Perspectives of a Canadian in the Old/Deep/New/Geographic South: This is where I ramble on about nothing in particular and post a few nice pictures.
Spiders seem to be getting pretty comfortable around the house. Spotted this neat green/yellow/white one up in the corner. Not sure what variety it is.
Update: A little more research and finding a few more similar looking specimens leads me to believe that this is an orchard orbweaver (leucauge venusta)
While everybody’s eyes are on Gustav today, we will have Hanna to think about in the coming days. The current 5 day forecast for Hanna has it going along the Bahamas before reaching the Georgia/South Carolina coast sometime Friday as a Category 1 hurricane.
From today’s 11AM update:
THE INTENSITY FORECAST REMAINS TRICKY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SUGGESTS THAT THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY INHIBITED DEVELOPMENT HAS DISSIPATED…AND HANNA NOW FINDS ITSELF IN A VERY SMALL AREA OF LOW SHEAR. HOWEVER…WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ALSO SHOWS STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH GUSTAV’S UPPER-LEVEL OUTFLOW JUST NORTH OF HANNA…AND GLOBAL MODELS FORECAST MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHERLY SHEAR PERSISTING DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY…THE OFFICIAL INTENSITY FORECAST IS CLOSE TO THE MODEL CONSENSUS AND SHOWS HANNA BECOMING A HURRICANE A LITTLE SOONER THAN THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY.
After Hanna goes by, TD9 (designated with today’s 11AM update), which will likely become TS Ike today or tomorrow, may be knocking on the door the week after.
From the 11AM discussion on TD9:
NUMEROUS CYCLONICALLY CURVED BANDS AND A WELL ESTABLISHED OUTFLOW. DVORAK T-NUMBERS SUPPORT TROPICAL STORM INTENSITY AT THIS TIME BUT I WOULD RATHER WAIT TO SEE IF THE DEEP CONVECTION HOLDS FOR WHILE TO CALL IT A TROPICAL STORM…PROBABLY IN THE NEXT ADVISORY. INITIAL INTENSITY IS SET AT 30 KNOTS BUT GIVEN THE WARM OCEAN ALONG ITS PATH AND THE LOW SHEAR…THE DEPRESSION IS FORECAST TO REACH HURRICANE STATUS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST FOLLOWS THE SHIPS INTENSITY MODEL.
I’ve been using Blockbuster.com for movies for a while now, and until recently have always had pretty decent turnaround times with their TotalAccess plan. With movies going back to Columbia SC, I’d usually get notification that the movie was received the day after dropping it in the mail, and another notification later on that day or the next day that the next movie had been sent. Sometimes that movie would arrive the same day I received the notification, but usually I found it in my mailbox the next day.
The TotalAccess plan includes the option of stopping by a B&M (brick and mortar) Blockbuster to exchange movies there, instead of by mail. Since that was something I never found myself doing, I decided to switch to Blockbuster.com’s vanilla Blockbuster by Mail plan instead.
That’s when I noticed a drastic change in turn-around times. Now it’s maybe 2-3 days before I receive notification that a movie has been received after dropping it in the mail, and another 2-3 days before I receive notification that the next one is on the way. Considering they advertise 1-2 business day delivery, I’m starting to feel I’ve ended up on the slow end of their service. With DVDs going back to Columbia (and presumably coming from there too), I should definitely be within a 1 day delivery zone. Considering the 1-day turn around time I used to have with the TotalAccess plan, the only reason I can see for the decline in service is the switch to the vanilla Blockbuster by Mail plan.
Is this surprising? Not really I suppose. Since you’re paying more with the TotalAccess plans, naturally you expect a higher level of service and convenience (in the form of instant turn around with in-store exchanges along with a few other perks). According to this informal analysis of Netflix performed a few years ago, they also throttle movie rentals to give new subscribers a higher level of service.
Is turn-around time a big deal? While it was nice having a 3-4 day turn around cycle (time between movie return and receipt of a new one), many times that movie would end up sitting on the shelf for a week or two (sometimes more) before I got around to watching it. Sure, there were periods where I’d go into burst mode watching movies (watch them the day they arrived, send them back the next day) so the quick turn around was handy. Most of the time though, it’s a few days before I get around to watching the movie. In the grand scheme of things, an extra 2 days on that turn around cycle isn’t really a big deal (at least for me anyway). YMMV. If you’re a constant burst mode watcher, that quick turn around might be important for you, so stick with the TotalAccess plan. If not, save a few bucks a month and go with the vanilla BbM plan.
This is what I almost walked into at my front door when I went to check the mail.
The lower one was the one that startled me first.
Grabbed my camera to take some pictures, and when I backed up for a slightly longer shot, I noticed the second one higher up. Here it is from outside.
The bottom spider’s web spans pretty much the whole doorway.
Here they are in their zoomed in extreme close up glory (click on the image for an even bigger version).
I’m thinking maybe I should start leaving the front door light on to attract some nice juicy bugs for them at night.
I guess that’s what you get when you don’t use the front door. On the plus side, I bet it makes a great deterrent against random people wanting to knock on the door.
The dog park at James Island County Park is what I would consider the crown jewel of CCPRC‘s three dog parks.
The JICP dog park is the largest of all the dog parks located in the Charleston area, providing ample space for dogs to run around in and perhaps best of all, a lake for dogs to go swimming in.
Two beach areas provide plenty of room for dogs to run around and jump into the water. On hot days, the lake is where you’ll find most of the dogs.
Two dog lock style gates for entering and exiting the park provide for smooth flow. A water fountain to the left of the gates as you enter provides water (although most dogs will just end up drinking from the lake anyway) and there’s also a hose so you can hose down a muddy dog. A couple of picnic tables and the retaining wall provide a spot for people to sit down, and for some of the dogs, a bit of shade. While the dog park isn’t fenced in, trees and bushes lining the perimeter of the park and the lake serve as natural barriers, although some especially motivated dogs have been known to escape the park by swimming across the lake.
Admission to JICP is $1/person, but once you’re in you can avail yourself of the dog park and all the other facilities contained within the park. The dog park is the only area where dogs are allowed off leash though, so if you decide to go for a walk around the rest of the park, you’ll have to put Fido back on the leash.
One of the main disadvantages of the dog park is the lack of any kind of shelter or shade. If you’re there on a hot sunny day, you’d better have plenty of sun screen on. A walk through the water helps cool off the feet, but you’ll have to be on the look out for dogs barrelling by, and prepare to get wet from dogs shaking off. However, if things get too hot, you can always head out and go for a walk along the many miles of shaded trails within the park and then head back for more dog park fun.
A piece of advice before going to this dog park: make sure you have a reasonably reliable recall on your dog before going. The park is a really fun place for dogs to go, and sometimes they can be reluctant to leave. If you don’t have a good recall on your dog, then you’re liable to end up chasing your dog around trying to catch him long after you originally planned to leave.