Music 2023...

Effort #01,  "Bits and Pieces"...  by my friend Rev. King.

Run fairly early with the Old Goat in Bigelow Hollow for 4.8-miles.

Dusting of snow made the climbs up and down difficult.

In the evening, I tuned into a zoom presentation of "Connecticut's Indigenous Communities: An Introduction by with Lucianne Lavin" offered by the Gunn Historical Museum.

Program Description:

Eastern North America was not a “howling wilderness” as described by the early English settlers.  It was a built landscape, managed by the first settlers of the land, its Indigenous peoples. 

Indigenous communities have long, rich histories that extend back to when they shared Mother Earth with mastodons and other extinct animals.  Through those thousands of years, Native Americans became experts in their natural environments, a necessity for their physical survival as well as their spiritual obligation. 

Our first environmental stewards, Native American communities had long been managing their physical environments to enhance plant and animal populations as well as their human communities.  Indigenous folklore and sacred stories promoted this ecological balance. 

This presentation provides a window into tribal history and culture before and after European settlement, including that of the Weantinock and Pootatuck peoples in whose ancient homelands the town of Washington now resides.

About the Lecturer:

Lucianne Lavin is Director of Research and Collections, Emeritus at the Institute for American Indian Studies (a museum and research and educational center in Washington, Connecticut), a position she held for the past 18 years. She is an anthropologist and archaeologist who has over 50 years of research and field experience in Northeastern archaeology and anthropology, including teaching, museum exhibits and curatorial work, cultural resource management, editorial work, and public relations.  Dr. Lavin is a founding member of the state’s Native American Heritage Advisory Council, and retired editor of the journal of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut, a position she held for 30 years.  She was awarded the Russell award by the Archaeological Society of Connecticut and elected Fellow of the New York State Archaeological Association for exemplary archaeology work in their respective states.  Dr. Lavin has written over 200 professional publications and technical reports on the archaeology and ethnohistory of the Northeast and received multiple awards for her outstanding book, Connecticut's Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History and Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures.

Right back to the same spot as yesterday, Loupinski Conservation area at Honey Pot Wildlife.

7-miles in better weather - slightly colder but sunny and no dampness.

Run on a damp, cold morning in Southwick's Honeypot area, and into Drake Mountain.

Completed 8.2-miles.

"High Points" along trails during December 2022... 

Very sore right ankle and tendon (ankle and achilles) worked against me once again this month.

• Nicks Hill, Metacomet Trail, West Suffield, CT
• Snow Hill, Nipmuck State Forest "Laurel Sanctuary", Union, CT
• North Drake Mountain, Granville, MA
• Mound A "Bird Mound", Poverty Point Site, Louisiana

RSC (Rapid Social Change) record release on Bandcamp.

Road Warriors for Christ - A New Birth

Rock & Roll Guitarist Jeff Beck passed away yesterday (January 10, 2023) - DL is a big fan.

I've always enjoyed the Yardbirds, especially the albums Jeff Beck played on.

I consider myself a fan as well...

As far as "solo" albums go, my two favorites of Jeff Beck are:

• "Truth" and "Beck, Bogert and Appice"

I rate both "A+", and get as much of a kick listening to them as I originally did so many years ago.

1968's "Truth"

1. "Shapes of Things"

2. "Let Me Love You"

3. "Morning Dew"

4. "You Shook Me"

5. "Ol' Man River"

1. "Greensleeves"

2. "Rock My Plimsoul"

3. "Beck's Bolero"

4. "Blues Deluxe"

5. "I Ain't Superstitious"

Jeff Beck – Guitars

Rod Stewart – Vocals

Ron Wood – Bass

Micky Waller – Drums

Additional credited personnel

• John Paul Jones 
• Nicky Hopkins
• Keith Moon 
• Aynsley Dunbar
• Jimmy Page

and, most likely my absolute favorite:

1973's "Beck, Bogert & Appice"

1. "Black Cat Moan"

2. "Lady"

3. "Oh to Love You"

4. "Superstition"

5. "Sweet Sweet Surrender"

6. "Why Should I Care"

7. "Lose Myself with You"

8. "Livin' Alone"

9. "I'm So Proud"

Jeff Beck – Guitars, Lead Vocals on "Black Cat Moan"

Tim Bogert – Bass, Lead Vocals ("Superstition", "Why Should I Care", "Lose Myself with You")

Carmine Appice – Drums, Lead Vocals ("Lady", "Oh to Love You", "Sweet Sweet Surender", "Livin' Alone", "I'm So Proud")

Additional credited personnel

Jimmy Greenspoon – piano on "Sweet Sweet Surrender"

Duane Hitchings – piano and Mellotron on "Oh to Love You"

Danny Hutton – background vocals on "Sweet Sweet Surrender"

Exploring Honey Pot Wildlife Management area in Southwick, Loupinski Preserve to be exact.

Rambled along for 5.1-miles including a trail toward Drake at the quarry.

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

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

Traveled to Northern Berkshire to visit my Folks and Sister.

Walk in  the evening for 1-mile around town. 

Run in Granville with K2, 7.7-miles.

Marathon Archives:

On this day in 1996 I participated in the annual "Fat Ass 50" in North Adams, Massachusetts.

This event consisted of many loops on the road, on a cold, gray day, and I believe there was a pretty bad snowstorm on the drive home.

I have a time listed of  5:32:35, and I think that was for 26.2 miles - not 50k.

This was my 8th marathon completed.

Another venture with the Sixty-One Day Challenge had begun on Monday.

Week #1 Weigh-In @ 218.1

Rock and Roll Sad News....

Jeff Blackburn of sixties San Franciso duo "Blackburn and Snow" passed today.

I just heard Blackburn and Snow's compilation record a few years ago, as it was only released around 1999 and by that time they had escaped me.  It is a really awesome folk-rock album with definite sixties flavor.

Blackburn also played with Neil Young a bit, and assisted with the writing of Hey Hey My My.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #01 for 2023...

"When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes" written by Lawrence Block, published 1986.  

Book 6 of the Mathew Scudder series.

Cover Images

Walk Lily twice, 1-mile each for two-miles total.

This day in 1997... 

I completed my 14th marathon on this day in 1997.  It was the Grupa Dupa held at the Talcott Mountain State Park, home of the Heublein Tower. 

I believe Tony W and Janice K were the organizers of this "Fat Ass 50" type event.  It consisted of loops up and around the tower, but I do not recall how many.  It was 50k, and I recorded a time of 5:11:13.

Walk Lily three times (1.0, 1.0, and 0.5-miles), total of 2.5-miles.