2011 – Random Connections

RandomConnections Calendar 2012

December 31, 2011 Tom 1 Comment

Photography

Each year I do a calendar from some of my photos for my family. I use Qoop to create my photos because (A) they do a pretty good job and (B) they are a bit cheaper than some of the alternatives. What they lack, though, is a good space for text, so the photos have no descriptions. Therefore, I’ve started putting the descriptions here each year.

Cover – Looking Glass Falls

This is a photo of Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest north of Brevard, North Carolina. Normally, there are tons of people here, and it’s hard to get a shot. We were there on a spring morning in the middle of the week, so it wasn’t very crowded.

The photo was taken with a longer exposure time to give the falls that silky look, then processed in Photoshop with the ReDynamix plug-in to bring out the details.

An Old Fashioned Blog

December 27, 2011 Tom 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Laura was with me in Barnes and Noble when I lingered over the leather journals. Later she apparently read my blog poston the subject. Subsequently, I received a beautiful leather-bound journal for Christmas. As I wrote earlier, the temptation was to put the journal away and use it for a special project. In my heart … Read More “An Old Fashioned Blog” »

Florida Christmas 2011

December 27, 2011January 25, 2020 Tom 1 Comment

Family, Paddling, Photography, Travel

Another Christmas has come and gone, and again this year we’ve spent it in Florida with Laura’s sister, Amy. It’s been a busy week, with boat trips, paddling trips, and explorations of the area. Normally I would have done several posts, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. So I’ve combined a few items in one long post. Here are a few highlights and photos…

Beaches

We took a couple of trips to the beach. First was a trip up to Avalon Beach on North Hutchinson Island after a shopping trip to Vero Beach. The wind was whipping, and the waves were higher than usual. We didn’t stay long at the little park, but just parked so that Laura’s mom could look out over the ocean and we could walk on the beach.

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Winter Solstice Sunrise Paddle

December 22, 2011 Tom No Comments

Paddling, Photography, Travel

Last night was the longest night of the year. The Winter Solstice occurred at about 12:30 am. That meant sunrise would also be the latest of the year, and I could paddle out to enjoy it without having to get up too early. It also helped that both my kayak and body of water on which I’d be paddling were only about 100 ft away from my bed.

…but backing up a bit…

We arrived at Amy’s house in Fort Pierce earlier this week. In addition to luggage, my electronic gizmos, and Christmas presents, we had strapped the tandem kayak to the top of the car. While the weather down here is spectacular – hovering in the 80s during the day – paddling conditions have not been ideal. It’s been breezy and very choppy out on the Indian River.

I tried a couple of solo trips. On one a large sea turtle came up next to me and kept me company for awhile.

Christmas Kitsch

December 16, 2011 Tom No Comments

Weirdness

The Chia Pets have emerged from their long hibernation. The gaudy decorations having been springing forth in stores for the past month and a half. We have now hit the peak of the season for Christmas Kitsch. Laura and I make regular trips to Garden Ridge this time of year to supplement our light supplies … Read More “Christmas Kitsch” »

In Praise of Old Tech

December 5, 2011 Tom No Comments

Gear, General Technology

This time of year I get lots of questions that go like this: “What’s the best [insert current popular tech device type here] to get for my [insert spouse, sibling, offspring, parent, or pet name here].” I know the reputation I have as a gadget guy, and more often than not I feel like a … Read More “In Praise of Old Tech” »

O Tannenbaum

December 3, 2011 Tom 1 Comment

Recipes

…or, the development of a theoretical cocktail… The Christmas party for Furman’s Chemistry Department was looming, and my friends Greg and Paul thought that a new drink was needed to celebrate the season. Both had agreed that Bombay Sapphire gin would be the base. Greg had lots of rosemary left over from Thanksgiving, and wanted … Read More “O Tannenbaum” »

Saying Goodbye to Misty

November 27, 2011 Tom No Comments

Family, Miscellaneous

Today we said goodbye to our cat, Misty. She was our oldest, and at 15 had lived a good, long cat life. She was the last of our cats to come with us from our old house off of North Main. Misty and her brother Rascal came to us by way of my father. Unbeknownst … Read More “Saying Goodbye to Misty” »

Black Friday Paddling at Low Falls Landing

November 26, 2011 Tom No Comments

Paddling, Photography

I really despise the term “Black Friday” in reference to the day after Thanksgiving. The thought of battling crowds just to save a few bucks seems silly to me, so I like just about ANYTHING other than shopping. A paddling trip seemed in order, so Alan agreed to meet me at Low Falls Landing on Lake Marion. So, while others were getting up at 4:30 to head to Walmart, I was getting up at the same time for the 3 hour drive down to Calhoun County.

When I arrived at Low Falls I found a parking lot just about as crowded as one at any mall. Every boat trailer place was taken, and boat trailers lined the approach road to the landing. I managed to find a “car only” slot. The boat ramps themselves were in constant motion with duck hunters arriving from their daybreak hunt, and fishermen heading out for the day.

Alan arrived shortly and was able to find another car only space. We unloaded the boats and opted to launch from a beach area next to the boat ramps, rather than try to compete with the boat traffic.

Paddling to Cockspur Lighthouse with LCU

November 14, 2011 Tom 2 Comments

Paddling, Photography

The past several weeks have been quite stressful. I needed some time on the water, and was thankful that my friends at Lowcountry Unfiltered were willing to provide that distraction. For our Second Saturday paddling trip this month we would be heading down to Savannah, Georgia to paddle out to the Cockspur Island Lighthouse and out to Fort Pulaski.

I was really looking forward to the trip, and gave careful thought as to which boat to take. Since it was open water, and possibly choppy, I knew it would either be my 14.5 Tsunami, or the Dirigo 120. This was to be a relatively short paddle, so either would work. I knew getting out at the lighthouse would be a challenge, so a more open cockpit would be better. I also wanted easy access to cameras,etc., so the Dirigo won out over the Tsunami. I had it loaded up Thursday evening in anticipation.