Last weekend, the South experienced an almost unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes spawned by severe thunderstorms that swept through the area. This past weekend, more severe weather was predicted, and so we all hunkered down, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Mercifully, there were no tornadoes, just rain and some lightning. I visited a couple of my favorite city viewpoints to watch the clouds roll in, and captured these just before it started to rain. I do love Charleston!
I know it’s not hard (like when men were called up to war) but it’s just plain boring to sit around at home. Besides, I end up eating way too much, just because I bought all these snacks! Anyway, today I resolved to get outdoors, but where? The beaches, county parks, city parks, golf courses are all closed and I’ve walked my neighborhood until I know it better than I want to. So I headed south down Highway 17 and explored the area down Bennetts Point Road, including the Donnelley Wildlife Management area in the Ace Basin. Nice, but the gnats and mosquitos definitely rule out there, and no amount of repellent seemed to have any effect. Plus, as soon as you open your car door, they all fly inside. Aside from all that, it was a good day!
Every couple of years I like to take a road trip up to the Ridge Spring, Johnston, Monetta areas of South Carolina – huge peach growing country. As with crops everywhere, farmers hold their collective breaths as winter transitions into Spring, praying that a late frost won’t blast all the tender new buds and ruin the new crop. The best orchards are to be found in the backroads. The trees are not particularly attractive, but the blossoms are a sight to behold, and every so often a city girl has to inhale some country air.
The March 9th full moon (also called the Worm Moon by the Old Farmer’s Almanac) is this year’s second-closest full moon. According to Earthsky.org, these are the distances between Earth and the moon for the three upcoming full moon supermoons; March 9 222,081 miles away, April 8th 221,851 miles away (the closest this year), and May 7th 224,429 miles away. By contrast, the smallest and most distant full moon of the year will fall on October 31st at a distance of 252,380 miles away.
A new baby is always a reason to celebrate. This is my son & daughter-in-law’s first child, Elena Mary. She arrived after 24+ hours of hard labor by her mom and had a few minor health challenges to overcome. All is now well and she is beautiful. Welcome to the family little one.
One of the markers that sets the rhythm for the changing seasons of Lowcountry life is the classic Southern oyster roast. This is an eagerly anticipated annual event at the company where I work, but we started to get a little concerned at the weather forecasts that all predicted 100% rain for last Friday. No scattered showers here, rather a messy front making its way up from Florida. We hastily ordered bigger tents and made some other contingency plans, and although we had some anxious moments around lunchtime as we bailed out water from inside the tent, the rain let up towards the evening, and it turned into one of the best yet! Whew!
So I can’t stay on the ground for long before the sky draws me like a magnet again. Yesterday morning we took off in the little R22 for a short flight to photograph a few targeted buildings, one of which is the new MUSC Childrens Hospital. Unfortunately the sun hid behind the clouds for a lot of the time, but that’s just the way it goes. Not every flight gives you perfect light, but sometimes it comes as a gift when you least expect it. That’s half the fun; you just never know.
Well Dorian took it’s sweet time to get here, after decimating the Bahama Islands. So grateful that we didn’t suffer the same damage, and so grieved for all those whose loss is incomprehensible.
I visited the Folly Beach area yesterday evening to see what erosion damage had been done by the seasonal king tides combined with the hurricane, and found nothing too shocking. This little barrier island is morphing all the time, its shape determined by natural forces, and this was just another small adjustment. It will always be beautiful.
Some of my favorite times to experience Folly Beach are when it’s wild and gray and gusty. Sunny days with children paddling and colorful beach umbrellas are great, but so are the days when storm squalls race across the sand and you know you have no chance to outrun them. The clouds are unruly and the sand is stinging, but it’s wonderfully beautiful all the same. This was such a day.
These are the last images from the recent Savannah flight that I will post on this blog. If you want to see a wider selection, please visit www.charlestonaerials.com
There is a lot that is addictive about buzzing around in the warm summer air, pretending you are a bird and looking at the world from a completely different perspective. I am already looking forward to and planning my next flight.
