The Trail Since 2006
It began with a spark of inspiration from a few kindred spirits scattered along the Appalachian ridges, mostly in North Carolina and Virginia. Back then, we were virtual friends who—for the most part—never shared a physical porch, but we built a digital one together. Some were writers, some were poets, and some were photographers, each of us finding our way through those early “virtual woods” on the internets.
What follows is a collection of my latest musings (and perhaps a bit of blathering), a trail of thoughts that winds all the way back to those first steps in 2006.
Or just meander through my past muses… Just hope the coffee isn’t stale!
First Day of Work, Twenty O’Eight
It’s not quite sunup outside and I’ve made it through my email and the necessary blogs before work. I’ve been playing with Twitter a bit over the past few days but I’m still not quite…
Hello Twenty O’Eight
“New Year’s Day–Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.~ Mark Twain I went to bed early last evening and…
The last of Twenty O’Seven…
This morning is glowing…The light outside is golden. I would be outside trying to capture a remembrance except the temperature is at 40° and the humidity is 88%. Too cold by far for the shorts…
The Last Weekend of Twenty O’Seven
It’s not a happy subject, but global warming is going to move up on everyone’s radar in the coming year. Here is what Bill McKibben had to say in todays Washington Post… Bill McKibben –…
You can only believe it if you see it…
December 26, Twenty O’Seven
It’s raining today so I’m sitting at the kitchen table listening to the raindrops with Mary Gauthier playing in the background. Of the things I had on my wishlist for Christmas, two were her latest…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Since you asked…
Here’s a bit of trivia I am sure you all have wondered about. What…you say you haven’t… Tex-Arcana: Where did Texas toast come from? | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle A miscalculation is credited with fostering…
Ending the year in style…
Here it is early afternoon on Friday before Christmas. I should be out shopping for a few last minute gifts for my wife…Instead I’m sitting here in the kitchen with the double French Doors wide…
Slow Gardening and Felder Rushing
It’s been a while since I last mentioned Felder Rushing, so today’s podcast led me back to his websites. One of the first things I saw online about Felder was a reference to slow gardening…Here…
Musing my way through Wednesday morn…
Something is strange with my blogs. For some reason my search engine hits are climbing at (for here anyway) unusual rates. Believe me I’m not complaining, I might make some new friends. A five and…
The difference in 24 hours…
Yesterday morning at this time the temperature outside my door was 36°…Today it’s 61. When the sun rose yesterday the ground was white with the second frost of the year. I’ll be surprised if we…
Feed Reading…
My Monday morning reading of the feeds over coffee and toast led me to this via The Ethicurean: Chew the right thing. Michael Pollan – Argiculture – Disease Resistant Staph – Concentrated Animal Feed Operations…
Morning Drive
Today’s commute to work looked quite wintry. The sky was flat gray and hanging just above the power lines from the look and feel. The roads I drive in on are wide and gray under…
Photo Friday – Sunrise
This week’s challenge: ‘Sunrise’. Sunrise from Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway Sunrise Sunrise Looks like morning in your eyes But the clock’s held 9:15 for hours Sunrise Sunrise Couldn’t tempt us if it…
What a difference a day can make…
Yesterday morning at this time the temperature was in the 70’s today it’s in the 40’s. Other than light rain falling I like today’s temperature much better. ++++++++++ I see my ex-Gov is still at…
The Weather Just Keeps Throwing Surprises
The cold front that is putting a big chunk of the country in winter stalled just north of my house yesterday. The cooler air made it as far south as the office before deciding to…
Morning Treks…
On my Monday morning trek to the “curb” this morning the thermometer on the front porch was reading 72°. After dropping the garbage bag in the cage and coming in to coffee and toast I…
Christmas?
The weather outside is…springlike. Not what you want to get you into the Christmas spirit. The high here today could break the record for high temperatures on this date. Here we sit, just after noon…
A new day…
Again today the internet connection is being problematic. I guess I shouldn’t have been so easy with my praise of AT&T last week when asked about their dsl service. It almost makes me wonder if…
Wednesday Afternoon In Paradise
I had my first inspection of the ole vocal chords this afternoon. The Doc was happy with the appearance of my vocal chords so I guess I am too. It looks like it’s time to…
Power Outages and Internet Interuptions
Sunday night as we were preparing the evening meal the power blinked off for a few seconds for no known reason. The only evident results at the time were a few clocks that started blinking…
December Heat Spell…
I went out for a walk this morning with the camera because I noticed the red oak out back finally decided it autumn. The predominate color is still green around here, but what do you…
TGIF – Looking forward to December
We seem to be having another of those foggy fall mornings…The temperature is predicted to be rising through the weekend. I have even heard predictions of 70’s this weekend. So it looks like fall has…
It Is a Foggy Morning Out the Kitchen Window
As much as I remember starting the days we’ve spent up on the mountains watching the fog rise out of the valleys and burn off, it seems the fogs of home have been more prevalent…
Wednesday Morning, 3am…Once Again…
For the first time in a week the temperature as I enter the kitchen isn’t in the 4o’s. It looks like our winter preview is over for a while…Hello autumn and 70° highs once again….
A weekend of cold, wet weather sends me back to work on a beautiful Monday!
Thanksgiving Day was the last decent weather day we had through the long holiday weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all wet, windy and cold. Most decidedly cold for the wife. Forty degree weather in…
The Saturday After the Thursday That Was and the Friday That Wasn’t
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We wandered over to my mother’s house about noon on Thursday carrying our contribution to the feast. Both of my brothers were already there. Of my sisters…
Y’all Have a Happy Turkey Day
May you have a great day giving thanks with kith and kin. Enjoy being with those you love if you can. Have some pie for me…I’ll be trying to refrain from indulging. For all of…
Floyd, Virginia Memories…
The Floyd Country Store on a frosty Sunday morning. The Jacksonville Cemetery in the foreground. The Barbershop… The Stoplight… Farmer’s Supply… Oddfella’s Cantina…
It’s back to work time…
You know it’s time to go back to work when you get up and the weather outside has turned back to Texas. It’s 65° with a humidity of 97%. In other words, looking outside right…
Memories of a trip…
I passed this old farm as we drove south on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Floyd to Boone. I nestled down a bit off the road behind a line of round hay bales. Just enough…
Photo Friday – Travel
This week’s challenge: ‘Travel’. Eight States, ten Days, 1750 miles, five hotel rooms, from heat to freezing to fall comfortable to snow to fall comfortable. That’s Travel…And here’s my Vacation Slideshow for proof… . Please…
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog…
Pushed through to home last night and arrived about 10pm…I see why I have a love/hate relationship with the American Interstate Road system. While they let you cover immense distances in a single day they…
Goodbye North Carolina…
One of the places I have tried to hit in North Carolina for a number of years has been Roaring Creek off of 19E out of Elk Park. Roaring Creek tumbles off the southeast side…
Misty, Rainy Fall Day
I cannot complain about the weather here in northwestern North Carolina on this autumn day. The rain, light as it is, is desperately needed. But it sure puts a “damp-er” on the quest for pictographs….
Mother Nature Saved Some Autumn Color For Me…
As we left Virginia behind today Mother Nature gave me a perfect picture postcard view of Mabry Mill. Actually the two colorful trees in the background are about the only two left in the vicinity…
Today I walked a slow road…
A while back I wrote a review for Fred First’s, A Slow Road Home, at the time we had only met on the pages of each others blogs and through the exchange of emails. This…
Unexpected Sight on the Parkway…
Driving South on the Parkway through Humpback Rocks brought a surprise this afternoon… It must have come down pretty good overnight since it had been melting for a while by the time we got there….
Saturday and a Crooked Road
We spent yesterday at Jefferson’s Monticello… Today we head south down the Blue Ridge to a introduction to Floyd, Va…See ya down the road.
Boy did we make a wrong turn…
No not really. It just hit me that it made more sense to run the Interstate up to the terminus of our trip and then begin working our way south rather than vice versa. It…
Wednesday On a Cold, Cold Mountain
Sunrise this morning was spent at Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather was clear and cold. I didn’t know how cold until I got back in the car to drive back down…The…
Tuesday Morning Fun
I closed yesterday with a shot of sunset so lets open the day with the morning sunrise fro the other side of Asheville… Heading back to breakfast I stopped at the French Broad River Overlook…
Monday Mountains…
We drove into the darkness on Sunday to get to Birmingham. The only observations from the drive on Sunday were we both commented on how dry Mississippi looked. It was a noticeable change right at…
A Sunday Drive…
I am just finishing up with email and all before I throw the final items (like this computer) into the car. We are hitting the road in the next hour or so for our first…
Packing and planning…
We’ve been running around trying to get ready to hit the road tomorrow, so posting here is down to a minimum. With any luck I’ll be posting some autumn colors in the next week… In…
Oops, missed a day…
The mapping software I ordered from DeLorme arrived late on Wednesday night so Thursday morning was spent installing booth programs and checking the GPS receiver during my regular blogging time. I must say that what…
Wednesday…Getting closer…And closer
I walked out of the house yesterday to see this sight… The color of the sky was so arresting I had to grab a shot. Then I waited to see the sun peak over the…
The countdown continues…
There is a long but informative article on the effects of light on seasonal mood swings over on the Washington Post… Seeing the Light of Day Oh, the light! The autumn light! Is there anything…
