Given I do this vagabond thing full-time, two things are true: (1) I put a lot of towing miles on my vehicle and trailer and (2) people ask about my tow vehicle a lot. I finally made an FAQ page last year about my experiences towing with the Subaru Outback 3.6R to answer the inevitable questions. Now I have a 2019 Honda Ridgeline RTL AWD, and it’s a different experience. It tows the Alto so much easier, as if it’s not working very hard on flat ground or small hills. With the Outback, I was always aware of the load…
Month: September 2020
Snapshots from the Blue Ridge
When I was growing up, the phrase “Blue Ridge Mountains” somehow sounded magical to me. Now that I’ve wandered up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Blue Ridge Mountains, it still makes me smile to see that phrase on a sign. Maybe it’s my personal version of the Magic Kingdom. Today’s post, then, features images I’ve taken this summer that didn’t make it into any earlier post. This type of fence is all over the mountains and I haven’t met one yet that I didn’t want to take a picture of. The more weathered the wood, the better….
52 Frames: Chairs
The subject of last week’s challenge was chairs. As with every week, how you interpret the challeng is up to you, from a classic chair, to a closeup of the curves or whatever else strikes your fancy. I was lucky to be driveway surfing with friends in southern Virginia. They have a rolling hillside with an amazing view from the top. Walk down the hill and past the first, smaller, pond and two chairs perfect for relaxing await, with a view of the second, larger pond. I honestly thought this two-chair image was going to be my submission for the…
Sunday Serenity: First Light
Darkness, broken by a tiny shaft of ight on a small seedling in the forest. The light shifts as the sun slowly rises. The light lands on branches full of green leaves, glowing brilliant against the dark background. As the sun comes over the ridge, the light spreads. One can see the trees, trunks, branches, and trees, standing in the light of the new day. Minutes later, all is illuminated and the darkness banished until evening. They say it’s darkest before the dawn. And in many ways, 2020 has felt like descending into darkness. But now, it feels like the…
What I’m Reading: September 2020
I mentioned in my Grindstone campground review that I had finished up some books, and one friend asked “what books?” I thought about it and decided it might be fun to do an occasional post on what I’ve read and how I liked those books. Feel free to make suggestions or comment on my picks. Nonfiction The Journey of Trees (Zach St. George) – I never thought about how trees move in response to conditions (like climate changes). This book is a fascinating look at how trees have moved over time and how they reproduce. A tree-hugger’s dream book! Fantasyland…