The Moose is always Loose in Dummer

Not all fun and hosting guests!

I have been working on gaining a recognized trail, even just part of our trail to be recognized for a little over a year now and that has been a learning experience for me.

 

I was told three plus years ago by the now retired Coos NH Trails Bureau rep. that we had permission to cross the abutting landowners property when he came here to deliver that news, after chasing him around for 9 months to get it.  Then in the fall of 2007 I called the Trails folks again when I noticed the gravel road we use to access further points was being worked on in anticipation of logging operations.   Not a good scenario for us and loggers, skidders and trucks all running the same road all winter.  He tells me that we do not have permission and there is no record to that effect.  So, I back-up and get ahold of the landowner's representative and get it in writing, so we are in good standing and have been for sometime.

 

However, last winter with the amount of dog sledding rides and tours we provided, we spent a tremendous amount of time and money on gas (@ 4.00 per gallon) to maintain those trails at a high quality level.  So, I started attempting to contact the snowmobile “local club” which is also listed on our website, to the frustration of never really being contacted back.  I started looking for alternatives in the neighboring clubs and that eventually lead me to the local ATV club.  A couple months back, myself the Trail Master for the Mills field ATV club and the forester for the land management company all sat in the dinning room to discuss the options and how to get there, a very positive meeting.

 

Yesterday I traveled with this same Trail Master and several ATV’ers from this area as well as meeting a few down to Concord who support this proposal.   We attended a hearing by the transportation committee for the House of Representatives, with very little opposition, which came from NH DOT, Fish & Game and Trails, for a variety of reasons.  The purpose of our travels was to support a proposed bill HB272 that is being introduced by Representative Ingersol to allow the access of state highways from point A to point B as a designated section of trail.  We all spoke, even joked with the opposing side along the way and in the end the committee has now formed a Sub-Committee that will address the “issues” that the departments have and re-introduce the bill as an amendment to be forwarded to the full house and Senate for a vote. 

 

I have to say that this is the first time I have actually participated in the process of American Government - Despite defending it for so long, and I walked away with a good sense of a commitment by all concerned that we could put something together that works for all of us.  I am sure its not always that easy though!  More importantly we may soon have a new law that can be used as a tool in the North Country to connect several trails together that will help to make Coos County a recreation vehicle destination.

St Patrick's day = Four Shoes?

This is actually kind of funny now that I think about it a bit, sometimes I get a little to wrapped up in work, Great Northern Moose Lodge business to think about "self" sometimes.  To be honest this is Sandy's job, to keep me true to myself and keeping my head screwed on right!

Well, I picked up the Berlin Daily Sun (Free Paper) on Friday afternoon and discovered an AD in there for a Celtic Duo Four Feet Two Shoes; and thought that name was kind of odd, but hey you know what Sandy and I both have Celtic/Gaelic heritage and maybe we should go together.  We BOTH love the Bag Pipes, in fact she was a Highland dancer for years as a youngster - I didn't tell you that! LMAO!  The Bag Pipes and the Native American Drum speak to my soul, honestly I can "feel" the resonance of these instruments deep inside, they speak to me and I use them both as guides in life!

So we get down to St Kieran's (www.stkieranarts.org) on Emery St in Berlin and a fair crowd is developing, mostly older folks, but I cared less about the age of whom I was about to share an afternoon.

Dennis and Davey are the duo (www.fourfeettwoshoes.com) and started playing just before 2, and wee bit early.  Some of their music was Ballard's and little slower than Sandy & I typically enjoy - Hell we both really like the following Celtic Rock bands:

www.sevennations.com - www.glengarrybhoys.com - www.antipypr.com

Ok, brief history lesson here, Neil WAS the piper for Seven Nations and a mutual split occurred several years ago now, both the group and Neil headed in different directions (Neil actually went to the desert for some US Army time), but its all cool now.  We have seen all of these folks play at various venues throughout NE and in some cases actually traveled to their playing location just to see them.  Neil is a phenomenon on the Bag Pipe and it has to be heard live to actually get the whole experience - Just trust me on that one!  If, you enjoy Rock n Roll, and have ANY Celtic inclinations, this is an ABSOLUTE must see - Get back to me on that once you have enjoyed?

So, Four Feet and Two Shoes is in town, right?  Out of 15 songs or so, they played a couple that we didn't really know or had maybe heard once and not really remembered.  However, just hearing the tin whistle and and the guitar, banjo etc, for the afternoon was great.  I did find myself keeping time with them and enjoying their music a several times  during their show.  Then, Dennis breaks out the Pipes on one song (ONLY Aahhh) though, Sandy & I both looked at each other at the same time (we steal each others words sometimes too!), we do that allot now - 22 years and still going strong I think! 

I was thrilled that I got to enjoy some Celtic music, we do live in a French Canadien dominated community ya know!  Anyway the boys did a great job and I am leaving you with the chore of finding out WHY they are called Four Feet Two Shoes, because I did not catch on myself until halfway through their performance - Funny Strange on my part.

Enjoy the moment and share some time!