Jennifer Zalewski Studio

…or, something like that.

Jack and I just got back from an awesome trip to Massachusetts. One of my best friends (sadly, now living in Florida, *humpf*) made a trip up to Boston this past weekend, as her husb was attending a conference and she was tagging along, and of course being so close Jack and I had to drive out and visit her. Okay, maybe “close” isn’t exactly the right word for a 6 hour drive- or 7 -8, when you count in all the potty breaks–but suffice to say. Yeah. We threw all the camping stuff in the Scion, Rain-x’ed up the windshield- and were on our way!

I’d only been to Massachusetts once before, as a kid (except for a dog haul a few years ago, but that was just jumping over the border). I think I was maybe in fourth grade when I went on a trip to Salem with my cousin Melanie and her family. I remember crossing over the border of New York, and expecting the landscape to look TOTALLY different. We were going into another state, you know! I guess I thought the trees would be different, the grass and plants would be totally different… it wasn’t lol. Ah, being young and clueless…

Well.

We didn’t rush to Beantown right away, this past weekend. And I *did* plan ahead.  Zea Mays Printmaking Studio -which was located “kind of” on our way- had an awesome 2-day workshop on “Masks, Stencils, and other Creative Inking Techniques for Reductive Linoleum Printing.” Susan Jaworski-Stranc was the instructor.  I’ve been mulling over the idea of using stencils in my linocuts (because I suck at reduction) and Liz, who runs Zea Mays, was wonderful in letting me take only part of the class (Saturday) AND having Jack in the studio for the day.  Seemed like something I HAD to do! And I’m so glad I did.

It was a FANTASTIC workshop! And Zea Mays is really an awesome facility. I would definitely take a class there again! Jack behaved wonderfully. He did take awhile to settle and got a bit whiny around 2 o’clock, but for the most part just hung out and folks were very nice to complement him on his laid-back behavior.

After Zea Mays (and a brief walk though town, including photo op with Sojourner Truth), we began the haul to Wompatuck State Park, south of Boston, where we were camping.  It was POURING rain almost the whole drive, and I was nervous that we were going to have to sleep in the car (I refuse to set up a tent in the rain. Refuse) but thankfully the skies briefly closed up and we were able to get checked-in and set up just before dark… and the rain began again… lol.

We seemingly booked the smallest campsite at Wompatuck… possibly in the whole state of Massachusetts. I could barely wedge the tent in between the car and the fire pit.  And the whole site was surrounded by poison ivy, so you couldn’t even “spread out”. If the rain had let up at all during our trip (which really, it didn’t) I would have been afraid to start a fire because the tent had to be set up sooo close to it. I think, because it was so wet, the slugs went haywire and every morning, my tent would be crawling with them. And we leaked. The air mattress leaked, the tent leaked. Everything was flat, damp, and cold. I swear, I am NEVER buying Coleman camping products again!!!! Actually, I may never camp again lol.

Seriously though, I tried not to let the rain (or poison ivy, or slugs, or condition of our tent…) put a “damper” (har har) on things.  We did spend some time inside reading or napping during the hardest rain, but when it was misting we definitely went out. Wompatuck seemed to have a gazillion miles of trails, and Jack and I REALLY enjoyed exploring. It took me awhile to get used to navigating, though. I’m not sure if it’s just this way at Wompatuck, or all of Massachusetts state parks? But the trails AREN’T marked with trail markers. Intersections are marked with numbers, and you have to find the corresponding markers on your trail map to figure out where you are, and go from there. Kind of bizarre.

Our trip into Boston was really fun. Dogs are allowed on the subway during “off-hours”, so we drove to the Braintree station, near Wompatuck, and rode in Sunday afternoon. It was Jack’s first time on the subway and he did pretty well. The “rocking” of the train was a bit shocking for him, and he REALLY wanted to get up on the seats (I wouldn’t let him) but he took it all in stride.

Just have to say, as someone who lived in NYC for a few years and still visits regularly… OMG the Boston subway trains go so. freaking. slow. At least the two we were on? In the Big Apple, the subway trains FLY. They jerk. They scream around corners and seem barely controllable. On our two Boston subway trips, the trains drove slowly, gently eased into the stations and kept the herky-jerky to a minimum. That was nice because Jack was on board but I found myself getting a bit impatient. You remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine is on the stalled train, and just squishing her face together trying to will it forward? That was me. Sitting on the Boston train gritting my teeth thinking GO! GO! GO!

So Jack conquered the subway. What else did Jack do? He rode an escalator (hopped on it like he owned it!), an elevator, and did one of those big glass revolving doors. He wasn’t phased by anything. I was so proud of him!

Of course, traveling with a dog means there’s stuff you just can’t do. That kind of puts the kabash on a lot of activities, but we had a great time anyway. One of the things we did was hike the “Emerald Ring” of parks through the city. We started at Boston Common, went up along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, and down Fenway Park. It only drizzled a little bit, and was an amazing walk.

We also hiked the “Freedom Trail” –or part of it–which is a walking tour of historical Boston. This is Paul Revere’s house:

Pardon the blurry picture, but this moment was too good not to talk about. Much has been said in The Dog World regarding the intelligence –or lack thereof–of the Sighthound breeds. I don’t think Greyhounds, or Saluki, or the much maligned Afghan are ‘stupid’ dogs at all, despite some studies that came out a decade or so ago ranking breed intelligence. *I* certainly have never ‘owned’ a ‘stupid’ Greyhound. Lucy, for instance, was very cunning and used her agility training to get into trouble around the house. Clifford and Jack? Okay, they are SMART dogs but they are males, and male greyhounds can be… um… clueless. Smart, but maybe a bit too… happy-go-lucky?… for their own good.

Jack is a very smart dog. That didn’t stop him from seeing this donkey statue, touching noses with it (like it was a big dog), wagging his tail, and then sniffing the donkey’s butt. He also went up to a statue of 3 women on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, wagging and pinning his ears back, thinking the statues were real people and hoping for a scratch. Nice try, Jack, they’re bronze. ROFLMA!!!!

The next day, we took a trip down to the south end of the state to do some gardening at the Burial Site of my friends’ extended family. We cleaned up some weeds, planted hostas. The sun actually made a brief appearance! Along the way, we drove by the old Raynam-Taunton Greyhound Park, which is now closed to live racing (Massachusetts banned greyhound racing a few years ago). But Clifford spent a few months at Raynham Taunton back in ’00 or ’01, shortly before retiring. At least I think he did… now I’m wondering if I’m mixing it up with Wonderland?? Anyway, I got teary eyed driving by, thinking of Cliffie’s Glory Days.

Trace and I stopped in Taunton to get Chinese take-out and while waiting for our food… something very interesting happened. I was PUBLICLY HECKLED. Yes, that’s right. I got heckled. Now I’ve had strangers come up to me and challenge my environmentally-liberal bumper stickers, but this was a first. Get this. So we’re at this tiny plaza at an intersection in Taunton, waiting for our Chinese food to be cooked up. A pizza delivery “boy”, in his late 30′s I’d say, is making his way up the sidewalk to go into one of the plaza stores. All of a sudden he starts pointing at me and Trace, yelling, “YANKEES SUCK! GO HOME YANKEES! YANKEES, GO HOME! YANKEES SUCK! YANKEES SUCK!”

Now… okay. I’m confused, I admit it. Trace and I are both like, WTF? Is he talking to us?? Why yes, yes he is! The pizza boy continues yelling at us, pointing and skipping around, chanting “GO HOME, YANKEES! YANKEES SUCK!” At this point, it’s dawning on me that because he sees my New York State license plate, he must assume I’m a Yankees fan–?? So I tell him, “No no, I hate the Yankees! I hate ALL sports! I’m NOT a Yankees fan.”

But he keeps heckling us!

Trace ditches me to run across the street to CVS. I’m left with The Heckler, who by now is skipping over to the traffic light at the intersection, trying to get all the drivers there riled up. He’s going car to car, pointing at me and yelling. I see people rolling down their windows and looking at me. I wonder if I’m about to get beat up? The light turns green, and the cars drive off. The Heckler keeps skipping around, laughing, pointing, and heckling. By now I’ve gotten Jack out of the car (hoping it will scare the guy off, but it doesn’t) and we start walking down the sidewalk. Heckler follows us about 20 feet back, taunting. He’s obviously having the time of his life, but I’m still struggling between “Man, this is really amusing!” and, ” I’m two strokes away from opening my mouth and letting every obscenity fly before going over there and breaking this dude’s pizza box over his mother f*cking head“.

Eventually The Heckler, still yelling “Yankees suck! Yankees go home!”, dances across the street and on his way, disappearing into the neighborhood.

Wow.

(I learned yesterday that the “Yankees suck, Yankees go home” is a chant that Red Sox fans sing at baseball games? Honest to God, I don’t understand sports fans. It’s all ridiculous. A bunch of grown men being paid exorbitant paychecks to throw a stupid ball around. Give me a break).

Anyway.

I think the most exciting trip was to Fall River for a tour of Lizzie Borden’s house. If you like unsolved mysteries (check), are into the Paranormal (check), or have a morbid side (arg, I hate to admit this but…check!) then you will LOVE this place. Our tour guide was great and gave us multiple insights into the Borden family, historical Fall River in the late 1800′s, and the vicious killings of Mr. and Mrs. Borden. It was a really fascinating tour and I bought a book about Lizzie’s Trial at the gift shop–I’m eager to read more about this.

Our ride home was uneventful, except that I ran out of cash, and found my ATM card wasn’t working. This led to a panicky “OMG how am I going to pay the Thruway tolls?!?!” anxiety-ridden half-hour, but it all worked out. As an aside, I got a “Book on Tape” for the drive which was excellent:

One of my side-fascinations is  high-altitude mountain climbing, and this book was riveting. K2 is the second highest mountain in the world, and is a much more difficult climb than Everest. The book details everything about K2, from its “discovery” to first climbs, to most recent climbs- including detailed accounts of recent disasters. I think I read somewhere that 1 of every 3 people who climb K2 dies?? Or something like that? Anyway, highly recommend this book. Might be better reading in “book” format than on CD,  because it’s soooo detailed.

We finally pulled into the driveway about 9 pm. Sadly (dum dum dum…), we ended up turning around and heading off to the Emergency Vet almost immediately when Jack scared up a black cat that was sashaying through the backyard. Sigh. The cat bolted, but Jack was too quick and got it by the neck. He thrashed it around a bit, but lost interest when it stopped struggling. It was HORRIFIC to watch. Although Jack’s, uh, “technique” definitely improved hunting this cat–compared to the last one, sigh– the cat didn’t die and was on the ground drooling and attempting to drag itself away, but could only twitch her paws. Poor thing!!!! I had to bring her to the ER to be euthanized- she was gashed along the shoulder, and her back was severed. It broke my heart that this young feral cat probably had no one to ever love her, in her poor short life, and then died so violently. Jack, of course, was incredibly proud of himself. He hunts squirrels all the time but NEVER gets them… it seems he only succeeds against cats (which makes me wonder on the intelligence of cats vs. squirrels…) but I can’t be mad at him, he was only doing what his instincts told him. Why do they keep coming over the fence????

Well the biggest Kicker of the night, Cliff had been to this ER vet before, so when the cat was euthanized they put “Clifford-Euthanize” on the receipt. WTF? Why in the world would you do that? I was already all sniffly about the cat, and that just made me lose it.

Got back from the vet at 11. Crawled meekly to bed and passed out. So ends another exciting vacation in the annals of Jen and Jackhammer….aaaaahhhhhhh…

It’s been a super-busy week. Work, vet appointments, running, doggie walks, yard-cleaning, and lots of art, art, art.  It’s keeping me out of trouble –that’s good.

My newest project is a woodcut for the Baren Forum Mythology Exchange.  I love Baren Forum- anything you could possibly want to know about relief printmaking is there! And they have an awesome Listserv. When I heard there were spots still available for the Exchange- well, I couldn’t resist, even though it wasn’t a project I had been planning on for the spring. Ah well, you have to go with the flow I guess. So- my interest piqued- I submitted my information. And I got put on the waiting list. And I waited. And waited. And then some people dropped out, and I got the official call- rounding out #29 of 30 artists! Yay!

Although my first (natural, ha) reaction was to do a woodcut based on some sort of dog mythology – Sirius, Goddess Diana and her hunting Greyhounds, one of England’s Black Dog legends- I decided to do something more personal.

Here’s the very odd, and very strange, story:

Back in June 2009, I joined my parents for a camping trip to one of our favorite areas of the Adirondack Mountains- the Northwest Lakes Region. Specifically Fish Creek Pond Campground (I HIGHLY suggest Fish Creek, or her sister Rollins Pond, campgrounds if you are ever in the area!). It was a wretched4 days of dampness, rain, drizzle, black skies- everything you DON’T want in a camping trip.  This campground is super-popular and usually packed to the gills, but was eerily empty as all the (smart) folk must have decided not to come.  However there my family was, surrounded by empty campsites- My parents in their 26′ foot long camper and myself (and Lucy and Clifford) in our Coleman tent. We tried to make the best of it. Anyway I -think- it was the second wet night we were there, I was woken up sometime in the middle of the night by the strangest sound- like someone was running back and forth behind my tent, and through the (empty) campsite next to us.  I could hear the footsteps *distinctly* through the drizzle.  It couldn’t be a person- the sites around us were empty, and it was raining. Why would someone be horsing around in the rain, in the middle of the night??  And although Black Bears do stand on two legs occasionally, they don’t *run* on them, and whoever was out there was clearly fast and bipedal. I remember straining my ears, heart beating wildly… WTF?? What WAS it? Lucy and Clifford –whose watchdog capabilities rank(ed) just above a blind & deaf cat– were sleeping RIGHT. THROUGH. IT. I remember jabbing Clifford with my foot, trying to wake him up.  The running would go. Then stop. Then change directions. Come back. Close to the tent. Far away from the tent. It was odd. I continued jabbing the dogs, and finally the two Groggsters woke up.. I fearfully slipped on my sandals… groped for the leashes… zipped back the tent flap…

And the running stopped. I couldn’t see anything in the blackness.

Lucy, Cliff and I carefully shuffled around in the dark, straining to see or hear something… but it was gone. Forever.

So when I got back home from our wet and creepy camping trip, I began researching whatever I could on Adirondack legends. Bears acting weirdly?? Hauntings?? Spaceship sightings?? Bigfoot?? Strangely enough, there wasn’t a lot. However… I did find something very interesting. The Adirondacks never had a permanent indigenous Native American population but the Haudenosaunee/ Iroquois- specifically the Oneida and Mohawk tribes-  used the mountains extensively for as hunting grounds. Legends tell of their encounters with Jo-Ge-Oh, or Little People- elvish/gnomey types that lived along the mountains and streams, usually benevolent but mischievous and apt to get into trouble (especially, it seems, while squirrel hunting). There were three clans of Jo-Ge-Oh:  Little People of the Rocks and Rivers (Ga-Hon-Ga); Little People of the Harvest and Grains (Gan-Da-Ya) and Little People of the Underneath Shadows (Oh-Dan-Was).

Was that what it was??

I don’t know if that’s what I heard that night, way up in the Adirondacks. Do they really exist? If they did, would they show themselves to a non-Native American? But if it wasn’t that… what else WAS it?

Anyway, that’s what my Mythology Woodcut is going to be about: Jo-Ge-Oh.  At first I tried to draw what I thought Jo-Ge-Oh might look like but nothing came out “right”. Then I tried some drawings of myself, Lucy and Clifford in our tent with Jo-Ge-Oh running around outside. Nope. Not feeling it. Too cartoony and silly. Finally, after scouring through my pictures from that trip, I decided to do a woodcut called Fish Creek, Land of Jo-Ge-Oh… based on this photo I took while kayaking (kayaking in the rain? Yeah. Don’t forget your FroggToggs). This totally looks like Jo-Ge-Oh territory, doesn’t it?

Or this??? Creepy, rainy, haunted camping trip! LOL.

Once I decided on what I was doing, the sketching, then carving, went easily. Of course, it’s much easier carving on your drafting table, with a Bench-Hook, than on the bed. Just a note for next time.

First color on the block was a light gray. I want to try to capture that dark, dreary, rainy, miserable camping trip WITHOUT making the woodcut too muddy looking. I’m horrible with color though, so I went light… thinking it would dry a bit darker? And maybe it would be less muff-up-able??  I had out the linseed oil to make the GC ink a bit easier to work… man, that stuff has gotten REALLY tacky on me. It’s a few years old now, whew. I think you’re technically supposed to use Burt Plate Oil, but hopefully Linseed is close enough. Seemed to help.

I’ve reached a truce with Blue Bomber (my etching press). We were at odds for awhile, but I realized that cranking the block through is MUCH EASIER if you put a block in front of your carved block, and another behind it. And then I used a piece of illustration board as my ‘blanket’.  By having so many blocks on the press, the roller has something to always ride along/sit on… so there’s no shoving the bed through, no “bump” when the block finally goes under the roller (and lemme tell you, that bump always wiggles the block a  bit, and leads to a fuzzy print). I’m very happy I was (finally) smart enough to solve the problem. Now if I can only figure out the Red Bomber, my bottlejack press! Sigh.

Ta-da! I love the Reveals! Especially when they come out the way they look “in my head.”

I’m very happy. And I feel successful- although the exchange has 30 participants, I printed 46 (48?) .  I always loose a few (or a lot) so I wanted to be *doubly sure* I would end up with 30 in the end.  They are safely drying up in the Loft, away from dog hair and muddy paws.

I’m not sure whether the second color with be dark gray, or if I should start the greens first. The way you layer colors makes a total difference. Hmmm… well, we’ll find out tonight. I have only a couple weeks to finish this up, so no time left to dilly-dally!

Jen

Our view from the campsite...

Well, how do I begin this post? It was the best of camping trips, it was the worst of camping trips…. LOL….

Labor Day weekend, the boys and I headed up to Lake Harris campground in Newcomb- the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. I’ve never been to that area before, and boy… I wasn’t disappointed. Everywhere you looked, the vistas were INCREDIBLE. Wow.

Our trip started out rocky. Clifford shat in the car the whole way up. P At first I thought *someone* had bad gas but about an hour into the drive, realized that something brown was smeared all over the dog beds and blankets in the back. WTF? I almost drove off the road- “Is that crap back there??” Oh no you didn’t!!!!! Seeing that nights were going to be freezing (high 30′s, low 40′s)… we NEEDED those blankets and beds. Son of a. I had to throw them all out at a rest stop on the Thruway, and then stop at a Big Lots to restock… another hour into the drive, I smelled something rotten again and sure enough, Clifford had pooped again… feeling rather frantic that he wasn’t feeling good, I pulled into a parking spot near a grocery store (to grab something for his tummy) but crashed the car against a telephone pole. Whoops.

My poor Scion had some bad cosmetic damage but otherwise was okay. I figure since Clifford had been defiling it anyway, what the hell? We made it to the campground late but all in, relatively, 1 piece.

It ended up being a tempermental weekend. It would drizzle for an hour, sun would come out for an hour, become overcast for an hour, drizzle again for an hour… etc etc. We tried to make the most of it. Hiking in the woods, we didn’t feel a lot of the drizzle- we highly recommend the nature trails at the Newcomb Visitor Interpretive Center! We had been impressed with the VIC at Paul Smiths (farther up north in the mountains) and Newcomb was just as impressive. We did a nice 1-mile trail that Cliff was able to enjoy- a little hilly but not too rocky or rooty at all.

View from Goodnow Mountain (roof is the ranger station I think)

Afterwards, Cliff rested and “guarded”  the Scion while Jack and I climbed Mount Goodnow, almost right across the road from the VIC. The trail was fantastic- very well maintained. I think this is the highest mountain Jack and I have done to date (2690 feet- I know, you folks living out west can laugh)…At the top was a large fire tower, which supposedly offered incredible views. I made it up to the second platform (of 8 I think) before my stomach attempted to flee through my eyeball sockets. Feeling shaky and nauseous, I made my way back down. At that point, a bunch of 10 year olds came running up the trail and climbed up to the top of the tower without even waiting for their mommy and daddy. Embarrassing!

After this brief sunny lapse, the skies clouded and drizzle began anew. The boys and I went back to our campsite and ate lunch in the tent.  They were totally dead to the world! Even Jack didn’t lift his head when I went in-and-out of the tent. Sweet. As soon as the drizzle let up and blue sky popped out, I decided to put the canoe in, paddle across Lake Harris and down the Hudson River.

Yep, that’s right. The Hudson River! I had no idea the mighty Hudson began in the Adirondack Mountains before traveling downstate to New York City.

It was a gorgeous paddle…

Shorebirds... need to figure out what species!

Awesome sign along the river!

Anyway…that was our trip. It was challenging, it was fun, and afterward the pups and I came home and slept a lonnnng time in our comfy warm bed. We’d definitely go back to Lake Harris again though- really nice area.  However next time, I’ll be sure NOT to switch Cliff’s food the day before we leave. And not go up a weekend when the remnants of a hurricane are due to arrive, lol…

Jen

Just got back from another awesome camping trip in the Adirondack Mountains.  This time, the boys and I joined my folks at 8th Lake, in the Fulton Chain of Lakes region. And, I’m happy to say… another weekend of BEAUTIFUL weather! All of us- myself, the boys, my parents and their 3 rambunctious pugs- had a blast.

Hiking to the 8th Lake Inlet. Looks warm but brrr, nights and mornings were CHILLY!

Hike to Eagle's Nest Lake

Hike to Bug Lake with Jack. We were gunning for Black Bear Mountain, but after almost 4 miles on the trail, we never found the offshoot to it.

We had some great hikes- Eagle’s Nest Lake and Bug Lake with Jack (too long for Cliff) and another visit to Ferd’s Bog, which I thought would be a nice short (.5 mile) hike for Cliff. Unfortunately I forgot how rooty the trail was! He was super excited to hike, but because he can’t control his back legs very well- well, he stumbled a lot. I felt super bad.  So not only were the roots a problem, but Jack was gung-ho to be ahead of everyone and kept shoving us around to get in front. Appalling behavior, Puppy! On the narrower parts of the trail, I made the executive decision to put Cliff in front (to set the pace), then me, then Jack. Needless to say, Jack wasn’t very happy! If he had expressed this kind of desire to always be in front at the track… jeesh, he could have been a superstar! Lol.

Hike down the floating boardwalk, on the final part of the trail into the bog.

Into the bog

A visit to Ferd's Bog is a must JUST to see all the mosses... truly spectacular!

Because of Cliff’s mobility, we had to choose shorter trails for some of our hikes. Ferd’s Bog was nice, and the trail from the campground to 8th Lake Inlet was beautiful. We also had a nice time walking around the campground, where Cliff got lots of attention from other campers. Of course, he loved being a hot shot and barking at the camper dogs as we walked by, as if he owned the place-!

Maybe he DOES own the place.

Another fun trip was our Saturday afternoon canoe and kayak trip. I grew up canoeing, and really want to get back into it (kayaking is super fun, but the way you sit so low in the boat? It KILLS my back. Plus you really can’t bring a large dog in a kayak… unless you squish, LOL. So I’m looking into buying a canoe sometime soon). Anyway, the 8th Lake Campground had canoes for rent, so I thought it would be a perfect time to acclimate Jack to boating.

Practicing on the beach. A few cookies tossed in, and Jack was excited to board the canoe! Adaptable pup, thankfully.

(I wish Cliff could have come along! Unfortunately- despite his outward bravado- Cliff is a huge chicken. I fear he’d also have a horrid time getting aboard the boat with his back problem as well- he’s starting to stumble over the 2″ doorjamb of the dog door, sigh. But that’s another post. Needless to say, while we spent the afternoon out on the lake, Cliff caught up on his beauty sleep with the pugs at the campsite).

Boarding, boarding-~!

Dad offered to canoe with me, leaving Mom (in her kayak) our Official Expedition Photog. She was also the Official Expedition Goader. “Ted, I’ve never seen you wear a lifejacket in a canoe or kayak! You must not trust Jack. Ha ha. You don’t trust him do you? Do you think he’ll tip the boat? Ted?” Well, she was right- I’ve never seen Dad wear a lifejacket either, yet he kept his buttoned tight the whole trip! LOL!

All for naught, however. Jack was a superb boater. He did stand for the first 10-15 minutes of our trip, but eventually relaxed and enjoyed our exploration of 7th Lake and the 7th/8th Lake Inlet.

Out on 7th Lake, we found a series of small islands were we took a much needed paddle break. I let Jack run loose, seeing there was no way for him to get off and he was scared to wade above his little ankles (not even for treats! Chicken).

Jack explores the island, thankfully finding no chipmunks or squirrels to obliterate.

So, I think we can call this mission successful. I’m now on the hunt for a solo canoe for future expeditions with Jack.

Home away from home...

This might be our second and last camping trip of the summer, but I’m debating whether to hit the road one last time before the leaves change. Maybe Indian Lake? Brown Tract Pond? Moffitt Beach? So many places in the Adirondacks I’d like to explore! And having such wonderful, camp-enjoying pups makes it really fun. Have to think about it…hmmm, hmmm, hmmm. 

For the first time in my life- I mean EVER, I think- we had a camping trip without any rain. No drizzle, no downpours, not even a sprinkle. It was a little warm, but being the beginning of July, not too surprising. A nice time!

Short and sweet hike in Fernow Forest, near Rollins Pond.

We stayed at Rollins Pond campground, in the Northwest Lakes district of the Adirondack Mountains. It was Jack’s first trip, and he had a blast! I’m very proud of him. We had only one slight hiccup, and that was after I set up my tent. I had taken him out of the ex-pen and was walking him towards the car, when he kind of sidestepped and leapt at the tent. My Mom (and Dad) who we camped with, witnessed the whole thing. We aren’t sure whether he thought it was a super-sized inflatable dog bed, and tried to jump on it? ROFL. It was really amusing. Thankfully, my trusty tent withstood the 75 lb. greyhound!

Bog near Floodwood Mountain

The first night was amazing, because our camp site was right on the water and there must have been 20 or so loons calling all night long. They have a very eery voice, halfway between a turkey gobble and wolf howl? And they are large, large birds. At one point in the night, I woke up to them howling so loudly… I looked over at Jack, and could see him very alert, ears so erect I thought they’d fly off his head! Old hat to Cliff- he slept like a champ. Of course, the boys are used to a dog door so we were up a few times, but other than that it was nice sleeping.

View from Floodwood Mountain

One morning, Jack and I climbed Floodwood Mountain, while Cliff spent some quality time at the campsite with my folks. It was a muddy, rough climb, shrouded in forest the whole way- definitely not as scenic/dramatic as climbing Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain near Old Forge but certainly steeper.  We only had one little peep out at the summit, and it was crowded with another family so we didn’t stay too long.

...but long enough for "someone" to get a good drink and power nap-!

Sundown on Rollins Pond

We didn’t see too much wildlife this trip. I went out kayaking once though, and saw one of Rollins’ loons in a small inlet. As soon as I picked up my camera he ducked under water, and dove off into the murky reaches. Never saw him come up again, although I hung around for awhile. But surprise surprise, I did spot one of these, sitting far above the shore:

(Taken with my new Canon SX20 IS. Zoom wasn’t too bad. I don’t think the color is as vivid and rich as the Olympus and Kodak I tried out, but oh well. You can’t have everything, I guess.)

Pretty neat seeing such a bird, especially on the Fourth of July! He hung around for a bit preening himself before taking off into the mountains. It’s the first time I’ve really seen an eagle “in person”, in the wild!

We have one more camping trip planned for the summer- another one to the Adirondacks. This time we’ll be in the Hah-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness area, I think, farther south and central. Wishing for good weather that trip, too. )