Hiking the Highland

Yesterday was a bright, sunny, and chilly day but proved to be a great day for hiking in Highland Forest. The brave adventurers chose the"Main Trail," a nearly 8-mile trek. Eight miles of flat terrain is a challenge. Eight miles of inclines, streams, twists, and turns is a BIG challenge. Stopping at a lean-to for a quick rest and some fruit with 4.6 miles to go, we opted to take a shorter route back to the lodge. Even so we completed six miles in less than 3.5 hours. The view from the lodge was breathtaking, and we could even see the wind turbines in Cazenovia, about 15 miles away. Not much wildlife around although we heard lots of woodpeckers and perhaps a turkey. We also saw lots of these tracks. After some quick research, I think they might be from a coyote (notice the claw marks: cats usually have their claws retracted, dogs don't).

Life [as it was] on Mars

Episode 17: "Life is a Rock" (Series Finale)
ABC-TV http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifeonmars)

Like many high-quality shows, Life on Mars has its loyal fans, but apparently the message never got to the mainstream. And that's a shame. This was definitely a show that should not have been canceled, or missed. I might never have tuned in myself had I not seen the series finale of the original British version.

Now I'm no media critic. I generarally fail to see the larger metaphor beneath the surface of good entertainment. But create a cop show with an intriguing twist, lots of cliffhangers, likeable (and unlikeable) cast, and some great '70s nostalgia, and I'm hooked.

The initial storyline of the show is about Sam Tyler, a New York City detective with the 125th precinct. While investigating a case, Sam is struck by a car and "wakes up" in 1973. His new co-workers are a rough, tough, opinionated, sexist bunch of hard-core cops who believe that the best confessions are beaten out of their suspects. One exception is Annie "no nuts" Norris, a former psychology major who is trying to break into the previously all-male world of law enforcement. Sam's adventures lead him to confront his past: his childhood home, his naïve mother and the father who disappeared on Sam's fourth birthday. He meets a childhood friend who ends up dead, relives a crush on his first babysitter, and teams up with a man who was/will be his mentor in the 21st century. Sam spends much of his time in 1973 trying to figure out what's real, what's not, and how he can get back to the present/future.

Life on Mars did not go quietly. In this episode Sam gets a phone call telling him he has three things he must do before he can "go home." In the process he confronts his father one last time, let's his mother in on his real identity, chats with his wacky neighbor, Windy, who is the quintessential 70s flower child. Annie gets that promotion, Sam promises his mother he will read to her when she is old, and - finally - Sam acknowledges his feelings for Annie. Then comes the final phone call: Sam has one last task before he can leave 1973. "But what if I don't want to go?" Sam asks the voice on the phone...

I never saw this ending coming but there will be no further spoilers here. If you want to know what happens you'll have to watch for yourself. The last five episodes are available for viewing on abc.com, and you owe it to yourself to watch all of them. Better yet, the entire series (17 episodes) will be out on DVD in September. If you are (or become) a hard-core fan like me you might also want to check out the British version: Series (season) 1 comes out in July, series 2 is scheduled to come out next year.

Make Your Day

http://www.vtm.be/mariadans/

Compliments of those wacky Belgians, by way of Max's blog .... you're going to smile!