Government Island

Today's weather was pretty and warm, so Daddy decided to go exploring. After a quick stop to buy a fishing license, Daddy drove south to see what he could find.

Not far from home, Daddy spotted a large highway sign. The sign was brown, shiny, and new, and read "Government Island. Turn left at Signal". Not knowing what Government Island was, and having some time to fill, Daddy made the turn.

After some investigation Daddy found that Government Island is a newly opened Stafford County Park that showcases "the historic 18th century sandstone quarry from which stone was extracted to build the White House and the U.S. Capitol". Alright, that sounds interesting...time to explore!

The park begins with an asphalt trail that leads to a very long, raised wooden trail. These pictures only show a few feet of the almost 1/2 mile long wooden walkway.

Government Island turns out to not really be an island - it's more of a peninsula that occasionally becomes separated from the surrounding land by raised water levels, usually extreme amounts of rain or wacky tides. The "island" is bracketed on three sides by marsh-like land.

Daddy crossed the wooden walkway over the marsh and followed a dirt trail that led off to the right. After several hundred yards along this trail Daddy became worried that his steps were being wasted. There really wasn't much to look at.

After several hundred more feet, Daddy turned a corner in the trail and was able to see out over the water. Government Island sticks out into Aquia Creek and is across the water from a large housing development. One of the houses you can see from the island is quite large. The retaining wall that is below this house is made of brick. Lots of brick - that wall is almost as tall as the three story house it lies below.
Finally, after some more hiking, things started to get more interesting. The northern side of the island has a large amount of rock. The rock formation below is typical of the terrain that covers approximately ten acres of the northern side. The southern side was the featureless, flat terrain you saw in the fourth picture. Perhaps the southern side of the island was quarried first? Or maybe it is just got the short end of the geological stick.

These slabs are left from the quarry operations. You can still see the tool marks on the rock face.

Master masons oversaw daily operations on the island. Stone cutters and carvers were the skilled laborers that cut the rocks into moveable blocks. Several blacksmiths were employed full time on the island to make and sharpen the many tools needed to remove the stones. The common laborers were the ones doing the heavy work. These laborers (usually slaves) received housing and food, which included "one pound of good pork or one pound and a half of beef and one pound flour per day..." along with a half pint whiskey.

The workers would cut two vertical channels on each side of a block. These channels were about 20" wide - just big enough to allow a man to work along the edges of the block. Once the block was defined on the sides, wedges would be inserted along the rear of the block to pry the rock away from the bigger mass. Once freed, the block would be placed onto a skid or cart and moved to the wharf on the northeastern side of the island.

Apparently the Stafford County Parks and Recreation crew is worried about someone defacing the rocks. To guard against the threat of a late night graffiti attack they have installed several game cameras. These cameras are motion (or time) activated and can provide the police with a decent photo of the offending vandal. Only there is a problem with the installation. The crew gave the cameras great sightlines and locked then down with security cables, but the camera itself is only about six and a half feet off the ground, and is very visible. A graffiti artist could easily approach the camera from behind and use a short blast from his spray can to block any view of vandalism. Way to go, guys!

According to a nearby sign...
"Down the trail there is a large pit, lined with cut stone, which measures approximately 50 feet by 150 feet. It's purpose is currently unknown. However, due to it's proximity to the quarry, the pit was likely connected to the quarrying operations."Thanks guys! That was informative!

This is Daddy's favorite bit of info learned on the walk around Government Island. "In 1791 the property was purchased by the federal government, which bought all but one acre. That one acre parcel had been sold previously in 1786 to Robert Steuart, a stone mason from Baltimore, Maryland. Steuart delineated his parcel with four stone boundary markers, the largest of which still remains and is clearly marked with his initials, "R.S.".

That is about all there is for the tour of Government Island. The exploration was quick but it was nice to "find" something neat like this so close to home!

Relaxing.

Jack was tired of 'helping' Mommy fold the laundry, so he decided to relax. Here is his checklist of needed items...

1. Sweats - Check!

2. DVD player - Check!

3. Legos - Check!

4. Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream - Check!

5. Laundry Basket - Check!

I have no idea why the laundry basket was a chosen necessity but after a few minutes of watching Jack relax while sitting in the basket, I have a question...

"Where can I find a laundry basket to fit me?!"

A 'Lil Bling

I thought I would update the story of Big Orange. So here's the progress so far...

Yep. That's it.

I've had few chances to work on the big orange beast lately. The weather turned wet, and then cold, and then cold and wet. I have a thing against laying on my back in a three inch deep puddle of freezing water while rust particles fall into my face, so I have not spun a wrench on the Jeep in a while.

So instead of actually working on the Wagoneer, I have done small tasks, like add some new bling. I love decals (every decal adds 5HP and 2MPG!) and I have begun to treat Big Orange like a rolling billboard: alright, a stationary billboard!

I am in the process of replacing a rear brake line. Like everything else on this Jeep, fixing one thing requires fixing another. In order to repair the brake line properly I have to lower the gas tank. The gas tank is held in place by a skidplate. The skidplate was poorly designed and holds dirt and water against the frame which leads to rust. The rust leads to complete failure of the gas tank skid and sometimes the failure of the frame as well. All are repairable but of course those repairs cost money! The replacement skidplate/gas tank mount goes for about $600. That's $200 more than I paid for Big Orange!!! So the search for alternative repairs and replacements continues.

A simple fix would be to rehang the tank with standard gas tank mounting straps but that would leave the tank itself quite vulnerable to off-road hazards when wheeling. I might be able to fab something out of a sheet of diamond plate and some threaded rod that will mount the tank and protect it a bit. Or I could remove the stock tank assembly and put in a fuel cell where the spare tire used to sit. Decisions, decisions....I'll have to find a solution so I can enjoy driving Big Orange.

Good thing it's still cold and wet outside!

What's in a Name?

With the upcoming arrival of the Baby, there have been a few discussions of names. Mommy and Daddy are pretty settled on "Samantha" for a baby girl. Samantha can be mature sounding when used in full name mode. When Sam is used as a nickname it is short and easy to yell - a very important consideration if there is a baby girl that acts like Jack.

"Sam! Sam! SAM!!!"

See, Daddy can yell a short name when needed, and then switch to the more elegant "Samantha" when things are going well.

For boys names things get a little more difficult. Late one night Mommy and Daddy rifled through our worn copy of the baby name book searching for a boys name to jump out at us. There were a few names that were highlighted from our discussions prior to Jackson's birth. Some of the names we had entertained previously didn't hold up well over time - Foster and Taylor stand out as examples of boys names we once considered but now don't pass muster.

Daddy is fond of the name Lincoln. A good solid name, with a cool nickname (Linc). Mommy points out that Lincoln will be called "The Missing Link" by his classmates.

Jackson suggested the name Thomas. I have no problems with the name Thomas, but hesitate to name my child after a locomotive in a beloved series of children's stories.

Mommy likes the name Avery. Daddy doesn't know why.

There is obviously a lot more discussion needed on the topics of names for the Baby. And after a first name is decided upon there will middle names to think about! It really seems like a lot of work picking out names for a child that will be known for quite some time simply as

"The Baby".

I'm the Big Brother

After waiting for what seemed like forever, we told Jackson the big news. We waited until the second doctors visit said everything was A-OK.

Mommy wrapped a t-shirt and card into a big gift bag and gave it to Jack after he came home from school. The shirt is the one pictured above. No photos of Jackson wearing the shirt, the camera battery is dead.

The card showed two cute cartoon monkeys on the front. Daddy appreciated the humor, as two children under eight years old in the house will certainly result in references to our "zoo". The inside of the card was written simply so Jack could practice the reading skills he is learning at school.

"Jackson,

In August Mommy will have a baby.

You will be the big brother."

After processing the information for a few moments, Jackson was thrilled. You see, for several months he has been suggesting that he wanted a baby sister. Or even a baby brother. Daddy pointed out more than once that a baby wasn't something you could just ask for a Christmas and have Santa bring to you. (Daddy was careful to avoid questions as to where babies come from - he'll leave those questions for Mommy!)

So Jack is gearing up to be the big brother. Last night, when Daddy went to check on Jack at bedtime, Jack was sitting up in bed watching a DVD on his portable player. The disc? An instructional video on how to install a car seat properly. No kidding - Jack was watching intently and with all seriousness told Daddy that he could now help keep the baby safe.

Let's hope this feeling of tenderness and concern last awhile.

New News

It has been awhile since the last post. Actually, it's been a really long time! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and even Valentine's Day have all come and gone with no new posts.

Well, the long run of no posts will now be broken. With some BIG NEWS!

Our family is getting bigger.

No, this doesn't reference my ever-growing waistline. Rather, it means that we are expecting a baby to arrive in August.

Mommy and Dad went to the doctor for a checkup visit yesterday and all is well with Momma and the Baby. The doctor used the Doppler thingy to listen for the heartbeat, and after a few seconds of obnoxious static we heard the tiny, rapid beat of our little one's heart.

So life is going to get more interesting over the coming months. I'm sure there will be a little crying, frazzled emotions, and some morning sickness... and that's just from Daddy!