Monster Hail! - 7/19/2015

Yesterday evening, we had a surprise storm whip up. There had only been a 20% chance of rain, but that quickly went to 100% when a late afternoon thunderstorm ripped through our neighborhood with little notice. It started with some light rain, but quickly intensified with high winds and a torrential downpour. Then the hail started. We heard it before we saw it. There was a drumming on the roof that made us look outside and we were shocked to see quarter-size bits of ice coming down. A few pieces were more then two inches in diameter! That's the biggest hail I've ever seen. Here is a little unedited clip of the stuff coming down.

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Hypno-Pollen - 4/25/15 - Image-a-day

It is that time of year when the pollen is flying free and thick. Mercifully the rains came and knocked the yellow plague from the atmosphere. The only evidence left behind; the swirling, abstract lace floating in the puddles and ponds.

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Have you had enough yet? - 3/1/15 - Image-a-day

Have you had enough of the cold and snow and ice? I'm still enjoying this winter, though I have to admit I'm tired of there being so much ice still on the side roads and sidewalks. This has been an unusually cold and snowy winter for southeastern Virginia, so much so that I'm sure that it's driven more then a few people to drinking. Just like this snowman I saw on the beach today, PBR in hand. Whatever get's you through!

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PS - I did not make this snowman.

Who Are You? - 2/24/15 - Image-a-day

Another snow storm came this afternoon just in time for the afternoon commute and it turned the drive into a "shit show". A drive that usually takes forty minutes became a two and a half hour white-knuckle grind. There were one hundred and eleven accidents between 2pm and 7pm in Tidewater today and I am glad to say that I was not one of them. 

Today's image/video is my homage to a scene from one of my favorite episodes of Louis C.K.

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A Very Cool Patio - 2/17/15 - Image-a-day

Woke up to five inches of snow under a layer of ice. Finally got the snow day from work I was hoping for and I made good use of it by wrapping up a few art projects that have been sitting around too long.

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Snow on the Beach - 2/16/15 - Image-a-day

 

Tidewater finally received a proper taste of winter today when "Winter Storm Octivia" rolled in. At first there were just a few small flakes gently floating around and then it got more serious and then there was no question that the snow was here to stay. By the time I got home from work, there was an inch or two settled over everything. I got out on the beach and walked for a couple of miles enjoying the cold and wind and fine, powdery snow bringing stillness and quiet. It's a rare and beautiful moment to walk on a beach during a snow storm. 

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First Snow - 1/27/2015 - Image-a-day

Woke-up this morning to find our area was brushed by the big winter storm. I love snow, so was happy to see the white stuff, but I know for many folks in the Northeast, it's a different story. There were dire predictions that New York City would get two to three feet and the Governor of Connecticut shut the whole state down last night around nine. I was hoping for a full on snow day, but alas, all we got was a two hour delay.

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Arches - 1-24-15 - Image-a-day

I got out for an eight-mile hike today. It was a cold, grey, damp day, perfect for a long walk with some podcasts in my ears and a warm, familiar ache filling my legs and feet. Check here to see my stats and a map where I went.

I made a pass through the new Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center in the Pleasure House Point area and found this super cool drift wood archway on the path leading up to the center. I like how this rustic arch mirrors the sleek, futuristic arches of the building. The center is powered by wind and solar energy. The wind turbines were spinning fiercely in the strong north winds. It made me feel hopeful.

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That's Ice for You - 1/14/15 - Image-a-day

Last night our area had a near miss with a wintery storm. Thirty-three degrees and raining was as close as it got in Tidewater, but northwest on the Peninsula the iceman cameth. All the trees twinkled with a thin coating of ice, just enough to be beautiful, but not so much that branches were coming down on the power lines. When I got to work, I grabbed a few photos before it all melted away...

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A Foggy Journey Home - 1/12/15 - Image-a-day

It was a rainy and chilly Monday. The perfect kind of day to stay home in bed and read a good book, but alas, I had to go to work. By the end of the day, heavy fog rolled in making the drive home atmospheric, soft and mysterious.

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Six Seconds on The Vine

This morning, a friend of mine posted this link;

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/06/animator-ian-padgham-flourishes-within-vines-6-second-limitation/

on a well-used social media web site. I instantly fell in love with these imaginative and lyrical very short, just six-second animations created through a new (to me) app called Vine. I was intrigued enough with the concept of what could be done with six seconds, that I downloaded the app and installed it on my iPod. Here's first attempt;

My #firstpost on Vine. TS Andrea on the way. vine.co/v/bLWulDBxYVn
— Hal Weaver (@Weaverwerx) June 6, 2013

Believe me, I realize it is a very humble start, but what I liked about it was the immediacy of capturing a moment. The six second time limit and lack of customization options strips away the clutter and forces the creator to make something. Even if that "something" is bad or boring, it's over so quick, no harm done. The six second limit also makes the videos more honest in a way. I see that people are willing to share very mundane moments, which for me is where life happens. Most of our lives are made up by those "mundane moments", so what a fine gift to glimpse other folks slices of life and save some of my own.

OK HW

Fool in the Rain

This weekend has mostly been a wash due to the "Super Monster Storm" also known as Hurricane Sandy. We lost power a couple of times today. I enjoyed the break from being connected. It was relaxing to sit and listen to the wind and rain and work on a drawing.

Today's drawing came from a great old tome that has been in my library for many years called "History of Far Eastern Art" by Sherman Lee. It's a wonderful, thick book full of photos of amazing art stretching back for centuries. My eye landed on a tiny bronze sculpture from the Indus culture, a "Dancing Girl" from the Mohenjo-daro region. I like her attitude and her weird, cyber-punk left arm. Everything ancient is futuristic again. Sometime many years from now, when I look at this drawing again, I'll think about the rain and the wind and the quiet space that Sandy gave me so I had time to dance with this beauty.

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Image for May 20, 2012 - Once You're Wet, You're Wet...

I am a little behind in my hiking right now. Last weekend I was in Mississippi visiting my Dad and so did no walking. Weekend's are prime time for me to stack-up some big miles. Typically I'll accumulate anywhere from ten to eighteen miles from Friday to Sunday, so losing last weekend has put me slightly behind. No matter, this last week I have been hitting it hard to close the gap. Yesterday I managed a seven miler and committed to the same today. I woke to gray skies. A light, misty rain settled over the Sunday morning, for me, perfect hiking weather. Less than perfect weather calms things down. People stay indoors. The causal joggers, the knuckleheads with the super loud stereos in their cars, the families on bicycle blocking the path are all home on their sofas watching whatever those people watch. The secret to hiking in the rain is understanding that once you get wet, you are wet, so get over it. I've hiked in some fierce storms in Scotland and Ireland and enjoyed the extra challenge. The whipping winds and pelting rain puts a lot of energy in the air that creates a sense of urgency. Once the clouds finally do part and the sun returns, it alls seems sweeter.

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Image for February 12, 2012 - SNOW!

Last night we had our first snow for this winter and for 2012. It didn't last long, but the front that brought the snow also brought the cold, so when we got up this morning, some snow was still there. This winter has been very mild so far, with too many days in the 50s and 60s, hell even some days in 70s in January, so this blast of "real" winter is most welcome by me at least. I like the snow and the cold. It transforms any environment, bringing clarity and stillness (the cold keeps the lightweights shivering in their snuggies inside) and sets the stage for perfect hiking. The groundhog saw his shadow recently, signaling six more weeks of winter. Maybe he was right this year.

OK HW