Like most people, I find round numbers appealing. There is a reason people celebrate events like a “tenth anniversary” or “fiftieth birthday” as somehow more special than others. So today, on the first day of classes, I am celebrating a special anniversary … joining the faculty of Computer Science here at Dartmouth 040 years ago. In other words, I have spent 0x20 years on the faculty! For readers who are not accustomed to thinking in octal (base 8) or hexadecimal (base 16), I have spent 32 years on the faculty. We computer scientists love powers of 2. 🙂
I found a new location for my wildlife camera that is creating a feast of images: the backyard apple tree. The apples are ripe, falling from the tree, and feeding the entire neighborhood! Check out this two-minute video review of the local deer, fox, woodchuck, turkey, possum, and porcupine.
The woodchuck stands to watch and listen – keeping one eye on my camera.
We just returned from a lightning-fast vacation in Seattle, over Labor Day Weekend. We managed to pack into just two days some delightful meals and fascinating sight-seeing, all enhanced by some beautiful late-summer weather. Read on!
We are fortunate to live along the Connecticut River in a rural part of New Hampshire – in the town of Lyme, just a few miles north of Dartmouth College and the Town of Hanover. Surrounded by farmland and forest, and situated in that interstitial space between the forest and the river, we are regularly treated to wildlife sightings. Over the years I have seen and heard moose, deer, bear, fox, coyote, porcupine, skunk, raccoon, groundhog (woodchuck), beaver, mink, fisher (maybe), … not to mention birdlife like turkey, bald eagle, hawk, osprey, egret, heron, goose, duck, loon, and countless other songbirds and waterfowl. And yet, I am certain there is far more happening in our yard and around our house than I happen to see, especially at night. Sebastian, our cat, has surely seen it all… but he’s not talking. So I was pleased to get a pair of wildlife cameras for my birthday. I set up one by the river and one at the edge of a woodpile; here’s what I’ve seen so far.
The neighbor’s dog, “Timber”, caught on the wildlife camera.
A groundhog visits our yard, caught on the wildlife camera.
The gallery includes four captures, in still and video:
A quick hike to the shortest of the NH 4000-footers.
I wanted to go hiking this weekend, ideally somewhere new — but had little time. So I picked Mount Tecumseh, the shortest of the 48 NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation, because it is relatively close to home and only 2.5 miles from trailhead to summit. I had not been there since 1995, so it felt like a new hike! As always, it’s a good day to be out… read on.
A remarkably challenging loop over two of the smallest NH 4000-footers.
I could not remember the last (only) time I hiked Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway, two non-descript peaks in the eastern section of the White Mountain National Forest here in New Hampshire. My records show that I climbed in 1996, when I was wrapping up my effort to climb all 48 of the NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation. Today, when I drove along the dirt road and approached the trailhead, a strong memory flashed into my head… a memory of the meadow beside the parking area, of remote farmhouses nestled between the road and the burbling brook known as the Wonalancet River, of plodding down that dirt road after a long hike with friends. Today, 27 years later, I was back because it seemed like a nice opportunity to revisit some trails and peaks I’d seen before but since forgotten. Read on!
After our visits to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, we returned to Lima for a Dartmouth Alumni event. We stayed in the beautiful Miraflores Park Belmond Hotel, overlooking the city and its coastline. Over the course of two days we had an opportunity to sample some of the gastronomic delights for which Lima is famous, and to visit some of the museums. Read on…
After leaving Machu Picchu we hopped on a train back to Cusco (Cuzco), a journey of several hours and passing through some of the most narrow ravines I’ve ever seen. In some places the train had to climb down switchbacks by going forward, backward, forward because there was no room for turns! Although we had only a few short hours in the city, it was fascinating. Read on!
Machu Picchu is one of those world-renowned, iconic locations that has long been on my bucket list. Despite having seen photos, videos, and documentaries about this marvel of Incan engineering and culture, for decades, none of those things can possibly prepare you for being there. We were fortunate to visit on a beautiful day with a chance to spend a couple of afternoon hours exploring the grounds. They did not disappoint! read on, and check out the photo gallery.
Until this year I had never been to South America. Astonishing, I know, given the amount of travel I have had the good fortune to pursue over the past forty years. Now, in just this year I have been to South America twice: in February to Buenos Aires (Argentina), albeit only for one night… and now to Peru for a nine-day visit to both Lima (on the coast) and Cusco (in the highlands). Our trip had four parts – so I will report in four posts. Our first stop was in the ‘Sacred Valley’ of the Incan civilization, outside the historic city of Cusco. There, we passed through small towns, toured some archaeological sites, enjoyed fabulous meals, and met with the delightful people of a small highland faming community. Read on!
David Kotz 