Sunflowers Part 2

This evening I arrived back from hydraulics training at Storrs to find the sunflowers have begun to sprout! To me, the early arrival of sunflowers is a spiritual sign.

The sunflower seeds were planted 8 days ago 3 varieties (listed as planted from east to west): Russian Mammoth (could grow to 8 ft), Rainbow mix (pretty small) and Italian White (about 5 ft when mature).

The Russian Mammoth package said 15-20 days to sprout but these mammoths sprouted in 9.

Photo of Three sprouts !!! (not including the weed in foreground)

















Hebron sunset, neighbor's garden sheds in foreground



















Planting last weekend was a row of veggies: zucchini, carrots, spinach, watermelon, marigold.

Part 1 - planting of the sunflowers - has to be a future post...the picture disk is at the office.

What did you mean by Ferdydurke?

Gosh my last post might have sounded a bit gloomy. A wee ache is all.

A Haiku for what was not a Mensa moment:





My dreams for this weekend were crushed

when I pulled my back trying to lift manure

The garden will have to wait

because I am a Vertebrate


_________________________________________

Surfing the internet over the years, I have saved images that I find to be artistically interesting. This morning, I filled a barrel with manure at the dairy farm then tried to lift in to my Jeep. The barrel didn't budge, but I pulled my back. The cows were all, moooo, moooo. I emptied my barrels then went home and lied down.

In place of the garden-tilling blog that did not happen to day, here is my collection of Cool Art by Others.........

More Blog Soon

Posted from the office

The house move was all good cheer & a perfect day. Before the day was thru, the TV was up and running with the Kansas vs. Davidson game, and the four of us went through a Heineken minikeg & a growler of Berkshire Brewing Pale Ale. And the neighbors came by with welcome cake.

It might be a week before the next post, because of the move & DSL will not start at the new home of The Histories until next Tuesday!

We the People

The Declaration of Independence, and now my report, two great documents penned at Philadelphia….

Visual observations and permeability testing indicated that a peat and clay layer may significantly impede vertical migration of contaminants. An average flow gradient of 0.01 ft./ft. and approximate velocity of 40 ft./year in the water table aquifer were estimated. No significant tidal influence on groundwater at the site was observed.

- me, earlier today.

After the progress meeting, and before writing more brilliant prose, Chris was kind enough to take me into the city for its fine offerings. 15 or 20 minutes down the Old Marl and back over the Ben Frankin Bridge gets you into the historic district! But not before the best lunch ever!





Cheesesteak district (South Philadelphia near Passyunk & Washington)




Three kinds of peppers & and a jar of pepper-sauce are condiment options at Pat’s King of Steak.

I went for all three. The pepper-sauce was reddish brown and gritty with ground-up powder like paprika. Magic.

Pat’s or Gino’s are where they say you should go for cheesesteak, according to Chris.



Pat’s would be better, I said, because the signage at Gino’s is way too flashy. And flashier signage means worser food...in my experience. My contribution in deciding at which cheesesteak emporium we shall eat.
























Pat’s sells mainly cheesesteaks, 8 options: plain, American, Provolone, or cheese-whiz; with or without onions. Order by saying “American Wit” (with onion), “Provolone Wit-Out” etc., or get back in line till you say it right!





Philly cheesesteak is best eaten outside so we ate outside at the tables with our Pepsi's. The steak in my American Wit was thick n meaty, very good compared to the thin shredded variety served in New England in my experience!!!



Celeb pics absove the ordering window!






















Through the plexiglass these gents tend the grill.

Lunch, Part 2

…these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

- Declaration of Independence



In the spirit of brotherly love, Chris showed me round the Independence Hall area. We parked on the second level underground. Up the staircase to a large open grass area surrounded by two visitors centers & independence hall! The weather was high 40s.





Hear Ye, Hear Ye!



The Bell is roped off, in one of the modern visitors centers, but no longer in a glass case.

Independence Hall plaza was entirely rebuilt in the last couple years. Foundations for slave quarters were discovered during construction. The Liberty Bell is inside a new building, and the Indepencence visitors center is huge and modern (but we didn’t have all day to check out ). The Philadelphia Mint is around the corner.





Free admission to the Liberty Bell. It’s a National Park.





















Visitor Center Gift Shop

What is not brilliant about this tee shirt as a gift for Samantha’s 5th (March 31) along with fake Ben Franklin glasses?!

































…except the shirt didn’t come large enough for a 5-er. I ended up with the glasses for $3.99 & will have to find a larger-sisze kite shirt online!

ACELA Sunday

Acela Express takes about 3 hours from New Haven (Union Ave Station) to Philadelphia (30th Street Station)! I made it to Track 1 just before the train arrived in New Haven at 3:18PM, just in time because I-91 was closed in Middletown & traffic was rerouted.

Speed of the Acela:

The train moseyed it's way to New York City because the railroad tracks wind their way along the Connecticut coast. Then next thing you know it is going really fast the rest of the way, because the route further south becomes more straight & flat!

$289 Roundtrip!

The blurry photo of inside the train is not due neither to a bumpy ride. The Acela was au contrarily very smooth (unless you count interuption by announcements

ding ding ding

please do not take up two seats because the train is sold out, thank you, give a little common courtesy.....in harsh new york accents).

The $10 Walgreens philly-cam tells the rest of the story (the swank travel-cam stayed home because it is rather bulky).

Along the 20 minute $20.10 cab ride from 30th Street Station Philadelphia to Crowne Plaza Cherryhill, would this be the building where Rocky ran up the stairs?? If so, it's the Philadelphia Art Museum.

I arrived at Crowne Point 7PM. Waiting for dinner at the hotel restaurant. (Embers is the name on the menu, so it made perfect sense the receipt says Cooper's Bar & Bistro!). Waiting for dinner I studied up on how to make a veggie garden. Don't over-till or it will destroy worm tunnels & mess up the soil bacteria!!!

Beet salad, mac&cheese on the side. The salad had in it Beets, greens pine nuts, red onions, some kind of red dressing, & smoked mozzarella. Tasty except I doubt whether Gordon Ramsay or Rachael Ray would say that the smoked flavor agreed with the rest of the salad!!!

Tomorrow, off to work in our local office about 10 mins from the Crowne! And words will be spoken hey can we get cheesesteak for lunch....

Pennsauken & Cherry Hill are a $3 toll bridge east over the Delaware River from the city of Philadelphia.

from the 11th floor, Crowne Point Cherryhill.

I could use a network that works in places like Phillyradofornia

This month is all about planning so here is the plan!

Next week, I will work out of our Pennsauken NJ office which is 10 mins outside Philadelphia. Actually I will be inside that office the 10th-11th, helping to Penn a report and might not have much interesting to blog. I will take the train from New Haven to Philly. All aboard Amtrak!!












Then it is off to work & play in every state that begins with C. The next week after NJ it is time for me to return for 2 days of environmental testing in Marysville, CA. Maybe ski in Lake Tahoe the 16th. It will be my shortest trip to CA ever.

I shun't be riding a stretch limo in San Francisco, however. Whoooooooooops!!!



The group of hills in this picture is called Sutter Butte. The valley is flat except for Sutter Butte. Sutter Butte is visible from most places in Marysville, Yuba City, and areas all around!




Then in August it is time for me to return to Denver for the 2-day MNA workshop which is August 7-8! MNA is Monitored Natural Attenuation, sort of like biodegradation. The course will teach how to determine whether pollution in the ground is breaking down naturally and becoming less harmful.









I will be sure to take a few days of vacation & sighsee in Colorado!