Category: Travel

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Image-Stacking in Charleston

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Image-Stacking in Charleston
Photography, Travel

Guitarist

It’s been a very long, hard two weeks. Right after the funeral on Monday I drove straight down to Charleston for PowerSchool University – an intense training session on our new student database system. I learned some neat things I’m going to try when I get back to the office, but it was almost information overload. I did manage to sneak out for a couple of hours one evening to do some photography, and was keen to try out the new image-stacking techniques, as well as the content-aware fill tool in Photoshop CS5.

My friend Ken had given me the idea to use image stacking with crowd scenes. The idea was that there would be a blur of activity around a few static individuals. Since I was staying in the heart of Charleston’s tourist area, I figured I’d have ample opportunity to give this a try. Turns out it was a nice idea, but the process in Photoshop probably wasn’t the best choice of tools.

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Smithsonian Afternoon

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Smithsonian Afternoon
Travel

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

After my trip to the National Cathedral I made my way back to our hotel.  Having walked multiple miles, most of that in the heat, I was completely exhausted when I got back to the room.  Laura, on the other hand, had just gotten out of her meetings, and was ready to explore.  so, we found ourselves back on the Metro and headed toward the Mall and the Smithsonian museums.

On the way we stopped for lunch at the Pentagon City Mall.  The area was overrun with middle-schoolers in matching T-shirts.  This, apparently, was the week for school trips to DC, and we ran into crowds of students the entire time we were here.

We got off the Metro at the Smithsonian stop and waled out onto the mall.  Large white tents were being set up for some activity, and we feared some big event on the mall for Saturday.  Regardless, we walked across the Mall to the Museum of Natural History.

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National Cathedral

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Travel

National Cathedral B&W

Friday morning Laura was still busy with her scientist friends, so I was on my own to explore D. C. until lunch. I decided to visit the National Cathedral, a place I’d not visited on any of trips to the city.

I boarded the Metro with the morning rush hour throngs. Even with my agoraphobia I managed to make it to the the Woodbury Park stop without freaking out. From the Metro stop it was about a mile hike to the cathedral through some really nice residential sections. I passed several nannies out walking their employer’s spawn.

As one flies into Washington D. C., the cathedral is just as imposing as any of the other national buildings. It’s perched on a high hill overlooking the rest of the city. However, it’s hardly visible as one approaches from the ground – at least, from the direction I was walking. The area is surrounded by wooded park lands and gardens, and it wasn’t until I was right on it that I could see the large structure.

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Lowcountry Lookout Towers

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Miscellaneous, Travel

Pineville Tower

Even though most of my recent outings have involved kayaking, I haven’t abandoned my search for South Carolina’s lookout towers. I have the locations plotted on the GPS on my car, and as we have driven past I’ve made note of condition, and have stopped to check them out and photograph them, where possible.

This past trip took us by several towers, so I decided to document all of my findings over the last few months. Here they are..

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Charleston to McClellanville and Beyond

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Charleston to McClellanville and Beyond
Photography, Travel

Sewee Shell Ring Boardwalk HDR

So far we had already had a great trip to the South Carolina Low Country. Yesterday we explored Beidler Forest and the ACE Basin, and the weather looked great for more exploration today.  The day was already hot and humid, so we decided it would be more of a driving trek than hiking.  The trek took us through a large swath of the Francis Marion National Forest.

We started the day by driving onto the Charleston peninsula and touring the area South of Broad. There was the obligatory drive along the battery, but what we enjoyed most was driving through the residential areas and looking at the stately homes with their enclosed gardens.  For some reason, I wasn’t in much of a photography mood, so I don’t have any photos of that part of the trip.

From Charleston we crossed the new Cooper River Bridge into Mount Pleasant, then headed north on Highway 17.    Eventually we came to the Cape Romaine National Wildlife Refuge.  I had already checked online, and the ferry out to Bull’s Island doesn’t run on Sundays, so we walked out to the pier and watch birds and boat traffic out on the ICW.

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ACE Basin

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Photography, Travel

Donelley House

Our visit to Beidler Forest only took up half of the day, and we were ready to see more wildlife. Therefore, we cut across the country down toward the ACE Basin and the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area. Donnelley is only one small section of the ACE Basin. To the east is the Ernest Hollings National Wildlife Refuge. However, we prefer Donnelly because it’s a bit easier access, and it tends to be a bit quieter.

We entered from Bennett’s Point Road and immediately got turned around. We were taking a different direction, but eventually wound up where we wanted – at the old farm house that serves as a landmark for the rice field hiking trails.

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Francis Beidler Forest

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Photography, Travel

Beidler Forest Boardwalk

I had been sneaking off on paddling trips for the past several weekends, so Laura decided it was time for both of us to get away. We headed down toward the coast, and one of our favorite locations, Francis Beidler Forest.

Beidler Forest is located in the Four Holes Swamp area, and is maintained by the Audobon Society. It features a mile-long loop trail on a raised boardwalk that winds through the cypress swamp. In addition to huge ancient trees, the swamp is home to many species of birds and other wildlife. This time of year is when the prothonotary warblers are in town, and we were hoping to spot a few.

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Looking for Fossils on Lady Island

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Looking for Fossils on Lady Island
Paddling, Travel

Searching for Fossils

It was the second Saturday of the month, which means it was time for another adventure with the guys from Lowcountry Unfiltered. For this trip we were headed to the Beaufort area, where we would be doing some fossil hunting on the north end of Lady Island, along the Intracoastal Waterway.

I headed down Friday evening, taking off a few minutes early from work so it wouldn’t be too dark when I got into town. I found a place to stay in Beaufort, had a so-so seafood dinner, then crashed after the long drive.

Early Saturday morning I drove over to Lady Island and to our meeting spot at Brickyard Creek Landing. While I was waiting for the rest of the guys, a man walked up and started chatting. He had lived on the island his entire life, and declared it to be the one remaining bit of paradise left on the Carolina coast. He was happy to see that I had a kayak, and not one of those noisy motor boats.

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