Random Connections – Page 118 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

Aunt Grace’s 90th

May 22, 2011 Tom 2 Comments

Family

Saturday was my Aunt Grace’s 90th birthday. My cousin John held a surprise birthday party for her at his house, and many of the Ellenberg cousins gathered for the bash. My mother, Aunt Ann, Aunt Lois, and Aunt Grace were all present for the event. Of course there was cake and munchies for the crowd. … Read More “Aunt Grace’s 90th” »

Busy Spring Weekend

May 15, 2011 Tom 1 Comment

Family, Miscellaneous

It seems like every weekend this spring has been a busy one, with kayaking, family visits, festivals, and performances. This one was no different. In addition to our outing Friday night to Northampton Wines, this was the weekend for Artisphere and Chip’s Big Pig Gig. I started Saturday morning by heading downtown. My first stop … Read More “Busy Spring Weekend” »

Wine Tasting 101

May 14, 2011 Tom 1 Comment

Restaurants

Laura and I were ready for a date night. We had both been so busy that we needed an evening off to ourselves. Unfortunately, this was also the weekend of Artisphere, so we were pretty certain that most of our favorite downtown restaurants would be inaccessible.

I got home at my usual time Friday afternoon, and we still didn’t have a plan. Laura had noted that Northampton Wines was having their “How to Taste” wine tasting this evening, and that would have been fun if we’d had reservations. We’ve tried going to that tasting before, but even calling early in the week we would find that it was full. I didn’t hold out much hope for a spur-of-the-moment trip, but I called anyway.

Turns out that our timing was perfect. Everyone was at Artisphere, so there was room for us. They had already set the table for the tasting, but said that they could re-arrange to add to more.

The Tasting

We knew that dinner wasn’t included with the tasting – only wine and cheese. We had a few appetizers at home so that we wouldn’t be drinking on empty stomachs, then headed over for our 6:30 tasting. We were the first to arrive, and were ushered into the back tasting room, which was lined with bins and bottles. As we waited, six glasses were filled with enough to taste the sample vintages for the evening.

The rest of the guests arrived, bringing the total to 17. Our speaker was Richard deBondt, and this evening would focus on the wines of France. He began by talking about sparkling wines and the proper way to open a bottle. We were then served a taste, and were instructed on the proper way to toast.

Brood 19

May 12, 2011January 28, 2024 Tom No Comments

Local, Science

Our outings lately have sounded like something from a season of the X-File. A couple of weeks ago we went in search of Blue Ghosts, and last night we went in search of Brood XIX of the thirteen-year cicadas.

I had heard these insects last Saturday on my kayaking trip on Lake Greenwood. The noise was amazing and was constant. It sounded more like the phasers from the original Star Trek series.

Hearing me talk about them, and hearing and reading about them on the news, both Laura and her mother wanted to find these things. So, late yesterday afternoon before it got dark we went in search of them.

Paddling Lake Greenwood from Souls Harbor

May 8, 2011 Tom 4 Comments

Paddling

My father’s history with boats has been…interesting. Despite having served in the Navy during WWII, the boats he seemed to wind up with during later adulthood were quirky, at best. There was the time we went fishing and I wound up with battery acid eating through all of the life vests, as well as the jeans I was wearing. We didn’t catch anything. There was the time the passenger seat snapped loose, at speed. We didn’t catch anything that trip, either.

But what would life be like without these adventures, and the tall tales that they inspire? Some of my fondest memories are of exploring the north end of Lake Greenwood and the rivers that feed it. We took one boat far up the Reedy River, and another boat far up the Saluda. On one of these trips we watched a bobcat jump into the river and swim alongside the boat, terrified that it might take a notion to jump into the boat.

Saturday I was able to replicate one of those trips, this time from the relative safety of a kayak. I joined the Greenville Canoe and Kayak Meetup for a trip from Souls Harbor on Lake Greenwood up the Saluda River. Although there were no bobcats this time, it was still a 14 mile adventure.

A Birth, a Marriage, Family, and a Death

May 7, 2011 Tom 3 Comments

Miscellaneous

This has been one of those weeks when momentous occasions have come so fast a furious that I haven’t had time to blog about them. Each deserved its own post, but before I could put thoughts to ether, something else huge would come along. There was everything from national to international events, local and family events, the chance to slow down for a minute or two, and the chance to drive really, really fast around a track in expensive cars. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to short-change all of these and just give each a few blurb sentences, if for no other reason than to mark their passing.

A Birth

So, Obama finally released his long form birth certificate. Big deal. This issue was already over when the short form was released, as was legally required. As expected, some have already started denouncing this certificate as fake. My response? These people have brought serious charges, and now the burden of proof is on them. If you think it’s fake, then you’re more than welcome to visit Hawaii (at your expense) to prove your case.

This “birther” issue is nonsense. It’s a distraction. If you disagree with Obama’s policies, that’s one thing. But to continue this conspiracy makes you an idiot, plain and simple – no argument allowed. (And, no, I won’t allow any blog comments in argument.) Funny thing, though. These same “birthers” are probably the same ones that wanted to revoke that requirement so that Arnold Schwarzenegger could run a few years ago. This argument would be for naught if that had passed.

In Search of Blue Ghosts

April 28, 2011 Tom 8 Comments

Local, Science

Wednesday evening is normally our night to watch Ghost Hunters. This evening, however, we decided to hunt for our own ghosts. Specifically, we were after the elusive Blue Ghost Firefly, Phausis reticulata.

Blue ghost fireflies only glow during mating season, and are only found in isolated areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Both the males and females give off a constant bluish glow, unlike the fireflies in our area, which pulse on a regular basis. The males hover about head-height off of the forest floor, while the pale, wingless females glow along the bottom of the forest. The effect is mesmerizing, as these bluish orbs float through the woods.

The fireflies have a very limited range. They are found in undisturbed forested areas, often in the Smokey Mountains and in Dupont State Forest in North Carolina.

Read More “In Search of Blue Ghosts” »

More on Elevation Profiles

April 27, 2011 Tom No Comments

EdTech, Geocaching and Maps

A couple of posts back I wrote about discovering Elevation Profiles for Paths in Google Earth. I’ve spent a little bit more time working with this, and came up with another neat activity for a classroom.

In the last post I created a path with only two endpoints – basically a straight-line cross section. I also did this across fairly large areas of land, entire states, in fact. This activity focuses in on the details a bit, and uses the directions section of Google Earth.

First, go to the Directions tab and input two locations. These can be addresses, lat-long coordinates, or any other type of locator. For this activity, I suggest keeping the distances fairly short, probably within about 50 miles. Here are some suggestions:

From your home to your school, workplace, or church
Between two cities
Between your house and your best friend’s house

In the example below, I used Greenville and Spartanburg.

When you hit Enter or click on the magnifying glass search icon, you get driving directions between the two cities. For some strange reason Google Earth chose Wade Hampton Boulevard instead of I-85. I guess it went with the shortest route rather than the quickest. No matter – I can still illustrate the point.

Easter Weekend 2011

April 25, 2011 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous, Photography

Easter was much, much later this year. We had our district’s spring break back at the end of March, but Greenville held fast and had theirs during Holy Week. It seemed a bit strange to have Easter come and go and not get any time off. Even so, I got a chance to do some photography and spend some time with family.

Saturday we spend doing household chores – installing new light fixtures, installing a new AC in the basement, etc. Saturday afternoon/evening Chip called and wanted me to join his family at Haywood Mall’s Spring Carnival. He had just purchased a new DSLR and wanted to give it a test run. The bright lights and garish colors of a carnival always make for fun photography, so I headed on over.

Little Olivia was mesmerized by all of the colors. It was a bit of sensory overload for an 18-month old, even with her mother and one set of grandparents there to keep things in check. She managed to ride the carousel not once, but twice…

Gas Psychology

April 21, 2011 Tom No Comments

Rants

Week 1 Price – $3.40 Reaction – Yikes! The End of the World! Vote everyone out of office! Week 3 Price – $3.35 Reaction – Whew! Breathing Room! We can take it a bit easy and start driving again. Week 5 Price – $3.50 Reaction – Yikes! The End of the World! Storm … Read More “Gas Psychology” »