Sunday AM - mostly spent slaving away over the hot blog. After realizing just how stiff my neck was becoming, we decided that it was time to go out somewhere. I called Matthias and Amy to see what's up and they were going blueberry picking at Owl's Head farm in Richmond, VT. This seemed like a good idea, so Charlotte and I started in that direction. I wasn't sure where it was, so I took the GPS. Gotta use that thing once and awhile.

Knowing that Richmond was the destination, and knowing how to get there, I left Rte. 89 before I was instructed to do so by the unaccented woman's voice. This caused a reconfiguration of the directions and we were now sent over all kinds of back dirt roads, including the one that goes past Huntington Gorge.

This is a rather famous place for a not so good reason. The gorge could be a spectacularly good spot for swimming, except that is is truly dangerous. It is a deep and narrow cut between solid rock ledges with one place where all the water goes through a fairly small hole. Anyone swimming above this hole is in danger of getting swept in and if this happens, they cannot get out. Extraction is only possible with block and tackle, and does not occur before drowning. There has even been an instance when a roped up rescuer drowned trying to extract a stuck swimmer because he could not be pulled out once he was in.

The beginning of the Gorge. Note the flat river very suddenly changes to a deep cut between jagged rocks. The current is quite swift and the probability of slamming into the rocks is high.

A closer view:

This is the small hole through which the entire flow of the river passes, and in which people have become stuck. The hole is not in a shape which will allow a human to pass through, and there is an instant cork effect if one gets stuck in it.

These are the outflow just below the hole and a pool a little further down.

The agony of all this is the number of needless deaths that have occurred over the years - mostly young and indestructible people having a fun day. There is a memorial sign warning of the danger

This is a place of both extreme beauty and sadness. I go there every couple of years to see it, but this visit was a surprise sprung on us by the GPS.

When we arrived at Owl's Head farm, Matthias and Amy were just returning to their car. It was 4:20, and they close at 4:00 on Sunday, so we didn't get any blueberries. We made arrangements to meet at their house for a little visit and went off to Burlington to find a house Charlotte wanted to look at.

At M&A's we were greeted by a sleepy Emmeline and tail wagging buddy, Keena (spelling?) Keena has one of those bull whip tails that cleans off a coffee table in seconds, and I feared for the safety of Emmeline, but she was fine.

The dear pooch has lost a front leg to cancer, but this has not slowed her down much. She still manages to chase rabbits and dig holes with the best of them.

Daddy and daughter:

Giving great ant Charlit the hairy eye:

Amy returns to work on Monday, so Emmaline needs to be weaned off of mommy only feedings. She warmed right up to Charlotte and sucked the bottle dry in about 2 mins, a good sign for the future.

We had fresh roasted green beans, taters, chicken and home made peach ice cream on the patio and managed to get everything all cleaned up before the day's rain started. This whole daily rain thing is becoming rather old at this point. Leave it in the Northwest, I say.