Get Well Tony!

A few months ago I wrote an iPhone app for Tony Kahn, creator of the Morning Stories series on WGBH.

Today I was dismayed to learn Tony has been diagnosed with cancer. The good news is it appears to be treatable. He has begun writing about his experience of undergoing chemo therapy. It's a very worthwhile read to learn about his perspective on the treatment. You can find his chronicles on his web site here.

Random Eye Dull Photo - White Cedar Swamp

I took this picture a couple weeks ago in a different section of the Douglas State Forest. At the time I went on a rather long bike trek through the woods with a friend. We were out there riding the trails for about 4 hours and part of the trek involved carrying our bikes for a mile or so through brush when the trail we were on ended. Rather than turn back, we decided to push on through the undergrowth since we knew there was a trail further ahead.

The spot shown in this picture is a boardwalk that goes through a white cedar swamp. I think it might be some sort of bird sanctuary as there is a large wooden blind you can hang out in for watching for birds. There are also some numbered plaques along the path, but I didn't see any map or brochure that mentioned what the numbers represented.

Caw! Caw!

Well, I found the crows I mentioned earlier. Too bad my hand is a bit unsteady. This would have been a nice picture had it been in focus.

Random Eye Dull Photo - Wooden steps

I liked how this cut stump, when viewed up close, looked a bit like a set of stairs...



The actual stump wasn't as impressive when viewed from a distance.

Found some green

While bush-whacking through the woods, I did find some green - lots of fresh moss along the banks of a spring.

Peace and quiet

Mmmmm... Lorna Doone cookies and a frappuccino drink while tramping
through the forest...

Soon this will all be green instead of gray and brown.

It's surprisingly quiet... just the occasional crow squawk off in the
distance. I was hoping to get some bird pix with my telephoto lens,
but no luck so far.

Boundary condition

The trail now looks familiar. I reached the boundary of the cutting.

Lost in the not woods

I used to frequently take a short hike in this section of the Douglas
State Forest. Now I don't even know where the original trail is.
The area has been recently harvested for timber. I'm hiking the
logging road to see if anything with look familiar. So far it all
seems so foreign...

Rogue flower

A couple years ago I left a potted plant with my parents for a few
weeks. It was a grape fruit tree and since the weather was warm I
left it outside on their deck.

Several months later, with the tree back indoors at my condo, I
noticed a new plant sprouting. I figured it was most likely a seed
from a weed that landed while the pot was outdoors. But I decided to
let it grow to see what it was.

To my surprise, it was some sort of flowering plant. I assume my mom
must have the same plants on her deck.

The flowering plant continues to share the pot with my grape fruit
tree. This past week it started flowering again. It must be spring...

Board Games in the news

Here's an interesting article from Wired Magazine about the increasing popularity in "German-style" board games:

http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/17-04/mf_settlers

The article mainly focuses on one game in particular - Settlers of Catan - but still it's nice to see this style of game getting more press.