contact me
Improvised Waves
Electronic Music
by
Ken Leonard
Jimmy Moore
with
Brad Schuman
is available
here |
** MONEYPIT Reports "In the Queue"
**
Christmas 2011 - M400 #348, New Jersey
August 2012 - M400 #1325, Vermont
News 2012:
** New MONEYPIT Report **
|
MONEYPIT September 2011
MELLOTRON RANCH
VERMONT, USA
RESTORATION AND
REVEAL OF
MELLOTRON M400 #104,
THE OLDEST M400 IN
THE UNITED STATES
|
| Autumn in New
England
Maudslay State Park -
October 14, 2012 |
 |
Plenty of riding over the
summer, including a couple of half centuries (50+ miles).
Now that fall is here along with the cooler
weather and the switch to standard time, getting out under pedal
power will be somewhat limited.
But that won't prevent the occasional
excursion, as when I revisited the
Wachusett Greenways
section of the Mass Central Rail Trail on October 27, now extended
1.8 miles to the west all the way to the Ware River. A new
pedestrian bridge will connect the rail trail to Rte. 122, with
access to the Ware River Rail Trail to the north, and someday the
continuation of the Mass Central Rail Trail to the west. |
Finally! Mt. Moosiluakee (4802'),
hiked on June 9!
Thanks, Sandy! :-)
 |
WELCOME HIKERS
MOUNTAIN SOILS AND TRAILS ARE FRAGILE AND REQUIRE A LOT OF WORK TO
MAINTAIN
NO:
MOUNTAIN BIKES - HORSES - LLAMAS - ALPACAS - MULES - GOATS - MOTEL-T
FORDS OR OTHER MOTORIZED VEHICLES
THESE TRAILS ARE FOR HUMAN FEET ONLY
THANK YOU
...wow, these guys are SERIOUS! :-) |
Nah, the Gorge Brook Trail isn't rocky at all...(!!) 
|
Still all about the bike...
Charnock Cut - Wachusett Greenways / Mass Central Rail
Trail I've been out on some additional rail
trails this spring/summer.
|
Pocket Park at the Derry Depot during
construction
The awesome folks at the
Derry Rail Trail and
the Danvers Rail Trail
needed some help...trash pickup, cleaning out drainage ditches, and
building the pocket park near Derry Depot.
Both the Derry Rail Trail and the Danvers Rail
Trail were "officially" opened and dedicated on Trails Day this year
(June 2, 2012).
The Danvers Rail Trail is gearing up to put
down a nice crushed stone surface. Wenham has surfaced their
section, and Peabody has begun construction to the south.
Along with the Derry Rail Trail, Londonderry
is slowly moving forward, Salem is about ready to let the Iron Horse
Preservation Society do its thing, and Methuen is about done with
their work, having put down a recycled asphalt surface. When
complete in a few years, there will be a rail trail from the
Lawrence-Methuen line to Manchester Airport. |
 |
Some highlights:
The
Wachusett Greenways section of the
Mass Central Rail Trail
from Rutland, MA to Oakham/Barre is stunning. What a treat!
Ponds, woods, historical sites...and the Charnock Cut!
The
Mason
Railroad Trail will tax you with its constant uphill ride and rough
surface, but if you like seclusion and a nice spot for a picnic in the
sunshine near a pond, then this is the trail for you.
Central New Hampshire's
Winnipesaukee River Trail
passes by the site of a paper mill and the only upside down covered
railroad bridge in the country.
The Northern Rail
Trail (Merrimac County) from Franklin to Andover can be hot and dry,
so bring plenty of water, and make sure you arrive at Potter Place when
the station, caboose, and general store historical exhibits are open.
The people are a delight, and the displays are interesting.
Assabet River Rail Trail in Hudson, MA
In May I somehow managed my first half-century
(50+ miles)! I started in Bedford, MA and took the
Reformatory Branch Trail to Concord, then on-road to the
Assabet River Rail Trail,
eventually to Marlborough, MA. Whew! On my return I took the
Minuteman Rail Trail to
Lexington for dins. Here's the
route
(note that on the return the route is the one to the west in Concord).
 |
Oh, right! My friends Kris and DJ
walked with me along the recently extended
Salisbury Point Ghost Trail. Why is it called the "Ghost
Trail"? You'll have to check it out... |
|
 |
arrrggghhh...no
volleyball this spring! no, it's not the knee...seems it just didn't
happen (!!??)...maybe in September?
|
|
LIBERTARIANISM:
THE RADICAL NOTION THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE NOT YOUR PROPERTY |
In response to
that idea being shared by
The CATO Institute
on Facebook on June 29...
I find it extremely uncivilized that
unless I pay tribute when I receive a paycheck that someone will
eventually show up at my door with a gun and force me to. At that
point any "hope and change" or discussion about "morality" and
"charity" goes out the window, as my life is no longer mine to live
peacefully.
If I'm empowered--and permitted--to live my life peacefully and keep
the fruits of my labors, and if my neighbors and I all knew that we
were responsible for our own lives, we would undoubtedly begin to
share and help each other out. We would simply have to work together
for our own common good. We would be motivated to do this out of our
own base instincts as humans, we'd argue but resolve it locally, and
we'd be clever and innovative. We would honor the species that we
are (social, creative, capable). It is the force of government that
has wedged us apart as a society and created a
neighbor-against-neighbor lawsuit happy world, battling each other
over the scraps that the government decides it wishes to return to
us out of what it has confiscated. |
Big government is not the answer. Big
"programs" are not the answer. Throwing money at a problem is not
the answer (and throwing even more money at the problem when it isn't
"fixed" is not the answer). People are the answer. You know
far better how to live your life than does some bureaucrat 1,000 miles
away. |
News 2011:
|
arrrggghhh...volleyball
season over a month early...knee meets floor...v-ball done, hiking
done...walking almost done...'til about January...
|
|
Mellotron Professor
Jerry Korb is taking on new Mellotron restoration projects. You may
contact him directly, or send me a note, and I'll forward it along.
|
| All about the bike...
 |
It's been all about the bike this spring and
summer. I purchased a Cannondale Quick 5
in the spring of 2011, and I've been out on rail trails and various
rides. I've been riding the bike to work as often as I can,
including stops as the grocery store to load up on whatever will fit
into the trunk bag!
Now that the cooler weather is here and the
daylight disappears sooner, I probably won't be "all about the bike"
as much...for now.
I learned a ton about rail trails in my area.
They're a great resource! Check them out for biking, blading,
x-c skiing, walking, jogging, horseback riding... You get the
idea. Some of the items nearby to me:
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail *
Nashua
River Rail Trail * Derry
Rail Trail * Windham
Rail Trail *
Squannacook River Rail Trail *
Minuteman Bikeway *
Bedford
Depot and the Bedford Narrow Gauge *
Assabet River Rail Trail *
The Northern Strand
...and, yes, there's more, and there are more in
development, like the
Border To Boston Trail. Perhaps you have some nearby?
Check out:
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy *
TrailLink *
List of
Rail Trails on Wikipedia |
| Mellotronist Frank Samagaio
1951-2011 |
| Frank Samagaio, Mellotronist, musician, and
writer of "The Mellotron Book", passed away in late March.
Frank participated in the
MONEYPIT adventure of 2004...we
had quite a memorable weekend. He was also there for the
first and
second Mellotron
Symposia.
Frank was taken from us far too soon. Rest
in peace, Frank. |
 |
| Paul Santo creates music for
NOVA |
| Musician Paul Santo, a
MONEYPIT guest, has
created music for episodes of the television program "NOVA".
WGBH's
long-running science program
NOVA has a series of
"Making Stuff" episodes this season, produced in the Boston,
Massachusetts, USA area. Paul contributed the music for these
episodes. |
|
