Easter Fire Tower Hike

Belfry Mountain was the 14th fire tower mountain for Sister and I, and a special 1st fire tower for my mom. We decided to go hiking on Easter, just to do something different. My husband had to work, Sister's husband had to work. It was just us ladies and Mother Nature.


Very easy hike, actually up an old utility road, not even a trail. The 0.3 mile hike was all uphill but not too steep. Only a couple trail markers were in sight, but the trail was very self explanatory.


The tower is climbable, right up into the cab. Unfortunately it is littered with graffiti, probably because it is such an easily accessible tower with a close proximity to the road.


The tower has been converted into what we call a Frankentower - a fire tower that doubles as a communication tower as well. There were times it felt like the wind was going to tip us over in the tower, but Mom was protected by a large boulder, sheltering her from all the wind down below.


We thought it was interesting that there were three geological survey markers, each visible from up in the tower. We posed for a trekking pole pose before descending back down.

Click here to see all the pictures from this hike on my Flickr.

Learn to Fly

Press Play to hear "Blackbird" by The Beatles

Some people have asked me where the inspiration for my work comes from. Many times the source of inspiration is as simple as a bead or pendant. Sometimes it's from nature, such as a plant, bird, butterfly or flower. My titles are often Google inspired... I'll type in the colors or shape and browse through pages until I see a word or phrase that seems appropriate. I also get name inspirations from songs - and sometimes it's just something that I think up. When all else fails I'll just give it a really lame name like Blue Egg Earrings.

My newest listing, a pair of earrings titled Learn to Fly, was my first photograph-inspired work from a picture that I took of a sunset in Key West in February.


While the it wasn't the best quality photograph, as I certainly am not a professional, I thought the picture was really cool because a bird happened to fly into the scene as I pressed the button.

I had a couple peach colored shell disks from a pair of ugly earrings that I dissected for spare parts, and I found some lead and nickel-free metal charms with birds painted on them. They are wrapped together with sterling silver wire and dangle from sterling silver ear wires. Too bad the birds are perched and not in flight!

Learn to Fly

Sunsets, birds, photographs... that was just in the design. The title was inspired by lyrics in part of the song "Blackbird" by The Beatles that I had recently been listening to. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Earth Hour

Earth Hour actually began in 2007, but this year was the first time I had heard of it. It was an idea that started in Sydney, Australia and was adopted by many other cities in 2008. The global event was organized by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness for the need to take action on climate change. The event takes place on the last Saturday in the month of March and calls for all unnecessary lights and electronics in the home and business to be turned off for one hour (between 8:30 and 9:30 pm local time). Participating cities turned out the lights on even major world landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower! The United Nations Headquarters in New York City estimated that they would save $102 in that hour. Delhi, India's capital, had a phenomenal decrease in power demand during that hour, falling by 1000MW.

What did I do to help the cause? Sister had a bunch of us over for a candle light porch party. The television, computer, and all the lights were turned off and we just enjoyed the company of each other for over an hour in the dark outside on the porch, enjoying what was probably the warmest day of Spring so far.

So mark your calendars for next year, to celebrate a new kind of power hour.

Information on Earth Hour found on Wikipedia.

Bald/Rondaxe Mountain Fire Tower

The drive to the trail head was a bleak one. We left home, which was overcast and 47 degrees, and crossed through what seemed to be a time warp before arriving to our final destination. Upon arrival we encountered a problem most unexpected for the month of April. The parking area was not plowed after the most recent snowfall, and the snow plows had displaced the snow from the road into the opening of the parking area. My car easily gets stuck in snow bumps at the ends of driveways, and with no cell phone reception, I was afraid we'd be stuck half in the parking lot and half in the road until the snow melted. Fortunately, I had not yet mustered up enough ambition to remove my winter stock of kitty litter from the trunk of the car, so I thew some down for traction and we sailed in with no problems!


The hike was super easy - the biggest challenge was finding the trail markers buried under a thin layer of fresh snow. According to Views from on High, it is only 0.9 miles to the summit. There was a few slick spots, and a few muddy spots, but overall, few obstacles.



My Stablicers clicked like tap shoes as we carefully walked across the spiny bare rock formations, hence the name "Bald Mountain."



The tower was open all the way up to the cab. We had to use our imagination to see the 360^o views, as the fog, snow, and clouds masked the surrounding mountains. We could make out First through Fourth Lakes, and were disappointed that the High Peaks and Blue Mountain remained hidden in the dense gray clouds.



The original tower was wooden and built in 1912, standing 20' tall. The current 35' steel tower was built in 1917 and was closed in 1990. It remained closed until June 18, 2005 which happens to be the day I got married!



On the way down we encountered a few other hikers. One pair of older men remarked that they knew at least one female was on the mountain. I assumed it was because they noticed my kitty littering work in the parking area, but turns out this CSI Rondaxe observation was based on the small size of our footprints in the snow.



It was a quick descent to the car and we exited the parking area over the snow bump with nothing more than a small fish tail swerve.

Naturally, the sun magically appeared not too long after we began our road trip home. It was sunny and 55 degrees at home upon our return.

Check out all my pictures from the hike here!javascript:void(0)

An Outdoorsy Carnival, April 1st 2009

Welcome to the April 1, 2009 edition of an outdoorsy carnival. Thanks to all the participants, I think a record number!

Advice Column

VikramKir presents How Create and Make a Garden! Tips to build your own garden! posted at Thoughtfully Vikram....

Jack Clifton presents Do It Yourself Deck Construction posted at How to Build a Deck, saying, "The second problem with having a planter in the middle of a deck is that it completely chopped up the space and made the deck far less useful than it otherwise might have been. A six foot by six foot planter almost in the center of an otherwise flat wood deck that was about 20 feet by 28 feet in overall dimensions was little short of idiotic, but I guess that everything is in the eye of the beholder."

Tony Clifton presents How To Build A Shed - How To Build A Shed Door posted at How To Build A Shed, saying, "A visual guide!"

Aquatic Life

Jenny Smith presents Used Scuba Gear posted at Diving Scuba Vacation, saying, "Buying new or used scuba gear can be a daunting task for beginners because you need to be well aware of all the insand outs of the game, and this is something you can acquire through experience."

Jenny Smith presents Used Scuba Equipment posted at Scuba Diving Vacation, saying, "A scuba divers equipment is used to ensure safety. With that in make sure that you follow all the instructions properly.Most of the risks associated with scuba diving are likely only when the divers do not take proper care. Mentioned below are some safety guidelines following which you can avoid most of the risks."

Jenny Smith presents Scuba Diver Training posted at Diving Scuba Vacation, saying, "Scuba diving is a game that requires you to be very much skilled, and this is where scuba certification plays a very important role. In fact, in most scuba diving centers, it has been made mandatory to acquire certification. This is just to make sure you know the basics of the game and will not face difficulty diving deep into the water. In the past few years, lots of scuba diving centers have emerged that provide various kinds of certification. Take a look at a few of those."

Jenny Smith presents Scuba Diving Caribbean posted at Scuba Diving Vacation, saying, "scuba diving caribbean style"

Erika Collin presents 100 Excellent Websites for Exploring the Ocean Online posted at MatchACollege.com.

Nancy Miller presents Water, Water Everywhere, And All The Reasons to Drink It posted at EKG Classes.

Charles presents Choosing the Right Fly Fishing Combo posted at Loop Fly Fishing.

Charles presents Fly Fishing Basics posted at Loop Fly Fishing.

Lou presents Ohio Spring Trout Releases posted at Steel Valley Outdoors.

GrrlScientist presents The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "a review of the true outdoor adventure story by Susan Casey. This book is the personal chronicle of the author's determination to learn about Great White Sharks -- however, the author's selfishness and immaturity ultimately destroyed two scientific careers and valuable research."

Wayne Cross presents My First Scuba Diving Vacation posted at First Scuba Diving Vacation, saying, "Everybody who dives has to have a first diving experience. Mine was about twenty years ago of the Big Island of Hawaii with a group of my friends. None of us were certified. How could we be, since it was our first time? If we had been certified, at least we could have said we had previously dived to the bottom of some community pool back on the mainland."

Mudslide Mama presents A Beach Vacation in La Jolla, California posted at Traveling Mamas, saying, "I've never submitted to this carnival before, and I hopeI chose the right subsection."

Green Thumb

Sandy Wong presents Gardening on Cloud 9 · How to Make Garden Container Using Soda Can posted at Gardening on Cloud 9, saying, "Almost anything can be used as a container in our garden. And here, I would like to show you how to make a garden container with a soda can."

Damian presents Cheap Garden Sheds posted at Garden Sheds Online.

Damian presents Garden Sheds and Outdoor Storage posted at Garden Sheds Online.

Damian presents Funny Garden Shed Story posted at Garden Sheds Online.

Tiffany Washko presents Are You in Danger of Becoming Free? posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Miss Thrifty presents FRIDAY BARGAINS: darned fine garden tools posted at Miss Thrifty.

Chris presents The Great Sunflower Project - free seeds! posted at Smith Family Garden, saying, "Free Sunflower seeds for your garden! The Great Sunflower Project wants to determine areas where bee numbers are critically low. You can help and get free seeds in the process."

Jason Logsdon presents What to Grow in Your Vegetable Garden posted at Vegetable Garden Planner, saying, "Thought this might be helpful to people looking to get out there and start gardening. Thanks!"

Thursday Bram presents Gardening in a Group: 6 Tips posted at Wise Bread.

run4change presents Sod removal and planting bed design. posted at My Angle, saying, "This is a post with before and after pictures that demonstrate how much of a difference removing sod and designing a planting bed can make."

Nancy Muller presents Gardeners: What To Plant Now -- Very Comprehensive posted at Recession Depression Therapy, saying, "Oh, just look at the wonderful resource I found! Am I the only one that struggles over when to plant what for optimum production?"

In the Woods

Y Niz presents How to Pack an Emergency Case for a Camping Trip (Outdoor Camping Equipment) posted at Outdoor Camping Equipment, saying, "Have you ever wondered if you needed to bring an emergency case? You need to bring one just in case. What if you get splinters? What if you get cuts? That is why you need to bring an emergency case."

steven germain presents Bill and The Earth Room... posted at Rough Fractals, saying, "The most outdoor place in NYC..."

Cheryl St.John presents World?s Biggest Something or Other posted at Petticoats & Pistols, saying, "Antler Collector"

Camp Trainer presents Camping Meals: Easy 3 Meal Ideas To Follow posted at Adventure Camping: Hiking Gear Reviews and Backcountry Camping Tips, saying, "The following is an example of what I usually eat on backpacking trips, long and short, summer and winter. I’m not proclaiming this is an ideal diet, but the food is lightweight and easy to prepare."

travelcat4 presents Reduce Your Impact Tips - Eco Holiday Toiletries posted at Eco Holidays.

GrrlScientist presents 56 New Animal Species Discovered on Remote Lost World: Papua New Guinea posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "This photoessay details the recent news that scientists discovered 56 new species of jumping spider, amphibians, and reptiles in a previously unexplored region of the "lost world" of Papua New Guinea. Lots of pictures!"

Dana presents Homeschooling and learning things more deeply posted at Principled Discovery.

Open Air

GrrlScientist presents Pohjolan kivimäkehen posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "Pohjolan kivimäkehen. Photographed at Suomenlinna on Kalevalapaäivä (Kalevala Day). This is one of my favorite places to visit in Helsinki, Finland. This entry includes an image and part of the epic poem, the Kalevala."

Jeff Sullivan presents Top Budget Friendly Vacation Destination posted at Branson Travel Attractions - Budget Friendly Vacations.

Ryan Floyd presents How to do a Vision Quest posted at Creative Substances.

AdmirableIndia.com presents Amarnath Yatra: Part 2: Sheshnag mountain and Panchtarni posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

GrrlScientist presents Iäkäs Kivittää posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "[not sure if this is appropriate, but thought i'd send it to you nyway] Iäkäs kivittää. A close look at the old stones that comprise the fortress at Suomenlinna. Photographed at Suomenlinna on Kalevalapaäivä (Kalevala Day). This is one of my favorite places to visit in Helsinki, Finland."

DownTheTrail presents Hiking to Havasu Falls | Grand Canyon posted at Down The Trail.

GrrlScientist presents Genetic Compatibility Drives Mate Choice in Gouldian Finches posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "Color-coded Gouldian finches show that some bird species have long been choosing the sex of their chicks -- based on the plumage color of the father's head. Not only that, but this study shows that biologists have underestimated the role of female choice in determining the sex of their offspring."

Outdoor Olympians

Y Niz presents Balance MTR posted at Magnetic Tennis Elbow Brace, saying, "Tennis elbow is one of several repetitive injuries that can affect your elbow. The technical name for it is lateral epicondylitis.The pain stems primarily from the point where the tendon of the forearm muscle attaches to the outside (lateral epicondyal) of the elbow. It can also spread down your forearm and into wrist wrist."

Peter Jones presents Why We Love Upslopes: Colorado Telemark Video posted at Rocky Mountain Raider: Telemark Skiing, Bouldering, and Trail Running in Colorado.

Chris presents Extreme “Marathon Monk” Runs 50,000 Miles to Sainthood posted at Martial Development.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
an outdoorsy carnival
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

an outdoorsy carnival, blog carnival.

Butterflies

I've added three new pieces recently to my shop as part of a butterfly theme. As a nature girl I like to incorporate nature into my jewelry, or at least into their titles.

Metamorphosis is a memory wire choker I made with beads symbolizing all the stages in the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Look carefully to see if you can figure them out!

Metamorphosis

This necklace I had difficulty naming and turned to the Etsy community for help. ACelticgirl2 suggested Sunsets Flight because the colors remind her of those in a sunset, saying, "Reminds me of when the sun is setting and there are yellows and deep pinks to purples." Click on her name to visit her shop.

Sunsets Flight

Rainbows and Butterflies is a double stranded choker necklace with glass beads and fresh water pearls. The pendant is wire wrapped and hangs at an angle from the tip of one wing. Life isn't always rainbows and butterflies, but there's no reason that your jewelry can't be!

Rainbows and Butterflies

Evidence of Spring

I've had the pleasure of going on two guided tours of Moreau State Park with David Alfred, one in the rain and one in the dark. I came across a video on Poststar.com, the website for my local newspaper, of David giving a brief virtual tour of the Park showing us signs that spring has sprung! David is an assistant environmental educator at the Park. Click on the picture below, of David showing us a mushroom, to be redirected to website hosting the video.

More by Nora

Nora is our featured seller on the EtsyBlogger team this month. I've actually done a feature on her in the past, if you'd like to read it!

Baby Blue Flower Studs

I know her for her adorable polymer clay flower earring studs! She is currently having a sale right now, offering $1.00 off your purchase in honor of her 100th blog post. Quite a milestone! Her lovely studded earrings are all on sale, each price reflects the markdown. She indicates the original price in the listing.

Congrats, Nora, I still love your stuff!

Is It Spring Yet?

Although the spring equinox lands in March, you can't put a date on the season in Upstate New York; I can remember a snow shower as late as May a few years ago. Last year I wore a sweater and boots to church on Easter Sunday, and at the end of my freshman year in college there was a sizable snow storm in late April. I was going to wait until the end of March to list some spring and summer items but I'm coming down with spring fever. I've had enough of the white stuff!

The two newest items in my inventory are earrings made with wire bird nests. Unlike my bird nest pendant that got got a lot of attention last year, these are smaller and made with only one "egg."

The brown Bird Nest Earrings were made with brown colored copper wire and a teal fresh water pearl. Antiqued copper earring hooks hold the nest at a side angle so that the nest is facing forward instead of upward.

Bird Nest Earrings

My Nesting earrings are really cute. I used silver plated copper wire for the nest and a teal fresh water pearl in the center. They hang from a chain which is tagged with a silver colored metal mother bird charm. The ear wires used are sterling silver. I hope to finish a matching necklace soon!

Nesting (relisted)

Looking ahead to summer, I made a flower ceiling fan pull, but a friend of mine asked for it before I could list it in my store. Just thought I'd share it with you anyway.

Ceiling Fan Pull

An Outdoorsy Carnival: March 2009

Welcome to the March 1, 2009 edition of an outdoorsy carnival.

Advice Column

Jack Clifton presents Building a Deck Low to the Ground posted at How to Build a Deck.

Matthew Paulson presents Safety Reminders For Winter Weather posted at American Consumer News.

Steph White presents Discovering Pet Lizards: Bearded Dragons posted at Discovering Pet Lizards, saying, "The Bearded Dragon Lizard, belonging to the genus Pogona, is probably the most popular of all pet lizards. He gets his name from his spiney covered throat which is beard-like when puffed up. Adult bearded dragons will grow to around 20" in length, with males being slightly longer, but females slightly heavier."

MyMaria presents Caring for Pullets in Winter posted at Frugal Homesteading Blog, saying, "Advice on caring for your outdoor chickens during cold weather."

Kristen Garcia presents Choosing a Summer Camp for Your Child posted at Life Of Kristen, saying, "Summer camp can be a memory that lasts for a lifetime, good or bad, for a child. Hopefully this article can help make it a good memory!"

Aquatic Life

steven germain presents Rough Fractals: Oar Fish, Sea Serpents and Sigmund Freud posted at Rough Fractals, saying, "A fascinating fish..."

AdmirableIndia.com presents Trip to Kanyakumari: Chapter 14: Muttom Beach: Part 1: Sunset posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

Liz Wright presents Kayaking in Key West posted at Travelogged.

In the Woods

Gary R. presents Preparing for a Backpacking Camping Trip posted at Camping Tips, saying, "Backpacking isn't for the faint of heart, instead of pulling into your designated 20 x 40 campsite and unloading your camping equipment from the car, you'll have to be prepared to camp in uncertain situations, carrying everything you need on your back."

Gary R. presents Traditional vs. Rustic Camp Sites posted at Camping Tips, saying, "An increasing number of campgrounds are offering visitors the choice of both traditional and rustic campsites."

Green Thumb

Nancy Muller presents A Ton of Garden, A Tiny Space;Strawberries for the Apartment Dweller or Suburbanite « Recession Depression Therapy posted at Recession Depression Therapy, saying, "A little advice for the gardener with no space and big dreams of Strawberries"

Lauren Rose presents Seven Gardening By the Yard Tips posted at Own Home Style .com, saying, "Here are some hints on how to keep your garden by the yard looking smartened up and glamorous."

Open Air

Travel Advocate presents Top Snow Tubing Travel Destinations Revealed posted at The Travel Advocate.

Sharron Lea presents Border Collie posted at The Art of Walking.

GrrlScientist presents African Diaries: Sketches & Observations posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "My review of the new outdoorsy book by David Derrick. African Diaries combines art and sculpture with field biology and travel as the author searches out and observes exotic wildlife and native peoples in the African nation of Kenya."

Lazy Man and Money presents The Winter Outdoorsman?s Guide to Hypothermia posted at Lazy Man and Health.

Gary R. presents RV versus Tent Camping posted at Camping Tips, saying, "Drive through any campground and you'll quickly see that camping equipment runs the gamut from $20 pup tents to $400,000 motor homes, complete with satellite TVs and Astroturf."

The Pet Chatter presents A day in the life of an animal communicator posted at Pet Chatter, saying, "Pelting snow, rambunctious horses, hysterical chickens and a naughty dog all rolled up into one interesting day."

Lola presents February « 2009 « Binoculars-n-More.com posted at Binoculars-n-More.com.

Gin presents Open a Renaissance Fair posted at Sense Scribe, saying, "Articles on business, health, technology and science for learning."

Outdoor Olympians

thebarefootbadger presents Commuting by Bicycle: Why It?s a Good Idea and How to Do It Safely posted at The Barefoot Badger, saying, "Put your passion for outdoor recreation to practical use, and you've got an excuse for healthy, fun exercise every day."

Gary R. presents Great Campground Games posted at Camping Tips, saying, "Camping can be a great family activity �C but don��t expect your children to sit around and enjoy reading or relaxing like you do."

The Fairway Golf Slicer presents How to Swing a Golf Club and Other Favorite Golf Pictures posted at How to Swing a Golf Club, saying, "Wanted to start you off with a golf swing animation that is worth watching for a few moments. It shows good professional swing technique, and you do not have to buy a golf swing training video to appreciate this good technique."

Michael Miles presents Effortless exercise posted at Law of Attraction - Effortless Abundance.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
an outdoorsy carnival
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

an outdoorsy carnival, blog carnival.