Drive along the Parkway.

Posted on May 31, 2020 by luckyotter

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It was a gorgeous day so I took the car up the Blue Ridge Parkway again. I never get tired of its views. This activity is so relaxing to me.

The first picture (above) I took at Craggy Gardens, which has an elevation well over 5000 feet. The trees here are stunted, short, and knobby looking, due to both the cold and the wind. A little higher up, and deciduous trees disappear completely and are replaced by a spruce/fir forest, similar to what you might see in Canada. This is the home of the Frasier fir, similar to the kinds of trees you find in a northern boreal forest, but native to the southern Appalachians. The Frasiers were almost killed off some years ago by the wooly adelgid, a parasite that attacks balsams, hemlocks, and fir trees, but they have grown back. You can still see the white “skeletons” of the dead trees here. Contrasted against the deep green of the live trees, they give the scenery an eerie feel.

The next four pictures are from Mt. Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Mississippi, just a little higher than Mt. Washington in New Hampshire), in the Black Mountains, the range of the Blue Ridge having the highest peaks. The sign shows the elevation I was at when I took the picture.

There’s a road that branches off from the Parkway and continues to climb until you get to the parking area, which isn’t far from the summit. It’s interesting to observe the changes in both microclimate and the ecosystem as you go higher. It was a hot day, in the low 80s, but at the top of Mt. Mitchell, it was a frosty 55! It was also interesting to me that the last deciduous trees, just before you reach the all conifer forest (taiga) were not merely stubby and short, but were also only just starting to turn green. At this high an elevation, it looked (and felt!) more like March or early April than the end of May! They probably aren’t even fully green until the end of next month, and of course winter comes here early too. The trees here are green probably for only about 3 or 4 months or so, maybe from June until September. Brrr! I wonder how high a mountain would have to be this far South for the trees to disappear completely and be replaced with tundra. Of course, there aren’t any mountains that high here. I remember back in the 1980s, when I climbed Mt. Washington in New Hampshire with some friends. Mt. Washington is almost the same height as Mt. Mitchell, but the last few hundred feet or so was a stark, grayish tundra.

The last three pictures are from farther up the Parkway, near Grandfather Mountain and Linville Gorge. As you can see from the tree types, this is not as high an elevation, though it’s still pretty high.

Mount Mitchell State Park:

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Grandfather Mountain/Linville Gorge area:

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I have to say, I think these are some of the best pictures I’ve taken of Blue Ridge Parkway scenery.

Quarantine drive.

Posted on April 5, 2020 by luckyotter

It’s easy to get bored during quarantine. One thing that doesn’t put myself or anyone else at risk of becoming ill, but gets me out of the house is driving. As long as I don’t get out of the car, and make the drive the destination in itself, all is good.

Driving along I-26 eastbound into upstate South Carolina during lockdown was strange to say the least. Neon signs overhead nagging me to “STAY HOME” and hardly any cars out on the road, in spite of the glorious spring weather. I rolled down my windows, took a deep breath, and let the wind whip my hair around. I turned the hard rock station all the way up, and just coasted along the highway, taking in the view. I had to be careful not to speed, something I tend to do whenever I listen to music while I’m driving, especially when there’s practically no one else on the road.

Since the purpose of the drive was relaxation (and boredom relief), I only took these two pictures. I liked the juxtaposition of the nearly flat savannaesque terrain near Campobello, South Carolina looking northwest toward the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, only about five miles away. Things were a lot greener and hotter in South Carolina than they are up in the mountains, that’s for sure. One hour away from my house, and it feels like summer.

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A peaceful, soul healing day at Lake Jocassee.

Posted on September 30, 2019 by luckyotter

Lake Jocassee, Devils Fork State Park, Salem, SC

Nature is the best therapist, and is so much cheaper.

First, the backstory (and why I needed this day and others like it).

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I haven’t really discussed it much on this blog, but since her marriage in January, my daughter and her husband have been struggling with opioid/opiate addiction (at the moment, they are both in recovery), but for my daughter, her addiction is complicated by out of control mood swings. She has no official diagnosis, but her rapid and intense mood swings that range from deep and debilitating depressions that make her sleep for days, to manic episodes where she can’t sleep at all and flies into rages easily seems to indicate bipolar disorder (which does run in my family, and my son has it too, but his is more under control because of coping skills he’s learned, and his may be less severe than hers).

She lost her Medicaid when she turned twenty six in April, and now has no insurance until she can get on her husband’s insurance through his job. As a result, the only mental “help” she has been able to receive is awful, really almost worse than getting no help at all. Her current doctor is impatient with her, charges her way more than she can afford (forcing her to ration her psychiatric medications) and makes her come in every week for her scripts, even though that costs her more than if she came every two weeks, which would make so much more sense. It’s also hard for her to get to the doctor because she has no car. She hasn’t seen a talk therapist yet because of the money/car issue, and also because she has an aversion to talk therapy for some reason. Even the prospect of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) puts her off. Her husband is trying to get her to give it a chance, since it has helped him.

She was attending a 12 step meeting, but the man who was driving her to the meeting (also a member) started to take advantage of her sexually, so she stopped going. I don’t blame her. I would have too.

As for me, this year has been extremely stressful, and my daughter’s mental illness and addiction is breaking my heart. I love my daughter dearly but since she started taking opioids, it’s as if something in her brain broke, and even though she is clean now, she seems to have lost any ability she once had had to regulate her emotions, and has become paranoid about her environment and the people around her. Her episodes of rage seem always directed at me, although I know it’s not really about me at all. Still, it’s hard not to take the attacks personally.

I know with the opioids, the recovery process takes a long time, but patience isn’t my strong point, and I’ve realized I have no choice but to distance myself from her. I need to take care of myself. There’s really nothing I can do for her except pray for her healing and I can’t be of any help to her at all if I’m crazy myself — and between her issues and the awful political situation (which hopefully may be nearing its end but I’m not holding my breath), I am almost there.

I’ve gone on longer about that than I intended about my daughter, but that’s the main reason I haven’t been blogging very much this year, in case any of you wondered. I’m just preoccupied and worried to the point where it’s not healthy. I’ve been attending Al Anon meetings when I can, although I haven’t found a group I really feel at home in yet. I’ve been spending less time at home, because frankly, I never know what I’m coming home to (my daughter and hubby currently live with me). I’m looking into downsizing and moving to a smaller apartment or even a room in someone else’s home. I need to escape. They are adults and can take care of themselves here. I’m not going to kick them out. I prefer to move out myself, but the prospect of a move is causing me a lot of stress too. It all just seems overwhelming.

Get to the point already! You said this was about your day trip to the Lake!

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Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry I took so long to get to the point!

No matter what’s going on at home or in my personal life, I can always escape, and natural places always have a healing effect on me. Bodies of water, in particular, soothe my soul and put me at peace, making it easier to cope with life for a while.

Back in June, I became interested in Scuba diving and had been researching places where I might go to get certification, and that’s how I found out about Lake Jocassee, which is located in Salem, South Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s the main attraction of Devils Fork State Park. Jocassee is formed by the confluence of four rivers that flow into it from the Appalachians. The lake actually has a fascinating history, which you can read about here.

Jocassee Valley in the early 1970s, before it was flooded by the State of South Carolina and Duke Energy to create Lake Jocassee

The reason Lake Jocassee is so popular with Scuba divers is because of its clarity and depth. It’s a large lake, which goes as deep as 300 feet and is not dark and murky like most lakes. It also lacks that funky, swampy “lake” smell.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect. It may be early fall, but the day felt like the middle of July: hot, sunny, and perfect for swimming. The lake water was every bit as clear as I’d been told and had seen in pictures. I was definitely not disappointed!

You can get a good idea of the water’s clarity here.

The drive was very pleasant, only a little over one hour from my home, and it was just a short walk down to the small sandy beach. When I waded out into the water, I was delighted that the bottom remained sandy, and wasn’t at all gunky with mud and the usual slimy stuff that’s usually found at the bottom of lakes. There were a few twigs, small rocks, and a little plant matter here and there, but it was definitely mostly sand, which I could dig my toes into and almost feel like I was at the ocean. I could also still see the bottom even when I waded out so far the water was above my head!

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There were also small waves! The lake is pretty large (not so large you can’t see across it though), but I don’t think it’s large enough to have any real wave or tidal action like the Great Lakes do; the waves might have been caused by the breeze or the boats in the distance. In any case, it was relaxing listening to them lap rhythmically onto the sand.

Dog and kids having a romp in the lake.

For me, Lake Jocassee is a perfect merging of what I love about the Blue Ridge Mountains and love about the beach. While the mountains in upstate South Carolina are not as high or impressive as the ones in North Carolina, they are less intimidating and still make for lovely views and are a perfect frame for this crystal clear lake. But at the same time, I also got a real “beach” feel here, unlike any other lake I’ve ever been to.

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When I wasn’t in the water, I watched the view from my beach chair and just soaked in the sun, watched kids and dogs play in the water, and read. I think I stayed about three hours, until late afternoon, when it began to cloud up a bit. I decided then was a good time to head home. I left feeling refreshed, relaxed, and better able to handle the challenges I’ve been dealing with.

On the way home, I passed by Table Rock, also in the upstate of South Carolina, and pulled over on the side of the road to take a few quick pictures.

Table Rock, Table Rock State Park, Pickens, SC

I also got a little color.

I’ll definitely be going back to Lake Jocassee. It’s on my growing list of “happy places.”

Enjoy the photos!

Taking nature pictures soothes me.

Posted on September 1, 2019 by luckyotter

The world, in spite of climate change, burning rainforests, and widespread hatred and violence, is still a beautiful place, with so many beautiful and fascinating things in it.

I find taking pictures like these soothing to my soul.

The first photo is of an enormous praying mantis on the screen of my front porch (I believe this guy was close to four inches long!). The second is of an oak tree in my neighborhood, that by the size of its massive trunk looks to be even older than I am, and perhaps even a hundred or more years old. It sure looks healthy though, like it could live for another hundred, and it just might!

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Pool therapy.

Posted on August 4, 2019 by luckyotter

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I really needed this today. I’ve been soooo stressed lately due to family and financial issues, and haven’t had much opportunity to get to the pool or do much of anything recreational this summer.

I arrived at the local public pool early, while it was still almost empty, and just floated on my back in the deep end for a long time (just like an otter!)

The feeling of weightlessness combined with the hot sun beating down on my body seemed to take all my built up stress away. I could have stayed like that all day, even maybe falling asleep, but soon the pool was crowded with kids and rain clouds began to roll in, so I spend the remainder of my time taking these pictures, which are intended to be artistic but probably aren’t really.

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The above photo: looking down into 12 feet of water. The dark part on the right is the shadow cast by the side of the pool. This is my favorite picture because of its slight creepiness.

My backyard just got a lot bigger and more interesting.

Posted on May 4, 2019 by luckyotter

Pioneer plants and grasses are beginning to overtake the bare ground the removal of the blackberry brambles left in its wake.

I’ve been living in this 1908 farmhouse since 2012 (yes, it’s really 111 years old!). Until earlier this year, the backyard sloped down rather steeply and seemed to end with a very thick, overgrown patch of blackberry bushes, that alas, never produced any edible blackberries (grrrr!) and had become an unmanageable tangle of brambles that had become invasive and made the grass at the base of the slope very difficult to mow.

Another view.

It all started with a lost septic tank.

When our septic system needed to be pumped last fall no one knew where the septic tank was at first. It hadn’t been pumped in at least ten years! In fact, when I moved in I mistakenly thought we were on the city sewer system, but when I began getting strange odors coming from the sinks, bathtub and toilet, and finally some kind of brown sludge coming up through the drains, I made an emergency call to my landlord and he arranged for the system to be pumped. But first they’d need to look for it, because even he couldn’t remember where it was located.

Lots of snakelike roots and hanging vines.

Well, they finally found it. It was located under the blackberry brambles, so all of them had to be removed, leaving a large, mudpit shot through with thick roots that gave the entire back of my yard the appearance of a giant snake pit. But I was shocked at how much more space there was too. The land behind the brambles went back pretty far, down into a ditch far below that may or may not contain a small stream. It turns out, all that land belongs to this property.

There’s a fallen tree that goes way off into the distance, though it’s hard to see the other end.

I did nothing to clean up the area, other than toss some grass seed on the dried mud. Now it’s May and nature is taking over again. New plants and tufts of tall grass are growing lushly and there are even pioneer trees and shrubs beginning to take over the once bare soil and cover the sinuous roots.

Thinking like my cat.

My imagination went a little crazy. I thought about my tuxedo cat Sheldon quietly slithering into the natural nooks and crannies in the trees and shrubs, and all the secret cat trails he has probably discovered, where he finds heaven knows what. I imagined being a cat, and in my mind’s eye I saw trails leading off into the dark woods beyond, even though there don’t appear to be any there right now. Maybe we can bushwack some of the shrubs and vines and make a trail, even though in all likelihood any trail we create would lead to nowhere more interesting than the newish housing development there behind the trees, much of which can be seen in winter when the trees are bare.

I always have loved the golden light of late afternoon and early evening.

An abandoned school in Ruskin, Florida: a detour.

I was reminded of Easter Day this year. It was my first full day in Florida after arriving there the night before. We had gone to visit my son’s partner Josh’s family in a place called Ruskin, which is just south of Tampa.

There’s not much going on in Ruskin, Florida, but across the road from Josh’s mom’s comfortable doublewide where we spent the entire day eating a motley assortment of potluck dishes as though it were Thanksgiving (and getting just as sleepy later), are several trails that go off into the woods for quite a long distance, but all wind up in the same place: an old abandoned school that burned down sometime in the 1970s.

My son and a friend after gorging on potluck Easter dishes all day.

No one knows if the fire was an accident or arson, or if anyone died in the fire, but seeing the darkened red brick and yellowed concrete walls of the old school (there are only three walls left standing and two of them are crumbling) suddenly emerge out from the junglelike brush and Floridian forest plants, was a rather spooky (but cool) experience.

I didn’t take photos, because my son was taking better photos on his more expensive and much better camera. It was nice to have my hands free so I could swat the hundreds of mosquitoes that swarmed around me and were happily dining on both my arms and my hands. I finally resorted to waving my arms around wildly to ward off the clouds of mosquitoes, but the next day both my arms were covered in itchy red welts. I’m glad I had the presence of mind to wear long pants and sneakers, rather than shorts and flip flops, like two of the people who accompanied us did.

Although I didn’t take pictures of the school ruins, a friend of my son’s did — on Christmas Day of all times. My son was along for that hike too. There’s also a video of his friend jumping (and almost falling into) a creek, but I’ll spare you that. I guess that’s what people do in Florida on Christmas – they go hiking and hunt for old ruins in the woods. We made the same hike on Easter. That seems significant. So here are four photographs of what they saw on their Christmas hike, and that’s pretty much the same thing we saw on our Easter hike.

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Back at home.

So, getting back to my newly opened up backyard. It’s kind of ugly still, and there probably aren’t any interesting old ruins from decades ago, but it has promise. There’s more there to explore, and over time, it will become more eyecatching as the patchy almost bare ground becomes covered with new plants and flowers. I might toss some wildflower seed down there to help it along.

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Looking back up the hill at the burned out hulk of the apartment building that partially burned down in late January and killed a woman who was trapped inside (I posted about this and included a video of the fire I took on my phone that got used on the local news).

I’m sorry that I have no “before” pictures of the blackberry brambles that were blocking our access to anything beyond (and hiding our septic system), but frankly, they weren’t that attractive anyway.

This is the ugliest angle of my house. This was taken looking back up the hill at its backside, which is devoid of shutters, has old ladders and other junk propped up against it, and the grass is way overdue for a mow. Still, I liked the juxtaposition of the stark white against the deep green and blue sky.

Birds and scenery at Anclote Key, FL

Posted on April 29, 2019 by luckyotter

I had a wonderful time with my son in Florida. It’s amazing what a week away can do for your soul. I stayed away from the news, and therefore had no idea what was going on in Trumpland, and didn’t really care either (I was able to put my concern on hold while I was away).

I will post a selection of photos I took later, but my son, who is a professional videographer now, took these amazing photos of some sea birds when we went out to Anclote Key (a national park consisting of a group of small uninhabited islands and sandbars about 4 miles into the Gulf of Mexico from Tarpon Springs). This is a wonderfully remote place, accessible only by boat. The many tidal pools are a shellers’ paradise. There are two ferries that go there several times a day.

I had a great time, and got to spend more time with my son this time than last year, since he took a few days off work, but it’s still good to be back. (Well, sort of).

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Early spring drive.

Posted on April 7, 2019 by luckyotter

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I needed a day to unwind and de-stress, so I decided to take my new car out for a spin, because it was such a gorgeous spring day, and this is my favorite time of year.

Has anyone noticed the colors on the some of the trees in spring are the exact same colors you see in the fall? The reason for that is the chlorophyll, the substance which turns the leaves green so they can make their own food from sunlight, hasn’t kicked in yet. In the fall, the leaves stop making chlorophyll when they no longer need to make their own food. The photo above and immediately below show the fall-like colors.

Is it early spring or late fall? It’s hard to tell here.

I drove all the way to Sunburst, a beautiful spot near Lake Logan which has a campground, a swimming hole, and a fast moving stream. In the summer, this is a great place to cool off (the water in the swimming hole is crystal clear with a slight greenish tint, surprisingly deep, and cold) but right now, it’s fishing season. I didn’t fish, but I sat on one of the big boulders and just took in the sights and sounds, and let the stress leave my body and mind.

Fishing in Sunburst, NC

Sunburst Swimming Hole

My go-to, one-minute therapy for anxiety and depression.

Posted on August 15, 2018 by luckyotter

This is an old video from 2007 showing two cats (they are both female, and both about ten years old at the time this video was made) having a “conversation.”

The cats are not just adorable, but their trilling, purring, and cooing noises and soft little vocalizations are so relaxing I could listen to them on endless loop.

Besides the relaxing effect, I also noticed my mood always improves dramatically after viewing this video (or other ones like it). It’s incredible how something so simple can improve your entire outlook.

I wonder what the cats were talking about. Whatever it was, it’s clear these kitties love each other.

If you want something a little longer that has the same relaxing and soothing effect, I recommend this beautiful video of a mom cat and her adorable, playful kittens.

Thank God my vacation is finally here!

Posted on May 11, 2018 by luckyotter

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I’ve been feeling more anxious and depressed every day about the political situation, and I don’t feel like any of our efforts are really helping. Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind. It’s so easy to get bogged down in negativity, fear and hopelessness when the opposition is so nasty and overwhelming and you no longer have the slightest doubt of the horrifying reality that you are being held hostage in your own country — a country that is being run by the worst human beings imaginable.

I definitely need to clear my head and get away from all that for awhile. My annual trip to Florida to visit my son can’t get here soon enough. I leave tomorrow before dawn (I love driving before dawn on a long road trip — here’s an article I wrote in 2016 about that). Depending on traffic, we should arrive in Tampa (that’s where he lives now) late in the day.

Our hotel has a lovely pool and hot tub, and serves continental breakfast. We’ll be spending time with my son when we can (he can’t get off work). I think this time one of the plans is to hit Treasure Island! We had planned to go last year but never got around to it.

After four days there, my daughter and I are driving to Clearwater Beach and spending four days there, right on the beach!

I’ll be posting pictures, so keep checking back!

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Further reading:

8 Ways to Survive a 637-Mile Long Car Trip In Just One Day (and make it amazing!)

15 Things I Love and Hate About Long Road Trips

The Longest, Hottest, Most Boring Drive Ever