fun stuff

Well, that worked, tho it took forever for the photos.

Now I'll see about getting a bit of work posted. Nothing wonderful, but I enjoy it.

Hi, all....long time no see. For some reason it takes forever to post pictures; much longer than it used to, same camera, same size files. That really discourages trying to post.

Anyway, a few updates.

I've moved. I live in a listed home called Willoughby, on the North Shore (previously I was on the South Shore), at Bailey's Bay. This is, as visitors can attest, within walking distance of Swizzle Inn, if one is determined enough. Same visitors admonish the best route is via the railway trail, since trying to walk in the street is hair-raising.

It is a fairly convenient location - 2 bus lines immediately out front, 2 a 10 minute or so walk away - and the house is lovely. The apartment has a fireplace - probably the oldest of the fireplaces in the house - stone walls, tile floors, floor to ceiling (nearly) windows, newish kitchen and bath fittings, and despite the North Shore Road noise is rather astonishingly quiet. The house comes with the couple who own the place and their kids, as well as Coco, a doberman/lab mix who looks fierce but is rather a mush. The property is large, for here, 75,000 square feet; the total house is something like 5000 sf, tho my bit of it is a comfortable one-bedroom space, along the lines of the house in Raleigh in size.

The people pictures are Mom and Sister, from their visit at Thanksgiving, sort of.

The place pictures - a view from my kitchen, and a view into the Bay from the public dock.

If this works there will be more...

Been a while...

Things have been the usual busy times, with only mildly interesting stuff going on and then probably only to me.

We have had a return to beautiful clouds tho. After the hurricane's passage we seemed to have lost a star quality previously evident in the skies, so I'm glad to see the shapes and colors and flat-out speed these things evince back again.

Labor Day was a welcome holiday. Of course I worked, at home, but I'd worn myself out enough that I wallowed in naps and reading, too. Didn't go anywhere, didn't do anything.

The post office had required that all multi-unit houses, like ours, sport mailboxes in a communal spot evident and proximate to the road by the end of August, and the landlord duly installed them at the very last moment. At a guess these are something he has hung on to from other locations...I rather like my Apt 1 lettering, in its, shall we say, naif style.

You know it is slow when I report a haircut as news...With family visiting later this year, I've passed on trying to winkle out any significant vacation time to go anywhere until a prospective trip in the spring. I found an eco-hotel I'm enthusing about in northern Spain, in the Picos de Europa, an area I'd come very close to booking a hiking trip earlier. I think I will use that as a base for a while, then either work my way thru Burgos, Segovia, Salamanca and Seville - and save the wonderful Moorish architecture of Andalusia for another trip - or leap down south and burrow in to it for the second week of the visit. So I'm gathering my reading to properly prepare...you know how I am.

The photos - views from a couple sites, those mailboxes, a plant called turkeyberry (I think) with wonderful purple beads....don't have a clue what it 'does', just liked the purple. And maybe some clouds.

Monday's summary

The most evident impact of Hurricane Bill is the browned-out (south-) ocean-facing vegetation, done in mostly by salt spray, and frazzled by wind fatigue. What is does make clear is the extent to which salt spray was carried by the winds - to the top of the ridgeline, pretty much island wide. The side of the plants facing me, which thus are facing north, are green, except at the tops and what you can see of their south-facing sides.

Coworker tales indicate some never lost power, most lost power for a short while, like me, and one poor guy was without for 15 hours. No damage reported (other than the landscaping, and what will show up later on given the thorough salt coating). One staff member claimed she did nothing to prepare because it is only foreigners and tourists who bother with that; also that it wasn't Bermudians out walking and seeing the high waves etal, just those that are here on top of Bermudians. (Catch a little antagonism there perhaps?) Others (both Bermudians and non) spoke of staying awake monitoring the storm, checking on neighbors, seeing the waves come in, etc.

Other than leaf litter and downed palm fronds, there was no clue as to the storm's passing downtown.

All's well.

Today's calmer view of sea

Pretty much same spot as earlier photographed.
Also a neighbor's clean-up of his roof, downspouts into cistern presumably blocked.

The winds and salt spray left slick floors (and, no doubt, everything else), so it was a matter of personal safety to clean surfaces this morning.

Sunday dawns

Hazy but clear and sunny; winds much calmer; sounds like the sea is still on the rough side, but what I see from the balcony is much bluer, less churned, less forthy lettuce green. Lots of folks out walking before it starts heating up too much - highs in upper mid 80s and similar humidity. It is nice to relax in this light-filled suite of rooms. I'll set the household back up again today, wiping down surfaces and unpacking.

trying the first of morning posts again

Hellooo out there!

10 a.m. Power is back on! I’ll ship this out before it goes down again.

At 8 a.m., I am, so far, in good shape, personally and house-wise.

Presently without power but other than an outage around 9 last night there did seem to be power through most of the evening. The most impressive aspects of the storm so far: the roar of the crashing surf – which now looks as if it has broken thru the natural barrier between ocean and Spittal Pond, but I’ll walk down and look at that in a while; and the roar of the wind. I’d be curious what the winds are at present. They seem pretty high, with some durn impressive gusts. Compared to overnight? Not sure – I’d buttoned up the house, and kept earplugs in last night so as not to heighten my stress.

People are out walking, curious bunch that we are. My British neighbor, David, has stopped in to make sure all is well; he has already made a circuit but we will walk about sight-seeing in a bit.

The first siren-screaming vehicle I’ve heard since this started just tore past – a rescue truck. Wanna bet someone is trying their hand in these seas? Seems the height of foolishness to me – even I can see the highly churned water, the color indicating the strong undertow – but I am not water-inclined and tend to think of everything beyond the daily shower as a bit adventuresome.

There – it just came back around, lights flashing but no siren on. Whatever required only about 20 minutes of their time.

Just heard my first chicken since the storm started. You do wonder where they all go – I didn’t notice any wind-tossed poultry sailing by, or hear any thumping into the house.

My preparation was a bit on the wimpy side, which didn’t worry me as much as it would have if the storm was tracking nearer to us. I’d X-taped the glass. I’d put heavy duty plastic up across the bedroom windows, and drew the vertical blinds shut and closed. I had cut plastic to do the same for the patio doors in the living room and kitchen, but had decided that I’d leave it unless things seemed to be getting worse, since that would entomb me, and the breeze is very much desirable. My Midwestern background reminded me to leave a window cracked open on the ‘opposite’ side of the storm; the bathroom window is always open unless a storm is coming from the west with winds that drive rain through the jalousie panes, a rarity.

I’d unplugged all but the appliances, stored the electronics and valuable papers in these nifty enormous zippered ‘freezer bags’ and then in my storage tub. (Used the same Hefty product for art and other papers. Have never seen these before - close to 3’ by 2’.)

Put candles out, with matches in their little plastic bags (humidity is high – what a surprise…) I’d cleared surfaces, stowing things in drawers or wrapping them, like the bookcase, in plastic. For the first past of the evening, while it was raining, I stretched out on the couch with a fan and a light on and read, finishing one book and starting another. My ‘wet’ shoes and slicker were stashed ready to use by the exit door.

When lights went out I pulled the cushions off the couch, put them on the floor in the kitchen in one of the more protected parts of the apartment, away from the front glass; laid a couple beach towels over them (to separate body from fake leather upholstery), then a sheet and a pillow. The rain had pretty much quit by then, and no longer seemed to be coming in the patio doors in the kitchen – the bump-out provides some protection from wind and rain coming from the ocean side, the building itself from the west, very handy when you are trying to get the door unlocked and get into the apartment. So I left that screened door in place and the glass one open about a foot – too narrow and the wind is channeled thru much stronger than it is if you give it more space. That allowed for some cross ventilation, and the kitchen ceiling fan would function whenever power was available.

I wouldn’t call it an especially restful night, but that was mostly because somebody’s plastic trashcan got loose and was banging about as it got blown around crashing into stuff. I have no idea what it was like at 4 a.m., when the storm was projected to be closest to the island. Earplugs are such a blessing…

We had the very occasional bit of lightning and thunder. Nothing like the squall that came over a couple days ago – that was the fiercest thing I’ve ever experienced.

What I see includes palm fronds and small branches down, surf closer than I’ve ever seen it, browned leaves and flowers stripped off the hedges and trees, and the vegetation tossed about, bending low and circling like something in an aerobics class. Sky is mostly grey, periodic bits of sunlight as ‘free’ clouds race past. Stormy, nothing outstanding, at least here.

Hope we are left without tornadoes, etal...