321 Quincy Street

Well it’s November 17 and the ground is very much so covered in beautiful white powder. We had a taste of snow a little over a week ago, with about 2 inches accumulating locally and then melting off early last week. Now it’s back with ~3 inches of cover and we might actually get to keep it! Forecasts predict highs not exceeding the freezing point at least until next weekend. Mostly cold weather in store.

Mont Ripley has even started their snow machines. They are trying to get a jump start on a solid base for the season. It’s a good sign!

As you may have gathered from my last post, I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the computer game Far Cry 2. Now it’s out! Here’s a little gallery I created, documenting some hunting I did in the game.

Rise up at the crack of dawn, the wild buffalo are grazing:

Got one in my sights:

Ooh! A zebra too!

Got one! The family will eat tonight:

Something makes me want to say ‘You killed 1346 lbs of meat but were able to carry only 200 lbs back to the wagon.’ Anyway, the game is pretty amazing. The graphics are just stunning, these small screenshots do not do it justice. Unfortunately, hunting is not an official part of the game and there is nothing to do with animals once you kill them. Ah well.

I’m still here. So is school. New, however are the rather striking colors up in the trees. And it’s dark outside when I get up for my 8:00 AM class. Walmart has had halloween candy on the shelves for a solid 3 weeks now. Without a doubt, autumn is here.

Today I took the motorcycle out for a nice little joyride. It’s been a long time since I took it out for pleasure, most of the time lately I just take it to class. I like to motorcycle to class because 1) Parking is very close 2) It’s quick 3) It’s cheap. Today I took it out along the portage canal toward McLain state park, and then turned north along the lake to the Calumet Waterworks park (map). I’ve never been there before, and it was nice. Walked along the beach for a good while. There’s a lot of older/smaller houses right there on the Lake Superior shore of the type I wouldn’t mind living in.

Autumn colors are nearing the end of their peak time right now too. This means my ride was accompnied by trees full of brilliant red, orange and yellow. Autumn is a great time of year. I love the crispness in the air. For a good amount of Autumn it seems like the weather is calm, and I very much get a sense of ‘calm before the storm.’ Winter in Houghton could definitely be likened to a storm. Anyway, things were very peaceful and scenic at the lake today.

P.S. 8 more days till Far Cry 2!