Update from Elizaville

On Being Alone

Sitting here on Day 6 of my stay at Brook n Wood Family Campground, I learned a little about being alone and appreciating the experience.  After the weekend few stopped by their rigs to make final preparations for winter and left, the campground had me as their only occupant.  October 31st was shut down time for Vanessa and Joe, the owners.  I'm leaving for Croton's RV Park on Wednesday, October 29th.  What I had all along was .....Time.  It was all about time and how to use it.....my way.  Very few of my friends can claim that rare, just out of reach, luxury:  Time.  Time to hike, time to read, time to listen to music, and time to work the Internet.  Believe it or not, I had service.  Here, in the boonies, the Internet made the stay even more pleasurable....and yes, I could have lived without it.  Really.

The first thing I learned about being alone:

This says it all for me, so I had no worries about becoming a cast member in The Shining and this will probably will put my kids at ease if and when they read this.  

From my son, Chuck, I was reminded about surviving "in the wilderness" with the "3-3-3 Rule":  3 days without shelter, 3 days without water, and 3 days without food and you're dead.  Of course, he reminded me that, in my case, I could probably go 6 months without the food.

The second thing I learned is that there's time to observe more closely and appreciate more the things around you.  At my table, reading my novel, the news or e-mail, my view of the outside faces the southeast and is hilly and wooded, so I don't get to see the sun until about 8 am.  In addition, I also see my neighbor, a magnificent old oak tree.  It is a living thing as you know and has perhaps given me the message night after night that my presence beneath it was an intrusion.  Taking advantage of the breezes, it pelted my fiberglass roof with acorns.   I thought it a very sophisticated method of communication.  As a tree whisperer, I let it be known that I came in peace and arbor-ed no ill thoughts; that my roots were grounded in nature and that I wood leaf it alone, untouched, and unharmed.  I went out on a limb to do all this but, as it turns out, its bark was worse than its bite and we've led a peaceful coexistence since.  This begged the question: how old must it be?  See what you can come up with when you have a lot of TIME on your hands?  So, I branched out to pursue an answer.

 

Cup for perspective.  Circumference is 10' 6" or 126"

Most trees in this area of the country add about one inch to their circumference (around the tree) every year. If you divide the total circumference by one inch, you will have the tree's age.  This method yields an age of 126 years.    

Another method I found required a bit of math:
(Credits: Jim Gilbert & Cathie Plaehn)

1.  With a tape measure, find the circumference of the tree (in inches) 4 1/2 feet above the ground.
2.  Determine the diameter of the tree:

Formula:

Diameter = Circumference divided by 3.14 (pi)

3.  Calculate the age of the tree.

Formula:

Diameter x Growth Factor

Tree Species	Growth Factor	Tree Species	Growth Factor
Red Maple	4.5	White Oak	5.0
Silver Maple	3.0	Red Oak	4.0
Sugar Maple	5.0	Pin Oak	3.0
River Birch	3.5	Linden or Basswood	3.0
White Birch	5.0	American Elm	4.0
Shagbark Hickory	7.5	Ironwood	7.0
Green Ash	4.0	Cottonwood	2.0
Black Walnut	4.5	Dogwood	7.0
Black Cherry	5.0	Redbud	7.0
		Aspen	2.0

This method gives an age of 160.5 years which I feel is more accurate.  There.  Sleep better tonight.

It's a Small World After All

Tina & Harley

Here's another "What are the Chances?" incident.  Over the weekend I heard activity coming from the large Infinity Class A rig next door.  "People!", my Gemini self called out and I went out to "meet and greet" Harley and Tina.  They're in their fourth year here as seasonal "residents" but came up this weekend to finalize winterizing their rig.  Conversation went on between Harley and me about each of our RVs as Tina, former landscape designer, tended to her small patch of land, removing dead twigs, branches, and leaves.  I invited them over to visit Winnie after they completed their chores.   They came, they visited, and, in typical RVer fashion, brought a wonderful bottle of wine with them. "Apothic Dark, Limited Edition."  "This 2013 blend of Shiraz, Merlot, and Zinfadel seamlessly integrates flavors of blueberry and blackberry with enticing notes of coffee and dark chocolate for a rich and smooth mouthfeel with layers of texture."

A most delicious, smooth tasting and highly recommended wine for my red wine loving friends.  So, what are the chances that, here 72 miles from home on a chance weekend, in the remotest section of an unoccupied campground I meet people who:

1.  Live in Croton, and

2.  At Half Moon Bay.

3.  Know and work with a mutual friend who lives there and, last year, gave my name for airport transportation and

4. With whom I spoke with on the phone but never met because I was in Florida for the month of April,  And who's

5. Husband, when finding out I retired from teaching in the Hendrick Hudson school district, asked if I knew a fella he worked with at Entergy in Buchanan.... a graduate of  Hen Hud.  And yes, I did.  The 12 year old I taught is contemplating retirement now at age 55!

What are the chances?

They also informed me that Saturday night is "Free Ice Cream" night up at the rec hall so, at 7:30, up we went.

Vanessa hosting with...

husband, Joe

 Enough for tonight.  Tomorrow, I'll share a good read:  Brandon Sanderson's Triology, The Mistborn Trilogy