Non Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #27 for 2026...

"Killer's Wedge" the 8th 87th Precinct Novel.

Written by Ed McBain, Published 1959.

 Hiking along the bike trail in Southwick, "The Jog", Southwick to West Suffield, for 2.25-Miles.

Another Trip to North Hollow.

Began on Hartland Hollow Road and travelled down to the bottom, and Pond Brook Crossing.

East up the hill to South Lane #2 (aka Crest Lane through the occupied portion in Granville).

Completd the round-trip of 3.9-Miles with 550' climb.

PT Visit afterward for discussion.

And on this day in 1997...

Bash Bish Falls Marathon

November 2, 1997 - South Taconic Trail, MA & NY

The Old Goat, the Gullivers, and a few others rambled out to Bash Bish Falls to participate in a marathon along the South Taconic Trail.  

I managed 26-miles in 6:28:00, with the last few miles being in a driving rain.  

This was my 18th marathon.

First Full Day of Daylight Savings, we fell-back last night.

Drove out to North Hollow on Route 20 in East Hartland, for a hike up Hubbard Brook.

My goal was to head north up Hartland Hollow Road, stay on it instead of the Hubbard Brook option into Granville State Forest, and turn-a-round at the old path coming down from the east off South Lane #2 (Granville-Tunxis-Pond Brook-North Hollow Trail), last visited on April 26, 2020.

I have passed this site of the old ATV trail a few times in the past six-years and have noticed that the trail had been obscured, an attempt to keep the riders out.

Maybe, enough time has passed for it to have been re-opened by the riders?

At the old crossing of Pond Brook, I saw signs of activity...  I explored on the opposite bank a bit, found what I thought was the route, and with a smile on my face retraced my steps back to the car at North Hollow, 3.4-miles on worthwhile hiking.

Grafitti Under Stream Measuring Station

Pond Brook Crossing at Old Trail

Tree Trimming Gap for Trail west of Pond Brook

Hubbard Brook Stream Gauging Station

Grafitti on Gauging Station

Future Farmers of America invade the Berkshires today, to help my Pop out....

Just K2 and I today.  Pop recuited A to assist with Turnip and Fire Wood.

And From the Marathon Archives...

On October 31st, 1993 I completed the Bridgeport Marathon in ~3:32:00.  

This was my second completed marathon, and I remember it being more difficult than the first.

ArchaeoEd Podcast

Get ready to embark on a time-traveling adventure with legendary archaeologist, Dr. Ed Barnhart!

Let's unearth the stories of the awe-inspiring civilizations of the Americas. 

These are the tales that only get a fleeting mention in western history books.

ArchaeoEd, S5E9 "Tiwanaku - ArchaeoEd S5E9"

Episode 5.9 - "Tiwanaku - ArchaeoEd S5E9" - ArchaeoEd

The ancient city of Tiwanaku ruled the Southern Andes for 1000 years.  From the Pacific Ocean to the Amazon, their empire spread far and wide.   12,500 ft asl on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the city itself boasts the largest megaliths ever created in South America.

“The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them.”

― Turkish Proverbs

PT @ YMCA.

ArchaeoEd Podcast

Get ready to embark on a time-traveling adventure with legendary archaeologist, Dr. Ed Barnhart!

Let's unearth the stories of the awe-inspiring civilizations of the Americas. 

These are the tales that only get a fleeting mention in western history books.

ArchaeoEd, S5E8 "Copan 1997 - ArchaeoEd S5E8"

Episode 5.8 - "Copan 1997 - ArchaeoEd S5E8" - ArchaeoEd

In '97, Ed was part of the excavations that discovered the tomb of Copan's first ruler:

Yax K'uk' Mo'.  

Join him as he tells the story in his usual humorous style.

Having been born in 1962, and liking and listening to music from the early sixties onward, I thought it might be fun to attempt a listing of my favorite albums each year since birth.

The initial post for this series of ideas began on December 26th, 2023.  You can look it up....

This time, I present my "Top Albums released in 1969, #141 through #145" 

... from that incredible Year in Music 1969!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

141. Julie London         Yummy Yummy Yummy

142. Michael Bloomfield It's Not Killing Me

143. Strawberry Alarm Clock         Good Morning Starshine

144. Tommy James and the Shondells Cellophane Symphon

145. The GTO's -         Permanent Damage

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    

Walking / Hiking Plan:

                                        5.5-Miles at Granville NEFF / Phelon Forest w/1100' climb.

George Orwell, 1984...  It was their final, most essential command. 

One of the most famous quotations from George Orwell's novel, 1984, reads:

The Party told you to ignore the evidence of your eyes and ears.

It was their final, most essential command.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    

PT for DL and I.

Walking / Hiking Plan:

                                        1 x 1.5-Miles.

It's been a while since we last watched the X-Files.

Originally, we watched the series live, as it was broadcasts, beginning in 1993.  Episodes were broadcast on Fridays at 9:00 pm Eastern Time for the series' first three seasons; the following six seasons aired on Sundays at 9:00 pm Eastern Time.  

This was must-see TV for us during these nine-years.

When JC was old enough, we revisited the series, watching on dvd. This would have begun somewhere about 2005, or slightly later by a year or two (at the most).

Since we completed that second run of viewing, X-Files has only really existed in our memories, with the exception of the two later seasons running January 24, 2016 to February 22, 2016 and January 3, 2018 to March 21, 2018.  These were Season's 10 and 11.

So, with some TV-Time available for the upcoming months, and nothing new really drawing us in, what better opportunity than revisiting old friends Scully, Mulder, Skinner, Cigarette Smoking Man, the Lone Gunman "Byers, Frohike, and Langly", Doggett and Reyes.

I will keep a log of episodes watched and progress, as we journey through over 200 episodes!  

October 17th thru October 25th:

Overall / Season                    Title                                     Original Release Date            

• Episode 4.22 (95)            Elegy                                            May 4, 1997
• Episode 4.23 (96)            Demons                                        May 11, 1997
• Episode 4.24 (97)            Gethsemane                                 May 18, 1997
• Episode 5.01 (98)            Redux                                           November 2, 1997
• Episode 5.02 (99)            Redux II                                        November 9, 1997
• Episode 5.03 (100)          Unusual Suspects                         November16, 1997
• Episode 5.04 (101)          Detour                                           November 23, 1997

Walking / Hiking Plan:

                                        5.1-Miles at Granville NEFF / Phelon Forest w/997' climb.

Future Farmers of America invade the Berkshires today, to help my Pop out....

And from the Marathon Archives... 

Mt Washington State Forest Marathon - October 2003

 Riga Plateau, South Taconic & Appalachian Trails, MA, NY & CT

Sometime in October of 2002 - 2003, Tippi completed her first "Marathon" along the Mt Riga Plateau; it would also be my 26th.  We had the "Bandit" along for the adventure. 

Our time was recorded as 5:38:00 over 24.7-miles.  I recall the end of the run taking forever once we descended Frissell and headed back to Mt. Washington State Forest Headquarters, as we might have diverted from the most direct track.

Maybe on top of Alander?

Intersection prior to Brace.

   
I believe this is the top of Brace Mountain.

The Bandit climbing Round Mountain.

The Bandit at the peak of Round Mountain.

The Bandit climbing Mt Frissell.

The Bandit climbing Frissell.

At the Tri-State Marker (NY, MA, CT).

Non Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #26 for 2026...

"Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death"

Written by Kurt Vonnegut, Published 1969.

Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction–infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. 

It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the post-war years. 

Throughout the novel, Billy frequently travels back and forth through time. 

The protagonist deals with a temporal crisis as a result of his post-war psychological trauma. 

The text centers on Billy's capture by the German Army and his survival of the Allied firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war, an experience that Vonnegut endured as an American serviceman. 

The work has been called an example of "unmatched moral clarity" and "one of the most enduring anti-war novels of all time".

6 Week Check-Up with Surgeon for Hip.  Excellent Feedback today.

Haircut at the end of day.

Having been born in 1962, and liking and listening to music from the early sixties onward, I thought it might be fun to attempt a listing of my favorite albums each year since birth.

The initial post for this series of ideas began on December 26th, 2023.  You can look it up....

This time, I present my "Top Albums released in 1969, #131 through #140" 

... from that incredible Year in Music 1969!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

121. The Electric Prunes Just Good Old Rock and Roll

131. Graham Bond -         Mighty Graham Bond

132. Rod Stewart         The Rod Stewart Album

133. Scott Walker         Scott 4

134. Scott Walker         Scott 3

135. Tim Hardin         4

136. Amon Düül II Phallus Dei

137. Bill Justice         Raunchy and Other Guitar Instrumentals

138. The Box Tops -         Dimensions

139. George Harrison         Electronic Sound

140. John Lennon & Yoko Ono Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PT @ YMCA w/LED.

Walking Plan:

                            1 x 1.0-Miles.

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period September 1 through September 30, 2026:

Walking Plan:

                            Hiking Granville NEFF/Phelon Forest, 3.6-Miles.