Enjoy Time OutdoorsIt's a great day to get outdoors…

One of my 2011 personal goals is to go kayaking at least ten times throughout the year.   Here it is mid-June and the count still stood at zero.

I’ve been wanting to get on the water all season.   Between the weather, rain, various home projects and occasional laziness, I just haven’t ‘gotten around to it’- until this morning.

Although it was a short 45 minute outing on Cedarville Reservoir, (shortened by quickly approaching storm clouds which never developed into any rain- better safe than sorry), as always it was an incredibly relaxing and spiritually healing experience.   It is always wonderful to get out on the water and be fully surrounded by nature!

Even thought the trip was short I saw a wonderful assortment of wildlife- various small birds, turtles, fish, ducks, chickens (in a backyard), and the highlight of the day- a Great Blue Heron!   Although not the best video I’ve ever shot, I was able to capture it taking flight!

Now that the kayak has gotten wet for the first time this season, many of my projects are getting wrapped up and the summer solstice is just around the corner, it’s time to start planning some more outings.

With so many rivers and small lakes in the region it should be a fun and eventful summer!

Here’s another addition to the water-powered mill series.

This is the Mingus Mill, an 1886 cast iron water turbine mill located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near Cherokee, NC.

If you are interested in other water powered mills, covered bridges, historical timber frame buildings, barns, structures, or the like, please susbcribe to my YouTube Channel and this blog.

There will be plenty more coming…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEI5DdYDGTI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

I just posted a three-part video I shot while visiting Mackinac State Historic Parks’ ”Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park”, in Mackinaw City, MI, this past weekend.

I can write a book about it, but a video (or three) is worth a thousand words, or more.

Enjoy!

Episode 1- Visual Overview of the Mill (inside and out)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcbeAFpt6bU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Episode 2- Some area history and a demonstration of the mill in action

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJu1FJSuVZY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Episode 3- End of the demo and some insight from the sawyer

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L5UZfSbLLM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Here’s the weekly vlog update for 18 July 2010 …

I finally shot a video update of the container garden and posted it on YouTube.

I’ve been adding new containers almost weekly and plan to continue through the growing season.

Follow-up to yucca cordage video…

I posted the first in a series of Suburban Bushcrafting videos- Making Yucca Cordage, on YouTube today.

Here’s the link…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OKDqEwr8S8&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

update- 20100110- updated post tags