Jeb Corliss Base Jumping In A Wingsuit

Posted on by
2

I think I may have stumbled across someone who has figured it out. What I am going to show you by posting the following videos has got to be one of the most (if not the most) exhilarating activities I have ever seen in my entire life.

When I say that Jeb Corliss has figured it all out, I mean that he has managed a way to rise above. While we are sitting here dealing with the drama of everyday life and society, he is flying above us in some of the earth’s most beautiful spots. His adrenaline is pumping and even if this is his last flight, it was all worth it. How many of us can say that we have done something so satisfying, that if we didn’t make it back, it would be okay? Not many I’m sure. My adrenaline pumps just watching these base jumps.

If you want it explained better than what I can do, here is Jeb’s description from his Facebook page:

The fear is literally like a hurricane inside your head. Every nerve ending is saying “DONT DO THIS!!! Once you take that step, theres no coming back. It’s something that WILL change you as a human being.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

Kuroshio Sea – The Second Largest Aquarium Tank In The World

Posted on by
Reply

This is something I have been mesmerized by for some time now. Every so often, when I need to relax, I watch this video. I’m not sure if it’s the music, the fish in the tank or the people looking into the tank. It must be a combination of all three.

Please watch this video. It will move you. When you are finished, go to Google and do an image search for “kuroshio sea” and you’ll be amazed at all the great pictures you’ll find.

Kuroshio Sea – Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Video by Jon Rawlinson.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

Visiting Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT

Posted on by
Reply

I have to tell you, every time we visit Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT, we are impressed. I think it’s partly because of the park’s beauty and partly because we keep arriving at the perfect time of day.

When you look at the photos I posted below, you’ll see what I am talking about. There is something that makes this area very special when the sun hits the beach a certain way. I think we usually arrive at the park around 4pm, so the sun is on its way to set. The reflection of the water combined with the glow of the beach and plant life makes it just perfect.

I really think Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. It’s strange to say that because it’s so close by. When I think of beautiful beaches, I think of far away and exotic places. I definitely don’t think of something that’s right at our back door.

What really separates Hammonasset Beach State Park from others I have visited is the soft sand mixed with the large rocks. In the area we like to visit, Meigs Point, the rocks are all about exploring. If you visit this park, it’s a must that you spend a little time walking though and checking out what you can find. After that, climb to the top of Meigs Point and get a real view of what the area is all about. You’ll see Faulkner Island, Goose Island, Stone Island, Duck Island, Clinton, CT and Long Island, NY. It’s really a marvelous place.

As I wrote directly above, you can see Long Island, NY from Meigs Point in Hammonasset State Park. When you first get there, you kind of don’t know which was is up, but after a while it becomes clear that the land in the distance is in fact Long Island. I had to use my Droid to help me out with that one.

I am posting a bunch of photos below. I can’t believe how well they came out. Again, it was the lighting that did it. I managed to capture some quintessential Connecticut scenes…a fisherman, a sailboat, A jetty, etc… Take a look and let me know what you think.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

How To Clean a Pellet Stove

Posted on by
Reply

This is just a quick follow up from one of my previous posts. In that post, I mentioned that this was the season to clean out your pellet stove, but I didn’t offer many details.

I was on YouTube this afternoon and found a great video on how to clean a pellet stove. I am going to post it below. This video goes into some pretty good detail and shows the ins and outs of how to do a complete job of cleaning a pellet stove. Enjoy.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

Come Home to Chester Days

Posted on by
Reply

This has been on my mind for some time now. I kept meaning to write about it, but then I got busy…etc, etc… I’m sure you have heard it all before.

Anyway. Remember the post I wrote about The Brushmill by the Waterfall in Chester, CT? Well, as I mentioned in that post, a few things happened that day. Not only did we go to the shore and then enjoy dinner at the Brushmill, we also were delighted to discover the town of Chester, CT bustling with people the night of September 17.

That’s right…a small town like Chester was full of people after dark. Amazing.

After we left the Brushmill, we drove towards Chester. As we passed the library, I said to my lady, “Boy, there sure are quite a few cars in the parking lot tonight. Hmmm, maybe they are showing a movie or something.” Then, as we got closer to town, we saw people walking around. As we pulled up to the stop sign right in town, we saw tons of action. The place was full. I found this completely exhilarating. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A town actually doing something instead of just talking about doing something.

So, what did we see that night? We saw the annual “Come Home to Chester Days.” Here is a blurb from the Visit Chester website:

“Every September, we keep our doors open late on the Friday night closest to the Autumnal Equinox to celebrate the beginning of fall. We have receptions in our galleries, shops, studios, and restaurants,” says Leif Nilsson, artist and owner of the Leif Nilsson Spring Street Studio and Gallery. “It is a festive evening when townspeople and visitors are invited to stroll the streets of an antique New England village; to see the latest paintings, photographs, sculptures, fashion and jewelry; to sample baked goods and fine food; and to discover handcrafted decorative accessories and furnishings.” Most everything is within walking distance from the Maple Street and Water Street parking lots.

When I saw this, I immediately looked toward the passenger seat and said, “We’re parking.”

We got out of the car and began our trek through town. Mind you, this was our first real visit…the first time we actually got out of the car to walk around.

First, we visited a few galleries. We accepted the red wine they poured for us and began to smile a lot. There were so many people out that night. All the stores and art galleries were open and showing off their fine items. I had such a warm feeling inside knowing that people had put this whole event together not only for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the population at large. It’s not every night one gets to engage in something so New Englandy and down home. It really was amazing.

As we continued to walk around and visit small shops, we started noticing a few houses that were galleries as well. One of our favorites was the Al Malpa Photography Gallery. We met the person who owned the house that Al displayed his photography in and met the man himself. We great stuff. It was so cool to chat with people we never met before in such a comfortable setting.

As we further enjoyed the night, I began to realize that I am truly out of the loop. So many times I said, “Where in the world have I been? People all over the face of this earth get together so often and I feel so sheltered.” That night, I vowed to get out more. To smile more. To shake more hands. Seriously, life is too short. That’s why people build restaurants and bars, paint and sing, have get-togethers and party.

We picked up a few brochures that described all the annual events in Chester, CT. I have slowly been reading though them and figure that we will attend a few. We actually did make it to the market last Sunday, but I will leave that for another post. At least then, I got some photos.

Till next time…


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

Cleaning the Chimney and Pellet Stove

Posted on by
1

Ah, it’s October 3 and the chill is in the air. The temperature was in the 40s last night and I couldn’t get enough of the covers. What a change from the humid 90s we were feeling just a month ago.

There are a few things that need to get done in the Autumn. They creep up on you and become less and less pleasurable the colder it gets. Among others, the two chores I am talking about today are cleaning out the fireplace chimney and also cleaning out the pellet stove in the basement.

Now, everyone knows that when spring arrives, you basically close up the damper in the fireplace and call it a season. I mean, the last thing on your mind is to actually clean the fireplace and chimney to prepare it for the next season. That would make too much sense and why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right?

Well, today was the day I decided to clean the chimney. I pulled out my chimney brush and those fiberglass rods I bought from the pellet stove place last year and went to work. I think I bought five six foot rods. That length of rods pushes the brush all the way to the top of this colonial that we live in and pops it out of the top of the chimney. It took less than ten minutes to get the whole thing brushed.

There are a few things you need to concern yourself with when cleaning out a chimney. First, you will need to remove the damper and take it down. You won’t be able to get the brush up into the chimney flue without removing the damper. Second, after pushing and pulling the brush up and down the flue for a while, you will need to remove the brush and vacuum out the area up in back of the fireplace. Basically, this is the area behind the damper. This is very important. The guy at the fireplace store told me that serious problems occur when people fail to clean that area properly. It can get very hot back there and with all that buildup, well, you get the idea.

Overall, the job of cleaning a chimney isn’t very difficult, but not something to look forward to. If you have a relatively new home and a chimney in good condition, I highly recommend you go to a fireplace shop and buy the equipment to clean your chimney yourself. Have the pros only come out for an inspection every few years. You will save a lot of money by doing this.

Oh yeah, when I clean the chimney of the house we are currently living in, I do it from the bottom. This house’s roof is very steep and cleaning the chimney from the bottom is quite simple. As long as the house is warmer than the air outside, most of the dust is vented right out the chimney.

Now, regarding that pellet stove. I haven’t exactly cleaned this yet today, but by tonight, I hope to get it all finished. I really want to try out those new soft wood pellets I got a while back.

For my yearly cleaning of the pellet stove, I simply disassemble as much as I can and use my shop vac with a HEPA filter to vacuum everything I see. About every other year, I disassemble the fan area and the exhaust piping in the back to do a real thorough cleaning. The stove burns fairly clean, so this is all it’s needed through the years. I am excited to try these new pellets because they are supposed to offer a hotter burn with less ash. We’ll see.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

Nice White Chrysanthemum Pictures

Posted on by
Reply

Ya know, I have been writing blog posts about the White Chrysanthemum for years and everything seemed fine. The flower I was taking pictures of and writing about lined up perfectly with what I found in Google images. Well, I just did a quick search for “White Chrysanthemum” in Google and I found a bunch of white flowers that don’t really look like a White Chrysanthemum. Strange. I know this is what I have. I guess I’ll just ignore it and keep writing. At least they look like they are all from the same family.

I couldn’t help but take a few pictures of some of out White Chrysanthemums this evening. We have a few fairly large bushes in the front yard and now that it’s October, they are pretty much in full bloom. I got some decent shots. Some aren’t as crisp as I would like, but that’s probably just because I have a strong desire for a new camera. I really nice one. Of course, that is making everything that my current camera produces sub-par. In my mind anyway.

Here are those photos.

White Chrysanthemum Bud

White Chrysanthemum Bud

Two White Chrysanthemum Flowers and a Bud

Two White Chrysanthemum Flowers and a Bud

White Chrysanthemum Flower

White Chrysanthemum Flower

White Chrysanthemum - Focus On The Leaves

White Chrysanthemum - Focus On The Leaves

Up Close White Chrysanthemum

Up Close White Chrysanthemum


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

Elbows and Knees Hurting From Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Posted on by
2

I already wrote a post on this, but I figured that it’s about time for a follow up. I’d like to talk about how much elbows and knees and hurt from doing martial arts, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.

Okay, so I have been doing BJJ for over a year and a half now. Every so often, my joints start to hurt. I would say mainly it’s my elbows. Sometimes my knees too, but not as much as my elbows. If I go easy for a while, the pain eventually goes away. Here’s the thing…I just started Muay Thai training and now my elbows are hurting again. I know it’s from the Muay Thai, because my knees are fine (well, aside from getting old).

I wanted to write this post just to give a few hints on what I do when my joints start to hurt from training in BJJ or Muay Thai. Here goes:

1. Stay hydrated – They say that the cartilage in our bodies is made up mostly of water, so if you are dehydrated like most of us are without knowing it, our joints may hurt. Trust me, you probably aren’t drinking enough water. The amount of sweat that comes off the body from rolling is incredible.

2. Tell your training buddies – There is no reason in the world that you need to have your arms hyperextended when training in BJJ. When someone is practicing an armbar, tap early. I know that we forget to do this and we wait for that feeling at the very end, but you are only asking for trouble. Again, tap early.

3. Punch a little closer – In Muay Thai, don’t extend your arms all the way when throwing punches. This is just another way to hyperextend your arms. That’s where a lot of joint pain comes from and even if you don’t feel it now, you probably will in later life. Step closer to your partner and ask them to hold the pads a bit closer.

4. Take some anti-inflammatory medicine – There are tons of knock offs out there and you can get a big bottle at Costco for cheap. Don’t waste your money on the name brands. They work pretty well too. Keeps the inflammation in the ligaments and tendons down.

So those are my tips. If you have any tips about how to reduce joint pain from martial arts, please leave a comment.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

The Rivers Are Filling Back Up

Posted on by
Reply

I always say that we are living in some weird micro climate here in central Connecticut. I have watched so many thunderstorms pass to the South of us. Of course, we have had our fair share of storms and showers, but not as many as other parts of this state.

Well, I am happy to report that we finally got some rain. These past few days have given us quite a bit of welcome hydration. It feels good. I have had my fingers crossed ever since I planted all those evergreen trees.

You know what’s strange, with as much rain as we got, we still didn’t get as much as the rest of the state. For days, I watched the whole line of rain on the radar slowly crawling up the East coast, right to the left of us. If it had just moved over a few miles, we probably would have gotten about ten times the amount of precipitation. I am thankful for what we got though.

One of the barometers I use to see if the ground is absorbing enough water is to check the small brook down the road. For a few months now, it’s been really dry. Even yesterday it was almost empty and that was after days of stormy weather. Well, this afternoon it looked like the river was actually flowing. I am hopeful that the rain is here to stay and that we will have a nice Autumn. The trees I planted depend on it.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share

When To Plant Grass Seed In The Fall

Posted on by
Reply

I wrote a post a while back talking about the best cool season grass seed for heat and drought. At the end of the post, I gave a few recommendations on when to plant grass in the fall. Basically, I said to start planting on October 1, instead of the September 1 that many people recommend.

I am writing this post to reaffirm what I said in my earlier post. We had a hot September here in the Northeast and any grass that was planted probably would not have made it without ample irrigation. If you had enough water, good, but if you didn’t then you may as well have planted the grass in the middle of the Summer.

Today is October 1. It’s been raining for a few days, which means the rains have returned in this area. This is perfect for planting grass. The soil is moist and able to be properly aerated which will allow the seed to germinate faster. Of course, there is always the change of some freak early Winter, but I have seen people around here start their grass planting in November with good results.

We are located in central Connecticut by the way. Of course, New England is a pretty big area and the climate changes dramatically from place to place, but I would rather plant grass in cooler weather as opposed to warmer weather.


You might want to check out these related posts:

Bookmark and Share