Compass Points: 12/5/10

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

The Hawk Howls

The Hawk (aka the Wind) has been howling around the Aerie the last few days. Officially it's been around 15-20 mph with gusts reaching the 35-40 mph range. Add the low temperatures (Monday's HIGH was just 30 degrees while Tuesday's was a mere 26) and it's been pretty damn cold outside.

All that wind coming out of the north-northwest off lakes Erie and Ontario have been producing considerable lake effect snow. Some areas near Buffalo, NY and Erie,PA have had over a foot of the white stuff. We here at the Aerie have had some snow squalls and flurries but not to the extend that others residing within the path of the bands have had. [UPDATE: It is reported that Randolph, NY has set a new record for snow: FOUR (4) FEET.]

Terry had to go east-northeast to Sayre, PA today for a doctors appointment and spoke with some folks from east of there who reported plows out on I-86 (the old Route 17) east of Tioga Downs to Binghamton, NY near the I-81 corridor. Several inches in an hour coupled with the wind were producing whiteout conditions.

The wind is supposed to die down in a day or so and things should get calmer. Still, the cold temperatures will remain. It should be 10 to 15 degrees below average through the weekend.

Not sure if a White Christmas is a dream or a nightmare at this point.

Labels: Aerie, weather

HELP YOU MAKE IT TO YOUR FLIGHT

Got an email from one of our caraventure friends today. Don't think she's much interested in flying either.

Labels: Humor, Politics, Rant

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Another Wine Tasting

We hit the sauce again today.

Terry and I joined Gary and Anya at another wine tasting. This one was to a single winery on the shores of Keuka Lake just outside of Penn Yan. It included both an educational session delving into the way wine is made and the way its flavor changes as it matures from vat to barrel to bottle and an excellent selection of hors d’oeuvres and desserts. It was the Keuka Spring Vineyards' "Holiday Barrel Tasting".

Excellent wines and a fun time. We came home with a case of Chardonnay's, Merlots and whites at a sizable discount.

Labels: Finger Lakes, Wine

College Football: Week 14 Results

There was a limited schedule this week with many of the Top 25 teams having already completed their seasons. Of those who played, there were some excellent games but few shockers. (That is, few shockers unless you count some of the routs.)
Both Oregon (12-0) and Auburn (13-0) maintained their undefeated status and will most likely be 1-2 in the BCS standings. Expect them to be facing one another in Arizona for the National Championship.
Next week promises to be an even shorter schedule. In fact, only one game is on the schedule: THE GAME between Army (6-5) and Navy (8-3). With Air Force being 8-4, all three military academies qualify for post-season bowl action for the first time in a long time.
[The three numbers for the rankings are from the AP Top 25, The Harris Coaches’ Poll, and CBSSports.com. An “NR” means that that particular poll did Not Rank the team.]

1/1/1 Oregon (12-0) The Ducks proved too much for Oregon State (5-7) as they ran wild on their way to a 37-20 victory.

2/2/2 Auburn (13-0) The Tigers continue to roll as they routed #18 South Carolina (9-4) 56-17 for the SEC Championship.

3/3/3 TCU (12-0) The Horned Frogs’ regular season is over.

4/4/4 Wisconsin (11-1) The Badgers’ regular season is finished.

5/5/5 Stanford (11-1) The Cardinal’s regular season is over.

6/6/6 Ohio State (11-1) The Buckeyes’ regular season is over.

7/7/7 Michigan State (11-1) The Spartans’ regular season is finished.

8/8/8 Arkansas (10-2) The Razorbacks’ regular season is over.

9/10/10 Boise State (11-1) The Broncos bounced back against Utah State (4-8) with a 50-14 laugher.

10/9/14 Oklahoma (11-2) The Sooners came from behind to defeat #13 Nebraska (10-3) 23-20 for the Big 12 Championship.

11/12/9 LSU (10-2) The Tigers’ regular season is finished.

12/11/11 Virginia Tech (11-2) The Hokies beat #20 Florida State (9-4) 44-33 to earn the ACC Championship.

13/13/12 Nebraska (10-3) The Cornhuskers couldn’t hold on as #10 Oklahoma (11-2) came from behind to win the Big 12 Championship Game 23-20.

14/17/15 Nevada (12-1) The Wolfpack’s earned a portion of the WAC title with a 35-17 win over Louisiana Tech (5-7). [I erroneously reported the Wolfpack’s season was over after last week.]

15/14/13 Missouri (10-2) The Tigers’ regular season is over.

16/15/16 Oklahoma State (10-2) The Cowboys’ regular season is over.

17/19/18 Alabama (9-3) The Crimson Tide’s regular season is over.

18/16/19 South Carolina (9-4) The Gamecocks were trounced by #2 Auburn (13-0) 56-17 in the SEC Championship Game.

19/18/17 Texas A&M (9-3) The Aggies regular season is over.

20/20/20 Florida State (9-4) The Seminoles were defeated 44-33 by #12 Virginia Tech (11-2) in the ACC Championship Game.

21/21/21 Utah (10-2) The Utes’ regular season is finished.

22/22/23 Mississippi State (8-4) The Bulldogs’ regular season is over.

23/24/24 West Virginia (9-3) The Mountaineers drubbed the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (4-8) 35-14. Even so, UConn’s 19-16 win at South Florida propelled the Huskies to the BCS automatic bid.

24/23/22 Northern Illinois (10-3) The Huskies fell to Miami of Ohio (9-4) 26-21 in the MAC Championship Game on Friday night.

25/NR/NR Hawaii (10-3) The Warriors ended the season with a bang as they routed UNLV (2-11) 59-21.

NR/25/NR UCF (10-3) The Knights defeated SMU (7-6) 17-7 for the Conference USA Championship.

NR/NR/25 North Carolina State (8-4) The Wolfpack’s regular season is over.

Labels: College, football

Road Trip 2010 Compilation

Labels: Road Trip 2010

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Aerie Report, December 04, 2010

Nada. Zip. Zilch.

That's how many deer I saw this morning while sitting out in the woods. I did see where those deer that visited the yard yesterday walked within a few feet of where I've got my seat. They seemed downright curious about that little board...or maybe they were looking for the remnants of the apple core from Thursday's snack/lunch.

What I did see was a flock of turkeys. Eight or so of the huge birds flew off the lawn of hunting cabin atop the hill and wheeled over my head before heading into the trees on the other side of the glen. Two others walked down the hill and then back up, talking to one another the entire time. The turkeys and a group of three ravens doing aerial maneuvers overhead were the excitement for the morning.

At least until the snow squall hit. At 1030, when I couldn't see more than forty to fifty yards and there was no sign of the snow ever stopping, I decided to make my way back to the Aerie for a hot cup of coffee.

There were a few shots fired within my hearing, but they were mostly more than a half mile away and all were just about sunrise. The hunting camp at the top of the hill (Jersey guys) is empty and so is the one just below the Aerie (Lancaster guys).

What the heck. Just think of all the money I'm saving on ammunition.

******

The temperature was just 25 degrees when I left the house at 0615. It rose all the way up to 30 degrees by 1300. Big whoop!

The winds blowing south-southeast over Lake Ontario produced streams of snow all along the southern shores and extending as far south as us. We were in one of those streams from around 1000 through around 1300.

When Terry went down to Mass at 1600, she found that there was virtually no snow down the bottom of the mountain. Looks like we're back to our usual winter weather. We'll get a couple of inches of snow up here, but a few hundred feet down the hill there will be nothing.

Labels: Aerie, Hunting, weather

Friday, December 03, 2010

Aerie Report, December 03, 2010

Okay, yesterday, Thursday, I got up early to go out into the woods. As I prepared a cup of coffee, I peeked out the kitchen window to see if the bird feeders were still in place. They were. I sat, ate breakfast with Terry, whom the cats had gone and awakened, and made my way out the other side of the house and on up the trail.

As I got to the upper driveway (I've got two because it's two separate, subdivided parcels) I spotted a bear track in the inch of snow we had received Wednesday afternoon. I didn't think anything of it since black bears are 1) loud creatures and I heard nothing; 2) shy creatures who would sooner run than fight; 3) I had my Remington .270 in my hands.

I got to my seat just as official shooting hours began (around 6:45 AM), brushed off as much snow as I could and sat down on my plastic covered heat-in-a-seat cushion and started to wait. It was just 23 degrees and there was a slight breeze blowing in my face from the west, but I was dressed warmly and was comfortable. My butt was warmed by the magical action of the plastic seat and all was well with the world.

I listened to the trickle of water from the heavy rains on Tuesday and Tuesday night as it ran down the hillside in little rills. I listened to the chickadees and crows and blue jays. I listened to the rustle of the beech leaves on the trees. And all the time I scanned the hillside for some brown movement that wasn't leaves.

I started to slide on the snow/ice covered particle board seat. I started to feel sleepy and actually would have dozed off a couple of times but for the threat of sliding right off my seat. Around 10 AM, having seen nothing of Odocoileus virginianus and having already snacked on apples and Snickers bites, I decided to walk around a little. A half hour later I returned to my seat having covered several likely paths and spotting no deer tracks. I ate my sandwich. And then, when the clouds plotted to obscure the sun, I decided to call it a day and returned to the Aerie.

Back at the cabin, I discovered that the bird feeders were down, the tray feeder on its side and the shepherds crooks bent down nearly 45 degrees from vertical. I found the two plastic and metal stick feeders--and all their parts--and set the tray feeder back upright. Those bear tracks I had seen were from the bruin that had wrecked the feeders. It must have done so while Terry and I were eating breakfast at the table just a few yards away. Brazen bruin!

******

This morning I opted to sleep in. I was tired, I hadn't seen a deer track. It wasn't bear season any longer. It was 19 degrees overnight and we had some light snow flurries throughout the morning. I can make up more excuses if you'd like.

I lit a fire in the fireplace to warm the house up and conserve some of the propane we had delivered Tuesday morning. (At $2.20 a gallon and having just over 250 gallons delivered.... Well that's why I was cutting wood last spring.) I set up the humidifier to take care of the 36% relative humidity inside the house. Not good for the wood or the nasal passages.

I composed the annual Christmas Letter to be included with our cards Terry was addressing in the other room. I surfed the web. I watched the clouds clear and the sun warm the porch side of the cabin to all of 31 degrees.

Just before dark this evening, I got up to look out the side door to where the bird feeders used to hang. And there were two deer. A doe and a yearling--also a female-- were licking up the sunflower seeds the bear had spilled the other day. Terry and I stood watching them and talking in our normal tones as they deer occasionally would look in the window and cock their ears in our direction. They KNEW I didn't have a doe tag. They KNEW! Five minutes went by and finally, I opened the sliding door to step onto the porch. The WALKED away and stopped on the other side of the power line right of way. They stood and looked at me--just 30 yards away. Then they started to walk into the woods and lop around. That's when I saw the third deer. Thankfully it too was a doe or I would have truly freaked--my loaded rifle was on the other side of the house.

So, yesterday a bear while eating breakfast. Today three does at dinner time. What's in store for tomorrow? Lions? This is Pennsylvania and although the mountain lion is no longer present in our woods (wink, wink) that's still a possibility. Or maybe something a little tamer. Say a pack of coyotes. Haven't heard any of those for a while.

******

I'll be going back out tomorrow morning at 0630 in the hopes that the weekend will bring a few more hunters out. It's been lonely the last two days. The camp down the hill is empty of the eight or so guys who were up from Lancaster area. And there have been very few shots fired within hearing range. Certainly nothing close enough that I would stop and stand looking in that direction for any deer that might have been missed/spooked as I would do in New Jersey.

Labels: Aerie, Bear, Deer, weather

Sleigh Bells Ring....

From this report at Watts Up With That? it would seem that Great Britain is in for a Dickens of a Christmas season.

Happened last year, too.

Oh. And a hearty, "Bah! Humbug!" to the AGW crowd.

Labels: Climate Change, snow

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Turnabout...

Jeeze!

Not long after I posted about the warm, rainy weather, the wind shifted (at least I think it did--the clouds preclude my seeing the windmills across the way) and the temperature started to fall. By 10:30 it was under 40 degrees and the rain was mixing with first sleet then snow. By noon it was 36 and all snow. The Elmira station weather dude is saying we may get a couple of inches before it ends late this afternoon/early this evening. The front deck is already covered.

December is making one heck of an entrance!

At least I'm not in Spokane, Washington where they got 5 inches of snow over night---on top of the 25 inches that were already on the ground. Too much, too soon.

Labels: Aerie, weather

Even a Broken Clock....

The weather guessers got it right!

It started raining here around 8:30 AM Tuesday. It's been falling ever since and promises to continue much of today. I had pulled the rain gauge when the temperatures fell below freezing a few weeks ago so I've no idea how much rain has fallen at the Aerie but suffice to say it's been a lot!

While the rain has been falling, the temperatures have been rising. We watched the thermometer go up slowly but steadily during the entire day despite the howling winds (20-plus mph with gusts much higher) we experienced. The highest readings (54 degrees) occurred as we went to bed at 10 PM. It continued to rise over night and was 58 degrees this morning at 7 AM. The temperature won't stay that high for long, however. The forecast is for 26 degree lows tonight with some of this rain turning to snow. It's already snowing int he western portions of the state with the dividing line somewhere around State College and west of the Allegheny National Forest.

I feel a little sorry for those guys who took the week off to spend it at their hunting camps. It's not been fit weather for man or beast out there. However, it didn't stop Mister (or perhaps Mrs.) Bruin from making a visit and tearing down the three bird feeders I had hanging from the shepherds crooks. The two sunflower seed holders just needed to be put back together but the thistle feeder needs a new hanger. The cheap plastic hook was snapped in two.

Labels: Aerie, weather

Compass Points

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

The Hawk Howls

HELP YOU MAKE IT TO YOUR FLIGHT

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Another Wine Tasting

College Football: Week 14 Results

Road Trip 2010 Compilation

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Aerie Report, December 04, 2010

Friday, December 03, 2010

Aerie Report, December 03, 2010

Sleigh Bells Ring....

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Turnabout...

Even a Broken Clock....

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