Bridge Day, Carter Caves and beaver dams

Jerry and I went to Bridge Day, October 21, 2006 at New River Gorge, West Virginia. The weather was't too bad and we had a great time. Jerry did two tandem 876' rappels and two solo rappels. I was so proud to be his girlfriend.

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Originally uploaded by Crazy climber.

Beavers are busy little creatures. Read the following posts about beavers.

Carter Caves State Resort Park - Beavers at work

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Originally uploaded by Crazy climber.

A more sweeping view of the beavers work. It was a big change from the prior visit I had made to this area.

Beaver City

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Originally uploaded by Crazy climber.

Jerry's photo of Horn Hollow Valley at Carter Caves State Resort Park, Kentucky. We were so intrigued by the differences in the valley after the beavers did their work. Read the following article about the beavers and their dam.

Beavering -

Jerry and I went to Carter Caves State Resort Park recently for a hike. Carter Caves is a place which has wormed its way into my very identity. Memories, feelings, love, drama, adolescence, motherhood, family, fitness, grief, history - parts of my life, all of which roots in Carter Caves.

As Jerry and I were walking through a beloved valley, the terrain became unfamiliar. The ground became marshy, the watercourse changed. It was almost disorienting. One minute I knew where I was, the next minute it all looked different. I looked forward into the valley and saw that the whole thing had turned into one big pond, more sunlight streamed into the valley. Most of the valley's trees were gone, ruts, ditches, and rivulets ran in stranged places. A giant beaver dam stretched from one side of the valley into the other.

I knew that beavers liked this valley. I've had encounters with them before on many occasions. But - this was the first time I had witnessed such an engineering beaver marvel. Here are Jerry's pictures of their work. It's something to behold. Rome may not have been built in a day by humans, but now beavers are a different story...

While researching beavers and dam building, I came across these comicals letters. One is from the state of Michigan to a landowner, upon whose land (the beavers hadn't researched the deed) the beavers had squatted. The other is the landowner's response to the beavers. I enjoyed the reading.


LETTER TO LAND OWNER

December 17, 1997
CERTIFIED
Mr. Ryan DeVries 2088 Dagget Pierson, MI 49339
Dear Mr. DeVries:

SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023-1 T11N, R10W, Sec. 20, Montcalm County

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files show that no permits have been issued.

Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws annotated. The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris dams and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all unauthorized activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the strewn channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 1998. Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request, or any further unauthorized activity on the site, may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter.
Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price District Representative Land and Water Management Division

REPLY

Dear Mr. Price:

Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N, R10W, Sec 20; Montcalm County

Your certified letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed to me to respond to. You sent out a great deal of carbon copies to a lot of people, but you neglected to include their addresses. You will, therefore, have to send them a copy of my response.

First of all, Mr. Ryan DeVries is not the legal landowner and/or contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan - I am the legal owner and a couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, nor authorize, their dam project, I think they would be highly offended you call their skillful use of natural building materials "debris." I would like to challenge you to attempt to emulate their dam project any dam time and/or any dam place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no dam way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

As to your dam request the beavers first must fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity, my first dam question to you is: are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers or do you require all dam beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request? If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, please send me completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits. Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws annotated.

My first concern is - aren't the dam beavers entitled to dam legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said dam representation - so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event causing dam flooding is proof we should leave the dam Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names. If you want the dam stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition - contact the dam beavers - but if you are going to arrest them (they obviously did not pay any dam attention to your dam letter-being unable to read English) - be sure you read them their dam Miranda rights first.

As for me, I am not going to cause more dam flooding or dam debris jams by interfering with these dam builders. If you want to hurt these dam beavers - be aware I am sending a copy of your dam letter and this response to PETA. If your dam Department seriously finds all dams of this nature inherently hazardous and truly will not permit their existence in this dam State - I seriously hope you are not selectively enforcing this dam policy, or once again both I and the Spring Pond Beavers will scream prejudice!

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their dam unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green, and water flows downstream. They have more dam right than I to live and enjoy Spring Pond. So, as far as I and the beavers are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more dam elevated enforcement action now. Why wait until 1/31/98? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then, and there will be no dam way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then. In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality (health) problem: bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the dam beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! (The bears are not careful where they dump!) Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

Sincerely,

Stephen L. Tvedten

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th. For the next several hours, millions of superstitious individuals across the country will hold their breath anticipating misfortune. Others will avoid leaving the house altogether, refusing to drive, shop or work on the ill-fated day.

It occurs only once every 213 days. (365.25 days / 12 x 7). Friday the 13th has always been deemed to be unlucky. Fear of it is called paraskevidekatriaphobia (what a mouthful!) There are various reasons for this but some statistics seem to indicate there is a reason to worry on Friday the 13th. Here are some of the indicators of Friday the 13th's unluckiness:

1. In the US there is a statistically significant greater number of suicides and homicides on Friday the 13th.

2. Traffic accidents increase by 52%.

3. In Finland, women have a greater chance of dying in a traffic accident on Friday the 13th.

4. Many ear, nose and throat surgeons believe that there is more bleeding during a tonsillectomy performed on Friday the 13th.

5. More people feeling a heightened state of anxiety on the day (nocebo effect).

6. Allegedly, the Knights Templar were destroyed on Friday, October 13, 1307. This day was so infamous that Friday the 13th would become a synonym for ill fortune. Officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests in a well-coordinated dawn raid that left several thousand Templars — knights, sergeants, priests, and serving brethren — in chains, charged with heresy, blasphemy, various obscenities, and homosexual practices. None of these charges was ever proven, even in France — and the Order was found innocent elsewhere — but in the seven years following the arrests, hundreds of Templars suffered excruciating tortures intended to force 'confessions,' and more than a hundred died under torture or were executed by burning at the stake." The Da Vinci Code novel claims that this event single handedly caused the unlucky outlook of Friday the 13th.
However, scholars who have deeply studied Friday the 13th as an unlucky day, find that it begain in the 19th century. If people who lived before the late 1800s perceived Friday the 13th as a day of special misfortune, no evidence has been found to prove it. As a result, some scholars are now convinced the stigma is a thoroughly modern phenomenon exacerbated by 20th-century media hype.

6. Heavy metal band Black Sabbath's first, self-titled album was released in the UK on Friday the 13th, February 1970. Novelist Daniel Handler, also known as Lemony Snicket, Released the 13th book of the Series of Unfortunate Events on Friday the 13th of October 2006.

7. Hospital accidents increase on Friday the 13th.

Am I worried? Nah. Today, I shall have my strong, handsome, capable man with me. I know he can keep me safe, protect me, avoid killing me, protect me from suicide, drive me carefully, take me to a non-superstitious ENT surgeon should my tonsils begin to bleed (I do have a mild sinus infection and a sore throat), give me a glass of wine when I feel anxious, not let me listen to Black Sabbath, take the Lemony Snicket novel out of my hand should I begin to read, and -- if I should go to the hospital today, keep the nurses from spilling coffee on me, hold my hand when I walk on a newly mopped floor and keep the bed rails up.

If you want to protect yourself from the evils of Friday the 13th, get your own JERRY!

A Fairy Tale

Ashland, Kentucky and Charles Manson

Most of my life I've been told that Charles Manson was either from Ashland, Kentucky or had lived in Ashland, Kentucky a few years as a child. It was my belief that he lived with his grandparents there for a few years and remembered them so fondly that he was quoted as saying he would go back to Ashland if ever released from prison.

Yesterday, I did some reading and some research. I wanted to learn the truth, as best as I could ascertain anyway. The overwhelming authority is that: Charles Manson never lived in Kentucky. His mother, Kathleen Maddox, was a 16 year old runaway when she became pregnant in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was not known but she filed a bastardy suit against Colonel Scott from Ashland, Kentucky. He did not defend the suit so by default he was found to be Charles Manson's father. The two never met and Colonel Scott never paid any child support.

That's the only connection between Manson and Ashland. End of story.

Amberbudafoot

I am an amber crazoid. Today, I received my ebay purchased amber Buda foot from Shanghai, China. I purchased it from ebay. It cost 41.00 to send the package. I don't know what Chinese denomination that is.
The piece is somewhat aged. You can see worn markings on it. I will test it to see if the amber is real. Whether it is real or not, it's extremely cool. It's got a bug carved in relief and some Chinese writing. I love it.
I had considered making it into a piece of jewelry but it's too big and too heavy. It will just be a conversation piece. Awesome. I'm happy. Here's a picture. If you see me, congratulate me on the amber Buda foot purchase by saying to Jerry or I, "amberbudafoot". It's become a funny little word we say to each other from time to time.

Dumb Personality Test

I took a stupid personality defect test. http://www.okcupid.com/tests/

The results:
You are the Hand-Raiser. You are 85% Rational, 100% Extroverted, 28% Brutal, and 42% Arrogant.

You are the Hand-Raiser, that annoying kid in class who always had an answer for everything. No doubt, as a child you probably sat in the front of the class, anxiously waving your hand back and forth in the air while your teacher desperately tried to avoid calling on you because you were the ONLY fucking kid that answered her questions. Clearly, the key traits of your personality are your rationality and your extroversion. You are like a little talkative calculator, in other words. You also tend to be rather gentle and less arrogant than most people. Your presence is a bane to everyone's existence, because you are too nice for your own good and you absolutely will not shut up. So what is your defect, then? Well, you're boring, and when you're not boring, you are just plain annoying with your ultra-logical responses and constant need to talk to others. So keep waving that hand in the air, girl. I'm still not calling on you. You are too logical, you talk too much, and your humility and gentleness only makes me hate you more, because they make me feel like I almost SHOULDN'T hate you. But I do. Big time. And by the way, the more you wave your hand in class--your extended hand becoming nothing more than a blur as you insanely wave it, thinking we can't see it--the more smug satisfaction the teacher takes in watching the look of excrutiating pain cross your face as you agonize over not being called on, and the longer we'll wait to call on you, just because we absolutely love torturing you so.
To put it less negatively:
1. You are more RATIONAL than intuitive.
2. You are more EXTROVERTED than introverted.
3. You are more GENTLE than brutal.
4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant.