visible atmosphere

Town Creek, 7:00hrs, Slabtown, Virginia

The summer duotone, green and grey.

pave paradise

With 800,000 acres of pavement, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is more funnel than filter in a rainstorm. Torrents of water have thrown the estuary's salt and freshwater mix off-kilter -- chasing out jellyfish, which love salty water, but stressing crabs and oysters, especially those farthest from the ocean. Washington Post


Impervious surfaces are any surface coverings that do not absorb water. These include roads, roofs, and parking lots. In urban environments, large areas are covered with impervious surfaces. As a result, water cannot infiltrate into the ground, and instead drains into storm sewer systems, and then creeks and rivers, much faster then it naturally would. This rapid drainage and increased quantity of runoff results in high peak flows in waterways, causing severe erosion of stream banks, scouring of stream beds, excessive sedimentation, and flooding. Sediment loading is recognized as one of the greatest threats to the Rivanna River and the Chesapeake Bay; sediment carries pollutants that have bonded to it into waterways, suspends in the water column and blocks sunlight from aiding in the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation, clogs the gills of fish (sometimes suffocating them) and eventually destroys aquatic habitat in streambeds when it settles. Impervious cover also prevents stormwater from infiltrating into the ground and recharging the groundwater supply. This leads to small creeks and streams drying up during prolonged periods of dry weather, contributing to drought conditions.-City of Charlottesville

Slabtown

a.m.

coelenterates

Sophie retrieves off Ball point. Not named for tennis ball. Possibly named for Mary Ball mother of George (Washington)?

The past few years the coelenterate density in local waters has been low. Not so this year. Talked to Michael Molineaux at Kilmarnock Animal Hospital about the issue, dogs and stinging nettles. According to Michael, dogs can swim through clusters of nettles and emerge largely unstung by virtue of their coats.
Problem arise when retrievers fetch stinging nettles. In this case Michael suggests copious irrigation of the effected area via turkey baster, or better yet, the garden hose + spray attachment.

singleton

The unpaired individual is regarded with suspicion.
Lone wolf, hermit, outcast, pariah.

day of rest

cold house

I like non profits. They do good work. Housing, heating, feeding, inoculating.
They contact me and ask to use photos for free. How can I refuse? I don't.

Not a good business plan.

The fifteenth Virginia Blog Carnival hosted this week by Below the Beltway.

tooth and claw

No leash law in Slabtown. Meet them on the street.


Packed up and ran together. Fun running with them, scary running from them.

slabtown

tourists come to the rappahannock/potomac peninsula to visit stratford and the birthplace of geo. washington.
a few of the people visit slabtown.

Looking for Irene

Irene and Robin, Slabtown

Sophie runs around Robin's house with her nose to the ground, tail wagging.
Sophie is looking for Irene.
Sophie checks beneath the front porch, the back porch, she crisscrosses the the garden, she looks in the creek.
Sophie searches every room in the house.

Sophie's friend of six years is dead.

Sometimes being simple is a comfort.

Sophie can't find Irene.

Dx

Dx like the corn, Tx will be precise, a date with daVinci. Like the corn, waiting.

equinox

slabtown road

the nws weather gurus call it the three H's. Heat, humidity and haze.
This time of year Virginia goes grey and green.
The low contrast school of photography.
In the black cabinet.

day of rest

clouds

The last few years I've been planting trees. This summer has been tough on the newest trees, no irrigation, temperatures as high as 105, voles eating their roots.

Yesterday we had some rain.

in time

Went by the ferry to put a name to the dog, dog's name is Merry. OK, Merry on the ferry, really. Merry and Sophie got along but I couldn't snap the meeting, Sophie jumps off boats.

Morning glories are in the corn, the hallucinogenic variety, heavenly blue.

What did Bob Dylan say? Those that aren't busy born are busy dying?

merry point

This is the Merry Point, Virginia ferry. Runs six days a week, sunrise to sunset, weather and tides allowing. It is a cable ferry, capacity 2 cars, operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Didn't get the dog's name. She lives in a house on the north bank of the Corrotoman River. When the mood suits she comes down out of her house and rides back and forth.

day of rest

for everyone except the corn

Being money

Being money is fun. People work for you, cherish you, put you in a safe dry place.
Being money is the bomb, when you are big money people respect you, worship you, get nervous around you, by God they are in awe of you.

In the Bible money is mentioned over and over again, hundreds of times.

Everybody loves money. Democrats, Republicans, Chinese Communists, little kids waiting for the tooth fairy...



On the other hand there is the life of corn.

You get shelled, you get made into a pipe. Many of the brethren are processed for corn syrup, consumed by humans and turned into adipose tissue. Then the fat people pump corn ethanol into their cars, drive to Micky D's, eat corn-fed beef

It sucks being corn.

The best part of being corn is living, in the dark, in a field, millions of plants, vast monoculture, north south east and west, corn in all directions.

Large. Green. Alive!

Money can't say that.

(Emma on ladder, priceless.)