Dragonflies and Color

Dragonflies and Color

The Fuzz's posts have been mostly colorless lately.

So perhaps it's time to take a break and add a bit of color.

So here's another one from the archives.

The Fuzz was over in the woods trying to photograph Dragonflies, when he came upon this little spot of light and couldn't resist trying to capture it.

It is a nice change from this cold and grey time of year.

A South Mountain Day

It's hard to believe that The Fuzz has been back from the coast for 3 weeks already.  But as they say "When you're over the hill, you pick up speed."

Well, be that as it may...

The Fuzz and His sweetie felt like it was time to get away for a few hours in the mountains.  They are fortunate to live within a short drive to South Mountains State Park- just over the county line.

This was a favorite destination for years.  Most summer vacations were spent  here at the Shinny Creek campsite.

The place is still here, although a bit fancier these days.

The campground is kinda small by some standards-

only 4 campsites strung out along the creek.

But the water is clean and cold.

And although it is not encouraged, The Fuzz has always found it to be delicious!

But this was not a camping trip, so after a brief rest, The Fuzz and His Sweetie kept on moving up the Shinny Trail.

The Fuzz couldn't help getting a few pix along the way.

After following the creek for quite a ways, this Trail makes a turn and starts up a rocky spur to the crest of the mountain.

It can get a little steep in places.

But there are always things to enjoy along the way.

And of course there is a nice view from up there.

This is where the hawks do their thing.

And up here one is on their level, kinda personal.

This is one place were one can even have a "birds eye view" of the bird!

But you might have to be quick about it.

Well, it was nice but it was time to head on down the trail....

Wobbly legs and all.

It was a pleasant break.

Here in the Old North State we are blessed with a coast...

And mountains-

And everything between.

Going to the Tree Bank

Not long ago The Fuzz went into the woods for some firewood.

It's not all gone yet... But with all this winter we've been having lately, it was going up in smoke fast.

So it was time for another round of woodcutting.

While The Fuzz is kinda susceptible to that P-Factor, he was ready for this one.

With all the snow & ice the ground would be much too soggy to take his vehicle into the woods.  So it was time to make a withdrawal from the Tree Bank.

The Tree Bank is when The Fuzz finds a dead or dying tree and marks it for later.

The ones closest to the trailer are saved for when he needs wood in a hurry and close to home.

This seemed  like the right time for this one.

It came down pretty easily- no hangups in the other trees, which is not only a pain in the ass, but a bit dangerous.

Now all that was left was to cut the sucker up.

The Fuzz started at the top since those pieces wouldn't have to be split.  Then he worked his way down from there until he ran out of gas.  That was when he realized there was no more chain oil.

Oh well.

Well, he and His Sweetie had been cooped up since the snow had started, so they were ready for a ride into town anyway.  It was a chance to take care of some errands and a tasty Thai dinner.

The next day The Fuzz got back on the job.

What was left was the main trunk.  In this area it was straddling this depression.

The Fuzz was hoping to be able to cut this thing up without having to roll it around.*  So he drove a couple of smaller pieces up under it so that  when he cut it in half, it would still be off the ground-

And it worked!

Now it was time to fire up the old log splitter.

This guy can be a bit unhappy about getting going in cold weather.  I suppose that is a hint that one should cut one's wood ahead of time!

But Our Fuzz has a few tricks up his sleeve.  It this case his trusty can of ether.**

The splitting was a lot of work, but went okay.

He switched to vertical mode for the last few-and largest- pieces. 

So now there is once again, a respectable woodpile.  The Fuzz is hoping it'll last through the rest of the winter.

*In these situations one does not want to let one's chain cut into the ground.  It kinda messes things up.

**He used this stuff for years to get his old truck crunk in the morning to get in to work.

Snowmageddon ?

Snowmageddon?

That's what the BBC was calling it.

Looks like those Yankees were catching it.

It wasn't so bad here in the Woods.

But The Fuzz didn't feel much like riding anywhere.

In fact, neither The Fuzz or His Sweetie have gone anywhere-

other than a walk-

Since Thursday.

There was a bit of winter happening here in the Woods.

And hungry birdies in the morning.

Won't be sitting out here today.

Hope them fishies are okay down there!

The Fuzz did get out in the woods for a bit and here's a few pix.

The Fuzz does like to see at least one snow in a winter.  It reminds him of the Old Country*.  Around here we can enjoy the novelty of a good snow.  It gives us an excuse to stay home- the stores have been cleaned out anyway.

We were lucky here and the power never went out.

The Fuzz hopes those folks up north make out okay, it looks pretty rough up there.

*The shameful truth is that The Fuzz actually has a bit of a yankee background himself.

Sunrise In The Woods

These Winter mornings make it easy to be up in time to greet the sun-

Assuming the sky is clear!

One can tell when the sun is about to pop into sight by watching the treetops.

Then it's time to watch the east.

Of course the clear skies also bring cold mornings!

But that's what they make warm clothes for.

And if one is already up anyway-

Why not grab a camera.

It is possible to view these things through a window-

But that makes for a lousy pix.

So The Intrepid Fuzz pulled on his hoodie and stepped out into this bracing morning air.

Out of the Woods & and Split

It was about a week ago that The Fuzz finally got around to cutting that tree he had been putting off.

It may be remembered that he had left the wood down there at the time.

But it was not due to that P-Factor this time.

He did have some concern over the state of the "road" going in there.

The intention was to somehow get the wood transported to the vicinity of the Log Splitter.

Some of the smaller pieces had already been moved "old school" with a wheelbarrow, but this would not do for the big stuff.

But not having a nice 4x4 truck* available, the only option (other than that wheelbarrow) was to pull in there with his trailer.

And this had to be pulled with a Honda Accord-

Not exactly a stump jumper!

Actually, the road/trail was not all that bad;

But there was a wet spot that had him concerned.

And it would be uphill on the way out- loaded.

But the weather had promised to stay relatively dry for a few days, so he was hoping to give some time for it to dry out just a bit more.

But now, with rain on the way, this was the day.

He made it in OK.

As can be seen, it's not exactly the Freeway.

But there was plenty of room to turn around.

He got the first load on.

It will be noticed that there was still a bit of the trunk remaining uncut.  To be honest about it, The Absent Minded Fuzz had kinda forgotten about it.  But no problem, he'd just bring the saw back when he came for the next load-

Assuming he made it out with the first one!

But there were no problems with that load, or the next.

And all the wood made it safely up to the splitter.

It was a perfect opportunity to continue the job.  But that required a trip out of the woods for some gas, and a new spark plug.

After a "Wine & Cheese" break** with His Sweetie, The Fuzz went to work, and by the evening there was a nice pile of spit wood.

Now the rain has set back in.

There were still a few of the larger blocks he didn't have time to get to.

But he'll get to that soon enough.

Some of those guys are a bit bigger- 18" diameter.

So he'll probably tip the splitter into the vertical mode so as not to have to lift them suckers.

But all in all, the operation was a success, and The Fuzz and His Sweetie should be able to stay warm over the rest of the Holidays.

*Actually, The Fuzz does have a truck.  But the thing laid down on him once too many times.  It sits in the Driveway at the old place waiting for him to either fix the piece of crap- or junk it!

**The Fuzz realizes that operating power equipment after drinking wine is not recommended- Yeah.  Ok.

On the Ground

Both of our loyal readers will remember how The Fuzz and His Sweetie rely on the old woodstove to stay toasty this time of year.

Well that "P-Factor" is a factor here as well.

One of the neighbors out here in the woods had given Our Fuzz a dead oak tree.

But the thing was, it was down in the woods-

and still standing.

And this is where that "P-Factor" came into play again.

There were a few smaller ones nearby, but The Fuzz had already gotten to them.  He would finally have to face the big one.

He still doesn't know why he had put this off like this.  Really, he has handled bigger ones before- some really big!

Maybe he's just getting old-

But then...

It's probably just Laziness- and that "P-Factor".

But not even The Fuzz wants to spend the winter freezing his tush off.

It was one of those trees where the saw won't quite reach all the way through.  But that doesn't have to be a problem for an experienced wood cutter like Our Fuzz.

It turned out that the tree fell right where it was planned.

There is a sort of a road down into these woods.

But there is one kinda wet spot.

These blocks are bigger than they look in these pix and will have to be split up of course.  And the best way to handle this is naturally with power tools*.  But there is no way The Fuzz wants to pull that heavy splitter down here with that little Accord.

At this point the plan is to wait a couple more days, and hope that the "road" dries out enough to get in-

and out-

with the trailer.

The splitting will be done at his own woodlot-

with Power Tools.

*The Fuzz actually took a shot at splitting this stuff Old School with a maul.  It wasn't going all that well.  And besides- that's why they make power tools anyway.

Micro Forest

While waiting for guests to arrive on Christmas Day, The Fuzz decided to have a stroll in the woods.

It was a nice day with beautiful weather.

Among the other woodsy wonders, he discovered this Micro Tree.

And not only 1 Micro Tree, but

A whole Micro Forest.

A forest within a forest.

Looks like this may be some kind of a fractal thing.

Camping

Long time, no post!

Well, that's just the way it's been going lately.

But it's not like The Fuzz and His Sweetie have been sitting on their hands or something.

Any how...

The Fuzz and His Sweetie had walked down to a nearby creek to enjoy some Wine and Cheese together.

Whilst there, The Fuzz remarked that it made him want to go camping.  And She agreed.

It must be understood that there is a history here.

Many years ago, it was while living in the forest that The Fuzz and His Sweetie first met.

And they lived quite happily like that that for some time before returning to civilization...

and younguns, and jobs etc.

And so, the Woods have always held a special place for them.

So on the spur of the moment, they decided to head over to South Mountain State Park, which is only about 20 minutes away.

It was nice.

Very nice.

It was a chance to get in one last camp before the cold weather sets in.

The Little Tease

It may seem that life could get kinda boring out here in the woods.  But the truth is, there is always something going on.

Here's one of the many kitties that are often seen around here.  So what to do when one is tired of chasing birds?

Squirrels, of course !

This requires a lot of patience.

This went on for quite a while.  The Fuzz had plenty of time to get his camera out.  He thinks Kitty must have more patience than he does !

Finally, the little scamp has decided to come down.

What is he, crazy ?

What ?

Why that little *@#% !

It was all a trick !

Snow, Yes This Time

Here's the latest on our Snow Event out here in the woods.

The snow had pretty much stopped by 16:00, or rather had turned to sleet.  The sleet went on into the night.  But in the morning the snow picked back up again.  The Fuzz put on his boots, and went out to tend to the critters.

He was able to catch this shot of one of the elusive Snow Kitties found in these woods.

Of course, all the kitties were not quite so thrilled with the weather.

As of 08:00, we seem to have around 4" on the ground in the woods.

The Fuzz couldn't resist these couple of closeups.

They claim the snow should continue through the day, but as this is being written, not much is happening.  However, things being what they are, it looks like The Fuzz and Family will just stay put for now.