Now you see them....

Tweet

It was an awesome morning for a late winter hike. Warm weather, a bit overcast -- and slight threat of rain. As I drove toward the trailhead -- Mill Ridge, near Hot Springs, NC, it began to rain -- just enough to put the wipers on -- intermittent.

At the trail head, I snapped the above photo -- the blue ridges very prominent -- except in the far distant --where everything was faded gray. I decided to hike onto the bare hillside and suddenly there was  a not-far-off rumble of thunder -- off in the distance -- I thought I could hear water going over falls. All the while, those blue ridges were getting grayer and grayer.

A few seconds later, I saw the sheet of rain in the timber a hundred yards off -- moving rapidly in my direction. I began walking quickly back to the Jeep -- just as I opened the door -- huge raindrops began to pound my back. I watched the hard rain from the vehicle -- hypnotic as it splattered on the windshield. 

Adventures with Foreclosures

Tweet I've been checking out foreclosures in the area and am still looking for that diamond in the rough, but the hunt has been an adventure.

First rule: the photos always look much better than the actual property. This leads to the second rule: never get your hopes up.

One place had such a low ceiling that if you were taller than six feet, you had to constantly duck -- this place also had a support column in front of the sink and counter space -- you would have to straddle the column to wash dishes or prepare food. In the basement, there was a finished apartment -- although I'm being generous with the word "finished."  Behind the shower was a cubby-hole that looked like it might have been a torture chamber -- quite scary.

Still another place had two full bathrooms -- literally side by side -- a doorway connected them. Stepping into the kitchen, it was a huge mistake to open the freezer -- not sure what was in there, but I can still smell it! Nasty!

Just yesterday, as I was touring a house -- that was supposed to be empty -- a guy popped his head out of a bedroom -- looking very surprised and then slammed the door and bolted it. He refused to allow us inside. I guess he decided not to sell at the last minute.

I'm still looking -- and I have to say that half the fun is never knowing what/who you are going to find -- but I am leaving the refrigerators closed -- that's an adventure for the real estate agent.

No Name Band

Tweet

Stumbled on these guys during a stroll February 6th in downtown Savannah, Georgia. They were doing cover songs -- Aerosmith, Led Zep, etc -- and were actually pretty good.  They put a lot of passion in their music. The guy on keyboards -- in a green knit cap and wearing gloves -- was not actually playing. He was going through the motions, but for some reason, the keyboard wasn't connected up to the sound system.

It was a cool evening, but there was a decent crowd.  After watching for a while, I headed to my hotel room to watch the final thrilling quarter of the Super Bowl.

Hotel Shower Heads

Tweet

Shower heads are not what they used to be -- particularly in hotels. Granted, the hotels are probably trying to save on their water bills, but the last few hotels that I've stayed in -- I could hardly get the soap off my body with the amount of water that was coming from the shower heads. Ultimately, you wind up staying in the shower longer, using more water.

These are mainstream, mid-priced hotels. At least one of the hotels was a four-star.

I used to always ask to see the room in advance just to check for cleanliness and bed comfort, but I think I am going to add "check the water flow in the shower head" to my future checklist.

Florida's Gold Coast

Tweet

 The sand is so white on stretches of Florida's panhandle that you could easily mistake it for snow. I've seen a lot of beaches, but this stretch of beach near Panama City is one of the most beautiful. Unfortunately, there is a lot of development around it.

Sunrise at Cocoa Beach, Florida - February 9, 2011

Tweet

Happily Lost in Space

Tweet

I spent part of the day this week at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and it is a great way to get totally consumed by space. From the moment you leave the car -- you delve into the space program.  First, I spotted some of the early rockets in the 'rocket garden,' next, I went to a short talk by a former shuttle astronaut, Bob Springer, and then it was over to the Space Shuttle Simulation ride.  Pretty cool ride, by the way.  As a bonus, Shuttle Discovery was sitting on launch pad 39B -- reminding me of the days when I covered the shuttle launches for the AP. There's nothing like watching a shuttle lift off the pad -- from about as close as you can get, safely -- about three miles. The sheer power of seeing, hearing and feeling it -- left me almost speechless the first time I experienced it.

Everything around is about space -- and, of course, that's the whole point -- but I found myself getting completely lost in space and forgetting about everything else. I felt like a kid again -- and dreaming about flying in space and traveling to places like Mars and the Moon.

The whole visitor complex is well organized and I don't mean for this to be a plug for KSC, but they've done a great job -- making the exhibits interesting and informative. For instance, I had forgotten how close Neil Armstrong came to not walking on the moon that July day in 1969 -- after technical problems almost fouled everything up.

By the end of the day, I had felt as though I'd traveled to outer space and back -- and, to a degree, thanks to the exhibits -- understood how, technically, it is accomplished.

Ten Gators

Tweet

I spent two years in Timor-Leste and heard lots of stories and rumors about crocodiles, but I never saw a single one the whole time I was there. The closest that I came was photographs. Er...and the zoo in Bali.

I have to say I didn't mind it so much -- my biggest fear was to find myself face to face with a Mr. Croc -- while snorkeling.

Today,  I spent a few hours at Florida's Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville and spotted ten alligators -- safely from a distance of about 10 feet. All ten critters were sunning themselves along a canal -- enjoying the warm 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Some were pretty hard to spot -- and it was a lot of fun -- creeping along the dirt road at 10 mph -- trying to spot them.

 Can you spot the gator in the photo below?

At Poe's in Richmond

Tweet

Hidden away at the corner of 20th and Main is the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. I've visited a number of times and it's always deserted. I've found that many of museums and homes dedicated to American writers meet the same fate. Last year, when I visited William Faulkner's home in Oxford, Mississippi, I had the place to myself. Similarly, when I visit the Thomas Wolfe house in Asheville, North Carolina.

I was a bit disappointed on this latest visit to the Poe Museum because the Raven Room was nevermore....er...no more.  I always enjoyed reading The Raven in the upstairs room painted red. 

Walk in the Woods

Tweet

These last few posts have had a snow theme due to the continuing heavy snowfall here in western North Carolina's mountains.

Having spent two years in the tropics and arriving back in the states just in time for winter, I had forgotten the thrill of wandering in deep snow in the trees. I went for a short hike today in the woods I also had forgotten the deep sense of silence the blanket of snow creates. I found it so refreshing to just stand on the mountainside and listen to the silence -- with the silence decorated by the occasional bird song or a squirrel jumping from one tree branch to another.

                                                     Below is my hiking partner, Claudia.

With the temperature hovering around the 20 degree Fahrenheit mark, the timber around me was creaking and popping in the light wind. It gives a new definition to woodwinds.  

Conversation is Decorated Silence

Tweet I was listening to a BBC piece today on poetry and one of the guests, in a reference to the rhythm of poetry used this phrase: "conversation is decorated silence." He said it was from the Elizabethan period. I like to think of sound in this way, particularly in the context that he was using it -- he had just listened to a poem in Serbian -- a language he doesn't understand -- and then heard it translated into English. He said he felt the essence of what the poem was about upon  hearing it in Serbian -- because of the rhythm and expression in the poet's voice.

To think of sounds in this manner, in some ways, makes it easier to tolerate those sounds that I might feel inappropriate in certain settings -- loud music in restaurants for instance -- at least a temporary tolerance. I would probably wind up walking out of the restaurant ultimately.

White Out!

Tweet

Less than three feet in front of me, through the window, a winter storm is raging. The snow, at times, is horizontal as it strikes the nine inches of snow already fallen. The wind, periodically, creates white out conditions -- the mountain that is 200 yards away -- has disappeared in the blowing snow. Visibility at times is 50 yards or less.

It's peaceful.

Since childhood I have enjoyed watching it snow. Today, I am sitting by the fire, in front of my computer, writing a report and wishing I had time to play. Maybe later today -- when the report is closer to being "a wrap!"

The photo above is my view through the window as I work -- just beyond the evergreen --- about 150 yards -- is a mountain -- invisible today.

Captions?

Tweet

When you look at this picture -- what does it bring to mind? Please feel free to leave a comment and your thoughts.

Used Cars and Salesmen

Tweet

I went shopping for a used Jeep Liberty. I'm not sure why I wanted a Liberty. I had driven them a couple of times when I rented a car while visiting the U.S. and liked the design and they got pretty decent gas mileage. So, I developed tunnel vision when I went shopping. I shopped for what I knew.

Shopping also meant dealing with used car salesmen. Most of the ones I encountered met the stereotype -- phony, slippery with the truth and ready to make a deal. One guy promised a six month warranty and the very next day seemed to have forgotten. When I pressed him, he came up with a convoluted reason why a warranty just wasn't possible. He did promise a tank full of gas instead. I passed.

I wound up buying a used Liberty from a guy at a dealership who seemed genuine.  Everything he promised, he delivered -- and that included a warranty.

In the five days I have owned the vehicle, it has come in handy and I will certainly put its four wheel drive to good use tomorrow. Today, we got about half a foot of snow. Vrooooom!!!!

Snow Bound

Tweet

Snow can interfere with the best laid plans, so I adjusted those plans and went for a walk in the snow. I'd wanted to do a trail hike in the mountains, but with nearly 8 inches of snow and no gaiters -- I settled for a walk along the dirt road where my parents live in Madison County, North Carolina.

As I write this, it is still snowing and several more inches of snow are expected. After a year of living in the tropics, it is absolutely exhilarating to be able to walk in the snow and hear the squish, squish, squish under my feet and to experience cold weather.

Here are more pictures of our farm on a snowy, day-after Christmas.