Week #48: Give a HOOT! Pick up the POLLUTE!!

My wife came up with this one a few months ago. Do some good one of these weeks! She came across an article on eco-running about six months ago and suggested I give it a try. I figured this would be one of my last chances to pick up the trash before it starts snowing this winter. Grab the garbage bags and start jogging! I completed 3 separate 4 mile runs across this great state of Wisconsin. Happily adopting Highways along the way.

I incurred many a set of perplexed and impressed eyes along my runs. "What is that guy doing?" Is he running and picking up trash?" Why would someone do that?" I had a jogger run past me who gave my a huge thumbs up when she passed. Hopefully this can be a "Pay it forward" moment for someone.

One of my runs was on Thanksgiving Day in below freezing temperature. I took a County Highway Road and found out that it should be relabeled "BD Highway (as in Beer Drinker)." I picked over a dozen different beer bottles along the side of the road. Other popular littering devices included: cigarettes boxes, Red Bulls, McDonald's, Culver's, beers of many different varieties, sandwiches (yucky), tires (which I had to carry in my other hand because it was so huge and heavy), plastic bags, and many other unseemly items I will not discuss.

This week I was able to teach my children how to give back to Mother Earth. In fact she is the only Mother that we ALL share!

Photos: My garbage loot, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 (including tire), and the main haul.

Videos: Are a "reenactment" with my two oldest children of this weeks events.

The following website is of the founder of Ecorunning who happens to be from Milwaukee. I do not know him, but am very impressed with his message.

http://www.ecologyrunner.com/

Week #47 (Part I): From Dawn to Dusk

The gun deer hunt season is one of Wisconsin's most eagerly awaited dates. As DNR secretary Matt Frank said this year "Deer hunting is part of the bedrock of our traditions in Wisconsin." Truer words could not be spoken. However, I take hunting from a more casual perspective. I have been deer hunting each year since the 80's, but not with the usual vigor of a Wisconsinite. I get up around dawnish, take a nice long lunch (maybe go back to the cabin), and get back for the final hour of the hunt. This year would be different! My friend, Birdman and I (who happens to be the spitting image of Captain Morgan, right down to the boots) declared that we would be "real" hunters this year. We woke up before 5:00, prepared and entered the woods in the thickness of night. There would be no lunch break this year!

I found my tree stand and settled in. The drips of the morning dew melting off the trees onto the fallen leaves of the forest was deafening (and annoying). Load drip, drip, drips until about 8:30 in the day. Interesting events did pass bye on this day. Birdman and I had Walkie Talkie's (great product name BTW) and at 7:06 this mature exchange happened. "Birdy what's up? I am taking care of business (#2 if you know what I mean)." I reply " I am playing BrickBreaker on my Blackberry. He replies "I hope no one is monitoring this channel." Classic stuff. Not your usual burly deer hunter exchange. At 7:17 a Rooster starts roosting again and again and again (for hours). At 7:35 other hunters (that we do not know) start talking on the same channel as us about a deer they saw and where they might track it. I ( sophomorically) reply "Hey keep it down, I am trying to play BrickBreaker here!" Birdy says, "Yeah and I am reading a book buddy!" Funny guys we were.

Monotonous fun was had all day. Our neighbors were lucky(?) enough to see someone drive by and shoot a deer from the road (Illegal) and poach it from their property. Long day indeed. Birdman and I were happy that we lasted all day and will try to repeat this in the future. The hunt is back on the week before Thanksgiving next year. Even though neither of us even saw a deer this year, the tradition will continue!

Pictures above: Predawn hunt, my "Taj MaGoldie" tree stand, the "surprise" when I opened the door of the tree stand(nice little wasp nest), a doe culled from our neighbors land, a dead coyote we stumbled upon, hunting in the stand, and empty handed after the "big" hunt.

Video of the view from my stand.

Week #47 (Part II): Power Hour!

This week, I was up in the North Woods with 3 good friends. I decided it was time to try a challenge that eluded me during my college years. I was going to attempt to finish the "power hour". The power hour is having a shot of beer per minute for an entire hour. Easier said than done. My buddies were game to give it a try with me.

We arrived at the rustic local bar ready to go. I ordered 2 pitchers, 4 shot glasses and 1 stopwatch from my friend Dave. Armed with these simple tools, it was time to get the challenge on. After our 1st shot, a gentleman from the other side of bar shouted out "Are you off for the semester?" Hee, hee, hee. My friend Dave quit after 10 minutes (very disappointing, he was my original inspiration to do this blog after all!), Birdman bowed out at 14 minutes, Brian almost made it half way at 28 minutes. Before dropping out he proclaimed, "I am in it until the end, what time is it.. 28 minutes, What! I am not even half-way, forget it, I'm out!" That left me alone for the final 32 shots. It was not easy, but I finished. Luckily, we were able to stretch out our livers beforehand with a couple of cocktails. As we walked out victoriously, the same heckler spewed out "See you in the Spring boys!" Apparently, everyone is a comedian these days. Can't 4 old dudes drink a couple beers together?

Pictures above: Me and my fellow challengers, timer, and beer shot number 40.

Video is of the final shot number 60 (it is a little dark, but you will get the point).

P.S. One week later, there has been some confusion about this task. It was 60 shots of beer, not liquor. The entire hour of drinking ends up as 4-5 beers (not a case as some people thought). With all this stated, it still is a very difficult challenge. Try it yourself if you dare.

Week #46: What you talkin' bout Willis?

You take the elevator... I'll take the stairs! This was the week to climb. As in, The tallest building in North America , The Willis (formerly Sears) Tower.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has started their first annual Tower Up! for charity event. A climb up the stairways of the tallest building in America: 103 floors , 2,109 stairs, and lots of heavy breathing. Game on! I ended up raising a good amount of money for the RIC. It is truly a great cause.

I definitely trained less for the climb than I did for my first marathon a few weeks back. As in, I took the 4 flights up to my office once this last week (and got slightly winded at that).

When I picked up my packet on Saturday, someone mentioned that I was going to have a hard time. What was I going to do, I had already raised my funds and I was going to finish this climb no matter what.

It is 8:30 on Sunday, I am by myself with a 1000 other climbers and some dude says you have 10 seconds left ... Go! I know you can do this! (I didn't, though). I took the Tortoise vs. the Stair philosophy. Do not burn myself out. They let you out in 10 second increments. Even though, I was climbing slowly, I passed my first person at stair 10. I kept climbing and climbing those narrow stairways. It was exhausting work. By the 40th floor, I had worked up a lather worthy of Secretariat. By the 80th floor, I was feeling slightly dizzy. By the 90th floor, I actually was feeling better, yet noticed that something frightening must have happened in this rarefied atmosphere. Everyone started breathing really funny, I hear deep wheezy, loud noises. Everyone started walking slower, lots of grunting (one guy behind me was lunging ahead while grabbing the railing with both arms on each step) as I picked up the pace. It felt like people were turning into zombies. I regrouped and carried on. It was a nice touch at floor 92 when the volunteers said "You just passed the Empire State Building". Then on floor 94, one guy had has i-dock on "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. He yelled out you are almost in Heaven - 9 floors left. Finishing was a great accomplishment. I beat both my goals of 1) finishing and 2) under 30 minutes by completing the climb in 27 minutes.

Actually the best part of this week was our family day and night in Chicago (which preceded my climb). We went to the Museum of Science and Industry, went swimming in the hotel pool, had a pasta dinner and got to see the holiday scene in Chicago. A new family tradition has started! We will try to visit Chicago at this time every year.

Pictures above: Climbing Willis (Sears) Tower, before/after climbing pics, standing on the new "ledge" hanging outside the sky deck. Videos: climbing the stairs and post race scene at the observation deck.

Week #45: Gettin' Knitty With It!!

I was looking forward to this week for a long time. Up, up and away... my wife and I were supposed to go Hot Air Ballooning this Sunday. We tried this a month ago, but it was postponed due to weather. The last make up date available was today, this Sunday at 3:00. Thank God it was mid-60's and sunny today (in Wisconsin and in November mind you!). Well, I called the air balloon hot line right before we left (just in case). The flight was cancelled! The 5-10 mph winds were too much! I still can't believe it. It was a gorgeous day out today.

Now I had to scramble. My "new things" tasks deadline is at midnight every Sunday night. I went over to my brothers house and ended up talking to my niece, we were looking for ideas and sure enough knitting came to us. I had my teacher and she had her eager student. It took a while to get the hang of it, but I'm pretty sure I have it down now. It is really difficult when you start. Yet, when you get into the groove, knitting is very relaxing. I still need to work some kinks out, but my scarf is on its way. Thanks again to my niece.

Pictures above: Getting my knit on, knitting with my niece, my work on the left vs. their less loose/spacious version of knitting, me, my niece, and her friend displaying our "works"

Week #44: PIER'ing out for the winter.

It has been many years now that my friend Randy "joked" to me that I should take in his Pier for the winter. We usually ask each other what we are doing for the weekend. Moving the kids around, dinner with the wives, etc. Around October each year, Randy tells me that he and his wife, Jenny are taking in the pier for the winter. "I should do it with him." His wife loves it! He is giving me a hard time knowing I would not do this. To his credit, he asked again this year knowing that my answer might be different. It was. Why not! I have never (or have wanted to) taken in a Pier before. I will do it.

Lucky for me, that Randy waits until he is the last person on his Lac to winterize. He "hooks me up" with leaky waders and a HUGE wrench to work with. While in the water, it only takes a few seconds for your legs to get completely soaked. Yet, you get used to it. Luckily, I had a good mentor. It went better then expected and I might even do it again next year. Jenny was the happiest (and driest) of all of us. Randy and Jen owe me and the family a pontoon boat ride this summer for all the hard work. They are officially ready for winter now.

Pictures: Pier work, huge hole in the waders, big wrench, hard work.

Week #44: Additional Pictures and Video

Difficult work in cold water. Picture's: Taking in my first pier for the winter. Video's: Serious post work discussion regarding the "Quality" of the working waders!