To the Northwoods and Beyond

It was that time again - time to get away from friends and family for an extended period of time. Not that we get to see friends and family in person for an extended period of time very often. Still, it seemed like it would be a fun thing to do, so we did it, and it was.

Here's what it was...to the best of my recollection. (It's amazing how quickly you forget or reorder things sometimes.)

Note: If you arrived here from State Parks Journey, you should know that this article covers both Amnicon and Pattison State Parks (and more). It was written before I had the thought of visiting all the state parks in Wisconsin.

Sunday, August 1, 2021

After Karen was done with work at the local KT, we headed north along I-94 making it as far as Eau Claire to visit with Matt and Becca for the evening. (Yeah, ignore that first line above.)

We had a relaxing few hours. I took a picture of some of their tall pines because they looked picturesque. And when trees are giving you that look, you don't want to disappoint.

You Don't Want to Know But You Need to Know

 This was difficult to write. I’ve thought about writing it for a long time. I finally decided I had to get it done before anything unusual (that is, more unusual than things that have happened in the past 12 months) comes to the fore. If nothing ever does come to pass similar to what I’m going to mention later, that’s fine. But if it does, I want to help you deal with it by telling you bits and pieces of it ahead of time. So, I’m writing with your best interests in mind. If it does come to pass, I will never say, “I told you so,” later, even if you decide not to listen to me now or if you think I’m full of garbage.

The Price of Panic: How Much Were You Willing to Pay?

The following article is my “Cliff’s Notes” version of The Price of Panic by Axe, Briggs, & Richards. It was published in mid-2020. The book is about 200 pages long. It’s heavily-endnoted. This version is only about 3000 words long, and I make no attempt to cite any of their endnotes. My additions for clarification are in [brackets].

I tried to snag all their important points, but if something seems missing, you’ll have to read the book yourself. I’ll even send you my copy, if you promise to pass it along to someone else when you’re done.

As Easy As Falling Off a Log

My wife and I spent the last week of October, 2020, making a trip to South Carolina to visit our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time with them.

Congaree National Park

Four of us took a day trip to Congaree National Park just southeast of Columbia. Congaree is basically a swamp that some people wanted to keep in that condition, rather than have it drained and developed. (Nothing wrong with that.)

Maskerade II

Maskerade is a fantasy book about the Discworld written by Sir Terry Pratchett in 1995. I only mention this to let you know where the title of this article originated...and that it's not misspelled.

Earlier, I thought about posting an article simply called Maskerade, but later I decided not to. So you'll likely never get to read Maskerade I.

The first several parts of Maskerade II are my delving into the research and suggestions (as of late June, 2020) into the wearing of face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

The last part will be my own thoughts about the matter put forth as logically as I know how.

COVID-19: Keeping It in Perspective, As Much As Possible

UPDATE 10/31/20, 7:50 PM: I just checked the three video links below and found (not surprisingly) that YT had deleted them. Sorry.

UPDATE 4/9/20, 12:24 AM: I added links to 2 additional videos by qualified persons. You'll find them at the end of this post.

Are you sick and tired of your new life under COVID-19 restrictions? 

If your life has changed at all because of the new rules, I’m pretty sure you are.

I’ve had the feeling for some time that what we’re doing just isn’t right - and not just because it’s different and because I don’t care for it. There’s this other feeling deep down inside that I’ve found hard to explain. Part of the problem is that I don’t have enough knowledge about all that’s going on.