Mt Hale

Zeus OS’s first White Mountain Four Thousand Footers.

Zeus, originally uploaded by Zeus Ocean Storm.

Mt Hale @ 4,054 ASL. #37 of 48 on the list. Miles hiked - 4.6. Elevation gained - 2,300 feet. For more pictures, visit my Flickr.

Zeus’s first 4k was a fabulousuccess. I chose Mt Hale for familiarity, this is at least my third time up. It’s a good trail and introduction to peak bagging.

We got to the trail head just before 9 am. After one false start, 100 yards into the forest, along with the whining of mosquitos, reminded us of the left behind bug repellant.

The hike up took two hours, about the same as the book time. We saw no one on the trail on the way up. Zeus would hike ahead, off lead, to either the limit of my sight, voice or warning clucks. He quickly learned how far ahead he could go before turning to look back with his dog attitude, “Dude, you are slow!” We paused at the halfway point, the second stream crossing, to catch our breaths, rest our feet, and hydrate.

The second half seemed quicker and easier. I eased into a steady rhythm for breathing, pace and pausing. Soon enough, the trail turned into the final pitch upward with the welcome view of blue sky and clouds ahead. We popped onto the summit clearing. There were two sets of hikers already there. One couple and a father with his two daughters. I told them Zeus was friendly and said if he proved to be a pest, I would put him on a leash. Zeus walked to each person, said hi, (no sniffing at nose height, no jumping up, just a tail wagging walkby for a stroke of acknowledgement). Good Dog.

They left, the father with daughters down the path we came up, the couple off towards Zealand Falls. Zeus and I meandered about and rested for a few more moments, then headed back to return via the way we had come - Hale Brook Trail.

Along the way down, we met up with other sets of hikers. Zeus continued to prove his respectful friendliness, now with a twist. After each set had gone up and we continued down, he approached my left side - where the treat bag is - looked up to me for his reinforcing for good behavior treat.

On the way down, we paused at the lower falls for a few moments. Zeus came over and sat beside me, then leaned in to myside, panting, smiling, relaxing. With shared silence, we both knew that life is good and there would be more hikes together.

Down the trail and shortly beyond, we came up some more hikers cavorting in the cooling brook. Zeus busted down from the trail to say hi to each, as was his modus operandi. I stayed up on the trail, hoping he wouldn’t uintentionally knock anyone over (he didn’t), and also hoping that I would not have to go down there after him. Per the Zeus MO, after saying hi, he bounded up the hillside back to the trail, came to myside, smiling for his treat.

We got back to car. Stopped in Jackson for traditional post-hiking ice cream, and got home in due time.

Then, that night, about 8 PM, Zeus came to myside, looked up, expecting his nightly walk down to the dead-end of the road and back. We stayed, will do it tonight.

CarboNeutral

I’m hardly carboneutral. This is my summer estate.

Wild Thing II with BigBlue, originally uploaded by Zeus Ocean Storm.

However, that being said. The 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 4×4 2500HD with the 8.1L engine spends more of its time in the yard than on the road. It’s the first vehicle I’ve ever had where the warranty ran out of time before it ran out of miles. It is a sturdy workhorse for its intended purpose, providing horsepower for RV’ing adventures. Has passed lesser vehicles going uphill, while under load. Over the past three years, the average MPG indicates 888 gallons of gas consumed.

The commute vehicle, gets 52-56 PMPG, on many and most days. That’s Passenger Miles Per Gallon. Yes, I carpool for my commute. For the past two years, the average MPG indicates 838 gallons of gas consumed.

But wait, there is more. Annually, according to my heating oil provider, 900 gallons of fuel oil is consumed to heat the house and the water. This is my next action item, get off and out of using nonrenewable heating system. Geothermal is my targeted source. Fully natural, not even really renewable in the true sense of the world. Using the naturally stable temperature of the deeper earth, pump heat out in the winter, pump heat back in the summer. If I add enough solar panels, with battery storage systems; once my initial investment is recovered, except for necessary servicing routines, the heating and cooling become essentially free.

Going Renewable

Well, I am on my quest to go energy renewable. Let it be known that this is independent from any politically quest, although parallel with, to go carboneutral. I live in the northeast. Well, call it Maine. Up here, the tradition has been to heat with fuel oil, zoned houses, and baseboard (modern radiator) heat. Typically, I use 900 gallons of the petroleum stuff. At now $4.65/gallon, doing the math, the ROI for alternative, the new primary, sources of heat deserve to be explored. The rule of thumb ROI, at current rates for electricity and fuel oil, for my evolving intentions, is 5 - 10 years.

What I envision is replacing my fuel oil furnace with a geothermal/heat pump system. This may involve ripping out all the existing radiators (baseboard), and replacing them with ducted central air. There are bonuses involved, besides selling off the copper piping. I will have both central heat and central air conditioning.

Concurrent with this system upgrade, I will also be adding solar panels, wind generator, and probably battery storage systems.

The concept is sound. The feasibility study now begins.

Bureaucracy or Adhocracy?

I found these incompatible complimentary binary terms today. Will add more later.

It started when I had to google my butchered spelling of bureacracy. First iteration was so bad that Word spellcheck wouldn’t touch it. Google, being smarter, guided me towards correct and orderly letter placement. Then tripped me into Wikipedia. Always a great excursion into knowing and learning more.

The Wiki page for bureaucrcacy, included the previous unknown term adhocracy. “Adhocracy is a type of organization being antonymous to bureaucracy. The term was first popularized in 1970 by Alvin Toffler[1], and has since become often used in the theory of management of organizations (particularly online organizations), further developed by academics such as Henry Mintzberg.” What a super & superbcool word and concept!

It got me thinking.

I was using the word bureaucracy in a fax to my supplemental insurance carrier while expressing my concern over repetitive and redundant claim paperwork. Except for the date of my signature, nothing in the form had changed over the past four months of three prior submissions. Seems like the duck is stuck on stupid.

I was still thinking. This time of the bureaucracy that had molded my professional experticse and experience. I resisted them too. For 21 years, I served in a global aersopace security and delivery service. 400,000+ employees, in two classes, commissioned and enlisted. Not to mention temporary contingency and supplemental contract workers, along with local nationals and third country nationals, scattered into part-time and near full time. Or to put it more simply and eliminate the bureaucratic baffle speak, I was a Senior Master Sargent in the United States Air Force. Status - active duty. Not Guard. Not Reserve. The USAF is a superb bureaucracy.

Since retirement, really transition to civilian status, I have worked for smaller employers. Neither over 100. Bureaucracy didn’t work. I struggle some about this to this day.

So my thinking led me to this conclusion. They were adhocracies! Small, nimble, collaborative problem solving, and all the best things that smaller businesses can become. Now, with this awareness, I can appreciate the need to temper my bureaucratic tendencies.

That is not to say that there is not the need for consistent applications of repeated processes and policies. Remain flexible and adaptive to the situation.

This is a good thing. Do you think I should thank the duck?

My First Smoker

I have one now. To compliment my general purpose barbecue. I’ve never had one or done one before. So this was my first time. What I have now is a Cabela’s 7:1 outfit. I think 4 of the 7 are fuel sources, and the other 3 of the seven are configuration in nature. The technical documentation doesnt’t make that clear.

So, I spent five hours today, smoking a two - three hour brisket. I kept the temperature conservative for the first four hours, while I watched the dual remote thermometer track the cooker and meat temperatures. For the last hour, I got aggressive on the temperature. In between, I basted - mopped, the meat while monitoring all the vital parameters.

At the end, we had a pretty good brisket. Certainly opportunities for improvement. Specifically, more less conservative temperature control.

The adventure continues.

WC 136

Freeport 2008

“I like the dreams of the future better than the histories of the past.” Thomas Jefferson

Freeport 2008, originally uploaded by Zeus Ocean Storm.

The Fourth of July, Independence Day, the birthday of the United States of America, is our most important holiday. We celebrate this day with parades, family barbecues, fireworks, and hopeful reflections on our country. This was my day, as it was last year, as it will be in the future.

Democracy is the the living flame that illuminates life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Republic to which it stands adds needed and necessary structure to our never ending, always ongoing quest for liberty and justice for all.

Dog Thoughts

Peaking around the couch, originally uploaded by Zeus Ocean Storm.

Dog books from my library.

Good Dog. Stay. By Anna Quindlen (New York Times Bestselling Authorh. 2007. 82 numbered pages. LibraryThing popularity – 38975. 111 LT’ers have this book. 3 stars

Marley & Me by john grogan (New York Times Bestseller). 2005. 291 numbered pages. LT popularity – 512. 2901 LT’ers have this book. 5 stars

Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp (The New York Times Bestseller). 1999. 249 numbered pages. LT popularity – 18655. 179 LT’ers have this book. 2 stars

Merle’s Door by Ted Kerasote. (Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award) 2007. 398 numbered pages. LT popularity – 23624. 182 LT’ers have this book. 5 stars

The Art of Raising a Puppy by The Monks of New Skete. 1991. 274 numbered pages. LT popularity – 17408. 198 LT’ers have this book. 4 stars

The Official Book of the Labrador Retriever by Dr. Bernard W. Ziessow, Editor. 1995. 448 numbered pages. LT popularity - 2,475,937. 1 LT’er has this book – me. 4 stars

1,344 pages across 6 books.

Star system defined (WIP):
5 – glad I read it, read it again
4 – good for what it was
3 – could have lived without reading it
2 – should have not read it
1 – should have not bought it, aka, What was I thinking?

So what does all this mean? Dogs enter and leave our lives, living a condensed existence from puppy, to teeanager, adulthood, middle age, old age, then beyond, leaving forever holes in our heart. The two best books (5 stars) tell great tales of wild and loyal dogs. Marley in an urban environment. Merle in a rural environment. Marley is pure lab, Merle has lab influences. Dogs teach us how to live our lives. Both books can be read again.

Why read books on Labs? Because I’ve had four in my past and my fifth one is here with me. They are all always with me. Jackie from the Brunswick shelter. Donovan de Donar from a Tucson pet store. Chani Frontier Thunder from western Nebraska. Thor tres Thunder from Auburn, Alabama. And now, Zeus Ocean Storm from a dedicated breeder up the road, around the corner and across the county and town line.

Why Labs? I’ve found them to be loyal, friendly and obedient companions. We have walked many miles together. Zeus will be doing his first NH 4K a week from tomorrow. We train together daily.

Roman Baths

Roman Baths, originally uploaded by Zeus Ocean Storm.

Bath, England

Premature Solicitation

Well, I knew it was going to happen, just didn’t realize it would happen prematurely. I’m approaching a milestone - half-century of existence - birthday. In two months and small change. Yesterday, in the mail, I received my first AARP solicitation, proudly proclaiming that I might be eligible to possibly save money on car insurance. No big deal, I have a shredder. There will be more to come. Soon, I’ll become an eligible card carrying senior citizen discount seeker, or not. I might look to young. Just ask me.

Albert Einstein - The Philosopher

Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”

Today, I will live the other way.