What Happened to This Blog?

Summer. Then autumn. That's what happened. Hot, steamy weather that distorts thinking, warps reality, and confuses the simplest plans. I gave up blogging and went fishing, built a garden pond, leaf proofed the rain gutters, began building a brick patio, went to the cool of the Blue Ridge Mountains, built a rock wall, and a few other random things of interest. I took some pictures of huge flocks of geese, brilliant autumn colors, sweeping vistas, and most recently, fairy landish Christmas lights around the Roper Mountain Observatory and Science Center. There are videos of driving through mountain tunnels and other oddities. I'll try to start posting now and catch up a bit.

I've also encountered some good stories, but' I'm getting older and can't promise that I will remember them when the time comes to retell them. Menus changed, some for the worse, and a few favorite restaurants closed. Life goes on. There's not much on TV worth the effort and time it takes to watch it, so maybe I'll get more work done now that cooler weather has arrived. Also maybe I'll blog and post stuff before it gets old. Oh, did I mention that I saw the first snow of the season up in the high mountains of North Carolina? I got to experience that last year also. I'm trying to make it an annual tradition.

Posted by Dread while sipping a mulled cider.

Dog Daze

Blue haze and dog daze. Okay enough pun. The dog days of summer normally here run from mid July to mid August. This year they seemed to start in June and have extended to the end of August and who knows how much longer we'll have this oppressive heat and haze! A few mornings ago the temperature at 7:00 AM was 88 F and the humidity was 88%. Walking outdoors is more like swimming in a sauna standing up.

And people wondered why hippies did naked mud slides in the 60's and my generation took up streaking in the summers of the early 70's? I can't believe that we southerners even wear clothes. The Amazonian natives have the dress code about worked out. I say we adopt it. At work the other day I was wearing a knit shit and kakis when three suits marched in, white starched shirts, ties, and full suit coats. I don't think someone stupid enough to wear those outfits in this heat and humidity deserves to be an executive. Who was it said, "YOU CAN"T CURE STUPID!"?

Elvis Lives!

After work yesterday, Miss N and I cruised up to Hendersonville to attend Music on Main and a car show. These are regular Friday evening events there during the summer. Hendersonville is in the mountainous regions of western North Carolina, so its cooler there in the evenings than it is elsewhere in the south. A good number of celebrities have retired to the Tryon, Ashville, Hendersonville area over the years. Occasionally, you spot one. Last night we spotted Elvis at the concert. He kept dodging our camera phones, but finally I slipped this shot. Jeepers! He's what....ummm, seventy five now? Looks to be about right.

The concert is loads of relaxing fun. If you live in the area, cruise over to Main Street Hendersonville, NC on any Friday evening this summer. You gotta love it!

Posted by Dread who needed a break bad at the end of this week.

What's a Holiday?

I found the above pic of an area of Tahiti on the internet some time ago, and yesterday turned it into a watercolor. I like it, so I'm sharing here. Mainly I'm sharing it here because I forgot to pack the camera, (twice!) this weekend. Hence, there are no pictures of the various lakes, mountains, and byways visited over the holiday weekend. A pause, a rememberance, and a mediation were part of my day yesterday. My father's generation was World War II. My generation was Vietnam. My son's generation is Iraq and Afghanistan. Through the generations we should have learned, that freedom is precious and not cheap. There is no security in freedom, and there is no freedom in security. In other words, we can not be secure in our freedom when we give up our freedom for security.

I Don't Think We're in the South Anymore Toto!

You can click on this thing above to get the larger image, if you're not afraid to look at it in a larger scale. I unexpectedly came across this the other day while researching something on the net. It wasn't labeled or explained; just the picture. I haven't a clue what it is, what it will grow up to be or anything about it. I thought some of my readers may have bumped into one someplace before; say maybe while digging a hole to Russia from Madagascar? Let me know if you have a clue as to its identity, and any control tips just in case I should get an infestation of them in the lawn or something. Personally, I think they would be more likely to infest your nightmares than your lawn. But, I'm just saying....

Posted by Dread because of curiosity.

Mountain Get Away

Sunday was an opportunity to cruise into the lower Blue Ridge Mountains, do a little fishing, take a few pictures, enjoy some good food and the wonderful company of the Divine Miss "N". Our trek began at the Junction, a country restaurant located at Gowansville, on the corner of the junction of Highways 11 and 14 in Spartanburg County. The fare there partially consists of fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, green beans, okra, fried green tomatoes, candied yams, biscuits, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, salad, slaw, potato salad, cakes, puddings ice cream, and the list goes on but you get the picture.

After being disabled by lunch we cruised up past Pumpkintown and Cleveland to Table Rock State Park where we lounged by the lake, fished and took a few pictures. Later we rode up to Cesar's Head and took a few more pictures. Then, a leisurely ride home. I missed a picture of the male swallowtail butterfly, the huge raven at Cesar's Head and the trout that Miss N had out of the water but slipped back into the lake.

Miss N doesn't like for me to take her picture, but I got one of her from the rear as we passed between a narrow angled cleft in the mountain at Cesar's Head. Knowing how she would react if I posted that shot from the rear here, I'll just keep it for myself. Some of the other scenes from our day trip are posted below.













Above is the famous Ceasar's Head rock formation. I don't know why it is called Cesar's Head nor why it is famous. Straining my imagination, it could be say a Chinese monkey?

Posted by Dread who really wanted the raven shot.

Politics and Religion but Mostly Politics

I don't think that being southern is a political leaning. I also don't believe that being southern is a religion, although its close. I do think that a blog about things southern, and particularly Carolinian, shouldn't really mix politics into the blog too heavily. The south is by its very nature steeped in politics and practically everything either is or could be immersed in political influence. But setting personal common sense aside to maintain a decorum of grace sometimes helps keep the peace and the focus of something as narrowly defined as a blog. Therefore I have for good of the cause, decided to establish a blog specifically for political posts, thus leaving Beneath the Carolina Moon (for the most part at least) free of the rancor of partisan politics. Of course I don't engage in partisan politics, I engage in American politics. But, that's a different path of discussion.

For some months now I had planned a new blog to sit as an awkward sister to this one. I reserved the name and domain over a year ago and finally got around to actually posting something on it over the past weekend. At first I had planned to remove all of the previous political statements and opinions from this blog and relocate those posts there on the new blog, but I had a change of heart. I duplicated the political posts from this blog and placed them there. And, henceforth (at least for the most part) will place my political opinionated posts and posts of that general genre on the new blog. That will reserve this blog for posts about all things southern and particularly Carolinian (for the most part).

So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, children, and you dummocrats too, I present to you, the new awkward sister blog; An Obamanation. The link now appears at the top of the links list just over there ------------------->
Among other things, the blog addresses situations like politicians who embrace religions of hate. Or, religionist who embrace politics of hate. What ever!

I encourage you to visit An Obamanation often and leave your thoughts there. Your thoughts are welcomed here also, just deposit your political spew there and not here. Nuff said. Enjoy!

Dread

It's spring at last! It's spring at last! Thank God Almighty; it's spring at last!

Today I try to catch up on blogging a bit by posting multiple pix from around the neighborhood.

Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.
Click the pictures for the full size view and detail.

Posted by Dread who has been too busy enjoying the spring weather to blog indoors.

Late Winter Blue Ridge Parkway

Saturday, the Divine Miss "N" and I motored off to Ashville for the Shoney's breakfast buffet. As usual, it was fabulous. After gorging ourselves on french toast, pancakes, biscuits, gravy, bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, fried apples, maple syrup, and loads of other goodies, we headed off to one of the few stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway that remains open to traffic. We took pictures and pictures but I pulled these two to share here. One is ice falls over the face of the rock along side of the road and the other is the remaining snow on the north faces of the mountains. Old timers always said the lingering snow was waiting on more. This time I think they were right. It began snowing today shortly before noon and the mountains are predicted to get several inches.
I'm thinking Sandy K might get a bit homesick from these pix.

Posted by Dread as he watches it snow.

St. Valentine's Day Retrospection

Thankfully, life is now different. Vastly different. Wonderfully different. Blissfully different!

Trespassers

At the beginning of yesterday's snow storm, I caught these trespassers tramping through.

Carolina Weather

We had a little nasty weather Friday night. I snapped this pic early this morning at the edge of the Four O'Clocks bed. Sleet. Bah! The roads are still covered and treacherous.

Fwd; Fwd; Fwd;

I received the email posted below yesterday. I absolutely refuse to do fwd; fwd's. So, I'm posting it here. It's not the most tasteful statement, but it gets the point across.

To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature:

It is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:

The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.

Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.

Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.

War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.

The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

An Obamanation!

Scott Brown for President 2012?


Maybe a new more down to earth leader for a more down to earth America.

Let Freedom Ring!

Asked in a debate last week if he was willing to sit in Kennedy's seat and block health care reform, Scott Brown replied, "With all due respect, it's not the Kennedys' seat, and it's not the Democrats' seat, it's the people's seat."

Who would of thought, that representation "of the people, by the people, and for the people", actually still matters?


By the way, who in their right mind wears a baby poop colored suit to the U.S. House of Representatives?

A New Day, Month,Year, Decade & Blog Cycle

Yeah, I got a big ol'e pot of collards , seasoned with sausage, on the stove now, and I'm about to put the blackeyed peas on to cook. I think this makes a fine first dinner of the first day of the first month of the firs year of a new decade. So, I'm posting it here. I know this is a southern tradition, and particularly a Carolina one. So, tell me. What do you people from other parts of the world eat as a traditional food on New Year's Day?

Talk to me.

And Happy New Year!

Dread