Archive for October 2016
Rising like a castle wall above the surrounding desert, the Guadalupe Mountains are an impressive sight on the plains of West Texas. Guadalupe Mountains National Park provides over 80 miles of extraordinary hiking trails through a beautiful and diverse wilderness. Here you can see amazing fossils, take awesome pictures and climb to Guadalupe Peak: the “Top of Texas.” Photo by Aaron Bates. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/20/16.
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Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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The little brown bat lives up to its name. It weighs only a 1/4-1/3 of an ounce, is about 2 inches long and has a 6-inch wingspan. Photo by Ann Froschauer, USFWS. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
The Northern long-eared bat spends winter hibernating in caves and mines. Photo by Andrew King, USFWS. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
Bats have few natural predators — disease is one of the biggest threat. Owls, hawks and snakes eat bats, but that’s nothing compared to the millions of bats dying from White-Nose Syndrome. The disease — named for a white fungus on the muzzle and wings of bats — affects hibernating bats across eastern North America, and was recently discovered in Washington State. More than 5.5 million bats have died so far from White-Nose Syndrome. Scientists are working to understand the disease, which this tri-colored bad is suffering from. Photo from the US Department of the Interior blog.
Without bats, say goodbye to bananas, avocados and mangoes. Over 300 species of fruit depend on bats for pollination. Bats help spread seeds for nuts, figs and cacao — the main ingredient in chocolate. Without bats, we also wouldn’t have plants like agave or the iconic saguaro cactus. Just like a hummingbird, the lesser long-nosed bat can hover at flowers, using its 3-inch long tongue — equal to its body length — to feed on nectar in desert environments. Photo by Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
Night insects have the most to fear from bats. Each night, bats can eat their body weight or more in insects, numbering in the thousands! And because bats eat so many insects — which have exoskeletons made of a shiny material called chitin — some bat poop sparkles (cool but weird fact, we know)! This insect-heavy diet helps farmers protect their crops from pests and lowers the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria. The endangered Indiana bat, which weighs about three pennies, consumes up to half its bulk every evening. Photo by Andrew King, USFWS. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
California leaf-nosed bats exit a cave at Joshua Tree National Park. You can easily distinguish these bats by their leaf-like noses and large ears. Photo by Kristen Lalumiere, National Park Service. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
Hawaiian Hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus, Hawaii Island, Laupahoehoe Forest Reserve. The ancestors of the endangered Hawaiian Hoary Bat traveled over 3,600 kilometers from the Pacific Coast almost 10,000 years ago to become Hawaii’s state land mammal. Photo by Frank Bonaccorso, USGS. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
The spotted bat gets its name from its distinct appearance of black and white spotted fur. Another interesting fact about the spotted bat — it has the largest ears of any North American species. Photo by Paul Cryan, USGS. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
The Mexican long-tongued bat is a vital pollinator in desert systems. They have a long, bristle-like tongue, allowing them to sip nectar from agave and cacti. Photo by USFWS. From the US Department of the Interior blog.
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The Buffalo National River, seen from the Arkansas bluffs above it. Photo Aaron Bates. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/5/16.
A stream in Gates of the Arctic National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/17/16.
A dusting of snow surrounds Dream Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/6/16.
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For serenity & spectacular views, you can’t beat the North Rim. Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park. Photo by Yan Li. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/17/16.
The Volcanic Tablelands near Bishop, California, are a vast, rugged landscape formed over 700,000 years ago by the Long Valley caldera. In this high desert environment, generations of Paiute and Shoshone Indians once resided, leaving behind an extensive collection of carefully chiseled petroglyphs in the rocks. Now a destination for rock climbers, these fragile treasures are protected by the Bureau of Land Management. Photo by Abhilash Itharaju. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/10/16.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a stunning desert landscape in Nevada. The grey limestone of the La Madre Peaks contrasts beautifully with the red sandstone in Rainbow Mountains. About the area, photographer Bob Wick says: “It’s amazing to be in a wilderness setting looking at the Las Vegas Strip just 10 miles away as the crow flies.” Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/17/16.
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With a little planning, you can capture some amazing moments at national parks. After checking the weather, Eric Neitzel drove 3 hours to Tuolumne Meadows – the one place in California’s Yosemite National Park that’s flat enough for the perfect sunset. Braving the mosquitoes, he carefully laid down on the meadow grass to try and make sure the beautiful flowers of the meadow were shown as well as the the sunset and Pothole Dome. “For me, laying in the flowers of Tuolumne Meadows taking this picture made me feel like half John Muir and half Ansel Adams.” iPhone photo by Eric Neitzel. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/16/16.
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The Perfect Sunset
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Majestic mountain views, fall colors and epic wildlife are some of the many delights of visiting Denali National Park. Of this caribou strolling through the Alaskan tundra, photographer Nick Harrison says, “He walked so soft and steady as if he was also taking in the beauty all around him. He was so calm – nothing disturbed him.” Photo by Nick Harrison. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/14/16.
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Denali National Park
Cold
Northern Lights
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Fall foliage lights up the lakeshore at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Along with changing leaves, late season sunflowers provide a colorful contrast to red-wing blackbirds that swoop and dart through grasses. The refuge protects a wide stretch of the Rio Grande river where sandhill cranes, geese and other waterfowl spend the winter each year. Photo by Robert Dunn. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/7/16.
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No need to adjust your screen, this technicolor terrain is Artist’s Palette at Death Valley National Park in California. Aprons of blue, pink, green, purple, brown and black drape across the mountain front. Metals and minerals affected by oxidation and other chemical reactions created this unique landscape. Photo by Kevin O’Connell. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/6/16.
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Death Valley National Park
Heat
Superbloom
The Fire Above, The Desert Below
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
Talking to vendors, we were told me had to do this event. Had to. Great for handmade goods. It’s a big, one-day event … we had to be there. We missed the first 34 of these, so let’s see what # 35 has in store.
Claremont is a city of 36,000, located in the eastern part of the LA sprawl. According to Wikipedia:
Due to its large number of trees and residents with doctoral degrees, it is sometimes referred to as “The City of Trees and PhDs”.
I like trees. I like smart people. Here’s hoping I like this awkwardly named event.
New Ideas
- This event allows one booth per California Seller’s Permit, so we could not do a double booth here (We have a permit for Mrs M’s Handmade, which is officially the company. Mr M’s Woodshop does not have legal standing nor a permit.).
- That means Mr M’s Woodshop is just a figment of my imagination.
- After careful consideration (we learned we were having family in town this weekend after we applied), we decided that I would solo at Claremont & Mrs M would stay home to make product with her visiting assistant.
This event The LA County Fire Department requires every booth to hang a fire extinguisher from their canopy. Not a bad idea, but really? I bought a fire extinguisher; I’ll mount it in the trailer after the event. That’s a good idea in any event.- Since I’m a solo act, I’m going to do this event driving the Jeep with the old cargo basket mounted on the hitch. No trailer for me … which is now a new idea? I’ve done the last 8 events with the trailer, so I need to re-learn how to pack for a solo event. This year, we’ve done 20 events. 16 have been done with a trailer, 1 with 2 cars, and 3 with only the Jeep. It’s an increasingly rare thing in this modern era!
- I have a little cold and a cough. Wonderful.
Observations
- This is event # 3 in our commitment to eleven 4th quarter events … which means we’re doing 11 events in 11 weeks (sigh). Miles to go before we sleep.
- Since we have 2 weeks with double events, we get 2 weeks off, and one of them was last week … and the other is next week. That means I have very few days left to make more product. I no longer promise delivery of custom orders by Thanksgiving. To anyone.
- I filled the car with containers of boards & such … and left the rest at home. So, for this event there were no Small Boards, no Engraved Boards, and no Domed Cheese & Cracker Boards on display. This is what it means to not pull the trailer. Can you believe I used to do events like this with product for both Mrs M and myself in one vehicle? Things change.
- One handout vendors received was a memo from the Chief of Police recommending we have 2 people in the booth to help watch valuables and guard against theft. Failing that, he recommended that if we were in a booth solo (like me) that we introduce ourselves to our neighbors so they could help keep on eye on my personal items.
- So, as directed by the Chief of Police, I introduced myself to both neighbors. I always do what the police tell me to do.
- Didn’t expect a marching band, but one of them came by. I don’t know which one, as they didn’t have any identifying uniform. They had somewhat matching t-shirts, and I assume that this was Claremont High. But, in the end, I had no clue.
- I suffered in wool band uniforms when the temperature was 90+. What gives with bands being oh so casual these days?
- Following the band was every little person in costume, plus many moms & dogs in costumes as well. They were hot on the heels of the band for some reason. I did like the inflatable T-Rex costume.
- We have an e-chip transaction problem. Every event now, our e-chip reader has a transaction that it just doesn’t work for … this time, I got a “transaction canceled” and then a “declined” message. I had the buyer call his credit card issuer, and, sure enough, the bank had credited our account, but Paypal never told me that. This has got to stop.
- My booth was on the main street, which was a good thing. We had very good traffic, and I heard that wasn’t always the case on the side streets that were much narrower.
- Requests were for a guitar cutting board, a chicken, a hippo, and a turtle-shaped board. An earring holder and a cup tree were also requested.
- Load-out was organized very well by the Chamber: you had to get an entry slip from a volunteer after your gear was packed in order to drive your car in to load. Until then, you couldn’t bring your vehicle in. Since this is how we roll, I thought the system was great.
The large sheet was the original entry pass for the morning; you had to have both it and the blue loading pass (for the blue zone) in order to bring your car in for loading.
- When I got to the gate to drive in, I saw that the Claremont Police Department was manning the barricade and communicating to motorists after they verified you had the right pass (!). The cop came to my window, verified that I knew where I was going, and then told me to be careful: people were driving crazy, he said. Wow!
- When I got to my space to load out, I couldn’t park near my gear. My neighbor on one side was a senior citizen couple that wasn’t loading quickly. On the other side were a couple of young girls (one in high school, one perhaps in college or a bit older) trying to load the pickup “just like Mom does.” So, on one side I was slowed by age and on the other side, by the lack of it. As Rosanne Rosannadanna said, “It’s always something.”
- In the end, this was a good event. The organization was very smooth … but I wish there had been more buyers.
The Food
Saturday Breakfast: Carl’s Jr Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit Combo. Hello, 24 hour service at 5am.
Saturday Lunch: Velda’s ham sandwich
Saturday Snack: Trail mix
Saturday Dinner: Bourbon. Roast beef. Carrots. Mashed Potatoes & Gravy. Green Beans. Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 141
- Booth cost: $210
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 4
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 3
- Total sales: $1,185
- # containers of product taken: 12
- # boards available: 92
- Saturday alarm: 4:30a
- # transactions: 20
- # soap & lotion vendors: No clue. I don’t get out much when I solo. And there are so many vendors at this event, but I did see the booths of 2 soapers, and one of them was a liar, assuming they don’t have FDA approval to say their product treats psoriasis. Good thing they didn’t get to meet FrenziedVelda while making a claim like that.
- # woodworking vendors: No clue. I did see another maker of cutting boards, though he was mainly a turner (with a display of 12x different pizza cutters! Seemed like overkill to me.). There was also another turner that I saw, but I only saw about 15% of the total booths at the event.
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 23:1
- Returning next year? Maybe
Boards sold: 24
14x Magic Bottle Openers
3x Cheese Boards
3x Small Surfboards
1x Cutting Board
1x Bread Board
1x Lazy Susan
1x Notepad Clipboard
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 11. Double Magic. Padauk, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 140. Red Oak, Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Cherry & Jatoba. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 142. Birdseye Maple, Black Walnut, Mahogany & Padauk. Double Magic.
Cheese Board 16 – 044. Cherry, Bloodwood, Birds Eye Maple & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 146. Red Oak, Black Walnut, Padauk & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 148. Black Walnut, Cherry & Jatoba. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 141. Black Walnut, Cherry & Jatoba. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 138. Bloodwood, Cherry & Purpleheart. Double Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 145. Hard Maple, Cherry, Canarywood, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. Double Magic.
Cutting Board 16 – End 036. Black Walnut, End Grain. 14″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″. $150.
Cheese Board 16 – 005. Edge Grain. Hickory, Hard Maple & Teak. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 129. Birdseye Maple, Black Walnut, Mahogany & Padauk. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 095. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Bibinga & Cherry. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 098. Black Walnut, Bubinga & Yellowheart. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Small Surfboard 16 – 13. Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Canarywood. 6″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 122. Cherry, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Jatoba. Single Magic.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 088. Padauk, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Red Oak. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 128. Hard Maple, Cherry, Canarywood, Yellowheart & Padauk. Single Magic.
Bread Board 16 – 08. Jatoba, Cherry & Bubinga. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Lazy Susan 16 – 028. Black Walnut, Mahogany & Jatoba. 17″ diameter.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 100. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Clipboard 16 – 032. Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. Notepad size, 1/2″ clip.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 120. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Mahogany & Padauk. Single Magic.
Small Surfboard 16 – 17. Goncalo Alves & Black Walnut. 6″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Small Surfboard 16 – 16. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk & Purpleheart. 6″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 016. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 028. Bloodwood & Birds Eye Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 147. Cherry, Black Walnut, Jatoba, Padauk, Burmese Teak, Canarywood & Yellowheart. Double Magic.
When this is the view from your booth, you’re in trouble.
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A spiderweb of lightning fills the sky at Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Photo by Chelsey Dever. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/5/16.
Summer makes for some epic thunderstorms. Case in point: this dramatic pic of a lighting strike at Badlands National Park in South Dakota from earlier in August. Photo by Badlands’ Seasonal Park Paleontologist Phil Varela, National Park Service. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 9/2/16.
In this rare sight, a rainbow (some call it a “blob-bow”) brightens the dunes following an afternoon storm at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Summer thunderstorms at the park are common and bring cool winds, heavy rain and lightning. When storms approach, be sure to come down off the dunes, as lightning often strikes the dunefield. The electrical current fuses or melts sand particles together, resulting in a “fulgurite” (Latin for lightning rock). Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/14/16.
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Talking to vendors, we were told me had to do this event. Had to. Great for handmade goods. It’s a big, one-day event … we had to be there. We missed the first 34 of these, so let’s see what # 35 has in store.
