You May Play In The Dust, But Please Don't Write In It!

Yeah, it's been a while hasn't it? I supposed you have been wondering, Gentle Reader, what the flying hell happened to me.

Things to know:

1. Yes, I am still alive. I have, however, lost some close friends and family, and others close to me and the rest of the family are fighting for their lives. A lot of our time is spent helping them fight the good fight.

2. Yes, funny things still happen all around me, to me, with me and in front of me to other people. Adventures abound all around each of us, and I take pleasure in experiencing the rich wonders of life every chance I get - until some stupid asshole comes along and fucks it all up.

3. Yes, I am still teaching. Loving it, and with my new focus on writing-intensive curricula, driving my students to new heights of rancorous aggravation. (Mwahahahaha!)

4. Yes, the islands are still there, and we still scamper around in the sand every chance we get. It's rarer now, but the opportunity to go back and recharge our batteries still gets cashed in every once in a while. Here, have a picture or three as proof:


Sunrise over the Atlantic


Jockey's Ridge


AWESOME Dolphins Jumping in the Surf at Sunset!

See? The Postcards still come, they're just fewer than before. Maybe I'll get back into the habit soon. There's still plenty to talk about...

Life's a Beach

Back to the Outer Banks again this week. It's an annual pilgrimage that I look forward to every year. I don't care how much crap the universe throws on me, I'm gonna make it here and just relax for a week. This year especially, I need a damn break!

In case you were wondering what is it about Duck that draws us here, and at this time of the year, here are a couple of video postcards for you:




Did you see that? Exactly. Not a damn thing. No one around to pester me, and the weather has been in the mid-60s all week.

Here's another one for you, and this time I make a cameo appearance.



Well, my thumb does, anyways. Sorry about that. Some day's I'm just all thumbs!

all videos copyright 2009, The Smoking Gnu

The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

Greetings from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's been perfect weather here. Mid-70's in the daytime, only spotty cloud cover, light breeze. The Gnu Herd rolled into town over the weekend and since we got here, the plan for the week is simple: zilch. No plan is a good plan. The cottage has an internet connection, so I can send a few postcards across the cyber-sea.

The Skating Gnu and I took a short trip by ourselves to the Currituck Lighthouse in Corolla while Mrs. Gnu stayed at the cottage and rested. We hiked to the top, looked all around, then took a short hike around the grounds to the old schoolhouse and historic village.

And made a somewhat dangerous friend:

photo copyright 2007, The Smoking Gnu

Yep. That's a Cottonmouth, or Water Moccassin. One of several poisonous species of snakes found in the Coastal Plains and Piedmont. We stumbled upon it sunning in the road on our way back from the village. It's a good thing the Missus wasn't with us: she would have freaked. My daughter, on the other hand, wanted to adopt it. She even named it: say hello to Connie, the Cottonmouth.

They say kids learn fear from their parents. I have gone out of my way to instill a fascination for all life - tempered with a healthy respect for living creatures - in her from an early age. I was raised on a farm and I spent much of my youth catching critters, from praying mantises to snapping turtles, and even the odd groundhog and injured squirrel. I even caught a rabbit with my bare hands one time, but that's a story for another day.

She is just as fascinated with wildlife as I am, completely the opposite of her mother who cringes at the mere thought of a cricket chirping. We stood there, each party sizing the other up, the snake probably scared to death, we on the other hand, completely mesmerized by its natural beauty. A perfect opportunity to teach my daughter what a poisonous reptile looks like in real life, how it's important to nature, and why it should be respected, and after a few pictures (using a telephoto lens - hey, I'm crazy, but not stupid!) we parted ways, everyone happy.

Oh, in case you were wondering, I was right. My wife freaked. The pictures were proof positive to her that we had completely lost our minds and would both wind up in the hospital before the year ended.

City girl. But I love her still.