Hiking Oil Creeks trails

I really love Oil Creek state park.  There's nothing like walking through beautiful forests, on a myriad number of trails, and realizing that this place was once clear cut and stunk of oil and was covered in muck. 

This is my favorite part of some of the over 32 miles of trail in the park. It's a long straight stretch through hemlocks running beside a gully.  My entire purpose for going hiking today was getting here and just seeing it.  It gives me this great sense of calm...

Even with dog and child in tow.

and hubby.

Overall, a great day to hike.  I love the return of cool weather.  The kiddo didn't seem to mind it either.

He loved identifying the trail markers, or "Mark-its" as he refers to them.

I hope to get out and hike and enjoy the thick of nature more as the season progresses.

Yet another raised bed (I can sleep there mommy?)

No.  Not that kind of bed.  That will be in a future post about the new bed frame that will arrive at our home sometime in november, I hope...

Anyway, so last Monday, I built another raised bed in my flurry of wanting to be busy.  I'm pretty decent at building these now, speedy, if not precise.

Yes, there is a giant gap at the bottom.  This did not perturb me in the least.  I went to my trusty home depot and bought myself a 2x4x8 and fixed it up.  Filled it with dirt today with the help of my step-dad's trusty truck.  He also smashed into a deer while picking up the second load of dirt, which I now feel terrible about... luckily (and hopefully) no one was hurt, and the damage is mostly superficial.  Still. Ack.  But my raised bed is complete!  This weekend, I will plant things in it so they can establish themselves a bit before winter and be ready to grow more in spring.

Note the addition of said 2x4 at the bottom.  Go me!

I'm also going to plant garlic!  Whee!

One tough cookie. Mmmm... Cookies....

So yesterday morning, we woke up before the sun, woke up the baby, and took an hour and a half drive up to Warren so I could race.  It was cool, in the fifties, but beautiful crisp weather, big puffy clouds with lots of blue sky breaking through... a perfect day for a run.  The drive up was scenic and calm, we found the race start easily, and our friends met us up there well before the beginning of the race.

For once the port-a-johns were clean and uncrowded, and the race crew had set up a station with hand sanitizer and baby wipes, and even bug spray for the people that were running/hiking the four or eleven mile race.  They had fruit and cookies and water available, frankly, this was one of the nicest, best organized race set-ups I've seen.

It was cold, but I took off my jacket before we started, and as I started out, my hands and ears were a little frigid, but I knew they would warm up soon.  The road was dirt, with rocks, and as I was running in my vibrams, I tried to avoid the center of the road, and most of the puddles.

The course was 2 miles uphill, turn around, then 2 miles downhill.  I kept my pace pretty quick, mostly because I was running along-side 2 women who wanted to know more about my shoes.  The benefit of wearing my crazy shoes, is that I'm always getting to talk about them.... at least 10 people had commented on them pre-race.

The thick forest, the cool breeze, the conversation, let me keep my pace under 10 min miles as I continued up the hill.  I felt good.  I lost my companions as we came to the turn around... they continued on the 11 mile run, which though sorely tempted, I knew I wasn't ready for.   Back down the hill.

I high-fived my friend as I passed her going down the hill - she and her friends were only a minute or so behind me.  I opened up and let gravity give me more speed.  I felt great.  I felt only a bit guilty as I passed one woman about a half mile from the finish, and though she stayed right behind me, when I could see the final turn towards the finish line, I opened up my stride and did the patented final sprint towards the finish line.

This was a great race.  Being a trail race took a lot of the pressure off the idea of pace and competition, but I still did great, finishing 22nd overall, first in my age group with a time of 39:18.  Pace of 9:48 per mile. 

We waited for the rest of our group to finish, cheered them on, then headed out.  I changed clothing (awkwardly as always) in the car, then we went off to breakfast.

This is definitely a race I'll be signing up for again next year.

I really dislike spraypaint...

and now my house smells very ick of fumes.  Don't worry, I did use a mask, so no brain-damage for me... hopefully... well.. no more than I already have.

The bedroom radiator is done!  I think it looks amazing, so The rest of the radiators in the house may get the same treatment at some point next summer.  I'm not in a big rush... the process was a bit tedious and pretty messy.

I used aluminum foil to tape off the wall while i was spraying both the orange goop and the spray paint.  I may just get more plastic sheeting next time, but the foil was great to wrap around the nooks and crannies of the radiators.  I did get the floors a little messy, and I think the worse thing was wiping the radiator down after the orange goop was doing it's work.  Definately will use rubber/latex gloves for that process next time, and get some kind of textured rag, or more enduring kitchen scrubbers to wipe off the goop that's done it's job.  The dremel tool really helped for the intricate areas, then i scrubbed the whole thing down with soap and water using more rags and a scrub-brush with towels underneath the thing to catch any drips.

I chose a textured metallic looking spray paint to finish them.  No clear lacquer that I could find would endure the kind of temperatures these things will get to... so I picked out a rustoleum that didn't need a primer.  The smell is awful, but since it's a cool and breezy day, the fumes should dissipate fast.

I think it looks pretty fantastic.  I'll post another picture once it dries and i've removed all the plastic/drop cloth/foil.  Jason says we might leave the foil up to protect us from alien's trying to scan us through that wall.  Suuurreeee....

And here it is!  All done!

Stripping!

So I have a new project.  Since I finished painting the bedroom, and it's mostly decorated, and I finished re-screening the screen porch, since little fingers/paws/noses have enlarged holes in the screen which were there when we moved in... Stripping the radiators!

My husband has been on me for a while about how the paint on the radiators is robbing us of money and efficiency!  So goodbye painted radiators.  Hello antique looking metal.

I actually think it's going to look really nice.  I'm using a goop called Citristrip.  It seemed to work in about 4 hours on the radiator.  I wanted to test a small portion, and it just wiped right off.  I think tomorrow I'll spray most of it with the stuff before we head out in the morning, then see what has happened by the time we get back.  It does smell like oranges, but I don't think I'd want to sleep in the same room where the stuff is doing it's work.

Also - the finished bedroom.  Mostly finished.

I think the green came out pretty well (It looks kinda yellow in the last pictures from the interior light.

The Screen porch also looks great.  I still have a little trim on the outside to finish... and you really can't tell from these photos that there is screen there... but it's unripped and great!  I promise!

Tomorrow, maybe off to get new couches that aren't 24 years old.  Woo.  And maybe a chaise lounge!!!  I'm thrilled.

I know it's been a while... but here I am again...

So It's been... 2 months since I last posted?  Summer has been kind of a whirlwind.  I wish I could say I've been super productive...  but... not so much.  I did get the bedroom finished, and the garden is still doing well.  We had to sell my beloved car... *sniff*  But we're doing alright with only one vehicle so far, until I can get my little beater truck to haul my own dirt and mulch and wood and boulders and such in.  Whee!

We've also had company come to visit us, gotten away one or two weekends ourselves, and pretty much just chase the almost-three-year-old around.  It's exhausting.

Some of my cherry tomatoes.  These are called "Italian Ice, and don't get much darker than the shade of yellow on the end.

Black Krim.  It's kind of deformed.  I don't think that will affect the taste.

The tomato dedicated beds have gone a little wild.  I've done my best to prop them up, but the fruit on the ground seems to be doing fine.

Mmmm.  Can't wait to sample this one on a burger.

A different cherry tomato variety.  Also yellow.  Very sweet though.  MMmmmm.

Broccoli in bloom.  The butterflies LOVE this stuff.

Just some of the tomatoes I picked today.  I gave as many away two days ago.  Did cut some up to put on tacos tonight.  Mmmmm. 

Finally. The finished room.  I picked a mossy green color.  It looks really nice.

The trim was a pain to paint.  Also need to figure out what i'm doing with the radiator.  Going to try to use some "non-toxic" goop to strip the paint off and see what shape the poor things are in underneath.  Would like to have the old iron show through, but if it looks disasterous, might have to find out how one can deal with ugly radiators.

Mmmm raspberry crisp.  I was inspired today.  And this was one of the easiest things I've ever made.

As long as I have a fear of making pies, I think I'll stick to crisps.  Mmmm Happy Desserting!

Kayaking through the wilds...

So tonight, I made dinner.  Beef stew.  I had a plan.  Have dinner ready right when hubby got home, then coerce him to maneuver the cars so I could go kayaking.  My plan succeeded. I hopped in the wagon with the baby, he jumped in the car with the kayak.  We met up at where I would end up at the finish of my kayak journey, jumped back into my car with the kayak, drove up to where I wanted to start my trip, he dropped me off, then returned to fetch the other car whilst leaving my car there so I could bring the kayak home when I was finished.

Whew.  I know.  Sounds complicated. And it is.  But really, it's the easiest way to start out a kayak trip and not have to worry about relying on someone to pick you up after.  And I knew I could take my time without inconveniencing hubby or baby or hopefully any rescue authorities (since I left my PFD, BAD TIFFANY).

So I started out.  I love kayaking here.  It's the outlet of Geneva Swamp, which is an outlet for Conneaut lake, so the small stream is called Conneaut Oulet, I think.  It starts at a rusty old bridge on the opposite side of the swamp and is this beautiful, nature, life-filled, secluded place.  It never passes a residence except when it meets French Creek.  I always see a ton of bird life, insects, and mammals.  Ranging from bald eagles, muskrats, owls, red-winged black birds, frogs, turtles, herons, deer, insects of all shapes and sizes and colors and bite proficiency (bring lots of spray), and more!  There is also a myriad of plant life, from flowers to grasses to soo much poison - ivy in certain areas I try not to splash the water on myself for fear that I will get it purely by contact with the water the stuff is growing all around.

Tonight was no exception to the wild-life sightings.  I found out that snapping turtle can climb pretty scary high up in mostly horizontal trees.  Even giant snapping turtles.  I swear it was trying to ambush me.

I also found out that the bald eagle that lives in this area perches in the same trees every damn time I kayak, and I always forget about this until the next time I kayak there and still miss the tree it is in until I'm under the tree and hear the great WHOOSH SHOOSH of wings.

I also did not take my telephoto lens.  So here the guy/girl is, if you can make it out.  Also, while I was floating along, enjoying the beauty of this majestic bird of prey, 2 immature baldies flew back and forth around the parent.

We've had a ton of rain in recent days, so the water is very high... but this place is so beautiful an quiet and amazing.  I always feel like the only person alive in the world when I go here.  Until some plane flies over or I hear the clunk of a truck crossing a bridge in the distance...

Then there was the most exciting part of the evening.  The strange creature did not move from the bank of the creek as I got closer.  She stared at me.  I stared at her.

Why Hello there!  Aren't you Cute!

And Inquisitive!  I have to say that seeing this little heifer during my kayak trip was the highlight.  I've always liked cows.  She came right over to check me out, and when I didn't offer her more than a couple sweet words, she turned and headed back away from the bank.  It made my night.

I really love kayaking back here.  I always see/hear/feel/experience something new.  I always get a greater appreciation of nature and how much more life there is around water...  oh, and mosquitoes.  Lots of bug spray.