Althouse: A New Year's walk in the arb with Althouse and Meade.

January 1, 2012

A New Year's walk in the arb with Althouse and Meade.

43 comments:

Toad Trend said...: 'Possibly die'?

Oh, the drama!!! Sounds like my daughter...

Meade must have put you up to it for cinematic effect.; 1/1/12, 6:08 PM
deborah said...: Cute vid, adorable hat.; 1/1/12, 6:08 PM
As my whimsy leads me.. said...: Do you have some Yak Trax? Those are good for ice walking--at least they help a lot.

Toy; 1/1/12, 6:15 PM
Sprezzatura said...: It seems like that sledding accident, from a while back, has resulted in some serious pagophobia; 1/1/12, 6:20 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Cute vid, adorable hat."

Thanks. I lost my favorite winter hat. It's somewhere in Indiana. So I resurrected this old hat... the kind you find in a second-hand store.; 1/1/12, 6:22 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "It seems like that sledding accident, from a while back, has resulted in some serious pagophobia..."

Anyone who lives around here for a while has had the experience of suddenly falling on ice. You're up, and instantly you are down, with nothing to do about it. Earlier we were trying to walk across a parking lot (over by Picnic Point) where there are those concrete bumpers at the end of each space, and it was incredibly slippery, and I could just so easily picture suddenly hitting one of those concrete blocks and dying. It happens! If you don't picture it before it happens and take precautions, you could be that person who dies.

People, I'm warning you!; 1/1/12, 6:26 PM
dbp said...: Running on ice is pretty much mandatory if you are a serious runner. It is not like you can take a big chunk of the winter off and still prep adequately for a spring marathon.

I wipe-out about once every two or three years.; 1/1/12, 6:30 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Post-retirement, Meadehouse should consider moving out of that place. Or, at least they could become snowbirds.

BTW, I now someone who'll be leaving Appleton in a few months. She tried it for a few years, but enough is enough.; 1/1/12, 6:36 PM
Ann Althouse said...: In a part of the video that I edited out, a runner slips and falls near a small boulder (that some homeowner placed for decorative effect at the end of a driveway). I gasp, because I'm thinking: He could have hit his head on that rock. Then the man starts running and slips and falls again.

These are people running on ice in the road, a narrow, hilly road. Meade was driving as carefully as possible, but I could still visualize the car losing control, and I would not have walked on that road, even on the shoulder, where there were enough leaves and grass to provide traction, because a car could spin out of control.; 1/1/12, 6:37 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Post-retirement, Meadehouse should consider moving out of that place. Or, at least they could become snowbirds."

We might move somewhere else, but probably not further south.

We love the winter conditions, but this year, there hasn't been any snow. And any year, you have to be cautious when there is ice.; 1/1/12, 6:38 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: Sing it, Althouse!

Raaaaaaaspberry beret... ♪; 1/1/12, 6:39 PM
edutcher said...: For a second, that stick at the beginning looked like a White Cane.

Your fears about slipping are well-taken, Madame, and the way you crossed that walkway is exactly the way is should be done. Back in my pedestrian days, I always walked on the grass rather than pavement or in the street.

Ann Althouse said...

Anyone who lives around here for a while has had the experience of suddenly falling on ice. You're up, and instantly you are down, with nothing to do about it. Earlier we were trying to walk across a parking lot (over by Picnic Point) where there are those concrete bumpers at the end of each space, and it was incredibly slippery, and I could just so easily picture suddenly hitting one of those concrete blocks and dying.

I've gone flying a few times over the years and it's always that sudden. I'm forever telling The Blonde to use both hands on the rail coming down our steps if it's at all icy.

PS Like deborah, love the hat. The Blonde has one similar - a bit smaller in white with little bugle beads, but the shape and effect is the same.

Quite fetching.; 1/1/12, 6:40 PM
kjbe said...: I wipe-out about once every two or three years.

Same here - and I don't even need ice - a raised sidewalk, a black walnut, a treadmill. It can be quite an adventure.

wv: grace (not); 1/1/12, 6:41 PM
Sorun said...: To get to the Arb, you first drive past the Cap toward the Un and Camp Ran, then head southwest on Mon, left on Nak and left again on Sem. Is that right? If you hit the Belt, you've gone too far.; 1/1/12, 6:41 PM
JAL said...: @ Toy

Love my Yak Trax. The past two winters were somewhat challenging with snow and ice as I was outside a couple times every day to feed. (This year the forsythia are blooming!)

YT saved my fanny more than once.

{Director: "CUT!!"}; 1/1/12, 6:42 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I'm actually good at falling. I've fallen a number of times in the last few years, without any injury. Last year skating, I took some hard falls!

But it's those boulders and blocks of concrete that were making me very careful today.; 1/1/12, 7:01 PM
Ann Althouse said...: 2 years ago, biking, I fell a couple times.

And learning to ski, of course, and skiing even after I learned, I fell maybe 10 times. You can't ski if you're not prepared to fall.

I think I've shown that I'm good at falling. Nevertheless...; 1/1/12, 7:02 PM
reformed trucker said...: "These are people running on ice in the road, a narrow, hilly road." - Ann

Which is why I believe joggers are a bit masochistic.

It's been a while since I took a hard spill on ice, but it happens suddenly; your feet go higher than your head quicker than a crack whore in da hood.; 1/1/12, 7:17 PM
Wince said...: A New Year's walk in the arb with Althouse and Meade.

A walk in the "arb"?

I think Althouse simply misheard what Meade actually proposed.; 1/1/12, 7:24 PM
dbp said...: That is a good point about cars loosing control. The only time I ever got hit, it was due to a driver not looking when pulling out onto a road.

One thing that is different about falling (or having to dodge something) when you are running versus walking, is that your speed gives a bit more time to react. I am not sure what the physics of it is, but slips seem to result in falls a lot more often while walking than while running.; 1/1/12, 7:25 PM
JAL said...: I could just so easily picture suddenly hitting one of those concrete blocks and dying. It happens! If you don't picture it before it happens and take precautions, you could be that person who dies.

People, I'm warning you!

All manner of things *could happen* !!!!11!1!!!

Don't waste your life worrying about them. Note them mentally, take precuations, and perhaps mention to your companion(s) to be carfeul (without the "You might DIE!1!!")

And move on.

Reminds me of one of our favorite (and oft quoted) Charlie Brown sequences.

Goes something like this:

Snoopy is going to bed in his dog house and is fretting about the queen snake getting him in the middle of the night.

So he goes up on the roof of his doghouse. And frets about getting hit by a falling star.

He ends up in the doghouse going to sleep with the thought that the falling star will get the queen snake.

So, Professor, whatever it is, the falling star will get it.; 1/1/12, 7:39 PM
JAL said...: Your preoccupation with danger and dying (an earlier walk in a park at dusk) makes me wonder -- is this because you are a lawyer?

Or did you become a lawyer because of the sensitivity?; 1/1/12, 7:45 PM
rcocean said...: why don't you guys go on road? Think of great videos. Meadehouse in Paris, Meadehouse in London, Meadhouse on the Great wall of china.; 1/1/12, 7:45 PM
rcocean said...: Althouse "preoccupation" with danger and dying is common in smart people. That's why live to 60.

I think dying or injuring yourself by being "Brave" walking on ice is stupid.; 1/1/12, 7:49 PM
edutcher said...: Ann Althouse said...

2 years ago, biking, I fell a couple times.

And learning to ski, of course, and skiing even after I learned, I fell maybe 10 times. You can't ski if you're not prepared to fall.

I think I've shown that I'm good at falling. Nevertheless...

That's what The Blonde says.

And I reply the falling part is easy. It's the getting back up part that can be a problem.; 1/1/12, 8:03 PM
JAL said...: @ rcocean

So the comments during the walk in the park in the late afternoon when Meade was out of site are common. (Pre Christmas video post.)

I use common sense but I rarely worry about dying.

Idiots who pull out in front of me in tiny toy SUVs while I am driving a truck and loaded horse trailer make me think of death and dying -- and not mine.; 1/1/12, 8:07 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Supposedly what you do on the first day of the year you will do the rest of the year..

I don't believe that for a minute.; 1/1/12, 8:08 PM
rcocean said...: "I use common sense but I rarely worry about dying."

@JAL,

You're the kind of person that made America great. If we ever get into any danger, I'll be behind you, every step of the way.; 1/1/12, 8:22 PM
gail said...: When I was growing up, ice was ice.

I first heard the term, "black" ice in referrence to the unexpected occurrance and invisible ice layer formed on road surfaces on zero and colder, sunny days...when no weather condition had occurred that would create moisture, therefore ice.

Condensation dripping out of tailpipes on such cold days creates the nearly invisible, and unexpected, layer of ice...hence, "black" ice.

But Southerners, with little or no below zero weather experience, corrupted the meaning; thinking the black referred to the color, when they saw ice formed on asphalt. But what do they call ice that has formed on concrete?..."white ice"? Or ice formed on decorative pavers? "Red" ice?

Ice is ice. Black ice: very cold, sunny, winter mornings. Pet peeve.; 1/1/12, 8:31 PM
Michael said...: Take running shoes or hiking boots. Take screws long enough to seat but not long enough to penetrate to the foot. Screw in about seven or eight on each shoe in paterns that match. I have found this system to aid in running on snow and mixed. Pure ice is another matter and these hob nails can make it seem or be worse. You need a power screw driver.; 1/1/12, 8:55 PM
caplight45 said...: Ann channeling the Artist formerly known as Prince and now Prince again or something.

I just turned on the little snow icon on Youtube to give you that added winter effect.; 1/1/12, 9:10 PM
rhhardin said...: Vicki Hearne on a Degas fallen jockey

But that jockey isn't dead, no way is he dead. Nor is he crumpled and broken. He is just suddenly in a position to gain that perspective on the sky that is one of the visionary building blocks of the knowledge of riding. Degas would have seen it hundreds of times, would have known that in a moment the jockey will begin to stir, trying out his breathing apparatus, and the moment of celestial insight will be gone except as a memory of those particular heaven-wide dimensions of the art of riding.

This is a vision you can't get at on purpose. You can't, for instance, go lie on your back in a meadow and get it, because the vision comes only from the sharp gaze that occurs when you are unexpectedly translated from an upright and even lofty posture, a posture that gives you a view of the ground only - a sweeping view to be sure, a magnificent view in which speed is an aspect of the articulation of rock and tree, but still a view of the ground. You can't see the sky from up there because you are the sky. Then, without the mediation of time or step-by-step gymnastics, you become, all at once and of a suddenness beyond the analysis of physics, the ground. Now you see the sky, see what you once were and will be again.; 1/1/12, 9:16 PM
MathMom said...: I am handicapped, and dare not fall. Therefore, I use STABILIcers Ice Cleats which easily fit over sneakers or shoes, even boots if you get them large enough. You can easily rip them off when you go inside, and need to lean against something to put them back on when going out. Don't want to walk on the marble bank floor in them - the idea is to keep you from falling on the ice, not cause you to fall in the bank lobby or the lobby of the Crowne Plaza.

I also have a pair of these Velcro strap STABILIcers, which you can put back on much more easily, and they can be made to fit larger boots if you like. They are not as flexible as the other ones, but easier to put on in the doorway of a store, where there isn't a place to sit down. They also come with replacement screws for when you wear down the original ones.

I have to think about all these things because it's a challenge for me to walk on dry smooth ground, so ice is no laughing matter. You can be handicapped like me, if you land good and hard on a knee from a zip-boom on the ice. So, get the STABILIcers now, and you'll have to find some way besides falling on ice to hurt yourself.; 1/1/12, 10:09 PM
JAL said...: On a practical note, it is useful to learn how to fall. Seriously. as people get older especially.

My mom, who is 94 has her own method of crumpling when she goes down and so far as avoided any serious injuries. But she is inside, not walking across parking lots with black ice.

I have fallen off some moving objects unexpectedly myself and not done such a great job as I have not perfected the tuck and roll. ;-); 1/1/12, 10:53 PM
Republican said...: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Due+north+Traction+spikes&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ADue+north+Traction+spikes&ajr=0

Traction spikes made for getting around on ice.; 1/2/12, 3:42 AM
James said...: Meade's counterpoints to Ann's comments are hilarious.

Happy New Year, Meadhouse.; 1/2/12, 6:07 AM
Toad Trend said...: Ok, ok, so all the fears about falling and dying are well-founded...a question for the videographer: if Ann managed to go down in a heap during your frolic in these icy conditions, what would make you decide NOT to post the video? A broken arm? Death?

And if you are so terrified of falling and dying on the ice, where praytell is your helmet??? Your elbow pads?

I think older people should have to get a license to go out of the house in icy conditions. There's just too much risk. At least, you should have to wear a full complement of hockey gear to protect you.

Now that would be interesting.; 1/2/12, 6:58 AM
Paco Wové said...: "Supposedly what you do on the first day of the year you will do the rest of the year."

Oh god. I'm in for one boring year.; 1/2/12, 8:10 AM
tom faranda said...: Anyway, I was watching the Turkey defrost. How exciting! I post this sort of vid all the time.; 1/2/12, 10:04 AM
cliff claven said...: There's a significant difference between living and trying not to die. The former embrace the unpredictble nature of life and enjoy the moment. The latter effort controlling their enviroment which any right thinking person knows is futile. Yes you need to adapt to your enviroment, but you can't control it. Finally, we are all going to die. Embrace the now.; 1/2/12, 10:37 AM
Lovernios said...: I noticed in past posts you’ve talked about walking in the “Arb” and how much you enjoyed it. I live very near to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. It is part of Frederick Law Olmstead’s Emerald Necklace, a string of magnificent parks in Boston. Olmstead is most famous for New York’s Central Park.

The Arnold Arboretum which my wife and I call the “Ahbo” (Boston accent in place here) is considered the crown jewel of the necklace. 260 acres of trees, shrubs and other plants capable of growing at this latitude from all over the world, some over 150 years old. It is leased by the City of Boston to Harvard University who maintains it.

I’ve been going there since I was a boy. It’s truly beautiful with different types of terrain and various groves, such as Pine and Hemlock forests, Beech woods, Oak groves. It’s so well done it seems natural and hard to believe it’s a designed park.

It’s one of my main photography sites. One of its most representative specimens is this century old European Beech, “Tortuosa”; 1/2/12, 11:36 AM
Lovernios said...: Here is a slide show that I think you will enjoy from my Flickr site of the Arnold Arboretum.

One of the things I appreciate about your blog are your photos, particularly of nature.; 1/2/12, 12:13 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: My dad never missed a running day when he ran. He put screws in his running shoes on icy days.; 1/2/12, 2:52 PM