A Bit Of This, And A Spot Of That...

Evenings in Savannah are singular. There is a thread that runs through them all...a consistent energy that evokes a particular mood. The photos in this post are ones I took over a couple of days worth of evening walks.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. The energy present at that time of year is very special to me. Ever since I was young, I have always liked the sense of mystery and mysticism brought on by that span of months. Savannah has that energy in a perpetual hold. The vibe of this place sits continually in an off kilter space that is so incredibly pleasing. Engaging. Evenings are when that energy is at its most intense. It calms and sparks the synapses at the same time.

As I mentioned, the following photos are ones that I took during a couple of my evening walks. There is no specific theme other than that.

The previous owner of this condo unit was partial to a few flowering plants that I am not. One of them is the Easter Lily. There are several of the plants to the front of the building just outside our door. I have never been a fake flower person and I have always thought lilies to look like they are formed of plastic. So un-natural looking. I look forward to the departure of these blooms. A part of me would love to rip them from the ground, but I can't bring myself to do it. As much as I dislike them, they are not weeds.

The marsh grasses and reeds have taken on a lovely oat color. In some ways it looks like Autumn is here. The cat tails have gone to seed, as well. Most of them were being munched on by small fiddler crabs, but unfortunately they are a bit camera-shy...every time I tried to get their picture, they would zip to the back of the 'tail', out of sight.

The pond I visit here from time to time was alive with the sound of what I initially thought to be frogs. I was later informed that we are in year 17 of the cicada hatching, so we should have a lot of them this year. These '17 year' cicadas live underground for most of their lives, and emerge as adults to shed their skin and live out the remainder of their lives. Their song is quite distinctive, and I think that what I thought to be frog song was actually cicada song. Below is a short video of what I heard...



The photo below is one I took last year of a cicada. I was standing in the cul de sac by my building looking at the moon when I heard a loud buzzing sound and sensed something kind of large drop to the asphalt behind me. It was easy to locate the bug because of its' size...big. When I was able to study the photo later, it looked like some sort of 'Steam Punk' creation...not a real insect at all. I find the markings and frailties of it quite stunning.


A major element in the 'mood' I spoke of earlier are the veils of "moss" that hang plentifully from all of the trees.

I encounter a lot of felines on my walks. I'm not sure of the feral to human friendly ratio, but I imagine it's about half and half. One particular home along the bike path I walk down always has a number of cats hanging about. I know it's due to the configuration of the cats inner-eye, but every time I take a cat's photo around here, they have these bright lights where their eyes should be. I call them the "android cats"...they are waiting for their orders to take over the city...
Night before last I was walking past the 'android cats' above on my way back from the corner (during these warmer months I've become addicted to the frozen cokes they sell at the store there). As I was snapping some pictures of a small field of dandelions, I heard the noise of approaching people. I looked back just in time to see a woman on a bicycle whizzing past, followed by her husband, and a young girl of four or five being pulled along in a red wagon. The girl had a helmet on and was singing LA-LA-LA-LALALALA-LA rather loudly. When she saw me she reacted...LA-LA-LALALA-LA-HELLO!! LA-LA-LA-LALALALA-LA...and they were off down the path. I snapped off a couple of pictures as they disappeared in the distance. I kind of like the one above. It looks like an exercise in pointillism.

Above is the tidal creek behind our condo and down the bank a bit...the tide was out...obviously...

Yesterday evening I took a drive in the Audi my mom left me. I have a temporary tag at the moment that's going to expire tomorrow. After that, the car will sit for a month or so until I can get the tag situation finalized. I was out for a spin around the road that runs around the edge of the island. I took the opportunity to visit my favorite park. There is usually no one there, and the trees are incredible. I got there just in time to catch the sunset piercing the canopy of branches.
On the way back from the park, I decided to swing by a small dock. I was able to catch another shot of the sunset before the sun dipped down out of sight.

So there you go. Just sharing a little Savannah to cap a mellow couple of days...