tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63485382746726382822024-02-20T02:39:54.819-08:00Know Your Placethis is about how sense of place informs our livesGregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-66112304810280674022013-04-22T10:18:00.002-07:002013-04-22T10:18:26.096-07:00say it with food"If you have something to say, say it with food," is a phrase not unique to this specific place. It's something that, while not generally verbalized so explicitly, is played out in many places urban, suburban and rural. I'm in a number of community groups and I am happy when the 'build community' goal is spurred along by people bringing hand crafted foods. Most of you are likely familiar with the poster "How to Build Community," which features advice such as "turn off your TV" and "go for a walk" and "sit out on your front porch." I'll add "bring along hand crafted food." The world would be a much better place if more people had their hands in a mixing bowl when they did not have their hands in the soil of the garden. Just be sure to wash your hands inbetween.<br />
<br />Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-45604598590742795402013-04-10T06:12:00.003-07:002013-04-10T06:12:46.863-07:00Skiing Bonus Round<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This extended late winter weather has provided a bonus round
of cross country skiing. It’s a particular kind of cross country skiing –
sliding on what yesterday was a layer of slush but this mornings is a hard
crust.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout most of the winter, I have my favorite trails to
follow and like a meadow vole I stick to those runways. Must be my goal orientedness
(is that a word?). I like to know how far I skied and how long it took me to do
so. The past few mornings, though, I’ve gone off track. Off track in a good
way. I just go out and go in which ever direction I feel like going with no
real plan. I don’t know how far I’ve gone. I do know it’s been great fun.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A topo map of our property would look like a blank piece of
paper. There is not a single contour line. Sounds like a boring ski, and I
generally do prefer skiing in some topographic relief. But these aimless
wandering skis over our flat terrain have been a real delight. First, skiing
over the hay fields brings out a Walter Mitty feeling of skiing across the
trackless arctic (except it’s only for an hour and I get to retreat to a warm
house*). Also, the prevailing NW winds over the winter have driven the snowfalls
into drifts downwind of the scattered shrubs. Sliding up and down and around
the drifts offers another Walter Mitty feeling of skiing big moguls.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s not all fantasy though. And it’s not about ‘oh, now I
feel recharged to get on with the day’s tasks.’ Or not totally anyway. And it’s
not just ‘oh, good, I’m burning off that delicious but very large piece of
home-made apple pie with an all butter crust I ate last night.’ Not totally. It’s
mostly an in-the-moment, having-fun- right now kind of sensation. The idea of
‘as much fun as you can have with your clothes on’ did go through my mind. The
other aspects are added benefit, but it’s all about the fun. It’s the same
sensations derived from bicycling down an open road. And that season is coming
real soon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*I recently finished Adam Gopnik’s book “Winter: Five
Windows on the Season.” It’s a good read, wildly rambling through history,
humanities, sports, global climate change. His contention is that winter only
became thought of as a pleasurable time of year once central heating was
invented. I would agree with that. Winter activities are enjoyable only if one
can then go back to one’s nice warm abode. </div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-38462626087299241722013-04-04T07:13:00.003-07:002013-04-04T07:13:40.208-07:00Remains of winterSeveral days ago, winter made an encore performance. We got a few inches of new snow on top of the snowpack. We also had cold overnight temps that firmed up the snowpack. Before that, it was starting to rot, which made for a certain sinking feeling when the ground drops out from under you as you walk or even ski across. There's the expression about having the rug pulled out from under you. Is there an expression about having the ground drop out from under you? Falling into 2' of rotting snow makes for a tricky extrication exercise.<br />
<br />
Yesterday through today, winter made a curtain call. Not quite an encore. Not everyone was encouraging winter's return to the stage. For the past several ski sessions I have thought that it would be the last of the season. I think there's a few more left but I do feel some degree of infidelity to skiing. The sun angles are such that I can't help but think about cycling while skiing. That must be a sign that it is time to indeed bid winter a fond farewell. Well sometime during the month of April anyway.<br />
<br />
The snowbanks are starting to recede a bit, too. One advantage of the snowbanks is that they lend a degree of topographic relief to an otherwise flat plain.Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-54157401633937923992013-02-13T04:49:00.003-08:002013-02-13T04:49:51.262-08:00Ecology of a cracker childhoodIf you're interested in how place informs one's life, you should read "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood," by Janisse Ray. It's Janisse's story about how she grew up in a south Georgia junkyard but developed a strong sense of place around the pine woods and from the base provided by her devoted but troubled family. Several of us here at the University plan to use it at as a common reading across several of our classes -- English, Biology, Psych, Sociology, Communications. One of the ideas I need to do a better job of in my Ecology class is to show these science students that science facts are an important part of communicating information about natural resources conservation, but stories are very important, too. I'll explain that's why we're reading a Ms. Ray's very engaging story in addition to technical texts and articles.<br />
<br />
Just in case you're curious, Janisse Ray is a conservation advocate, runs a farm in Georgia and teaches writing. I have not read her other books yet but highly recommend "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood."Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-20311121827610958372013-01-24T14:13:00.004-08:002013-01-24T14:13:45.293-08:00Warming upIt is cold out with minus double digits overnight and +/- single digits during the day. Bright sunshine really helps but it's still cold.<br />
<br />
Skiing today I felt like the older cars we used to have that required a little bit of warm up before driving them off. (Today's cars do not. They are made to start and go. I see people warming their cars up, often starting them with a remote starter, so that they will be nice and toasty when they get in. I also see people leaving their cars running while they run into the store for 'just a few minutes.' For the sake of the air we all breathe, I wish they would be willing to be a little cold for the few minutes it takes modern cars to start putting out heat.)<br />
<br />
I felt like the older car today, not the newer car. I'm not old enough to have achy joints that need to be loosened up, but I did notice that my hands were cold starting off. My body said "It's cold, I'm going to keep the warm blood in my core area. Sorry hands, you'll have to wait until we know it's safe to send some out to you." My hands saud "Oh don't worry about me," meanwhile thinking of the next time they're called on to convey food. Then we'll see if they remember this incident.<br />
<br />
After about 10 minutes I was all warmed up and my hands got their warm blood and were happy. I guess it was cold out if I'm imagining conversations between body parts.<br />
<br />
.....<br />
<br />
Somewhere I saw a quote in which a character in the story said to another character "You couldn't live in a dry country." I guess it was kind of a taunt. Up here we could say to others "you couldn't live in a cold country," Some could reply back "you couldn't live in a hot country." Those in the middle of the country could say "you couldn't live in a -10 one day then 50 the next then back to 20 the next country." And some would reply "Um, well, I could but I don't think I'd like it."Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-47946047681488875302013-01-16T12:43:00.002-08:002013-01-16T12:43:06.432-08:00Lost in thought and not because that's unfamiliar territory<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today I had a chance to ski to one of my favorite woodland
sites. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I visit the site frequently in summer and fall with my ecology
class to take forest composition data (and to show the area off to the
students) but otherwise I don’t get out there on my own. I’ve been wanting to
ski back to that site but it’s not on the way to anywhere I often go and just
far enough away to require a special trip. Today I was in luck. I had a meeting
and this site was on the way. The weather recently turned against us skiers: we
lost a good deal of snow in the recent deep thaw. The trails on our place have
bare ground showing. But I gave it a try on this site anyway. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turned out that snow conditions were OK. Yesterday’s
flurries left a light dusting over the hard pack left from the thaw. It looked
like this area had gotten some extra lake effect snow before the thaw, so
enough of the base survived. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First was the ski in to the trail since the road was closed
for the winter. The one mile of skiing on the 30 ft-wide, snow-covered roadway
was easy but not especially scenic. The trail was more than scenic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know this woodland well. I know and even have data (the
class-collected data) to show the rich diversity of flowers and the forest composition.
It’s a maple/yellow birch/yew forest with scattered oaks and spruces and firs, and
hemlocks and white pines over by the lake. The large, widely spaced trees; lack
of early successional species; pit and mound topography; and abundance of
coarse woody debris across decay classes indicates that it’s taking on some
old-growth characteristics. That’s been quantified. I also know, but don’t have
hard data to prove, that’s there’s just something about it that makes this an
especially pretty forest. I make that unsubstantiated claim to the students.
They don’t feel the need to write that down. They know it won’t be on the test.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I wanted to see today was the winter contrast. And it was a contrast. The coarse woody debris
was mainly covered up. There were no tracks except for one set of squirrel
tracks. I did make a note of the hemlock regeneration in the patch of hemlocks
for thinking more about at a later time. Not a lot of natural history action to
see. What there was to see was a quiet forest under a thin blanket of snow. And
that same ‘just something about it that makes it a lovely forest’ was still
there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I found myself not so much lost in thought as lost in lack
of thoughts. That feeling of health, beauty and goodness took over. Issues that
were bothering me before became the trivial annoyances of life that they
actually were. That’s a feeling I like. </div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-50708532930989298212013-01-10T07:21:00.004-08:002013-01-10T07:22:08.828-08:00Paying attention<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sorry open fields. You only got the dismissive ‘very nice’
like one would tell a budding young artist about her work when one was sincere
but not really paying that much attention. As I skied the first part of this
morning’s loop, my mind was on the start-up phase of a new project instead of on
appreciating the natural scene I was skiing through. The track was well packed
through open fields. It didn’t require any higher order cognitive skills to
navigate. My mind wandered. At least I wasn’t mulling over controversies and issues of one of my
other projects. But neither I wasn’t adhering to the guideline “When I am
skiing, I am skiing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nature got me back, though. The next part of the loop
required my full attention to squeeze through the shrubs and trees and over and
around the downed logs. That gave me time to notice the woodlands a bit more. Then
nature commanded my attention as I came out of the woods into the stream
valley. Bright, slanting morning light on a quarter mile stretch of open stream
and wetlands with woods up on the banks. That got more than an ‘very nice.’
That got a ‘oh, yes, wow.’ </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nature also got the last laugh. While finishing up the loop,
my mind started to wander again only to be brought up short. Nothing fills one’s
gloves with snow quite like a hands- first dive into the snow caused by the old
ski-under-a-shrub-branch-that-foot-can’t-fit-through routine. After some
muttering, I was back on my way only to find myself back into the snow having
caught my pole basket in a shrub on the upswing. That elicited some actual
vocalizations not meant for others to hear. So OK nature, I get it. In the
future, I will try to remember “when I’m
skiing, I’m skiing.”</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-14877768225865427822013-01-03T05:21:00.004-08:002013-01-03T05:21:55.505-08:00Know the other guy's place<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This blog is about knowing more about where you live – to
know your place. The idea is that by knowing your place, you’re more likely to
appreciate your place and to work toward stewardship of your place. It’s also
about using place making as an economic development tool. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This past holiday break, we did our usual, wonderful, family visits. Our
visits take us to quite contrasting places: a now 4<sup>th</sup> generation family farm in farm country where the farms are getting ever larger (‘tho
not our family’s), to sprawling suburbs (including aging neighborhoods and newer
neighborhoods that even have restrictive covenants), to a walkable, livable
downtown area of a smaller town. Each place has its merits. We know each of
those places; some were our own places at previous points in our lives. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It occurs to me that in addition to knowing your place, we
should also get to know each other’s places, since in our family, place seems
to be correlated to political leanings. Given the polarized politics we seem to
have gotten ourselves into as a nation, maybe by knowing each others’ places,
we can partly come to see things from the other guy’s perspective and appreciate each other’s
viewpoint. Where we’re from and how we have interacted with that place provides
some insight into why we think the way we do. At college, ‘where are you from’
is often the first question new acquaintances ask one another (soon followed by
‘what’s your major?’) It’s not just small talk. Knowing someone’s background –
i.e., their place -- and interests helps us know them. By getting to know each other, we may even come to realize that
all those people who disagrees with us politically are not necessarily just idiots. Well, not all of them anyway. </div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-15834352945132933402012-12-15T14:26:00.001-08:002012-12-15T14:26:11.211-08:00The future of shoppingI recently heard on the radio a report about the future of retail. Apparently in the future, the stores will 'hear' you coming by detecting the approach of your cell phone. That will bring your purchasing history up and the staff will be able to greet you by name and then direct you to the merchandise you're most likely to be interested in. The interviewer asked about the creepiness factor involved. The interviewee suggested that once we see that it will save us money and result in a more fulfilling shopping experience, we'll be all for it. No thanks. I think I'll stick with my hometown stores that don't have to pretend like they know me. I sometimes don't know quite how to respond when a checkout clerk at major retailer X, after reading my name on my credit card, thanks me by first name for shopping at this store. I am friendly enough about it, but I can't help thinking "You don't me!"<br />
<br />
I like it when the clerks I actually do know engage me in authentic conversations. That did not happen instantly. It happens after many times of choosing to go to the small local retailer and building an acquaintance. Even that took some getting used to upon moving from busy town to small town. At first I did find it a bit annoying that the check out clerks thought they had to chat up each customer. Now that I'm one of those customers I do kind of like it.<br />
<br />Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-87433999145440541362012-12-11T05:40:00.001-08:002012-12-11T05:40:27.116-08:00A few thoughts for early December<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three to four inches of fresh powder on frozen ground. Nice
conditions to ski around the campus loop. Just enough stick on the kick, nice
slide on the glide. Or something like that. ‘Tho in my case it isn’t so much
kick-and-glide as shuffle and shamble. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was also nice to have my polymorphous, two-dimensional
companion alongside. I did not realize how much I had missed seeing shadows. It had been cloudy for day after day until this
recent high pressure brought nice clear skies. Around town, people remarked on
the nice weather. Cold but clear. And no one even said ‘oh but we’ll pay for it
later.’ That’s the response one often hears when we have clear, sunny days in
winter. It’s not pessimism. It’s that we often get sloppy days after clear days
when low pressure moves in after high pressure and drags gloomy skies along.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
………</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The city has a new place-making initiative to reshape the,
well, shall we say, overlooked back side of part of our downtown. The back of that stretch of businesses that face the waterfront is not the most attractive part of our town. It could be a natural
funnel to draw people to the adjacent downtown streets. That's the idea of the place-making initiative.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a well-organized and well-attended meeting. People
shared their aspirations for what that part of our downtown could be. Open space for civic events, kind of a town square concept,
seemed to be a common theme. This project runs through next summer, when a
concept plan will be provided by the consultants with the hope that the concept
plan will guide development and spur a search for funds to carry out the plan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The meeting illustrated a sense-of-place concept I had not
thought of until reading about it recently in a place-making blog, namely, the role of
good governance. We have our share of shady
insider deals in our town, as in any, but they are not institutionalized in the city
government. From my perspective, our city government is open. The city
commission and administrators really do listen at public listening sessions and
projects do seem mainly to track public desires. We would not be considered an
especially progressive town, but we do have some projects addressing land use planning and other sustainability ideas. Things move slowly, but
that has the advantage that we’re not lurching from one new idea to the other. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
……</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were considering dropping our subscription to the local
paper. That’s a shocking move for us. “You gotta subscribe to the local paper,”
we’ve always said. “How else will you know what’s going on?” Admittedly part of
knowing what’s going on is seeing which of our students are in the police
blotter feature. But it’s also a way to know of upcoming events. In speaking to
other residents after some event, I often hear “I never even heard that was coming up.”
I try not to say “Well I can’t help it that you’re un-informed.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been reading about successful local papers that go
beyond the police blotter, high school sports, obits and legals.
Papers that have in-depth, local content. Ours needs more of that. Our
next small town to the south has a weekly that does. We subscribed for a few
years, but let our subscription lapse since learning about happenings in the neighboring county didn't have a favorable cost/benefit ratio for us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We would have gone Sunday only with
our local paper, but that is not an option. (Reading the Sunday morning paper
is a long-standing tradition in our household, even if it takes some effort to
stretch the reading of the local Sunday paper out to 20 minutes). So we’ll
keep our subscription for now. The next time our local paper runs duplicate
stories from one day to the next, (it’s even been known to do it in the same
edition), misses out on reporting what could have been a good local story, or
drops another feature from its coverage, we’ll think again about whether to
continue our subscription. We want to support local media but not as a pity purchase. We look for value that we can’t get elsewhere. Maybe
Warren Buffet will buy our paper and fortify it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-69133978312358417142012-11-28T11:05:00.001-08:002012-11-28T11:05:15.359-08:00An outsiders perspective<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few weeks ago, we made quick trip to see the extended
family for a fun event. Flew out Friday morning, back Sunday night. The family
event, a wedding, was great and it’s always nice to see extended family for a
fun event. During the travel time, I ended up reading Prairie Spring by Peter
Dunne. So it was fun reading about the part of the country I was traveling to.
As someone who grew up in the plains and prairies, I was interested to see what
one of those easterners had to say about some of my favorite places. I wanted
to see if he got it right. I also recalled that sometimes it takes an outsider
to do a good job of interpreting a place (I seem to remember something from
history class about Alexis de Tocqueville’s contribution to <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>’s
understanding of itself). I am happy to report that Dunne did indeed get it
right. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book documents the travels he and his wife did across
the <st1:place w:st="on">Great Plains</st1:place> during spring time. Lots of
good info about birds (Dunne is a well-known birder) and plants, but even more
so the book was about the people who live in the plains are working to conserve
what they love about their place. Dunne uses good creative non-fiction
technique to make for an informative and fun read. (As a biologist, I’m as
eager to read dense technical info as anyone, but for a fun read I have to
admit that bringing in the people can make it fun).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also ran across what to me is a sad commentary about reading about the plains and prairies while flying over them. A marketing
blurb on the back of a different plains and prairies book – one I did not buy
because I did not like that marketing blurb – said that this was the book to
read while flying over the middle of the country to let you know what was going
on down there while you’re flying over it. Yikes. I guess if that’s your
attitude about the plains and prairies, we’d just as soon not have you drop by!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As fun as it was to see family, I did manage to sneak off to
the local wildlife area. The elk were especially cooperative, standing in
silhouette against the afternoon sky on the first small rise from the road. The
bison were not so cooperative but were still easy to see a bit farther off. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Haven’t written much this month about place (travel makes
the stack of papers to grade get so much taller!). I must get back into the
habit. Writing about experiences does help one get more from the experiences
(you English profs out there are saying ‘duh!’). In the mean time, we do have
skiable snow. Time to get out on it.</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-35246677202942363772012-11-08T17:14:00.002-08:002012-11-08T17:14:31.952-08:00today's random thoughtsMet someone today who is from the Upper Peninsula but, as she puts it, has to work downstate sometimes. She told us about how when she crosses the Mackinac Bridge she always rolls down her windows and opens the sun roof on her car to flush out the downstate air with good, clean UP air. She admitted that this time of year, it makes for some cold air in the car.<br />
<br />
UP - not a separate state, just a separate state of mind.<br />
...<br />
<br />
We live out of town and typically come straight home after work. We don't spend many evenings in town, but tonight I had a meeting that kept me in town 'til dinner time, so I availed myself of some local food and drink. I walked downtown from campus for the exercise, the think time and to see what there was to see. After my dinner, the walk back to campus took me past the laundromat. Since it was dark outside, it was like looking in on a picture. Nothing says college town like seeing a student studying while doing laundry in the laundromat.<br />
...<br />
I'm not a particularly smiley person. I'm no grouch, just not necessarily one of those people who always are smiling. But when I see something just that's just so fun to see, I can't help but smile. Tonight I pulled into a store parking lot to go get a few things I needed. A grandpa and grandson were making their way toward their car right by where I was pulling in. Grandpa and grandson appeared to be having a great time, so I could not help but smile as I pulled up and walked by. Grandpa must have seen me appreciating the scene. 'Hi, how are you doing," he stated, to which I simply replied quietly 'Good!' A minor moment. It brought to mind a recent news report that I had heard about a study that showed how smiling at a stranger leads to good feelings in both parties involved. I have to agree with that study. It did feel good. I'm still not a particularly smiley person, but when the occasion present itself I guess I am.Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-89773254858654239782012-10-26T04:46:00.004-07:002012-10-26T04:46:45.561-07:00closed storefronts, but wait...I don't like seeing closed storefronts. Well, I guess no one really does, but having lived in places where the downtowns are plagued by closed storefronts -- any knowing of rural midwest towns that most of the downtown is now closed storefronts-- they make me especially sad.<br />
<br />
I was downtown the other day and the closed storefronts looked kind of forlorn. I know they're just closed for the season, but I still can't help but feel a bit of melancholy (not sure of the part of speech here, but I know it's not 'feel melancholonic'). We're not a resort town. We don't lose that much population in the winter and we make up for it with the college students in the fall and spring. The only businesses that close for the season are the DQ, the two burger shacks on the river and the fudgey row businesses. So it's not that sad. While the signs say "Closed for the Season, " they then dispel any doubts with their declaration of "See You Next Spring!"Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-18580268531828821362012-10-19T12:25:00.002-07:002012-10-19T12:25:45.197-07:00Making a healthy walk healthier<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday AM. Sitting here at my desk, feeling like I need
some exercise. Got about 50 minutes before my morning class starts. But I need
a destination. I can’t just walk around just to walk around. Coffee shop! 15
minutes each way, just enough time for a coffee and something sweet to eat.. “Yea,
but,” says the voice in my head, “weren’t you just there yesterday eating
something sugary?” Hmm. Yes I was. Maybe too soon for another sugary treat. “And
aren’t you about out of extra-budgetary cash from doing that pretty often?” Right
again. “Better pick another destination.” How about the bookstore? So I walked downtown,
past the coffee shop, just around the corner and perused the new local interest
books. I’ll go back and get <i>Visiting Tom</i>
and let you know in a future post how I liked it . I kept my eye on the time so
that I would not get engrossed and thus late for class. Got back with 5
minutes to spare, having gotten some exercise, having found a new book to add
to the very long list of books to read, and with a net expenditure of calories this time.</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-43703896984383080642012-10-14T18:06:00.000-07:002012-10-14T18:06:02.486-07:00It's all in the contextI was hiking with the students my eco lab through a forest this fall in a cool, drizzly day.<br />
"Ew, it's stinky," said one of the students. "It smells like rot."<br />
"That's the smell of our forested wetlands," I replied. "I rather like the aroma."<br />
Some of the more outdoorsy students concurred with my point of view but we all agreed that it's not an aroma considered pleasant by all.<br />
It occurred to me that what I really like is the associations I have with that aroma. It makes me think of enjoyable days spent hiking around the forested wetlands taking in the scenery, getting out in a natural area, learning new plants and pondering how that ecosystem functions. It is all in the context.<br />
<br />Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-85853088160675754702012-10-11T05:57:00.001-07:002012-10-11T05:57:09.734-07:00Enjoying the fall weather bike style<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So OK, the sleet did sort of sting on my face. Not the most
favorite part of my bike commute yesterday. I tried to time my ride between the
squall lines but didn’t hit it quite right. All day, we had wave after wave of rain
and sleet for several minutes with about 30 to 45 minutes of sunshine in
between. Forty five minutes of clear weather would be just right for the ride home.
But I was delayed a bit in leaving so by the time I got away it was ½ way
through the clear, which meant I’d encounter a squall. But after the sleet, the
last half the ride was in clear weather. A nice ride overall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have always thought it’d be adventurous to be a consistent
3-season bike commuter over a reasonable distance. Many years (and about the
same number of pounds) ago, I would sometimes do a 15 mile one-way commute but
only on nice days. It required a change of clothes and freshen up in the
washroom upon arriving at work so it was not a causal ride. I now have a more
reasonable, 15 mile round-trip distance which can be done in street clothes. I
frequently ride in during summer; this was the first time I had in October.
With the recent addition of a commuter bike (i.e, with fenders and – full disclosure - battery assist) and the with the right rain suit, it was really quite a
pleasant ride, aside from the few minutes of sleet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had ridden in to work the previous morning in a warm drizzle which was quite a pleasant ride. I car
pooled home that evening, leaving the bike in my office overnight. I car pooled in the next
morning then rode home that afternoon. I don't claim to be an everyday bike commuter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Part of appreciating the place one lives is appreciating and
getting out in all weather. And here we have all weather. I don’t intend to
ride in the winter. Snowpacked roads are too treacherous (I knew people in <st1:city w:st="on">Fargo</st1:city> who would put a
traction chain on the front wheel of their bike – I don’t need to be that
hard-core). And subzero weather is a bit too extreme for me for cycling. But
regularly biking in from March through October is quite do-able. People like
walks in the rain. Rides in the rain can be enjoyable,
too, in their own way. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to forego rides in the
summer in shorts to save up my bike riding days for fall rides in the rain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I saw that today’s weather was going to be snow/rain mix all day, I
chose to carpool in. Today it was a walk downtown this morning for a coffee instead of a bike ride. It was
quite an enjoyable walk in the rain that turned to snow. Looks like we’ll get a
little accumulation today. </div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-88314604602345311022012-10-03T05:51:00.001-07:002012-10-03T05:51:17.517-07:00Place and Being Organized<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can where you live determine your level of organization? For
twenty of the past 22 years, we’ve lived out-of, but close-to, town. Therefore
when we’re doing a plumbing, electrical or construction project we have the
luxury of being able to go to town the three or four times it takes to get
everything we need to get the job done. Our closeness to town is enabling that
way (for the two years we lived in town it was still just 3 or 4 trips to various stores per project). But how about those people who live so far from town that they need to be
sure to get everything they need the one time they are in town? That’d be
impressive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The people who live outside cell phone range have to
be even better organized. We all used to be a bit better organized that way. It
seemed like only a few years ago that I was resisting getting a cell phone
because I said it was for people with poor planning. Everyone used to make
plans ahead of time. You had a designated time and place to meet. If the other
party did not show up within an unstated but somehow mutually agreed to
timeframe, well, we followed the unstated but somehow mutually agreed plan B.
If one were meeting someone in town, the waiting time could be just 10-15
minutes but for a remote meet it could be up to 1-1/2 hours to wait until
switching to plan B. If the other party didn't show up, you’d ask them about it the next time
you saw them. Now no one plans, we – me included -- just call to smake and to
change plans. It’s a great time saver. No more waiting and wondering for those
precious 10-15 minutes. I’m sure our time is much more valuable today compared
to years past and taht we put that saved time to high value uses. I don’t mean to
sound like a crotchety old guy. OK, it would have been nice to have been in
communication with the people I waited 1-1/2 hours for at a remote site and
then had to make the call to switch to plan B. Knowing they were delayed much
longer than that could have saved me some time and some worry. But come to
think of it, that area is probably still out of cell phone range. So I guess
there are still some places where planning is an essential skill.</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-77577086842157731742012-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:002012-09-27T10:00:12.290-07:00Wayfinding<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You know how to get to our place, you were there before”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, but that time I rode with someone else/ I followed
someone else/ I just did what the GPS receiver told me to do.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In any of those cases, the individual involved may not know
how to get to your place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have found an especially good way to learn how to get
somewhere. Head off with a vague idea of where you need to go and go. Of course
it doesn’t seem like a vague idea at the time. I look at a map and say “Oh,
sure, I know exactly how to get there.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This past week, I was in the KC area. It’s where I grew up.
I wanted to visit a particular site, glanced at the map and headed off, knowing
exactly how to get there and headed off no map, no GPS receiver. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I need to modify my previous claim. Yes it is where I grew
up but that was many years ago. I would have known exactly how to get there
then but now the roads are all different. A while later, , I arrived at my destination (more modification of claims - I arrived at my destination after calling Sis who got me the exact address off her smartphone but knew better than to offer turn-by-turn directions). But how much more
informative and adventurous it was to have driven several miles in a few
different directions, seeing many interesting sights and really learning the
lay of the land. I saw a farmstead surrounded on all four by a high fence topped with barbed wire (what goes on at that farm?). I saw some very fine equestrian farms. And I saw just how extensive the former munitions plant is and was thus spurred to look up its history. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you have the time for some adventure, I recommend the
wander around until you find it method of wayfinding. I’ve done it on several occasions
and have gotten to know the backroads and byways in several areas that way. And
sometimes I even learn a more direct route after taking the circuitous path a
few more times.</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-36702564240906069572012-09-19T14:21:00.002-07:002012-09-19T14:21:10.525-07:00Beautiful morning<br />
<h1 class="parseasinTitle " style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I stepped outside this morning to complete some quick chores
before heading to campus. I would say that I stopped momentarily to appreciate
the gorgeous morning, but more truthfully the gorgeous morning made me stop and
appreciate it. Clear, cool, wet from the overnight rainfall. We’re way behind
on precipitation this summer so the analytic part of my mind was saying ‘yea, 0.4”
of rain.’ The not-so-analytic, free-format part of my mind was saying ‘Quiet,
you. Enjoy the moment.’ So I did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Being outside is important for me. Natural environs are a
tonic. ‘Built nature’ can be too, for me and for all those people who don’t
have a chance to get out into natural nature. By built nature, I mean places
people have brought the plants in to. These places could be farms, food
gardens, flower gardens designed to produce or show off flowers or thoughtful
spot gardens that draw people in, quiet them down, get them to think. It’s
nature, nature fashioned by people for a particular purpose, but still nature. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">One sees large and small versions of these thoughtful
gardens in larger population centers. I’m reading a wonderful book about places
like that: Open Spaces Sacred Places: Stories of How Nature Heals and Unifies
by Tom Stoner and Carolyn Rapp. The spaces featured in this book range from a
healing space at an HIV/AIDS center to a healing space at a prison to a healing
space in what was a crime and drug ridden neighborhood. If I’m in the vicinity
of these amazing spaces, I will stop in. The story of how they were built is as
beautiful as the resulting places.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">One can find thoughtful gardens in some small towns and
rural areas as well. They are not so professionally crafted, but still make
their own important impression. Our area
used to have a unique garden/book/artsy shop out in the country that had a
garden with a walkway that invited visitors to stroll slowly and think. Unfortunately
the shop is no longer in business. I don’t know what became of the garden. I
know it took a lot of upkeep. One small town here in the eastern upper
peninsula has a community garden, not the kind of community garden where
individual gardeners have plots to work (a great, but different type of
community garden) but rather a collaborative garden designed to get people to
slow down and ponder. Built nature has a place even in small towns surrounded
by natural nature.</span></div>
</h1>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-8596555489747040932012-09-04T10:06:00.001-07:002012-09-04T10:06:56.094-07:00Attention restaurateurs<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Classes started last week. I like to use that first week to
get a run-up to the class topics. For example, in ecology lab, we don’t get
right into field data collection. Instead, we go out and talk about some
concepts of field ecology. I like to get the students thinking about overall
concepts that we will start taking data on next week. I also take the
opportunity to talk about the role sense of place plays in conservation. I
explain that by helping people develop a stronger sense of place, we may be
able to enhance their willingness to work toward conserving the features that
make their place special to them. That leads to the need to have some people
who actually live in rural areas so that
we have people on the ground to advocate for the conservation of those special
features. That in turn leads me to describe how someone interested in
conservation of natural areas also needs to be concerned about sustainable
rural economic development, which wraps right back to sense of place.For the
rest of the semester we talk technical details of ecology, not the environment
and society aspects. This first week is my chance to discuss those latter
features, which I explain are in some ways more important than the science, but
are covered in other classes. Maybe a few of these future leaders in
conservation will take the message to heart. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some entrepreneur could help build sense of place here in
our town by providing on-the-river dining. We are a river town, yet the closest
place on the <st1:state w:st="on">Michigan</st1:state> side to dine on a deck
overlooking the <st1:place w:st="on">St. Marys River</st1:place> is 15 miles or
so downstream. We ate there this past weekend and the river made for great
ambiance. I know people who go literally that extra mile just to eat on the
river like that. It’d be nice to be able to eat on the river right here in
town. Several of us are just waiting for a restaurateur to see that
opportunity. In the mean time, we get to-go dinners or bring our own picnic
dinners to one of our nice parks on the river. Works OK for hand held food, but
a nice sit down dinner on a deck overlooking the river could be quite special.</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-23287477687061118182012-08-28T06:35:00.002-07:002012-08-28T06:35:46.673-07:00Summer yields to school year<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
School’s back in session. Always great to get back into the
swing of it, but during the week before school starts, we want to take
advantage of the last days of having that more open schedule. Last week, we went
to Petoskey and Charlevoix, partly to see if we could find some peaches for
canning and partly just to have a nice day trip. No peaches available in bulk, only by the pound and expensive due to the early warm and late frost this spring, but it made for a nice day
trip regardless. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We just kind of poked along, stopping at turnouts to <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Michigan</st1:place>, at farm stands and at artsy/touristy
shops. We also stopped at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Petoskey</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">State Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> to look for
Petoskey stones (found a few, as always). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the park we also were entertained by the kite surfers,
three guys on short boards holding kites. It was a breezy day, so they got some
speed and just as we were leaving, one guy got some serious air. One of the
kite surfers packed up to go just as we were. Looked to be an involved process
of capturing the kite, deflating the kite, packing the kite. Not something to
do single-handedly. By nature, kite surfers are avid in their sport.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One sees the avid sportspeople on the road, a cluster of
expensive bikes or skis or kayaks on the rack, them driving off to some destination
to pursue their sport. I like to see that. They’re probably adding to the
economy of the areas they visit. They are enjoying the outdoors and maybe even
advocate for conservation of the places they mountain bike, cross country ski
or kayak in. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t get out that much. My recreational pursuits tend to
be closer to home or right at home or campus. Skiing, cycling, hiking, canoeing
are things I can do casually during my usual day. That’s one of the big
advantages of living here – the fact that we can do paddle sports, cross
country skiing, cycling right in our immediate neighborhoods. It’s part of the
lifestyle here, and we use that fact when recruiting people to come work at the
university. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have not always lived where one can canoe so casually or
with reliable enough snow to XC so often. But one can always go cycling and
running . All you need is roads (although one place I lived was miles from a
paved road so not so good for cycling when all I had was a road bike). What
about hiking? Is a long walk through town a hike or does one need to be in an
interesting natural area to call it a hike? As a kid and as an adult, I’ve
walked for transportation, often a couple of miles distance. I never considered
it a hike, though. Regardless of what it’s
called, it can be a good way to get somewhere and enjoy the journey even if it’s
just through town.</div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-90484463788673617232012-08-16T12:43:00.003-07:002012-08-16T12:43:40.096-07:00Nice ride, eh?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about sense of place. Nothing says ‘cycling in the EUP’
better than drafting off a tractor pulling an empty hay wagon. Not that it
happens often. I’ve been cycling just about my whole life in farm country and
never had drafted behind a hay wagon until this morning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was on a ride I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Everything fell in place for that ride this morning. It’s about 16 miles one way, so I
needed a couple of hours in my schedule. Check. Nice weather. Check. The bonus today was that the breeze was SE, unusual for us, but
making for the always desirable homeward tailwind. The destination: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Dunbar</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
a place I visit often with class but have never biked to. I know several people
who do and recommended the ride. There was a work aspect to the trip, too. Last
year I saw a purple loosestrife plant there, so part of the motivation for the
trip was to see whether it had spread.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few miles into the trip, I heard a large vehicle coming up
slowly from behind. A tractor pulling an empty haywagon passed me slowly, which
gave me the chance to get into its draft. It was a nice break for about ½ mile
until we got to a slight incline and I could no longer match the tractor’s speed. <br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Otherwise, the trip was uneventful but very pleasant. The
familiar terrain rolled by with a few new sights. The _______’s are finally
putting an entryway on the front door of their house 15 years after it was
built. About time. Saw another house-in-the-country under construction on <st1:street w:st="on">Riverside Rd.</st1:street> Saw
some gardens hit by our hot dry weather and others that looked fine (probably had an irrigation system).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traffic was practically non-existent. Lost count at 4 cars; the total could be as high as 8 or 10 passing in either direction for the whole
ride.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Dunbar</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> actually did look
better from the bicycle than from a college van. Probably it was just the
satisfaction of getting there under my own power. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The purple loosestrife had spread. Where there was one
plant, now there are several over 10s of meters. We’ll get the students on that
project.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the way home, I was feeling the old spin in the legs, a
pleasant feeling I had not felt in a while. I don’t get that feeling on my more
typical rides, which involve getting to and/or from school. The reminiscence of
cycling past was soon replaced by the more recently familiar rubber in the
legs, especially after the short, steep hill up out of the river valley onto
the plain. Ride home was a bit faster with a few chances to get on the big
chain ring. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything added up to a very nice way to spend a few hours
in the EUP. </div>
Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-57188356407192340652012-08-07T12:08:00.002-07:002012-08-07T12:09:18.559-07:00UP Connections IIA UP Weekend II<br />
by Thaddeus<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>The afternoon of Sunday, July 29</u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.25in;">
3:57 (Buddy):
“Hey whatcha doing next weekend?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
3:59 (Me):
<i>“Nothing planned. Wanna go for a hike?”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
4:01 – “No, I
will be in Crystal Falls for Humungous Fungus.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
4:01 – <i>“Cool
man. Sounds like a blast.”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
4:03 – “Yeah
it’s a good time. You should come out.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
4:05 – <i>“For
sure, that’s a cool area. Why not? I will see you there.”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
4:06 – “Awesome,
that’s what I like to hear.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
4:18 – (Internal monologue) <i>“Wait, where is Crystal Falls?
Have I been there? Is that by Marquette? I need to google this...”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>The morning of Saturday, August 4</u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WELCOME TO HISTORIC
CRYSTAL FALLS</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.25in;">
10:38 –
(External monologue) <i>“THIS is Crystal Falls?”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
10:39 – <i>“HAVE
I ever been here?”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
10:40 – <i>“Am
I in the Central Time Zone?”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
10:44 – <i>“Did
I just drive through Crystal Falls?”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As of the 2010 census, Crystal Falls
has a population of 1,429. That number is much, much lower than
estimates thrown around by my road trip partner “Bob” and I as we
were sight-seeing through town, slowly making our way to a gas
station. Bob could swear he was here once before, and tentatively
recalled a bait shop and memories of the greatest submarine sandwich
he ever tasted as the neural pathways of his brain were being fueled
by blue Gatorade and McDonald’s breakfast.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Myself, on the other hand, never tasted
an epic sub in this part of the state. Sure, I had been through Iron
Mountain, Iron River and Covington, but somehow I never succumbed to
the siren song of Crystal Falls.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I discovered what I had been missing.
Ultimately, the Humungous Fungus Festival was what brought me to
town, but proximally the UP Strongman Competition was scheduled to
begin at high noon (yes, Central Time) and a mutual friend to Bob and
I was competing in the heavyweight division.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Being of extremely slight build
relative to the competitors, Bob and I felt more than a little out of
place prior to the competition as the athletes were stretching muscle
masses that were clearly the result of years of training and
discipline. No disrespect intended, but the female competitors could
have twisted me into a pretzel that would have sold at a premium at
the concession stand. It was agreed upon that the only way to
salvage – or mask – our self-respect was to partake in some 12
ounce curls of ice cold beverages as the emcee announced the start of
the spectacle.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The event annihilated my concept of
what human beings could achieve. Imagine the most physically
demanding movement you have ever made, quadruple the intensity, and
you have the first<i> </i>of <i>five</i> feats of strength. I’m
lucky if my back doesn’t seize while doing dishes after lunch, but
these men and women were moving weights best described as large
fractions of blue whales. At regular intervals over four hours, the
gamut of responses ran from nervous energy before the whistle blew,
exhaustion after completion of a challenge, episodes of profuse
perspiration, shouting, grunting, and physical and emotional strain.
I can only imagine what the competitors were going through.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If I ever happen to meet any of the
people who competed (other than my buddy, the 2012 heavyweight
champion, by the way), I will look directly into their eyes, shake
their hand, and give them my utmost respect. Immediately afterwards
I will drive to the nearest hospital for an X-ray of the pulverized
bones of my useless limb, suppressing tears and thinking of whom I
will ask first to sign my cast.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
To be honest, I didn’t attend any of
the other scheduled events of the Festival; I didn’t think it was
necessary. I had a blast in Crystal Falls, and as much fun as it
would have been to hang out at the Teen Dance (Thursday @ 7) or the
Senior’s Cribbage Match (Friday @ 1:30), nothing could trump the
time I had at the UP Strongman during the weekend I spent in Crystal
Falls this past Saturday afternoon.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you happen to make it out next year,
I will be the skinny guy at the concession stand nervously asking if
there is any demand for pretzels to be on the menu – say hello.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-52959907064002899142012-08-07T12:07:00.003-07:002012-08-07T12:09:03.741-07:00personal connections to the UPSense of place is all about one's personal connections to a place and, better yet, the people one interacts with there. This edition of know-your-place features a guest blogger (a young scientist with whom I collaborate) writing about just such connections.<br />
Part I is about Thaddeus' adventures in the territory around Marquette, Michigan.<br />
A UP Weekend I<br />
by Thaddeus<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Perhaps the greatest irony of my life
is that for a person who measures 6’4” tall, I am terrified of
heights. Full disclosure: I am talking about a fear far beyond which
is indicated by symptoms of wobbly-knees or dizziness. At the apex
of my six inch vertical leap, I begin to get very angry with Sir
Isaac Newton and question what possessed me to leave the surface of
our most wonderful planet Earth. I have considered how self-secure I
am to withstand to the public ridicule that would befall someone in
my age range without a disability using walking canes, if for no
other reason than to enter into a more pleasing consort with land.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of my earliest memories is of my
parents taking me to a public library. The library had two floors,
and the children’s section was on the second level. If memory
serves, the elevator was shrouded in the cobwebs of several
generations (if not whole civilizations) of numerous species of
spider with a dusty OUT OF ORDER sign that was placed in front of its
entrance sometime in 1958. The staircase at this library consisted
of large, rectangular marble slabs held together by approximately
half the steel distributed from Pittsburgh. A very sturdy structure
and a testament to the talent and skill of its designers to say the
least. Problem was, there was a gap of about a hand’s width between
each offset step that allowed for the necessary incline and the
visitor to be able to see <i>through</i> the stairway as they made
their way to the second floor. I was so paralyzed by this evil
creation as a child that my current stage of literacy is a credit to
the wonderful teachers on the ground floor of the elementary school I
attended.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The simple truth is that the more of my
surface area that is in contact with objects permanently affixed to
the ground, the more comfortable I am. This is known by people who
know me. “Bob” is one such person who knows me. He and I go
back a few years and we have spent not an insignificant amount of
time developing a friendship.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A quick note about Bob: he likes to
have fun. He loves hiking, fishing, kayaking, biking, building
beautiful log furniture…in other words someone who fits in
perfectly in Marquette, Michigan.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Another quick note: Bob is absolutely
crazy.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I visited Bob this past weekend in
Marquette. We had dinner on Friday night at the Vierling restaurant
on Front Street. If you have never been there, order a pint of a
delicious hand crafted hoppy beverage and don’t be shy about
looking through the large windows overlooking the bay or the old
black-and-white photos on the walls before your food arrives. (The
whitefish, by the way, is phenomenal.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One picture shows Marquette harbor
sometime after the turn of the century. The photo succeeds in
representing how busy the port was in a time long since past as the
viewer sees immense sepia toned tree trunks waiting to be shipped off
to lumber yards. On the horizon, there is a promontory that reaches
towards the sky, the tallest landmark of the area from that photo’s
perspective. Naturally my eyes were led to this peak, and my throat
started to constrict as sweaty hands tried to grasp a fork.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“What’s that hill there, in the
back?” I ask, trying to allay burgeoning anxiety through dialogue.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Oh yeah, I think that is Marquette
Mountain,” Bob says. “Cool photo, huh?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My voice squeaks as I attempt a
response and the conversation eventually drifts elsewhere.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Later that evening we discuss plans for
the weekend and a couple of ideas were tossed around. Things with
Bob always seem to move fast and before I knew it the first
suggestion of a crisp autumn-in-August Sunday morning was floating
through the open window of my guest room.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“So we’ll head up to Jeffrey’s
for breakfast and then hit the cliff?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Um, sure sounds like a good plan”
I mumble, still in a sleepy haze without having consumed the several
cups of coffee required to alert my senses every morning.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It wasn’t until the third cup that I
became aware of myself seriously discussing climbing a rock face.
Was this actually presented as an option on Friday for things to do
over the weekend? What’s more, it seemed as though we were talking
about climbing the same peak that I had seen in the photo at the
restaurant two days before. I’m not one for hyperbole, but as the
server dutifully refilled my bottomless cup of coffee, my mind
recalled every detail of minutiae in the photo of the Mt. McKinley of
Michigan, from the sherpas leading pack mules up narrow trails to the
base camp with wind-tattered tents and spare oxygen tanks.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I won’t bore you with the details of
how I managed to scramble up the side of that mountain; frankly, I
have no recollection of anything that happened once I started
climbing. However, I will say that I think I may be the first person
in recorded history to have the ability to consciously decide against
having multiple heart attacks, something I learned about myself while
I was clutching a shrubby oak tree some 70 feet above where my feet
last touched flat ground. Photographic evidence shows a rope knotted
to a harness into which I was strapped leading through a pulley
anchored by two trees at the top of the cliff to Bob’s own harness
at the foot of the cliff. This technique, I was told later, is
called “top anchoring” and once the nausea that still accompanies
any association with Sunday, August 5<sup>th</sup> subsides in a week
or so, I might read up on how exactly the physics behind it works.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It’s good to have friends, but it is
better when crazy friends live a few hours away.</div>Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348538274672638282.post-77267265999336895452012-07-30T07:04:00.001-07:002012-07-30T07:04:10.674-07:00Our special boat<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend of mine has a 39+’ foot boat. That’s a big boat,
just under the 40’ that requires a special license. As I like to kid him, we
have about that same amount of boat,
it’s just that ours are in the form of two canoes and our peddle/paddle boat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I take the canoes out to study sites with students and
sometimes our son and I get out for a canoe float. The peddle/paddle boat is
our special boat, though, because one particular member of our household is not
comfortable in a canoe (too tippy) or really any small craft in deep water.
(She’s plenty comfortable on that 39+’ boat as are we all when we get to enjoy what we
consider a luxury cruise.) The peddle/paddle boat is
not at all tippy and draws only a few inches of water, so we can take it in
shallow water.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It fits right into the bed of the pickup so it makes for a
nice trip to a shallow embayment on the river. Yesterday, we took it out on <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ashmun</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
With the rains in <st1:city w:st="on">Duluth</st1:city>, Lake Superior is not
low this summer and so <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ashmun</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> has enough water to
put the peddle/paddle boat in. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ashmun</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place>
is also a popular power boat launch. The power boaters use the dredged channel that
runs to the west of the launch to get out onto the <st1:place w:st="on">St. Marys
River</st1:place>. We go to the east, into the shallow bay, follow the
shoreline then cut across back to the boat launch area. We spend about 45
minutes or so on the water. It is great to get out on the water and to do so
without making a lot of noise and a big wake. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One party launched their powerboat when we did and returned
when we did. We traveled about a kilometer. They likely traveled much farther. But
I think we had a more peaceful experience and by going so slowly over a short
distance got to see things in detail. I wonder if they even noticed the bald
eagle carrying a fish in its talons, being mobbed by gulls? We also noticed a few sprigs of
purple loosestrife. I’ll have to take some students out there this fall and get
it dug up. It’s the first I’ve seen and so few plants we can stop the invasion just with hand pulling. It
would be good to keep the bay free of purple loosestrife. It’s a nice bay with
the vast majority of the shoreline in natural bank and a great place for canoes, kayaks and even a peddle/paddle boat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We topped the afternoon off with some of the best burgers in
town from the burger shack immediately adjacent to the bay. It made for a nice
afternoon to capitalize on what this great place has to offer. </div>Gregory Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09607287993605837055noreply@blogger.com0