| on keeping a notebook (heat-moon) |
[Dec. 25th, 2018|04:56 pm] |
"Remember what you have seen, because everything forgotten returns to the circling winds."
Navajo Wind Chant/quoted by Wm. Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways, at the end. |
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| fliegen! |
[Mar. 31st, 2012|09:28 pm] |
![[First start of the season]](http://i.imgur.com/R2jk3l.jpg)
Let's try all the weather!: rain, hail, and even some snow, all interspersed with some warm sun and blue sky and very "sportlich" wind. I logged my first 0.2 hours in a glider today, and I admit it was a bit terrifying. But also awesome. |
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| Brocken |
[Feb. 8th, 2012|12:33 am] |
Inspired by the sudden onset of winter, this weekend Kate, Christian, and I made the requisite pilgrimage to the highest point in northern Germany, the Brocken. Northern Germany is pretty flat; the highest point is just over 1000 meters high.
The forecast had promised heavy fog and 60 km/hr winds on top of a temperature of -17 degrees C, but instead we were greeted by sunny and calm conditions and a parade of happy excursionists.
To get to the Brocken, we took a regional train from Hannover to Bad Harzberg, and then bus number 280 to Torfhaus. From there it's a five mile walk up to the top, through some beautiful, wintery forest. We took an alternate route down the mountain, ending up in the village of Ilsenburg.
Here are a few more pictures on flickr, or facebook if you prefer.
Some outdoors stores in Hannover:
* Bluesky
* Sachen für Unterwegs
* Camping Schrader
* InterSport |
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| Florida springs |
[Oct. 10th, 2011|08:38 pm] |
Northern Florida has some amazing swimming holes: it is riddled with beautiful springs such as this one. (Yes, there are alligators.) |
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| couchsurfers |
[Oct. 7th, 2011|02:47 pm] |
We hosted a great trio of French couchsurfers a few weeks ago; they are on a 5-month trip from Boston to Santiago, Chile. They have a very endearing blog at http://transamerica.claireetmichel.com/?lang=en which I think you might enjoy--it's always amusing to see what a foreign visitor finds remarkable about what is locally mundane, such as parents picking up their kids from school:Speaking of schools, We have just witnessed an after school, at 15h, I described the scene : a policeman manages traffic on the main road, a very long line of big cars, as in a drive-in, and 3 other adults along the grid of the school, one with a walkie-talkie to ask parents the name of the child they are seeking, and retransmits the instit the other side of the grid by its talkie, that these, manage the output to drop consideration of the children sitting quietly waiting ..... quite surreal ... and it looked like a normal school, and normally ... |
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| Opening of the Moganza floodway |
[May. 17th, 2011|12:28 am] |
On Saturday I got to attend the opening of the Morganza spillway. The road was closed a few miles from the spillway, but my friend Tegan simply flashed her PRESS badge and we were immediately ushered through the roadblock. (Alas, the other car in our party was turned away.)
The Army Corps of Engineers gave a press conference at 2:30pm just below (and to the side of) the control structure. Here you can see the media circus, with a depth marker placed ominously in the foreground:
The Army Corps of Engineers official gave a speech and then addressed questions from the reporters.
I was surprised how quickly the floodway below the control structure began to fill. The area where the press conference was held began to be submerged less than 15 minutes after the single spillway gate was opened:
I hope to get a followup photo when this is all completely under water.
Here is the water cascading through that one open spillway gate:
Now there are 15 gates open.
And here's a video taken from the road deck of the control structure, looking down at the water spewing through it. Look at all the fish!
Here are two local blog entries about the flooding: |
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nibot's journal
