Visiting family in Avon Lake, OH for the 4th of July.
Postcard From Avon, Ohio
Tag Archives: Travel
Sahara Dust Cloud Was A Bust
The ominous sounding Sahara Dust Cloud passed through Charlotte over the last few days, including (I guess) today. Yesterday afternoon was really hazy and smoky-looking, but it didn’t present the vibrant sunset that had been predicted. Supposedly the sunset on Friday was pretty colorful, but that might or might not have been a result of the dust. I was inside a restaurant having dinner anyway, so I can’t say. Things look pretty clear outside now, dust-wise, although it is pretty cloudy. The afternoon will show if there is any remaining dust in the air, and an air quality alert is in effect until midnight.
Happy Sunday!
Dinner Out With Friends
We survived our first mask outing last evening, not that we expected anything different. We went to a local seafood place with some friends/neighbors and had a nice time. It was only our second meal out from home, and it was nice to “test the waters” some more. One thing’s for sure – it really clarifies the difference between cooking and eating at home and restaurant food, especially in terms of price and portion sizes. It’s a reminder to keep the restaurant outings to a minimum!
I have four of these little vignettes that I’m planning to post through Tuesday – still drift fences (sorry) but a slightly different view – then I plan to end the post-a-day routine. It’s been fun but it’s time for a break, so I’ll get back to my not-quite-daily occasional posts. 😉
Time To Join The Crowd
Read on another blog earlier today:
“Wearing a mask is NOT a political statement. It’s an I.Q. Test.”
Needless to say, that’s a little harsh. Until now I’ve resisted the mask thing, but now our Guv’nor says we’re going to have to wear them for a while. Despite my resistance I do believe in the science. I’m just…stubborn. Fortunately we don’t go too many places where it’s an issue, so it won’t have a huge effect. Interesting how it’s easier to accept something when you’ve been told you need to do it, instead of just having it “recommended.”
Photo is another one of those irresistible drift fences on the beach. Sigh…. 😉
Roadside Finds: Blacksville, SC Train Station
I mentioned this find in the previous post, and here are a few photos. The rotunda design reminds me a bit of the station in Hamlet, NC but that station is much larger. This station now houses the public library. I like to see these old stations repurposed and maintained as they should be, respecting their history.
(NOT) The Big City
I’ve never been to New York City. I know it’s a really big city but have no concept of how truly huge it is. Many of us who live in Charlotte like to think Charlotte is a big city, but it’s it’s just a small town with lots of people. An article in yesterday’s New York Times had a comment that underscored that point for me.
Pete Wells, the Times’ restaurant critic, was writing in “Restaurant Dining Is Back, if You Can Find a Table” about how restaurants responded to being able to open for outdoor seating. He indicated that the new rules went into effect on a Monday, and that by noon on that Tuesday 4100 restaurants had received approval for outdoor dining. 4100 restaurants! North Carolina probably doesn’t have that many restaurants in the entire state if you exclude fast food. Amazing!
Blacksville, SC is another one of those “along the way” places we passed through. This old store is across the street from the train station, which now houses the town library and will likely be the subject of another post. 🙂
Roadside Finds: Kline, SC Train Station
There are rail lines all over rural South Carolina, and on our backroads travels we often find them paralleling the highway. Every time we go through a small town, we look for a likely spot for a train station. Many of them are long disappeared, but occasionally we come across one. As we passed through the town of Kline, SC we came across this old depot. Still in pretty good condition but could use a little TLC.
Roadside Finds – Murray Gin Mill
Kathy & I like to joke that “no one turns a 5 hour drive into a 7- or 8-hour adventure like we do! Even going to the beach we like to take back roads and explore what we find along the way. For this recent trip to Hilton Head we decided to take a picnic lunch and stop at Barnwell State Park, located a few miles off our usual route through rural South Carolina. The route to Barnwell took us down a road we hadn’t been on before, and we passed this mill along the way. I didn’t stop, and kicked myself several times before we were too far away to turn around. I promised myself that I would stop on the way back, and I did.
I haven’t looked too hard yet, but have not come up with any kind of history on this mill. I did find some indication that the name “Murray” appears on a number of cotton mills in the area, but nothing so far that tells me more. I’m guessing that the mill is no longer operational, but I’ve seen places that look worse than this still churning out product once a year.
And yes, there is actually a town called North in South Carolina! 🙂
All Good Things….
We’re headed back to our home base today, after a refreshing week at the beach. A little photography, lots of sun, sand and surf, and even a few dinners out made for a nice break from all the hoopla at home. It sounds like we’re returning home for the possibility of a bit more pandemonium, but after a little break it will hopefully be easier to bear.
With luck we’ll be headed out again in a couple of weeks for Ohio and perhaps beyond. We’ll see what develops during that time. Trying not to look farther ahead than the next journey!
Wide Angle Fun
I have always loved the look of a wide angle lens but feel like I struggle to come up with wide-angle photos that I love. I forced myself to carry my 10-24 with me yesterday afternoon, expecting to find some long shadows in the afternoon. I was not disappointed! It’s especially hard (in my opinion) to use a super wide focal length without a tripod, because it is virtually impossible to get the framing I intended. Some of these came out OK!
