Escalator

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 13, 2016 by Henry
Escalator

Escalator

Here’s a question. Should it only be an escalator when you ride it up from one level to a higher level? To escalate is to raise. So wWhen you go down, shouldn’t it be called a depressor or declinator or something? I have the same question about an elevator. Maybe that would be too complicated. I don’t know.

Anyway, Cathy and I were at Dulles airport today to pick up Dorothy. She was returning from Turkey, flying from Ankara to Washington via Munich, a much shorter itinerary than her original Ankara to Istanbul to Moscow to Washington set of flights. In fact, her entire trip from Ankara to Washington was shorter than her layover in Moscow was scheduled to be. I think we were all happy with the change. I suppose I could post a picture of her, back on American soil (or the tile floor of the airport, anyway) but I kind of like this picture of three escalators (two of which are descenders, actually), viewed from above.

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Our Backyard

Photograph taken on Friday, August 12, 2016 by Henry
Our Backyard

Our Backyard

The pictures from out yard which I post here are often close up shots of flowers of things found in the yard. Today I thought I’d give a wider view. I know I’ve done this before and our yard isn’t anything special but that’s what I thought I’d do. Cathy was cutting the grass in the back today so I included her in the picture. It’s been quite warm recently and fairly humid, or to put it another way, typical summer weather here in Maryland, hot and steamy, but we haven’t had anything approaching the drought conditions we get some years. That means the grass has kept growing through the summer, which looks nice but it means it needs to be cut. Anyway, the black-eyed Susans are nice.

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Mirror, Outta The Way Cafe

Photograph taken on Thursday, August 11, 2016 by Henry
Mirror, Outta The Way Cafe

Mirror, Outta The Way Cafe

We met a long-time friend this evening at the Outta The Way Cafe near Redland and Muncaster Mill Roads (http://www.outta.com/). It was a nice dinner and we had a good time catching up with the friend whom we hadn’t seen in a little while. We talked about the past a little but mostly about the future and even (occasionally) about the present. I hadn’t taken any pictures yet but this friend is not the most eager photography subject you’ll ever meet and, although I sometimes force the issue, I wanted to honor her with to not be photographed this evening. The Outta The Way Cafe has a somewhat eclectic decor, including this large mirror surrounded by a frame covered with glass balls. I’m not as happy with it as I might be. The reflection in the mirror is in focus but the mirror itself, with its colorful frame, it a bit blurry. But if I’m going to post something, this had got to be it.

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Happy Birthday, Ethan

Photograph taken on Wednesday, August 10, 2016 by Henry
Ethan, Age Nine

Ethan, Age Nine

We have known this handsome, young man since he arrived on these shores in March, the newest, if not the youngest, member of Ben and Erin’s family. Formerly of the Philippines, he’s now an All American Boy (like Jack Armstrong, if you hold the All properly). We were fortunate enough to be present at a small birthday party for him today. It was a fairly casual thing but fun, nonetheless.

We were at his house (or his parents’ home, you might say) for our bi-weekly prayer meeting and Bible study. After that was done, though, we took some time to recognize and celebrate Ethan’s milestone. Erin had asked if he wanted anything special for dinner. Apparently his first thought was that everyone would have a piece of salami and a hard boiled egg on their plate (if I’m remembering correctly, I’m writing this 11 days after the fact). After she insisted that they should probably have something a little more substantial, he decided on salmon.

For dessert, when the rest of us would be here to celebrate, he had forgone the traditional cake and asked for apple pie and ice cream (didn’t I tell you he’s an all American boy?). He helped his mom by passing out plates of pie and ice cream before having his own. Because he was acting as a waiter, he decided to put a dish towel over his arm and do it right.

Happy Birthday, Ethan. We love you.

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Clivia Bloomtime

Photograph taken on Tuesday, August 09, 2016 by Henry
Clivia

Clivia

Late each spring, when the danger of frost is past, we move our large clivia out into the shade of a viburnum bush. As forest undergrowth plants from South Africa and Swaziland, clivia can’t take full sun but very much likes the fresh air humidity of a Maryland summer. Apparently they can be brought into bloom in the winter if treated properly but ours seems to bloom in the summer or early fall without any special treatment. It’s a lovely plant and I find it a bit surprising it isn’t grown more. It’s quite easy to care for and even when not blooming has lovely, green, strap-like leaves to brighten up a room. You really should get yourself one. As for flowers, there are yellow, orange, and red varieties, so pick what suits you best.

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More Black-eyed Susans

Photograph taken on Monday, August 08, 2016 by Henry
Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans

I didn’t take very many pictures today and most of those I took didn’t turn out too well, but because I did take some and because I’m doing my best to keep up this one picture a day thing for a bit longer (I’m at 2050 consecutive days at this point, a little over five and a half years), this is what you get. It isn’t a bad picture, but that’s about it. If you like yellow or if you are particularly fond of black-eyed Susans you might even think it’s a nice picture. But it’s a picture. I promise to have better pictures from time to time. Of course, I can probably also promise to have worse pictures now and then. Most of them, I guess, are closer to average.

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Ara’s EP Release Party

Photograph taken on Sunday, August 07, 2016 by Henry
Ara's EP Release Party

Ara’s EP Release Party

Back in November (specifically Wednesday, November 18, 2015) I posted a picture under the title “Ara and the Band, Open Mic Night, Villain and Saint.” She was on stage again this evening, playing the songs from her new EP. If you are unfamiliar with the EP, it stands for Extended Play and designates (these days) a CD or download that is longer than a single and shorter than an LP (long playing record or CD). Generally they have up to 4 songs and are less than 25 minutes or so, although I don’t suppose there are any strict rules for this sort of thing. Anyway, she was releasing her EP (which you can get here: https://aracasey.bandcamp.com/) and we thought it would be nice to both support her and have an evening out.

As it turned out, our evening out turned out to be just me. Cathy got called away to something she couldn’t turn down (I know, I’m being vague and evasive but this is a public blog and I don’t feel like telling everyone everything that’s going on. Get over it.) so I went alone. Cathy would have liked to have come, as Ara is more her friend than mine. They play soccer together. We’ve also gone to her Día de Muertos party (see: Crazy Cat Lady and Eve) a couple times. That, and listening to her play, both times at Villain and Saint in Bethesda.

I took a bunch of pictures but this is my favorite. It just seems right, somehow. It was as good time.

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Black-eyed Susans and Verbena bonariensis

Photograph taken on Sunday, August 07, 2016 by Henry
Black-eyed Susans and <em>Verbena bonariensis</em>

Black-eyed Susans and Verbena bonariensis

We’re back from the beach and the black-eyed Susans are in full bloom all around our yard. There were some blooming when we left but there is no question they are at their peak now. They bloom along with and complement the Verbena bonariensis, sometimes known as tall verbena or purpletop vervain (although we don’t happen to use those names).

My camera has a hard time when I take pictures with a lot of yellow in them. The auto-white balance doesn’t know that it’s supposed to be yellow and tries to ‘fix’ it. The result is quite blue outside the yellow parts and I have to adjust for it after the fact. Not a bit deal, but interesting that yellow is the color most likely to confuse the camera.

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Farewell to Ocean Isle Beach

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 06, 2016 by Henry
Farewell to Ocean Isle Beach

Farewell to Ocean Isle Beach

A week at the beach is never enough. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the shortness of the time at the beach or the shortness of the time away from work, but in any case, our week was quickly over and it’s time to go home. I went out onto the upstairs deck and took some pictures of the fairly calm Atlantic Ocean this morning. Actually, after the storm we had around mid-week (which was a rip-roarer) the ocean has been very calm, indeed. The other thing about the week being over, of course, is that it means we have to drive home, which includes a long stretch of Interstate 95. I cannot imagine that’s anyone’s idea of a good time.

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Trigger Warning

Photograph taken on Friday, August 05, 2016 by Henry
Trigger Warning

Trigger Warning

Trigger warnings are nothing new. The practice predates the internet by quite a bit, although that particular name is relatively new. In the ‘old days’ you might hear “parental discretion is advised.” before a particularly graphic or shocking news item, movie, or television show. Even for those without children (i.e., where parental discretion isn’t applicable) these warnings gave notice to all that they might want to prepare themselves for something unpleasant. Whatever you think of the current practice, however, I found the accompanying sign to be a bit funny in this context. Here’s a genuine trigger warning. It fits the old definition, of course—if you trespass you should prepare yourself to be shot—but it also fits the new usage. You might want to avoid this, if being shot at tends to cause you to have a panic attack.

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Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab (Uca pugilator)

Photograph taken on Friday, August 05, 2016 by Henry
Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab (Uca pugilator)

Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab (Uca pugilator)

Cathy and I went out into the tidal march on the back side of Ocean Island late this morning. It was quite hot in the sun but it’s a cool place to be and I think we were both glad we did it. Hats and sunscreen were a must, though. I took a few pictures of a common egret (Ardea alba) and a few other birds. Mostly, though, we saw fiddler crabs. Hundreds of them. They would scurry away as we approached, disappearing quickly down their holes. If you stop moving for a while (sometimes a few minutes) they would come out again, as this one did. Of course I was lying down waiting for this one. It made it easier to be still but I ended up all covered with sand. This is an Atlantic sand fiddler crab (Uca pugilator).

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Dusk, Ocean Isle Beach

Photograph taken on Thursday, August 04, 2016 by Henry
Dusk, Ocean Isle Beach

Dusk, Ocean Isle Beach

This isn’t quite a sunset picture, although the sun setting contributed to it. It’s more a picture of clouds as dusk drew on. Cathy and I were out on the beach for about fourty-five minutes starting about 7:45 and the clouds were really quite spectacular, even if I wasn’t able to capture them completely. The sky was as deep a blue as you’ll ever see it and the clouds on the right were quite dark. The white cloud at the top was growing quite rapidly and I thought we might get a big storm. A nice way to end a nice day at the beach. Cathy stayed out a little longer to check on the progress of a turtle next a little way up the beach.

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Brookgreen Gardens

Photograph taken on Wednesday, August 03, 2016 by Henry
Live Oak Allee, Brookgreen Gardens

Live Oak Allee, Brookgreen Gardens

Cathy, mom, and I went to Brookgreen Gardens today, driving the 75 minutes from Ocean Isle Beach and getting there at about 10:00. I’ve got three past posts with pictures from Brookgreen on the blog, two in 2013 and one in 2012 (Brookgreen Gardens, Thursday, August 02, 2012, Brookgreen Gardens, Thursday, August 01, 2013, and Brookgreen Critters, Thursday, August 01, 2013). Between the gardens, a lunch in the restaurant, and a visit to the small zoo, we spent about five hours there. Not long enough to see everything but it was a great visit. It was hot and very humid but not as swelteringly hot as it’s been some years. I took nearly 400 photographs today and I’ve got three to show you. This year I decided not to include any of the wonderful art work, there are simply too many nice sculptures from which to choose.

Carolina Anole (<em>Anolis carolinensis</em>)

Carolina Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

The first picture is of the Live Oak Allee, which forms the center of the garden leading up to the former location of the house. These trees are said to be over 300 years old and I have no reason to doubt that, as they are quite large. The branches are covered with resurrection ferns and there is the ubiquitous Spanish moss all over. Under them are beds filled with Caladiums. This image is an HDR image made from three different exposures and I liked the muted colors in this nearly monochrome image. I have mixed feelings about HDR images but I have to admit, they produce some extraordinary results. My camera has an autobracketing feature that lets me take three images in quick succession with three different exposures (and I can control the amount of difference between them). Sometimes I would prefer five images, but maybe that wouldn’t really help much. I usually take them without the benefit of a tripod and I’m sure they would turn out better if I didn’t have to hand hold them.

Wet Wings

Wet Wings

The second image is a Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) posing on bright red Coleus leaves. I found the contrast between the green of the lizard and the red of the leaves to be wonderful. We saw quite a few of these little lizards as well as huge eastern lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera). In the zoo we saw black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax, including one which caught an anole), white ibis (Eudocimus albus), American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and in both areas, lots of dragonflies. That brings us to the final picture, a dragonfly with water droplets on its wings. I think the tiny droplets have a jewel-like quality, although this isn’t one of the jewelwings (genus Calopteryx).

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Sunrise, Ocean Isle Beach

Photograph taken on Wednesday, August 03, 2016 by Henry
Sunrise, Ocean Isle Beach

Sunrise, Ocean Isle Beach

It’s our fourth morning at the beach and we had our first sunrise worth my walking down to the beach to get pictures. I was afraid my lens would fog up when I went outside but it was actually cool out, about 68°F, so I had no problems. I took a bunch of pictures looking to the east and the rising sun. Then I turned around to find two ends of a rainbow, one over the ocean to the south and the other over the land. I got pictures of those, as well. What a beautiful morning.

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Trouble Brewing

Photograph taken on Tuesday, August 02, 2016 by Henry
Trouble Brewing

Trouble Brewing

This is sort of a running gag with us. Every year we see these signs and chuckle. The title is from a class of Far Side comics by Gary Larson. He would put two things side by side that will inevitably lead to some sort of conflict and then caption it “Trouble Brewing.” For example, “Crutchfield’s Crocodile Farm” and “Anderson’s Sky Diving School” or “Falconers Club Meet Here and “12th Annual Tea Cup Poodle Fancier’s Picnic.” To us, these two signs are similar. Of course, there is a reasonable explanation. The road where this is found is a divided highway and the One-Way sign only applies to the southbound lanes while the Hurricane Evacuation Route sign applies more generally. Still, having them right next to each other pointing in opposite directions is classic.

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Habroscelimorpha dorsalis (Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle)

Photograph taken on Monday, August 01, 2016 by Henry
Habroscelimorpha dorsalis (Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle)

Habroscelimorpha dorsalis (Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle)

I’ve already posted a picture for today and I don’t doubt that it will be the more popular of the two, but I wanted to post this one because it’s a new beetle to me. I’m sure I’ve seen them before, as they are fairly plentiful on the beaches of North Carolina, but I either hadn’t noticed them or never bothered to get close enough to take a picture. This is an eastern beach tiger beetle, Habroscelimorpha dorsalis, and it’s a lovely little thing, even if not the most colorful insect around. They skittered away as Cathy and I walked out to the eastern end of the island this afternoon and this time I stopped, moved in slowly, and bent down to get a few good pictures.

Categories: Creatures | 1 Comment

Dramatic Sky, Alligator Pond

Photograph taken on Monday, August 01, 2016 by Henry
Dramatic Sky, Alligator Pond

Dramatic Sky, Alligator Pond

I don’t know what, if anything, this pond is actually named but we call it Alligator Pond because we have seen alligators there in past years. This year we didn’t see any and didn’t see any of the water birds we’ve often seen, either. But the sky was fairly dramatic, so I took a picture of that instead. I think it made the short drive worth the effort. We stopped for Italian Ice on the way, too, which would have been enough on its own. But a nice picture is worth something in addition.

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Ocean Isle Beach

Photograph taken on Sunday, July 31, 2016 by Henry
Ocean Isle Beach

Ocean Isle Beach

We arrived at Ocean Isle Beach at about 11:15 last night. We stopped for our family reunion and were there for a much-too-short three and a half hours. After that we had an uneventful drive the rest of the way down. We unpacked, made a quick trip to the supermarket for some groceries, and then went to bed, tired but happy to be here. This is what greeted us when we woke up this morning. Sea oats (Uniola paniculata) growing on the dunes with the waves crashing beyond. Naturally there were more people on the beach a little later in the day, but each morning I enjoy looking out at the mostly deserted beach with waves coming in, never stopping, as they have done for centuries.

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Cousins

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 30, 2016 by Henry
Dot, Mary Ellen, Ann, LaClaire, and Glenn

Dot, Mary Ellen, Ann, LaClaire, and Glenn

We went to the now-annual family reunion on the way to the beach today and it was great to see family. We don’t have the biggest family to arrange reunions. We all know someone who belongs to a family where hundreds gather for a weekend or week-long celebration. But I wouldn’t trade my family for any other. These are the descendants of Fernando and Anna, who had five children who lived into adulthood and had families of their own. None of those siblings are still living and of their eleven children, we are down to five, with George leaving us in January. At these reunions, we generally take pictures (I know that will shock you) and if we get nothing else, a picture of the remaining first cousins is a must. Here they are in order from oldest to youngest (left to right), Dot, Mary Ellen, Ann, LaClaire, and Glenn. Of course there were also pictures of the second, third, and even fourth cousins. I’m a “second.”

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Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)

Photograph taken on Friday, July 29, 2016 by Henry
Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)

Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)

In yesterday’s post I talked about going in the woods to the west of my office and that there is a boggy area. There is also a very old road bed that runs through the woods and at the south end of that, just before you reach the stream that runs betweem my building and the rest of the campus, there is a small, shallow pond. It is silting up but there is still a foot or two of water in it much of the time. It rained quite hard last nught so the water was high today (including in the creek, which I had a hard time crossing). I found a reasonably dry place to sit and took pictures of dragonflies for about half an hour. This is a Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis (thanks, Brady, for the identification, these dragonflies are too much for me), and a handsome thing he is, too.

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