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- Another side of President Bush 23 December 2008It's sometimes hard to cut through the clutter to see the kind of man President Bush is. Stories like this one from the Wall Street Journal are a helpful reminder that even if we may disagree with some of his decisions, attacking him as a man is uncalled for. Even though his version of "compassionate conservatism" has drawn the ire of some con […]
- Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe Not - NYTimes.com 3 November 2008Do liberal faculty affect the political leanings of students? These people say no. But let's look a little deeper. One author says "it is really hard to change the mind of anyone over 15." Does this mean that the average American thinks about politics now the same way he did when he was 15? Yikes. It appears to imply that political opinions a […]
- Obama, Shaman by Michael Knox Beran, City Journal Summer 2008 3 November 2008Beran brilliant combines culture, religion, and literature into a powerful commentary on the religious aspects of Barack Obama's candidacy. The article is rich (and lengthy), but certainly worth digesting.
- Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows 7: Simple vs. Easy 5 January 2009
Jun
4
Both Mel and I had Memorial Day off, so we decided to have a picnic somewhere in the Jefferson National Forest. The forest is actually huge, stretching from Tennessee to somewhere north of Roanoke. But there are several nice places within an hour or so of our apartment.
We first went to Pandapas Pond, a day use area just north of Blacksburg. It appears to be a prime fishing location. It’s a man-made lake that has a beaver dam and lodge on one end and a fairly deep pool at the other. The Forest Service stocks the pond with various types of fish, and there are plenty of nice places along the shore to try to catch them. The area is also a starting point for several trails through that section of the forest.
Unfortunately, there was only one grill at Pandapas Pond, and it was occupied. So we drove up to the Cascades, about which we have written before. The parking lot was packed, but it appeared that most of the people there were actually up the trail at the waterfall, presumably to swim in the 40-something-degree water. We easily found a nice picnic table with a grill. After reading next to the stream for a while, we made our dinner and enjoyed it just as the clouds started to gather. It didn’t really rain us out, but there were a few drops as we were leaving.
It was nice for both of us to have the day off and to be able to relax (and eat good food).
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- Supper
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- A fish at Pandapas Pond
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- The beaver lodge
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- The beaver dam and wetland
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- A flowering tree
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- Goslings
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- Obviously used to people...and geese
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- Our picnic equipment
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Want to come and cook for a picnic for us?
You’ll just have to come visit us.