Tuesday, 5 February 2019
We wandered a place we’ve visited before, but long enough ago that many changes have transformed it.
The river has been cleared of trash and…
new footbridges built.
Restaurants, often with some outdoor seating, are where none were before.
Later, we passed this leetle test. A sniff test?
Anyway, super-good times!
Monday, 4 February 2019
You’ve heard of “Where’s Waldo.” This is Waldo. This is Waldo’s downtown tavern. This is where you get a brewski and a bologna sandwich.
This is winter-fallow Ohio. Note snow persists only in the shade; however, more serious winter is coming.
Teasel silhouette.
Massive mountain road cut. Ice scabs on Mother Earth.
Mezze trio. Left to right: Lebanese hummus, Syrian muhamarra, and smoked eggplant zaalouk. My first time eating the latter. Yum, however my favorite of these three is the muhamarra.
Saturday, 2 February 2019
Ahhhhh, the melt begins.
However, there’s plenty of wind-sculpted snow, with drifts on the shady side of the roads, plenty to last until spring. I’m jess-sayin, this thaw won’t last.
Also, I wanted to honor these two brave brookies who provided our sustenance this evening. Canadian fish tacos. Yum. Yum. And yum.
Friday, 1 February 2019
Pileated trying to get through the frozen, leathery apple skin.
Pheasant?…making tracks.
Mailbox with organic buddy….
* Short because polar vortex windiness.
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
The open waters of the Ohio River—with barge!—seemingly (or perhaps actually?) steaming in the cold. Interesting.
Here’s the Maumee—frozen, with heaved up platelets of ice. I don’t know why the apparently evenly spaced “lines”—another natural mystery!
Whereas…these salt deposits are from road salt, dissolved and deposited on Our New Vehicle. The nerve!
For a few minutes the slanty light just before dusk was stunning on the snow…this is Michigan! The colors are not “fake” photo-enhancement—they were there.
Big drive; great evening with friends…nighty-night.
Friday, 25 January 2019
I was down the street when I spotted these white spheres by the curb. I thought, “what are turtle eggs doing in the gutter,” quickly followed by, “those can’t be turtle eggs!”
And so they aren’t: pingpong balls. Still: why a pair in the gutter?
This deflated sphere I couldn’t identify, even after a close visual inspection. No, I didn’t touch, even with a stick. And the organic sphere next to it…some kind of seed/fruit element, also unknown.
Thursday, 24 January 2019
I got to walk in the sunshine (bit of a cold breeze…but SUN), as part of an extended errand that was on someone else’s to-do list. I was the happy beneficiary of this excursion.
[…during which I heartily enjoyed my first Sazerac.]
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Coming into Atlanta from the west, the interstate passes by a major amusement park just before it descends to cross the Chattahoochee River.
At night, the view of the city is…twinkly.
With this post, I report the end of the Rainbow Triangle Trip. Accomplished all goals, foremost among them seeing loved ones. Fun trip; and, simultaneously happy to be home.
Monday, 14 January 2019
This morning the fog was thick and the temp was such that the moisture attaching to the antenna as we zoomed down the highway froze!
Later, clearing was partial and we saw many wind mills; here’s an early one and many current models….
Genuine lone star llamas!
The oppressiveness I feel from all this packaging tells me it’s time to bring this Rainbow Tour to an end to escape all these cheerful protections….
Sunday, 13 January 2019
For dozens of miles crossing the desert this morning, the air smelled to me vaguely like burning plastic, an odor backnote I found rather unpleasant. Miles.
The plants, however: unfazed. Unknown grey-green leaved low shrub with yellow fliers…
…and a towering yucca (I think).
Today’s title references one of my favorite books, Gary Paul Nabhan’s The Desert Smells Like Rain: A Naturalist in Papago Indian Country (1987). This desert perhaps should have smelled like rain today, as rain came through this area in the wee hours overnight. In fact, we think we’ve had rain at some point every day beginning on the 26th of December, for a run of 19 days so far. Tomorrow we may well not see rain, however.