Merry Christmas

An original song by my friend Sean:

It’s Christmas by Sean Martin

Revisiting my childhood

Yeah, so? First riding bicycles, now what?

Well, I’ve gone back to my electronics roots and have recreated a crystal radio that was my first electronics project back in about fifth or sixth grade.

Crystal set

Finished set. Click to enlarge.

Back in my early teen years, I was a fierce reader. I spent many hours in the Children’s and Young Adult sections of the Lockport Library. I made at least one trip a week during summer vacation bringing back an armfull of books each time.

I read all sorts of things, including science fiction, but that’s another story. The library had a small section of books on technology aimed at young people. In it I discovered a series of books by Alfred Powell Morgan and made my way through some of them. Continue Reading…

Bikepacking the Erie Canal


Bikepackers

Along the way, we stopped at an old canal site.

Okay, I got carried away and put a bunch of photos here. I suppose some words would be nice too.

Our group set out to ride a section of the Erie Canalway Trail and decided to begin in Albany and ride west for two days, turn around and ride back. Three nights camping on the trail at two campgrounds. The first night, we met at a hotel in Rensselear. Continue Reading…

Greenbriar trail

Al, Jeff, Paul, Bob

Al, Jeff, Paul, Bob

Just a quick message from the Greenbriar Trail in WV. Four days of biking and camping start now! 

…and finished after two.

I enjoyed the night camping and it was great to meet my friends again, but by noon on Friday, it was apparent that I had grossly misjudged the trail.

The majority of the Greenbriar Trail is a gravel double-track with grass in the middle and sides. Think of a set of tire tracks left by a truck. No matter what I did, I was always riding with at a minimum of two, and often four, wheels in the grass. Gravel is enough of a handicap, but that was too much. Continue Reading…