Adventures in the snow

 I hope you watched that video clip on the weather that I posted yesterday. Well, guess what? Yesterday was a PLUS ONE day, and it was glorious. 

It was the last day to get the remaining points for the monthly geocaching challenge. Yes -- I left it to the last day. I, well, I just didn't make it a priority before then. I knew where I wanted to go and what to do but was waiting for the right day, which was yesterday. All I can say is, what an adventure!

I started by parking the car in the little village near me. It was a 4 KM walk to the village, and I knew I would be doing a lot of walking, so I drove there. I noticed the parking ticket agent handing out parking tickets as I crossed the street. YIKES --- I had looked at the sign but saw only the information for Monday - Saturday. There is paid parking on Sunday from noon -- 6 PM. So I went back to the ticket thing and bought a ticket. The parking ticket agent was just surveying my car as I approached with my ticket in hand. 

That goes in the gratitude journal! I thanked him for sharing the information and wished him a good day, and I was off. 

My first stop was a cemetery. OH  -- I had not thought ahead as there I was in my ankle socks and running shoes. The cemetery was full of snow. But hey -- it's a nice day, how bad can this be? And it's all in the spirit of adventure. So I trudged through the snow and got the answer to the first question. 

Walking through the cemetery

 The cache I was going for is a multi-part one where you need to answer questions, not necessarily find an object. 

The shortest way to the next step was through this field, also covered in snow. Hmmm -- well, I've already plowed through the cemetery; I can do the field as well. 

I need to get to the other side

Thankfully, it wasn't too bad, but those banks of snow were steep that I had to climb up and down to get to the field. I brushed the snow off my ankles and running shoes and hoped for the best. As I look at my steps, it's no longer I can't sew a straight line -- I can't even walk a straight line! 

Made it across the field

Then I was on a dry sidewalk. Yeah!! The sides of the snow on either side of the path were very high. I loved this little walk through the snowbanks and was glad I walked between them rather than over them. 

A dry sidewalk with high snowbanks on either side

The second stop was easy - no trudging through the snow and involved something sitting near the house that belonged to the village's founder. 

My next stop was an abandoned mill down by the river. Oh boy -- this one took a little thinking and some research to figure out how to get here. A little backtracking, and I was good. 

Part of the abandoned mill by the river

However, when I arrived at the site, the answer to the next question was on a manhole cover somewhere in this field of snow. OK -- so I don't mind trudging through the snow, but there's no way I am digging up an entire field to find a manhole cover. 

The answer is on the ground somewhere

So I did some research on my phone about the abandoned mill to see if I could find a relevant date. The dates I found did NOT work. Hmmm -- I can't go on without the date, and I NEED these points. So I stood there in the brilliant weather and started at 1900 and kept trying the years until finally, 54 tries later, I got the correct answer. 1954 -- the year my parents were married. Thank goodness, it wasn't one of those things where three tries and you are out!

I had to do a bit of trudging to get to the site where the manhole cover was supposed to be, but other people had been there before me and sort of broke a trail. 

The trail beside the mill

This is the trail down to the building. Not so bad, but it is terribly sad to see how irresponsible people are with their dogs and the dog business. Can people not pick up after their dogs? I see it in the woods near me as well. It's simple -- stoop and scoop! 

A fairly open trail

I went onto the fourth location, which was on a street corner, so no issues were there. I thought I had taken a picture, but obviously, I didn't. Now was the moment of truth -- would I walk to the fifth location, which was 2 KM away, or would I take the car? 

I decided to walk. It was a beautiful day, and this would make me feel better about earning the points in this manner. So I walked. The sidewalks were mostly dry, and my socks and running shoes were in good shape. Dry and toasty. 

This is an old rail trail, and people have walked down it. I was surprised, but I guess it's an excellent place to walk. I'll have to come back and walk these trails -- they are extensive and not very far from my house. 

The path on an old rail trail

I got to the last location, and the answer was on one of these interpretive signs. That's the beauty of geocaching -- I've been to places in my own city that I would never have gone without the adventure of geocaching. And this little village was a booming town with loads of textile mills back in the day. 

An interpretive sign

The paths in this area were much better used, so there was no problem getting my feet wet or trading through the snow. 

A well-traveled trail

Since I was was so close to the river, I had to explore a bit. I mean --- LOOK at the sky, and the temperature was just above ZERO Celcius. I could not have picked a better day for a walk. 

Down by the river

I stumbled upon a duck convention at the river. There were a few Canada Geese, but mostly it was a flock of ducks, and they were in their glory. Sunbathing or bathing in the water and quacking away. I stopped to watch them for a while. 

The duck convention

I'm not sure why they were all congregated in this area, and I don't think I've ever seen so many ducks together. The boys and the girls were there. 

More ducks

It's incredible how much this area has grown up, yet they are close to the river. While I know progress will happen, it's kind of sad and would have been fun to have been a part of the village in its heyday!

And when it was all done, and I was back at the car, I had walked a total of 7 KM. But more importantly, I reached my goal for the month. 

My score for the month

Yeah --- there is one more month in this challenge. We're climbing Mount Everest, and I think we'll need a LOT of points to complete that one. All in the name of a virtual badge!!! Call me crazy, call me immature --- I don't care! I had so much fun wandering around. That's why I can never reveal my actual age --- I want people to keep thinking of me as a kid!!! I was going to stop at the Thrift Store on my way back to the car, but it was closed on Sunday. DARN!!!!

Then it was back home to get some work done. OH -- but not before I sampled some of the macarons that M bought the night before. NO--- I can't eat these. OK -- I can have one, or two, or three. 

Macarons

And by 3:30, I was in Studio B and had the embroidery machine working. That's the one on the left, I was sewing one of the homework assignments that are due in a couple of weeks, and I was watching the baking show. I have answers to my questions but no time to share today. 

Hard at work with the embroidery machine and the sewing machine

Yep--- I was all set. Of course, I can't share any of what I was doing with you. OH -- I'll be able to share, but I want to share with the appropriate groups first! 

I forgot to mention that I did a demo of EQ8 in the morning to one of my groups, and OH  -- it looks like I'll be starting up the EQ8 Club again. I miss it as it was loads of fun. I now need to look at the calendar to see when it can be scheduled. So if you are interested, be sure to send me a note, or you can just wait as I'll post more information the moment I get it ready. 

If you are interested in a hands-on free-motion class, check out the class schedule for Thimbles and Things. This one has gone so well that I highly recommend it, and there is still some room in the April class. The dates are April 9 and 23, and you MUST sign up through Thimbles and Things. 

Today is Monday sewing!!! Yeah -- I can't wait to get back to the sewing machine, and I hope to finish off the machine embroidery project that I'm doing. It has over 100,000 stitches, and I just haven't had time to sit and get it all done at once. I should finish today. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!! I'm off to spin class!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!