With the season of Extreme Trains over be sure to catch the next Maine connected show, American Loggers.

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/american-loggers/american-loggers.html

Chris

Rachel has been working on a project in San Francisco that involves sampling vegetation in a blackberry thicket on a steep hillside (that is, a brier patch). Last week she picked up a serious poison oak rash from this project. Today, she came home and announced that she got "mildly" sprayed by a skunk, and then had to run down the hill, through said blackberries, and nettles, while wielding a machete.

I think she should request hazard pay.


The camera smells like skunk, too.

Barack Obama got me a job too.

SuperPower, finite element analysis, temp to hire, Monday

Just got back from Stillwater. We all had a great time. Good weather, Good food. Thanks Mom and Dad. Photos are Oliver and I ski boosin' also Oliver and I putting Dad's sled through the paces in the powder on the lake. New skis work good.

Noah

EDAW|AECOM, Sacramento Office

Well, through October at least.

"Knit your way to Santa Clara for the Stitches West Convention!" February 28.

Today, Chrysler asked for an additional $2 billion in federal aid. Also today, Chrysler underwrote the evening news programming on KQED, the SF bay area's National Public Radio affiliate. Maybe I'm cynical, but I don't think that they were trying to sell cars.

Happy Birthday to Donald and Jane!

We made a trip to Tricky Pond in Naples today. Jonathan did his first trail ride with my sled. Note, Mount Washington in the background.



Jonathan is looking at smaller trail sleds on Uncle Henry's. All I hear is can we get this one? I prefer something smaller for him than my 600 or 583.



Chris

Bianchi Family Cioppino, Febraury 14, 2009:

Rachel and Terry (Terry is from Nevada). There was another pot on a propane burner in the garage:


Lot's of shellfish (this is some of it):



There were 47 people for the annual Cioppino this year.

More Albuquerque:




The county seal has sheep on it:


It is hailing outside right now in Berkeley.

Oliver made his debut at Bard's farm on saturday. It is just the right size for him and the snowmobile.

Sunday I visited the Los Lunas Plant Materials Center operated by NRCS in Los Lunas, New Mexico. The purpose of the facility is to produce seed and nursery resources that are non-commercial or pre-commercial and to provide innovative (i.e. non-commerical or pre-commericial) revegetation design and implementation on a fee for service basis.

In the foreground is a plot of little bluestem:



There were neat clouds that day as a cold front moved through:



They had a seed cleaning machine and demonstrated how it works:

North Turner Maine: A trailer distributor has a side accessory business with great deals on Snowmobile helmets in particular. The museum is basically a warehouse of snowmobiles behind the store. Over half was too dark to take pictures. Most of the sleds were not restored.

There were at least 20 Artic Cats but only one Ski Whiz:

Cub Scout Blue and Gold dinner: Jonathan never slowed down for a picture. Megan loved the beach themed DJ. Megan and I did the chicken dance (no picture), the pirate Macarena, and the limbo. 4 years of dance makes a differene; Megan dances better than the cub scouts and her Dad.

Trying out new helmet:

Chris

Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Happy birthday to Sandey, Ben and Connor!

Is this what happens after Paul Newman? Say it isn't so.

Buddy Holly died in a plane crash Feb. 3, 1959.
"Peggy Sue", "That'll Be the Day"

This weekend Oliver and I rode snowmboiles in the back yard. It was a lot of fun. Oliver says when He gets bigger He wants to ride the red one. He also said something about racing.
Sunday we all had our 3D glasses for the super bowl halftime ads.
Saturday night there was a fire on our road. The little garage/apartment next to the Stewart's house burned. We could see the flames from our house. It also burned Stewart's garage a little. There were emergency vehicles from Graves house to the corner solid for about 4 hours. They brought everything except the boats. Oliver and Cameron were watching out the windows. Capital News 9 interviewed Bob Stewart.
AJA will drive the #44 for RPM racing(Gillette Everingham racing + Petty Enterprises - Ray Everingham - Kyle Petty - all the sponsors).

Groundhog Day Project

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY EVERYONE!!