End of the Year Post 2 - Birding, Daytrips, and anything else

In case you wonder why I write these reviews, it allows me to look back on my year. It is not to brag. I really appreciate you reading this, but I know most of you are not going to try to see 180 species of birds. If you are a freshwater fisherman, you are not going to be impressed by how many blues I caught.

 I enjoy my life. I am single. My son is grown up and for now he has moved away. This gives me all kinds of time after work to play. When he was young I coached little league and the summer traveling team. We did as much as we could but baseball took up a lot of our time. Now that I live alone and get out of work pretty early, I usually have plans to be outdoors most evenings.

 I get bored very easily when I'm not doing something. I don't watch much television and I don't enjoy sitting around "relaxing". So I fish, hike and go birding. These are things I really love to do. Writing these posts really lets me relive memories. I usually keep any personal problems out of my blog. Unless a problem hinders my chances to go outside (such as an injury) I don't write about it. Why? because that way my blog is a source of enjoyment for me. I don't want to read about money getting stolen out of my car or when I need to get my car fixed. Besides being boring, it is depressing.

Keith Lockhart, The Boston Pops, and the Fat Man in the Red Suit

Daytrips

I went on 68 daytrips this year. I don't have a set rule on what constitutes a daytrip. Usually it has to last more than a few hours. However that rule can be changed if the "daytrip" is expensive such as a concert or a play. If it is something I look forward to, it basically counts. Each of my trips to New Hampshire count as one even though I was up there 2 1/2 days each time.

I broke it down. The numbers do not add up exactly to 68. Sometimes I did more than one thing. An example would be I went birding all day Feb 26. That night I saw Garth Brooks with my brother, Also, if I count fishing as a daytrip, it is an all day event. Fishing after work does not count as a daytrip.  The one trip I try to do a couple times a summer I never made it to was Prudence Island. I just never found the time.

Birding                                  20
Oudoor fishing shows           2
Fishing                                  14
Concerts                                 3
Sporting Events/Fireworks    5
Guided Walks                         2
Overnights (including NH)     9  (added together these 9 trips are all or part of 26 days)
Local Hikes                            5
Plays                                       5
Aquarium/MFA                      2
Christmas Themed (not plays) 3
Skiing                                        1

It is amazing rereading. The early part of the year was dominated by all day birding. As the weather got warmer, those trips were replaced by overnights to NH followed by all day fishing trips.

Birding  (and animal species)-

Marbled Godwit and Willet

As I mentioned I destroyed my old record of species I've seen. I saw 182 species of birds. My old record was 144. The 182 species are only birds in New England. I didn't count the other 17 species from South Dakota. The reason being, I don't live there so I can't add them to next years list.

If I would have put in more effort later in the year, I possibly could have hit 200. I chose to stop chasing rare birds for the most part. It was putting too many miles on my car. The easiest bird that I missed was a Carolina Wren.

I saw 161 species in Rhode Island. I broke my previous record in RI alone. There is a website that many local birders keep track of there tally on. There's roughly 25 people that sign up. I came in thirteenth place. I was in that position basically from Jan 1 when everyone was out counting new birds for the year. The guy in front of me saw 30 more species than me, so I wasn't going to move up the ladder. I could have seen another ten or so species very easily if the three pelagic (offshore) trips I signed up for didn't get cancelled. I was really looking forward to those trips.

As I said above, I saw 161 species in RI. There were a total of 302 seen. The leader saw 285 of those species!!! There were eleven people that saw over 200 species in RI alone. I still have a long way to go. The best bird I saw all year was a Yellow Billed Loon in March at Race Point. I met people from as far away as Toronto and New YorkCity who were looking for it.

Other Animals

I saw eight species of combined reptiles and amphibains not including my South Dakota rattler. I saw fifteen species of mammals in New England and another nine in South Dakota. I caught fifteen species of fish. I usually get between 25-30 species.  This year I only caught fifteen because I spent so much time chasing stripers and less time trying to catch weird fish like golden shiner, common shiner, and green sunfish.

Random thoughts about the year

-Obviously my early summer was about my South Dakota vacation. I saw so many wild animals. I won't relive it here because I broke it down in so many posts in July, but it was awesome.

-I have two "bucket lists". One is what I try to get done in a year such as hike a certain number of mountains, or write a fishing article. The other is my life list. These are big things I really want to do, but couldn't possibly do in the same year. I knocked four of them off the list this year

1. See a rattlesnake
2. Listen to coyotes howl from a campsite (not a campground)
3. See the northern lights
4. Go to the Boston Pops

The northern lights were around one night last winter. DJ woke me up to see them. They didn't dance around the sky but the sky was streaked with pinks and blues.

-I made it a point to do a bunch of Christmas themed things this year. I hate the short days of December and there hasn't been many stripers around the last few winters. Making plans to see plays, church bazaars, and the Boston Pops always gave me something to look forward to. This was a great December despite my son moving to the Grand Canyon.

- I went to five plays this year and saw fireworks four times.
I assume this trend will continue. I really enjoy seeing plays. It doesn't matter if it is a small community theater or a big showing of A Christmas Carol. I usually get lost in it.

- I am quite sure next year when I write this, skiing will have its own paragraph. I can't wait to go again.

-By far the celebrity death that bothered me the most was Eagles singer Glenn Frey. The Eagles songs mean a lot to me. I played Peaceful Easy Feeling many times when we drove through the desert many years ago.  Everyone talks about Prince, but I'll Take it Easy anyday!

-

End of the Year Review- Fishing and New Hampshire

I enjoy writing this post. I usually start it around Christmas because I look back, add things up and enjoy the memories. Most years seem to have a theme. As I've mentioned before, I spent almost every waking day surfcasting one year. Another year, DJ and I went camping almost every weekend. The year I got into birding, you can imagine how I devoured information and enjoyed seeing birds I never knew existed.

I tried very hard not to waste my days off from work. More often than not I did a daytrip or camping trip two days a week. That stalled a bit when we seemed to get nice weather five days a week in late fall, but on my days off waves at the ocean were coming in at ten feet and dirty.

Normally I break down my year in three parts
1. Fishing Report card, I'm adding my New Hampshire summary to this
2. How I did on my goals
3. Everything else combined
Fishing

Usually I separate the fish by species. I usually give a quick write up about carp, trout, and stripers followed by a letter grade. I can not do that this year. I spent so much time chasing stripers, I neglected carp and trout. I only fished for a carp a couple of times.I know of some terrific catches this year. Some huge carp were caught. However, it seems they are smartening up to fishermen because they seem to be getting harder to catch. As for me, I did not fish enough for them to know.

As for trout, the same is true. I only went trout fishing three or four times. I did fairly well catching four golden trout the first weekend in May. I fished the fly pond a few times from my kayak. My best day was eleven while fishing in Plymouth early in the year. Normally I have at least one or two twenty fish days, but you can't catch them if you don't try.

Saltwater Fishing

The reason I barely fished for carp and trout was because of the incredible saltwater fishing all year.

 Of course the season started around mid-April. I don't like taking the trip to the West Wall, but I did make it a couple times. I found success the few times I went. I was very happy when those early season fish made there way into the bay and I didn't have to take the long trip to South Kingston. The fishing remained strong all spring. 
After I got back from vacation at the end of June, I was striper fishing just about every evening. For a  time, we never knew what would show up each night. One night it could be keepers stripers. Another it could be harbor blues in the 1-3 pound range. Some nights all we could get would be sea robins and a fluke. Usually, we did have consistent success with schoolies.

Fall

That went on all summer. It was by far the best summer I have had in terms of numbers. I also caught way more blues than in the last five years combined. When the albies showed up, I left the bay for 'gansett. I only caught albies during a one week period. My best day was eleven. That same afternoon a big noreaster came in that lasted a few days. It shut down the fishing for a week and I never got another albie.
Later in the fall, every chance I got, I went to the ocean. I know it is becoming a broken record, but there were so many fish. Every day I went I found them. I may have to check out a couple spots, but there was a school somewhere.In the late fall, Charleston was hot. We caught so many fish my thumb bled, and we had to start wearing gloves.

Lastly- this fall saw the biggest blues I have ever seen in my life. For a couple weeks true monsters were cruising the Narragansett shoreline. I had one day that I caught twenty blues over 10 pounds. Most of those were over fifteen and a couple approached twenty pounds!! To put that into perspective, I had only caught four bluefish over ten pounds in my life until this year.

So all in all, fishing in the salt (surf, tidal rivers, bays, salt ponds ) was terrific. I am going to rate it an A. I can not give it an A+ because I only caught a few keepers. They were in short abundance from shore for me. I guess that is a trade off when the fishing was so great. Still, a few more big ones would have been good

Grade A

New Hampshire

Laurie on the open ledges of Garfield

I went to New Hampshire a  lot this year. There were many reasons for this. I wasn't driving my Santa Fe with 300,000 miles on it anymore and felt this car is more reliable. I really want to finish the 4000 foot mountains next year. Lastly, I just got addicted to going. I wanted to go back before I got home from each trip.

I climbed nine mountains over 4000 feet. Eight of them were new since I had climbed Garfield before. The eight new ones are Owls Head, Carters (2), Carter Dome, Kinsmans (2), Isolation, Waumbeck. By far my least favorite was Owls Head. The trip to Owls Head is eighteen miles. It was a long day. My favorite was Isolation. Although a 14 mile round trip, I liked the backside view of the southern Presidentials.

I climbed eight smaller peaks many of them were old favorites because I enjoy them so much (Welch Dickey, Sugarlaof and Crawford. New memories were Avalon, Pemigewasett, Hedgehog, Star King, and Cardigan. By far my favorite of the first timers was Cardigan. That mountain is awesome. The trail is short. The view is incredible, and the summit is bare granite. I love this little mountain.

Amber on Mt. Crawford

I got to enjoy the beauty of eleven mountain lakes. Kinsman, Lonesome Lake, the Carter Lakes (2), Greely Ponds (2), Ammonoosuc Lake, Cherry Ponds (2), Peaked Hill, and one other. The Carter Lakes were beautiful. They had cliffs as a backdrop. I would like to have spent more time but I was at the end of an exhausting day and had four miles to go.

All told I did 119 miles hiking. My biggest two day total was 31 miles (Carters and Carter Dome on day 1, and Owls Head on day 2). When I went alone I did big mountains. When I went with Laurie we did smaller mountains and mountain lakes. Average mileage with her was about  ten miles in two days. Average weekends alone were twenty four. I pushed hard alone. With Laurie I enjoyed the smaller mountain peaks sometimes spending hours loafing on top.

I only saw one moose in seven weekends. I had grey jays eat out of my hand on three straight trips. I also saw a north woods specialty the Black Backed Woodpecker.

Just writing all this makes me want to go back. I can't wait to get back on top of a mountain!

A hike worthy of Christmas

The last two years the temperature on Christmas was about seventy degrees. I have to admit, that was one tradition I hoped would continue. Every year for the last half decade, I have had some free time in the late morning and early afternoon to do something outdoors. Laurie would sleep over and when we woke up, DJ, Laurie and myself would open presents. DJ would then go to his mom's house, Laurie would go home for a few hours. We would meet back at my house around 4 pm for a Christmas dinner. A few years ago I caught brown trout at Lincoln Woods. The last couple of years I've gone on hikes.

Although the temperature this Christmas was hovering between 43-46 degrees and not the T-shirt weather of past Christmas mornings, it was still pleasant enough for a walk in the woods. I went for a walk at a place I've had in my back pocket for months. The area is called Long and Ell Ponds Natural Area. The place is a few minutes from Exit 2 on I-95. For me it was a solid hour drive.

I first heard about this area from a website called "only in your state". The website describes cool places to go in the states. What intrigued me was a picture of a ladder going over a steep pitch. I've never been anywhere in Rhode Island that I could say was honest to goodness hiking, so I was hoping this place would be worthy. I know the highest point in the Ocean State is only around 750 feet, so I wasn't expecting any mountaintop views, but I was hoping for rough terrain. I saved this hike for Christmas as a gift to myself. The worst case scenario was I'd go for a walk at a place I'd never been. That was good enough for me, but oh, if it lived up to expectations, then Merry Christmas to me!

I am happy to say I was not disappointed. Almost immediately still within sight of the small parking area the trail gets rough. There are many boulders, glacial erratics, and ups and downs to make the first mile a real challenge. Very quickly you come to ladder up a steep pitch. To make things more challenging today, many places were icy including bald rock faces.

One thing that caught me off guard besides the ice and steepness was how green the place was. Almost the entire trail was covered in rhododendron. Apparently they do not turn colors and die in the fall. It was refreshing to see so much green this time of year. It was especially pretty because of the snow.

The first mile goes over four or so summits. In between each summit you drop down anywhere from 50-100 feet and then climb the next one. I was sweating and breathing kind of heavy. After the first mile which is by far the hardest, the trail flattens out on a ridge. The ridge stays a steady sixty feet above Long Pond for another half mile or so. At the end of the ridge you come to a parking area. I could have turned around here.

I kept going. From the parking area which is about the mid-point of the trail, I continued on to Ashville Pond. This part of the trail is much flatter. It is almost smooth and the ups and downs are very gradual. I went as far as a view of Ashville Pond and turned around. I had to be back at my car for 3 pm to be home on time.

The hike back to the middle parking area was easy. As soon as I got there I climbed back up the ridge following Long Pond's shoreline. Then I had to go back up and over the summits again. They are all short verticals but added together, today was hiking and not a nature walk. I made it back to my car with fifteen minutes to spare.

Some of the open ledges reminded me of Welch-Dickey

All in all, this was the most challenging (read; fun) hike I've done in Rhode Island. It wasn't the longest as I probably went four miles. I could have extended this to five if I wanted to do some road walking.  There were good views of the ponds.This place probably would be dangerous if there was snow on the ground. The open slabs could get icy very quickly. I don't think I would snowshoe there, in places it is too steep.

 I could have made my way down to the shorelines on side trails but didn't have the time to explore.  I guess it gives me an excuse to go back

Pictures below

A glacial erratic with bright green ferns growing
on it

Looking down a steep pitch

I surprised to see a sea of green

Skiing!!!!

It was bound to happen at some point. My kid enjoys skiing. My best friend is a ski instructor. So sooner or later I was going to ski. This fall DJ decided to buy me skis. He got me skis, boots, and poles so I really didn't have a choice. So this week Dave called me up to ask when I wanted to go. We had planned on going Thursday, but the weather was bad in the morning. So we went on Friday.

First off, there is nothing better than going with an instructor. My day was basically a five hour private lesson. We started off without even having skis on our boots.  He went over the position to be in and the movement of feet in the pie position.

 Next I had to climb a few feet up the hill.  Dave had me get in position and slide twenty feet down the hill. We worked our way further up the small hill. After a little while and after a lot of sweat climbing the hill I finally worked my way to the magic carpet. This meant I no longer had to climb the hill and I could let  the carpet take me up. This is the smallest most gradual hill at Wachusett, but for me conquering it did not seem like a possibility at all.

We practiced turning for a long time. It took me forever to learn to turn. Dave kept giving me pointers, but I was not getting it. I was lacking confidence. Every time I'd pick up any speed I'd get nervous and not trust the turn. Dave left to do a couple runs before we stopped for lunch. I kept working on my turns. I fell about one out of three runs. There wasn't much he could do for me, I just needed to practice.

After lunch we went back out. Dave gave me a couple more pointers. I told him to go off and have some fun.  I kept working. We decided to meet back at the lodge forty five minutes later. Soon after Dave went to the lifts "it clicked". I started to keep my center of balance. I started to turn much more easily. I did six runs and didn't fall. I picked up a little speed but controlled it. Of course, this was on the smallest bunny hill. But at least I went from extremely frustrated to gaining a  little confidence. Next time I go, I should be able to use the longer bunny hill. That way I can continue to practice my turns for a longer period of time.

From what Dave tells me, I learned as much as I would have in two normal lessons. He also kept telling me before we went that kids and young adults pick it up way faster than adults. We old people find it much more difficult. My son basically learned to ski on his own. However, there is no way I could have gotten it without a lot of guidance.


Info

If you have never skied before I highly recommend a lesson. I went to Wachusett. I bought a carpet ticket. This is not a lift ticket, it only takes you up the little slopes. The ticket was only $18. I thought it was a great deal. It makes sense for the ski area to keep prices low until you learn to ski and need a lift ticket. That way, you'll get hooked and then "they gotcha". Next time I'll still buy a carpet ticket because I graduated to the bigger carpet, but am no where ready for a lift ticket.

Wachusett rents gear, gives group lessons, and has a place to warm up and buy food. Since my son bought me the gear and I went with an expert skier, I did not get the prices. I'm sure all that info is on Wachusetts website and every other ski area. You can also bring a lunch.

Be careful, skiing is an expensive sport, you might become addicted. Once I could turn a little bit, I couldn't wait to get back to the top and make another twenty second run!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH

Blitzkrieg Birding

Northern Pintail

I was supposed to go skiing for the first time in my life today. Unfortunately the weather in the morning was not good to the north so we pushed the plans until tomorrow. I was going to meet my friend Dave at 10 am. Before that, I planned on dropping off some presents to friends at work. I got the call that the weather was no good as I was just finishing up loading my car with my ski equipment, pies, and and presents.

I decided to drop off the presents anyway. I got done about 9:30 am. I had to be home at 5 because my friend Laurie and I had plans to go see a movie. I haven't been birding in a while. The last time I went, the weather was still warm. In the last month the winter birds have arrived. Along with the usual birds there has been a bunch of rarities discovered.

As soon as I dropped off my last package I jumped on the highway. I knew of at least four rare species that had been sited over the last week. On top of those birds, I am still trying to get a Rhode Island Long Tailed Duck which can be seen at Beavertail (by everyone but me apparently).

My first stop was at Wachocomet Cove. There is a rare goose there called a Greylag. When I got there, a bunch of birders were looking at it. I knew it was a rare bird for RI before I went. I am even sure this bird is the first ever for its species in Rhode Island. I watched it for about a half hour then took off for my next chase.

I did not realize how rare this bird is in the USA until I got home. It might be the third sighting in the whole country based on what I've read tonight. These geese are domesticated, so there is the possibility it is not a wild bird. There are going to be people studying this bird to make a decision. If it is wild, then it is by far the best bird I have ever seen in the USA. I saw people from Maine and Connecticut looking at it today. If it is deemed wild and it sticks around, people will come from all over the country to see it.

Next I went to Third Beach in Middletown. The only fairly common duck I have not seen this year is Northern Pintail. It also happens to be my favorite duck. One has been in the marsh behind the beach for a week. It took me ten minutes to find it, got a picture and headed to Beavertail. I was two for two in a forty five minute period. I was feeling pretty good and was hoping for a great day.

Not so fast- Although there were lots of ducks at Beavertail, I did not find the one I was looking for. I

Snow Buntings

was also hoping for a Black Legged Kittiwake, but no luck there either. By far the highlight of my hour on Jamestown were some Snow Buntings right in the second parking lot at Beavertail. They were close and got some decent pictures.  I also did see some Purple Sandpipers, so it wasn't all bad.

From Jamestown I drove to East Beach to look for some Crossbills. I didn't find them either. However, I did see a few Red Breasted Nuthatches. They were a new bird for me in Rhode Island. So although I didn't see the crossbills, the hour was not wasted.

Lastly I drove back up to Moonstone Beach. Three Trumpeter Swans have been hanging out at Trustom Pond for a couple weeks. I got a quick peek at one, but it was far away. I can count it as a new bird for the year but it certainly wasn't the great look I was hoping for.

As soon as I left the swan I headed home. Laurie beat me to my house, but only by a couple minutes. I don't normally like rushing when I go birding. Normally I take my time enjoying the day. I do my best not to make it a numbers game even though that is what birding is. Today was different, I hadn't gone birding in so long. There is only a few days left to add to my 2016 list.  I wanted to give myself every opportunity to see the rare and new birds. Considering how rare the goose was, I probably should have watched it all day. There are literally thousands of birders in this country that would have loved to have been me, and I stayed a half hour and moved on.

Sand Trail at East Beach

Bears Ears

In the upcoming weeks President Obama has a big decision to make. It is whether or not to declare a national monument in southeastern Utah.  The Bears Ears area is the most historical part of the country not protected. There are over 100,000 archaeological sites in the Bears Ears area of Utah.

This area has been the center of a heated debate for years.  There are strong opinions on both sides. The Bears Ears were named for two buttes that stick up from the surrounding plain. From a distance they look like two Bears Ears. The president is considering making a monument anywhere from 1.4-1.9 million acres.

Obviously environmentalists are for the creation of this monument. I personally would love to know there is a million plus acres just sitting there to explore. Also, for the first time in history many Indian Tribes came together in a coalition to ask the president to make the national monument. For the Native Americans, this area is sacred. It is quite understandable, for there are so many important sites. Protecting their heritage makes far more sense than destoying them with mines, roads, and off road vehicles.

Of course, there is opposition to the monument. The biggest opponent is Utah Senator and douche bag extraordinaire Rob Bishop. He is against any Federal interference in Utah or the west. If he had his way the land would be given back to the states and sold off to the highest bidder at auction. So instead of all of us using the land for many purposes (besides the hikers and campers, ranchers are allowed to graze cattle and would continue to if made a monument) the land would be sold off and closed permanently by gas, oil, mines, and ranchers.

Rob Bishop organized a thing called the Public Lands Inititive (PLI) that was an attempt to keep the Feds out of deciding what is best for Utah. It took him over three years to come up with his proposal. Some of the land would be protected wilderness, other areas would be set aside for drilling, mining, etc... It seemed like a good compromise. I understand I would be a hypocrite if I was completely against oil drilling. I love driving. I understand we need oil as much as I'd like to be a tree hugger, I get it.

 The problem was Bishop is an asshole whose biggest contributors are big oil ( I looked that up a few months ago, I did not hear it second hand or pull it out of my butt. Got it from his contributors list).  His plan was a straight up slap in the face to the Natives. Secondly, some of the land he was "protecting" was already protected. Places that were already parks and monuments were on the list of protected acres. Needless to say, his bill did not go over well with environmentalists or Native Americans. Of course, Congress being Congress, did nothing with the bill before they went home for the holidays. So, nothing has happened.

The people that live in Utah are pretty evenly split for and against the monument. I've read anywhere from 55-71% of Utahans support it.Which poll you believe is based on how you feel about the monument. Some Utah people, just don't want federal intervention. Others who ride off road vehicles do not want the area closed off. This is certainly a legit concern if you love riding ATVs.

More often than not, National Monuments are not favored by locals. They do not want the Feds controlling "their" land. Even the Grand Canyon and the plains around the Tetons were not well received by the states. Can you imagine if Teddy R. did not make the Grand Canyon a monument? It would have been a national travesty.

I personally fear that Indians will have too much control. I think a National Monument should be open to all Americans. I fear that Indians may get legal rights to "guide" tourists to areas of the monument. I worry certain areas will be closed off because they are too"culturally sensitive".

None the less, I am for the creation of the monument. I am clearly biased and have followed the news every day. I have done my best in this post to be fair to both sides. There are burial sites and literally thousands of historic sites. There is also oil and uranium. I've read the plea by the governor to the President not to make it a monument. I read the proposal by the Native American coalition begging for a monument. The San Juan County Commission is against it and the Friends of Cedar Mesa support it. If you are interested in reading about the Bears Ear Proposal, there is plenty to find on the internet for and against. With Trump as the incoming president and a Republican Congress, the only chance this land has to be protected from exploitation is for the President to make it a  National Monument. This is something I am rooting for!

Carol's Christmas and A Christmas Carol

Truth be told, I've only gone to four plays in my life. It just so happens that three of them were this month and two of them were the last two days.

On Thursday I went to the Arctic Theater in West Warwick to  see "Carol's Christmas". The play is about Dickens. He has writers block, his publisher is expecting words and many of them. The deadline is two weeks. Into his life comes a muse named Carol. She has her own problem, she doesn't have any Christmas spirit. In a night she takes him to see his past, present, and the future (2016). Sounds familiar right? From this journey comes the inspiration for A Christmas Carol.

The play was written by Shannon McLoud. She is also the narrator for the play. In between scenes carolers come out and sing a Christmas song. Many of them have parts in the play also. The play was beyond entertaining. It was down right hilarious. There aren't any more showings this year, but it is coming back again next year. I highly recommend seeing it.

I can't stress enough how much I enjoy going to the Arctic Playhouse. The small room is such a cool spot to see a play. The tickets for Carol's Christmas were $10. Most of the plays held there are $13 in advance and $18 at the door. The two times I have gone, there have been free cookies and, popcorn and coffee. They also have free bottles of water. There is a donation jar, the cookies are well worth putting in a couple buck in it.

Christmas Carol

It was ironic that we planned on seeing Dickens' Christmas Carol a day after seeing Carol's Christmas. We saw it at the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket, RI. Tickets for the play are 21/26. We got our tickets well in advance and got second row aisle seats. I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to this as much as I was Thursday's play. First off, how many different versions have we all seen on tv? It just seemed like I'd be watching a boring rerun. However, Laurie wanted to go, so I didn't let on my lack of enthusiasm.

Holy  crap was I wrong! The play was awesome. I couldn't imagine the Trinity Rep version ( hundred dollar tickets, cheap seats are $45!) could have done any better. The acting was amazing. The ghosts flew. There was a fog machine. The few songs that were song were great. I am so happy we went. Laurie was in absolute awe.

The show lasted about two hours with an intermission. It is playing through the weekend. If you have any thoughts about going you should. As Laurie said " I can't believe that was only $26, it felt like a Broadway show"

Boston Pops Holiday Concert Review (without giving any surprises away)

View from our seats

It's midnight and I have been home from seeing the Boston Pops Holiday Concert for about 45 minutes. It was too much fun to want to go to bed. Seeing Keith Lockhart and the Pops has been on my bucket list for years. I decided to buy tickets whether Laurie wanted to go or not. Luckily, she did want to go. Seeing Keith Lockhart before he either retires or moves on is something I am glad I got the opportunity to do. If I never saw him, I would have been disappointed with myself

Before I go on with how my night went, here is the important information. Ticket prices range from $39-143. We got second balcony seats pretty close to the stage fir $49. If you take public transportation, the E-Train of the green line drops you off at "Symphony" . The venue is a mere few steps from the train stop. Cameras are not allowed during the concert. I took all of my pictures when there wasn't any music going on. The only time I took out my camera during music was when Santa came out and sang. Most people obeyed the no camera policy. I saw a few people snapping pics from my balcony seat including a woman in the

front row. No one said anything to her.

Obviously, our seats were on the lower end of the cost spectrum. We could not see the entire
orchestra, but we were close and I could see the Maestro very well. The show started at eight. Including the intermission it lasted almost exactly two hours. Most people were dressed fairly nice. Some people were in ties and dresses. Most people seemed to be in button down shirts without ties and sweaters. I wore black pants and a blue button down, I wasn't over or under dressed.

I don't want to ruin it for anyone who might go so I'll be kind of vague. I think listening to the Christmas music is more fun if you don't know what to expect. The first half of the concert is slower. The tone of the songs is more religious. There is one slow song that would be kind of boring, but it is played with visuals on a huge screen. The music is set to the visual and it is (I hate to exaggerate and say breath taking, but awesome doesn't cut it)

The second half is more upbeat. There are more Christmas Carols to sing along with. As I mentioned the fat man in the red suit comes out for a few songs. I'd feel like this is ruining the surprise, but it says it on the website when you go buy tickets. By far I enjoyed the second half more than the first.

I was surprised at the amount of young people there. I bet over half the audience was under thirty five. Of course there were multiple families with kids. However I saw plenty of young couples in their very early twenties on dates. I thought that was kind of neat that it wasn't just old people enjoying the arts and the holidays.  Symphony Hall is decorated beautifully for the holidays. I saw multiple couples taking pictures of themselves near lights and green garland.

I checked the website for one of the upcoming shows. There were still tickets available. If you like Christmas and live music then I suspect the Pops might be something you will enjoy. For me this was the first time ever going to Symphony Hall or seeing the Pops. I might not have enjoyed it nearly as much if I went to a typical classical music concert. Listening and singing along with carols that I know was a really fun experience.

The Choir

Sea Run White Perch

I started my winter fishing Saturday night. Fishing was tough only landing two stripers the size of hatchery trout. I gave it a go again tonight. I didn't land any stripers (this is  a bad sign) but I did land one of my favorite fish... Sea Run White Perch. Certainly nothing to write home about (yes, I see the irony of that phrase) but a cool memory none the less

Festival of Trees

When Laurie came over after work, I was in the mood to do something. I didn't want to sit in my house all day and watch football. Problem was, other than go for a walk in the woods, I didn't have any ideas. To my surprise, Laurie came up with an idea for something she wanted to do fairly quickly.

Disney themed tree

She suggested we go to the "Festival of Trees" at the Easton Country Club in Easton, MA. Basically, there are a bunch of Christmas trees decorated, most are themed (such as Disney, Charlie Brown, angels, etc) They are artificial trees. The festival is indoors. The admission is seven dollars. You can buy raffle tickets to win the trees. I think the drawing is December 12. Many of the trees are "decorated" with gift certificates or toys. The tree donated by a gym had gift certificates for Whole foods and for free classes. Not to mention the "ornaments" were jump rope, water bottle and other exercise equipment.

There are about 30-40 trees ( I didn't count). You can check it out by googling the Festival of Trees at the Easton Country Club. The trees will be there a couple more weeks. Since it was indoors in the function room, when we went at 3:30 today (Sunday) it was crowded, but not unbearable. We walked around a couple times and went back to look at Laurie's favorites. It wasn't a bad way to kill an afternoon waiting for the Patriots game

Enjoying the Holidays Outside the Box

Last year I wrote a blog post giving advice for enjoying the holidays. Don't worry, I wasn't telling you that my way is the right way. On the contrary, my advice is to make the season as enjoyable as you can doing the things you enjoy and weeding out the ones you don't. If you want to read it here is the link.
http://southernnewenglandoutdoors.blogspot.com/2015/12/advice-for-enjoying-holidays.html

This year, I spent quite a bit of time looking up Christmas and Holiday things to do. I've already gone to three church bazaars. Laurie and I have a few special things planned. Unfortunately, unlike my outdoor hobbies (hiking, fishing, camping, photography), most Christmas stuff is not free. Of course some things are like light displays, but our Friday nights will be inside venues. These are a few things we are doing or have done. Maybe, something on my list will be something you may want to go to. That is the whole point of the blog, right? To inspire others.

Dec 2  Boston Pops

 Laurie and I are going to do something that has been on my bucket list for years. We are going to a Boston Pops Holiday Concert at Symphony Hall in Boston. The Pops have shows running almost every day in Dec. We got middle priced tickets. I'm really looking forward to Keith Lockhart and the Pops playing carols.

Dec 9 A Christmas Carol

There are multiple places to see the Dickens classic. I opened up a newspaper to the "Events Calander" and it had no less than four places within an hour drive. Laurie has had this on her bucket list. We are going to the show at the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket.Ticket prices are $ 21/26 The most famous showing in my area is at Trinity Rep in Providence. I like the Stadium Theater. We got third row seats for twenty six dollars. How can you go wrong?

Dec 16 Jackie

Not really holiday related but the movie Jackie about Jackie Kennedy opens on this date. We will be going to see it at the little Dedham Community Theater. I'm sure there will be hot chocolate at some point as we drive there. Since I am such a fan of JFK, this is like a present to myself.

Best Christmas Pagent Ever

The Attleboro Community Theater has multiple plays a year. Last year I took DJ's sisters to see "Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" This year their December play (running Fri,Sat, Sun Dec2-18) is the "Best Christmas Pagent Ever".  We don't have tickets yet, but I will be taking Amber and Laurie. My friend Clay Groves who lives in North Conway, NH is actually in this same play at his local playhouse up north.

A Carol's Christmas and Cup of Cheer both at the Arctic Playhouse

Both of these Christmas themed events take place at the Arctic in Warwick, RI. The tickets are super cheap. A Carol's Christmas is about Charles Dickens friendship with a woman named Carol. Cup of Cheer, from what I can tell is more short skits, singing, and hot chocolate. Seems like it will be a lot of fun.

Laurie with a homemade apple pie
she made a few years ago

Baking

Laurie and I put one day aside for baking during the season. She bakes cookies for work (and us) while I make chocolate creme pies for work (and us). Although it can get a little monotonous, the thought of people appreciating them is worth it. I have other friends that make homemade candy, homemade fudge, and pecan pies.

Christmas Displays

At least twice we will go to LaSalette to see the huge display of lights and drink hot chocolate.

Christmas Movies

When Laurie comes over on Christmas Eve we watch a favorite Christmas movie. This year we are watching one we have not seen in thirty years a Walt Disney classic "Babes in Toyland" starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. Instead of watching one we know every line to, this time I'm looking forward to it.



Other Fun Christmas things we have done in the past

Old Sturbridge Village Christmas by Candlelight

Carolers at Sturbridge Village

During December Old Sturbridge Village is not open the standard 9-5 hours. Instead it opens up Friday-Sunday in the evening for Christmas by Candlelight. We went last year and had a blast. I got to eat chestnuts roasted on an  open fire and spicy ginger candy. There are multiple things going on each hour from poetry readings, concerts to horse drawn carriage rides. We had a great time. You can check out their website   https://www.osv.org/event/christmas-by-candlelight
or my blog post from the day
http://southernnewenglandoutdoors.blogspot.com/2015/12/old-sturbridge-village-christmas-by.html

Jordan's Furniture Enchanted Village

The Jordan's in Avon becomes a Winter Wonderland during the holidays. There is an Enchanted Village which are classic scenes from years of old with old tyme statues. There is also a Laser Light Show set to music. There is an indoor skating rink that is not made of ice and lastly a Polar Express ride that is in 4 D. It is a good time, but it is crowded.

Holiday Pops

This year I'm going to see Keith and the pops, but last year I went to another Pops concert at the Stadium Theater. Same idea I'm sure Christmas songs. I really liked it.

So there you have it, my Christmas Season along with other ideas from the past. of course, the holiday ideas are endless. Some people like going to The Nutcracker the opera is DEFINITELY not my thing. There are multiple playhouses in many cities. I chose the ones I'm going to because they are close, inexpensive, and I like the venues. Food is a big part of the holidays, hot chocolate, baked goods, and eggnog have a place. Hopefully I've given at least one person some new ideas. Be creative, the season is awesome no matter what holiday you celebrate, go enjoy it. You know what happens after the holiday season?

January- A big pile of SUCK!

Outdoor Things I am Thankful For 2016

Pure Joy

Every year for Thanksgiving I do a post of things I am thankful for that have happened over the last
year. It is a fun way to look back at memories I have made. The list is always outdoor related. This year I did more hiking than I have done in a decade. Also, this was by far the best year I have had fishing in saltwater in years.
So without further ado...

1. I am thankful that blues and stripers stayed around in the Providence area all summer. It made work days that much better knowing I could catch stripers and blues almost every night.

2. I am thankful I got to go on a vacation this year. Laurie and I had so much fun. South Dakota (specifically the Badlands and Custer State Park) have so many large mammals. That area is special.

3. I am very thankful the buffalo that was walking towards us on the trail in Wind Cave NP did not charge. This is also true for the other half dozen big males that we had no choice but be too close to. This was probably the only time in 2016 I was in any actual danger.

4. I am thankful for the number of times I got to New Hampshire this year. I hiked nine 4000 footers along with many smaller hikes. I could go on and on about New Hampshire but the best way I can describe it is: I always know I love New Hampshire but until I am there I forget how much I miss it.

5. I am thankful to have Laurie and Dave as best friends.

6. I am thankful for days off from work in May. This year I fished after work, but birded on days off. Usually I'd be fishing in the evening anyway.

7. I am thankful Eric keeps inviting me on his boat even though I can almost never go. The reason for this is, I know my days off weeks in advance, I always have some crazy adventure planned. Eric can't plan boat trips until a day or two before the trip because they are weather (wind and wave) dependent. I still appreciate the invites

8. I am thankful for the one week of albies in September. I caught nine on my best day. Love them.

This pronghorn was running straight at me on a
South Dakota trail oblivious to my presence. When I realized it
was going to keep running I made a noise. It stopped instantly.
It stared at me for over a minute then bounded left off the trail.
That's a memory!!!

9.  I am thankful for small theaters with cheap ticket prices.

10.  I am thankful for Plum Island and Charlestown Mudflats, two of my favorite places to go birding.

11. I am thankful for the number of birds I've seen this year. I destroyed my old record and saw a bunch of lifers.

12. I am thankful for how good fall fishing was at the ocean this year. My best day was 78 fish! I only stopped because my thumbs were bleeding from catching so many, it was painful. But I had multiple twenty fish days. This was by far the best fall I have ever had.

13. On the same lines I am thankful for the Gorilla Bluefish that made Narragansett home for a month. I met many of them. I caught at least ten blues this year that were larger than my previous personal best. Fishing was that good.

14. I am thankful my kid has such a sense of adventure. Although my brain wishes he was finishing up college instead of tramping the American West, my heart says I wish I was him.

15. I am thankful for snowshoes.

16. Mounts Garfiled, Avalon, Isolation, Sugarloaf, Welch Dickey, South Kinsman views. Also Lonesome Lake and the big ledge on North Kinsman are special places

17. All the deer at Sachuest. If you want to take your kid to see guaranteed deer take them to Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge an hour before dark. A bad day is ten and they are not afraid of you.

18. I am thankful for non chain restaurants. This year on our few times we went out to eat Laurie and I went to greasy spoons like Iggys and KC's Burger Joint. Other places include The Lodge in Lincoln and Spumonis in South Attleboro. See future reviews.

19. I am thankful for the big beaches at Napatree and Race Point. One of my yearly highlights was
seeing whales off shore from the Race. Its one thing to see them paying sixty dollars to be with two hundred people on a boat, but it is much more wild to see them from a wind swept shore in March by yourself with the whales 150 yards out. Pure Magic

20. I say it every year but I am proud to live in the greatest country in the world. I'm glad the election is over. The politicians on both sides suck but I still believe the average American is a good person. I think our diverse landscape is the most amazing on Earth. Despite our terrible options for president  I am still proud to call this great country home

Arctic Playhouse

This weekend I went to the Arctic Playhouse and saw the play "Matt and Ben". The play was about how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck came up with the screenplay for Good Will Hunting. It was extremely funny. The play was co-written by Mindy Kaling from "The Office 'and "The Mindy Project". Cost was fifteen dollars and the play two person play lasted just over an hour. Matt and Ben were actually played by women, it was interesting.

Unfortunately, the play was only for this weekend. I admit, it does you no good for me to write a review of a play/concert/ or one time sporting event after it is over. That said, I was really impressed by the little playhouse. The Arctic is in Warwick about 3.5 miles from I-295. I couldn't give you directions because Laurie googled it, and I just turned when she told me to turn.

The Arctic is a small theater. There was probably only 40 seats total. It is a small room with a stage. I absolutely love small settings like that. We were only fifteen feet from the stage and the worst seat in the house is probably only twenty five feet.

The set was "Ben Afflecks" apartment

Just past where you buy the tickets were cups of free popcorn and cookies. Laurie also asked if we could buy drinks and we got a couple tiny waters also free. There is a donation box next to the food where we put a couple dollars in. The cookies and popcorn made the cozy atmosphere even better.
There are other upcoming performances related to the holiday season. This is the website to their events page. Laurie and I are planning on going to Cup of Cheer in December.  http://www.thearcticplayhouse.com/shows-events/

I really enjoy seeing plays. However I'm not a fan of paying huge ticket prices for PPAC and Broadway type shows. I loved that the tickets were so affordable. The actors were acting for the joy of it. If you want to take in a play in an intimate setting, I highly recommend you check out the Arctic. A bonus would be, if you are hungry Boneheads Wing Bar is right next door with at least 40 flavors of wings.

A Day in Hyannis

JFK Museum

I signed up for a winter birding boat trip out of Hyannis that was scheduled to go out today Nov 19. On the ship's itinerary was to leave at 7 am. I really didn't want to get up at 5 am, drive 90 minutes, take Dramamine, enjoy an eight hour boat trip, then drive home.

So I rented a hotel only a mile away from the port.  I went on Kayak.com. Happily, the motels down the Cape are pretty cheap this time of year. We stayed at the Yarmouth Resort. Although the rooms were a bit old (still had a box television) it was fine with me. There was an indoor pool and a hot tub, which sealed the deal on why I chose this motel.

Laurie would not have enjoyed the pelagic birding. However since I was going down anyway, I asked her if she'd like to go down the Cape on Friday. When we checked out, she could go home and I'd be on the boat. I didn't need to ask twice. She was more than happy to take a day out of work.

Bobby, Ted, Jack

I am not one to spend the day just sitting by the pool, so I looked up area attractions and off we went. Since I was going on the boat Saturday and Laurie home, we took two cars. We met at the Herring Run at the Cape Cod Canal. I got to the Big Ditch a half hour before her. I was hoping to run into a late season blitz. I tried fishing at the Maritime Academy and the Herring Run. I didn't have any luck. On the bright side, their were Common Eiders on the shoreline, the closest I have ever been to them.

Laurie walked down to the the water and got me then we drove to Hyannis. Our first fun destination was the JFK Museum. JFK is by far my favorite presidential hero. I couldn't wait to go into the museum. I knew their wasn't any memorabilia, just photographs and videos.

The downstairs to the museum is another museum, the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame. Since I go to a few games during the year of America's premier college summer league, I knew it would be interesting. Like the real Hall in Cooperstown, there are plaques. There was quite a bit of memorabilia such as signed bats and balls. Photos of various teams throughout the years. It is a bit of information overload. I only read the plaques of players I had heard of. A ten dollar admission will get you into both museums.

If you listen to sports radio you are
familiar with Angry Lou

After we got out of the museums, we went to Veterans Memorial Park. There is a monument dedicated to JFK and another for the Korean War Veterans. We stayed there for a few minutes.

We drove back to the municipal parking lot behind the JFK Museum where we left Laurie's car and parked mine. We got lunch at "the Little Sandwich Shop". We got a small burger and split a BBQ chicken quesadilla.  It was good. Then we walked up the street where Laurie got a coffee at a cupcake shop and we had a cupcake for desert. If there was one down side to Hyannis, apparently heroin is an epidemic. This was in the public bathroom behind the JFK Museum.

I am fairly certain diabetics are not shooting
insulin in the public bathroom

At this point it was 2 pm and we were running out of things to do. We drove over to the motel and asked it we could check in early. That wasn't a problem. After we brought in our bag of clothes we went for a swim. The pool was nice as was the hot tub. We killed as much time as we could until supper time.

At supper time we went to a restaurant Laurie had picked out called Longfellow Pub. The place is very small. Half of it is a bar while the other half of maybe eight tables is a dining area. I liked the small atmosphere. Supposedly they have the best prime rib on the Cape. The King cut with salad and rice was $17. which I think is reasonable for prime rib. That is what I ordered. It was very good. The best prime rib I have ever had was at the Lodge in Lincoln, RI, so if that was a 10, then this one was a close 9. I was full and it was flavorful. Laurie got steak tips that were cooked in a Teriyaki sauce.

There wasn't anyone in the pool either time
we went for a swim. A bonus of going during the
off season.

We went for another swim and went to bed. However we stayed up later than I originally planned. Why you ask? Because my pelagic boat trip got cancelled due to the high winds and big waves.Even the rain date of Sunday was cancelled. I'm glad I had a fun Friday because if I booked the motel and only just went down for the night, that would have sucked.

Korean War Memorial

Godspeed, Dominick

DJ on the North Rim. Age 14, Year 2010

Tonight my son sets out on at least a six month grand adventure. Both he and his girlfriend Soni got jobs at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. He will be a server and she will work in retail. The truth is, the job is irrelevant. He wants to explore and have  big adventures. Living at the Grand Canyon for six months is a great opportunity for him.

All parents want their kids to be successful and make a lot of money. We all want our kids to go to college or learn a trade. It was hard for me to come to terms with, but that is not what he wants out of life. He  is only 21, so maybe that will change someday. Right now, he wants to go from national park to national park. I give him all the credit in the world to have the balls to just go.

I took him on a huge vacation out west when he was 14. We visited many of the west's most majestic scenery. When I got home it was a difficult transition. The trip made me appreciate the little things more. It made me think how far a bird migrates, how tough it is for a small striper to survive. The trip made me really grateful the White Mountains in New Hampshire are only three hours away.
Although the Whites can not match the vertical of the Tetons or the wildness of the Beartooth Wilderness, for me they are wild enough. When I need to get away, I can in New Hampshire.

For DJ, the trip had the opposite effect. Suddenly everything around here was too small. He still likes New Hampshire, but it isn't big enough for him. Suddenly, seeing a red tailed hawk wasn't enough after seeing elk and bighorn sheep and grizzlies.

I do not blame him for this. He was a kid and we saw so many amazing things from the Rocky Mountains to Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert. So for the last few years he has felt a bit out of place. This isn't where he wants to be. He wants wide open spaces. He wants to be too close to large mammals. He wants to stand at the edge of a cliff and see a hundred miles without civilization.

So, he applied to many of the national parks and landed himself a job as a waiter. He got his car fixed up and did a lot of packing. His girlfriend only found out a few days ago she got the job. They took off this evening after the after work traffic subsided. It was a difficult goodbye. Although we don't always get along, it doesn't mean we don't love each other.

I am alone the next six months at least. He will be making his way across the country for the next few days. Then he will get a dorm on the South Rim of the Grandest Canyon on earth. He will have a couple days off a week to explore the canyon and parts of Arizona. It is an opportunity that most of us, myself included, would be to scared to take. I admire his willingness to leave everything he knows in a quest to find adventure.

Godspeed DJ, I love you,

Dad

Church Bazzars

It has been a goal of mine all year to go to a Holiday Fair at a church. I really don't have a reason why this was on my 2016 Bucket List, I am definitely not religious but I did want to go to one. A couple months back, I was at work and a flier shows up asking for a donation to the Church Fair at a Catholic Church in Seekonk. I wrote down the date (which was today)

I got to stop at the fair at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church for a few minutes. My main focus was baked goods and maybe buy a homemade ornament. The fair was low on ornaments but high on baked goods. I bought some cookies and brownie bites.

There were many baskets being raffled off. They were all different themed from sports to Italian

Food. Some had lottery tickets, others had gift certificates. I bought three raffle tickets and tried my luck. I could only stay for a few minutes but enjoyed my quick time there.

Later in the day

Driving from store to store on Monday in front of a  church on Nate Whipple Highway there was a sign for another holiday fair also for today. So I made a point to go there quickly.

This fair had a small room full of used books. I actually found two travel books to buy. I also bought a couple more cookies.

All in all, I got what I wanted. I bought some homemade baked goods and got to cross something off of my 2016 bucket list.