go to the tournament and are home in time for dinner. They don't add a lot to the local economy. Here, the tournament means home rentals, hotel rooms, rental cars, restaurant meals, charter boat trips and rounds at area golf courses. Its impact on the local economy is huge."
Keeping the tournament fresh is a challenge because of space limitations. The course is landlocked, lined with 600 homes amid an even larger resort. It's further hemmed in by the Calibogue Sound on its southern tip.
Populous will evaluate the event from the eyes of spectators. "What are the entry points? How do they look? How well do they function? That's what Populous will help us with," Wilmot said.
Any changes will be thoroughly reviewed with all interested parties considered.
It isn't just the course or the location that makes the Heritage a popular event for PGA Tour players. It's the atmosphere.
Players love the Heritage because it comes on the heels of the pressure cooker known as the Masters and its ambiance is just the opposite.
As two-time Heritage champion Stewart Cink once said, "It's the anti-Augusta."
Many players bring their families and rent a home on the beach to combine family time and golf. Several players have been spotted tooling around the island on bikes with their families.
Beyond the beautiful area, it's the Southern hospitality extended to everyone that makes the Heritage stand out for players, sponsors and spectators.
That atmosphere doesn't happen by chance.
The scores of volunteers are trained about the tournament and the area so they can answer any question and help people find their way around. They are friendly and polite, welcoming and warm.
For example, the tournament enlisted a local Kiwanis club just to help people park and lock their bikes if they arrive via two wheels.
The effort is worth it to the local area.
As Wilmot said, "When those camera lights come on and people see that lighthouse, that is Hilton Head. And it's being seen by millions of people around the world. We couldn't pay for that kind of coverage."
May the party never end.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Oppo R5 - the Slimmest Smartphone Launched
Chinese Smartphone maker OPPO has announced a new model earlier this morning called the OPPO R5. OPPO R5 is officially considered to be the thinnest Smartphone ever made globally. The phone is 4.85 mm thick. The company claims it as the 'slimmest Smartphone in the world. The record earlier was held by the Gionee Elife S5.1 that is 5.1mm thick. Now OPPO has broken the record of Gionee Smartphone and now it is on the top as the slimmest Smartphone.
The Smartphone is priced at $499, which amounts to approximately Rs. 30,500 (INR) in the Indian market. The company has not revealed any information on the availability details in the Indian market yet. Oppo R5 features a metallic and ceramic finishes at the corners as announced by the company on Twitter. The phone flaunts a 5.2-inch full-HD screen that is 1080x1920 pixels, AMOLED display that offers a pixel density of 423 ppi. The OPPO R5 is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor along with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 405 graphics processing unit (GPU).
On the question of camera in R5, the phone supports a 13-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX 214 sensor, 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a LED flashlight. The new Smartphone has come up with Android 4.4 KitKat operating system and will be compatible for 4G LTE as well. It also supports a single Micro-SIM and comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage capacity that is not expandable any further. The Smartphone supports VOOC charging technology for a 2000 mAh battery which can charge the battery from 0 to 10 percent in around 40 minutes.
As far as Connectivity options are concerned, it has provision for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, TD LTE, GPRS/EDGE, LTE FDD and Micro-USB. Unfortunately, there is no 3.5 mm audio jack on board. The Oppo R5 measures up to 148.9x74.5 x 4.85mm and weighs just 155 grams. If you can't wait any further to see this Smartphone in action, please check the video given below.
Oppo R5 - Full Phone Specifications
2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE 700 / 800 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 TD-LTE 2300 (Bands 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 17, 20, 28, 40)
SIM Micro-SIM
Display Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Display Size 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.2 inches (~423 ppi pixel density)
Features Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat), Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615,Octa-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
Phonebook Yes, Practically Unlimited
Call Records Yes
Internal Memory 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
Card Slot Memory No
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
USB microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go
Camera 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Video 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps
Sound Alert Type Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
3.5mm jack NO
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors Silver, Gold
Talktime N/A
Standby N/A
Author : Abdul Razzak
Designation: Associate Blogger
Bio: Abdul Razzak is one of the top students of Mahatma Gandhi University with excellent GPA throughtout its graduation. He is passionate towards network topology management and highly challenged troubleshooting issues. Come and meet him here.


Do you need a Kitchen Servant to prepare any food (or drinks) for this event (y/n)?
Are you preparing any food for this event (y/n)?
Any Additional Comments? or Special requests?
I have read the kitchen and the gym policies.


text:
Q: Connecting two threads in java I have two classes that extends Thread. Class One, and class Two.
In my driver class, I create three threads of class One, and one hundred threads of class Two.
Each class One thread needs to notify every class Two thread that it's available to interact. After the two threads interact,  the thread One moves on to another class Two thread that hasn't had an interaction with a class One thread.
How do I connect the two types of threads? How do I connect class 1 and class 2 threads. How does a thread using class 1 let every thread using class 2 know that it is available for interaction?
ex code:
public class Driver {
public static Semaphore sem = new Semaphore(1);

public static void main(String[] args) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub

    Teller tellerOne = new Teller(1);

    Teller tellerTwo = new Teller(2);

    Teller tellerThree = new Teller(3);

    tellerOne.start();
    tellerTwo.start();
    tellerThree.start();

    Client[] clients = new Client[10];

    for(int i = 0; i<10; i++){
        clients[i] = new Client(i);
        clients[i].start();
        }

    System.out.println("Bank closes");
    //end main method. do not write past this line
}

public class Teller extends Thread {

public int id;
public boolean bankOpen;
public Semaphore tsem;

Teller(int id){
    this.id = id;
}

public void run(){
    System.out.println("Teller " + id + " is available");

//end of run
}

//method to notify availability to client
public void notifyAvailabilityToClient(){

}

//end teller class, do not write past this line

public class Client extends Thread {

public int id;
public String status;
public Semaphore csem;

Client(int id){
    this.id = id;
}

public void run(){
    Random rand = new Random();
    int withdrawOrDeposit = rand.nextInt(100);
    withdrawOrDeposit = withdrawOrDeposit%2;
    //if wORd%2 = 0, withdraw, else deposit

    if(withdrawOrDeposit==0){
        status="Withdraw";
    }
    else{
        status="Deposit";
    }

    System.out.println("Client " + id + " waits in line to make a " + status);

//end of run method, do not write past this
}

//method to select an open Teller
public void selectAvailableTeller(){

}

//end of client class, do not write past this line

Btw I can use classes: Semaphore and Threads

A: I would not normally write code in which different threads meet up with each other, but since this appears to be a homework assignment...
In my solution there would be a single, blocking queue. When a "teller" thread starts up, and each time it finishes "interacting" with a customer, it would put its self into the queue, and then wait for a new customer to start an interaction. The customers all would wait to take() a teller from the queue, and when they get one,... "interact" with it.

If it was not homework I would do something entirely different. I don't know why "customer" threads are a thing, but I don't see any use for "teller" threads at all. There might be some kind of limited-availability Teller objects, but they would not be threads. The customer threads could "interact" by simply calling Teller methods or, if necessary, by submitting tasks that call Teller methods to a generic thread pool.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When beauty is created, its author is entitled to gratitude and so is a person who inspired it.
The late Mrs. M. B. McQuesten, who died this morning, was the inspiration behind many of Hamilton's most treasured beauty spots -- spots that are the basis for a large part of our civic pride.
True, it was her son, Hon. T. B. McQuesten, who played a leading part in bringing whose places of beauty into being. But Mr. McQuesten himself has told of the large part his mother played in molding his tastes, his standards and his plan of life. Not the least of her contributions to him was to give him love for beauty that was large enough to spread out and influence the appearance of a great city.
Mrs. McQuesten was well-loved within her immediate circle of friend. She loved flowers. About her she gathered possessions that were rich in charm and character.
And so even those who did not know her very well have reason for regret at her passing. Large areas of Hamilton are, in the last analysis, a reflection of her love for beauty.


Behavioural Based Safety (BBS) is a process that creates a safety partnership between management and employees. It continually focuses people's attentions and actions on theirs, and others, daily safety behavior. In a safety management system based upon the hierarchy of hazard control, BBS may be applied to internalise hazard avoidance strategies or administrative controls (including use of PPE), but should not be used in preference to the implementation of reasonably practicable safety measures further up the hierarchy.
A behavior-based safety approach promotes interventions that are people-focused and often incorporate one-to-one or group observations of employees performing routine work tasks, setting goals carefully and giving timely feedback on safety-related behavior, coaching and mentoring. The initiatives have a proactive focus, encouraging individuals and their work groups to consider the potential for incidents/accidents involvement and to assess their own behavior as safe or unsafe always, no matter what.
To be successful a BBS programmes must include all employees, from the CEO to the front-line workers including contractors and sub-contractors.
Month 1. Equipping the design team.
Month 2. Developing the checklists for targeted behaviors. Approving goals and KPI.
Month 3. Finalising checklists. Designing the electronic database.
Month 4. Training of employees, launching the programmes across the client organisation.
Month 5. Making use of data.
Month 6. Setting the improvement goals. Preparing for standardising the programmes for all client's locations.
Reduced number of unsafe acts, and developed customised methodology of implementation of the BBS programmes.
The programmes ready to be implemented in other clients' locations.
The ultimate goal of the safety initiative is the development of a culture of safety.


text:
Patricia L. "Pat" (Leach) Stewart
November 24, 1930 ~ July 6, 2019 (age 88)
Patricia L. "Pat" Stewart, 88, of Hartford, entered into eternal rest on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at Signature Healthcare of Hartford. She was born on November 24, 1930 in Beaver Dam to the late Wayne and Mattie Porter Leach. Patricia was a member of Beaver Dam Baptist Church, a former member of the Hartford Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and she retired from General Electric.
Aside from her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, David Roland Stewart; one son, Richard Lynn Stewart; one son in law, Millard Taylor; a great-granddaughter, Anna Claire Taylor and seven siblings, Lois Dadismon, Wendell Leach, Ruby Hockensmith, Glenn Leach, Betty Richeson, Rae Mangin and Bobby Leach.
She leaves behind to cherish her memory, four children, Roland Miles (Cheryl) Stewart of Manchester, MO, Samuel Lance Stewart of Beaver Dam, Debbie (Steve) Everly of Centertown and Lee Annette Taylor of Beaver Dam; one daughter-in-law, Sharon Stewart of Henderson; one sister-in-law, Lillian Stewart of Louisville; fifteen grandchildren, Ann (Michael) Hoskins, Jarrod (Maria) Everly, Lauren R. Taylor, Nathan (Sarai) Taylor, Emily (Brian) Whinham, Sean (Kim) Stewart, Joshua (Jennifer) Stewart, Alicia (Les) Pesterfield, Sharilyn (Alan) Willingham, Kathryn Stewart, April Stewart, Wayne (Tina) Stewart, Jessica Chilton, Chennile (Jon) Johnson and Mason Minor and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at William L. Danks Funeral Home in Beaver Dam with Bro. Mike Adkins officiating. Burial will follow in Beaver Dam Baptist Church Cemetery. Friends may visit with Mrs. Stewart's family from 10 A.M. until the time of the service Wednesday at the funeral home.
Online messages of condolence may be left for the family of Patricia L. "Pat" Stewart by visiting her memorial tribute at www.danksfuneralhome.com.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net


December 21 in News by admin .
The purpose of the CAO is to process all applications to undergraduate courses (Higher Certificate, Ordinary Degree and Honours Degree) in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Republic of Ireland.
December 8 in News by admin .


The Tigers will open the exhibition schedule on Thursday, February 23 as the club plays host to Florida Southern College in the annual matchup against the Moccasins. The Tigers open the home portion of the Grapefruit League schedule against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, February 24.
The home schedule is highlighted by visits from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, March 10 and Sunday, March 26, as well as the New York Yankees on March 4 and March 17, the New York Mets on March 12 and 20, and a visit by the National League East Division Champion Washington Nationals on Wednesday, March 1.
Still to come: the date tickets go on sale, as well as reporting dates.


This indicator tracks the number of beverage containers sold in the NWT and the percentage returned for reuse and recycling.
The Beverage Container Program awareness logo.
The NWT's Beverage Container Program (BCP) was implemented in November 2005, and includes ready-to-serve beverage containers made of glass, plastics, aluminum, metals, waxed cardboard,and mixed materials that can be recycled or reused. The program includes containers from juice, pop, bottled water, energy drinks, beer, wine, liquor and other alcoholic beverages. In 2010, liquid milk and milk substitute products were added to the program.
Bails of densified aluminum for shipment to recycling markets.
The Waste Reduction and Recovery Act (Act) (2003) made it possible for the GNWT to set up programs to reduce waste and to recover, reuse or recycle various materials in the NWT. The BCP was the first program implemented under the Act.
Every year, around 30 million ready-to-serve beverage containers are sold in the NWT. Under the BCP, a refundable deposit and a non-refundable handling fee are added to the price of each ready-to-serve beverage container distributed or sold in the NWT. The consumer can get the refundable deposit back by taking the empty beverage container to the nearest depot. The depot sorts the beverage containers and ships them to a designated regional processing centre. The processing centres consolidate the beverage containers and sells them to recycling markets.
Bags of non-refillable glass prior to shipment to Airdrie, Alberta for processing into fibreglass insulation.
In the 2013-14 fiscal year, approximately 91% of the 30 million beverage containers distributed in the NWT were returned for recycling. These efforts have diverted 1,365 tonnes of materials from NWT landfills. The greenhouse gases avoided by recycling these materials are estimated to be about 2,696 tonnes of carbon dioxide savings, or the equivalent of taking 568 cars off the road1.
A comprehensive review of the Beverage Container Program was conducted in 2011 as part of a long-term plan to improve existing Waste Reduction and Recovery Programs and Initiatives. The review looked at various aspects of the program including collection networks, container processing, quality control and quality assurance processes, container reuse and recycling, revenue streams, expenditures, container categories, and operating policies.
The review offered recommendations to improve program accountability, efficiency, self-sustainability and economic viability for depots and processing centres in the long-term while being affordable for the public. The complete report and a summary of the report (including ENR's response to each of the consultant's recommendations) are available online at www.icarenwt.ca.
Program staff continue to implement these recommendations to improve program delivery. Some changes include the introduction of Management Information System and new Quality Assurance procedures in 2015 that will provide improved reporting and reconciliation of containers collected and paid for within the program. The new Management Information System includes the establishment of a Quality Assurance Centre in Hay River, and installation of automated counting equipment.
For more information on Recycling in the NWT, go to http://icarenwt.ca.
For more information on the NWT's Beverage Container Program, including financial statements, annual reports, and consultant's report on the BCP review, please visit our website.
Ref. 1. Government of the Northwest Territories. 2015. Waste Reduction and Recovery Program 2013-2014 Annual Report. Yellowknife, NT.


text:
Home Entertainment News Hollywood News Jeffree Star reacts to rumours of an affair with Kanye West in a unique style; Read on
American make-up artist and entrepreneur Jeffree Star, in response to the rumors of her allegedly being romantically involved with rapper Kanye West, released a picture of himself, through which he said that the beauty mogul is ready for "Sunday Service". As many must have understood by now, his tweet references the rapper's well-known Christian gathering. In the image that can be found below, one can see that the the YouTuber, Singer and make-up aficionado is sporting multi-colored hair and a pink bathrobe. The tweet can also be found on Jeffree Star's Twitter.
Also Read: Jeffree Star Paid $45k Hush Money Over Sexual Assault Case, States New Leaked Document
I'm ready for Sunday Service 🕊 pic.twitter.com/6kCA4kNrfu
— Jeffree Star's Twitter (@JeffreeStar) January 6, 2021
How did rumors regarding Jeffree Star and Kanye West start?
Also Read: Jeffree Star Slams Those Who Accused His Beau Of Financially Benefitting From Dating Him
As per a report on BusinessInsider, Ava Louise, who is an online influencer best known for her song "Skinny Legend Anthem", started a rumor that Kanye West is being unfaithful to his wife, Kim Kardasian West by having a romantic involvement with Star on TikTok. While starting a conversation around the same, the 22-year-old viral sensation referenced an article on Page Six that spoke about Kim and Kanye having marital problems.
In addition, as per the report on BusinessIndiser, Ava Louise said that the news piece didn't exactly come to her as a surprise as she had known about Kanye's involvement with a beauty guru, that she hasn't named explicitly until now, for months. When Ava Louise was approached by a publication known as Insider in connection to the Jeffree Star and Kanye West matter, she, as per BusinessInsider, was quoted saying that she has no tangible evidence to present. However, she still stood her ground by saying that her news is genuine as a friend of hers, who she claims is an Entertainment Lawyer based out of Los Angeles, was presented with evidence of the affair by none other than Kim Kardasian herself.
Also Read: Jeffree Star New Boyfriend Allegedly Stole Luxury Goods From His House; Read Here
One of the many things that Ava Louise is known for is a video in which she was seen licking the toilet of an airplane as a part of the famous coronavirus challenge. The episode happened in the middle of the month of March 2020. The 22-year-old was subsequently criticised for her actions that promoted a fearless attitude towards a potentially lethal pathogen.
Also Read: Jeffree Star Accused Of Cultural Appropriation For Wearing His Hair In Cornrows
Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.


text:
NETGEAR Expands Smart Business Solutions for Midsize Enterprise Customers
Solutions include Free Next Business Day On-Site Replacement Support in the U.S. and Availability of New 10GE Managed Switch
SAN JOSE, Calif. – February 09, 2011 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the enhancement of its business product portfolio with two new offerings that reinforce NETGEAR's commitment to providing smart IT solutions for midsize enterprise customers. The first NETGEAR new offering, ProSupport next business day on-site replacement service, is now included free with a purchase of a mid-enterprise product in the U.S. Additionally, NETGEAR is announcing the availability of the ProSafe® 24-port 10 GE Managed L2+ Switch (XSM7224S), a 10 Gbps switch that enables businesses to accelerate their data centers to enterprise-class speed, with far less cost and complexity than traditional enterprise vendors.
NETGEAR ProSupport next business day on-site replacement service now dispatches a networking professional to a customer site on the next business day after receiving a service call to have defective hardware replaced. Channel partners may now easily leverage NETGEAR's global support network and expertise to provide upgraded service to their customers without having to pay a high cost.
NETGEAR managed switches are designed for businesses who require enterprise-class performance at a traditional midmarket price. The XSM family can be used as a top of server rack switch, giving a significant improvement in application performance and server response, or as a high performance core switch with layer 3 and 4 capabilities for mid-sized enterprises. NETGEAR's included ProSafe® Network Management System (NMS200) gives customers a single, simple interface to discover, configure, monitor and manage all NETGEAR Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches.
Gartner analyst Jim Browning commented, "The biggest challenge midsize businesses have always faced is that they need to deliver IT services with a small staff and limited IT budgets that never grow in proportion to the demands of the business. Post recession, there is a new economic discipline when evaluating IT solutions in the midmarket. While there is no question about whether IT drives value to midsize businesses, there is a question about whether the costs associated with the benefits are reasonable. Midsize businesses are now demanding IT solutions that are designed with resource constraints in mind, have flexible sourcing and deployment options, and are easy and affordable to support post-sale."
"My company relies on me to balance the delivery of high quality IT services and cost control to our customers. The combination of the new switch and free on-site replacement service gives my customers superior uptime without a price penalty, putting NETGEAR at the top of my list of midmarket business vendors," said Michelle Dunn, the VP of Sales at GHA Technologies Inc.
"Customers are demanding Smart IT as a result of an increased focus on costs in the global economic recovery," said Shane Buckley, SVP and GM of NETGEAR's Business Products. "Today's announcements further illustrate NETGEAR's commitment to delivering reliable, affordable, and simple solutions for midmarket business customers."
The ProSupport on-site replacement plan is included at no extra charge with all ProSafe® managed switches, ProSafe wireless controllers and selected rackmount ReadyNAS® network storage products. This next business day on-site replacement service plan, included as standard during the first three years of the warranty period, is available in major metropolitan areas across the United States, Canada and Europe.
The ProSafe 24-port 10 GE Managed L2+ Switch (XSM7224S) has a list price of $12,090 and a Layer 3 license upgrade (XSM7224L) will also be available for an additional $2,900 in March 2011.
For more information about ProSupport, including location details, please visit: http://onsite.netgear.com For more information about ProSafe Managed Switches, please visit:http://www.netgear.com/products/business/switches/fully-managed-switches/
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of Big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in over 28,000 retail locations around the globe, and through more than 37,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. More information is available athttp://www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR at http://twitter.com/NETGEAR andhttp://www.facebook.com/NETGEAR.
©2011 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, ProSafe and ReadyNAS are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning NETGEAR's business and the expected performance characteristics, specifications, reliability, market acceptance, market growth, specific uses, user feedback and market position of NETGEAR's products and technology are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR's products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of customers; product performance may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; failure of products may under certain circumstances cause permanent loss of end user data; new viruses or Internet threats may develop that challenge the effectiveness of security features in NETGEAR's products; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors," pages 37 through 53, in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal third quarter ended October 3, 2010, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 10, 2010. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.


It has been a while since I updated my blog-forgive me!
The month of June has been a crazy month for me. I was SO busy at work. I found myself working on/coordinating a TON of projects, many of which I had no idea what to do! It's one thing to be busy, but when you have no idea what to do…it's quite another.
But we're in July so obviously I made it through relatively unscathed.


text:
Antone's Brings Classic East Coast Subs to Mill Valley
Evan Antone is getting into the family business.
With his mom Alicia as his partner, the 27-year-old Tam High grad has opened Antone's East Coast Sub Shop at 558 Miller Ave., in the space right near Tam High formerly occupied by Trophy Masters and before that the renowned Mr. Fix It, which closed in 2008 after 44 years in business.
"It's a dream come true," Evan Antone says. "It was a perfect opportunity."
Antone's puts Evan in the same business as his uncles – Justin and Tyler Catalana, the owners of the Mill Valley Beerworks restaurant as well as Fort Point Brewing in San Francisco. The brothers are siblings of Alicia Antone, who moved to Mill Valley from Cape Cod, Mass., with her husband Derek and their children in 1994, three years after her parents did the same.
"We're very proud of him," Alicia says of her son.
The Antones are drawing on their Cape Cod roots for their subs – short for submarine sandwich and also known as a hoagie, hero or grinder, depending on where you're from. Go here for their menu.
"We just really missed true East Coast subs," Alicia Antone says, pointing to the D'Angelo sub shops in the New England area as an inspiration. "And we'd always thought the old Mr. Fix It space would be just the ideal sub shop."
In addition to their use of the beloved Bordenave rolls from San Rafael, the Antones say what makes their subs distinct is fresh, shredded vegetables that are thinly sliced, fresh meats and a number of homemade recipes, including Alicia's family recipes for Italian sauce and meatballs.
"You haven't tasted anything like it," Evan Antone says.
The 411: Antone's East Coast Sub Shop at 558 Miller Avenue is open Mon.–Fri., 10am–6pm, and customers can call ahead at (415) 888-3585 to order in advance. Antone's hosting a grand opening party on Saturday, March 19 from 10am–6pm, featuring samples, balloons, face-painting, gift card giveaways, live music from Tam High School students and a ribbon-cutting ceremony from the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce at 12:30pm.


text:
BP profits suffer slight drop
BP has announced a slight drop in profits in the first half of 2007, but the results are not as bad as many observers had anticipated.
Releasing its second quarter results today, BP announced it had made replacement cost profits of $6.087 billion (£2.95 billion) – a drop of one per cent from the $6.118 billion (£2.97 billion) 12 months ago.
The figures, from April to June, are the first to be announced by new BP boss Tony Hayward, who took over the reins from Lord Browne after his resignation in May.
Over the first six months of the year, replacement cost profit was down eight per cent to $10.448 billion (£5.07 billion) compared with $11.383 billion (£5.52 billion) last year.
BP said in a statement today that net income increased to $7.38 billion (£3.58 billion) from $7.27 billion (£3.53 billion), but this was in part a result of the sale of a UK refinery and other oil fields.
"The second quarter gain comprised of disposal gains of $1.025 billion (£500 million) primarily related to the sale of the Coryton refinery, which completed on May 31st 2007, and the sale of the US West Texas pipeline system to Occidental Petroleum Corporation, partially offset by an impairment charge of $258 million (£125 million)," the company said.
Many analysts had anticipated a bigger dent to BP's profits; and shares in the company were buoyed by the figures, up 0.25 per cent on early trading.
But concern remains about falling production levels, with second-quarter figures down five per cent on the four million barrels of oil it produced in the equivalent three-month period last year.


text:
Rob Astorino considered Michael Battle for running mate, but...
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said he's coming to the final stages of picking a running mate for his...
Rob Astorino considered Michael Battle for running mate, but... Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said he's coming to the final stages of picking a running mate for his... Check out this story on lohud.com: http://lohud.us/1qergdF
Jon Campbell, Published 11:21 a.m. ET May 7, 2014
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said he's coming to the final stages of picking a running mate for his gubernatorial bid, but you can cross one name off his list: former U.S. Attorney Michael Battle.
In a radio interview Wednesday, Astorino said he had been considering Battle, who was the lead federal prosecutor in western New York from 2002 through 2005. But Astorino said Battle didn't meet the minimum residency requirement for a lieutenant governor, who must be a resident of the New York for the five years immediately preceding an election.
"With regard to Mike Battle, yes I did consider him," Astorino said on Albany's WGDJ-AM. "I think he would have been an amazing lieutenant governor. He doesn't qualify. He doesn't have the residency required. You have to be a resident for five years, and he was but then he left to go down to Virginia with his work with the Bush Administration and then the private sector."
Battle became the director of the executive office of U.S. Attorneys in 2005, and later became a partner in a Washington D.C. law firm, according to his official biography.
The Buffalo News, citing anonymous sources, said Battle had "decided to remain in the private sector."
Astorino said a decision on his running mate would come within days. The state Republican Party's nominating convention begins a week from today.
"We have some good qualified candidates," Astorino said. "I have to make a decision by the end of this week."
Another potential candidate who won't be Astorino's running mate? Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, a Clarence Republican who took her name out of the running months ago.
Read or Share this story: http://lohud.us/1qergdF


In a front page report of Business Day (February 27 2001), Wyndham Hartley reports on the representations made by ministers Alec Erwin, Mosiuoa Lekota and Trevor Manuel to the public accounts committee.
In these representations they assert that there was "no way" that government could take responsibility for subcontractors since, to do so it would then not be able to hold primary contractors liable for the quality of products that they undertook to supply.
These comments reflect the comments made in the background note to the press statement issued by the three ministers on January 12 2001.
"To insist that government must be held to account for minor subcontracts is to misunderstand procurement. The prime contractors are major international corporations and we are confident that they would ensure the quality of the subcontractors and this is their responsibility"
This statement, together with the statements of January 26 indicate that, whatever the state of understanding of procurement matters by the public accounts committee, the understanding of the ministers is somewhat confused.
What they do is to fail to differentiate the selection of subcontractors with the liability for their performance.
The ministers seem to believe that the two inevitably and invariably go hand in hand that if the government gets involved in the selection of subcontractors it will unavoidably and automatically lose the advantages that come from single point responsibility.
This view of procurement is not only incorrect in law, but also contradicts how many organisations, both public sector and private sector contract on a regular basis.
In the industry in which subcontractors are most commonly used, the construction industry, it is standard for construction contracts to specify a procedure whereby the client nominates or selects subcontractors without taking liability for his performance.
The prime contractor simply agrees that he will appoint subcontractors chosen by the employer, but will remain liable for his performance. If this approach seems too interventionist for the three ministers then why not take the approach taken by the public works department?
This department specifies, in its tender specifications, qualities which the subcontractor is to possess. Prime contractors are instructed to tender that their subcontractors will have to satisfy certain requirements.
Thus pressure is put on the prime contractor in his selection of subcontractors but nowhere does the department relieve him of liability for defective performance by the subcontractor.
The ministers would no doubt argue that principles which apply to construction contracts cannot be applied here, that the prime contractors were international corporations rather than small companies and similar arguments.
But the legal principles remain the same: involvement in the selection process does not necessarily imply that the primary contractor has been absolved of liability. Proper contract documentation, such as that used by the public works department can ensure that government retains the capacity to have a say in the selection of subcontractors without relieving the prime contractor of liability.
The dangerous area, where government may find that it does accept responsibility for subcontracts is where it issues instructions or discusses specifications directly with subcontractors yet this is what minister Erwin seems to have acknowledged that officials did do.
Wary of assuming liability for delivery by subcontractors, government refuses to take part in their selection and then, seemingly no longer wary, government discusses compliance with specifications directly with them. There has indeed been a misunderstanding of the nature of procurement.
The constitution requires in s217(1) that procurement by organs of state must be, among other things, transparent.
It is hard to see how the transparency requirement can be complied with when government refuses to look beyond the prime contractor in determining how contracts are to be awarded.
A final, worrying aspect of the minister's statement is the implicit suggestion that adjudicators did not satisfy themselves as to the identities of intended subcontractors before awarding the contract.
If public works is able to enquire into subcontractors on an ongoing basis, why was this not done on a bid as controversial, contested and sensitive as the massive arms bid?
Fenster is an independent legal researcher.
With acknowledgements to Giovanna Fenster and the Business Day.