Today was another dark dreary day here, which gave me plenty of time to peruse the internet in search of some happy news and I’m happy to report there is no happy news other than the fact that the first Spring Training game for the Red Sox starts in 18 days. We did manage to get the boy out for a hike along one of our favorite trails that leads to the ocean. Two weeks ago this trail was closed and buried under 3’ of snow, last week it was somewhat impassable do to ice but now it is back to its usual muddy self and ready to be explored again. Here are a few shots of the hike....

I didn't realize it when I took this picture but check out Japhey's (or should I say Cujo) eyes.

I was always accustomed to the notion that everything was green in the summer and brown in the winter, of course I also thought Alaska was buried in snow most of the year and there were igloos everywhere.

Here I am controlling the beast, there are those eyes again

A note from The Sheep's Wife: This mean-looking plant has the appropriate name of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridum). It is a member of the ginseng family, and in summer, has leaves up to 18" across, giving the forest a very Jurassic Park-kinda feel. Although lacking the medicinal properties that many ginsengs are known for, there is promising research in its use for the treatment of diabetes, as the root taken internally lowers blood sugar. The root has other healing properties as well. When mashed and made into a warm poultice, it can ease the pain of arthritis. This application is also useful when The Sheep's Wife, in all of her usual grace, slips and falls in the woods and grabs onto one of these to break the fall (which happens fairly often). The thorns break off easily in the skin and fester, but a warm poultice made of the root will draw out the thorns and any potential infection.

The end, at this point you either turn back or take an 80' plunge into some cold ass water.... we turned back