‘King Corn’, ‘Little Big Man’, Florida trip prep

(posted from home)
(This post covers 1-4 February, 2009)

--------------------------------------------

Wednesday, 4 February –

I had my cystoscopy and review of last week’s CT scan today. Everything else is clear but I apparently have what appears to be a kidney cyst but the doctor would want additional scans to confirm it. I asked if I have to get this done before Florida and he okayed waiting until I return from Florida. YES!!!!
I started packing my personal gear, maps, and the files I’ll need.
That evening we finished the ‘Flight of the Conchords’ disk. I think I need a break from the Conchords for awhile. No walk today.
I’m off to Florida in the morning.

-------------------------------------------

Tuesday, 3 February –

Labashi gave me a Florida-ready buzz-cut this morning. Now if the doctors will just clear me I’ll be on my way. I then caught up on the news and blogged a bit before lunch.
After lunch I worked on Mocha Joe, fixing a problem with one of the blackout-curtains. I cut and fitted a length of steel flat for the top of the curtain. Labashi sewed in a pocket for it and I re-installed it. That should work.
I also cleaned out the can and vacuumed it, then re-stowed. I finished loading gear in the Thule top-box. No walk today.
That evening we watched ‘Little Big Man’ with Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabbe, a 122-year old survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Loved it!

------------------------------------------

Monday, 2 February –

I spent much of today prepping the kayak and boat for the Florida trip. We had a sunny, 45-degree day through mid-afternoon (when it clouded up suddenly) so it was pleasant to be out. I gathered all the kayak gear and loaded it into the kayak, cleaned up the kayak’s exterior, and loaded it up onto Mocha Joe. I still have a few days before leaving but weather is looking sketchy for the next few days.
I also did some prep of the fishing boat. I drained the old gas into my lawnmower container since the outboard is sensitive to old gas but the lawnmower doesn’t seem to mind. I fixed the deep-cycle battery box’s terminals (one had worked loose and corroded) and cleaned out re-stowed the boat’s storage compartment, and greased the trailer-wheel hubs.
That evening we watched ‘King Corn’, a documentary about two city guys who moved to Iowa for a year to grow an acre of corn and use that experience to tell us all about corn—from genetically-modified seeds to how our food-chain has been radically changed since the 1970s by corn products.
No walk today.

------------------------------------------

Sunday, 1 February-

Today we drove to Chambersburg to pick up some stuff from Maypo. The most immediate item was the envelope containing the license plate sticker for the fishing-boat trailer. Without that I can’t take the fishing boat on my upcoming trip. The other items were all related to estate work.
We chatted with Maypo for an hour or so, then headed home the long way. We had a 55-degree day and that’s quite a change for us lately. At Caledonia, we turned north and drove up through the Michaux State Forest. We were disappointed to find the campground closed at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. This was one of my favorite places to stay for a weekend or two in winter so I hate to see it closed.
We continued up past Laurel Lake where we saw a dozen or so ice fishermen enjoying the sun as they watched their tip-ups.
We came back through Boiling Springs then Dillsburg. I’d been wanting to check out the relatively new Java Junction coffee shop in Wellsville but it had closed at 1400 so I’ll have to do that another time.
After supper we turned on the Super Bowl and soon went to our offices to work on the web while the game played in the background. No walk today.
After the game we watched a couple of episodes of ‘Flight of The Conchords’.


********* END OF POST ********