Temps in the low 50's, sunny.
Visit #911, Sunday 9 November 14, 12:45-1:30PM, 1.0 miles.
Temps in the mid-50's, sunny.
"What do you call a guy who knows how to play the trombone and doesn't?
A gentleman."
Thanks to Paul Bernier , no stranger to hard work, who assisted me in my weekly activities.
"What is the best kind of trombone?
A broken one."
Paul called me early in the week to say another hemlock had fallen across a trail, a trail I'd just cleaned up last week. I packed up the chainsaw again and off we went.
"What do you call a trombonist with half a brain?
Gifted ."
We started at the park and walked the road to the south end of Merimere Reservoir.
"How do you save a trombonist from drowning?
Take your foot off their head."
We turned onto the trails and headed up to Castle Craig. While cleaning up the slope below the Castle, I found a Frisbee with this message on the underside:
So, nut that I am, I texted the number and had the following text conversation with Amiee Phommajack of New Haven CT:
Peter: I found the Frisbee. Is this the right phone number?
Amiee: Yes it is hahah
Peter: I wish I could say it was funny too, but it's not.
I pick up trash in Hubbard Park every week. I found your Frisbee among the discarded cans, bottles, and food wrappers on the slope below Castle Craig.
By throwing the Frisbee off from Castle Craig, all you were doing is littering. Not something to be proud of.
Amiee: lol man you should calm down it's not litter if it has a purpose other than trash
Judging by the lack of punctuation and the message, I'd say one of us failed to reap the benefits of America's educational system.
"What's the least used sentence in the English language?
Look at that trombone player's Cadillac!"
Once Paul and I reached Castle Craig, we cleaned up the parking lot and surrounding area. We also stopped to take a look at the flagpole, or rather FORMER flagpole.
Paul and I left our full trash bags at Castle Craig and opened a new pair. I'll contact the Meriden Parks Department to pick them up.
"What did the trombonist get on his I.Q. test?
Drool."
Pointing ourselves down the trail, we reached the fallen tree.
Out came the saw.
I removed another dead, standing hemlock as well.
With that taken care of, it was time for another trombone joke.
"You are driving down the street and your band director and a trombonist are crossing the street. Who do you run over first?
The band director; business before pleasure!"
This trail dropped us off at the northwest corner of Merimere Reservoir, which is at historically low levels. Word on the street is the city is making major repairs to Broad Brook Reservoir, Meriden's primary water source, so Merimere has been called to duty. P.S. Hallmere Reservoir is similarly parched.
Paul and I walked the road back to the park, picking up trash as we went along. Peering at the increasingly exposed shoreline, We spotted our Find of the Week.
Thus all the trombone jokes today!
By the way, the trombone was a "Super Artist" model made by the E.K. Blessing Co. of Elkhart Indiana, which has been in business since 1906. I couldn't find a serial number or date of manufacture, however.
We even found the sheet music holder for the trombone. I thought it would make a perfect roach clip.
I have such a potty mind!
Forgive the hairy knuckle; that's Paul's. I'm not that old yet!
Back at the park, we dropped off our last bags of trash and our Find of the Week.
One last trombone joke:
"How do you improve the sound of a trombone?
Run it over with your lawnmower."
I returned to Hubbard Park early Sunday morning by mountain bike to perform some trail trimming not "on the books". After I was done and riding my mountain bike over the spillway at the north end of Merimere Reservoir, I ran into some park "regulars" walking their dogs. While we stopped to chat, one of the group remarked on some graffiti on the concrete. I'd previously painted over most of the graffiti but there were a few stragglers. I said nothing but vowed to myself to return the same day to finish my work and hopefully surprise him next time he walks over the bridge, which is usually daily. With the reservoir levels so low and with the moderate temperatures, I'd be foolish to not take advantage of the conditions. You can see the watermarks on the concrete.
Just past noon, I parked on the Berlin side of Hubbard Park and packed in my gear. Here are some "before" some "after" and some "in between" shots. In the end, I pretty much covered everything there is to see. This stuff had been lingering for years. I was glad to see it go.
It seemed that because the spillway is not filled with water as it usually is, people think it's okay to toss their trash into it. Since I was down in the pit I picked up all the trash when I finished painting.
Until next week, maintain.
No comments:
Post a Comment