Parks with Ken: Sugarcreek MetroPark, Main Park

Here’s park number 2 in the series:

This one’s part of the Five Rivers group, as opposed to Centerville Washington Township. A different governing entity!

Review:

Difficulty: 1/5

Points of note:

  • Consistent trail difficulty. Elevations don’t vary significantly.
  • Some different biomes, but one of the main trails was closed.
  • A cool-looking osage orange trail, but we went in winter so the coolness factor was tempered a little. But it looks like it’d be worth a summer visit.
  • Some informational signs.
  • Very clear trail markings.
  • The Three Sisters – white oak trees over 500 years old. Ken pointed these out during the hike but it was only once I visited the website later that I found out what these giant trees were. Definite coolness points there.

I’ll plan on revisiting the osage orange trail.

–Simon

Food Inventory

This is hardly a revelation in that it should have been obvious, but the best solutions (however simple) are surprisingly elusive. I felt so brilliant and stupid when I realized food saver bags have a buffer of extra plastic beyond the seal, in which I can put the label and add another seal, thereby solving the issue of labels losing their stickiness from condensation and falling to the bottom of freezer purgatory. And guess what? The enamel on chest freezer lids is essentially a large dry-erase board!

Derp. And just like that, I can keep a running board inventory system of freezer contents. And again, I feel so smart at the revelation and so stupid at how long it took me to discover. Oh well, at least I finally figured out a working system (provided I actually remember to update it consistently).

Ordinatio vos liberabit!

–Simon

Street Tacos v2

I made an attempt at street tacos before.

And they were good. But what was missing was those fancy little taco holders they serve you with at restaurants. Fortunately I was gifted some, so I made a round 2. I find that it’s really the birria sauce that makes the taco, and I just so happen to be good at making sauces! Like a ramen broth, it’s whatever the cook feels like. In this case, it also included the braising liquid from the pork shoulder steaks (FYI – 4 hours at 225 degrees). So here’s my second attempt:

Also what was missing before were those pickled onions. Problem solved.

Another lesson was learned, however. And that was the corn shells. Despite warming them up, they just weren’t pliable enough to avoid splitting. I need to try some other methods next time.

–Simon

Parks with Ken: Bill Yeck Park, Smith House Entrance

I don’t normally spend any time with coworkers outside of work, now that I’m a “professional”, in some sense of the word. Stakes are higher, and I’m not looking to expand my social life. Compared to my earlier life in low-paying hourly positions, of which the only perks were to meet people of a similar age and take home product the bosses didn’t care about, I’ve now learned that too many people are out to sabotage my career and use fake camaraderie to build HR cases calling for my termination, and unlike those earlier jobs where I could easily just grab another entry-level position somewhere, a career change now would be very detrimental to my socioeconomic status. So now I’m slow to trust.

But after a stint as an Agile Product Owner, such a psychotic product development methodology unexpectedly built legitimate camaraderie amongst those of us forced into unified misery. Some less-lethal version of soldiers under fire. And as a result, I now have a recurring lunch with my former Scrum Master: Ken. It was a lunch, originally. And admittedly, Ken’s idea. He’s a networker it would seem. I’ve always been envious of people who can do that – those who maintain a broad professional circle.

But now I’ve changed it to a walk, because I hate trying to talk while eating. Talking while walking is far easier, and healthier. And being outside has proven mental benefits.

But Ken, not being one for sameness, wanted to try different parks each walk. This presents an interesting circumstance in which I now need to look into where all the local parks are. Normally I look for parks in which to shoot squirrels, so this is not my normal variant of parks and rec. But it is an opportunity to learn more about the outdoor world beyond my bubble, so I’ll take this project and begin documentation!

First up: Bill Yeck, the Smith House Entrance:

Frankly, I don’t much care about a park’s backstory unless it involves some historical event. But usually metro parks are just former private property that the former estate willed in a trust to become undeveloped greenspace. It’s a nice gesture, but hardly interesting. Here’s the info for those so inclined to read it: https://cwpd.org/parks/bill-yeck/

And now, my review:

Difficulty: 1-3/5, depending on the trail.

Points of note:

  • Varying trail elevations and corresponding difficulty.
  • Multiple biome selection: forest, meadow, gully.
  • Bird blind, markers with some backstory info, apiary.

There’s plenty of trail to choose from on this one. It’d take multiple visits to cover them all. Happy hiking.

–Simon

Project Puke

What’s the best way to separate two jagged razor blades that are glued together?

With the tools on hand, the answer is with a screwdriver and pie disher.

Even if I could eat these things, which I can’t, the grocery store variety was not the plump restaurant variety that looks so inviting.

I really couldn’t say whether or not these were any good, but they got gobbled down regardless. At $2 a pop, they’re a little cheaper than restaurants, but the labor involved isn’t worth it.

Oysters – I wonder who ever tried the first one.

–Simon