The Gov

It was quiet at the Creek this past weekend.  It did finally snow a little bit and actually got cold.  But, as far as we know, there wasn’t anybody we know at the Creek.  Zuggy and Sner had other engagements, Angy and I made our yearly trek to beautiful downtown Columbus, Ohio, a huge Ohio vacation spot in February.  Well, we weren’t on vacation, I went to meetings on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.   Angy got to tour Columbus, she gets her walks in and visits her favorite spots. After the meetings, we went out and had some nice dinners, and had a pretty good time in Columbus.

The weather was bad, bad by our 2012 standards of 50+ degree days we have had the whole winter.  It snowed a little, got cold but the wind was harsh and it made for some real wintery weather.  When you take a reality test and realize it is February, you don’t mind it as bad.  What is funny is the forecast for the rest of the week is above freezing temps with highs in the forties.   So much for Winter.  In 17 days it will be March, and on March 1st I consider Winter to be over.  We will get a snow or two, but the average temperature will soon be over 50 and the sun will start to get warm again.  Shant be long.

So why is there a picture of The Gov on the blog?   Last week I took off my Laughery Lover hat and put on my township trustee hat and attended a conference of township trustees and The Gov dropped in to visit.  He really is a good speaker, has a homesy kind of touch, mostly from honing his skills as a Fox News Commentator before he became our Gov.  His message ruffled my feathers, we have different philosophies on how to make Ohio a great State again, not new news for any of you that know me.  For those I haven’t told or asked for money yet, I have an announcement to make:   I am running for State Representative for the 29th District Ohio House of Representatives.  I have no primary opponent, so I will be a choice on the ballot in November.  This will affect my time spent at the Creek, I have a lot to do between now and November.

You know me, I’ve always been political.  I’m opinionated, I’ll give you my take on the issue even if you don’t ask for it.  After four terms as township trustee, re-elected without opposition for my fifth term (17th year), I was approached by a delegation from Columbus and asked to run.  It is a huge honor to be considered, I accepted the challenge.  I really feel that I have the experience and the knowledge to go to Columbus and work hard for the 110,000 constituents in the 29th District.   The 29th consists of Colerain Township, Crosby Township, Harrison Township, City of Harrison, Whitewater Township, Miami Township, The villages of Cleves, Addyston, North Bend, and on down River Rd. all the way to Sedamsville and up into Price Hill.  It’s a crazy map, but, hey, I didn’t draw it.  If you live in any of those areas, or know of anyone in the 29th House District, please give me a good recommendation and ask them to call me.  Vote for me in November.

Coming to a street corner near you

Paid Political Announcement:   Here is the difficult part of politics.  You can’t meet and greet 110,000 voters, so you rely on the media to get the message out.  I feel that if I get my message to the voters, I will win this election.  Media costs money, and here comes the pitch.  If you are an Ohio resident, you can send a check to “Friends of Hubert Brown” for $50 and be reimbursed by the State of Ohio.  $100 for couples.   When you pay your Ohio taxes, you can check a box that you gave $50 to a statewide candidate (me) and get a $50 credit (not deduction) from the state.   It is free money, you are just loaning it to me until you file your taxes.  It’s a pretty good deal and many of my friends have already sent a check.  My apologies for asking for a handout, but there are those who give way more than they should and it takes a lot of friends of mine to compete.  Please write a check for $50 (or $100 for joint filers) to Friends of Hubert Brown, and send it to 5258 Lawrenceburg Rd., Harrison, Ohio, 45030.

My website should be up soon, it will be Brownforohiohouse.com.  You will see signs go up for the primary if we can get it together fast enough.  There is much to do, and I and others are working pretty hard doing it.  Ross is my campaign treasurer, I have media people, web designers, art designers, and other volunteers who want to help me win in November.   It is a daunting task, but an interesting and enjoyable challenge.  Those of you who know me know that I am enjoying this campaign.  Stay tuned, it is a political year.

Meanwhile, back to the Creek.   This weekend will be like last weekend, no one will be out at the Creek.   It will be three weeks before I check the camera on the Deer Decomp Project, and I’m hoping for a new face, maybe even Bigfoot.  One of our big events is just arround the corner, our Vernal Equinox Celebration (first day of Spring) will be on Saturday March 17th, with recognition of St. Patty’s Day, a favorite of Angy’s.  By that time the weather should be coming back our way and we might see a great weekend.  Mark your calendars.   Except for this coming weekend, we will be at the Creek, so get back into the outdoor mode.   Come to the Creek–after this weekend.

Where is everybody?

Sunshine at the Creek

It took a little while, but it was a really nice weekend at the Creek.  Angy and I head out on Friday night and arrived after dark.   It was cold and damp, a great night to honker down in the Loveshack.   It wasn’t all that cold, in the 40s, but it was damp and not a great night to be outdoors.   Angy popped in a movie, I did some reading and a crossword, and we both basked in the warmness of the Loveshack.   It’s a great place to be, at least 10+ degrees warmer than our home on the Whitewater.  Our neighbors Lynaya and Bruce offered up a trip to the Damm Theatre and a card game afterwards at their house, but both Angy and I were fighting colds and decided to stay in.   It was a nice night to crash early and wake up late.

And that’s what we did.   One of my favorite things to do in life is to wake up late at the Creek.   Late means around 8am.   Look at the time around 6am, smile, and roll over.   Do it again at 7, and finally get moving around 8am.   That’s a nice way to start the day.   We breakfasted at Naptav, and leisurely rolled back to the Creek.  It wanted to rain on Saturday, but couldn’t get it started.  Lots of spit, not much rain.  Just enough to let you get outdoors, but not stay out long.   We checked out the Deer Decomp Project, worked around the Loveshack a little, fed the birds, worked on the tractor, and did a lot of little chores.   The day rolled by pretty quick for lousy weather, but we both had a good time.

Alex rolled in around 4 or 5, citing Rock Tradition as the reason to be there.  Traditions are important, and are often under attack.  It is so easy to lose a tradition.   What happened years ago may not be as fun or important as it was then, but certain traditions are important to keep alive.  The Miamitown Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony is in it’s 127th year, and I and others work hard to make sure it happens every year.  Rock Weekend at the Creek is maybe not as important as the parade honoring heroes that gave the ultimate sacrifice, but it is still important.  For over 25 years, good friends have gathered together for a Winter Camping Trip, and, although it wasn’t the ususal suspects and not much of a winter campout, Alex and I have decidedly kept the tradition alive.   This year’s Rock Weekend was difficult, the timing was wrong, the weather was wrong, and even the venue technically was wrong.   But phooey on all that, Alex and I were out in the rain to make sure that Rock Weekend lives!

It wasn’t a great night, but we were outdoors and we had a really nice fire.  We stayed up at the Loveshack, sitting out in the back yard looking into the pond.   The fire was big and warm, but it constantly spit rain most of the night.   At one point, it rained hard enough to send us indoors, but it only lasted 30 minutes and we went back out to stoke the fire.  All in all, it was a nice night to be outdoors, and we enjoyed it.  We stayed out until about midnight, having great discussions on life, football, and whatever came up.  Thank you Rock Weekend for the excuse to get Father and Son outdoors in Indiana to have a great time to talk about everything in front of a campfire.   If you haven’t experienced this phenomenon, you are missing a serious piece of life.

Aex is after his target, Angy's target is a complete Sudoku

Sunday morning started out the Same as Saturday, early rising only to turn over for a little bit more of sleeping in.   This day was different.  The sun was shining.   It was going to be a great day.   We rose late, went to the Whistle Stop in Osgood for breakfast, and returned to the Creek for a day of basking in the Sun, to make up for the lousy weather thus far in the weekend.  After we returned after breakfast, we did some outdoor things we put off because of the weather.   We unloaded the culvert for the bridge over the pond overflow.   Tom Skeen, Skeen Construction in Harrison and our neighbor just down 25E, donated some old culvert for us to use, old to him, but over $1,000 to us.  We need a bridge, and hope to use this culvert to construct the bridge this year.

Alex reloads the firearms, Angy reloads the bird feeders

Alex worked on clearing some downed trees on the four wheel trail, but mostly we sat outside, fired off a few rounds, and enjoyed the sunshine and 50+ degrees.  Winter?  Where?  It’s not at the Creek.  This year we have seen no snow, warm temps, and mostly good weather, but have seen some extreme storms that have caused some real damage.  Last year, we saw 41 days in a row of snow on the ground, this year I may cut the grass in February.  What a difference a year makes.

This weekend Angy and I will be in Columbus for some government meetings, and Zugs and Sner have other plans, so there won’t be anyone at the Creek this weekend.   Next weekend is Lake Hope, and a lot of the Hard Core Creekers will be there, we will have a reporter there for a complete play by play of hiking, partying, and general good times from Hocking Hills, Ohio.  It’s another tradition, a fun one to keep alive.  Our next weekend at the Creek will be the weekend of Feb. 25., come and visit, we will call it our homecoming.  Our next big weekend will be the Vernal Equinox, which also happens to be St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.   A great weekend to celebrate Spring and wearing the Green.   That is a party to look forward to.  See you at the Creek on St. Pats Day, but we will be there each weekend (except for this one and the next…..).

The Deer Decomposition Project is in Week 5, and we have plenty of pictures.   No pics of any new players (bobcat, bigfoot), but more great pics of coyote, red fox, red tailed hawk, and others.  Over 600 pictures have been taken of our Unlucky Buck, but his demise has provided food for many other of his wild friends, and we documented each one in our Deer Decomposition Project.   Check it out on our page on the right side of this blog.

Take a week or two off of coming to the Creek to visit (like you were coming………).   But March is just around the corner and some great times are already in the planning stages.   We maintain the Creek for you, all we ask is that you come and visit.   See you soon.

Unlucky Buck is a cornucopia for many (with pictures) Week 5

Jean and Betty, the bestest of Friends

Something magical happened last night, and Zuggy, Angy, and I were there to witness it.  Sometimes we live mundane lives, same old, same old.   Some of us (like me) live lives that are way off the chart for having too much on your plate.  However you live your life, once in a while something magical happens.  Something that moves your heart.   Something that just before you go to sleep that night, you relive that magical moment and smile.   It happened last night.  We were there and saw it.

The Elsener and Brown family story is an old tale, told often, and easily found by reading this blog or asking the Dude, Db, me, Jeanine, Sner or Zuggy.  I won’t bore you with details, let’s just say it is two families unrelated who have shown that blood can transfer through the air when the right DNA is ready for transfer.  It happened back in 1955, and has been a wonderful story ever since.

Jean, one of two Creek Matriarchs, is 87 and was doing really good.  Living at home, taking care of herself, with Jeanine, Zugford, and Sner checking in regularly.   All was well until a twist and fall back in October, which broke a hip and put her in surgery and a nursing home.  recuperation has been difficult, and her life is not what it used to be.   Betty also lived at home with The Dude, and was doing great until she experienced severe back pain and spent two months in the hospital and two months in a nursing home and recently broke free and now she and The Dude live with my sister DB and Geoff.  With all her medical problems, she is doing remarkably well.   Betty and Jean have spoken to each other on the phone, but both are now dependant on others and mobility has not been their friend.

Like I said, Betty has been doing really well.   So Angy and I drove to DB’s, picked her up and went to see an old friend in a nursing home.   Angy and I walked into Jean’s room where she was visiting with Zuggy (he and Sner are there every night), and she was so pleased to see us come and visit.   I hugged her and told her I had a present for her.  That made her happy, and then I walked to the door and made a motion.   My Mother walked into the room with her walker and I wish I had a picture of Jean’s face when Betty walked in and gave her a hug.

After what all the two of them have gone through the last six months, it was a magical moment.  Two women, best of friends, both of which have lost their soul mates (our Fathers, Creek Patriarchs), both of them who have hit bottom on the medical charts, and at a time when there was no guarantee that either would even see each other again, there they were hugging.  I was in awe.   It was magical.

They told stories spanning over 50 years, and each of us was in the stories.  We relived pinochle games, Jean and Hubert vrs. Betty and Elmer.   We heard about when Jean was teaching us how to stand on our head when we were 5 or 6, yes, she was up on her head.   It was hours worth of catch up spanning about 60 minutes.   Great moments can’t live forever, and I had goosebumps after we said our goodbyes and walked back to the car.  It was magical.  Angy, Mom, and I went to Skyline and discussed the evening over chili.  She had a 5-way and ate it up.   These are good times and I enjoy every minute of it.   Our Matriarchs are at the end of a very wonderful reign and we are there for the moment.  Hug your mother and father if you have the chance.  Magical moments like this become harder and harder to find.

O'l Blue taking a break

But what about the Creek?  The last time we talked, the Creek was closed until the thaw.   I had to work Saturday, so I didn’t get out to the Creek until 2 in the afternoon.  Zugs, Sner, and even Angy had other plans so it was me and Sophie at the Creek.   As soon as I pulled down the driveway, I fired up Ol’ Blue and started raking gravel, what little is left, across the driveway.   It did thaw, it was a windy, but pretty nice day to git-r-dun.   It took me about three hours to get the drive in pretty good shape, we still need gravel to get it in great shape.   The bottom line is that it is open to all comers, gravel is coming this weekend.

And what about this weekend?   It is Rock Weekend.  Well, it used to be Rock Weekend, but so much has changed over the years.  Sner, Patrick, L.G. and me took a trip to a rock overhang near Athens, Ohio for about 25 years.  We always went the week after the Super Bowl, which was always this weekend.   Then they put an extra week between the playoffs and the Superbowl.   Then they created a bye week.  Geeesh, now the Superbowl is mid February, after Rock Weekend.   Then one year, they deforested the Rock area, creating a mud slide area where we once camped, and we moved Rock Weekend to Indianaland, the Creek.  Is it this weekend?   The weekend after the Superbowl?   Who makes these decisions?   I don’t know, I don’t care.   I’ll be at the Creek this weekend, call it what you want.    If you are there, we’ll call it Rock Weekend.   The driveway will be nice, the fire will be big, and we’ll have as much fun as any Rock Weekend.

As bazaar as the weather has been (can you say balmy in February?), it has been nice to get outdoors.   Come to the Creek before all hell breaks loose and your nosehair freezes and breaks off while you try to start your car.   Come to the Creek.  Guarenteed good fun.

Four wheel drive driveway

It’s the worst I have ever seen our driveway.   Not only was it washed out, but it was frozen with a layer of ice on top.   It gets worse.   It was washed out in front of the wooden bridge over Fiddlehead Creek.   There are washouts throughout the woods of water streaming down the hill to the pond.   The pond overflowed the dam, the dock at my place was underwater, water over the dam, the overflow tubes were clogged (and frozen), the beach was breached, Zug’s rock garden is half gone, and everything I have mentioned had a layer of ice on top.  Check out some pictures:

Breached Bridge

Beach Breached

Zug's Rock Garden rocked

Overflow overfilled with debris

Debris high up on dam

Sophie doesn't care

Right now a car can’t make it down the driveway,  and a truck without four wheel drive won’t make it back up the driveway.  Because of the ice storm on Friday night, Angy and I decided to stay home and go to the Creek on Saturday morning.  When we left our house, the deck, driveway, and truck was a solid sheet of ice.   The roads in Hamilton County were not too bad, the roads in Indiana were not as good, and that was the State Highways.   The backroads were ice covered.   We took US50 and 350, which weren’t too bad.   25E was treacherous, our driveway at the Creek wasn’t any better.   As we drove down the hill, it just got worse.   Ice covered deep ruts made for interesting driving.   When we got to the bridge, I got out and broke the ice in the puddle at the bridge to make sure it wasn’t a hole to the creek.   The debris was everywhere, and everything had a coat of ice on it.   Even the gravel around the LoveShack on the hill was washed out.

Pretty impressive.   It was pretty with all the ice, but the damage was devastating, as you can see from the pictures.   We had trouble opening the door on the LoveShack, breaking off a chunk of wood on the bottom of the door because the ice was so thick.  After we fired up the heat, we walked around the property, checked the deer decomp project (more on that later), and took a lot of pictures.

What a Winter.   We have only had about 5 days of cold weather, but the cold was brutal and the rains were fierce.   I was in the West Palm Beach, Florida airport on Thursday afternoon in 80 degree weather, and at midnight I was in the Dayton, Ohio airport where it was 7 degrees, two inches of snow on the ground, and my truck door was frozen and I couldn’t get the door open (with a light jacket on…..Welcome to Ohio).   Friday was the ice storm, and it was going to be 50 on Sunday.   Wow.   That’s a lot of weather in a few short days.

Angy and I stayed in at the LoveShack on Saturday night, a nice night of relaxation in a very warm place with a great bed.   In the morning, we slept in a little longer, then trekked into Osgood to the Whistle Stop for breakfast.  We returned to the Creek realizing that the driveway wasn’t going to get any better without any help.   I fired up Ol’ Blue, which started on the first try.   That was impressive, we haven’t started it for a couple of months.  I took off the bush hog, wasn’t planning on cutting any grass.   I put the box on, the box is a gravel box that you drag behind the tractor to spread and level the gravel.   After several trips up and down the driveway, I realized that it was frozen and I wasn’t doing any good.  I put three concrete blocks on the box for additional weight, and that didn’t break through the frozen driveway.   I gave up.  It’s not going to get fixed till it thaws.   I did manage to break up our gravel reserve pile and dump some new gravel on the bridge entrance, making it passable.  Four wheel drive on a tall wheelbase will get you to the bridge, where anyone can now cross.

I then went up to the overflow tubes on the pond to try and clear them of debris.   It was frozen, and I took a rake and pipe to bust it up and clear just enough around the tubes to allow flow.  Even the tubes had damage, they are smashed down a bit and will need repair in better weather.   All the damage is manageable, not a monetary loss, but some hours and back breaking work to look forward to.   We need more gravel, but I think we have to fix the driveway to get a gravel truck down the hill.   The weather is warm all week, hopefully it will be warm enough in the daytime to defrost the driveway and I will be able to work on it this weekend.  Until then, the Creek is closed to cars, two wheel drive trucks can make it back up if it isn’t ice covered.  Four wheel jeeps and trucks will find it fun.

Unlucky Buck lower left, camera upper right

The Deer Decompositon Project is doing great.   Angy and I checked the photos taken the last 7 days and they are better than ever.   We didn’t see any new faces, but better shots of the coyote, redtailed fox, possum, raccoon, and redtailed hawk.  I will post them on the Deer Decomposition Project page found on the right side of this blog page, probably Tuesday or Wednesday night.   Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.   I’ll keep the camera on the Deer Decomp for a few more weeks.

Weatherwise, who knows what tomorrow brings.   Plans are to get the driveway repaired this weekend and you can get to the Creek soon.   Weatherwise, it’s pretty warm, and a daytrip to the Creek is not a bad plan.  Stop down and I can tell you how bad the weather is in West Palm Beach, Florida (not so bad….), you can see the storm devastation, and we can do that around a warm fire with a cool drink in our hand.   You have to make the best of a bad situation, right?   Every day is a good day at the Creek, even when you need four wheel drive to get there.   See you at the Creek, soon, I hope.

Well, it got cold.  Finally.   One would think that by the middle of January we would have had some cold weather, but this weekend is really the first cold spell we have had.  And it was pretty cold.   We got snow at the Creek, not so much at home.   It was cold enough to hold our traditional Friday the 13th poker game indoors at my house instead of the Creek.   The weekend started out as a poker game, then a sea food buffet at Belterra with our Creek neighbors Bruce and Lynaya, and then completed with a sad Packer’s game at my house.   Lots of action.

A bunch of winners at this game

We decided that the cold weather and blowing snow is a might bit harsh for an outdoor poker game, so it was moved to my house on the Whitewater.   It started around 9pm, with Sner, Sena, Nick, Parks, Vaught, me, Jdub, Ross and Alex.  Everyone seemed to win a pot now and then, and everyone stayed in the game almost till the sun came up.   The game ended at 5am, a 8 hour poker marathon.   I was winning most of the night, but tried to deal a little late night BlackJack and the boys were hitting better than Joey Votto.  A profitable night went South right before we quit, I lost $13 for the night.   The big winner was Sner, who thinks he won more than $50.   It was great fun with a lot of laughs.   After crashing at our house on the couch, the floor, the spare bed and anywhere else, we all got up and rolled to Stateline Restaurant for breakfast.  No one was moving too quickly, we drank two pots of coffee before we left, and breakfast was my-t-fine.

Everyone went their merry way, Angy and I loaded up and went to the Creek.   We were on a time schedule, we were to meet Bruce and Lynaya at their house at 4.   I checked the game camera for the Deer Decomposition Project and came up with more great photos.   More on that later.  Angy and I met Bruce and Lynaya and drove to Belterra for the seafood buffet.   It was Bruce’s birthday and we celebrated it by stuffing ourselves with Alaskan King Crab and exotic fishes cooked to your choosing.   It was awesome.   All you can eat and we cracked crab legs until your fingers hurt and your belt was on the last notch.  It was one heck of a meal, and we all got our money’s worth.  After dinner, we waddled back to the car and went back to Bruce and Lynaya’s house.   We played Euchre until the wee hours, a great time with our Creek neighbors.   I had about 4 hours of sleep in 41 hours, and the bed at the Loveshack never looked better.   Angy and I slept in, not getting moving until after 10 am.

No losers here, we gained 10 pounds

Rested and refreshed, we left the Creek early to watch the Packers game.   The last time the Packers played, Angy and I was at the game at Lambeau Field.  It was pretty cool to watch the game on TV, seeing the places we had been.   The problem was the Packers played like they hadn’t played in 3 weeks, played badly, and lost badly.  It was sad for them and sad for us, but call it a great season and put away all the green souvenirs.  We are talking about going to another game, this time in September, spending a week and taking the Jeep.   We had fun being Packer’s fans, it was a good year, and we will start it up again this summer.

Foxy lady

The game camera has taken over 400 pictures of our unlucky buck.   He has been very popular in his carcass state.  I will post the photos on its own page, look on the top right side of the blog and click on “Deer Decomposition Project”.    There are some great photos of our wild friends at the Creek.  It should be up tonight.

As you read this blog, I’ll be in Tampa, Florida on a business trip.   I know its tough to go to Florida in January, but my work is making me do it, so here I am.   I’ll be back on Thursday, and we will be at the Creek this weekend.  The weather is supposed to be above freezing all week, even maybe 50 degrees on Wednesday, and pretty nice this weekend.   Break away from the cabin fever and get outdoors for a day.   See you at the Creek.

Nice March day....in January

If you don’t believe in global warming yet, it must be pretty cool in your cave.  What is up with this weather?   It was warm in December, it’s even warmer in January.  It was a nice weekend at the Creek.   It was Zuggy, Sner, Angy and me.   Angy and I arrived early Saturday afternoon, I had to work.  When we got there, no one was there.  I figured Zugford was at the Legion watching the Bengal game, Sner rolled in not long after we got there.   It was a beautiful, warm afternoon.  We built a fire and listened to the Bengals, a lot of fun at the Creek but not so much fun for Bengal fans.

Packers last week, Bengals this week. What a pleaser.

After the game, Sner and I checked out the Deer Decomposition Project.   The unlucky buck that caught a hunter’s slug and died in our field was still at the same site, but moved about 40′.   Something had been eating on him, there were ribs showing and lots of meat missing.   I had set up the camera on him, which was still there, but I didn’t know how the pictures would be since he was moved.   I took the card out of the camera and Sner and I went back to the Creek to load the card into the laptop to see if we had scored.

Sner makes life look easy

Boy did we score.   There were about 300 pictures taken.   The camera is set to take a picture once a minute anytime there is motion or infared heat.  There were lots of pictures and we set some milestones.   I was looking for animals I haven’t taken pictures of, I already have pictures of deer, dog, birds, people, and cars.  This time I got several pictures of coyotes hanging around the carcass.  I got some pictures of red fox, male and female turkeys, a real nice picture of a red tailed hawk, several turkey vultures, a raccoon, lots of crows, and some pictures of local dogs, one being a husky that I have seen before.   The dogs are what moved the carcass away from the camera.  The pictures are great and I will share them with you in a blog in a week or two.   It has to do with downloading them on a flashdrive and moving them to my computer.   Too busy to do it now, but you will really like the pictures.

Saturday night was a full moon, another beautiful night at the Creek.   Angy made some special chili (Wild Turkey 101) and we enjoyed being outdoors on a January evening.   Unbelievable how nice it was.   Sunday was more of the same.   Sner, Angy and I went to the Whistle Stop for breakfast and a train came by while we were eating.   After breakfast we went back to the Creek.   I changed the hydraulic unit on the wood splitter, the old yellow one is so much better than the new red one.   Sner, Angy and I walked the trail, it was over 40 degrees, balmy in January.   We stayed till almost 5, got home just as it was getting dark.   Of course, you know, each day is getting longer and every warm day we get in January is one less winter day before March.   March is only 7 weeks away, 42 days.   Not much of a Winter so far, we haven’t seen any measurable snow.   I like the snow, but I sure do like these warm January days.   I hope the trees don’t get confused.

Two more beers or world peace? Beers.

 Friday the 13th        

Feeling lucky?   The luckiest day of all is coming up, Friday the 13th, and you know what we do on the luckiest day of the year.   We play poker.  The game is at my house this year, we really don’t have a place at the Creek for a January game, even though the weather has been pretty good.   Traditions must be kept, and my house is halfway to the Creek, so we can meander there Saturday morning.  We used to have a lot of Friday the 13th games at my house, we played in the fishcamp house next door, but I burned it down.   The game will be in the garage, so bring warm clothes (it isn’t heated, but it won’t be very cold), bring your drinks, a snack, and an attitude to lose all your money to me.  Bring a sleeping bag, no one goes home after the game, we will have a sleepover in my livingroom.   See you at the game, then see you at the Creek.

Creek reflections on a beautiful day to hike

He's just sleeping......

Since Angy and I were out of town last weekend, we are not sure what happened at the Creek.   There may have been someone there, but I haven’t a clue.  Angy and I will be there this weekend, but will get a late start because of work.   We should roll in around 1:30 or 2pm.   The weather looks balmy considering it is January, but we’ll manage.   We have lots to do, all fun, and look forward to doin’ it.

I’ve got a science project working as we speak (read?).   One of our unlucky bucks was found in the field near Sner’s Gobler’s Knob with a 1/2″ hole in his side.   He managed to elude his hunters, but died an early death in our field.   At first I was going to push him with the tractor into the woods where he will properly feed all the carnivores in the forest, but then I had a better idea.   I found him three weeks ago, and two weeks ago I placed my game camera on him.   We know he is going to be eaten, why not see who comes to dinner?   I would imagine our coyote friends will attend, also turkey vultures, possum, neighborhood dogs, maybe even an eagle.  Since I haven’t been there in two weeks, there might be a lot of photos to check out.  If there are some really cool shots, you know I’ll share them with you.

It’s no secret, Angy and I went to Green Bay, Wisconsin for New Year’s Eve, and, since we were there, we thought we would catch a game with their local football team, the Green Bay Packers.  We arrived on Friday evening, after a terrible rainy, foggy drive through a terrible Chicago traffic jam.   We made it in 9 hours, should have taken 8, and gained an hour because of the time change.   We checked in to our motel, about a mile from Lambeau Field, and then went to check out Lambeau.   What we found was pretty amazing.

Lambeau is where the Green Bay Packers play every weekend from August through January, on a good year.  What we found out was that although Lambeau is where the Packers play, it is much more than that.  We walked in the Atrium on the North end of the stadium.  The Atrium is a huge entrance way into the stadium, but also the entrance to the Pro Shop, the Packer’s museum, the Packers Hall of Fame, and Curly’s Pub, a sports bar that is all about the Packers and faces the parking lot where the players park their car and walk into the locker rooms.  We had a few cocktails and went back to our motel.

On Saturday, we ate breakfast at the motel restaurant, then went to Lambeau Field.   We went through the Pro Shop, then went to the museum and a history lesson on the Packers, then we went to the Hall of Fame.   It was there we had pictures taken of us and four Lombardi Super Bowl Trophies.   It was an awesome day, then we took the stadium tour.  Wow.  We were up in the Skyboxes, where people like you and me would never see a game, we walked onto the field through the tunnel where the players enter the field, all led by a Packer Tour Guide who was enjoyable and informative.   Lambeau Field is much more than a football field.   We got back to Curly’s in time to watch the Bearcat Bowl game, watching for Creeker’s Ross, Lucky Luke, Snerfy, and L.G., but never saw them.  I was getting pictures text to me during the game, so I thought I was there.   Bearcats won, and we celebrated at Curly’s fairly late into the evening.

Watching UC at Curly's

On Gameday, we ate breakfast at the motel, complete with a Bloody Mary.  We dressed appropriately for a snowy, windy day in Wisconsin, and walked about a mile to Lambeau.   We were at our seats by 11, an hour before the game.  It was stadium seating on aluminum benches, and they pack you in like sardines.   You couldn’t get cold if you were naked, and two guys in front of us took their shirts off the whole game.   It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that they finally made it on TV (we were right behind them) and I’m sure they were purple on a color TV.  The game was awesome, Rodgers didn’t play, but his back up Flynn threw 6 touchdown passes for a Packers franchise record.  The Packers won 45-41 in a scorefest, with 1,000 yards passing.   What a game.  We were 17 rows off the field, Lambeau Leaps were right in front of us.

Bare's Fans?

After the game, we went to Curly’s to get warm.   We got right in, got a table, and watched the Bengals game.   We didn’t leave Curly’s until 8 or so, taking pictures and saying goodbye to one hell of a weekend.   We were in Green Bay for the weekend and only went to our motel and Lambeau Field.  That is all we did and had a great time.      Lambeau is open 7 days a week and there are people there all the time.  There are eateries, shops, receptions, conventions, and even Packer stuff like the Hall of Fame, Pro Shop, and Curly’s (named after Curly Lambeau, the team founder).   Even the outside is cool, with statues of Lombardi and Curly, a tailgating section, and the players parking lot where the kids hang out for autographs.   The history, the 15-1 season, the neighborhood around Lambeau, the people, and all the things to do there, all make Lambeau Field a mecca for football fans, as it should be.  We are already planning our next trip.  Hopefully the Super Bowl party will be at my house again this year.   Go Pack Go.

Number 5 this year?

Meanwhile, back at the Creek.   I imagine Zugs will be there Friday night, Angy and I will be there Saturday afternoon.   The weather looks great for anytime of year, even greater in January.  The fire will be big, the food will be good, and I won’t mention the Packers until someone else brings it up.  Come and see our deer decomposition project, and walk the trails with us.   It is always a good time, but it’s better when you are there.  See you at the Creek.

The Dude says, "Merry New Year!"

I’m sure the Creek wasn’t quiet this past weekend, but it wasn’t humankind that was making any noise.   At least none that we know of.  Christmas being on the weekend makes it difficult to get to the Creek.   Work all week, and enjoy the holiday on the weekend with the family.  It’s not a bad thing.   I always enjoy Christmas and New Year’s in the middle of the week, you get some time off of work to celebrate and still make a run to the Creek on the weekends.   But it was nice to enjoy Christmas Eve on Saturday, Christmas on Sunday, and still have a day off on Monday.  That is how it worked for me, I hope you had the same set of circumstances.

I hope Christmas was as good for you as it was for me and the Brown Family.  With all the medical problems we have endured with my mother, she broke out of the nursing home and moved in with my sister DB.   The Dude is there, too.    We all went to Angy’s sister Faye’s to see Angy’s family on Saturday evening, and then to my sister Donna’s on Sunday to be with my family.   It was just like old times, except we are all getting older and Merry Christmas’s are getting harder to come by each year.  This year was good for both our families.

Our heart and prayers go to the Elsener family, Jean wasn’t able to break out of the nursing home, so Christmas wasn’t as good as it could have been.  Hopefully, the New Year will see better times.

Angy and I won’t be at the Creek this weekend, check with Zugs, he might be out on a reduced visit or might see the New Year at the Creek!   Last year, we went to the Creek on New Year’s Eve–Eve, the night before New Year’s Eve.   That is when we found out someone broke into the LoveShack and robbed us.   Hopefully, our next trip to the Creek will be uneventful.  The year before that, Sner, Lucky Luke, Ross, and I were in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, and the year before that we all were in Miami at the Orange Bowl.

This year is different.   Sner, Lucky Luke, and Ross are going to Memphis to see the Bearcats plat Vandy at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday.   Angy and I decided we were going to bring in the New Year at a vacation hot spot:   Green Bay, Wisconsin.  We plan on celebrating New Year’s Eve in downtown Green Bay, then enjoy New Year’s Day with a few friends:  65,000 fans watching the Green Bay Packers play the Lions at Lambeau Field.   We have been there before, but not on New Year’s Day and not for a game.   We were hoping for a 16-0 perfect season, but that was blown a couple of games ago.  The game will be on TV, watch for Angy and me 17 rows off the field in the left corner of the end zone.  We will be the ones dressed in Green with a big ”G” on our parka.

Back to the Creek.  We will be back to enjoy the Winter at the Creek.   We have seen some frosty mornings, but no snow yet.   I’m sure its coming, and we’ll be there to have fun on the four wheeler, hiking the trails (they are beautiful in the snow), walking across the frozen pond, and building big fires to keep warm.  It may sound crazy, but you better be ready to get your snow fun in, it won’t be long, less than 60 days, and it will be March.  It goes really quick after the holidays.   December was sweatshirt weather without any snow, we keep this up and we won’t even have a Winter.   I think it will get here—and when it does we will have fun.

Except for a trip to Lake Hope in February, there should be someone at the Creek every weekend until Spring.   Come and get outside and play with us, it’s healthy and it’s fun.   We’ll be watching for you.  Come to the Creek!

Happy New Year from the Browns

We don’t need a good reason to party at the Creek, any old reason will do.  But Solstice Weekend is a huge reason to throw a party and we had a fine one Saturday night.

It started on Friday night.   Angy and I went to Awesome Austin’s 6th birthday party early Friday evening.   It was a fun night with a whole lot of little people and attentive parents.  Nights like that make me appreciate being a grandpa, all the fun without the worry.   We had a drink or two, ate some fine chili spaghetti, lit some candles (1/10th of what was on my last birthday cake), sang a popular song, and finished the night with cake and ice cream.  It was fun, but time for the oldsters to launch to the Creek.   We arrived at the Loveshack around 10pm.

It was a nice night, but a long week, too much cake and ice cream, and an inviting soft, horizontal rack made an early evening for Angy and me.  It’s great waking up at 6am, realizing where you are, and rolling over several times till 8 or 8:30.   That’s what I call a relaxing evening, something that we both earned.  We went to Naptav for breakfast and returned to the Creek on a really nice day around noon.

Nick, Angy, and Snerfy ready to party

Zugs was there when we returned from the Naptav.   Sner rolled in and Nick soon after.   We tried to cut and gather some wood for the evening, but had failures in two chainsaws.   We ended up gathering wood from other stacks, having plenty for a warm evening on the Creek.

It was early afternoon and we decided to start the 2011 Winter Solstice Party.  We fired up the stove, cooked the chili, got out the snacks,  and made the Creek “party ready”.  After setting up, we decided to hike the trail on such a fine day.   Angy had something to show us, something she found on an earlier hike.   Sner, Nick, Angy, and I all hiked the trail, walking to the benches, and around the loop trail.   Angy showed us her find, a Turkey, complete with wings, legs, and bones, with no meat nor head.   It was a bony carcus with wings and feet.  Something had a Turkey dinner just a week or so after Thanksgiving.   We all tried to come up with a predator, deciding on it being coyotes or a fox.  We finished the hike in time to build a nice fire and reheat the deer chili before it got dark.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By nightfall, the candles were lit, the fire was popping, the chili was made, the table was loaded with edible goodies, and our neighbors Lynaya and Bruce rolled in.   It was a small party, just the seven of us, but a beautiful evening with all of us laughing around the fire, it was a great time.   Bruce and Lynaya are always a good time, and when you mix Sner, Nick, and Zugford, lots of laughs are the norm.   We ate deer chili, grazed on pimento cheese dip, watched Nick’s pyro-technics, and talked of a midnight hike, but no one could stay up until midnight.   It was a great Solstice party on a not so wintry night.  I remember some really cold and snowy Winter Solstices, this one was quite tame and pleasant.

St. Nick's bag

The sun was shining by the time I got up, and I still was the first one up.  We all slept in, what a nice way to beat the stress of our real lives.   We had breakfast on the Creek with lots of sunshine and warming temperatures.   It was a chilly night, but by noon it was 40 degrees.   Nick left soon after noon, Zugs and Sner left not long after, leaving Angy and I to sit in the sunshine watching and listening to the Creek.   She did a sudoku while I listened to the Packers.   At halftime, we decided to walk the trail one more time because it was such a

St. Nick in bag

beautiful day.   When we returned, I packed our things while listening to the Packers lose their first game of the season.   That was the only bad thing that happened on a really nice weekend.  We stayed until it started getting dark and left for home.

Usually the Winter Solstice Party is more……Wintery.   Cold.   Snowy.   This year was quite mild, a really nice evening to sit outside by the campfire.   It was a small party by past standards, but quality beat quantity, I had a really nice time with some of my really close friends.  Might be our best Winter Solstice Party ever.

So what’s next?   Christmas!!   Obviously we won’t be at the Creek this weekend, we will be enjoying the wonderful warmth of family traditions.  From all of us who frequent the Creek, we wish you and your family Merry Christmas.  We are blessed with loving families and Christmas is our time to get together and show our love to one another.  We hope that you will enjoy the same love and closeness as we do.  It is a special time for all of us, not just the Santa believers, but also the believers in love and peace.   Christmas is the time when you slow down your busy life and really appreciate your family and those who make your life wonderful.    That is where the “giving of presents”  thing comes in.  We take our friends and family for granted, they are always there as they should be, and because we are so busy, we just move on.   But Christmas tells you to stop and appreciate those you love and show a token of your love and affection with a gift.   A gift of love.   From the heart. We at the Creek offer our gift of love to you, we love you and appreciate what you do for us and for your love and affection.  Enjoy the family this weekend, but plan a weekend next year to share with us.  We would love to see you.

Merry Christmas.

Two wisemen and a good woman

The beauty of the Winter Solstice is that the longest night of the year is followed by longer days.   The 2011 Winter Solstice will be on December 22nd at 5:30 am.  It will be the shortest day of 2011 followed by the longest night.   We have seen the darkness slowly grow and creep into our lives every day since the Summer Solstice, and it is good to put it to an end.   Each day will get a little bit longer, a welcome trend.

We, the Keepers of the Creek, the True Hard Core Creekers (THCCs), the Last Celebrators of the Seasonal Markers, make it a tradition to document and make festive the age old science of the seasonal changes.   Honestly, it gives us a reason to party, and we never let a reason to party go unused.  Indianaland is the perfect place to celebrate these changes, because it actually changes.   What if we were in Florida?   What changes?   What about Arizona?   We have four distinct seasons, they are all different in nature, each one having its personality.   Winter starts in a week or two, and there is no doubt what comes to Indiana in Winter:   Cold, ice, snow, short days, and some serious honkering down.   Spring brings green things and life, a mix of cool and warm days and nights.  Summer is long hot days and cool nights, lots of greenery, and skimpy clothes.   Autumn brings cooler air, green turns into beautiful colors, and the fresh air is welcome to our lungs.

We are blessed to see the changes and enjoy the differences between the seasons.   That is why we celebrate the changing of seasons at the Creek.  Sure, it’s a reason to get together and party, but it is recognition of change, we had that, now we are into something different.  The obvious difference between seasons is wonderful, change is the cure for boredom, and the Creek is never boring.

Because Christmas and the Solstice is basically the same weekend, we decided to move Christmas to the 17th, tell all your families about the change, because we will celebrate the Solstice on December 24th.  Santa has signed on to this and will launch his sleigh on the 17th, making all the children of the world happy on December 18.  Wait.   There might be a simpler solution……..   I know.   We will celebrate Solstice on the 17th, and leave Christmas Eve and Christmas on the 24th and 25th.  You know they were celebrating the Solstice many years before Christmas came along, but now is not the time to confuse all the children who have waited patiently for December 25th.

So.  It is done.   The 2011 Winter Solstice Celebration will be at Laughery Creek on Saturday, December 17.   We will provide the entrée (Angy and I are bringing Chili, Zugs and Sner will marvel you with a stunning staple), please bring a plate or dessert to please the average grazer.  As always, I will cook ominous omelets for breakfast.  We make sure the Winter Solstice is properly introduced with excellent food and drink, the Druids would have it no other way.

Maybe it is the busy schedules of Creekers, but it always seems that we have more visitors at the Summer Solstice than we do at the Winter Solstice.  Nevertheless, we would like to see you at the Creek this weekend, the weather seems to be favorable and the good times are guaranteed.  Do the daytrip or spend the night and eat breakfast with us, we are excited about the Winter Solstice and the longer days that follow.

Here is the coolest part of Winter Solstice.  I know that a lot of people are not like me and don’t truly appreciate the beauty of Winter:  Snow, ice, sledding, four wheeling, ice fishing, hiking, and more.   The coolest part is how close we are to Spring.   Summer was over a long time ago, we have seen dreary days and lots of cloudy/rainy days and nights all through Autumn.  But March 1st  is just 72 days away.   Start the countdown, March 1st is not that far off.   March 1st is the start of good things to follow, the occasional warm day, a little greenery, and soon Spring.  When we get to March, it’s no looking back, we might see a snow or two, but they are short lived and 50 degrees the next day.  So even the most pessimistic of you have to feel good about making the turn towards March.  It will be here soon.

This weekend we celebrate the end of short days and loner nights.  We tip our glass and toast the 182 day journey to the longest day.  Put on your longjohns, your favorite hoody and gloves and come to the Creek for our Winter Solstice Party.   The big fire will keep you warm on the outside, you bring the perfect drink to warm your innerds.  Laugh and enjoy good friends, good times, good food, and great reverence to the changing of the Seasons.   We are ready for Winter.   Mother Nature:  Bring it on!!!!  See you at the Creek.