DL and I visited Adams to celebrate "Christmas in January" with my folks.  

An outstanding trip and visit, everything about it was spectacular.

Took a run at Granby Land Trust (GLT's) Old Messenger Road Preserves (Katan-Ensor, Schlicht Family and Garmany Preserves).  Completed 5.4-miles, with some repetition necessary.  I will get back to further explore this area.  Additional information below is from the GLT website...

The Katan-Ensor Preserve is a mixture of open fields and woodlands with some beautiful natural features, ranging from interesting rock formations to a babbling brook that runs through the property.

The Schlicht Family Preserve a spectacular outlook to the east, Scarlet Tanager Outlook (named because Scarlet Tanagers nest here and are regularly seen by visitors).

The Garmany Preserve is located in the GLT’s Old Messenger Road Corridor and the property is divided by Old Creamery Hill Road. Old Messenger Road is a discontinued woodland road in North Granby, as is Old Creamery Hill Road.

The Garmany Preserve has natural and historical significance. Here, you will see evidence of a family – the Messengers - that settled on this mountain, known as Popatunuck Mountain,  at the time of the French and Indian War, and farmed this land for four generations before moving off of the mountain in the late 19th Century. Stone walls, the foundations of houses and barns, wells, and new growth forests all are evidence of the family's hard work and time spent here. 

Re-Visted Fuller Road to explore one of the side-trails...  decent forest path that just seemed to end at a small ravine.

I will re-check once the snow is out, but I don't expect to find much extension.

Ended with a "rough" 1.5-miles mostly due to more snow (hard and crusty) than I expected.

An additional positive from visiting this area is that I believe I saw a location to park to "find" Lost Acres Falls once the snow clears out.

Being curious about the moose population in Connecticut, tonight I tuned into a virtual presentation with Andrew M. LaBonte, deer and moose biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division, being offered by the Granby Public Library and Granby Land Trust.

LaBonte’s talk covered the history, current status and expectations for the future of Alces alces, the largest mammal in our state. The goal was for us to learn about the biology of the animal, its presence in Connecticut and throughout New England, and its potential for population growth relative to its habitat.

About the presenter:  Andrew M. LaBonte received a B.S. in wildlife biology from Unity College, Unity, Maine and his M.S. degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Connecticut. Andrew received certification as a wildlife biologist through the Wildlife Society. His research activities have focused on the population dynamics of deer and moose and human dimensions of wildlife management. He is employed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #02 for 2022...

"Dig My Grave Deep", by Peter Rabe, published in 1956.

Cover Images

Music 2022...

Effort #01,  "RR_One”.  Unreleased Dark Heart Duo Recording from the Crown Street Mansion.

This is part of a three song set titled "Better Late Than Never".

Still a bit more exploring, this time to a spot I've never been to.  Fuller and Welsh Roads in Hartland, supposedly around a gravel pit and nearby to Lost Acre Falls (which I didn't try to find).

Unplowed forest roads within a portion of Tunxis State Forest, as well as some old woods roads.

Found my way through on the connections, left a few for "next time", and completed 5-miles.

Keeping up the momentum, I re-visited Granby Land-Trust Properties again, despite temperatures in the single digits.  At least it was sunny once again.

Worked my way through Holcombe Preserve back to the re-connection with Dismal, and then continued over Crag Mountain.  Finished with the same 4.6-miles as yesterday's run!

Despite the ankle and tendon issues, I feel it's been long enough with rest.  I drove out to Granby's "Dismal Brook Preserve" to work out the connection to the Holcombe Preserve during winter and frozen ground.

Forty Degrees, beautiful sunny day for adventure.  Found a bushwhack route along the brook (followed deer tracks) to the connection with trails to Holcombe.   A success, and 4.6-miles of "running" on my legs.

We began the remodel of our two bathrooms the Monday after Thanksgiving (November 29th), and today everything was  finally completed.  Looks fantastic!

Annual Physical with my Doctor. 

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #01 for 2022...

"Dead Calm", by Charles Williams, published in 1963.

Cover Images

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period  December 1st through  December 31st, 2022:

3-Miles on Main Street as the freezing rain began. 

Stony Brook Park along the perimeter.  Completed 1.6-miles in a few inches of snow.  

28-degrees and a setting sun.