Welcome To Hel

So, in case you were wondering, Hels Half Acre is located somewhere between Easton and Oxford, Maryland. Who knew?

Where In The World

So where did I jet off to today? A little town in Maryland called Oxford for a wedding, that's where. I thought it was a small affair, but it appears to have been announced on the billboard in front of the local firehouse. They didn't get top billing however, that's reserved for the upcoming company drill. And it's only on the one side. But the Alexes are the folks I came here to see get married. (They're both named Alex, I kid you not...) Now if this overcast would just clear so I could get some pictures...

On The Road Again

Well, here I sit in yet another airport, on my way to some new exotic destination. Well, maybe not exotic, but new. Add Tampa International Airport to the list of airports that are nice enough to provide free internet. That really helps to fill the time when you heeded the TSA's advice and arrived two hours early, only to breeze through security and find your self with 1 hour and 59 minutes to kill. Oh, well, at least I got to eat some breakfast. I'm not going to tell you where I'm headed, only that it's yet another wedding (the second this year), and it's likely to add three new states to my total. Well, two states and a District. Pictures soon...

Catchin' Some Zzzzzzs

Remember, it's always best to let sleeping sandhill cranes stand. These guys are grumpy when they're awake, imagine what they might be like if you woke one of them up!

Ouch!

You've heard the phrase "a rose between two thorns"? Well, how about two beautiful yellow blossoms among the sharp prickly leaves? OK, so it doesn't have the same ring to it, but it does describe these two yellow flowers that sprouted on this thistle plant. I found a field full of these down the road from my parents house the other day. Now if I could only find some of the white ones... They're much fewer and farther between.

So...Dizzy

Here's a rather unique view of the grounds at the Sun-N-Fun from a couple of weeks ago. This is the reflection in the highly-polished nosecone on a plane in the vendor area. You can see me right in the middle taking the picture if you look really close. I'm the filthy dirty one from all the sunscreen I'd put on, then the walk through the dry dusty parking lot. Blech!

All Alone

Sometimes I see the strangest things. Take this clump of wild flowers. There they were, all alone in the middle of a field covered in airplanes at Sun-N-Fun. Nothing nearby, no real reason for them to be there, yet there they are. No one had run over them, walked over them, mowed them down or even paid attention to them. But I did.

Phlox

When I was little, these flowers used to carpet the sides of the road and fill the open fields where I lived. These days, there are a lot fewer of them, but they are still there. These are all pretty much the same color, but they also came in red, purple and even white. I didn't know what they were called back then, but now I know it's some sort of phlox. One day in kindergarten, they herded us all to a field across the street from the school, and we were told we could each pick one flower. Well, I picked a cluster of flowers, and got in trouble. Ahh, the good old days.

Up, Up And Away

Well, you're looking at the newest way that Disney has found to separate the tourist from his money. For $16, you can ride in this tethered balloon over Downtown Disney. Up it goes, sits there a while, then comes back down. It's an adventure! I guess I would be more excited if it were actually nearer to the parks, but all you're close to is Pleasure Island and the parking lot. Sure, you can see Epcot, but it's in the distance.

Look! There's a Planet Hollywood!

James Tiberius Kirk

Some time back, maybe ten years or so, they refurbished Munn Park in downtown Lakeland, FL (site of the Civil War Memorial I just showed you). Anyhow, people could buy brick pavers that were used to fund the project, and they would put you name or date or whatever on the bricks. There are plenty of them by people that I know from school or whatever, and at least one from a fellow who hasn't even been born yet. That's right, James Tiberius Kirk, future captain of the USS Enterprise, has his own brick. You don't see that every day!

Yet Another Memorial

Continuing on with my recent list of Confederate memorials, here's one from downtown Lakeland, FL. This one was built and dedicated in 1910 and stands in Munn Park. Like I said, these things are everywhere.

The Elusive Woody

While at my parents house this past Saturday, a pileated woodpecker flew by. I grabbed my camera and took off in chase. I never really got close, I'm afraid. The shots above and below on a scenic telephone pole were probably taken from over 100 feet away. Every time I got to a reasonable shooting distance, he'd squawk and take off in his erratic flight.


Second closest I got was here, where he was deep in the shadow beneath a large oak tree. I had to do a lot of processing to this shot to make it half presentable, so take it for what it's worth. This fellow is nearly a foot long, in case you've never seen one in the wild. They make a very distinctive noise, too, so you usually hear them well before you see them, if you see them at all.