Renovating Paradise

We were so excited to get together with the 4Rhines yesterday. They have the wonderful opportunity of living along an amazing stretch f the Loyalsock Creek while they renovate a secluded old farm house. A 'fixer-upper" is about the nicest thing you can say about the building in it's current condition. It has amazing potential for being a beautiful haven for this family of 4.

Stone Fly's know-how, Puddleby's tenacity, Fiona's creativity and Cookie Monster's hospitality bless this homestead already. We were glad to lend a hand in clearing out some of the old cabinets and fixtures in the kitchen. I wish we had more technical knowledge to lend but as long as they can point us in a direction and tell us to do it, we are glad to help them transform the space into a spectacular home. I am honestly jealous; the place is a perfect slice of natural wonder.

I didn't have time to take photos of their land so you will have to pitch in and lend them a hand to see for yourself.

Dr. Kulakowski Memorial

The third annual ride in memory of Penn State professor and avid bike commuter Bohdan T. Kulakowski was held on Bike to Work Day, April 25 at 5 pm. Dr.Kulakowski was killed in March 2006 when he was hit by a van while riding home from his office on campus. We departed the PSU gates at College and Allen with a police escorted ride to the crash site in Boalsburg.

The ride did not start until well after 5pm so RGBisMe wouldn't have had to leave work early but we had a chance to chat with other bikers as we waited. It was nice that the thunderstorms held off for the entire ride. The mood until the actual crash site was serious but in a friendly respectful way. We were all enjoying the first really awesome week of bicycle commuting of the spring. Getting together to remember Dr. Kulakowski was a good way to end the week.

Over 30 local citizens participated in the ride. There were students, families pulling children in trailers, couples on tandem bikes, racing bikes, double century bikers and regular joes like us. The Penn State Six Pack, Bob Swaim's inline bike for six people graced the front of the procession by leaving one seat empty in honor of Dr. Kulakowski.

Residents stopped their gardening to wave at us as we rode past. Fraternities saluted us with Friday evening brews in hand. One woman nodded to us and clearly stated, "He used to bike this way to work every day."

It was different from a couple of years ago when the news of Dr. Kulakowski's death was young. Two years later, more people seem to be understanding. This was the third memorial ride for him and although the ride through the beautiful neighborhoods has the same welcoming feel to it, this time there was clearly more recognition of why a mass of bicycles were being escorted to Boalsburg.

Gas prices edge ever closer toward $4.00 a gallon. There can not be but an increase of bicycle commuters for those of us who can, will. RGBisMe and I helped place flowers on the ghost bike that has been in place for 2 years. It's visibility has made many more residents aware of the cost of the life of one bicycle commuter. I hope it is reminder enough that we have to share the road.

Running Birbanto

I got a phone call from Ravenboy early last evening.

"Hey Mumo, I wanted to call for a couple of reasons. I am going out to supper tonight with friends so I won't be able to call later."

I told him to have a great time.

"I also wanted you to know that I am running Birbanto."

This, I was sure I had heard incorrectly. He was in NYC and our cat was lying on the floor exhausted from the hike we had just taken him through the Stan Yoder Preserve in Boalsburg. I asked him to repeat himself.

"I am running Birbanto!"

DUH! Our cat was named after one of my favorite characters in ballet; Birbanto is a sly turncoat pirate in the ballet Le Corsaire. Ravenboy is learning the part for this upcoming Met Season!
Between that, a lead in Merry Widow, solo spot in Études and Bronze Idol again I am going to be filled with amazing ballet moments by mid July. Anyone interested in ABT schedule can check the link of contact me for Ravenboy's casting (I may not know until about a week prior).

Mid-week Delights

It's that time of year when RGBisMe & I revel in the bike commute. For years he would come home everyday for lunch and about 3 years ago he said he would like to start biking onto campus during warmer weather. The only thing that he felt conflicted about was not making it home for lunch. This dear man came home for years so I have no problem spending my spring lunch hours bringing lunch to him - via bicycle.

It really only doubles the commute time and is so satisfying. I know our bodies thank us for it. We have added a little more gear every year to make things easier and enhance our safety. This year even I got a head and tail light. Okay, it was really bought for finding the geocaches in the abandoned turnpike tunnels but I have used them on the road one rainy day this past week.

Today, I took a route so that I could check out the area where I thought I might gather some clue information for finding a new letterbox by Angrist, I Need Some Food! I was so pleased at solving his challenging geocache clue, Listen to the Music, just the day before. His first letterbox plant was more straightforward but still had some interesting twists to it.

First I had to check on my Hitch Hiker Resort to see how it weathered the Blue White game traffic. It was just fine. Off to campus. I was glad for a change of direction because it allowed me to photograph a Red Tail hawk chasing birds in and out of Beaver Stadium.

I decided that the theme of the letterbox was making me so hungry that I better get some lunch before I started hunting in earnest. I biked on to the HUB and got us 2 hot & sour soups in hopes that we might find a nice picnic location while seeking this new letterbox. The clues were very engaging and it was hard to say just where we might end up.

I biked to an area that had some potential and phoned RGBisMe to meet me when he was able to get off for lunch. I checked some places that seemed to make sense but wanted to wait for my dear friend so that he could enjoy the hunt also. While waiting for him I took a walk to get a vegetarian strawberry yogurt. This was just in case we were successful in finding the letterbox, we could have it as a celebration treat.

We met at the arranged place and with only one muggle around just nodded to each other in agreement as we walked by a landmark. We parked ourselves in a sunny spot, pulled out our soups and started to slurp just as the muggle left. We probably looked like crazy people, running for where we thought the letterbox was before anyone else could come into view. We were not disappointed and neither would you be if you saw the time and care put into crafting this beauty.

We cracked open our celebratory yogurt and enjoyed it (and our soup) after stamping in and returning this special creation with care. It's so exciting that even more quality letterboxers are blessing our area with their efforts. Well done Angrist.

RGBisMe had to bike back to his office and I had to get back to work at home. On my way home, I was (as I frequently am at this time of year) overcome with the beauty of the area I live in. I just love my commute.

The Beauty and Grace behind Classical Ballet

Did you ever wonder what it was like to go backstage at the ballet? A ballet company like American Ballet Theatre will spend hours together on planes, weeks together on tour and years together performing ballet classics that can bring out some humor that you might not expect.



Jet lag in London, the first warm-up class after arriving.





On tour 2008.





A classic song for a classical look.

Lost & Found

We had been putting off checking on one of our unfound letterboxes until we were sure that snow and ice would not impede our search. About a month ago we searched similar areas and the snow pack and icy trail made us realize that there was no way we should attempt the trails in the area where this letterbox was hidden until snow and ice were gone. We used our local ski resort, Ski Tussey, as an indicator. If we could look up on Tussey Mountain and still see snow that they had manufactured on it's slope, we would not attempt to hike out to this letterbox.

This weekend was warm, the forecast was 80° and the snow was finally gone from Tussey Mountain. We were eager to check the location of this mystery box since at least 3 well established letterboxers had sought it and failed to find it. After corresponding with them, it sounded like they had been in the exact area where we had hidden it. I could not imagine anyone stumbling onto it because it was hidden well off of the trail. RGBisMe and I decided that there was a chance a critter decided to drag it out of its hiding place. We were still uncertain enough to hold out hope that the rocks that we had secured it in place might be working.

Another early morning drive yesterday didn't have us very chatty but we were excited to hit the trails in the beautiful area. We knew of a few other letterboxes it the same area but chose to focus just on determining the existence of ours. We hit the trail and after an hour of navigating from the closest parking area only saw one patch of ice well off of the trail. I regret that I did not photograph it because later in the day on the same trail I was hiking in a tank top.

We walked past beaver chewed saplings and a friendly stream. It was early enough that we didn't meet up with anyone until a few hundred feet before we were ready to look for our lost letterbox. We were looking carefully around on our approach because we did not wish to be seen as we approached where we had hidden the box. RGBisMe spied a fellow with a camera and tripod on a cliff not too far from where we had hoped to be going. I gave him a look and decided that he was just trying to get a special photo that included the early sunrise in a canyon like area where it's hard to get exact lighting. We walked on and when I looked back he had come down onto the trail and headed in the direction we had come from.

We took that as a sign to make a scramble to ground zero. After a quick check with my compass and verification on the bearing with our GPS, I determined that the clues I had written were more accurate than I had hoped, if the letterbox still was in place. We counted the distance that was also determined in the clues and I could recognize the hiding place as my counted footfalls added up.

Just ahead of us was a feature that we both recognized. It was where we had hidden the box and it looked just as we had left it. RGBisMe pushed a couple of leaves aside to see the rest of the rocks that secured the letterbox. It was a relief that it was still in place and I found a certain amount of satisfaction in that I didn't feel compelled to change how the clues to this mystery box had been written. Two years and three days after we had hidden it, we replaced the letterbox as it was. It has yet to be found by anyone other than ourselves.

As we hiked back to the car the morning got markedly warmer. We ran into the man we had seen earlier heading down the trail toward us. He admitted to having seen us earlier and admitted that he had been lost an was bushwhacking from another trail. He pulled out his map to ask how to get back to his car from where he was. We determined which intersection he had taken a wrong turn at, showed him where he went, where he was and invited him to walk back to the parking area with us. He decided to hike and see some more of the natural features of the area before returning another way.

By the time we reached the parking lot, van loads of day hikers were coming to enjoy the trail. We were glad we had come early and had gone undetected in finding our lost letterbox. Things had gone so well, in fact, that even after hiking 3 or more miles of up and down we decided to do some more after driving to another area that promised another mystery letterbox.

It was not a short drive and we stopped for gas and a sandwich before we got to the trail head on state forest land. The heat in this parking lot chased us into the woods and we ate as we hiked. Another 3+ miles were ahead of us and the trail description promised some rugged areas.

The first section of the trail was indeed a rough decent and it was difficult to navigate with a sandwich in one hand and my hiking stick (bless you Bibliochicks) in the other. I was starving so the sandwich quickly disappeared behind my teeth allowing me to wave my one arm around as a counterbalance over the tricky rocks. The best part was how cool the air became before the trail dumped us out onto an old railroad grade.

The short level section was anything but boring. It was along there that we saw some pretty Trout Lilies blooming and our second area of remaining ice of the day. I did take a photo of RGBisMe beside it but my camera was still set on macro from shooting the trout lily - augh! Trust me, it really was ice in those rocks that he is standing by!

The trail we decided to take descended onto another rough section that was not as direct a route than if we had stayed on the graded old rail but it was so scenic down and along the creek. Mountains rose to the dappled blue sky and the ground was covered in patches by moss in some ares. We had to cross a series of little streams over the last half mile or so and my feet longed to soak in them.

The final location was very pretty and we couldn't understand why anyone else was there. We soaked up the surroundings, easily found the letterbox and took a few photos before hikers started drifting in. A couple of day hikers came first then a handful of back packers. Our timing had been just right and we started back to the car.

We chose a different route for the return trip. It was no shorter but a little less rugged. About a half a mile from the car I told RGBisMe that I was "all in." He said he was a little tired but doing all right. I was glad I had brought a change of shoes and changed out of my boots the moment I sat down in the car.

The ride home was quite pleasant and we stopped in a cute out of the way restaurant. It was quaint, the staff friendly but the vegetarian food selection was nil. We had a couple of large salads and looked back on our day with pleasure before heading home.

Sonny Days

The prodigal son returned and we killed the fatted tofu as it were. Ravenboy was true to his word and spent a couple of days with us. He certainly didn't have much time and had plenty of things to do elsewhere. His flight back from Chicago was delayed quite a bit and he didn't get back to his NYC pad until probably 1AM Monday morning. I got a text from him a couple of hours later letting me know that he did secure a ticket on the noon bus home that same day. I was beside myself with excitement and was pleased the RGBisMe and I had done so much Spring cleaning in preparation.

The day was sunny and beautiful and my regular Monday morning workout was a breeze with joyous thoughts to keep me going. It was about 10:30 AM Ravenboy called with a glitch in our plans. His best friend, upsidedownasusual (Udas from this point on), had been taken to the emergency room by her roommate earlier in the morning. Udas had been suffering from bad migraines on and off over the past few months but the pain had became unbearable that night. Her roommate had to go to work and asked Ravenboy if he could go to the hospital to sit with her. The hospital was only a block away from Ravenboy and we all agreed that this was a must.

As the day pressed on, although they ruled out bacterial meningitis it looked like viral meningitis. Ravenboy kept in touch with us, letting us know that she was getting the care she needed, had been admitted and he had booked passage on a later bus to still come home. He saw that there was very little that he could do and visiting hours were almost over anyway. Her roommate would go to see her in the morning and we would all determine when he would go back on how Udas progressed over the day.

Ravenboy came into town exhausted but very happy to see us and recharge at home. He calls it Zen moments that he gathers up from sitting out in our back yard. A few phone calls were exchanged and Udas continued to improve and it was determined she did have viral meningitis. During Ravenboy's visit she was quite bored in the hospital and he tried to cheer her by sending her pictures that he took with his cell phone.

RGBisMe shifted his work schedule so that the sunny days that blessed us were filled with family visiting, hiking (no climbing to rest the quads) and creek side biking. Hiking Tussey ridge was rocky but offered some awesome views of the valleys below. We had a 3 mile hike the one evening and Ravenboy said the tippy rocks were perfect physical therapy for the muscle groups he needed to focus on. We joked and told stories the whole way out and back the trail. Ravenboy made us reenact a scene from the movie Flash Gordon, making RGBisMe stick his arm into a hole. Did the stinging creature get him or not?

I kept saying that he looked like such a city boy getting his cell phone out every few minutes. Seeing him bushwhacking down the typical PA ridge top scree and holding his cell phone made for a great picture. I joked that "you can take the boy out of the city but not the city out of the boy." In all fairness, he was trying to send little shots of paradise back to Udas. She would then show her roommate as they sat in a Lower East Side hospital and wondered back to him via text, "Where ARE you!?"

Each day was warmer than the next. We had the entire family over for lunch one day and that afternoon played some frisbee in the park. We returned home to watch some dvds of our favorite tv shows together and just lounged around. On Ravenboy's last day in town we biked along a remote section of Spring Creek. We saw trout in the creek that were large enough to ride. Osprey circled to check out what strangers were doing so far out into their territory. Warm ponds of still water by the creek were home to many huge snapping turtles. We gathered shells along the edge of the pond to send back for Udas who was due to be released that day.

Spring wildflowers of Bloodroot and Hepatica colored the walls of the canyon. I couldn't resist stopping to photograph the curve of the creek, sheer wall of the canyon and my two favorite fellows biking in the distance in. The afternoon was mellow and perfect. Ravenboy soaked up every once of goodness home has to offer before stepping foot back onto the bus to the city.

Today is another sunny day. I know it won't be nearly as full as the rest of the week but we have so much to look back on and be thankful for. I am glad Ravenboy could return to share everything with Udas who is recovering at home now.

Such a Good Week

This week has been jam packed, ever minute filled and accounted for for months in advance. What lifted our activity to an unforeseen fever pitch was Ravenboy's ruminating a few weeks ago that he might like to come home between his Chicago tour and Met season. That ended up being a window of a few days, in just a few days! We had to shift some plans around to make it a go but it looks like it is going to work out.

A week ago we found ourselves in the local airport meeting the always crescent fresh Mososo Kruppe! They had just held a letterboxing event in Savannah the day before and blew into town for a couple of central PA job fairs. Their schedule was tight so we wanted to at least get a brief visit at the airport before they drove to Clearfield to rest up for the Monday educator's job fair at University Park Campus. We ended up going back to our place and catching up over chips and brews. Good times, great laughs and plenty of cool new ideas are hatched when we get together. They were up for a meal at a family run Korean restaurant and we called it night after some more shared stamps and stuff at home.

The next morning started my week of volunteering at our local public radio station. I can switch my schedule around pretty much as I please so for a couple of weeks out of the year I share 6 hours every morning during the work week to take calls for the pledge drive. This usually goes smoothly and is a really gratifying experience. This week was just a little more difficult with a few of the nights had the influence of staying up late and laughing until my sides ached with Mososo Kruppe and RGBisMe.

I regret not a minute. Each morning was increasingly more difficult to rise but I had the pleasure of looking back on the night before and remembering our antics. Some of the more interesting things we discussed were some of the Easter and Passover toys we had seen in the grocery stores. Did you know there are now Resurrection Eggs and Bag o' Plagues to enhance your child's religious holiday? Amazing. Sadly, not everyone at pledge drive shared my enthusiasm in discussing them. I think this helps disprove the thinking that public radio and related people there are all liberal. I know it disproves that I am ever focused and serious about anything.

Mososo Kruppe were able to visit after their job fair. It was distressing that many of the on spot job offers were going to new grads. They put in their worthy applications and did all they could and hoped for better luck at their second job fair in Bloomsburg the next day. To ease everyone's disappointment I insisted we go to Rotelli and try out their new spring menu items. Some of the new additions were quite good but the most refreshing and exciting drink, a Cucumber Martini, was one of the most vile things I ever tried. I kept trying to justify my purchase and sip at it but it was like trying to drink a cleaning solution. A most interesting piece of artwork was in the men's restroom. Not that I went in to see it!! We couldn't agree on what the green stuff might be. Did I mention it was right over the urinal?

As the middle of the week approached, we knew Mososo Kruppe had probably had about enough of us. They missed their exit on the way back from Bloomsburg and were half way to Clearfield. They had a perfectly good excuse for just going on and getting some rest. Their flight out the next morning was about as early as when I started answering phones during Morning Addition. Instead they turned around and came back for more Crayola Punishment.

We were glad to find out that Bloomsburg had gone somewhat better in how they were received as instructors with potential. Mososo Kruppe changed out of their dress clothes and got into some more casual clothes for one last run at local letterboxes. The one they were most interested in was in a park they had driven past a few times one their way to Clearfield. We had kept them out so long each night that it was much too late to get into this park when they drove by. We made a suggestion to go to the park, driving separately so that they could just go from there to Clearfield. That idea failed miserably because we all agreed how much fun it was visiting in the car en route to the boxes!

Because we had need to come back to State College allowed us to visit Otto's and share a pitcher of Arthur's English Old Ale - yummay! The meals Mososo Kruppe got looked so good; a shepherds pie and spicy chicken wrap were presented to them. RGBisMe and I were most impressed with the vegetarian chili they had added to their spring menu. It packs a little heat and is just right in a cup sized serving.

The evening did draw to an earlier conclusion. After our goodbyes, RGBisMe and I went home and sang sad songs while intermittently doing our bored jiggler dance (in a past blog - trust me). Central PA had become much more dull with the departure of our friends. Bedtime came early.

The alarm came earlier. I was beat. It was hard to answer phones and my last 2 hours that day I gave up the hot seat to pretty much zone out. After I got home, I just stared at the mountains of work I had neglected. Laundry was a like Mt. Kathadin. I think I stared at things a lot for the next couple of days because it wasn't until yesterday morning that I realized how close Ravenboy's arrival was supposed to be.

RGBisMe and I started at 7 AM and worked non-stop on cleaning every room in the house until 4 PM. We stopped for a bite to eat and then were back at it, outside in the yard until the sun was down. Everything looks great! Butterfly bushes are trimmed back, laundry is done and put away, and we have a fully stocked pantry and even a few meals pre-made to allow more time for visiting. The only shock was to come in and see how many emails and phone messages we had missed. More things to do and we promise we will get back to you all soon!

One email alerted us to one of our letterboxes being hidden in a tree that bees had taken over. That needed attention! The morning was to be cold and drizzly. As our tired bodies crashed into bed we agreed to rise early and bike out to move the box. The seekers said it was too dicey to even try to move the box with a stick so we took a bug netting for the face, a net to scoop the box, heavy gloves and lots of padding.
RGBisMe was chosen as the bee whisperer (visual dramatazation sen to the right) because of how well he did with that cow (in a past blog - trust me). We snuck up to the tree as close as we could from the trail. Neither of us could see any activity. He headed up toward it and stopped, lifted his bee mask and stared the tree up and down. As he got closer, I realized he was close enough that I couldn't ask if he could see any without yelling back to me so I just watched. He kept inching closer, lifting his bee face guard and sizing up the entire tree. I jumped as he bumped a limb in front of the tree. I couldn't see any activity but he stopped for a while. Eventually I saw him make a decision and grab the box with an even movement and start back down. It was a relief to see him moving easily toward me without a black cloud of bees following him. I asked if they were moving around slowly or what. He said he never saw any! Whew! We gladly moved the box a few hundred feet up trail to an old stump that bees will never check out. Thanks to JFA and family for looking out for our boxes. They are some of the kindest folks sending us newsy updates on finding our latest creations. I can only think of one of our puzzle clues that have ever even slowed them down; brainy and nice! Who could ask for anything more?

This week has drawn to a close and I didn't get half of the things done I wanted to do.I just realized I have to burn a CD of songs before Ravenboy gets here. I missed some things like the Outdoor Expo downtown that friends were working at that won't occur again for at least another year. I had to pass on some really great hikes (Quehanna!!) because I just didn't have the energy (or time). More fun for the future but at least home is ready for the boy and no one will get zapped by bees at one of our boxes. I look back on it all with a full heart and cannot regret a moment.