Caving Discouraged During COVID-19 Pandemic

Interesting . . . COVID-19 and caving

Caving in Virginia is being discouraged for two reasons. First, the conditions in a cave offer poor ventilation and overall space can make social distancing difficult for people. Second, there is some concern that people can pass the virus to bats and perhaps the cycle could begin anew.

Read about it here: Message from the Virginia Cave Board

Maddy

Caving Can be Dangerous - Practice Safety

In the county I live in there was a recent incident that could have turned deadly. Thankfully, both cavers were rescued and reunited with their loved ones.

The details directly from one of the rescued cavers are included in the story below. Cold, damp, and in darkness after flashlights died. Scary.

WDBJ 7 News

Planning and caution are absolute requirements when exploring caves. Preparation is key. Commercial and open to the public caves are legal, safer, and often trained and equipped guides are available.

Maddy

Explore!

The article linked below is from a few years back and is a great read on exploring caves with your kids.

How to Explore Caves With Your Kids: Spelunking Basics

100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime (an Amazon list)

Today's topic is books. BOOKS!

When I looked through this list I felt a certain sense of satisfaction, almost relief, that I've read most of these books since that means childhood has been good to me! Thanks Mom and Dad.

Amazon's List of 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime

That's all for now.  Keep on reading.

Maddy

Phong Nha Caves in Vietnam

Here is another great article about a cave you can explore.

Phong Nha Caves in Vietnam

-Maddy

Excellent LA Times article on caves.

"With a cave you don't know

what the goal is.

I can see a mountain peak.

I can see the moon.

When I go into a cave,

I don't know what I'll find."

-George Veni, director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute

Here is a link to an excellent LA Times article on caves (2-29-2016). Click here to read.  It also includes information about caves managed by the National Park Service and the several that offer tours.

Geologists Discover New Layer in Earth’s Mantle

"Earth’s main layers are the thin crust 4 – 50 miles (6.4 – 80.5 km) deep, a mantle extending 1,800 miles (2,900 km) deep and the iron core.
But there are subdivisions."

Source: http://www.sci-news.com/geology/science-new-layer-earths-mantle-02631.html

Fascinating stuff!
Maddy

The Search for Antibiotics (in caves)

Fascinating!

"An upcoming episode of the popular CBC show, The Nature of Things with Daivid Suzuki, follows scientists into British Columbia’s caves as they search for new antibiotics."

Click here to read the story on the Caving News page.

Added bonus:  The cursor acts like a flashlight on the background cave walls of the Caving News web page. Have fun!

That's all for now,
Maddy

Amazon vs. the World

Read all the way to the bottom of Laura's post for an extra treat!

A "today only" treat. (Saturday 8-9-2014)

Laura Kreitzer's web site

15 Snowman Ideas That Don't Require Snow

Click to see the photo gallery on Mashable.com

TerraScapes 2014 Calendar

Wow! I love geology and this Geological Society of America calendar has some dazzling photos. I think it will make a great present.

http://rock.geosociety.org/Store/detail.aspx?id=CAL2014

Maddy

The Bing search engine homepage "image of the day" for Monday, May 13, 2013 is Anhumas Abyss, a cavern with a deep pool inside, near Bonito, Brazil. Fabulous!

Click here: Bing 5-13-13 The image rotates an awesome full 360 degrees.

After today, you can use the back button on the lower right of the homepage to step backward one day at a time to find it.

-Maddy

Angel's Perch Movie

Now mobile users can text to donate to Angel's Perch!
Text ANGELS to 85944 to donate $10
($10 will be added to your next cell phone bill, Data and Messaging rates may apply)

More information on the project and other ways to donate and get involved can be found on the film's website: http://angelsperch.com/donate/

This is going to be a great film, one of an emotional journey. Writer/Producer J.T. Arbogast's grandmother was lost to Alzheimer's Disease and she was from the Cass area of West Virginia. That's where the bulk of the film will be shot.

I also lost a grandmother to the disease. She was my father's mom. I can remember when she reached the point that she would think my toddler daughter was me. Sadly, she would have to be reminded that I had grown up and had a child of my own.

I've supported the project and encourage others to as well. And now, it's even easier to do with Text to Donate by texting ANGELS to 85944. See the web site for more information: http://angelsperch.com

Gopher Day 2012

Gopher Day 2012 has been cancelled.

Digby has decided to "occupy" the couch and watch an Ice Age movie. So there will be no lofty prognostications from him on this 3rd annual Gopher Day 2012. I suppose it's going to be more of a sloth day, but he's happy!

Maddy

USGS Earthquake Web Site

Maddy here!

Everyone who knows anything at all about me knows that I love, LOVE, geology. Since I've been in California for the past month my geological focus has been on earthquakes and I'd like to share an excellent web resource for earthquake information.

The web site of the USGS (United States Geological Survey) shows data for past and current earthquakes. The menu on the left side of the above linked page offers different options for viewing earthquake data such as:

• Real-Time - World (from the present time to seven days prior)
• Past 8 - 30 days (recent history events)
• Significant (large or intense events)
• Lists and Maps (search by state, damage maps, etc.)

I visit this link frequently, Real-Time - USA, because it features real-time data for all earthquakes in the conterminous (sharing a common boundary) United States — since that's where I am.

That's all for now. I'm out!

Maddy

Angel's Perch

Hello,

This blog is "written" by my main character, Madison Terrence. As the mere author of her story, I generally stay out of the way and let Maddy do the blogging. However, today I break character and come to you as Susan because I want to share a wonderful project that is coming to Cass, WV. It was the film's location and subject matter that hooked me.

Angel's Perch is an indie film set to begin production in the Fall of 2011. Much of it will be filmed in Cass, a scenic railroad town in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. A more gorgeous backdrop I cannot imagine. As many of my blog followers and lurkers (go ahead and click to follow—I don't bite) may know, I was born and raised in Alleghany (with an "a") County, VA, just 24 miles from West Virginia. My parents took me and my brothers to ride the Cass Railroad some 35-40 years ago, and today it still steams passengers up to Bald Knob, the third highest point in West Virginia.

My paternal grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's as does a character in the Angel's Perch. I remember my grandmother would sit and regale me with vivid tales of her past, and yet, she didn't know who I was. Sometimes she would she my toddler and think it was me, still a youngster. Too many people have similar stories now.

"Set almost entirely in the small, historic logging town of Cass, WV, “Angel’s Perch” examines the delicate relationship between past and present, memory and loss."-source: http://angelsperch.com/synopsis/

Want to get involved with the project? Want to be a team member?
Click here!

SRR Colvin

Amazing Libraries

Books and libraries! Need I say more?





Click to see some beautiful and amazing libraries around the world!

(Although I live south of Salt Lake City (#1 on the list), #2 is my personal favorite!)

Maddy

Gopher Day 2011

As most of you know I started a new tradition last year called "Gopher Day" that occurs every year on the day after Groundhog Day. I call it Gopher Day since I have a gopher living in my house rather than a groundhog.

Digby, my odd and proud little gopher, has been with my family since before I was born, so there's no telling how old he is. He's from a beautiful world deep inside the earth called Krybos. While in his native Krybos Digby can speak like you or I do, albeit with an unsettling Sean Connery accent. Here in the surface world he is more gopher-like and tunnels through the neighborhood, tortures us all with non-stop stomach distress, and makes funny squeaking noises because he doesn't have speech capabilities. And although he can't talk here in the surface world, he more than makes up for it with street-smarts which, I guess, in his case would be tunnel-smarts.

On last year's inaugural Gopher Day, Digby established how he was going to prognosticate on the coming weather trends, making certain there was no similarity to how the lowly groundhog does it. (See Gopher Day 2010 post). I knew this year would be no different.

I woke up this morning when Digby jumped onto the bed then clawed his way up and over the edge, having not quite made the leap. I could feel the covers being clawed away a few inches at a time. I just laid there with the remaining corner of the top sheet pulled up to my nose and waited for the inevitable. When it didn't come, I took a breath and peeked out to see my furry friend sitting on his haunches with a DVD case clamped in his bite.

Now remember, last year Digs abandoned traditional rodent weather prognostication methods and made a deliberate selection of a DVD with a seasonal theme to indicate his decision. He chose National Lampoon's Vacation which is a warm, summer-themed movie. So, I wondered, what would this year be?

As I sat up, Digby came forward and offered the dripping movie case which I took and swiped across my pajama top. "Interesting choice," I told him. "The cover says it all."

I placed "The Day After Tomorrow" DVD case on the nightstand then scooped my little buddy into my arms. Following the familiar sounds stirring above us, we climbed the spiral staircase to the fourth floor treasure room called Grandpa's Attic.

"I'm sure you know the groundhog didn't see his shadow yesterday," I said. "That means he's predicting an early Spring." Digby gave me his toothy smile as if to stand by his decision. "Right. Well, one thing's for certain. One of you is wrong."

Just because Digby is predicting six more weeks of winter weather doesn't mean we can expect it. I really think his prediction is based more on differentiating himself from the groundhog. After all, he's not a weather expert, he's a movie expert.

Until next time,

Maddie

Gopher Day 2011

Maddie here.

Last February was my inaugural Gopher Day with Digby, my pet gopher, as the star of the show. Good grief. Click here to read how that fiasco turned out: Gopher Day 2010 .

I've decided to try it again this year. Come back to my blog on Thursday (February 3, 2011), the day after "Groundhog Day," to see what Digby's prediction is for the next six weeks of weather.

Till then,
Maddie

Dinosaurs in Castle Dale, UT!

Maddy here!

I found several dinosaurs just down the street from where I'm staying in Utah.

The Museum of the San Rafael is home to several dinosaur skeletons including an Allosaurus.

"Allosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period around 140 million years ago. It is one of the largest and most fearsome predators to have ever lived on land.

Allosaurus had short arms, ending in sharp 10 long dagger-like claws, which it could use to tear into the flesh of its victims.

Sharp four inch long teeth were also used to tear apart the dead and dying victims that were unfortunate enough to have been hunted by Allosaurus.

Fossils found in Utah, North America suggest that Allosaurus may have lived and hunted in groups or packs."
Source: http://www.kidsdinos.com

While at the museum I also learned about the area's early culture. People of the Fremont Culture lived in the San Rafael area of Utah about a thousand years ago, then vanished. Besides implements of their daily life, they left behind rock art.

I went out to see their petroglyphs carved and chipped into a massive rock face a few miles outside of town. No one can be sure what the images mean since the artists are long gone.
There are also ancient pictographs from a previous culture painted onto the same bluff. It's an awesome sight that should be viewed when the rock face is shaded, as the painted images will seemingly disappear in direct sun and you can't see the details.

I'm off to explore the canyon lands. My next post will be on my favorite subject—GEOLOGY!

That's all for now,

Maddy