Well, Art Prize 2014 is over.  The awards were judged by both the public and a team of professionals.  Well, needless to say, the public had a different view of the art than the judges..

In fact, one of the judges looked like a real flake.  She was in her 20s with red hair and her eyes seemed to just roll around in her head with no apparent destination.

When I commented on her looks, my wife reprimanded me saying that I was out of line.  But when the judge dissed one of my wife’s favorite pieces, my wife got upset.

Well, OK.

A new study revealed that American women are most likely to be killed in Alaska.  Well OK!!  Mexican women, you are safe!!!

The other day, I was passed by a pickup truck that was apparently burning biodiesel. When it passed me, I couldn’t help but think of “stir fry”.

So, what is the purpose of a hiking trail?   Is it to get from point “A” to point “B”?  Is it to enjoy the scenery?  Is it for exercise?  Is it some or all of the above?

Well in the case of the North Trail, it was suppose to a scenic and enjoyable hike.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t.   We made the march to the park in record time with granny in the lead.

I won’t be doing it again!!!!

At the three mile mark, we took a break.  This was the official “turn back” point. We were given apples and told that the bus would be along to take anyone home if we wanted.  Two more of my fellow hikers decided to leave.  I thought about it but knew that my wife would not approve.  So, I stayed.

Unfortunately, an 82 year old granny staff worker took the lead.  Since she walked the trail on a regular basis, she was ready to get us to the end as quickly as possible.  And, since she was determined to make the trail end in record time, she began a death march..  Of course, she had no idea of where she was or even who she was, but that didn’t matter.

With Granny in the lead, I soon found myself in the back of the pack.  And while I was concerned that she would fall and break a hip, she wasn’t .  So, she continued at a record breaking pace.  Mean while, I was over a mile behind the pack.  This brought me to question the purpose of such hikes.

The first leg of the hike was a mile long 45 degree grade.  My calves screamed with every step.  But, I agreed to make the trip so, my best move was to move to the head to of the line so that I could slow it down.  And it worked!!!   The leader would stop every few yards and give us a rest. YES!!

When we got to the 1 mile mark, two of the hikers left the hike.  We had managed to hike one mile south of where we started and were essential back in town.  And since our destination was north of us, we questioned the purpose of the trail.  But, we continued on.

The hikers were to meet at the Boy Scout camp at 11:30 just down the road from us.  So, we showed up at the designated time but no one was there except for the boy scouts.  When we learned that the Boy Scout were having a knife throwing contest, we decided to stay close to the car.

Eventually, the hike staff and other hikers arrived.  So, we had, 8 hikers and 6 staff when we started.

We have a hiking trail that runs through our back yard.  It is a part of the North Country Trail.  And, a part of the trail runs 3 miles north of town to a county park.   Well, for several years, I have talked about hiking the trail out to the park and then having a picnic lunch, but it never happened.

Well, the other weekend, the North Country Trail Association was offering a “free guided hike” to the park.  So, I was told that we would make the event.  Well, OK!!

Did you make a mess and not clean it up?  Well, here in the office, we have ways of dealing with you.

The other night, I came home from work only to discover a letter from the city stating that I was in violation of a zoning ordinance.  Zoning violation??  Yes!! The numbers on my house were not correctly displayed.  Really, after 25 years??

As I read the violation notice with book/chapter/verse quoted, I wondered if they had the right house.  After all, I seemed to be compliant and it wondered if they had made a mistake. So, I stopped in at city hall to ask some questions.

They too seemed confused as to why I was in violation.  Finally, they agreed that perhaps they were incorrect in sending me a violation notice.  Time will tell.