Welcome to Chatham County - First Edition

From the Chatham Chatlist #3519 - Sept 29, 2009:

Subject: Need a rat/corn/etc snake

I need a snake. Corn snake, rat snake, green snake, hognose whatever, any non-poisonous. Its for something I'm doing with my grand kids. The snake will not be harmed and will be released the same day (or returned). No black racers, too ornery for kids.

Steve

Nothing (on the) New

Dear Rain Gods,

Please accept my sincerest apologies as I have obviously displeased you in some fashion. Last week you blew out the Elk River in front of my eyes and this week you soaked my meager campsite and made the New River a high, muddy mess, hostile to fish and fisherman alike. Whatever I have done, I promise to never do it again.

Your humble minion,

Mike

P.S. Any clues as to what exactly the offense was would be appreciated.

Warming the Soul - Work to Do

It felt like one of those muggy Carolina 90/90s, ninety degrees Fahrenheit and ninety percent humidity, and the deck thermometer, caught in full sun, was pegged at 120. I was soaked to the skin and thinking that gills might just have been more effective than lungs in this soup. And, oddly enough, I was worried about keeping warm.

Electric Blue IV

It seems I'm not the only one attracted to nature's amazing blues.
Most of the pictures offered in this blog are taken within a stone's throw from our home. These, however, came from our birthday visit to the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, down the road a bit. It's a delightful place to get a great perspective on the amazing diversity of flora that is native to this beautiful state we live in. Following are a few more samples.

Elk River Rain(bow)

Huddled under the dense rhododendrons in a futile attempt to escape the downpour, we tried to remember how many Mississippis there are in a mile. You know, Flash, 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi, …., Boom. Divide the number of Mississippis by 5 (or is it 10) and you know how many miles away the lightning strike was. Unfortunately, the question was merely academic as our flashes and our booms were now little more than a startled heartbeat apart, more appropriately measured in meters than miles. It was no time to be in the water. All we could do is sit and watch the river rise and take on the color of a nice mocha java.

Bass from the Past

Mary went on a closet cleaning binge yesterday and, amid the chaos, she redicovered this picture of her grandfather, D-Dad, and a couple of friends. We believe the shot to have been taken in the late 1940s after a fine day fishing in central Florida, around Sebring. I'd have been thrilled with just the little one.

A Fine Fifty-Fifth

"Since tomorrow's your birthday, why don't you go fishing in the morning?" Sweeter words were never spoken. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate the lady of this house?

In truth, as you reach a certain point in your life, birthdays sort of get lost in the wash. There's no need for big events, piles of presents, or life changing resolutions. A call from the kids, a spouse initiated fishing trip, and a day well spent will do quite nicely. It doesn't hurt when the weather serves up a peach of a day (as my early September birth date quite often does) and you are lucky enough to be living in a small slice of paradise, tucked away in these Piedmont woods.