The Long Green Tunnel...and Ultrarunning

That's how some hikers refer to the Appalachian Trail, especially the thru-hikers who have covered all 2100+ miles of it--that's commonly one of their lasting recollections.

Well, the bride and I were up visiting her mother in Tower City, PA, near which the Appalachian Trail crosses.  I did a 10 mile trail run along the Stony Valley Rail Trail, which hits the AT at Raush Gap.

The long green tunnel of the rail trail:

Not a religious memorial, but rather a spare rail holder, which would have come in pairs, on which rested spare rails for repairs if the regular rails failed.  Such failures must have been fairly common, to require the placing of spares every couple of miles (see the rail holder on the left of the first shot above to get an idea as to scale):

And finally, an unknown (to me) pretty yellow flower that grew in the gravel along the side of the rail trail.  About the size and shape of a dandelion:

The link to Ultrarunning, of course, includes the side trip I made up the Appalachian Trail to the Raush Gap Shelter, where one finds the sweetest spring water in the world.  

Cats in Art: The Four Evangelists (Rubens)

Happy Easter!

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.

The bride and I recently visited the Ringling Brothers art museum in Sarasota, FL.  This is post 2 of 4 of some of the artworks we saw there.  If you get a chance, GO!

From the Triumph of the Eucharist series of huge paintings:

Image credit The Ringling Museum, The Four Evangelists, Peter Paul Rubens, 1625, oil on canvas, 123" x 126", held by the Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL.

 And the close-up of the lion's butt down at the lower left:

Per the museum web site, an explanation of the collection in general:

The Ringling Museum’s European Old Master paintings are the premier collection of this material in the American Southeast. The collection reflects the taste of the circus impresario, financier, and art collector John Ringling, who assembled the majority of the collection between 1925 and 1936. 

OK, I have no idea why Rubens featured the lion's butt (although in fairness, his head is kinda visible, but the rear end is definitely the focus).  Regardless, the kitty isn't the main draw--the sheer size of the canvas is breathtaking, some 10' square.  That's ten feet on each side, an immense painting.

Three of the four evangelists (and I didn't research to tell you who is painted here) are clearly focused with eyes upwards  towards the angels.  It's the last guy, however, the one on the left, that draws my attention, for he seems to be the lion handler.  At least he's the one closest to the kitty, plus the man is not looking toward any of the angels.

That said, you can see a hand right near the lion's face...but it is the hand of the second guy from the left, the one with the book, absentmindedly, perhaps, dangling his unguarded fingers inches ways from getting chomped.  One would presume, however, that any evangelist worth his or her salt would have a connection to God and would therefore be protected from any detrimental animal encounters.

And while I cannot tell whether the painting has been curated/restored, I can tell you that it is as bright and clear in person as it appears in this image.  It is a vibrant, energetic work, one that is even more inspiring up close and personal.

Again, everyone goes to Florida sometime in their lives.  Make it a point to check out the Ringling Museum.

[Gary note: With my Cats in Arts posts, I encourage you to scope out the art appreciation site Artsy (I have no financial interest in the site, I just like it), where you can explore many aspects of the world of art.  You'll certainly be entertained and enlightened!]

How to Solve the Heron Problem

Go ahead and read the Subject Line again...bet you thought this was drug-related post.

Here in the mid-Atlantic, one of our common wild critters is an exotic-looking bird called the Great Blue Heron.  It looks like it came straight from the tropics: long legs, skinny form, long neck and beak for spearing fish.

Several years ago the Bride saw a Great Blue Heron immediately outside our great room, standing over our water garden, only 5' from our windows, aiming to decimate our goldfish and koi population.  The bride went running outside frantically and drove off the intruder.

Nevertheless, we have always had a soft spot in our hearts for Great Blue Herons.  Not so a friend who owns a farm with trout stream frontage, where the Great Blues are quite unwelcome visitors.

Now, finally, after all that stage-setting, comes the punch line:  a photo from the Everglades where the bride and I just visited.

Problem solved:

Image credit Gary, on an Everglades National Park tour

Dehydration: Think 7-Up, Not Mountain Dew...and Ultrarunning

Here in the mid-Atlantic our spring has been mild and the early plants and flowers are pushing hard.  Soon the weather will get and stay warm, and runners will be facing their first run in real heat, possibly far sooner than they are acclimatized.

So...it's time to repost something from 3 Aprils ago:

Dehydration: Think 7-Up, Not Mountain Dew

I'm talking about something pretty personal here: the color of your urine. 

No, not your beverage of choice when you are super thirsty.  

 

 

Image credit

Image credit

 

It's getting warm and it's time to consider running safely in the heat.

Once in a prior life I was on an extended telecommunications survey project to Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, TX.  In July.  90+F plus 90% humidity.  


Where if you laid your manhole cover puller (kind of a crowbar) down in the sun, you'd better be wearing gloves when you picked it up, or you'd blister your hand.  Where according to the heat and humidity tables, you were only supposed to work about 20 minutes before taking a break in the shade.

Anyway, the base safety officer gave us a safety briefing required for all workers, about working in the heat.  She told us something that always stuck with me: you can easily gauge your hydration levels by the color of your pee (and indeed whether or not you are even peeing).

She said, when you observe the color of your urine, you should think 7-Up, not Mountain Dew.  Your pee should be more on the clear side rather than a heavy, yellow color.

If your pee is too dark (or being produced in very limited quantities) you need to be drinking water.  Now.  Indeed, when you know conditions are such that you will be sweating, you need to be drinking well before you even get thirsty.

I have consistently applied this rule of thumb to Ultrarunning.  When Nature calls along the trail and you pull off for a bio-break, observe the color of your urine.  It may keep you out of serious trouble.  

This observation comes from the the school of hard knocks.  Once in a road race I was trying to PR on an ugly hot and humid day.  I didn't scale back my expectations but instead doubled down and ran even harder.  That worked OK for about 5 miles...then I remember suddenly feeling disoriented, unable to run straight, then nothing.  I woke up in an ambulance and had to be treated at the hospital for heat exhaustion.  So it's a big deal.

Think 7-Up, not Mountain Dew.

What is This World Coming To?

Easter Bunny.  Fisticuffs. 

Read about the sordid tale here.  

My favorite part of the story is when the bunny returns, takes off his gloves, and starts throwing punches again.

The article says both parties were taken to the hospital, but I assume that means the vet for the Easter Bunny.

Cats in Art: Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg as Saint Jerome (Cranach)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.

The bride and I have been  traveling the past couple of weeks and I decided to take a short break from Mister Tristan (the blog, not the 8 year old human being).  We visited the Ringling estate in Sarasota, FL, and sent several delightful hours there (you must go if you ever find yourself in Sarasota!).  Yes, it's the John Ringling of circus fame.  My next couple of Cats in Art posts will feature other paintings from this museum.

Image credit Gary, photo taken at the Ringling Museum of Art, Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg as Saint Jerome, Lucas Cranach the Elder,  1526, oil on panel, held by Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL.

And the kitty close-up:

Comments from the Ringling Museum site:

The painting has an elaborate symbolic program which would have been read and understood by educated people of the day. In the foreground are a lion, Jerome's companion in the desert; a beaver symbolic of industriousness, a squirrel indicating frugality, a parrot to signal the Annunciation, in addition to pheasants, a peacock, an apple and a deer - all symbolic of characteristics Albrecht wanted associated with himself.

The composition is a virtual mirror image of Durer's famous print of St. Jerome in his study, which is not surprising as Cranach often turned to Durer's prints for inspiration. Cranach was the first to assimilate the lessons to be learned from Durer as to the use of luminous color, landscape detail and incisive portraiture. This latter quality can be seen in the forceful and assertive appearance of Albrecht as Jerome.

The painting was purchased by John Ringling in 1932 and was last shown in the Masterpieces of Art exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1957.

Couple of my comments: I did a Cats in Art post of the Durer print, here, and indeed this painting by Cranach is quite similar in its composition (though obviously not in its execution).

Standing in the Ringling Museum right in from of this large painting left me in awe.  It's one thing to view an image in a coffee table book or on the web, but quite another to stand right there, close enough to touch.  This painting in particular seemed to almost leap off the panel with its energy and vibrant colors.

So, the lesson of the day is this: visit art museums, large and small, whenever you can.

[Gary note: With my Cats in Arts posts, I encourage you to scope out the art appreciation site Artsy (I have no financial interest in the site, I just like it), where you can explore many aspects of the world of art.  You'll certainly be entertained and enlightened!]

Cats in Art....

....will appear Sunday afternoon if all goes well.  Thanks for your patience!

Cats in Art: The Duke of Saint Aignan...(Subleyras)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.

This will be the second week of featuring the art of Pierre Subleyras.

Image credit The Athenaeum, The Duke of Saint Aignan Investing Girolamo Vaini, Prince of Cantalupe and Duke of Selci, with the Insignia of a Knight of the Holy Spirit, Pierre Subleyras, 1737, 20" x 16", oil on canvas, held in a private collection.

So, where's the cat?  I think--but cannot quiiiiiite tell for sure--that a kitty lurks in that dark recess in the dead center of the painting.  Here's the close-up, but of course the larger you magnify, the blurrier it gets:

Since this work is in a private collection, I could only find a couple of web images, and none of sufficient resolution to discern the alleged cat better than I can show above.

To me, the cat is clearly visible.  You know how much cats love pageantry and ritual, so it's no surprise that this kitty wants to be right in the center of this coronation-type ceremony.

Cats in Art: The Falcon (Subleyras)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.

Image credit The Athenaeum, The Falcon, Pierre Subleyras, 1732, 13" x 11", held by Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.

And naturally, the kitty close-up from the right side:

Bugler's analysis:

This painting depicts the final scene of The Falcon,  one of Jean de la Fontaine's tales. A wealthy widow has called upon her young suitor to ask if he will make a gift of his prize possession--a falcon--to her ill son, who has been asking for it.  Unfortunately, the destitute young man has had to sacrifice the bird in order to cook a decent meal to impress his love. 

The dog looks up at the couple declaring their love for each other, but the cat seems oddly impassive, staring straight ahead and ignoring the tender moment.  In its role as pampered pet, perhaps it echoes the elegant woman, while the faithful dog reflects the adoration of her lover.

My thoughts?   The cat just doesn't give a crap about all this drama...a typical kitty, saying "I'll just wait here for milk or other treats, because that's what my people do for me."

[Gary note: With my Cats in Arts posts, I encourage you to scope out the art appreciation site Artsy (I have no financial interest in the site, I just like it), where you can explore many aspects of the world of art.  You'll certainly be entertained and enlightened!]

Gravel in My Shoes

I've wondered about this for years.

From a physics standpoint, when I run, how is that I can can I kick a small piece of gravel, it describes some arc of flight, then it somehow manages to land inside the tiny opening of my moving shoe??

Seems like a miracle of physics.

What in Blazes??...A Real Thing That Actually Exists

Finally--after being scheduled and shut out several times over the course of the winter--my co-overseer and I made it up to "our" section of the Appalachian Trail for a work trip.  This part runs some 4 miles south from Pine Grove Furnace State Park in south-central PA.  In fact, the midpoint of the AT currently falls in our section.

The purpose was a trail inventory of man-made features and improvements, to help justify future budget requests.  Plus we did a little blowdown clearing, pulled the leaf blockages out of a couple of culverts, and last but not least, cleaned the Toms Run privy where apparently paperless users had wiped their sh*t on the walls.

Anyway, The Real Thing That Actually Exists:

Image credit Gary

Next trip will be a blaze painting excursion.  There are a number of sections along "our" trail where the blazes are a bit sparse.  Plus I tend to be blaze-happy, leaning toward too many rather than too few...because I've been on the route-finding end where a dearth of blazes was most frustrating.