sunny day in sistersville w.v. 

      we set sail down easy street sliding and a gliding past features known to me like steinecks bakery. i'm sure a lonely place since i stopped eating breads except as a luxury.was glad to see they are still open as i have been going to steinecks bakery since i was a boy. a different generation owns it today, but the maple cream puffs are to die for. only one is allowed as they will throw you into sugar shock as the smell of fresh baked goods is the reason i am not allowed to go in  anymore. it is intoxicating, to smell that aroma and taste the sweet morsels. 

     although the truck veers sharply as i past the bakery , we head on south past our other farm and further south past dover dam. up over st rt. 516, or seven mile drive, and  i continue taking st. rt. 800 past new philadelphia , dennison and points further south. 

     at this point i deviated over towards powhattan point ohio , and headed south on rt. 7 along the ohio river. the trees were at their peak in the southern part of ohio and vistas so beautiful it could only be ohio. mountains climbing up both sides of the ohio valley channeled the bright sunshine down to light our way. 

     i knew this to soon be the turning point in the trip and suggested we grab something to eat at next restaurant we came to. we stopped and as i was backing from the place noticed the ferry sign and looked down the hill to see a ferry boat to give rides across the ohio river. asked all with me if they care to give it a go , and all said yes. off down the hill we went. . immediately we were  ushered onto the ferry and then i asked how much. 

    i know a poor time to sweat details but you never know . thinking if you are buckeye going south might be one price , but if you are west virginian going north might be another. but i was relieved to find it was same price both ways. just depended whose license plates you had on. just kidding folks. looked like it could handle about 6 vehicles. but was glad when they took only 2 both ways. 

    the person in charge of money gathering whether he is  pursor or a first mate , informed me that the sisterville ferry is the only ferry service across the ohio river between pittsburg and cinncinnati, along the ohio river. on the other side of the river  we went into sistersville west virginia , and looked for a place to eat and ended up in a dairy queen. but it was sunday , and it seems past 3 pm. on sunday you should not eat in that area. but it was a good turning point in our trip , and across the river on the ferry and back up st. rt . 800 all the way to new philadelphia and points north . back up easy street and home where the view at the bottom awaited us. 

     a slight detour also included piedmont lake , a beautiful scenic lake , absolutely gorgeous this time of year.                                  it is known as cleveland avenue up here and st rt. 800 and when i was a kid it used to be called rt.8, if anyone remembers. before i-77 it was the the main road north and south in the state of ohio. driving down st. rt 800 will eventually land you in the small town of fly ohio. turn left and a quick right  and head across the river  and you are there. the operator said he is open most of the year , except for severe weather from 8am -6 pm . but you had better check before taking my word. 

     the picture below me shows the swing of the ferry always allowing the operator to go forward. after shoving off and accelerating one engine and reversing other he maneuvers the boat while still attached to the ferry to a forward looking position. and actually changes the direction of the push boat , always allowing him full visibility of what is ahead. this ferry service is a vital link in case of an emergency in that area. it would be 12 miles south or 22 miles north to nearest bridge to cross. and if something happened to either of those bridges the ferry would be indispensable. it is a ride i would suggest to all. you are able to get out of your vehicles and wander the deck if it is nice, we had a beautiful day with beautiful sights to see, 

algonquin mill festival-2012

        the algonquin mill festival was last weekend and i had a great time carving as i could for the throngs of people who visited the festival . at one time while carving i looked up to see maybe 100 -150 people watching me carve . i was quite impressed with my self till i realized they had a backup in the port a jons we were adjacent. to. need to make me a pay per jon with  luxury with accessories like extra plush toilet paper , foot braces to assure that when giving extra effort to dislodge that you don't slip out the door in front  of a crowd. with your pants down  around your ankles. maybe an attendant to hand out towel's , and tidy up after the old men leaking all over the place. maybe give them a whole pee wall to hit. i digress. anyhow thanks to a shortage of jons i drew the biggest crowd ever for viewing my carving. thank you all for supporting me in my efforts as i try to live up to half your expectations of me. thanks again. 

     this festival is not about me but is a lot more about lost heritage briefly regained in the nature painted hills of carroll county in ohio. vermont and maine would be hard pressed to shine any brighter than carroll county shines each fall when the algonquin mill festival comes alive . crafters and volunteers begin to ply their crafts demonstrating forgotten trades. blacksmiths and forging , canning , weaving , cane pressing  are among the trades used in pioneer days to make living easier. the mill was originaly used to grind flour and farmers were drawn to the mill to sell and exchange products in pioneer times. this is all set in the hills at a time of year when the hills are at their best color. and mother nature blessed us with 3 days of dryness to allow it to happen. 

    fellow carver was kevin thompson and i are seen carving together in the above pics. i enjoyed carving with kevin and hopefully will be carving again together . a favorite thing i like to do at this time of the year is to carve a pumpkin with a chainsaw. i know over kill but principal is the same. parts and pieces fly as i lobotomize a pumpkin for a waiting youth to take home for free. bits and pieces of pumpkin fly in the breeze as the laughter subsides. oh well i had fun anyhow. 

      

algonquin mill festival.

      the festival was off with the crackling of an announcers voice as he called attention to sing the star spangled banner which was sung by a student who gave a spirited rendition of it that was well sung. all stood in honor . the festival had begun and it was a fun day with lots of kids receiving a break from classes to attend the festival. a more than generous turnout of people attended yo sample the feel and smells of autumn. the trees colors were resplendent in their beauty.oranges and yellows with their leaves just softly blowing in the warm sunshine beckoning the onslaught of winter. as if to say come enjoy while you can.

     coal smoke a rarity where it was commonplace , hovers over the heads of spectators and lazily hung in the valley as the day wore on. the din of voices talking ebbed at its peak when the sun was overhead and bellys needed a packin. vendors in costume offered their wares of food and gifts to satisfy their desires. i enjoyed seeing the people there, as well  i believe there will be a an equipment show tomorrow as i saw numerous tractors being lined up. got to love the old iron.

    kevin and myself that is kevin thompson for all those of you who thought i just lost it. well it was kevin who invited me to come down and carve with him . it was a good time and it is nice to have someone help you pick something up sometimes. we only had one incident when the tent i was carving under blew upside down onto a bunch of spectators and no one was hurt. i had to throw down my chainsaw , as it was still running to attend to the people but in the end did nothing but get it off them. a minor inconvenience , but could have some scary implications. kind of gave me a superstar experience like the band sugarland at the indiana state fair. only a lot kess tragic.

    and once while working i looked up to see paramedics eyeing me closely. it worried me , as i didn't know if they knew something i should have . such as an impending injury. luckily they were just admiring the carvings. for the most part we had fun and that is always good. look forward to tomorrow. 

heartland retreat

     i had the opportunity  to spend time with one of the care takers of heartland retreat. this was the village of heritage built by don sterling, who has now passed and was transferred to a church. the church now runs the property as a bed and breakfast inn type.  like a lot of people who live in this area and grew up watched in fascination as this area was transformed from strip mine land , barren and fruitless to the small village of log cabin structures we see today. and i have always wanted to see what was beyond the gates and today i was gave the opportunity.

     i have always wanted to walk through the area and view the work don had done. don sterling was my dads boss for 28 years at beaver excavating. i remember meeting don one time while pushing broom in his Quonset building for my uncle bill who was also a mechanic there. he mentioned something about me doing a good job and only hoped he wouldn't have to pay me . at that time i was glad to do something for the older folks and i was a hard worker even though i was only 10 years old. 

    we  as a family were always interested in seeing beaver s trucks going here and there shaping camton and reshaping areas they had worked before. occasionally they would work at the city farm beside us putting out crap fires in brush or building ponds to store crap in. as it seemed as if that was all the city of canton had to offer pike township. beaver started to grow and eventually don turned over control of the business to family and he purchased this land along side st. rt . 183 and began to reshape it and build these cabins. these cabins were obtained from properties beaver was doing work on and required demolishing. instead of ending up in a landfill don had them trucked to his place outside magnolia and restored quite a few of them. 

    in fact i only thought that it was limited to what was along side the road but i would estimate maybe 30 -40 cabins exist in a variety of locations there. also i was amazed at the depth some of the strip pits go to in that area. couldn't imagine equipment at the time the land was stripped , to be able to achieve the depths they went to extract coal. 

     before don had done anything to the place and i was in high school biology, i can remember mr pickard wanting to take on the reclamation of that property as part of our earth day celebration. well it can still use some rehab work as there are some definite high walls behind the log cabins. 

 
   the picture below is one the barns and is a nice structure, that has great lines and is a remarkable piece of carpentry.

       this is the church that backs up to st. rt. 183 and had some beautiful stain glass windows that are now vandalized , and the glass to make them irreplaceable.

     there is a store, a bank,  a bath house , barns and carriage house , the main house and a hard rock cafe. this is an amazing piece of work and i am so thankful to have the opportunity to be able to view the menagerie of  rustic buildings. also want to remind everyone that tomorrow is the first day of algonquin mill festival. i will be carving part time with another carver , kevin thompson and we will be offering a variety of styles of chainsaw carving products. this festival runs from 9-5 daily and costs 8/ person i believe. Algonquin Mill Fall Festival- this is a link to their website with more information. i will talk more on this subject of heartland retreat when i get a chance. 

hooked me a big un

     i have the ability to have the biggest most exorbitant fish one might see. it is all within my imagination. not within my imagination isfact that you are never alone. noises bombard me daily as i work here on the farm. the neighbor has a pest gun that shoots off in his orchard on a regular basis when you are outside enjoying the warm breezes. highway traffic noise is channeled up our valley and rattles our eardrums. a plane passes overhead and i look up as i did yesterday and saw nothing. 

   and i am dead serious . i live in ohio south of canton , ohio . close to an army national guard airbase and i believe they were flying a drone over the farm. domestic surveillance of u.s. soils. i would like to think it wasn't so. but i have fairly good vision and hearing for an old fart . and i am familiar with the various aircraft that flies over regularly. it seems as if our airspace is used quite frequently. yesterday at about 11:30 am. i heard an approaching aircraft  loud and seemed to be struggling against the fair weather. the sound actually annoys me and i wish as much as i like aviation that all fliers move some where else so they wouldnt have to fly over head. but the  chance of that happening is slim to none and slim is out of town. though i cant wait for electric motor planes. Hmmmm. imagine by the time you add the batteries you are in a heap at end of runway.
     anyhow i look up to make sure he isn't coming down on me as if i had a place to run or could run far. and i see nothing, i scour the sky , turning around in a a full 360 degree circle as the noise intensifies , and then it passes over and still no sight of the aircraft making noise. wow could imagine the laughter back in the hangar at akron canton airport national guard facility.

     things like" wow does he look like an idiot imitating a ballerina pirouetting  in the barnyard. what a clod ."

who knows what or if it was but the thought reminds me of george orwells 1984.' big brother is watching you'  you would think that here we are i are in the  middle of a 40 ac. farm in the middle of even a larger area of rural nothing-ness..  built on, but still basically underpopulated in comparison to other urban areas. most of the land unsuitable for farming due to roughness of the terrain. some alluvial fields. 

      we have no paramilitary police force although i have wondered about a few neighbors stockpiles of weapons, or any other illegal activity that would warrant the need to authorize the use of drones over our property or in fact inside the united states without the use of a warrant. i have come to the conclusion we have to much security in the wrong place. it doesn't start at home , but instead at our borders.there is to much money creating jobs in security that yield us nothing but more intrusion into our daily lives. 

      at this point and refusing to engage myself or my blog in controversy only wish to state, that we need to ask our selves when enough us enough. and assuming the american spirit will prevail. when we get there we will tell those people who think they can invade someones private life at will , just how far they can go. 

    cant prove anything and my eyes are still as good as my hearing. but i had an eerie feeling creep over me when i heard that plane. 

recycled statues

       well i will be first in line when they come out with solar chainsaws. i imagine if you could link enough solar arrays together, charge up a bunch of batteries ,  and run the juice through an inverter then i would have enough juice to run some of the electric saws out there. it usually takes me about two tankfulls of gas to carve a statue of this size. which isn't a bad use of hydrocarbons. not necessary , but then again a lot of things are not necessary. so i planted 500 trees so far this year and may still do a few more. that should offset my use of gas for carving. recycling is good and i am recycling when i use a piece of wood for a carving. now when i protect that carving from weather insects , and repair cracks as they come up. i am in effect storing carbon. not a bad green thing to do. this is the case with this carving above. 

      the owner wanted me to repair a huge crack in an obscure area. i repaired the crack by simply taking gorilla glue and filling the gap after saturating the area with water. the water helps the glue which is waterproof to expand chemically and fill the crack. i have heard talk of adding sawdust to the glue and then force into the wet crack. this can be sanded to a fine finish. tite bond 3 also works in this application well i have heard. after the glue has set, filled the crack and  hardened, then  you could use a grinder or a chainsaw like i did to finish down the crack area. this is a 3 year old carving and was carved out of spruce pine and painted its unique color. i use oil artist colors as i like the opportunity to mix the color i deem appropriate to the carving. the pine is a stark white compared to the final color. the area of the crack repair not only needs to be finished down but also painted that same color i used way back when. 

     well we are not at loews folks and we do not have a color analyzer except the one i am looking through now . and i have known them to let me down . but all in all the repair looked great and i added a new coat of hellsman marine spar varnish. to reseal the surface against damaging u.v. rays, sunlight and weather exposure.in general. now when i coat the carving i start at the top of the carving with a one inch brush working in long strokes down the statue to the base. any runs will be noticed and can be worked into the lower sections as you go along. 

     after i finish this sealing of this carving it should be good for a substantial number of years as he does keep it in under shelter. this carving should last for years if maintained such as this. also if you are placing out of door on the ground. it is advisable to place bricks or place the carving on a rock large enough to extend beyond the base. if you cover the base with mulch it would be ok but a more preferable way of doing it may be to use gravel with a 6 mm film plastic weed barrier around the base with drainage to one side preferably. outside unprotected carvings will require more maintenance including touching up of colors. if you feel that these repairs are beyond the scope of your ability then contact the carver who carved your carving in the first place.

       the bear in the above photo had a crack running alongside his nose and down around his snout and into the chest area. after filling the crack i used a white transparent paint to thinly approximate the natural aging of the sun on the sculpture. i didn't  do anything to the chewed ears of the bear as it was the owners of the bears dog that had chewed on it and it was sentimental to him. this bear will be standing for awhile because of the repairs done.  this isn't a bear i carved but agreed to repair it for the owner. 

        in the above photo i had made repairs on one side of this statue or the other. see if you can tell where a long crack existed before i started repairs. i will have answer in next blog page. 

       most carvers don't guarantee a piece of wood to not crack in the first place, all wood will crack sooner or later. it is the extent of the cracking you should be concerned with. but some of the more conscientious carvers will take the time to make repairs on their carvings , and i will make repairs on other carvers carvings as necessary .this again is as long as i feel i am talented enough to justify my repairs. most people because of whatever the reason fail to properly take care of their carving. the most important thing is crack repair and sealing the finish to preserving a statue for long term presentation. if you have any questions feel free to contact me at kdavis3051a@google .com and state your question and i will get you the information back to you as soon as possible. 

Halloween  on the farm. 

  

      mom and i was just talking about Halloween and i was telling her i have free pumpkins , and i have about 20 total i am giving away free this year . so i was telling her about the pumpkins and mentioned they were free this year but next year i plan on selling them , so enjoy and remember where you got one this year. we talked at length , venturing from free pumpkins, i remarked how i couldn't understand when it comes to Christmas trees or pumpkins how retailers hold on to them , and keep the price high right through the holiday they were intended for, or give them a way Christmas day or on Halloween  at that point they were stuck with them and you are doing them the favor of getting rid of them for the retailer. it just seems odd that you wouldn't just give them away if the trees were cut or it was a pumpkin say at least 2 days before the event was to happen so someone could some enjoyment out of it. 

      i reminisced about the fact that as kids our family was denied the full fun of trick or treating . and really only actually participated in it once in all my years on the farm and that was due to my sister charly or belinda being born. mom was in the hospital and i believe my brother jim was supposed to watch for us and i wasnt no spring chicken as i was about 140 lbs . of fat kid stuffed in to small jeans .wearing a pair of  high waters as i was always growing to fast. . but even then i was in fairly good shape as i had to keep up with older brothers. jim explained that dad was at the hospital with mom and charly , and that jim and i were going to go trick or treating. even if i didn't want to go i was going anyhow or at least i had to go along to participate in an event. i was the youngest of the boys and they figured if i went along they had something to threaten me with. 

      it was the if you tell , then i will tell mom you were along and she will beat you senseless before she ever gets to me . you will be a bloody pulp laying on the floor. then i will get you later. 

     but the thought of soaping windows and throwing corn on the porch and getting candy bars for doing all that was unbelievable to us. we only had about 2 hours to accomplish a normal Halloween as we were never allowed to do Halloween ever before or after.it was  a half mile in either direction from  of the end of our lane down or up easy street to the first house we could visit for trick or treat. a cheap plastic mask and trying to slink down so i didn't look so large at the first house we went to, the people were generous and glad to see us, candy bars poured into the bag as  we were so grateful we went ahead and soaped their windows anyhow  we knew this could be our only chance to trick someone so we hurriedly soaped their windows and went to the next neighbor. in fact the whole neighborhood had soaped windows. treated or not we spent a lifetime of Halloweens in one night. 

     mostly i remember running . running from one house to the next and then going on to other peoples  porches and being treated nice then as we would go around the corner, we would turn back and run to the house we just came from and soap those windows. then run to the farm. and as we were headed up the lane we saw dad pass in the truck and hid until his truck passed then we really ran and hauled butt home. coming in over the hill by the barn and ending up at the house minutes after dad showed up there. when asked we said we were doing the chores in the barn when he came in. and we found out that charly had beat me out for the largest baby born as she was 10 lbs. 8 oz. and i was 10 lbs 2 oz. . guess i have gained a few since then . she was born on halloween that year and that was the year i finally got to go trick or treat. after that night i don't think i ever did go again as i was to big. 

      in fairness to mom and dad there was quite a few of us at the farm over the years . letting us rampant through the neighborhood was out of the question. out of sight out of mind was the term our ears was bombarded with,  as if they couldn't trust us to be alone. well they were right. but deceit was a learned trait as it was mom and dad who inspired us with tales of their naughty days when dad hung a scarecrow in an old covered bridge from the rafters with a hangman's knot.  at first when approaching the bridge the cars headlights wouldn't see much . but for most covered bridges they would put a steep approach up to an elevated bridge and as the car climbed the dirt ramp the headlights would shine right up into rafters, where they would see a body hanging . the people would slam on the breaks and yell and scream thinking it was real.

       there was also talk of placing manure  in a paper bag and dousing it with gasoline and throwing on someones porch.then yell fire and  they would come out and stomp it out. these were all of dads halloween pranks he told us about. 

       moms naughty lessons for us to learn to be deceitful had to do with deceit in its purest form. she calls us all together and says to us " come on kids we have to get this house cleaned up as better homes and gardens magazine is coming to take pictures. we have to hurry and get all these toys picked up and the floor swept up,  and the house cleaned up. '

      we rushed around and bought her story as she laughed at us knowing full well they were not coming. it only happened once as she had to take us out to a movie at the drive in after that. so is it any wonder we are like we are?  we only have to thank our parents for the inspiration they showed us. 

      when i was a kid you could buy a reeses cup for nickel, now you have to take out a loan to buy candy. that same reese cup would cost you 89 cents at some stores. but those old reese cups could sprout you a pimple farm with just one. some things change. but moms don't  reflecting on the sheltered life we had as farm kids as compared to those other kids down there on easy street. she would lament " oh you poor thing" looks like it hurt you , and you never have got over it. ", and then knifing me a little more she says ' grow up your 56 " 

     her sympathy was less than genuine but deep down and if nothing else i know she has never changed that part of her,  even though the rest of life moves on. . 

to mars and back part-5

    

     so you ask yourself as to why i am rambling on about this subject. i am no expert and have no real credentials in supporting fields to make my observations real or credible. i am doing it because the subject fascinates me. tre thought of establishing life on another world in our lifetime would be a phenomenal end to my life. i have watched space flight from its infancy till now and i am always amazed at how far we have come and how far we can go in search of testing human ingenuity. 

     all i talk about when i ramble on is technology we have available to us today. a mars trip should be a walk in the park . sustaining life there is another story. but that is where humans excel . given a challenge we excel at assessing a problem and finding a solution in all areas. i could sit here and toss out names like dr. lawyer , etc. and this is what we need out of our first illegal aliens to the new planet .as well they must be cross trained in different areas so that  we need to cover all bases in the 8 people  we select for this mission. bear in mind they must be  ex cons and have a life sentence. 

     we need someone with psychology training , as well as have internal care experience. but each person selected will have to an appetite to learn and be prepared for any eventuality that they may encounter when on mars.with its  mars harsh environment . it will be necessary to either be in side a rover or  wear a spacesuit, or exist in a living module 24. 657 hours / day. the days on mars are similar to those on earth. but the years are longer. total confinement is necessary to survival and this is part of what would make a prisoner more advantageous to use than a regular person with freedom of being able to run around .these people are accustomed to living in controlled environments with a range of seedy characters as  life presents us with. they time hardened individuals. 

     it would be possible to be in a closed environment all of your hours, as you would gradually adjust to being inside after a period of adjustment. i think from what they are saying is that atmospheric pressure is substantially less than hours . more like standing on top of Everest and trying to breath without any oxygen. inside the colonies walls, plants could help unlock needed oxygen to sustain life . this is oxygen we would have to normally bring with us and will allow more room for supplies really needed. the food grown would help feed and would no longer require space on supply transports. 

     a strictly vegetarian diet supplemented by synthetic protein cultured in labs . so as we go along , notice how we would need a person familiar with nutrition . a chef or knowledge on how to make meals more palatable. someone familiar with recycling would take the colonies waste and combine it with mars soils and try to enhance the soil to make it more amendable to a variety of elements. thus in effect creating a growing medium which would replace needed equipment on mars to sustain ourselves. 

     healthy dialogue about the possibility of establishing life on mars in a colony is needed from a variety of sources here on earth , and not just the scientific world , but instead all individuals with a keen interest in making things work would be necessary to get the project moving. 

     not since president kennedy have we seen a movement in the space industry to establish a goal such as he did. his desire to put a man on the moon was premature, but the american people rose to the challenge . we need a purpose driven project like that now in our lives. the technology spawned by the moon mission was an added to stimulus as to why we need this in our lives. the crude technology of the apollo mission was enough to get the job done. we now have an orbiting space station , which has seen continuous use since established . and we are currently looking at private sector enterprises to replace our shuttle fleet. still i believe we need someone to step up and establish a goal for all of the human race to achieve. 

   a look at the dinosaurs will quickly show that no species of animal is immune to the effects of nature . we should all plan for the catastrophic effects of nature. a meteorite slamming into earth could in effect eliminate all life here on earth. a mega volcano could have similar effect of creating a dooms day scenario here on earth. but having life established on another planet would counteract those effects and could possibly extend human life into the future. we owe it to ourselves to take a chance and move quickly to avoid all our good work going down in flames so to speak. and to perpetuate humans into the future. 

     we have the technology and the resources to make it happen now. we just need a push in the right direction . we cant wait for the next big thing to happen to us. we cant stop the unseen doom that might await us. even if it is by our own hand that we create a disease or a bomb capable of wiping out all life on earth. we need a backup plan. some place we can go to or someone to carry on . i believe mars is the answer. if not it will better prepare us for the next big thing to come along.

 to mars and back part -4

      food being a comfort item needs to be looked at as one of the most important tasks assigned to the group or colony as a whole. due to the lack of fresh foods it will be important to try and establish. greenhouse and lab equipment necessary to provide synthetic protein to our  interstellar travelers. this along with exploring for water should be the first priority of the colony. it appears as if it may be easier to find water and  provide food in the middle of the sahara as it will be on mars.i will include a wiki reference for mars detailing what its geology and atmosphere is like . you can view this reference for yourself to better understand that with all the research out there, and the technology we have available today. it may well be in our best interest as humans to try and establish life as we know it on another planet as part of our evolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars

      to sustain life outside our earth planet , food shelter and water must exist in ample quantities or forms of it must exist. in the wiki  article it references the polar ice caps and say they are not made of typical ice as we know it but instead of dry ice which is carbon dioxide in its frozen state, this is one the fundamental gases need to sustain photosynthesis in plants. at the same time there appears to be less atmosphere basically making it inhospitable for humans in its present state. oxygen and minute amounts of water have been detected as well as aluminum and the ever present iron ore which give rise to the planets fame as the red planet. it is believed to be the iron oxide in the soil that is whipped up into the atmosphere that gives the apparent illusion of mars being red. 

     temperature and day length appear to be the same or close to earths temperature. but lack of any atmosphere or plant life prevents the heat from escaping into the atmosphere during the night hours on mars. warm or hot 95 degree days and freezing cold nights , are the norm on this planet. as well high winds generated by a cyclical effect of air pressure sweeping off the polar ice caps generating winds up to 450 mph that would sweep from the polar regions into the equatorial regions generating massive dust storms. 

   methane was detected on the planet and could be the result of chemical interaction but on earth is associated with dying organisms and digestion processes of plants and animals. this could be associated with microrganisms in the form of bacteria or microbial digestion of chemicals on the red planet. this would be life in a form we may not know presently but would pursue and attempt to utilize in our exploration project . the reason this may be of interest is that this is already a mars proven and ready available source of natural heat on the planet that could be utilized. 

    we would weigh less on mars than we do here on earth due to its size. it is two thirds the size of earth and has roughly a third less weight in general. this would result in a third less gravitational force than on earth. this is good for purposes of exploring. larger spaceships could be designed to deliver a larger payload to its surface when initially establishing a colony there.

   mars also has 38 percent less light than earth descending upon its surface. we barely use 10 percent of the available solar capacity of our sun and have ample amounts of sunlight here on earth. how this would translate into how a colony would survive on mars is negligible at best. we have the technology to produce our own light and heat. 

   it seems as if all the right elements are there to not only establish a colony on mars but to perpetuate it into the future on its own due too the technological advances of humans as it exists today. we have the capability presently to explore this planet and establish a colony. this would be a technical feat we had no concept of when i was born. we were happy to just get out into the wild blue yonder when i was born in 1955. 

    tomorrow i will explore some more of the technologies  i see as viable to establishing life on mars considering the parameters of the environmental hardships we might encounter there. 

american quarter horse museum -riudoso new mexico

my dog bud

 back to mars part 3

 new mexico desert

again my dog bud

      

         if any terrain i experienced would be close to mars it would have to be new mexico, this is the only one i actually experienced and i was amazed at how life strives to exist in harsh environments.  antartica and  the polar regions to the desrt of the sahara , would be a suitable and a basis for survival on mars if one needs a standard. we would need shelter preferably transformed from spacecraft to immediately provide the safety and security needed to survive mars ' arid terrain. . it looks as if it is quite arid and its apparent lack of vegetation due to the fact there is no  water available or anything to store it in , so we have  no organic material to collect the water in . if it exists in the atmosphere it must be in small quantities. this would account for some delta areas noticed by over passing satellites possible rains earlier in the evolution of mars may be what is accountable for alluvial wash areas. these areas should be the first possible locations for a future mars colony.

       a plan on how to colonize mars would be the first priority . all aspects needs to be planned to achieve maximum efficiency in loading and shipping necessary items to the new colony. some could be staged before the first space craft lands and in some cases could be towed to a new site by robots . parachutes should land the spacecraft in the immediate area and then open up to reveal a robot truck and tow hook  that would retrieve the spacecraft and return it to the colony for later assembly into a small colony with other supply spacecrafts  that would eventually morph into a city as resources are explored and mined or cultured. to make building materials. 

      we would need to test and in various ways the proposed colony in an area similar to the environment we are going to encounter when visiting mars. this may be the new mexico desert as above, or the extremes of antartica.  having a lab set up under these circumstances that would afford a real life scenario where outside influences would be limited to delayed radio communication. a delay of 14 minutes is expected from when a word is uttered to when it is heard , due to the distance between earth and mars. this should be the usual delay when practicing for a mars visit here on earth. 

    so now we have this plan for supplying the new colony with personnel and supplies and to train here on earth all aspects, before leaving on a mars journey. while they are practicing the technical aspects of the mars mission the psychologists are studying the effects of the solitude of long space flight, the possibility of never returning to earth, and leaving family and any friends a convict could accumulate during his time on earth. 

     at length i today i returned in my mind to the thought of children being conceived on earth and delivered on mars , this may not be the best answer for a new colony to accept as being good. maybe the lack of responsibility associated with raising kids may be best put aside till later after the colony is established. basic rules would exist and it would be up to the astronauts to identify and select any laws one would deem appropriate , to justify the good and prosperity of the colony as a living whole. 

      there was a project similar to this one partially if not wholly funded by nasa to achieve this means of survival . i am not aware of the status of this project. i am sure information will come to light as a result of this experiment but extensive thinking and planning is required to seek out the problems to achieve success. 

     5 women and 3 men will land in a mars lander to a predestined location in the middle of the sahara desert . a large expanse of sand and virtually no vegetation . after the landing an assessment of the area they are located in is done. and soon the robots start bringing in pieces of supply spacecrafts and the colony begins to take shape as the early explorers link the pieces of the spaceship into a colony. supplies are off loaded and each spacecraft is utilized in the overall building process and nothing is wasted. 

    some sections would contain a nuclear thermonuclear  designed to provide steam and electricity to the structure.there would be 2 of almost everything including parts to replace items taken. so it would take 4 of these reactor units at a minimum. nuclear is not my first choice but the water if used in a closed loop system would provide the necessary electricity to power a small city. it would allow the community to become established and future plans could reflect trends in energy based on availability of materials. maybe once we get to mars and delve into the soils we find it a powerhouse of materials we could utilize. 

      so our first priority would be shelter , then study the mars landscape searching for those materials we could utilize. then establish methods of extracting these chemicals or compounds . all of our convicts would have to achieve in their personal life and have those skills one would need most to survive under these circumstances. and to realize there is only a must win situation for all if there is to be is  freedom on their new planet. 

    this is why in the initial stages of development of a colony fraternization of fellow astronauts would have to be frowned upon. a family may require a person to make changes in the overall structure and performance of the colony that may be contrary to what is best for the survival of the colony. and since we are talking about inmates ,maybe we don't need them practicing there breeding prior to departure for mars.

     all this depends on our ability to find water on mars. without it we are doomed. our bodies are composed of mostly water in fact up to 98 percent sea water. and in one star trek film our human body was described as ugly bags of sea water. we consider our selves much more , but i guess if you were alien that may be most appropriate way to describe our selves. without water,a mission is done. we cannot afford to take enough oxygen and water to set up an artificial environment for any length of time. so even in the desert there are lessons to be learned for future mars missions.  we need to be able to set up a colony and have all the living functions necessary for the colony to survive even in the desert. our first priority is to  begin harvesting water and is components to create an artificial atmosphere. electricity and nuclear power would allow us to drill and tap into underground water aquifers , search other areas for possible sites to find water. this would be much the same as if it were on mars. 

     if we were to drop a mission into the middle of the sahara and was able to get them to survive for a period of say 2 years and this would be ample evidence we are ready to go to mars. this venture at living as we would on mars would be  monitored , but would not be allowed to intervene on anyone's behalf. to let the team work out the situation in what would be best for them, including death. 

     we need to establish protocol for situations we could not handle by being there in person. say for instance one team member killls another , and the rest have to investigate and decide the punishment as well as bury the dead , and learn to move on with their life. this would be hard to do for anyone directly involved in a co habitation arrangement where you all know or hope you know each other as the case may be. when on mars they will be asked to handle such issues with out our ability to intervene. or maybe not. 

      i was thinking of possibly implanting a chip in the neck of our astronaut /convict lifer , that could be authorized to dispense either a paralyzing drug into the nervous system, that would render them immobile through wireless technology.or possibly a drug like potassium chloride to instantly stop this persons life.  these folks no doubt are criminals and should always be treated as such . although allowed to move freely they would still wear ankle bracelets and would require monitoring from earth. the death chip would be invoked only after an overseeing panel would decide that the individual  who requires exterminating is no longer of viable use to the community. these are tough social dilemmas similar to what we are facing today. and again this is why we need to use convicts with nothing to lose but everything to gain from making the colony work as a whole. 

      . 

politics have come home. 

    obama the bull has been on the run lately. in fact the last 2 days have been quite hectic as the cows and obama seem to be on a walk about. now here on the farm i get to worrying when the animals change their habits and no longer accept things as they are and want to change things, i have never had a problem of the magnitude that i have had in the last 2 days . i look for reasons as to why all of a sudden that my normally tame and mild mannered come when i call them cows have suddenly developed a wild streak. and have come to some conclusions. obama is pretty mild mannered and was born on election day . thus i called him obama . it had nothing to do with  his color but instead had to do with his leadership qualities. he was a strong runner and a survivor and was a born leader. to him i charge the leadership of the herd. he is solely responsible for their protection and longevity, times were tough but obama is still going strong. 

     in fact maybe to strong here lately. being outside all the time i assume he is bombarded with radio waves of the political nature . so many political ads on the airwaves  have encouraged him to run , like he has never done before. and he has. to test my theory i had to rule out other influential factors. 

      i noticed things were a stir last week and thought that due to drought the cattles pasture was getting short and decided to take the time to expand their pasture to specifically avoid a scenario of the cows getting out. a little of preventative medicine. it worked great till the first night when deer took out a portion of fence. this was after i had let the cows into new pasture area after building fence for a day. the deer not knowing to much about electric fence no doubt wondered into it and was shocked and panicked and ran through the fence. this usually happens a couple of times before they realize the fence is there and usually avoid it. 

     yesterday was quite an experience as a neighbor and a public employee notified us that our cows were out. as i was able to finally locate the cows and determine that they were in a neighbors yard eating peacefully after a neighbor headed the cows off from playing in the middle of a busy street. on my trip there i had seen evidence of their trail to this spot as it  was accentuated piles of green runny stuff shooting out of places unmentionable, this leaving of evidence was proof positive they were playing in the middle of the road and in peoples yards and neighbors corn field . this walkabout surely could have been avoided had obama stayed on the straight and narrow, he had ample hay , and grass as pics below will show a valley and a farm that despite the drought surely had plenty of grass.

      now what would make them feel that it is better on other side of rt. 800 still i think it is the fact he is a namesake , and that political wind spills ill over the hills and valles of ohio, leading up to the big election day and obamas fourth birthday

this is obama and his posse

 this is the field where the jailbreak occured and is now no longer pasture as i took the fence out and returned them to their original boundary and upped the voltage on my e-fence. 

this is the hay bales they had to walk past to get to end of lane to play in traffic. 

this is the area where there pasture was. 

and this is our farm located a half mile off the main road and apparently not far enough away i guess. 

and this is a picture of obama when he was born on 11-05-2008 and everyone was worried about his citizenship. they could a just asked me. 

   \     so with history like his , i was more than alarmed that his mild mannered self would suddenly transform into this marauding explorer . why the sudden change? and then i realized at first what was probably an eating experience as he came across the fence being down and ate his way out. finding himself on the other side of the fence and suddenly developing memory loss , he suddenly begins a quest with the other cows in tow,of evaluating the effects the drought had on neighboring farms sampling the wares of neighbors corn field. eating lush green grass of the neighbors yard . so well manicured and just pretty . then there was the life on the open road , much like our current president, heading here and there and in no apparent direction but to accomplish an end to a means. to get to the end of the race. 

    well like reality i came along and corralled him back to his washington, and begin the task of getting the job done. along with a little pep talk from me as he visited the site of his last departure.. first time i considered it a blip. the second time there seemed to be a pattern developing and required immediate action. i tore down my preventative medicine fence and removed all the weeds from the fence and i took my fence tester up to within 2 feet of my obamas face as he stood on the other side of fence from me and i told him. 

      'obama , you got choices', as i layed the tester on the fence and it lit up a bright blue and snapped and cracked as the fencer pulsed. and i looked him straight in the eye as he recognized that familiar snap crackle pop and flinched backward. i said to him 'come up here and put your nose on the fence and test it for me' . i noticed a little shake in his head, and then i told him,' if you dont want another wrinkle in your pecker , you had better stay on your side of the fence.' and then i pointed to the livestock trailer and reminded him of how it is always on the ready to transport him and his brood to the auction house where thy are paying dollar eighty a pound for beef just like him. the neighbors were already talking about filling their freezers and think i had been holding out on them. i told him i would give him a ride next time he wanted to go for walk on the road. that was totally unacceptable. 

     now i can only describe how purely lunatic i am to think he understand a word of what i said. guess it must be the politician in him and when you look down on the road and see that pile you know it is.