Boys and their Toys... well Boys and Girls and their Toys... but that does not rhyme as well...

Silky Pocket Boy

At the MORE Winter Party they had a Raffle and a Give Away...
lots of good SWAG
I got a MORE Pint Glass that did not survive the night
I also got a Silky Pocket Boy folding Saw... AWESOME!

Silky Pocket Boy Folding Saw

seeing so many of my mountain bike advocate friends inspired me

I spent a good part of Sunday morning in Fort Slocum picking up trash
pulled out all sorts of stuff
one old broken chair, a seat to a gocart, three plastic tarps, some soaked clothing that had been hung to dry, and three bags filled with trash (bottles, cans, wrappers, etc.)

and sadly...
walking there today... there is still plenty of trash to pick up

it is not a comfortable situation
some of the stuff may have belonged to someone
the plastic tarps were dangling from trees... temporary shelters
I have removed these before... they get torn in the wind...
I throw one away... a new one appears...

the thought that the woods are someone's dishwasher or clothes line just can not be so
then the woods are an eyesore for other users

these Fort Slocum partiers and campers are not so good about cleaning up after themselves
 this all falls a back on a familiar notion
that is... people making public space private
these shady characters are why many people do not feel safe in the woods of Rock Creek Park

Fort Slocum is where I walk my dog... 
in my daily passings through these woods I often encounter other people
there is usually no tension
I hate conflict... but I do not shy away from it

it is irksome to me that I have to clean up after these people
not saying they can not party there... not saying they can not camp there
but...
if they can not clean up after themselves... they do not deserve to share this space