Dave, as in "Brother D-Day"
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ddaylax.bsky.social
Dave, as in "Brother D-Day"
@ddaylax.bsky.social
45 followers 40 following 320 posts
Hiker, skiier, snowshoer, runner, biker, swimmer. CERT Basic certified rescuer. Had to trade my lacrosse career for trips to the chiropractor. I believe in America but not blindly.
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ddaylax.bsky.social
I saw my first D2 football game today. Very exciting! Saint Anselm had a big lead but Pace stormed back to go ahead. Then the St A Hawks went down the field to go up with 4 seconds left. But in the ensuing kickoff Pace used trickery and it almost worked with no time left!
Grappone stadium looking at 2 football teams. In the background the trees are starting to change color.
September 27, 2025 at 8:46 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
September 12, 2025 at 11:32 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
North Monadnock trail 2,278 feet, 3.6 miles, 2 hours 47 minutes. Some parts steep and rocky.
A map showing trail head on Mountain Road to summit of North monadnock mountain. Each line in map equals 20 feet higher in elevation. The number of lines increase as one approaches summit. It was like being on a stair stepper for an hour and a half with the elevation on 12 plus rocks and roots. The summit of North Monadnock at two thousand two hundred seventy eight feet. Looking west from the summit it was humid and hazy looking to the west at the Monadnock mountain range. Me on the summit trying to smile for a selfie.
August 17, 2025 at 11:40 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
I was here this morning. I like combining road running and trails. It has been dry the past few weeks in New Hampshire so today the trail was easy. Lots of mosquitoes though. They made me run faster.
A map of the Atherton trail. It is a relatively flat trail that passes through pine trees and along old stone walls made by farmers starting in the late 1700s when the town was first founded. It was started on land grants promised to soldiers who fought for the English in "King Philip's" war against Native Americans. Because it took so long for the grants to be issued, many of the original settlers were children or grandchildren of the soldiers.
August 11, 2025 at 3:31 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
The recast of the statue of Union admiral David Farragut, known for capturing New Orleans from the Confederates in the Civil War and his famous quote at Mobile Bay-also a Union victory- "Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead." Related: Diana which at one time stood atop Madison Sq Garden.
My son sitting at the original base of the Farragut statue. The statue recast in Cornish is covered to protect it as its soft stone base corroded over time. The base was replaced on the statue in Madison Sq Park in NYC. The two mythical figures on each side represent loyalty and courage according to the park ranger. An image of the Farragut statue taken in new york city and on the top of the building off his right shoulder the statue of Diana. She is way up top of the tower. A recast of the statue of Diana first placed on top of Madison Square Garden tower in 1891. It was a troubled work for a couple reasons. One was that it offended the sensibilities of New Yorkers, some who thought it was too provocative as she is shown nude releasing her arrow. It was said that nannies would shield children's eyes from looking at it, although it was very high up on top of the tower, but that men would use binoculars to get a closer look. Also a dress that was supposed to hide her nudity blew off in the wind. The second is it was supposed to be a weathervane too, but it was too heavy. The design of her standing on a ball was not conducive to being a weathervane. A second version was made of a lighter and slimmer Diana, but it was eventually taken down and now resides in a museum in Philadelphia. A closer look at Farragut. He is holding binoculars and his coat and hair seem to be getting blown by a breeze. The two mythical women are shown on each side, sitting with their backs to the statue. Whether or not he said exactly the quote about torpedoes (underwater mines) is up for debate, although most historians agree, he said words to those effect. Also during the battle, knowing that the smoke from cannons would inhibit his view of the enemy forts, he climbed the mast of his flagship from where he gave orders. With the capture of the bay the union Navy effectively shut down the last working port of the confederacy leading to an eventual strangle hold on the southern economy.
August 9, 2025 at 3:26 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Saint-Gaudens' Col. Shaw and the 54th Regiment was dedicated across from the Boston State House in 1897. It went through several revisions. The original was to only have the Colonel, but it was later revised to include soldiers marching with him. The movie "Glory" is based on Shaw and the 54th.
The recast in Cornish, NH shows the depth of the sculpture including black soldiers 4 to a row, a black sergeant major (the role portrayed by Morgan Freeman in Glory), and young drummer boys. Shaw is on a horse and the soldiers carry rifles. The original is still on the Boston Common. On parade and leaving Boston, Shaw raised his sword in front of 2 of the many onlookers: his wife of only three weeks and his mother. He kissed the sword as he looked at them both. That would be the last time they ever saw each other.
August 9, 2025 at 1:57 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his assistants created many famous statues including "Abraham Lincoln the Man." The original statue was created for Chicago's Lincoln park. It has been recast and also appears in Parliament Square in London and Mexico. The recast shown here is in Cornish, NH.
The statue's portion of Lincoln's face is based on a lifemask made of Lincoln about 1860. This was before Lincoln grew his beard. However Lincoln's thin features and intense stare are shown by the life mask. The rest of the body was based on a tall person who lived near Cornish, New Hampshire. Saint-Gaudens' Lincoln is shown standing after rising from the chair with his arms behind him and his head bowed as if he is about to give a speech.
August 9, 2025 at 1:36 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
A series of photos and re-casts from the Saint-Gaudens National Park (Cornish, NH) of the sculptor's Sherman statue, first dedicated in NYC's Central Park in 1903.
The original statue features a gilded copper portrayal of General Sherman on a horse led by the mythical goddess of victory Nike. It is still at the south-east corner of NYC's Central Park. A recast of the goddess Nike is at the Saint-Gaudens park in Cornish. She carries in her left hand a palm frond a symbol of victory. Her right arm is raised with palm facing forward and leads Sherman on his horse Ontario. The recast in Cornish is of the goddess only. The bronze model for Sherman's victory goddess was a black woman named Hettie Anderson born in South Carolina. She posed for many art works including Saint-Gaudens' Victory goddess and some coins issued by the U.S. This relief of Hettie held in Cornish is almost three dimensional, as you can almost walk around it. She is shown posing in front of a piano. She wears a long dress of the style of the late 1890s, or the Gilded Age.
August 9, 2025 at 12:56 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Ladies and gents the current president of the U.S. He is now visiting his golf course in Scotland to grift his grift. What a pig.
A picture of a fat wastoid with a belly gut a dock worker at age 45 who works at Lake Winnipesaukee would be proud.
July 26, 2025 at 3:17 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Hiking in S. Central NH. Lots of mosquitoes. 9 miles some of which included trail hill sprints and a final 1.5 miles on the road. Been battling lingering leg injuries for 2 years. Today I felt great.
A map of part of the Pond Parish trail network. The trails as mapped have very many switchbacks. There are 2 primary loops in this section, which I unintendly did both. Twice. I basically did any trail that had a mammal in its name at least once. In my defense, you've seen one mammal trail, you seen em all. This is looking back right before the trail split that I flubbed up on. A raised wood walkway of about 30-40 planks is shown between trees and over a dry creek bed. This was taken about in the middle of my hike kind of in the middle of nowhere. The walkway may have been built as a senior project by a group of local high school students. A view of the Pond Parish trailhead shows a beaver-created pond tall wild grass, trees, and flowers. Many lillies float in the water. Taken from another walkway built by volunteers.
July 23, 2025 at 10:11 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
The "order" to release the grand jury Epstein testimony is nothing more than a delaying action right out of the Nixon/Roger Stone stonewall playbook. If it ever happens it will contain a fraction of the truth. It is akin to a military rear guard action. Torches and pitchforks people!
A picture of Donald trump with Ghiselle Gislaine and two girls in the background. The two girls appear to be 7 or 8 years old. They are looking warily at the current U.S. president.
July 19, 2025 at 7:26 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Five of my college roomies (and my 18-year old son) played 18 rounds of disc golf in the woods, heat & humidity. It was a surprisingly good workout as many of us spent a lot of time climbing and descending and bushwacking looking for errantly thrown frisbees. In the pic is shown 1 of my OK throws.
In the background are tall pine trees. in the middle of the picture you can see the goal. in the lower center You can see my frisbee or disc as they call it. unfortunately, on this hole I gained another push which means a tie. But on the next one, my son and I combined to win. So we got that going for us.
July 7, 2025 at 12:57 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Big turnout for the July 4th kids' bike parade! This is just one age group!
On a blue sky, Fourth of July, children dressed festively in red white and blue with their bikes also decorated, line up to begin the official kickoff of our town's annual parade. It is tradition that the kids on bikes always go first in the parade.
July 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
The robins have re-located from the hedges to the shed.
A nest on top of my ladder with 2 blue eggs. The nest is made from weeds and grass that I mowed in my yard.
June 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
The turtles have finally arrived to lay their eggs. Usually they can be seen in my backyard prairie end of May. This year heavy consistent rains throughout spring might have caused them to come up from the creek and wetlands later (mid June). I have not seen any snapper turtles.
A turtle looks at me from inside its shell. The turtle has a yellow underbelly. Inside the shell around its head one can view a gray neck with red-orange spots around its throat. Its beak is lined by yellow. Outside its eyes are a more dull yellow line. On top of its brown shell are patches of green vegetation paste? Sorry that's the only way I can describe it. A view of the turtle's top shell and its "scutes" which are the tough overlying parts that make up the segments of the shell. The shell is similar to our own fingernails. Here is the nest the turtle dug. I saw her laying the eggs. A pinecone is shown to the immediate left of the small hole the turtle dug. Lower at right is a divit about 3 inches long I am not sure from what. I saw the turtle laying its eggs in the smaller higher hole shown in pic. So you never know, when you are walking on a lawn near a wetland you could be walking on a turtle nest.
June 21, 2025 at 2:42 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
My backyard (prairie) this time of year is so nice. I noticed that a lot of bees hover around the purple flowers so I maneuver my lawn mower to let the bees do their bee things. I found out my new next door neighbor is of similar mindset so for our mutual shared lower part we are not mowing yet.
A basic lawn after it was mowed. Tall pines can be seen in the background. This section of the lawn has very few flowering plants. This section of my lawn is where the spotted and snapping turtles come up from the wetlands to lay eggs pretty soon. The section in the middle of the picture is where the snapping turtle went last year. The area to the right of the tree is where I saw 2 spotted turtles laying eggs. I leave them alone, unfortunately for the baby turtles when they hatch, other animals do not. Here is a section of my backyard where I avoided mowing down the purple plants seen at left and in the middle. The part that I mowed seen with vertical patterns, did not have any flowering plants.
May 13, 2025 at 8:46 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Hawk says "what's for lunch around here?" I thought the squirrels were being especially cautious yesterday.
A hawk, I believe to be of the red shouldered variety, surveys my back yard. It is perched on top of a bird feeder's shepherd's hook stand. The dark brown tail with 4 narrow white bands indicates it is not a red-tailed hawk, whose tail is usually red. I could be mistaken.
May 13, 2025 at 3:32 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
I went to the house of my friends with whom I used to be in a band and the first thing we did was a gutter project.
Shown is a gutter in new hampshire. Now my friend wants me to help him cut down tree branches. I sincerely hope the black flies get worse because I came to play guitar and not do projects.
May 7, 2025 at 9:39 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Sat night in New Market Nh Stone Dead at the Stone Church.
A crowd in an old church in Newmarket, NH that was converted into a two level music venue. People dancing in the foreground and the band is in the background. This appears to be a tech break between songs. Musicians stopped playing and are fiddling with something. This is grafitti on a bathroom door and lots of band bumper stickers. Some are hung upside down. A band playing a grateful dead including drummer, bass, keyboard, 2 guitarists, and perhaps someone else.
April 20, 2025 at 1:59 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
Pileated woodpecker seen during morning hike.
A pileated woodpecker with a bright red crest, white face, and black back reaches up into a hole in a tree. The bird had just used its bill to knock the hole into the tree.
April 19, 2025 at 12:59 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
This is what my notes look like before a jam session. As you can tell I am very organized.
April 14, 2025 at 8:56 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
First trail run of the year woo hoo! A bit muddy .....
A view of a hiking trail in New Hampshire. Logs that were placed by others are parallel in the trail to provide a sort of bridge over a muddy spot. Plenty of dead leaves are on the ground. In the distance are many trees.
April 10, 2025 at 7:55 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
When the market dumps ....
A gopher is shown dancing at the opening scene of the movie caddy shack.
April 5, 2025 at 1:09 AM
ddaylax.bsky.social
How it started. How it is going. Remember what Bob Dylan says "There's always darkness before the dawn."
A view of the end of my driveway about a month ago. Snow drifts are about six feet high with a view in the distance of a frozen wetland. A view from the same spot as of April 2,2025. In the foreground are three little remnants of snow. In the mid view is grass starting to perk up and become alive. In the background is the same wetlands no longer frozen but now alive with robins, geese, red wing blackbirds, chickadees, and yes an occasional red hawk and its colleague who soar around looking for easy nibbles.
April 2, 2025 at 10:02 PM
ddaylax.bsky.social
He is a doddering old senile fool and his cabinet is full of alcoholics, drug addicts, and imbecilic bubble headed bleach blonds.
March 28, 2025 at 1:01 AM