eCache

The Cape May Lighthouse

TC9T2

38° 55.990N
74° 57.617W

Ah, another cache at the lighthouse in Cape May Point. I had been toying with coming down here to do a few other things and this cache was enough to finally get to it.

With a sight like this, there was no need for GPS use. I drove right to the familiar spot. We used to come here via the beach as boys. My friend Jess lived at the Point. It was on the beach right in front of St. Mary’s that I saw my first pair of bare breasts. I was young and there were a couple girls were sunbathing with their tops undone. Ah, mammaries memories.

The bunker used to be our playhouse. Those Keep Off signs weren’t always there. We used to explore inside and then jump off. Then there is the bird sanctuary. It was there I hid my second geocache. Yes, this is familiar territory.

I parked and took the requisite photographs. I have been playing with some of my archives recently, but haven’t stumbled across the any of the lighthouse. They’re in there somewhere.

Anyhow, it was a short visit. I did pull out the GPS because without the cache description, I wasn’t certain if the GPS needed to be in a shot or not.

Of course, none of this really matters; I can’t log this at Terracaching.com even if I wanted. If you look at my profile, you will see I have not logged on this year. That has been purposeful. The site really offers little and it was obvious that any work on the site has come to a complete halt. I decided not to participate. I kept getting e-mails from threads that I had participated in despite me changing the setting to not notify me so I changed the e-mail address to something bogus to keep from getting those notifications.

A few weeks ago I actually had reason to log onto the site to contact a cache owner about something. Apparently I forgot my password. When working through the process to have it changed, the fake e-mail address I put in kept me from having it e-mailed to me. No biggy, I e-mailed AK and asked him:

Jon,

Will you kindly set the e-mail account for Batona to:
something I am disguising @ some domain I am disguising

Thank you kindly,
Batona

The account has never been re-set. Oh well . . . I found another way to contact the cache owner I needed to contact.

This cache is like many others that have not been logged over there. Keeping me off is fine, but it does affect the rest of the community. For instance, John isn’t going to earn any points for this find. So, the lack of attention to one belligerent customer is really affecting everyone else who plays in America’s largest metropolitan market. I can’t imagine that will help build the customer base, but what do I know?

Anyhow, it was a splendid morning in my hometown.
(more…)

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Dot . . . Dot . . . Dot . . .

Scoble’s new venture launched recently . . . Pot meet the kettle: scottO rips Groundspeak for its less than courteous customer service. I truly wonder what he thinks the perception of Terracaching.com’s customer service is . . . Ed Morrissey’s When the Democratic Party moves too far left for George McGovern, you know they’re in trouble made me spray my computer screen . . . It’s interesting that the guy who got me into geocaching is also now blogging . . . much ado is being made out of John McCain’s reaction to NY Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller. That isn’t anger to me and I have no issue with his response. It was a silly question he was asked and he let her know it . . . ’twas just reminded that I will be at Yankee Stadium in June for a game. It is the last season for the House That Ruth Built . . . gearing up for lawn care as I dropped the mower and edger off for service today . . . “Oh, get over it!” You have to love Scalia . . . from an e-mail I received earlier this week: “I hope all the bastards who got those no-money-down loans do get thrown out of their houses.” . . . completing classroom book orders online is wonderful. No longer do I have to fill out those dreaded forms and mail them in. We’ll see how quickly they arrive . . . California now requires parents who homeschool their children to have teaching certs. Ha! or should that be Bah! Sure, force parents to be indoctrinated in the system they want to be rid of. That makes sense . . . More spewage: “Adam Eaton is picking up right where he left off last season — getting pummeled like Apollo Creed in the beginning of Rocky IV” . . . I came across this (don’t ask how).  The more I see of stuff like this, the more I am sympathetic to celebrities.  I think they give up some of their personal lives as the trade off of stardom, but this kind of stuff is ridiculous . . . a good chuckle . . . Wow!  Reading a book is considered “racial harassment” . . .

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TERRA-CON X TRAILS

LCNE

39° 22.961N
74° 04.224W

Some time ago I had stopped and snapped some photographs for this hunt, but when I looked at them, the X was not as prominent.

On my way home from work today I spotted these jets playing. I pulled into the pediatrician’s parking lot and before heading in, took the requisite shots. Then I played, as required, in Photoshop. I like the result. (more…)

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Locks of Love

LCOR

39° 28.755′N
74° 59.919′W

It is easy to get down as a public school teacher. Our work is public. Our budget is the last that disgruntled taxpayers have a say in. We are the cause for all that is wrong with society and the dumping ground to fix everything else.

When teachers face layoffs, programs are cut, and morale is low, we can read about $12,000+ raises for our bosses. We administer invalid examinations because we are told to do so.

It is easy to be despondent.

Sometimes when the doldrums are present, a glimmer of light shines. This is one of my students. She is a beacon!

I play silly GPS games. It’s an amusement for me. I share some of my exploits with my students. They like it that their teacher plays hide-and-seek. They’ll ask if I went hiking, what I found, etc.

Knowing that one of my scavenger hunt “needs” was, I received a note today to meet Sally (not her real name) after school at Douglas Arthur Salon. I know the place well; my wife and daughter frequent this establishment.

An unexpected blizzard appeared this afternoon. Okay, it wasn’t a blizzard, but snow was falling and accumulating at a good clip. I would be late arriving home and time with my own children was being deferred. It was worth every minute of it.

Sally was at the salon to donate 11 inches of her hair to Locks of Love. Her brother and mother were there and we all celebrated her charity.

This fourth grader is not a novice with Locks of Love. She never used to like to get her hair cut and apparently was a bit difficult when the subject came up. But in second grade she heard of Locks of Love from somewhere and wanted to participate. Her parents did not urge her. Her teachers did not encourage her. Sally, on her own as a seven-year-old, decided to provide this gift.

It’s been nearly two years and her hair has grown out enough to donate again. Donations must be at least 10 inches. It takes about 25 donations to weave a wig. The wig is provided to children who have cancer. Sally was eager for the trim.

I could tell all sorts of stories about how smart Sally is, how she helps out in class, how she pushes herself to be the best student she can be. Some might look at her and speak about how she will be somebody when she grows up. Hardly. She is somebody right now!

Sally’s heart is as big as anyone’s I know. She’s nine. This teacher is so proud.

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

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Where Are They Now? File

LCWA

Where’s Alice?

After looking at the dirty toilets and playing in the leaves, Beetle and I walked around the Head of the River Church cemetery. There’s a lot of old headstones dating back to the settlement of this area. Many family names are still around today.

I was half looking for a headstone for this hunt, but finding none, just kept looking at the old stones. Lots of neat stuff here. Today is a lot different than yesterday. Thanksgiving was a balmy 60-some degrees; we were out in short sleeves. Today has a bite in the air and I was hardly dressed for the occasion. I suggested we head back to the truck. Beetle meandered. She had fun walking around and was in no hurry for daddy to get warm. As I waited for her to catch up I looked at this stone. There is is . . . or not. Just where is Alice? An interesting question that I was unable to answer today. (more…)

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