Blue Ridge Sunset
The view from the passenger side window on the way home from town this evening.
Now you now why I let THE BOSS drive Godzilla.
Dawn to Dusk
Continuing a look back at what I’ve managed to capture during the past 2 years, sunrises and sunsets. The beach scene is of Chic’s Beach, the neighborhood where I grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The rest were shot in and around Wythe County, Virginia where we live now. As with yesterday’s post, click on the thumbs in the gallery below to views full size images.
Contrary to popular belief……
…………….I did not fall off the edge of the world. My canine pal, Buddy, damaged the front porch while chasing a cat and, among other things, I used to bang nails for a living so…….
For those who don’t already know, I wrecked my back in a fall at home in 2005, fracturing several vertebrae and damaging my spinal cord. When surgery to repair the fractures in my lumbar spine failed to correct the problem I was forced to retire on disability.
I’m what my father would call “bull headed”, a trait shared by all my siblings and just about all of our relatives on Pop’s side of the family. Being bull headed and refusing to let my physical problems, or common sense for that matter, dictate what I can and can’t do I sometimes push the envelope a little too far and end up paying the price.
The week before last I really pushed it. This past week I paid for it. I’m also a chronic pain patient and have an impressive collection of narcotic pain killers in various dosages, some of which could probably knock out an elephant.
I only take my meds when I absolutely have to. This past week, after deciding to not just repair the porch but to re-design and re-build it without bothering to ask for help I have been taking full doses of all of my meds. I have also spent most of my “waking hours” stoned out of my gourd, staring at the idiot box and trying not to drool on my chest. To give you an idea of just how loopy, every thing Charlie Sheen has been saying makes perfect sense to me!
This is why I haven’t been blogging or even playing around on Face Book. It’s not that I haven’t tried, it’s just that the Gibberish to English translator on my laptop has apparently malfunctioned and I’ll have to do a lot of password resetting…….
…….as soon as the drugs wear off………again!
You see, I was feeling pretty good this morning and the weather was nothing short of glorious; sunny, pleasant little breeze and 72°F ( about 22°C for those of a metric persuasion) so I decided to tackle a few little jobs I’ve been meaning to get to.
The first order of business was to change out those lamps in Godzilla’s headlights for the high powered ones I bought at Auto Zone. I put a set in Laura’s Jeep a couple of years back and people were flashing their high beams at us in an attempt to tell us we had our brights on. Flashing her high beams in response left several people suffering temporary blindness as well as flash burns.
Godzilla sits a lot higher off the ground than the Jeep and I can’t wait to show that jerk across the street my high powered headlights! I wonder if his vinyl siding will melt if I aim them at his house and leave them on all night.
Next I decided to do a little more on the porch, nothing too strenuous mind you, so I broke out the implements of construction, buckled on my carpenter’s belt and proceeded to measure, cut, curse, nail, curse some more when I hit the wrong nail (usually thumb nail), drop stuff where I couldn’t reach, curse ………. and wreck my back again.
At least I still have plenty of meds!
As you can see, I also managed to get a few shots of the sunset this evening. I wanted to be sure the camera was ready for the super moon tomorrow night, the largest it has appeared in the sky in 18 years.
I also discovered the camera needs a good cleaning, especially the sensor, but I’m not going to try that until the meds wear off.
See? I do have a little common sense, especially when it comes to playing with delicate electronics while stoked to the gills on pain killers, muscle relaxers, sleep aids, nerve pain meds.
Besides, I can’t do any fine work with my hands until the bandages come off. Did I mention that Frankie spent a good half hour doctoring all the cuts, scrapes and splinters I picked up today. I won’t repeat any of the “special” words she used when voicing her opinion of “a man my age” doing the bull headed things I do. Your monitor would probably catch fire if I did.
Oh look………the meds must be kicking in…….the cartoons in my head have started and it’s a Road Runner marathon! WOO-HOO!
P.S. If you are having trouble following all this you may want to stop by www.tigerbloodAdonisgenes.com and have Charlie Sheen explain today’s post. I’m sure he knows where I’m coming from.
Brain lock
From time to time all bloggers and writers experience writer’s block. Today I’ve been experiencing brain lock. I don’t know if there is such a term but if not I guess I just invented it. For some reason I just didn’t seem to have much interest in doing anything and wasted most of the day with my mind in neutral, staring at the idiot box.
Late this afternoon the voices in my head kicked in and I grabbed the camera as I headed out the door to watch the sunset from the top of Big Walker Mountain.
I’m glad i listened because the 10 mile trip up there was well worth nearly burning my corneas out as I climbed into the setting sun.
Two factors cut my stay up there short. The wind was really picking up and I was starting to get chilled. I carry warm clothes in the truck but factor 2 had me packing up and heading back down before the sun was fully set. Factor 2 is the knowledge that deer get more active at twilight and negotiating the curving mountain road in failing light is tough enough without having to dodge deer. I’ve already had 2 close encounters with does suddenly appearing directly in front of my bumper. Luckily they were just very close calls.
As I got settled in behind the wheel I got one more frame from the passenger side window……
………another from the driver’s side……
……and a final shot of a field near home just as the light was fading.
