Yar, there be new posts a'comin'

Ahoy, I dedicate the beginning of this post t' Addie, whose expectations o' my prior blog fell brutally short, causin' her water heater t' break which, in turn, flattened a tire on Ott' Von Crapp. Arrr, ne'er in my wildest imaginations would Me suspect one seemin'ly innocent rant about irresponsible pet owners o' spiralin' out o' control and wreakin' ha'oc in the uni'erse. Aye.

There you go, Addie. A partial pirate post. Happy now? I hope to have a creative handful of musings for all of you over the holidays. Greyhound Bus, part deux, makes the first long distance trip this weekend to visit my parents for their 46th anniversary and Christmas festivities. Other insightful snippets coming to a computer screen near you: "The Surplus of Pepè", "You're Paying to do What??", "Close in, Far Out".

So, to everyone traveling over the holidays, relax, stay safe. There are going to be stressed out people doing idiotic things out there. Don't be one of them, yar!

What did YOU do this weekend?

Did you wake up and think, "Brrrr, it's pretty cold out today. I think I'll just kick it on the couch in front of the TV." Or did you get out and do something? If so, was it because you had to or because you wanted to?

I wanted to....

I spent the better part of Sunday on the Etowah River, just below Allatoona Dam. Even with the intrusion of residential and commercial properties, it's very peaceful. Very relaxing.

The Army Corps of Engineers typically does not generate electricity on the weekends, so the water level was normal. In the next picture the water mark on the bottom is at generating levels and the top mark is flood stage.

Hey Alabama, look how much more water you get during the days electricity is generated! For those of you not indigenous to the Southeast U.S.A., the Etowah River drains the Etowah Watershed and, along with the Oostanaula Watershed, make up the Upper Coosa Watershed which brings water into the Eastern portion of Alabama via Lake Weiss.

Here's some of the local wildlife.

You may have to squint, but in the middle of the picture is one of the biggest blue herons I've ever seen.

Below is one of the many fishing birds that I encountered. I could never sneak closer to get a better picture. I even tried moving to the opposite bank from them but it never worked. They have beautiful blue and white plumage and spook easily.

These pilings near the US Hwy 41 bridge are original railroad pilings built in the 1800's. Very cool.

Highway 293 Bridge w/Red Barn on right

This is, by far, the most dangerous part of the entire trip. Can you see the water forming a straight line near the old red building? Do you know why?

Lowhead Dam!!

This keeps the trip interesting. This is the Thompson/Weinman Dam. It was built in the early 1900's for the process of mining barite from the surrounding area. There's a portage route around the dam that's not too bad, especially considering there are no alternatives. That's a full-size, can't get your arms around it, tree in the middle of the spill-over. This lowhead dam is dangerous because once you go over it there's a concrete ledge ready to break you and your boat in half. Other dams of this type have such a powerful hydraulic (circulating) current at the base of it that it can entrap boats and not let go.

The last part of my trip took me by the Etowah Indian Mounds

Another river feature that has withstood time is the fish weir.

These fish weirs are an arrangement of rocks in the shape of "V" with the bottom point of the "V" pointing downstream. This creates a pool in the river where fish will naturally collect due to the current. Native Americans would wade out and collect the fish in baskets. These weirs are all over the Etowah River.

Today's takeout is the bridge at Douthit Ferry Road, just behind this old iron bridge. It was a cold, windy trip, but I had the entire river to myself. No fishermen along the banks. No boats to manuver around. Ah, peaceful bliss!!

ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!

Why do I find so many news articles that shine the white hot light of irresponsibility on people? Shelters all over the country are reporting a massive influx of surrendered pets. However, more concerning than that, they are finding pets abandoned on foreclosed properties, often without food or water. Left behind. Seriously folks, if this is your idea of responsible pet ownership then I have the perfect pet for you.

Or how about this?

These might be more your speed because it's blatantly obvious you don't know how to take care of anything more advanced. You're probably the same ones that missed a mortgage payment here and there just so you could become delinquent and receive government assistance. Did that change your habits at all? Nope. Not one bit, because you looked for the handout you didn't deserve. You took the easy way out. Look, I understand times are tough and most of us can only read about the economic hardships faced by our parents and grandparents that endured The Great Depression, or skyrocketing inflation rates of the 70's. However, there is absolutely no excuse for not making provisions for any living creature in your charge when you can no longer care for it.

"I'm too embarrassed to take them to the shelter. What will people think?"

BOVINE MANURE!

I have ten times the respect for someone that has realized they've gotten themselves in trouble and does the responsible thing arranging for their pet(s) to receive the adequate care they can no longer provide than for someone that is worried what people will think of them. If you are worried what others will think you need to get your head out of whatever cloud it's in and realize that you need some serious re-adjustment in your life.

Change comes from within, not from a campaign slogan...

Bring it On!

Choose your mood. Can you appreciate nature in all its forms? It's raining hard today, probably tomorrow too. One forecast calls for 1"-6" of the white stuff. Bring it on! With a rainfall deficit this year of 10" we could use all we can get. As I watch the rain drive through in sheets my thoughts drift off to full watersheds and navigable rivers and streams. More reasons I need to get back in my boat this winter.

Today is also chicken day. Jennifer and the new bus are coming home with 400lbs of chicken backs and necks. Thank goodness I polyurethaned the walls I put in! I usually like restocking our supply during this time of year because the flies are gone. With it being warm today I don't know what to expect.

Speaking of the new bus, I finally finished enough of it so we could move out of the old van. I still have some finishing work on the walls before I start on the shelves and the center console. I'll put some pictures together soon.

So, what about you? How do you take your weather? Hot and steamy? Cold and frigid? Somewhere in between?