Paw Paw

Following a semi-traditional Thanksgiving of roasted pork instead of turkey, our family journeyed to the property late on Friday.

On Saturday our seven year-old committed to climbing Cacapon Mountain and invited me along.  We parked on Power House Road and entered the woods at power line easement.  For more than an hour we hiked, climbed, and clawed our way up the 800 foot incline.  At the halfway mark we stopped near five large power poles to split a Cliff bar and rest.  The scenery was wonderful, offering a view of the town of Cacapon to the west and the Potomac river basin to the east.  The trip was made even more enjoyable by the handheld radio which allowed us to talk with mommy and brother every thirty minutes.  Wisely we agreed to save the other cereal bar, just in case, and to descend without going up and further. We will be back to conquer the rest of the mountain!

Seldom do I have an opportunity to drink fresh rainwater from naturally occuring falls, yet this weekend I did it twice in two days.  At the end of our hike we discovered an outcropping of rocks at the trail head with a small seasonal waterfall where we refilled our Nalgene bottle.  The second time would be on Sunday.

After the hike we skunked around the railroad tracks near the green bridge, then radioed "base camp" to see if they wanted us to bring chicken wings from the deli.  Naturally that offer received an affirmative response.

On Sunday we made a spontaneous journey to the Paw Paw Tunnel, an historic attraction some thirty minutes away, by car.  The 3,100 foot tunnel, which was built by hand around 1840, allowed boats to circumnavigate the Potomac River before it was made obsolete in the 1920s.   The walk is a unique experience through the near pitch black passage with only light at the end for what seems like an eternity.  On the far side we heated Beef Stew using the backpacking stove.  The fact that we had only one spoon made the two servings seem more than adequate for the four of us.  (I nearly fell over when our four year-old ate all his peas and carrots, and said it was the best meal he'd ever had!)

Before walking back through the tunnel we filled our Nalgene bottle again, this time with rainwater that exited the woods down the rock face above the tunnel.

The rest of the weekend was spent in a sort of relaxing fashion.  The boys flew paper parachutes and helicopters from the loft.  We cracked butternuts, baked bread, fried fish, shared mean bean soup, and drank "mountain dew" rainwater tea.  Mommy said she felt as though she were convalescing at an independent living facility.  I guess that is the point, afterall.

Autumn Color

Got off to a late start Saturday after doing the necessary chores at home.  (Owning a vacation home clarifies the reasons to not have a vacation home.)

We hauled some 300 lb. of salt with us to feed the cabin's water softener this winter.  I'm fairly sure that shipping salt everywhere, and carrying it up two flights of stairs, is not a sustainable system.  I have yet to discover the alternative, but I am convinced there must be one.

On Sunday morning, my wife and eldest son walked to the green bridge, the same destination he and I sought two weeks ago.  He even managed on the return walk to survive a slide down the same hill he and I stopped at.


While they were hiking, my younger son demonstrated how Stomp Rockets can be used to strike at bird nests.  I offered him a dollar if he could land one in a trash can, but he soon changed the bet to pay himself a dollar if he could land a rocket on the roof of the cabin.

Later Mommy made an emergency trip to the drug store while the rest of us played archery.  Fortunately she returned with Chinese food in time to save the family again.

Many goals were accomplished during our short visit.  No fewer than ten black walnuts were planted in hopes of growing trees.  We planted a patch of Jerusalem Artichokes--an edible, native tubor that is neither from Jerusalem, nor an artichoke--in hopes of harvesting them next fall.  A new shelf was installed in the shed for drying walnuts (or, in our case this year, butternuts).

Mommy made spaghetti on Saturday and we ate at Weavers's of Hancock on the way out Sunday.

Pictured above, Cliff Bar seasonal flavors include gingerbread and pumpkin spice.  Mommy thought about buying them, and Daddy did!

No Cacapon

We stayed home this weekend.  All weekend.

Closed down the vegetable garden, an annual effort of the heart.  Sunday morning was started with breakfast at Bob Evans, a ritual now.  Harvested the remaining potatoes and Jerusalem artichoke.  The latter is neither from Jerusalem, nor an artichoke.  It is a tuber, deciduous to Maryland, cooks like a potato and easy to grow.

Next weekend we will be lucky if we get one day at 1033 Clarion.  There is still much to do around they yard.  Which is good.

First CRMPOA Meeting

Thankfully we got a full autumn weekend by the river this week, Friday to Sunday evening.  Better still, the time-change provided an extra hour of sleep (or of raking leaves, depending).

Saturday was the semi-annual meeting of the Property Owners Association, and our first such event.  The group met at 11:00 at the church in the middle of town followed by a social luncheon hosted by one of the members.  At the business meeting they decided, among other things, to build a hand-rail at the common area, give $200 to a local food bank, and participate in the July 4th parade next year.  We had an opportunity to introduce ourselves and got to meet many of our friendly neighbors.

They are a varied and eclectic bunch: some young, others old; some retired, some semi-retired; many weekenders, like ourselves, and some full-timers; some liberals and some conservatives; all good people.  I'm undecided on which topic of conversation I enjoyed the most.  There was the discussion of Spence, a deceased resident whose spirit apparently inhabits the subdivision now.  Then there was talk about one of the neighborhood artist/authors whose first fiction book set in New Orleans is too racy to repeat.  Finally, there was one gentleman who sadly reported his rocks were being stolen.  I'd kindly offer him my rocks, but it was all too sensitive.

Sunday was a treat too.  As a family with two kids, so often my attention is split between the boys and we end up doing most everything as a group.  Today, however, my elder son and I hiked to the green bridge and back by ourselves.  Later we climbed around the closets outcropping of rocks, some of the oldest in the world, I am told.  The whole thing was joyous.

The menu this weekend included bacon and egg sandwiches, baked ham, cabbage soup, steaks on the stove, boiled potatoes, salad, rice, and hot dogs and hamburgers over the open flame.  The shower was hot, the beer was cold, and the kids were singing and playing.  It is almost hard to imagine life getting any better.

Pictured above, with Halloween behind us, the jack-o-lanterns are becoming restless.

Early Snow

Our decision to go to the property late Saturday was partially based on curiosity.  Snow late this week was the earliest in the season our family has seen snow ever.  We were curious what the property looked like after an early snow.  What we found was very impressive.  Many trees still had colorful leaves which contrasted nicely to the white now.  And, our jack-o-lanterns survived without aggression by squirrel, deer, or bear.

Sunday I walked for the first time to the nearby deli, about a mile away.  It was a good walk dotted with points of interest like a tree fallen in the river, another tree laying on a sagging power line, and a friendly neighbor asking whether our cable TV was out.  I easily convinced him that we do not have cable, but was not so successful at diagnosing his cable trouble.

The family enjoyed a spaghetti dinner before returning late on Sunday.