Cheryl B. Dale's Blog: RANDOM MUSINGS, page 11
June 4, 2016
BEACH WALK
The tourists have thinned out a little. Not much, but if we go to the beach early, it isn't crowded.
Our beach has changed a lot during the past ten years. Here we're standing on the beach looking back toward the shore. This beach used to be a sandbar that was unaccessible at high tide. Now it's connected all the time, with several large tidal pools at low tide as seen below.
Where once the river flowed between the sandbar and the beach and back to the sea, has now become the tidal pools. This is the end of the river. If you could walk to the left, you'd come over to the houses.
As I said, a few people were out, including this paddle-boarder.
And a guy playing with his dogs.
And this bird. I don't know what it is but I'm sure someone does. He reminded me of a sandpiper except bigger.
He was a cutie, running in and out of the waves!
Our beach has changed a lot during the past ten years. Here we're standing on the beach looking back toward the shore. This beach used to be a sandbar that was unaccessible at high tide. Now it's connected all the time, with several large tidal pools at low tide as seen below.
Where once the river flowed between the sandbar and the beach and back to the sea, has now become the tidal pools. This is the end of the river. If you could walk to the left, you'd come over to the houses.
As I said, a few people were out, including this paddle-boarder.
And a guy playing with his dogs.
And this bird. I don't know what it is but I'm sure someone does. He reminded me of a sandpiper except bigger.
He was a cutie, running in and out of the waves!
May 28, 2016
MEMORIAL DAY PREPARATIONS
The island is preparing for its Memorial Day weekend. We always have a nice ceremony to honor the memory of those who lost their lives serving our country. Here are a few shots:
This is right after they fixed the flag. I'm not sure what was wrong with it, whether it was hung up on its lines or what, but they worked an hour or so to get it right.
This is the trolley that takes tourists over the island, snapped before its departure scheduled at eleven o'clock. It left a few minutes early today, so it must have filled up fast. The people have already started pouring in.
This is a view of the pier. You can't see her, but an artist is set up behind the two people going onto the pier, with all her paintings laid out for view and purchase.
These are a couple of other people on the pier. The man is playing his harmonica and serenading the lady who's watching her crab baskets.
And we ourselves had guests this week that we really enjoyed. This little girl was one of them!
Hope everyone has a lovely Memorial Day as we remember all those who died for our country!
This is right after they fixed the flag. I'm not sure what was wrong with it, whether it was hung up on its lines or what, but they worked an hour or so to get it right.
This is the trolley that takes tourists over the island, snapped before its departure scheduled at eleven o'clock. It left a few minutes early today, so it must have filled up fast. The people have already started pouring in.
This is a view of the pier. You can't see her, but an artist is set up behind the two people going onto the pier, with all her paintings laid out for view and purchase.
These are a couple of other people on the pier. The man is playing his harmonica and serenading the lady who's watching her crab baskets.
And we ourselves had guests this week that we really enjoyed. This little girl was one of them!
Hope everyone has a lovely Memorial Day as we remember all those who died for our country!
May 21, 2016
AERIAL DANCE
Last weekend we went to an aerial/trapeze dance exhibition. Little girls used to take tap and ballet but nowadays they've branched out! This is something you usually see in circuses but now it's found a place in everyday life!
The ones we saw use trapezes and hanging silk ropes. They did some amazing postures and poses, including swinging by their legs and/or feet and falling, only to have the silk catch them.
This duo shared a trapeze and at one point, had one girl supporting the other with her knees, among other difficult feats. Amazing!
Then we come to the silks. They're two long panels of silk that the performer climbs, holding up a loop and putting a foot in it, then repeating until she's in the air. Then she uses brute strength to go through various poses.
Here's another silks performer. I wish the camera could have captured one movement where the silks are wrapped around the body and then the performer suddenly drops several feet. It was quite spectacular!
And this is a group performing on the silks. You can see how the performer has to have upper body strength, lower body strength, and core body strength to do all these stunts.
An amazing show, considering they were all kids who'd only been taking trapeze a few years!
We saw this spring exhibition at the Canopy Studio in Athens, GA, but I learned the founders have moved to the coast near us where they've constructed a large studio and give classes and workshops.
Not that I'll be taking any, thank you very much!
The ones we saw use trapezes and hanging silk ropes. They did some amazing postures and poses, including swinging by their legs and/or feet and falling, only to have the silk catch them.
This duo shared a trapeze and at one point, had one girl supporting the other with her knees, among other difficult feats. Amazing!
Then we come to the silks. They're two long panels of silk that the performer climbs, holding up a loop and putting a foot in it, then repeating until she's in the air. Then she uses brute strength to go through various poses.
Here's another silks performer. I wish the camera could have captured one movement where the silks are wrapped around the body and then the performer suddenly drops several feet. It was quite spectacular!
And this is a group performing on the silks. You can see how the performer has to have upper body strength, lower body strength, and core body strength to do all these stunts.
An amazing show, considering they were all kids who'd only been taking trapeze a few years!
We saw this spring exhibition at the Canopy Studio in Athens, GA, but I learned the founders have moved to the coast near us where they've constructed a large studio and give classes and workshops.
Not that I'll be taking any, thank you very much!
May 14, 2016
THE USNS BRUNSWICK
Last weekend, our mainland had their Blessing of the Fleet event. Along with the shrimp boats being blessed was the new USNS Brunswick, a cargo ship named for our town. They say the Navy is so pleased with the aluminum transport's overall usefulness in carrying troops and cargo quickly, that they've ordered more.
From the back it kind of looks like a building:
Here's an interesting tidbit: the aluminum is left unpainted since each gallon of paint weighs about twelve pounds, and the thousands of gallons it would take to cover the ship would add extra weight.
Here is the front:
Besides getting itself blessed, the ship offered public tours. Unfortunately, the line was so long we decided against waiting. (Also, we could see little groups of people staggering up flights of stairs and realized we weren't in any shape to do that much climbing!) Here you can see the end of the line after it went around the block:
Kind of neat to have a ship named for us!
From the back it kind of looks like a building:
Here's an interesting tidbit: the aluminum is left unpainted since each gallon of paint weighs about twelve pounds, and the thousands of gallons it would take to cover the ship would add extra weight.
Here is the front:
Besides getting itself blessed, the ship offered public tours. Unfortunately, the line was so long we decided against waiting. (Also, we could see little groups of people staggering up flights of stairs and realized we weren't in any shape to do that much climbing!) Here you can see the end of the line after it went around the block:
Kind of neat to have a ship named for us!
May 7, 2016
BUYING CARS ONLINE
I decided to replace my older car with a golf cart. My guy, however, reminded me that I can't drive a golf cart all over the island. They're restricted to streets where the speed limit is 25 mph or less. This meant that visiting the grocery store or the movie or the post office was out.
And, he mentioned, in bad weather, a golf cart can be chilly or hot or wet if it's raining.
But, he added, the electric Nissan Leafs were coming off lease and we could buy one for not much more than what a four-seater golf cart would cost. Of course, they have a limited range, less than a hundred miles.
The objection about bad weather made me stop and think. I don't want to arrive at the library or bridge class soaking wet and grumpy. And a Leaf's limited range is okay. We only need it to run around the island. And unlike a golf car, it can go to the mainland and other places off-island.
So we went out and looked at new Leafs. It was big enough, looked okay, but there were no used ones around here. Not only would we have to go to one of the bigger cities but we'd have to go from car lot to car lot, something I detest! So I got online and found Carvana.
Anybody heard of them? They deliver free if you live within a hundred mile radius of one of their hubs. Since most of the Leafs we found were in Atlanta or Orlando, buying from a dealer there meant we'd pay shipping costs. Carvana's delivery policy sounded great!
On their website, you can browse or put in your make and model and year to filter out cars you don't want to see. They have Carfax reports so you can see it there were several owners or whether the car's been in a wreck. They also have a tour through the car you're looking at. It shows the outside (focusing on imperfections like nicks or scratches or scuffs) through the inside (highlighting features like GPS, cruise control, Bluetooth, rear camera, etc. and also pointing out discolored places on the upholstery).
After checking every day for several weeks, I'd almost decided on one. But someone snapped it up before I made up my mind! So the next time one showed up with low mileage and a good background, I went for it. To be honest, I dithered the first day but visiting relatives kept urging me to take the plunge so I did. I clicked on the buy button and got started. I filled out paperwork online so that the actual delivery wouldn't take so long, signed the releases, and waited for the call.
That was Friday morning. They called that afternoon and said it would arrive Tuesday between one and two. Tuesday, the driver called and said he was leaving their hub and would probably be early and would that be all right? Heck yeah! I danced around impatiently waiting.
He arrived exactly on time. Wish all my service appointments were so punctual.
After he unloaded it, we sat down with some minimal paperwork. I signed and watched him send my deposit to Carvana's bank. We were done in about half an hour. At the risk of sounding like a commercial for them, I'll say that Carvana gave me the easiest car buying experience I've ever had.
Oh, and I have seven days to request a refund if I decide I don't like it.
But I do like it! It's quiet and cute and just like a golf cart only better!
Now to pick out a name...
And, he mentioned, in bad weather, a golf cart can be chilly or hot or wet if it's raining.
But, he added, the electric Nissan Leafs were coming off lease and we could buy one for not much more than what a four-seater golf cart would cost. Of course, they have a limited range, less than a hundred miles.
The objection about bad weather made me stop and think. I don't want to arrive at the library or bridge class soaking wet and grumpy. And a Leaf's limited range is okay. We only need it to run around the island. And unlike a golf car, it can go to the mainland and other places off-island.
So we went out and looked at new Leafs. It was big enough, looked okay, but there were no used ones around here. Not only would we have to go to one of the bigger cities but we'd have to go from car lot to car lot, something I detest! So I got online and found Carvana.
Anybody heard of them? They deliver free if you live within a hundred mile radius of one of their hubs. Since most of the Leafs we found were in Atlanta or Orlando, buying from a dealer there meant we'd pay shipping costs. Carvana's delivery policy sounded great!
On their website, you can browse or put in your make and model and year to filter out cars you don't want to see. They have Carfax reports so you can see it there were several owners or whether the car's been in a wreck. They also have a tour through the car you're looking at. It shows the outside (focusing on imperfections like nicks or scratches or scuffs) through the inside (highlighting features like GPS, cruise control, Bluetooth, rear camera, etc. and also pointing out discolored places on the upholstery).
After checking every day for several weeks, I'd almost decided on one. But someone snapped it up before I made up my mind! So the next time one showed up with low mileage and a good background, I went for it. To be honest, I dithered the first day but visiting relatives kept urging me to take the plunge so I did. I clicked on the buy button and got started. I filled out paperwork online so that the actual delivery wouldn't take so long, signed the releases, and waited for the call.
That was Friday morning. They called that afternoon and said it would arrive Tuesday between one and two. Tuesday, the driver called and said he was leaving their hub and would probably be early and would that be all right? Heck yeah! I danced around impatiently waiting.
He arrived exactly on time. Wish all my service appointments were so punctual.
After he unloaded it, we sat down with some minimal paperwork. I signed and watched him send my deposit to Carvana's bank. We were done in about half an hour. At the risk of sounding like a commercial for them, I'll say that Carvana gave me the easiest car buying experience I've ever had.
Oh, and I have seven days to request a refund if I decide I don't like it.
But I do like it! It's quiet and cute and just like a golf cart only better!
Now to pick out a name...
April 30, 2016
LOCAL CRIME ITEMS
Again we have a list of criminal activities taking place in our fair city. As always, there were traffic stops netting drugs and catching people with outstanding warrants. Domestic violence incidents and stolen vehicles show up, too. And there were some attempted burglaries where the burglar alarm frightened the crooks away.
A driver's bad headlight led to police stopping him. He got out and fled, scattering items as he ran. (These people watch too much TV!) The items turned out to be marijuana and naturally, he got caught.
A couple of brothers got into a fight over a video game controller and one pulled a knife on the other. Cut him, too. Luckily, the injury wasn't serious but the kniife-wielder got carted off. (Did I say these people watch too much TV?)
A thief who failed was the shoplifter accosted by security guards. He pulled a knife and escaped. Immediate police work turned him up a few blocks away and he was arrested. He might have made it if he hadn't tried to escape on a bicycle. (Bet he didn't get that idea from TV! He must have thought of it all by himself!)
And there is the case of a streetwalker getting into a car to ply her trade. When the astonished driver asked what she was doing, she told him not to worry because she wasn't a cop. They proceeded to make a deal before the driver arrested her. Turns out he was a cop. (Bad luck, eh?)
Words fail me.
A driver's bad headlight led to police stopping him. He got out and fled, scattering items as he ran. (These people watch too much TV!) The items turned out to be marijuana and naturally, he got caught.
A couple of brothers got into a fight over a video game controller and one pulled a knife on the other. Cut him, too. Luckily, the injury wasn't serious but the kniife-wielder got carted off. (Did I say these people watch too much TV?)
A thief who failed was the shoplifter accosted by security guards. He pulled a knife and escaped. Immediate police work turned him up a few blocks away and he was arrested. He might have made it if he hadn't tried to escape on a bicycle. (Bet he didn't get that idea from TV! He must have thought of it all by himself!)
And there is the case of a streetwalker getting into a car to ply her trade. When the astonished driver asked what she was doing, she told him not to worry because she wasn't a cop. They proceeded to make a deal before the driver arrested her. Turns out he was a cop. (Bad luck, eh?)
Words fail me.
April 23, 2016
HOUSEWORK IS THE PITS
Housework is definitely the pits. Anyone trying to keep a (fairly) clean house knows this is true. No sooner do you get one chore done than it has to be repeated.
Clean the bathroom? Next week--okay, two weeks later--it has to be done again. Mop the kitchen? Two days--okay, a week later--it has to be done again. Vacuum? Next week--okay, three weeks later--it has to be done again! It's like those washing instructions to get out nasty stains: soap up, rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
What brought this up was the top of my refrigerator. My guy, with his long arms, reached up into the cabinet over it and got a pitcher down I needed. When I went to put it away, I had to get a stool. And once up in the air, what did I find? Fuzzy stuff all over the fridge top!
I couldn't believe it! I had just cleaned it when we moved into this house.
Then I realized we moved in three years ago.
So I got my paper towels and scrubbed off the dust and washed the top and got it clean again. Bet if I'd remember to do this every month, it wouldn't get as dirty.
And since gardening is on my same list (To Do As Seldom As Possible) as housekeeping, I will take this time to thank the previous owner who planted and tended all these lovely amaryllis that show up each spring. If he hadn't been such an avid gardener, we'd have had no pretty plants at all. Thank you, Mr. McGoogan!!!
Clean the bathroom? Next week--okay, two weeks later--it has to be done again. Mop the kitchen? Two days--okay, a week later--it has to be done again. Vacuum? Next week--okay, three weeks later--it has to be done again! It's like those washing instructions to get out nasty stains: soap up, rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
What brought this up was the top of my refrigerator. My guy, with his long arms, reached up into the cabinet over it and got a pitcher down I needed. When I went to put it away, I had to get a stool. And once up in the air, what did I find? Fuzzy stuff all over the fridge top!
I couldn't believe it! I had just cleaned it when we moved into this house.
Then I realized we moved in three years ago.
So I got my paper towels and scrubbed off the dust and washed the top and got it clean again. Bet if I'd remember to do this every month, it wouldn't get as dirty.
And since gardening is on my same list (To Do As Seldom As Possible) as housekeeping, I will take this time to thank the previous owner who planted and tended all these lovely amaryllis that show up each spring. If he hadn't been such an avid gardener, we'd have had no pretty plants at all. Thank you, Mr. McGoogan!!!
April 16, 2016
BLESSING OF THE FLEET
Last weekend, the small town up from us held their annual "Blessing of the Fleet" festival. The blessing itself took place on Sunday, but we went up Saturday when it wasn't so crowded.
The street was blocked off, and there were maybe a hundred or so booths winding around beneath the huge oaks. Here is the section going in:
And this is the end with the food! There were Phillipine and Thai cuisines, as well as tacoes, alligator bites, chicken fingers, and other offerings. We chose fried local shrimp (fresh and scrumptious!) with fries and a funnel cake from the sweets booth.
I heard the man at this booth playing and went over to see, thinking he was touting his homemade dulcimers or zithers. But no! It was a string instrument with a neck in a bean can! No kidding! He was playing tunes out of a can! If you look closely at the middle right, you can see several instruments standing upright, cans at the bottom.
It was a good deal, too. The instrument and a booklet of music for twenty dollars. Perfect for a beginning guitar player!
On the way home, a bicycle rental shop in town sported a sign I adored. The Pedaling Pig! Doesn't he look carefree and happy?
All in all, a fun day!
The street was blocked off, and there were maybe a hundred or so booths winding around beneath the huge oaks. Here is the section going in:
And this is the end with the food! There were Phillipine and Thai cuisines, as well as tacoes, alligator bites, chicken fingers, and other offerings. We chose fried local shrimp (fresh and scrumptious!) with fries and a funnel cake from the sweets booth.
I heard the man at this booth playing and went over to see, thinking he was touting his homemade dulcimers or zithers. But no! It was a string instrument with a neck in a bean can! No kidding! He was playing tunes out of a can! If you look closely at the middle right, you can see several instruments standing upright, cans at the bottom.
It was a good deal, too. The instrument and a booklet of music for twenty dollars. Perfect for a beginning guitar player!
On the way home, a bicycle rental shop in town sported a sign I adored. The Pedaling Pig! Doesn't he look carefree and happy?
All in all, a fun day!
April 9, 2016
ZOO VISIT
A week or so ago, my guy wanted some animal pix so we went to the zoo. I don't really approve of zoos but Jacksonville has a nice one and their citizens contribute greatly to keeping it that way.
There were a few wood storks settling in but most of the spring rookery will come later this month.
My guy spent most of the morning with the big cats, while I walked around, then sat on a shady bench to enjoy the people. Here are a sampling of his photos:
We have a jaguar, monkey (Look at that face!), pink flamingoes (more like RED flamingoes) and two tigers. There is a baby tiger this year, but he wasn't out.
Nice visit!
There were a few wood storks settling in but most of the spring rookery will come later this month.
My guy spent most of the morning with the big cats, while I walked around, then sat on a shady bench to enjoy the people. Here are a sampling of his photos:
We have a jaguar, monkey (Look at that face!), pink flamingoes (more like RED flamingoes) and two tigers. There is a baby tiger this year, but he wasn't out.
Nice visit!
April 2, 2016
APPLE CRAPPLE
I thought I'd love my Apple iPhone and for a while I did.
Then, for some reason, every time I wanted to do anything different, including buy an app or book, it wanted my password even though my fingerprint was in use and letting me in! But it wouldn't take my password. It kept telling me my password was wrong. I'd finally have to send for help and get the link and go to it and change my password.
All that just to buy a stupid book! We went through this so much I could hardly remember what my password was.
With many misgivings, I later bought an iPad. For a while, all was well and good. The fingrprint technology worked on it, too.
But now, after an upgrade, they've come up with some new form of torture: If I have signed in on a new device, Apple requires me to put in my Apple password and then a code they kindly text to me. Even though my fingerprint should let them know I'm the right person!
Did I really need this? Did I ask for this? Who is the moron behind all this security stuff?
Okay, I want my stuff to be secure. But going through this hassle is almost not worth it. And at the grocery store, people give me dirty looks while I try to use my Apple pay. Because it demands a password everytime I use it and then it tells me my password is wrong!
It's fine to push security, but hey! I'm not the one my stuff needs to be secure from!
Here, Apple! Take this!
Then, for some reason, every time I wanted to do anything different, including buy an app or book, it wanted my password even though my fingerprint was in use and letting me in! But it wouldn't take my password. It kept telling me my password was wrong. I'd finally have to send for help and get the link and go to it and change my password.
All that just to buy a stupid book! We went through this so much I could hardly remember what my password was.
With many misgivings, I later bought an iPad. For a while, all was well and good. The fingrprint technology worked on it, too.
But now, after an upgrade, they've come up with some new form of torture: If I have signed in on a new device, Apple requires me to put in my Apple password and then a code they kindly text to me. Even though my fingerprint should let them know I'm the right person!
Did I really need this? Did I ask for this? Who is the moron behind all this security stuff?
Okay, I want my stuff to be secure. But going through this hassle is almost not worth it. And at the grocery store, people give me dirty looks while I try to use my Apple pay. Because it demands a password everytime I use it and then it tells me my password is wrong!
It's fine to push security, but hey! I'm not the one my stuff needs to be secure from!
Here, Apple! Take this!
