Saturday, 24 February 2018
On today’s errand run, we saw clouds of white blossoms on pears and maybe apples, the larger pink-white blooms of the deciduous magnolias, multicolored tulips, daffodils, several other kinds of bulbs in bloom including hyacinths, and redbuds…love redbuds.
Thanks for the ride, B.!
Friday, 23 February 2018
I became a tornado today, that is, to the extent that I can as a gimp. My goal was to remove dust bunnies, and to remove a bunch of…stuff…that made the house work for gimpy-me, and was still hanging around.
In a tiny and personal way, it’s a new world!
Thursday, 22 February 2018
I saw a construction crew working in a hole in the sidewalk just outside the salon where I was getting chemistry to work in my favor. I found it curious and humorous that the workers stood their signs in the window as shown. Sometime later I got a more complete dataset on this. Turns out, the fellas (and they were all male) were “digging” down to the sewage pipes in this small commercial district.
The digging action was from a pressure-washer-type water stream, with a second pipe sucking the sludge it created from the work area. It wasn’t until I left the work area that I wondered what they’d use for fill since the clay (and it was a clay matrix) was removed and gone and in no fit state to be returned to the hole. (Or so I imagined.)
Anyway, the orange signs were to block splatter on the glass, and after the “digging,” the fellas carefully power-washed the window-glass, but they were old windows, and poorly sealed, so the water poured in around the glass. Sooooo, the sewer-fixit guys came inside with piles of clean rags, and energetically cleaned the glass and all the water that leaked inside. Kudos to the digging-crew!
On a more organic front, the teeny mushrooms (I saw last year, and maybe in previous years?) are thriving during this phase of the spring-springing, but, geeze, what happened to their caps? How did they get tipped off?
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Without planning to do so, I presently have three active activity trackers. Two kindof agree, and one reports wildly lower counts. The only category all three report is steps. My ancient Fitbit One and my iPhone report similar step-counts, but, providing I remember to carry it all the time, the iPhone will have a higher step-count than the Fitbit (attached to my underwear). The Nokia Steel HR always reports a much lower value each day, like around 20% lower than the other two.
I noticed this variation, and began to watch more closely. I’m pretty sure that if you consider footfalls “steps,” which I think the devices do, the most accurate of the three trackers is the iPhone, the one that consistently gives the highest count.
Your counts may vary.
I can wear the Nokia in the shower, and it gives me a chunk of steps for that (which does’t “fix” the discrepancy, BTW), and sometimes enquires if that time was an “activity.” It’s those rapid little steps to soap, rotate, and bend to get clean?
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
We coffee’d up and got going, finding this local fog-bank somewhere inland—it’s not a marine layer!
After several hours, we left the Spanish Moss State (or so it seemed)…
…and entered the Peanut State.
Then, closer to home, we saw several almost-Vs of sandhill cranes (pretty sure about that ID).
Monday, 19 February 2018
Today we left causeway-world. But not before we did important things.
Like playing with the macro lens.
Including looking at an eroded sand dollar, complete with sand grains.
We watched birds, including the cruising small-packs of pelicans.
There was of course lots of laughing and some tale-telling. We read, we relaxed. Life was darned pleasant.
Just as we were organizing ourselves in the parking lot to depart, a rainbow section emerged.
Sigh. And now the salt-water coast is behind us.
Sunday, 18 February 2018
We spent the day on and (mostly) near the beach. We got out early to enjoy that low-angle light, and it’s a good thing—already almost HOT by 8:30 am!
Circling in the car behind the dunes traveling from one place to another, we found these large bloom clusters; I have no idea what they are.
Late in the day, we found this lovely juxtaposition of light and shadow, shapes and colors.
On a late-day beach wander, we found this sea-denizen, or its fading carcass. Such striking, amazing colors!
Saturday, 17 February 2018
The title is apt for our day; we did cover some ground. We also kinda went underground through this tunnel. I could not even read the last line of the sign “No trucks except standard height…” because, irony of ironies, truck-roofs had so damaged it that the letters have been bashed to near-oblivion.
We also went through tunnels of trees. The green is beginning to pop. (Apologies for the insect grease.)
Then we made it to the ocean! Yay, Atlantic! Substantial marine layer for after noon…. Thanks, K!
Southbound, we dodged some serious traffic, as the Day-tone-uh race (rrrrrrrr) was underway as we slipped south past it, keeping thousands of vehicles in actual parking lots and not out on the roads. Above we could see the Wingfoot One, but without the customary Goodyear name…and instead a hashtag advertising a Goodyear ad-video that will premier tomorrow.
Safely past the motor mecca, we headed for a place that advertised it’s fine view. Walking through the parking lot, we were glad we found a regular space, as apparently handicapped vehicles get special avian…attention…the kind that can damage the paint job.
Turns out the restaurant gave us seats to a terrific sunset show, and decent enough food. Won’t go back, but it was perfect for this evening.
Tired, we reached our destination. Yawn. G’night.
Friday, 16 February 2018
Rural small towns in the Deep South: you will find churches, but not usually this large and fancy.
You will also find evidence that there used to be more buildings.
Go far enough south, and you will see Spanish moss (not a moss at all) festooning the trees, often oaks.
Monocropping trends towards trees and…
…cotton (decorative sample). Also pecans and sometimes peanuts (neither pictured).
The soils tend to be sandy, sometimes nearly white. You may see horse hoofprints.
And you know you’re in a small town when the restaurant puts the game to keep the kids occupied out in the street.
* (Chinese) Happy New Year!
Thursday, 15 February 2018
Spring is arriving. I also have seen several cherries/plums in bloom around town. And camellias. Seems too early for the woody shrubs! Bulbs, yes….