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Summer Starting to End on the Farm

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It has been good spending time on the farm. I really had forgotten how quiet and dark it is here. It can actually be a bit unnerving. The leaf doodle bug was put to work in the forest. However, it looks like the car will be going back on the road. We can say it failed field trials,but that would only be partially true. The better utility value at this point is more suited to getting a teenager back and forth from high school. The mycological aspects of the farm did not disappoint. The pics of these shrooms are not photoshopped. The coal stove (very heavy) is loaded on the truck. It will be rebuilt in Georgia if I can save it. Coal stoves are increasingly out of production. When they are gone they are gone. The small wood stove is now in its place. The pic of the red sky in morning was indeed a warning of weather. We had strong storms and tornados in Upstate NY. Although I was travelling much that day in the area, I missed the worst of it.

Around Town Gwinnett County, Georgia

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We decided not to travel over the labor day weekend this year, not even to NY and the farm and even when I had two holiday days available from work. The thinking was that I have lots of stuff to do around here. It seems the more work you do to a house the more work is required. I suppose it makes sense. When you take care of the major stuff the remaining items will then become major items, needing attention. I was originally planning on repairing the deck labor day weekend. When I bought the house 12 years ago I figure it needed to be replaced. I have fixed it a number of times, but I think now it appears I need to replace it or at least most of it. The structure and footings are not appropriate and joists have been doubled and tripled up. So much for just replacing a few more deck boards. Of course, since I am in this deep now I will be adding an outdoor kitchen with an outdoor sink. Oh well. Fellow Aeroventures Club member Daryl Hudec won the Grand Champion Kitbuilt at EAA Oshko...

Lake Lanier

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We spent a bit of time on the Northern part of Lake Lanier with friends. It wasn't as busy with boats as expected. It was nice.

Madison WI

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I was in Madison, Wisconsin for a few days at corp HQ. Finally, after working for 3-1/2 years for the company. I finally got to see my first real glimpses of product, some of the team and colleagues.  

"kin-dza-dza" Cool Russian Dystopia Movie

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I watched a cool movie. "kin-dza-dza". I found it independently and asked Angie. She laughed and said it was a good movie. So we watched. It was made in the Soviet Union as perestroika was taking hold. It was a fun movie. "K'U!"

Pics from Around Town (Duluth GA)

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Some random pics from the last few days. --My metal roof is now installed. Quite durable and breaks me out of the stupidity of having an asphalt/fiberglass shingled roof. Many years in the thinking/planning. Now done. --A nasty looking black coyote in the back yard. He is looking for the many deer fawns this year no doubt. He can smell them in the back yard. I see them everyday. --Burlwood. Part of the sawmill fun. A white oak tree we dissected has a number of nice burls. Great for turning into bowls on a wood lathe. --Some of the deer friends I see every day. --Grace and Jewel posing for a photo. --A red shouldered hawk out from my office --A Norfolk Southern crew change in Duluth GA. They occasionally do crew changes in Duluth. Nice to see it with a Union Pacific lead loco.

If you struggle to find happiness in travel

Adventure is more reliable than happiness-- Jordan B. Peterson

The Balkans 2023

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Dowdell's 2023 Balkan trip Wow! What a trip! 10 New Countries (based on what the US state dept considers countries) Romania Bulgaria Moldova Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina Kosovo North Macedonia Montenegro Albania Greece 3 Different Alphabets (many different languages, sometimes with multiple alphabets) 10 Currencies 14 Taxi or Uber Rides 3 Rental Cars 15 Border Crossings 9 Flight Segments 4 Bus Trips All that in 14 days. I am only now convinced that we could complete a trip with those stats, because it is over. It was a complex trip. We tried to take a version of this trip in 2020 but were thwarted by Covid. This time we pulled it off. The Balkan peninsula countries are fascinating because of the deep history, unique cultures, but also with current events and intercountry relationships. We learned a lot about the region and relationships with other countries. Since it was such a travel intensive trip we l...