I guess checking in after a year without posting is pretty pointless

First things first, Lulu is a lot more poodly than she used to be, primarily because I'm grooming her myself these days. I think she looks nice. More importantly, she's developed mad social skills. She likes people. They like her.

Still tucked away in the same isolated corner of the Midwest.

Got a second tattoo. For the record, ribs hurt. Don't do it, guys. Stick with the meaty areas, I'm telling you. That said, worth it. For anyone who's read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the relationship between pain and wishes is obvious. For everyone else, screw you - read the book. I can confirm that this sometimes seems to work in real-life and will say no more on the matter.

I still take nature pictures from time to time, but honestly, it's bloody hot here and the bugs are just unreal. I am hoping that autumn improves things somewhat.

That said, it is really difficult to go and do things with just the dog. She's not as into the wild as Gracie was. I feel guilty going places without Lulu, even with that in mind, because I know she'd rather be with me than at home on the couch.

Oh, yes, I should also mention that I replaced my half-dead Jeep Liberty with a used 2013 Subaru Outback in a very charming dark blue color. The make/model came highly recommended. Having car payments again...that makes me sad.

I might as well fess up. My weight is at an all time high. I have mixed feelings about that. I hate not having comfortable clothes. I hate what my family will say whenever I get around to visiting again. Otherwise, I don't really feel anything about it. I am trying to eat healthier, but not enough for weight loss purposes. That takes a special kind of motivation. Not really sure if I should even think that way anymore.

And I leave you with one of my favorite pictures so far this year - a remote lake shore at gloaming in early spring. One of the last grand outings with my best friend before he moved. Totes gorgeous.

Basic pic-spam from my new area

This is the river not too long before sunset. The shore you're seeing there is actually in another state. Unfortunately, so is the water, which is why we have nasty hard water on my side of the river. Our water is probably pumped from underground sources, like wells. Still...they can't stop us from looking at it, right?

About half an hour from the river within the bounds of a really big state park. Even this panorama does not do the vista justice, especially considering the reputation of Midwestern states from being flat and treeless. Anything but! At least here.

Also at the state park. The shelter dates back to the 1940s, but has been decently maintained. My camera gives a false impression of illumination, but the interior was actually fairly caliginous since it wasn't in use. I would love to the see the hearths lit, but alas! I doubt I ever will have an occasion to return.

The hill is pretty interesting looking. I saw it from both sides - in the park and the meandering drive back - and tried to think of what geological processes might have formed it and those like it nearby. My first guess was that they are moraines left by the outward edges of glaciers. Basically, just rock and sediment humps. But moraines are typically longer and rounded on top, not round. Who knows?

Anyway, this area is basically home for me now.

Out in Nature - Trip to Morgan Grove

Despite the high today only reaching about 47F, we ventured out to give the dog some outdoor time and made our first trip to one of the newest parks around here - Morgan Grove. It's located just south of Fayetteville. The site is actually very primitive - gravel entrance and parking, unimproved trails, etc. - but really neat too.



The picture to the left and below here are of the meadow, taken from the trail, which is only about a mile, round trip, including the loop down to the creek and back up. Today, it was cold enough for the creek to have a skin of ice on it (not pictured), but with the sun and the native plants blocking the wind, it wasn't too bad.

I'm certain I'm allergic to everything in these fields, but the pines.





 The trail itself was a mixture of sand, mud, rocks, moss, and low grass/weeds, making it a little treacherous because of muddy and slippery areas, but still easier walking by far than Line Creek Nature Area. Hint: no exposed roots.

 At a couple points, the trail had been blocked by fallen limbs and an actual fallen pine tree of some significant size and dimension that hopefully the Rec Department will move soon, unless they're leaving it for Southern Conservation Trust to handle.

I would like to post some images of spring in a couple months, but I might need a nudge to remember to do that.

Gracie had an especially nice time, although she did attract the attention of two gigantic dogs who apparently live at the house adjacent the park. One looked to be an American Bulldog mix. The other was partly shepherd, but with a friendly-tipped left ear. They didn't come after her or us, but they made us think.

Good times!

Georgia Climate - Rainy Winters

This is what Line Creek looked like on Sunday after some really serious rainfall on Saturday. Yes, those are tiny white caps in the flow, which covered 100% of the shoal areas of the nature area. The creek overflowed the banks in many places, washed out the trail in a couple more, and generally made a lot of noise as it rushed toward Lake Mac.

The dog enjoyed drinking from it, despite the turbidity - note the color. The creek is pretty clean in this area with nothing being dumped into it until you get more than ten miles upstream to Fulton County.

The high for the day was a pleasant 67-degrees, a welcome change from the cold weather from last week, that closed schools in spite of the lack of snow.

Dog meet horse

So we took Gracie down to Lake Horton this afternoon, so she could burn off some energy and basically get out of the house.

There's place along the park fence where two horses are occasionally feed carrots or apples by passersby. It's cute, but usually the horses aren't up for a treat when we visit. The cold weather and holidays have been keeping people away, though, so the horses trotted out of the barn to meet us at the fence.

I haven't touched a horse since I was eleven or twelve. Gracie was well-behaved around them, although she briefly entertained the idea of taking one of the carrots for herself. They were really sweet critters.

I wish I had a picture of Gracie sniffing the bigger one nose-to-nose through the chain-link. Alas, too busy squeeing my little heart out for that.

What can I say? I love animals.

Signs of the season

The weather was cold and dreary today, but Gracie and I walked a lap around the local park nevertheless. Just over a mile, but the wind was pretty wicked out there. The leaves are really coming down right now, and last night's rain only helped them fall. 

Same with the pine straw. The path was barely visible in some places. No idea when it was last blown or swept or whatever they do to maintain it.

Could certainly use a brushing off. The damp leaves were pretty treacherous. I was sure the dog was going to send me sliding a few times, but we managed.

We also got some looks from the few park joggers, as always.

Wildlife

I don't know when crane season in Georgia is, but I saw a very nice one on my walk yesterday - 3.75 miles with dog, in case anyone wants to know. The crane was perched in the water just to the south of the Highway 54 bridge over the lake. I couldn't get a great picture because of the light and bridge traffic, but an armada of quacking ducks was approaching the crane, which seemed to ignore them. I did not stick around to see how that played out. They're all fish-eating omnivores, right? So I doubt anything exciting happened. Part of me wonders if this is the same crane that is occasionally spotted at Luther Glass Park, about two and a half miles to the south.

This is a shot from the north side of the bridge, or rather, under the bridge, of the swampier part of the lake. I thought it was very pretty, especially the rocks and lake grasses. I would imagine that if it rains more, the rocks would almost entirely disappear from view, but the little islands look pretty stable. I had Gracie with me, so we did not try to cross the rocks. That would not doubt have ended in an unhappy splash.

Another long walk

Today, Gracie and I conquered another 4.6 miles of cart path, enjoying the cool, although sadly cloudy weather. I love overcast days myself, but they make for lackluster photographs, particularly of the autumn, which needs direct sunlight to sell its superiority over summer and spring to misguided lovers of those seasons.

Would be even prettier with a blue sky, preferably dotted
with fluffy clouds.

Rockspray Park is actually not one of the best. It needs some lovin' from somebody. I don't know who...but it's still nice after walking for an hour on trails behind people's houses.

The best part is the bridge (not pictured), but even that needs a spit-polish. I wish I had had more time to walk around the pond, but that's something for another day. Right?

Gracie had a very nice time today, but instead of still having energy at the end of the day, she was completely exhausted. I wonder what makes the difference? We walked over six miles last time. Today, not even five. She carried less weight today too.

Oh, I also encountered my first lost person in the path system today. I use my phone for path maps, so I'm forever checking it in new territory. I actually gave the person decent enough directions for them to reach the Kroger - spotted them there when we got back to the car. Hee!

You too can go walking

I know I post a lot about the treks I take through woodsy suburbia with and without my dog. For one thing, I like posting the pictures and bragging about how far I went on my various excursions. Not cool, I know, but I get some satisfaction there.

Anyway, the area I live in or near is pretty special to me, but it isn't special in the sense of being singular or unique.

If you live in a neighborhood with sidewalks, you actually have a good area for walking, even if it isn't as nature-filled or dog-safe (hullo, cars!).

If not, I encourage you to visit your county parks and recs website to check out places you can walk intended for that purpose. You might be surprised. If you live near a neighboring, non-hostile county, I recommend checking their resources too. My county has no parks to speak of. No safe parks period. But the county where I was born and where I work has some serious acreage designated as recreational space, including well-maintained trails with restrooms.

Also, you might want to try Google Earth and http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ to find less official walking trails and pathways to enjoy. Just zoom down and start looking for things that are not roads. Or for roads with sidewalks. I use Gmap to plan some of my outings, especially those going into unfamiliar territory.

You never know what you might find in terms of scenery and special places.

If you're willing to drive, try looking into your local or semi-local state parks. I'm too faraway from mine, but if I could get to one in 30 minutes or less, I would be there once a month, at least, weather-permitting.


And if at all possible, remember to take only photographs and leave only paw prints.

10k course with dog

Gracie and I walked the PTC Running Club 10k course this afternoon. Our time was 2 hours, 3 minutes, including a couple breaks for water, photography, and phone calls. We also ran together for a bit to make up lost time. I think we did pretty good overall.

The weather today was really excellent for long-distance walking. The wasn't much over 60, and the sun was out most of the time - no sweating and no shivering. Hey, who doesn't like to be comfortable, right?

The foliage was still good, especially at Luther Glass Park. Glance at the picture. That's some pretty vivid yellow for mid-November. Totally raw, not at all 'shopped.

The lakeshore pictures were too dark to bother posting. I hate the early loss of light in winter. We should save us some daylight year round, in my opinion.


BTW, I opted against the control collar for Gracie this afternoon because she's been good lately and because I didn't wanted to carry her water. That's right. I put my dog in a doggy backpack, and she carried two bottles of water, her control collar (just in case), and my glucose tablets. Probably about 3lbs of weight or less. Convention says that a dog can easily carry 10% of her/his weight. She didn't seem to mind at all.

The backpack is a Kurgo that I got from Amazon in hopes of bringing out her working-dog genes - she's descended from police dogs and cadaver dogs - and honestly, I think the pack did give her extra focus. The fit was very good, although it took a couple tries to get everything tight and even. Well worth the effort. I think passersby got some amusement from it too.

Before it gets too cold outside

We decided to go back to Line Creek Nature Area. The weather was warm this afternoon - hovering around sixty degrees - so we decided to give the dog a last romp at the park, which is pretty tolerant of off-leash pups.

While Gracie was not interested in getting totally wet today, she did enjoy drinking long drafts of river water and splashing in the shallows, as well as scaring people and running around like a half-crazed dingo.

The day was beautiful, in spite of a lack of sunshine, and the changing leaves, while not spectacular this year (or in this area in general) were quite unexpectedly nice to look at, especially along the lake shore. The water was as clear and still as glass today, like a reflecting pond.

I want to visit the park at Lake McIntosh sometime soon, but I'm not sure if they've finished with construction yet. A lot of maps still have not been updated properly to show the lake's existence. I assure you - it is very much there. I have the pictures to prove it.

I actually took about fifty pictures of the area, Gracie, and my partner this afternoon. A lot of them turned out very nice, especially for pictures made from a cell phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy something-or-other.

Anyway, the trail was relatively short. All told, we walked 3.1 miles with a lot of up-and-down, including some scrambling over rock piles, tree roots, and other rugged terrain.

This is just an example from the shoals area of the creek, not too far from the entrance. We were moving too fast to get any decent trail shots. Maybe next time, which will likely be in the spring, unless we have an unexpected warm spell during one of the weekends I'm not working.

I'm not betting on it.

Still, fun times today. I may post more pic-spam with dog later on.

Another Nature Sunday

Today, I took a walk (3.47 miles) near the lake-shore. The weather was perfect - cool, clear, a hint of autumn breeze in the air. Purely by chance, I took a dirt trail down to the water's edge just in time to stumble upon a flock of ducks, about ten of them, in the shady shallows.

I got a new Samsung Galaxy phone to replace my broken one, and the camera is far superior, not to mention the awesomeness of the Dropbox app, from which I retrieved these pictures without any fuss or cabling. And, yes, the colors you're seeing here are not enhanced with filters or anything weird, although I did some judicious cropping. No, don't thank me.



The third picture is from the cart path, about .75 miles south of the duck pictures, on a rise overlooking part of the lake near the city park and conservation area. I hope to get more foliage shots next weekend, but right now is pretty darn gorgeous too.

I had the greatest time on my walk. You can probably tell from the images. It's a beautiful area. The piedmont of Georgia isn't exactly world renown for its beauty, but that doesn't mean it isn't here. Trust me, it very much is here.

Cool weather means walking

This is the eastern shore of the lake, along with its decorative pump house,
looking very much like autumn is in the air already.

I walked just under four miles this afternoon in splendid conditions, considering how hot it's been lately. Tons of people were out and about, so I mostly stayed off the lakeshore paths and walked between and among the neighborhoods. I'm not much for crowds, yo. I managed to catch a yard sale that way too - big bonus. Well...they had almost nothing left, but it was nice anyway because I haven't been to one in a few years. It was good to have the experience again.

I also found this little stone bridge tucked away pretty ridiculously close to one of the big box stores. I have no idea how I missed it all the times I've walked through the area. I almost got nailed by a cyclist taking the picture.

Thanks for not nailing me, cyclist.

The stonework isn't the fake-y kind. This thing looks almost like it was yanked from the English countryside, leaving some poor troll homeless and confused.

Later in the day, I played golf on grass with clubs for the first time. I like watching it on TV with my partner; however, it is much harder than it looks by FAR. I beat the two people I played with, but they hadn't played before either, so I'm calling it dumb luck.

Wildlife

Happy Labor Day! My partner and I both had the day off from our respective jobs. We did not use much of the time wisely, unfortunately, but I managed another walk - about three miles on the trail system. Good times.

This appears to be a crane of some sort.

I also had to pick up a handbag because the handle of mine broke...and one of the zippers is pulling free from the rest of the bag. The stores were absolutely mobbed this afternoon, making the shopping experience even more unpleasant than usual. People are not nice, especially in large numbers. I ended up with a brown shoulder bag that I hope will accommodate all the crap I carry around.

I started this blog basically to vent and rail about politics. I'm not doing nearly as much of that as planned. Partly, I think, because nothing in the news is really piquing my interest. Syria - either we will or won't, but since it's the ME, nothing we do will matter. And hasn't that dominated the weekend?

Please start the next news cycle, thanks.

Line Creek Nature Area

Yes, we all made to the park yesterday for our inaugural visit, and we had a fantastic time. The trails were a lot more primitive than I imagined. An inebriated person would be killed by the exposed rocks and tree roots within minutes. Even for the unencumbered, it's slow going and treacherous in the extreme. The dog did not seem to mind.

She's actually watching two dogs down river,
biding her time before going to chase them.

Gracie had never been in the water before. At just over eighteen months old, we weren't sure exactly how she would take to it, despite German Shepherds being pretty decent water dogs overall. Other than trying to drink the entire river, she did terrific. We even found her a spot deep enough for her to dog paddle a few strokes. She looked very graceful swimming, although perhaps a bit alarmed.

We were able to let her off leash for a little while - we were almost two miles from the nearest road - and she never tried to run off or do anything crazy. I was so proud! She has a history of running.

I think this was a really good outing for her. I'm hoping we can do it a few more times before the end of summer. She needs to swim more.

This is the gazebo and pond near the entrance.

Talking my partner into more visits won't be easy. He likes the couch, and he favors going to the dog park to get Gracie more exercise and social time. I prefer giving her as varied experiences as possible and enjoy walking.

I think the total mileage, walking anyway, came to about 2.25 miles, or almost nothing to me. :)

I'm going to try to get some good swimming pics next time.

Day Off

Yesterday, thanks to serendipity and work scheduling, I had the day off and mostly to myself. I used some of the time to go for a nice walk through the local (more or less) trail system, enjoying part of it I had never seen before.

That includes this pedestrian bridge over one of the many state highways in the area. In person, it's a bit more impressive. The path leading up to it is about six stories in elevation change, according to my FitBit.

One side leads to a hotel and office park. The other, to nice houses, new construction, and a trail that follows the power lines. Not a lot of nature, but a decent walk, what with the elevation change and partial shade.

I really loved listening to some music and having time to myself. Today, if I am very lucky and my partner the least bit cooperative, I'm going to an actual nature area where our dog can go swimming.

I went walking today

This is nature. We have a very uneasy relationship. I am not an outdoorsy person by any stretch of the imagination, but I want to be healthy and stay in shape. Gyms and treadmills don't do it for me. I feel trapped. So...that leaves nature.

This picture is just a random attractive span of wilderness I encountered on my walk today. I managed 4.75 miles doing a 15-minute/mile. Not an athletic pace, but enjoyable.

An area near where I live is riddled with walking trails and golf cart paths. I think it would take an adventurous person the better part of a year to see all of it. I'm not that person! Maybe if I could devise a plan, but no, I have too much going on right now.