the 7th day of the 12th month of the year of the OP

"CHASING THE BAH-HUM BUGGERS"

In serious debt yet?

You got 18 days left to get er done!

We spent the weekend dressing the house, in and out and I thought I would share.

It's called "CHRISTMAS" folks.............!

A fantastic candy village made by Sheri, a not so bad swag above the front door made by skip, the tree, and finally on top the guy who hung all the stuff on the tree.

The Sixth day of the 12th month of the year of the OP

This photo is for all of my younger friends on Facebook and other places of general communication.

Those that seem to constantly emit negativity about their times here. Well, I've been there and done that as they say. I get older and seemingly happier and I guess that's a normal progression of things. Or maybe I am just now more numb of mind than the rest.

But--------------

Ever have the feeling that you are holding on by the edges of your fingernails and you're all alone?

And the wind is about to blow!

You've been told that something good is coming but that certainly seems iffy at times.

At least spring will be coming and it will be warm and sunny and the light pink/green/yellow buds will replace that spot which was held onto so strongly only a few months earlier.

But I know it's coming. Just like the sun also rises every day and there is not a thing we can do about it. Sorry Al!

Reassuring isn't it.

I guess the dark side of this photo, to me, only creates an image of hope (Not the kind they scammed us with in Washington), and it tells me to get out there, kick ass, and take names.

Because we are all individuals with individual qualities that are wanted in this world------no needed in this world. We are each something special.

It tells me to get my head in the game and be all that I want to be!

Amazing what a picture of a dead leaf can do!

The 3rd day of the 12th month of the year of the OP

PRECARIOUS

Creek's up today along the River Walk. We had alot of rain yesterday and the river rose about a foot and a half. Just amazes me , but with our rain and the runoff from upstate the river is very sensitive.

Speaking of sensitive.

How would you like to have to get your breakfast like this blue heron must? It is bad enough that the water is muddy and you can't see, but to have to hold onto a half submerged rock on one foot in a heavy current.........Wow!

I can't do that on flat ground!

THE SECOND DAY OF THE LAST MONTH

The Weather Channel says we are to get two inches of rain here today in sunny South Carolina. Looking out the window............I believe it.

Looks like a good day to actually do some office work and fore go the walk on the River Walk. Although rain does give us some good photo ops.

This spider's web was an early morning result of a light rain. While beautiful, I am sure the spider was not at all happy. His work became visible not only to us, but also to his potential prey!

Ahhhh, the webs we weave!

THEN AND NOW--Highland or Cape Cod Lighthouse

HIGHLAND (CAPE COD) LIGHTHOUSE
NORTH TRURO, MA.

When I visited this little lighthouse, the spring flowers were much in evidence and the tourists were doing their thing. Photographing lighthouses can be difficult, if for no other reason, than the hordes of folks all over the place. Just getting a clear shot can be a challenge, forget about getting the lighting right. Therefore, in this image I have emphasized the flowers and used the lighthouse as a background, thus eliminating the people factor around the house. In addition this one sits on the edge of a golf course---------so Fore!

The view from ocean side cliffs is dramatic and the whole complex is easy to find. N. Truro is most of the way out or up the Cape and is probably close to forty miles out to sea from the mainland, so it is a area rich in maritime history. This old 1910 postcard attests to the dangers in the storm ridden area and depicts the lighthouse on the cliff doing its thing.

The old images I use are mostly old postcards which are all out of copyright due to age. The dates of the images mentioned are either found in the style of the card or actual postmarks on the cards themselves. One image may have been used on different card styles over a thirty or forty year period, thus making the actual view perhaps older than the card itself. In either event it does give us the ability to come pretty close to what the view actually looked like way back then.

Further out the Cape on Route 6 are the dunes at Provincetown which are nothing short of those you would find in the Sahara desert. They are huge, hard to climb but well worth the effort. If you go to photograph them, take along another person to put in the frame just to explain the scale of the size of the place.

Cape Cod is a lovely place to visit and there are over a dozen lighthouses to find, some more accessible than others. But as one can imagine the place reeks of maritime history. This lighthouse was one of the most powerful sentinels in the country with visibility of over 40 miles and even further on a good clear night. It was also the first flashing white light in the U.S. which distinguished it from Boston Light (the first lighthouse in the country). The first tower in this area was a 30-foot brick tower built in 1791. That tower was replaced in 1857 and equipped with a huge first order Fresnel lens. The first light was 500 feet from the edge of the cliff upon which it was built, and by 1996 the ocean was as close as 40 feet. It was moved in 1996 to the current location, which is over 400 feet from where it had stood. More importantly it is a considerable distance from the edge of the slowly eroding cliffs.

THEN AND NOW---Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse

DELAWARE BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSE
Delaware Bay
Cape Henlopen-Lewes, Delaware

Cape Henlopen, De. to the south and Cape May, NJ to the north form the boundary to the entrance of the Delaware River. Cape May is a wonderful Victorian town and Cape Henlopen is a rugged uninhabited spit of land dividing ocean from bay. Cape May is guarded by the Cape May Lighthouse, while Cape Henlopen is guarded by two lighthouses. They are the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse off shore in the bay and the Delaware Breakwater house closer to the shore. Both of the Delaware lights can be viewed from Cape Henlopen State Park, just outside of Lewes, DE.

A short boat ride from Lewes will provide a closer look at these spark plug type lights, and they can also be seen fleetingly from the Lewes/Cape May Ferry. The ferry ride alone is worth the price of admission. Ocean boats, birds, fish, and dolphin can be seen as well as the three lighthouses.

Every time I visit the state park, I am amazed with the scenery. It is particularly good to go after the schools open in the fall and the beach going crowds have dwindled. Old WWII structures can be found with outposts used as observation points.

Fort Miles, located in the park, was once a key piece in the nation's coastal defense and heavy guns, mine fields and searchlights provided defense; however, the growing use of long-range missiles brought an end to such harbor defenses. By 1958, the fort was no longer important for defense, and in 1964, 543 acres of the base were returned to the State of Delaware. These lands are the heart of Cape Henlopen State Park. In April, 2005, Fort Miles was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The beaches are wide with both ocean and bay side accessibility.

The Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse rests closer to shore on the east end of the inner breakwater. This is a four-story spark plug, painted a rusty brown color, and flashing a red signal. The Breakwater light was built in 1885 and is a cast iron structure built upon the rip rap breakwater. It was deactivated in 1996 and is 49 feet tall. The original lamp was a fresnel fourth order.

Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse, is painted white and is a four story keeper’s house placed upon the outer breakwater. This house flashes a white light and is further offshore.

THE FIRST DAY OF THE LAST MONTH

Happy December first everyone...............We're getting close to the end of the year of the OP, and only 24 days left to really, really get into some serious debt.

It was 34 degrees here this morning at eight o'clock and the River walk was calling. I actually had to scrape the ice off my windshield...........ah the memories of Maryland and New Jersey winter mornings. Course up there it was real ice and it seemed to last from November to March each year!

In Maryland, ice and snow would not last too long.

But in New Jersey the long commutes(2 hours each way) by car to New York City was downright dangerous. The worst was ice.....snow you can see. But black ice is nasty. Not to mention the idiots who think that their cars are sleds. I guess they're everywhere. Well, I lived through that too. Good old state Route 22 from west to east and back again. And you all thought Nascar drivers are tough. Facing a commuting woman in an ice storm as she adjusts her eye makeup, oblivious of everything else.............now there's a challenge. Or some guy ooogling the girl in the car next to him as he speeds to catch up to her. Nascar......Phhhhht! We were the original road warriors.

Now just one month to go to get out of the year of the OP (owl pellet). Can't wait. Lets hope that the first picture of 2010 is more inspiring than the OP for which this current year has been named.

But I digress. It was a crisp two mile walk with sightings of geese, turtles trying to warm up on rocks, and one lonely blue heron. But except for the mating season, they are always lonely aren't they?

As you can see the Congaree River this morning was warmer than the air and the fog lifting was pretty and a little mysterious. Some color still remains in the leaves but most is gone. Guess we're being told to hunker down for winter. I don't want to accept that premise!