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Month: November 2014

Territorial spirits

Published November 27, 2014

 

November 2014

The boundary instructions spray-painted on the DNR trees are rarely open to misinterpretation.  But this  “1/2” designation on a forked bough is a rare treat of inspired micromanagement.

But the real reward was doing a little research into this and finding the official USFS specifications on tree marking paint, of which the following is but a small sampling:

3.4.3. Spraying Properties.
3.4.3.1. Type A and B. When tested in accordance with 4.7.4.1, TMP shall be capable of producing
a 3- to 5-inch-diameter spot at a minimum distance of 6 feet at temperatures of -20 °F to 104 °F and
relative humidities to 100 percent.
3.4.3.2. Type C. When tested in accordance with 4.7.4.2, TMP shall be capable of producing a 3- to
5-inch-diameter spot at a minimum distance of 6 feet at temperatures of 20 °F to 100 °F and relative
humidities to 100 percent.
3.4.3.3. Type D. When tested in accordance with 4.7.4.3, Type D paint shall deliver a minimum of 95
percent of net contents without sputtering or interruption. When tested in accordance with 4.7.4.3.1
and 4.7.4.3.2 the nozzle(s) shall project a thin solid stream of marking paint and be capable of
writing numbers or letters and producing a solid band of marking paint.
3.4.4. Adhesion. When tested in accordance with 4.7.5, TMP shall adhere to cold and to wet wood
surfaces and shall show no evidence of blistering or film failure.
3.4.5. Accelerated Weathering. When tested in accordance with 4.7.6, TMP shall show no checking
or peeling and the color change shall not be greater than a delta E value of 12. The field and
laboratory tracers shall be detectable after weathering.
3.4.6. Odor. When tested in accordance with 4.7.7, the odor of the paint shall be acceptable at time
of paint application at the field site.
3.4.7. Contrast Ratio. When tested in accordance with 4.7.8, the minimum contrast ratio of 12 mil of
wet film shall be…..

New old stock

Published November 23, 2014

November 2014

This bunker was intended to scan the Strait west of Agate Bay for enemy ships.  While it was never used in anger, it still makes for a good view of the shipping lanes, and is a good walk besides. It gets a little denser each year and the trails a little more uncertain but the bluffs are impressive at 275 vertical feet. I do get nervous with the dogs at the precipice, one false lab-tard move or a little groundwater destabilization and it’s all over except for a brief bit of ass over teakettle.

Like everything else, the scope of threat devolves with age.  The view of the Strait is altogether whole. Even including the threat of mudslides, windstorms and dogs, tripod and geezer stumbling into the void   Comfort is completely unreliable without discomfort to cross-pollinate it, make it ripen.

With the used condoms and beercan-festooned shrubs, there’s a sort of a wry utilitarian romance to the place up here in the fall. My admiration for love can only grow more tender with the evidence that people think enough of each other to slog all the way up here to do their business in all this cold and dark.