Tuesday, 10 January 2017
We passed the final milestone (fingers crossed) in getting the New Car properly registered here in our home state. It has been a rather circuitous road. I conclude that paper-pushers in the private sector can be rather haphazard.
Several synonyms of sloppy have unusual consonant combinations—slaphappy, slipshod, slapdash, haphazard, lackadaisical, shambolic—also, “s” sounds are frequent.
Saturday, 7 January 2017
We made it out to the beach for a bit of a stroll. Almost no beachcombers, and few birds….
The last hurricane damaged the pier, and apparently also most of the walkways across the dunes to the beaches. Visitors just walk through the dunes (the walkways were to protect the dunes, so total failure with that maneuver), but this barrier is more robust. We could see that the end of the pier was missing…yup, dangerous out there.
I don’t remember seeing these huge round cotton bales before. Round hay and straw bales, yes. I think these are larger—and far larger than the old hand-picked bales, too!
We found ice still glittering in Atlanta’s trees where it remained protected from Mr. Sun. We found a dusting of snow remaining in our yard, to be sustained overnight with the below-freezing temps predicted for us.
I remembered another pork item from yesterday’s breakfast buffet, bringing the total to nine, seven of meat, and two dishes with some meat added….
Wednesday, 4 January 2017
We found golden light on the backside of a renovated hotel/apartment building, way down in SoGA*.
No where near as flashy, but I liked this arboreal skeleton, also created by uber golden light.
And, funny thing, we discovered that we could cross the GA–FL line on a dirt road. Packed sand, that is. Great surface (today). And a canopy road at that. (Yes, that’s a term.) Only saw one deer family, and none were close enough to be dangerous.
* That is, south GA.
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
I have been working up a story to go with this…a school project, no? Popsicle sticks that never had any food attached, and yarn…to make an ornament that got sidetracked to adorn a picket and not a tree…. Festive!
No story with this one, it’s just an attractive pattern, enriched by the dark grout/mortar separating the stones….
Friday, 30 December 2016
We had an errand at the camera shop outside the perimeter (OTP), where this rubber (?) camera is part of an art installation welcoming customers.
It’s rocking it?
This is from the other day, but illustrates Toyota-math. When the vehicle runs on electric only, that is, from the battery, Toyota reports the mileage at 199mpg, meaning no petrol was used.
For our old car, when it ran on battery, it reported the “infinite” mileage as 100mpg. Thus, the new vehicle is a mathematical upgrade?
This sign was inside a gravel parking lot, at an angle that would make it difficult to spot as you entered. No other signs (e.g., arrows). The label read “Park as indicated.”
I suspect traffic gets stuck in the back loop going round and round.
We continued our rural drive down two-lane roads OTP, some abandoned…. The rusty metal panel is intended to keep the dogs and vermin from crawling under the house.
Maybe kids, too.
Thursday, 29 December 2016
When we wore working out the design of the rebuild after Tree#1, I wanted a big window to the south, with a balcony above to shade it during the summer, but not protruding enough to cut the view out the window too much. Is this possible, I asked the architect. Yes.
And, so, this time of the year the sun floods in, and I am cheered.
I guess my eyes were distracted by the sun when I tried to capture the soul of this moth resting on the doorframe. Hah! Maybe I’ll have to get one of those clip-on lens gizmos, again….
Wednesday, 28 December 2016
Curved railings in the county “government center”…. Our institutional visit was a half-bust. We are to get another temporary tag from Oregon tomorrow (thank you overnight delivery!), which is appropriate since the OR person goofed. But it means we have to go back (and stand in line) when the corrected paperwork is returned to ATL (what they sent has to be returned to OR, fixed, then sent back to ATL). I call it a half-bust because we’ll be able to drive The New Car again…and that’s an improvement on it being benched in the driveway with an expired tag.
On our way back to the house, we drove by the new foots-ball stadium, or the getting-finished stadium. Its formal name is M-B for a German car company. I really question taxpayer subsidies on this scale for private businesses.
Okay, enough of more severe designs; here’s a lovely red chandelier in a bakery/coffee shop that we visited while we were out. I enjoyed their baguettes (trying to decide where the best ones are made in ATL), but wonder if there isn’t a teensy-tad of added sugar…. The tables, chairs, and sit-space is lovely and a terrific space—wish it were closer to home.
Thursday, 22 December 2016
Hollywood goes out of town for some shoots. “Justified” used this bridge many times during its five years.
Clint Eastwood’s younger self…
…came through here. No word on whether he spoke to any of the chairs.
William Shatner (and many others) spent time on/in front of the formations in the Vazquez Rocks park. [Note me for scale.]
Ian/Spark walked by here on the PCT, crossing by the gate of the same park.
Several times we crossed the California Aqueduct. It carries water south from the Sierra Nevadas (snowy highlands) to SoCal, usually in an open canal. Ladders scale the sides every 1000ft, signs say; it’s wiser to never get into the water, however (duh!).
Speaking of water, we drove east all day toward an east-bound rain system. During this part of the day, we were behind it by several hours, and the desert had standing water—very unexpected to find the dryness ameliorated.
Eventually, we did drive into clouds, and the rain. It never came down hard, but for a bit we couldn’t see far. The radar sensors on the New Car gave us an extra measure of safety.
One more bit of technology…after several hours of driving, the vehicle presents a schematic of a steaming cup of coffee, and kindly enquires (in a rather Japanese way) “Would you like to Take Rest?” [BTW, the blue shading behind the MPH figure turns to red when Ludicrous (boosted speediness) mode is engaged…not that you’d forget!]
Tuesday, 13 December 2016
After coffee, our first stop (not including traffic lights and parking) was Chittenden Locks, often called Ballard Locks. Note the bascule bridge in the background (it’s down). We saw two passenger trains cross it, and at one time seven people in head-to-toe fluorescent clothing were on walkways in the general area of the bridge’s pivot. We were too far away to figure out what they were doing.
We watched this NOAA vessel traverse the small lock. We thought the yellow globes were weather buoys, and the brown discs were anchor-weights for them.
Lacking sufficient knowledge to visually ID many (any?) fish species, I told The Guru I was pretty sure these are steelheads. Wouldn’t you agree? Huh…huh?
Despite snow and ice last week, this weather-blemished rose is attempting to triumph against cold odds.
Late in the day, we went to Log Boom park, at the north end of Lake Washington. Cormorant on post to left and taxiing sea plane to the right (we saw it land headed straight for us, but way on the other side of the bay).
I figure these cormorants are trying to catch the day’s final rays. I do not know if they stay “posted” all night. It seems like their count is pretty close to one per post. By the shore, we saw several species of ducks and more cormorants, but they do prefer to be perched above the water. (Dry feet preference?)
Sunday, 6 November 2016
We took a Sunday drive to the mountains to check the leaves and get out of Big A-Town. On the way up, we talked about how super-dry our autumn has become, and remembered that there have been forest fires in the mountains. I thought NC; the Guru said GA. Here’s the smokey evidence, and, yes, there are fires west of here in Georgia. That tree line and ridge are not far away. And, peeuwww.
Although many historic homesites have been abandoned, I think the number of standing structures has decreased over the last decade. This, then, is a bit of an outlier. That looks like a relatively narrow staircase inside the front door. [See how dry the grass is?]
Then we stopped at a train museum—even heard a whistle blow (not on this locomotive, however).
The Guru gifted me with this photo for a visual reminder of this morning’s time change…. Different world, catching the train for long-distance travel….
Walked through several dining and sleeping cars, even the Pullman car that Warren Harding used for a post-Presidency trip to the West Coast. After his untimely death in San Francisco, it carried his casket back to Washington DC. We were told that they had to remove a window to slide it into the lounge into the rear of the car.
No picture of Harding’s Pullman, but here’s the side of a Milk Tank Car. Don’t see those anymore. This pre-plastic jugs….