I've done it again. Why must I relearn this lesson?

JS-Kit, alias Echo, alias Haloscan hosted comments for Alone on a Limb for more than five years. Those comments include writing that I treasure, embarrassments aplenty, trite fights over politics and language, silliness, thoughtful responses to my writing that occasionally changed my mind, reminiscences by friends old and new and a few who are now gone.

And now those comments are gone.

As far as I can tell they are gone forever. JS-Kit has taken down their website.

If anyone knows of any way I can resurrect my Haloscan/Echo comments, please let me know.

Gleaning Facebook: Kenneth Graves' photos

Paula Graves shared these pictures on Facebook that she had found in her family's albums. And asked if I recognized them. I had taught her brother-in-law Kenneth. Here are the pictures and the exchange of comments:

 

Comments -

Paula Graves
Is this you? I'm looking through some of the Graves photo albums and I found this.

Terrell Shaw
When and where was this?! That's me alright.

Paula Graves
I have no idea. There are no dates or names on the pictures.

Terrell Shaw
Obviously a field trip... Washington DC, or Knoxville World's Fair, or Savannah?

Sylvia N. Graves
Kenneth would know . . . I don't remember . . 

Terrell Shaw
I'll bet these are from the trip to Savannah. This may be from the Massie School there and the monument from the old cemetery that we always toured there. I think Kenneth went on one of the Savannah trips. We took the sixth grade gifted classes each year for a long time.

Paula Graves
That must be it then. You know you have touched people's lives when you are in their photo albums and didn't know it. I'll keep an eye out for you in others.

Sylvia N. Graves
They have become all out of order over the years but I have them all . .. Some aren't in the albums tho . . . and YES . . . We loved "Mr. Shaw".

Gleaning Facebook: Andrew Osborns Eagles

by Andrew Osborn

 Sheila and I drove back out to Berry to watch the eagles this morning, my sixth morning there in a row. We arrived, bundled in gloves and stocking caps and grasping our hot coffee cups, binoculars, and camera, at 7:02.

The nest seemed empty. It was. One, then the other flew back home a few minutes later and gave us a nice show for over an hour.

We finally left them, still around or on the nest, at 8:22. This is the latest they have stayed at the nest this week. Could they be expecting a blessed event soon? Or maybe they just don't work on weekends?

Andrew Osborn was there as well and, I suspect, got some great shots as the sun came up in a clear sky. Can't wait to see them. My own photography, with my inadequate lens and slow reflexes, was pretty dismal -- none worth posting. I'll link to Andrew's when he gets 'em up.

A beautiful, cold morning for eagle gazing.

Andrew Osborn got some great shots this morning, standing right next to the guy (me) who got not a single shot he is willing to share here. Take a look...

Look what's blooming in our yard today! It's a Confederate Rose that Jimmy, Sheila's brother, rooted and gave us earlier this year. Strange time to bloom, but gorgeous!

Gleaning Facebook: Eagles and more

Pictures by three photographers not me today.

------------------------

More eagle pics & a few deer thrown in for good measure. 

These taken this morning by my niece Lisette Lewis.

One of the pics Andrew Osborn took this morning while we watched Martha & Henry housekeeping just after dawn with Deborah Shaw Lewis, Gregg Lewis, and Lisette Lewis.

The picture I missed. Wow. (photo by Max Hester)

(photo by Max Hester)

 

Gleaning Facebook: My Own Eagle

Considering that my lens is just the standard 18-55 mm AND that I dropped the thing on concrete last February, this isn't bad, is it? Doesn't meet Brenda K Davis, Doug Walker, Max Hester standards, but I now have my own picture of our national avian symbols getting ready for a blessed event right here in Rome, Georgia. Wow.

Comments:

Terrell Shaw
And I didn't even mention another award-winning photographer who met me yesterday morning only to find the rascals had lit out hunting a few minutes early - Andrew Osborn

Alice Jeffries Keel
Awesome

Doug Walker
Super Terrell !

Terrell Shaw
I've been out every morning this week, Doug. They had already taken off when I got there yesterday. They left at about ten till eight this morning, but gave a nice show first. I missed a fabulous shot when one flew directly overhead and was lit by the rosy morning sun momentarily. Do you need my shipping address, Brenda? 

Doug Walker
I wouldn't mind having a 400-500 mm lens but then I'd have to have something to hold it steady!

Gleaning Facebook: Bald Eagles!

What a morning... a pair of our majestic national symbols gliding about, bringing branch and litter to renovate their nest. I watched with Doug Walker and Max Hester for perhaps thirty minutes before each bird winged his/her way southwestward on a hunting mission perhaps. Max got several great shots this morning (as did Doug) but this one is from earlier this season. Bald Eagles in Rome! I'm still in awe. Nonchalant as you please ignoring the traffic on 27 and the busy college campus at the foot of their tree, just going about the day-to-day preparations of any pair of expectant parents. We now have Bald Eagles in Rome, Kingston, Weiss Lake, Chattooga Co. and Carters Lake. I followed our pair toward the quarry but didn't see them again.

I continued my walk along the Viking Trail and assorted other Berry lanes for an enjoyable hour or so. Besides the usual unnumbered does and fawns, I saw several nice bucks -- one an eight-pointer.

Comments: 

John Countryman That's a majestic bird!

Bob Doster Got at least one pair down here.
Rose McDonald Darby We had one land in our back yard a few years ago. It was awe-inspiring and almost unbelievable.
Terrell Shaw For those who may be curious -- Bob is in Eatonton GA & Rose is in Brunswick GA. Isn't it great to see the comeback of the raptors. DDT almost did 'em in.

Steve Evans Terrell - now that the election is over - it's nice to hit "like" for a change.
Terrell Shaw Don't worry Steve, I expect I'll still manage to aggravate my conservative friends occasionally. Alice Jeffries Keel How exciting!

Gleaning Facebook: Kayak Advice?

 

I took my new kayak out for its maiden voyage this afternoon. Just twenty minutes or so from Piggy Green landing to the John Ross bridge and back. Foolishly wore jeans which were soggy with cold paddle-drip in five minutes or less. I obviously need some "guidance for the old geezer kayaker" from you old pros. It was my first time ever in a kayak! I have a reasonable amount of canoe experience, but only twenty minutes in a kayak so far.

Best cool/cold weather kayak attire?

Drip avoidance schemes?

Keeping bow wobble to a minimum?

Retrieving beverages without going for a swim? (No beverages along today, but felt like turning my inflexible self toward the stern might capsize me.)

Etc.?

Terrell Shaw

Alright, Alan , I need more than a simple "like" here!

Thom Holt

Never thought about blue jeans LOL

Sarah Anne

um.....snow pants? dont they keep you warm and dry? or what about thise things that the cranberry workers wear?!! or fly fishermen! Heck, now you can start fishing from your kayak like in that kayak bass fishing shows!  

Julie Ingram Gatanis

A friend of mine kayaks around here and she wears a wet suit.

Terrell Shaw

This is a "sit-on-top" kayak, David.

I'll bet wet-suit is 'spensive, Julie.

Robin Holt

Drip guards for your paddle.

Wet suits are cold unless you are in the water. Several companies make water proof wind gear Defoe kayakers.

Bob Doster

1. robe and slippers., 2. A good decongestant, 3. Stay sober., 4. Bobber cooler.

James Grant

I put on a upper and lower polypro medium or heavy weight with a GORE TEX paddling jacket and a light pair of shorts. For your feet a pair of heavy wool sock with some river shoes will usually keep your feet warm.Keeping you head warm will help keep your feet and hands warm

Don Henderson

drysuits run from a couple hundred to a couple thousand.

Cheap solution, hip waders and a rain coat

Terrell Shaw

You bad, Bob Doster.

Bob Doster

Had an earthier answer to no 3, but refrained due to the family nature of this tribunal. But the bobber cooler is awesome.

Nick Douglas

Goretex rainpants or waterproof, breathable knock-offs. I didn't realize double-bladed kayak paddles dripped onto the boat.

Terrell Shaw

I'm sure there's sumpin I was doing wrong, Nick ... but I didn't end up in the water so I wuzn't a complete klutz. 

Christie Hufstedler Boyd

Okay, Terrell, you didn't do anything wrong. Move the drip rings down close to the blades and you will minimize drips but may never stop them completely.

Go to Walmart and go to the camping section. Buy a pair of nylon rain pants. They are about $20. Also, just wear a fleece lined nylon jacket. I wear synthetic long underwear underneath the rain pants. And if it's very cold, I wear tights under that. The water will run off both. You don't have to spend much to stay warm. Wear several thin layers of synthetic clothes, never cotton. All the natural fabrics besides wool will make you freeze when they get wet. I have a pair of "wet suit" boots that I paid about $30-40 for. I wear socks with them but they are very hard to zip up. A pair of lace-up wet weather boots work just as well. Wear something on your head. I don't know if you remember but a couple of years ago, I fell out of my kayak on the Polar Bear Paddle at the beginning. I was warm as long as I was paddling. I didn't paddle fast but steadily. I wasn't cold until I got out and then I shivered so hard, I couldn't take off my boots somebody else had too. I keep dry clothes inside our truck to change into when we are done if needed. On long paddles I take dry clothes in the hatches.

I drink Sprite and if there's no can holder, I just hold it between my legs or if you took a bottle of water you could lay it beside your leg. Not a big deal.

I didn't intend to make this so long, but I love to paddle and want you to know you don't have to spend much to have a good warm time in the winter. Call us and if we're home we'll go with you. My favorite paddle is from Dixon Landing at the soccer fields to Heritage Park. Doesn't take but a couple of hours if you dawdle along the way and can be done much faster in a hurry. 6 miles.

Terrell Shaw

Sounds like good advice, Christie. Oh. no worries, I'm gonna use that kayak. Scoped out places to get into the river behind the house today.

Gleaning Facebook: Spielberg's Lincoln

 Go see Spielberg's Lincoln.

It had me moist-eyed with the first scene.

It is a magnificent film. Performances by Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Hal Holbrook, and the guy who plays Seward but whose name I can never remember, are ALL Oscar worthy. The kid who played Robert Todd Lincoln was also great. They managed to make the Abe/Mary relationship seem real. The photography and music are wonderful -- does John Williams have room for another statuette in his home?

A great date-night with my beautiful wife.

Gleaning Facebook: Thank you Commissioner Lee

 Here is my comment on the Romes News article (link below) about the petulant response by some on our city commission to efforts by the Coosa River Basin Initiative to have input into the proposed shopping center on our city property at the "Duck Pond" in downtown Rome.:

This greenspace/wetland is ours, the citizens of Rome. Continued use as public greenspace is the best use of this land. Sale to Ledbetter or any other private entity is short-sighted and not in our best interest or that of our children and grandchildren. What a wonderful spot in the middle of our city will this greenspace seem in a hundred years when the surrounding land is much further developed. I do not oppose all development, of course, but this is wetland, it is part of our parkland, it connects Jackson Hill with Ridge Ferry Park, it filters pollution from our urban watershed, it houses intown wildlife, it stores floodwaters that would otherwise fill stores and homes. Our city commission should listen to its citizens, and no organization better represents the environmental interests of our area than CRBI. To call its efforts for a "seat at the table" extortion is insulting to this citizen of Rome.

Thank you Sue Hamler Lee for your principled stand for our children and the future of our beautiful city.

Don Henderson

today, they tore down paradise, and put up a parking lot

Chris Frazier

Terrell, I lived in that ghastly backwater from age 5 and off and on into my 50s. When I finally left, I experienced roughly the same relief one gets with the cessation of a chronic and severe migraine. Rome and Floyd County are habitually backward, lacking vision, anti-intellectual, and viciously gossipy. With a few exceptions, the electorate consistently chooses the most primitive leaders imaginable who actually lead nothing except a march into the cul-de-sac of ancient history. Rome-Floyd County is a place that likes to see people fail. Whenever I merely hear a reference to it, I think of a grim Faulkner novel. The best that can be said about it, from a literary perspective, is that it's excellent fodder for novels about the cannibalism of anything remotely progressive. I'm glad to have escaped. I wanted to escape so badly that I effectively gnawed off one of my feet to free myself from the trap.

Terrell Shaw

Chris, people just seem to be people wherever I go. Some of the finest folks I have ever known have been Romans, and a few at the other extreme too.

Ruth Pinson

Well stated, my friend! We need to fill the mall we have, as well as all the empty strip malls, before clearing land for yet another! I would love to see an extension of the park and a walking trail along the creek.

Mary Nisbet Asbury

Does the city believe it is a blight because of the homeless living there under the bridge? I know Mary Hardin has been working hard on various projects around Burwell Creek and is a very strong advocate on this isdue.

Gleaning Facebook: Eagles!

 Wow! Doug Walker also has some great pics of these gorgeous birds. I was thrilled last weekend when he gave me one to share with my students.

Wonderful shot of the bald eagles that have nested on Berry's campus! We are home to the national bird of the United States--how awesome is that? (Photo by Eddie Elsberry)

Gleaning Facebook: I Won A Kayak!

 The only gambling I ever do is to buy raffle tickets for worthy causes. I have purchased raffle tickets on every canoe/kayak that CRBI & Cedar Creek Park have offered over the last few years. Today it paid off. I am the proud owner of this Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100 sit-on-top kayak. Yay! Let's head tp the river

Thom Holt: That's a great boat. Go w robin and I ASAP you will love it

Anita Stewart: All right....let's get the kayak on the river....expect to see some upclose photos, but get a waterproof camera.

Wendy Ramsey: Congratulations! We just bought 2 kayaks yesterday. We'll see you up the river!

Dana Jordan Alexander: NOOOOO I sooo wanted to Win that !!!! bought my ticket at the same time you remember LOl we were standing talking about it ... to funny glad you won it Mr Shaw ...

Terrell: Still can't believe it! Sorry you didn't win --- but glad I did!

Dana: LOL I think we need a recount LOL just kidding you know I love you Mr Shaw, and I am glad you won it. I am sure we will see you up the River sometime .

Christie Hufstedler Boyd: That's just like mine. I love it. Nicole's is royal blue and Freddy's is lime green and decked out for fishing. He hasn't put it in the water yet.

Gleaning Facebook: Hee-Haw!

Several of my Repiublican-leaning cousins and friends have forwarded a cute little poem today. I got a kick out of it but thought a response was appropriate. Please accept this in the tongue-in-cheek spirit with which it is penned (or, rather, pecked out on my laptop). I really do love my misguided friends and relatives.