A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

water

Beating the heat with a little kick of adrenaline

And out they go!

The heat really seems to be able to make people do crazy stuff.

During a week in July, we had a pretty good heat wave in the Northeast. Though I’m sure it went longer than a week, there was one particular day it really stood out to me.

Two of us were doing a full day of geocaching as we did a bunch in New York, crossed into Vermont and then into Massachusetts, where were heading for a mega (more than 500 people) event. We knew it was hot because we were crossing certain caches off our list for the day — ones where we’d need to hike a bit.

How hot was it, you may ask?

This is one way to beat the heat!

It was to the point where when you were out of the car for a few minutes, you started sweating. We left the vehicle running at cache stops because we wanted to get back into an ice box.

A side thing, too — ever notice in the middle of a hot summer, we want to be cold? Yet, in a cold winter, we’re looking for heat. Go figure.

Anyway, I digress.

We arrived at one covered bridge, where a geocache was hidden. With a parking area close, the car was once again left on. A few minutes later, another car showed up. Two kids — probably in their late teens — showed up. They parked and walked past me and headed to the bridge. I didn’t think anything of it.

Until I heard a splash. And then another.

What the hell?

I started peeking around, got into the bridge and looked out the windows and, sure enough, those kids had gone jumping. Turns out they climbed out one of the windows. From there, they either jumped straight down or climbed on the little roof over the window and jumped from there.

There didn’t seem to be any scouting, either. You know, to see how deep things were etc. I’m sure this isn’t the first time they did it, but still … it had been awful hot. What if some of the depth had gone away?

We watched one more time and started talking to them some. It seems they enjoyed the adrenaline of it all (though one seemed a little more risk-taking than the other) and liked jumping in the water from higher heights. I took some photos and a couple of videos. They even humored me by switching sides, as the light was better.

Of course they did some recon on that one and checked the depth before jumping. Check out some video footage (sorry that there’s some shake in he footage):

These guys were daredevils. I’ve never been much of a person who is willing to do crazy things like that. I know there are adrenaline junkies out there, but it still amazes me when I see these things.

This wasn’t the only place we saw this. Over the course of the day, we visited eight covered bridges. I’d say we saw jumpers and no fewer than three of those bridges. One of them, people were climbing out the window and going to the roof of the bridge and then jumping down below.

Nuts!

Maybe I’m missing something in life not taking some risks like this. I imagine it’s quite exhilarating when you splash down on something like this. Or when bungee jumping or something along those lines.

The craziest thing I’ve done is para-sailing, which took some prodding for me to do. But I felt secure and it turned out to be quite a fun experience.

So, for those reading today — tell me, would you go bridge jumping? Or have you done things like this? And what’s the craziest thing you’ve done? I’m interested to see what others say.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Soundless Sunday: March 3

“You can take for granted that people know more or less what a street, a shop, a beach, a sky, an oak tree look like. Tell them what makes this one different.”

— Neil Gaiman

Sea Isle City, NJ.

Soundless Sunday is a weekly feature where I’ll try and feature a favorite quote and a photo that I’ve taken. Enjoy life — it’s the only way to go!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Soundless Sunday: Jan. 6

“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”

— William Wordsworth 

View from Jake’s Rocks in Pennsylvania.

Soundless Sunday is a weekly feature where I’ll try and feature a favorite quote and a photo that I’ve taken. Enjoy life — it’s the only way to go!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Notes from my noodle: September 25 edition

“Get busy living or get busy dying…”

I’m sure many of you may remember that quote from the Shawshank Redemption, said by Red, portrayed by Morgan Freeman.

I write this post as I listen to some big-band era swing music. It’s some pretty sweet stuff. It can get you in the mood to be creative. Though I’ll readily admit not being a fan of a lot of jazz music, there’s something about the big-band era that really works for me.

Especially the songs with the faster pace and beat. Songs like “Sing, sing, sing” by Benny Goodman. Excellent stuff. Makes me thing of the 1920s and 1930s. Gangsters. Prohibition. Suits. Cigars.

Ahhh… talk about a time in history.

Recently, I was at a friend’s wedding. During the dinner portion, the DJ played some swing music. A couple people got out and danced. It was kind of fun to watch.

I was then chatting to a friend about this era of music and noted if I could go and live in a different era, this would be the one.

Back when Zoot Suits were the norm.

And I’m not a supporter or advocate for organized crime, but there’s something about the gangsters from that era. The suits. The cars. The Tommy Guns — AKA a Chicago typewriter.

And, of course, swing music.

I’m not sure what I would have been. Maybe I’d still have been a scribe. I could see covering the Yankees or something back then for one of the many New York papers. Maybe I’d have been on the crime beat.

Heck, maybe I’d have been a gangster. Chewing a cigar and rat-a-tatting with the Tommy Gun.

Who knows.

But what an era.

I know a lot of people don’t listen to music when they write. And, for the most part, I can’t listen to music with words when writing. But tunes such as classical pieces or the swing band era can keep my mind rolling as I write.

And with the jazzy stuff I have playing tonight, it’s got me thinking of old cars (Like the Ford Model Ts and As) and the prohibition era of time. Black and white.

That’s the era I’d definitely love to be in if not for now.

And while you read the rest of this post, have a listen to a little Benny Goodman:

****

As many of you know, I’m still working on finding a job. The resumes keep going out and I can’t seem to find much. I’ve thankfully landed something on a part-time basis, but it’s basically once a week and it’s not even every week. Still, it’s something to help me along and get something more recent on the resume.

So, I’ve been looking at career changes. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned that here before.

I recently visited a school for a program I’m highly interested in. I’m not going to spill all the beans here because I hate putting things out there until I know for sure if I’m going to do it or not. Some friends already know as I needed to see what some people thought.

My issue?

I don’t want to fail — again.

Though I realize I didn’t fail in newspapers and journalism, the industry failed me. And I don’t think it’s getting any better. And with barely anything in a retirement fund, I need something different.

I’ve watched others go the route of changing careers during the mid-life years and do well. Heck, take a peek at my brother who fully changed directions and went into teaching and now he’s a tenured teacher at a good school.

Might as well give it a go, yeah?

So, I’ve e-mailed one other school today in hopes of being able to compare the two programs. There’s a significant price differential in the program, as well as hours needed and the time frame to finish. The end result would likely be me going into business for myself. It’s something I’m thinking long and hard about.

Once I decide, believe me, I’ll share with the readers of the blog. For now, I’ll leave it with my seriously considering a massive change in career direction.

****

Speaking of writing and career things, I’ve also finally sat down to work on a couple of fictional books. These likely won’t be huge books, but I’m hoping to write them and see where it takes me.

I don’t fathom any riches here.

I need to get working on my book ideas so I can one day have a book like this!

The reality is, I’ll likely publish them on myself. If any money is made, it will basically just be a bonus. My thing is just getting it done. Then seeing about shaping it and all from there. If something bigger comes out of one of these, awesome. If not, it’s more of a goal to just do it.

My big issue with fiction is shaping the story.

I have a couple of real-life things I’m working on, too. I’m not sure if they will be full-blown books, a series here on the blog or something along the lines of an Amazon Kindle Single. But, I am hoping to work on those, too.

I need to push forward. I’ve applied and applied for things to get squashed. I guess it’s time to take the bull by the horns…

****

I went on a small trip Sunday, heading up to Ithaca to hike a bit, find some waterfalls and take a few photos.

But I also got to play disc golf for the first time since early June.

Taughannock Falls just outside of Ithaca. I took this shot Sunday during a day trip to the Ithaca area.

It was nice to get out and flip a few discs on an actual course. To be fair, it was just a nine-hole course, but it was so nice. It’s also good because I’m playing in an Ace Race in a couple of weeks. While I don’t expect to do anything major in that Ace Race, I’d at least like to know I can throw a disc well enough to get it close to baskets!

As for the day overall, it was nice.

For those of you who have never been to Ithaca, it’s a wonderful little city. The city’s motto is “Ithaca is Gorges.” There are many gorges and waterfalls to explore throughout the area, so it makes for a nice day trip.

In total, I got to see several awesome waterfalls and hiked — including the disc golf — upward of 3.5-4 miles, which is always nice to do.

I had been worried about the waterfalls and how much water would be coming off them, considering the lack of rain we’ve had all summer. Alas, recent rains made most of them vibrant falls. All but one were fun to check out and take photos of — in all their glory.

And yes, there were a few geocaches mixed in as well.

In the end, it was a good getaway from the real-world issues going on in my life. Nature can do that to you.

**** 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of a well-known local person.

Sid Levine died Sunday at the age of 99. I only knew Levine in his later years as he owned part of the Oneonta Tigers, the minor-league team I covered for six years. A quiet man, Levine was one of the nicest people I dealt with. He also was a no-nonsense person. He didn’t worry about what people though, he told you how it was.

And that’s how it should be.

He, along with co-owner Sam Nader, ran the local team up until selling in 2008. The team then left the area before the 2010 season.

I dealt with and developed a stronger relationship with Nader, now 93, but toward the end of the run of the Tigers, I also got to know Levine. He was always a gentleman and had an infectious smile. And he knew his baseball.

Nader and Levine were close friends for more than 75 years and when I visited with Nader one afternoon earlier this year, I had to come after a certain time as he and Levine still met nearly every day to chat.

Levine’s legacy in the Oneonta area will live on for a long time. But he’ll be missed, that’s for sure — for many more reasons than baseball.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Foto Friday: Finding waterfalls

The waterfalls at this area were quite nice after a good rain.

I’m willing to bet that most photographers have their favorite things to photograph.

Maybe it’s people. Or nature. Or landscapes. Or architecture. Or sports. Or countless other things. Parents focus on their kids. Journalists focus on the news. Amateur photographers go with their interests.

A second set of the falls.

I’m a sports guy. I love doing action photography and often had to pull double-duty when I worked at the newspaper, writing and taking photos. It’s my hope one day, I’ll be able to do some freelance photography again (though I need a better “sports” lens. One day).

But I have other things that I like to shoot, too.

I love kids photography because you never know what you’ll get. It’s a bonus that several close friends have kids who are some of the most photogenic kids you’ll ever meet. It makes it easy.

I’m a covered bridge nut, too. But with so few in new York, sometimes it can become repetitive.

Then there are waterfalls. Boy do I love waterfalls. Big, small, whatever. It’s helped me work on different types of techniques. But I hadn’t seen many waterfalls lately. And, well, this summer has been so dry, many are dried up.

A few weeks ago, a new geocache published not far from me. I’m not one to race out to be first to find anymore, but this one was close. And it was a nice day. So, I went for it.

The cache brought me to a wonderful area that I had known about, but never visited. It’s a set of waterfalls and the cache was close to it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much water flowing. Even worse, I didn’t find the cache. I still snapped photos that day, just without the tripod, so I wasn’t able to get the silk look of the small amount of water flowing.

The lower set of falls via the pinhole lens.

It rained that night and part of the next morning. Then the sun came out. That evening, I went back. But, I didn’t bring the camera. I just wanted to find this cache and explore a little. I found the cache and looked around a bit and knew that next time we got a good rain storm, I was coming back.

That happened this past week.

One day and night it unleashed. So, the next day, I headed back. I found a better way into this gorge and got exploring and set up for a few shots. With tripod — and other “lenses” in hand, I headed down in and spent about an hour there, checking things out and snapping photos. I think there might be a few more falls below where I was, but I couldn’t find anything that looked like a safe way down. And, being I was solo, I figured taking a big risk probably wasn’t too bright.

This time, I came prepared with things though.

Obviously, I had the tripod and a remote release, looking for the longer exposures. But I also carried my pinhole cap and the Diana lens. I wanted to see what kind of results I could get out of each of those.

Of course, the exposures for the pinhole needed to be much longer, which was kind of cool.

Water flowing peacefully.

I did learn a few things this day — like the need for a neutral density filter. Using that will essentially knock the sun out of the equation and allow me to go with some longer exposures if needed. I don’t know what it would have done this day as it was pretty much cloudy out and I got decent exposures. Still, I found a cheaper set of filters, one of which is the ND. I’m going to grab those to see what I think about them. I don’t want to pay upward of 70 bucks or higher for an ND filter if I ended up not digging it, so I figure investing in one with a price more my style will give me a bit to see what I like.

Waterfalls really are fun to capture. It’s my hope I can continue to find them. I’m planning a trip to the Ithaca area this Sunday in hopes of finding a few good ones — after all Ithaca is Gorges. Alas, this summer drought has taken a lot of the water away. So I’m hoping the trip isn’t in vain. We’re likely doing a round of disc golf and we’ll find a few geocaches, so it’ll be worth it in that regard. But I’d really like a few waterfalls, too.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!