240-plus days, and still no snow in Rochester

Where's our snow, anyway?

Summer's long since over, and winter is nearly here, yet we still have no snow in Western New York. In fact, we've had no measurable accumulation since last April, over 240 days ago. That has to be some kind of record for this area.

It's been an exceptional year for camping, with nearly EIGHTY Perfect Camping Nights recorded from April to September. September was spectacular, if a bit chilly at times, with very little rain. All the area campgrounds shut down in mid-October, as the nights stayed cool and the leaves finally fell. With a bit of cold-weather gear and judicious use of our Coleman furnace, we could have done weekend overnights right up through this weekend. The sun's shining today, with temp's in the low 40's.

Our typical upstate NY November brings freezing rain, biting breezes, bitter late night temperatures, and snow before Thanksgiving. Not this year. Maybe it's Global Warming. Or maybe winter is lurking nearby, rubbing it's frosted hands together in malicious glee and planning a devastating surprise attack. The local ski areas aren't pleased with the current climate, I'm sure. White Christmas? Hope so.

At any rate, for we Northerners the regular camping season is done. Did you properly winterize your camper? Or did you make sure your tent is nice and dry, and stored in a protected spot? I have a couple of good articles saved around here somewhere, from the RV.net Blog. One has tips for winterizing and the other offers some advice for maintaining your camper's awning(s). I'll see if I can't dig those up and get them posted for you. That site is an amazing resource for RV-ers, especially.

Had a thought about winterizing for you, too. Do you cover your camper for the winter? Store it somewhere else for the season? Garage it? Mine sits stoic in the side yard, with the windows cranked tight, tires on planks, battery stowed indoors and the water system completely drained. Seems to weather the worst of winter fairly well. Just wondering what other campers do in preparation for the long winter's night. I'll see if I can find those other articles.

Photo: Erie Canal widewaters area near Newark, NY, earlier this fall (JCB)

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How do you winterize? Leave your comments here.

It's a bird, it's a plane -- it's the Microsoft Sky!

This is an un-retouched photograph of the sky over Fairport, NY on a spectacular fall day.

One of my guilty pleasures while camping is sky-watching. This surreal skyscape turned up far too late in the fall for camping, though the weather was unexpectedly mild that day. I had to look twice -- it looked exactly as if one of those speed-painters had dabbed in the clouds in a frantic burst of brushwork.

Seems like Microsoft has moved away from using that trademark sky as their symbol lately, but this one certainly would do the trick. A week or so ago I published an article on Helium about curing writers block, and one of the tips I mentioned was to do some sky-gazing. It worked for me: I wrote this post!
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If you have an unusual skyscape you'd like to share here, please contact me or leave a comment.

Read 6 tips to cure writer's block from Jim, on Helium.com

Product reviews: Grill Charms™, as seen on Shark Tank earlier this evening

Hot off the campfire

by Sarah Pendleton guest writer

[Editor's note - Sarah is a full-time freelance editor and writer]

We are a family of meat lovers. The grill gets fired up every weekend, rain or shine. It can be a hundred and ten or twenty below - we have to get our fix! Steak, chicken, pork chops; every Saturday is a carnivore's dream. After ten years of marriage, I'm still getting used to it.

I grew up as the eldest of nine, and we were dirt poor. I could make a pound of hamburger serve the whole family for four meals straight, with creative use of spaghetti sauce, potatoes, rice and beans. I had never had a honest to God, home-grilled steak before I got married on my twenty fourth birthday to a real man: a hunting, fishing, red necked card-carrying member of the National Grill Masters Association. Let me tell you - it only took one juicy Porterhouse to have me firmly addicted.

Now, ten years and three kids later, we are firmly committed to keeping the cattle industry alive and well. Even our eighteen-month-old loves nothing more than sinking the twelve teeth he does have into a tiny portion of succulent rib-eye.

There's just one little problem.

I like garlic, and just a touch of pink in the middle. Hubby likes lemon pepper - and lots of it; and he doesn't freak about a little reddish juice on the plate. We both love Lee and Perrins. The kids don't share our passion for spice - yet - and theirs better be well done! When you have five steaks on the grill, it's kind of hard to keep track. You have to keep cutting them open, and trying to figure out which one is seasoned and which one isn't.

That's why I couldn't believe it when a friend turned me on to Grill Charms™ . These little suckers are perfect for helping hubby keep track of which steak belongs to who, and the kids love the concept of being able to personalize their own cut of meat. Grill Charms™ are made of stainless steel, look like dime-sized thumbtacks, and have serrated edges so they stay in the meat during grilling.

The designs on top of each one let you differentiate the meat. I have already picked out the Charmed Life collection, which features a sailboat, a dollar sign and a crown among other designs. I am aiming for the Spicy Collection next, so I can tell the kids' mild chicken piece or pork chop from my own tangy rub!

I'm going to have to get the Steak Collection for those times we have friends over that want to specify bloody or burnt, and I'm definitely picking up the Pink Collection for my aunt for Christmas. She's a breast cancer survivor, and her hubby also is a member of the Grill Masters Club. At under $20 per six-piece Grill Charms collection, I might have to grab a few more sets for stocking stuffers - hubby and I have a lot of meat loving friends!

Check it out folks - this is the new 'hot item' for the grilling carnivores in your life; and if you're like me, you won't be able to stop with just one set!

reprinted with a breaking update, 2009
copyright 2008 - all rights reserved, Sarah Pendleton for Just Camping Out
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From our interview with Leslie Haywood, founder and president, Charmed Life Products LLC and inventor of Grill Charms™ :

I'm a grilling gadget gal from Charleston SC and I have invented the perfect gadget for those scrumptious dinners cooked in great outdoors.
...Sometimes it can be tough for the master chef to keep track of who wants their steak rare, who wants spicy, who wants mild, who's allergic to garlic - all while drinking that frosty cold beer, gazing at the stars, chatting with your buddies about the fish that got away, and try to keep the dog out of the munchies. Grill Charms™ make it all possible. They are the must have campfire gadget while enjoying your time in the wilderness or at the KOA. [~Jim]

UPDATE: Leslie appeared on ABC TV's new and exciting show Shark Tank, seeking a relatively small investment in her vision. She completely charmed the male investors -- they went from Sharks to pussycats.

Leslie had THREE OFFERS on the table, and had to agonize over which one was right for her business. Let's just say she did NOT walk away disappointed, as so many other presenters have in the past.

This is a great product, a classy lady, and made for riveting television. Best wishes to Leslie as she moves forward with Grill Charms™. ~Jim

Climbin' for a Cause: Dr. Dara Grieger's Summitday for Kilimanjaro

Why climb Mt. Kilimanjaro? Dr. Dara L. Grieger MD, transplant survivor explains:

As I approach the 15th anniversary of my transplant, I’ve decided to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Feb 2010 to raise money and awareness for organ donation. I started the organization called Summit Day to bring together a team to climb for transplant related causes.

Here's more from Dara's Summitday blog:

The Cause

What do surviving a major medical event (such as organ failure and transplant surgery) and climbing a mountain have in common?

Both require a powerful mental attitude! Survivors must look ahead and visualize themselves reaching the other side of the challenge. ... Hikers must possess a positive outlook to reach the summit of the mountain. Success begins with mental strength and endurance. Like undergoing a transplant, climbing also requires never giving up and never giving in, regardless of the odds.

I’ve partnered with LUX World Travel and Journeys of Inspiration to create a journey that will raise public awareness about the needs of people who are awaiting transplantation, and to encourage more people to become organ donors. I will also be helping transplant recipients locally in Rochester NY by raising funds for the B Thomas Golisano Hospitality House and American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. ...The purpose of Hospitality House/ Hope Lodge is to provide out of town organ transplant and cancer patients (and their caregivers) a place to stay while undergoing treatment in Rochester...

Journeys of Inspiration is a collaborative effort between Pak Paddle Ski and the American Cancer Society with a mission to create a community of people whose lives have been touched by cancer and love the outdoors...

If you think you are not in shape to climb Kilimanjaro, don’t let that hold you back. There is an abundance of training and support in the months leading to the climb. We depart February 13, 2010. If you can do a 10 mile hike, with moderate elevation change, you can definitely climb Kilimanjaro!

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Want to help? Think you have what it takes to join Dara's daring adventure? Read more...

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Now that's some serious camping out! What a great cause. And, really, if you aren't already an organ donor, what are you waiting for?

Our camping trip at the Dansville Balloon Fest - Up, Up, and Away they Go!

First one, then another, then three more and a dozen -- hot air balloons cleared the launch field and battled for suddenly-crowded air space at the Dansville Airport.

This montage of photographs details the lift-off of nearly 50 dazzling aircraft at Dansville's Festival of Balloons (NYSFB at Dansville). Final pictures, featuring the "special" entrants, will be published later this week.

It takes a big burn to get airborne. This balloonist blistered three large holes in his craft.

They bump, they push and shove. First one to get clear wins!

This colorful herringbone-patterned balloon went straight up.

Looks like some sort of financial chart. "Things are looking up!"

Black diamonds are good, right? Background: herringbone gets some air.

An elegant balloon showing only blue and white finds the clouds, higher and higher.

These two look like they're headed for a collision. It's just an illusion.

Three of the more exotic color patterns gain altitude and solitude.

One monstrous eye looks on as a crazy-quilt of colors soars overhead.

Two pairs of balloonists head heavenward. They soon joined the crowd, nearly out of sight.

Top to bottom: more and more balloons sail to the northwest of Dansville, and toward the horizon.
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In all, more than 40 hot air balloons filled the sky on a spectacular Sunday evening at Dansville. It was a beautiful Labor Day Weekend for ballooning. Final batch of exotic-design balloon pics soon.

All photos copyright 2009 - reprints available on request.