DOOR TO THE UNDERWORLD

July 11, 2015May 28, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Actually, it was from the cellar and left out in the yard to dry. Add mythology if you care.

ME ON RAINIER

July 7, 2015May 28, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

At this time of year I once got a terrible sunburn on the bottom of my nose and the bottom of my chin, where my zinc oxide sunscreen rubbed off while climbing the snowfields of Mount Rainier. This shot was from another July outing.

HARBOR CRUISE

July 4, 2015May 28, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

This view of cruising Portsmouth Harbor always reminds me of several French Impressionist masterpieces. Maybe it has something to do with the flag in motion.

OFF ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL

July 3, 2015May 30, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

Have to admit to some envy for a young acquaintance who’s off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

It’s a strenuous trek, backpacking the 2,663 miles through Washington, Oregon, and California – the Western counterpart to the older, iconic Appalachian Trail.

And it’s bound to be a totally different experience than he had on the AT.

I became acquainted with Samson as one of our lifeguards at Dover’s indoor swimming pool. And now he’s away for the summer, starting just a few miles from the Canadian border and heading south.

He’s promised to update us on his blog, Samson PCT. (PCT is the in-name for the trail. FYI.)

Here’s an invitation for you to follow his progress, too.

Not bad for a kid from a little north of New York City. My, oh my!

CHECKOUT EXPRESSION

July 1, 2015June 2, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 3 Comments

The supermarket checkout express lane can trigger some hot buttons for me.

One, of course, is the customer who plops 15 or 20 items on the conveyor belt when there’s a state 12 Items max limit. The poor clerk’s not going to bounce them. It’s simply the rudeness to the rest of us that bugs me.

Another is the use of credit cards, when permitted. It slows everything down.

The other day, though, there was a geezer who cut in front of a girl with a shopping cart. She was, from appearances, a quiet teen.

“Excuse me,” I said, “There’s a girl in front of you.”

“I can’t hear you,” he replied.

So I repeated the situation.

“Mind your own business,” he retorted.

We were all shocked.

“You can go in front of me,” she finally said.

Any suggestions for how to handle this?

He’s an embarrassment to all geezers, am I not mistaken?

I’m still miffed. Whatever happened to manners?

PEDESTRIAN SPAN

June 30, 2015April 10, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

Built for a railroad, this span's been refurbished for more pedestrian pleasures. It's a beauty, sometimes gentle, sometimes dramatic, always welcoming on a morning stroll. — Built for a railroad, this span’s been refurbished for more pedestrian pleasures. It’s a beauty, sometimes gentle, sometimes dramatic, always welcoming on a morning stroll.

SAWYERS MILL

June 29, 2015April 10, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

The street winds through the old complex.

While the Cocheco Millworks in downtown Dover anchor the center of the town, the Sawyers Mill complex is tucked away on the Bellamy River.

Both the Cocheco and Bellamy form the flanks of Dover Point as they flow toward the sea.

ROUND AND ROUND WE GO

June 27, 2015April 10, 2015 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

Fair warning, especially when there's no backup. — Fair warning, especially when there’s no backup.

Drivers from other parts of the world are often terrified by New England’s use of traffic circles at busy intersections. We’re not the only people to use them – Washington, D.C., has some of the worst – but they do become landmarks. In New Hampshire, for instance, a set of directions might mention the Portsmouth Traffic Circle, or the one at Epsom or Stratham or Alton or Lee, shown here.

It's when you add traffic that things get fun. — It’s when you add traffic that things get fun.

Other terms for the routing around a central island include “rotaries” and “roundabouts.” What Romans call theirs would be unprintable in a family-friendly blog like this.