Update..

I have been such a bad blogger!

Yesterday I did take some photos when I went for a lovely walk in the park that's practically next door to my apartment complex. It was supposed to be an hour-long stroll, but turned into a two-hour walk when I couldn't find any path out of the park in the direction I was walking. I knew which way I needed to go, but there just wasn't a path in that direction! I had to retrace my steps (a few miles, by then) to find my way back out ;P

It was pleasant, though. There were a couple streams and little ponds..





..numerous wildflowers..





..some pretty butterflies..





..and plenty of people out biking, walking their dogs, picnicking, or running around with their kids.

Apologies to my readers for the lack of posts lately. My excuse is that work has been keeping me very busy - I went in for a few hours on Saturday, and I worked again today, even though it was a holiday (Memorial Day!) We have been pretty busy there. I am usually pretty tuckered out when I get home.

Apologies also to my commenters on the lack of responses. I have been reading the comments, and they always make me smile :) I will still respond to them, even though it has been a while. But right now I'm going to go to the gym. I'm trying to get back into a regular workout routine, because I know it will help with my lack of energy and my all-junky-empty-calories appetite. And hopefully with my blogging motivation as well ;)

Beautiful country

Every time I take a road trip, I am blown away by how beautiful this country is. I always think of Tolkien's description of one of the kings' love for every stone, every river, every blade of grass in his country. (I think the king is Theoden. Someday I'll read LOTR again, and then I'll tell you.) That's how I feel, too. This is a huge nation with widely varying scenery, but I love every part of the country that I've seen so far.

Driving home to Dallas from Nashville on Sunday, I was once again blown away by the beautiful scenery, despite the rain that followed me for nearly the entire trip. These photos don't exactly do the area justice, but I did shoot them without looking at what I was photographing, while driving down the Interstate :P

This first photo is from Tennessee - I believe the Duck River.





The second is from a swamp or river in Arkansas. I swear I remember a sign for the "L'Anguille Swamp," but Wikipedia says it is the "L'Anguille River." And according to Google, there does not exist a "L'Anguille Swamp." So this could be a photo of the L'Anguille River, or it could be a photo of a swamp somewhere else in Arkansas. ;)

Thanksgiving paddling

Happy Thanksgiving!





After a late (but relaxed) start this morning, A and I went kayaking. We rented the tandem kayak yesterday and will return it tomorrow morning. We started out a little after 11 am at the Isle of Palms Marina, paddled up Morgan Creek to Cedar Creek, a creek system that technically divides the Isle of Palms from the island next door, though you wouldn't guess when you're on the creek that they are two separate pieces of land. Cedar Creek dumped us into Dewees Inlet, right next to the ocean, which looks absolutely enormous from inside an 18' paddle boat. From there, we paddled a short way up the inlet to the Intracoastal Waterway, which took us back to the marina.





Google maps says our route was 6.7 miles, but we turned down the wrong spur once or twice, so I'm sure we paddled at least 7. It was fun. We saw all kinds of birds--herons, sandpipers, ducks, pelicans, and more that I don't know by sight. One of the herons was absolutely massive! They were all pretty sizable, but this one had to be four or five feet tall. He was amazing. I took some pictures of the birds, but none of them came out particularly amazing, and I am tired, so I will not post them. I did get to use my waterproof camera case, finally, and wow am I glad I brought it! We and everything in our boat were soaked by the end of the trip. We're pretty sure we are missing something on the technique, because it doesn't seem like we should drip bucketfuls of water into our laps while we paddle. Oh well, still fun.





We saw a deer swim across Cedar Creek about a quarter mile from where it meets Dewees Inlet. The creek is pretty wide there, and it was a small deer, so we were impressed. It is climbing out of the water in this picture--perhaps a bit hard to see:





After the kayaking adventure, we cleaned up and went to a fancy restaurant for dinner with A's parents. Everything was delicious, and I ate way too much. Hooray Thanksgiving!