Location: Coopers Rock State Forest
Trails: Scott Run and Roadside Trails
Distance: 5.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 1038 ft

Scott Run Trail
2.9 miles
763 ft elevation gain

Roadside Trail
1.8 miles
187 ft elevation gain

Here’s what’s blooming around my house right now

Why yes! Lots of day lilies!

I love the variety of day lilies. I know they’re relatively subtle color changes, but they fascinate me.

Almost no flowers on our hike yesterday, so I stooped to photographing fungi.

I believe I’ve talked before about participating in the Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days program at WVU.

I’ve done it every year since at least 2005 (that’s the oldest record in the Excel file I used to keep track), and except 2010, when I broke my ankle, I got way over the minimum every year.

What I find fascinating (because I am a huge geek) are the pattern differences from year to year.

Here is a chart for last year:

Here is a chart for this year:

I’m thinking that the Saturday change is due to the number of rainy Saturdays we had this year, where we couldn’t get out and go hiking. But I find it just as fascinating that my peak walking day during the week shifted from Wednesday to Friday. Most likely because Wednesday is the day I’m most likely to go out to lunch with friends.

And if you’re curious, the number of miles I walked this year during the program was 477 (longer than the distance from Morgantown to Fayetteville, NC). Only 176 (just a bit longer than the distance from Morgantown to Charles Town, WV) of those counted towards the program, because you can only count 12 miles/week for the program, and that’s pretty much the max you can get.

So, it was fun. Both the walking and the tracking.

(And my team? We walked 1972 miles, which is longer than the trip from Morgantown to Denver, CO (1465).)

I’m going to try and focus on the nicer parts of summer–not the heat. So today’s word is for my favorite summer flower, day lilies: orange

Just doesn’t have the same ring to it as Sunday Flower Pr0n, but Sunday, the day lilies weren’t yet blooming.

I love my day lilies.

I also have pots of Gerbera daisies this year, because I think they’re pretty.

OK, I love books too much not to do a summer reading program/contest again this year.
 
 
 

2014 Summer Reading Program

 
 
 
This program will run from 21 June 2014 (the first day of summer / Summer Solstice) to September 2 2014 (Day after Labor Day).

I’ll have a random prize for the winner at the end of the program. Could be anything, really.

Want to talk about the books you’ve read? Please comment HERE, on this post (the one you’re reading RIGHT NOW!!)

You can check the side bar over there to the right for new comments. –>

Over there is also where you can see the last few books I read and reviewed. –>

I did a quick test of the database I used last year, and everything seems to be working. If something is busted, please comment here and I’ll fix it as soon as I can.

Other Summer Reading Programs:
Fourth Annual Maureen “AJ” Ramey Memorial Summer Reading Program

I work IT.

That means I dress in jeans and a t-shirt (in my case a long sleeve t-shirt, because I have a propensity to touch things that will give me a rash.

I dress for working on computers in rooms that process soil or other messy things.

In fact, here is how I’m dressed today.

Comfortably.

Why am I sharing this seemingly inconsequential information with you?

Because of something that happened this morning.

As I stepped out of the room where I had been working, I saw two men standing in the hallway. One most likely a few years older than me, and one probably a few years younger.

They both turned towards me when they heard the door close, and then the older of the two went back to studying the bulletin board.

The younger male stared at me.

As I walked towards him, he continued to stare at me, and as I walked past, he actually turned his body so he could continue to stare at me as I went past him and into the stairwell.

The reason I’m sharing this is, you see, this is the kind of shit that happens all the fucking time when you’re female.

Shit like this is why I don’t feel safe walking places alone.

Shit like this is why I carry my keys in my hand, sharp bits pointing out.

Shit like this is why I hate dressing nicely, because then it’s worse.

Shit like this is why I always wear shoes I can run in.

No, it doesn’t “feel good” that someone thought I was attractive enough to stare at.

It feels creepy.

It feels unsafe.

And it feels incredibly unfair.

Is anyone interesting in me having a summer reading contest?

It won’t be much this year, since I’m still adjusting to our new finances, but… fun?

Location: Coopers Rock State Forest
Trails: Rhododendron Trail, Mont Chateau Trail, Ridge Trail, Rock City Trail
Distance: 5.4 miles
Elevation: 1259 feet

Sunday we took a nice long hike at Coopers Rock. We hike most of the way down to the lake, but I’d spent a very long time playing in the stream, so decided to turn around so we wouldn’t have to climb an additional 100 feet.

Towards the end of Mont Chateau trail (or rather, before we turned around) we came across this waterfall, which I would love to figure out how to hike down to without injuring myself.

But the best part was spent in the creek. I brought a pair of water shoes, so when we got down to the area I liked so much previously, I rolled up my pants, switched my boots for the water shoes and clambered around in the stream.

It was cold.

But it also felt really good on my bad ankle, so I wasn’t complaining at all.

The stream was gorgeous, and running quite high, as we’ve had rain rain rain rain rain.

I have my Rebel XSi back (I’d loaned it to my parents for their trip to Alaska) and as much I find it so much easier (and less nerve racking) to carry the XSi, the pictures aren’t quite as sharp as my other camera.

But I’m not taking my good camera into a stream. So I’ll just have to live with it. :)

And then I came across a scene that made my day.

You could not have seen that from the bridge. You had to get down and hike in (or alongside) the stream.

Thank you, to whoever left that transient art. It’s marvelous.

GPS Map of Hike

Today’s word is: YUMMY!

Last year I started thinking about all the fresh berries I can get at the Farmer’s Market, and how I often have trouble using them all.

“You know what would be awesome?” I said to myself. “Using them to make homemade ice cream!”
“Self,” I said, “That is a genius idea.”

This was our first attempt at making ice cream. I made strawberry ice cream, from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.

Ingredients for the ice cream were: heavy cream, sugar, CreamLine whole milk (which we can get locally! In GLASS BOTTLES!). The strawberry puree was: strawberries, sugar, lemon juice.

Mash the strawberries with the lemon juice and sugar:

Whisk the sugar into the heavy cream, then add in the whole milk.

I strained the strawberries, and added the juice in after the whole milk.

Pour into the running ice cream maker:

The recipe, helpfully, says, “about two minutes before the ice cream is done, add in the strawberry puree. I just guessed.

Is it done yet? Is it done yet?

Looks done to me!

YUMMY!

Next up, lemon frozen yogurt.

Location: Tomlinson Run State Park
Trails: Fuse Trail, Dynamite Shack Trail, Beech Trail
Distance: 1.7 miles
Elevation: 423 feet

Here is one of the views.

And here is the stuff I found really interesting:

EVERYTHING is not permitted!

I almost forgot, you have to cross a stream at one point, which, considering how much it’s rained (and rained and rained) wasn’t easy going.

There isn’t much blooming right now except my Stella d’Oro day lilies, but they’re making up for the lack elsewhere.

Buttercups (Ranunculus asiaticus) at Tomlinson Run State Park

Stella d’Oro daylilies

Lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus ‘Variegata’) is one of my favorite herbs. I adore the way it looks and the way it smells.