I just had to take my camera out and walk around. The pileated woodpecker was out there banging away - sounds are so different in the fog, have you noticed? But, I was never able to get close enough to get a shot of him. I love the softness of the colors... the contrast in the things close with the grays of the background. 
The maple out front is almost bare... 
this week-end's nor'easter pretty well took care of that. But I love the color combinations with the maple and Yule Tide.
I was surprised to find this beauty open at the edge of the woods.
I hope you had a good, safe day.
And not just one, but a bunch of clemetis!
So, I started looking around. It is not unusual for the Sweet William to bloom off and on all winter. Like pansies, they are happy here in the winter. But the clemetis had appeared to have died back in that heavy frost a couple weeks ago. 
Spook found a warm place in the sun up next to the hackberry tree and out of the wind. 
They were delicious! Imagine, fresh raspberries in November! 
then I found one tucked back in the middle of the bush.
Is that beautious or what?
Can you see Yule Tide in bloom underneath the tree? The bumble bees were busy in the azaleas.
As I walked back toward the house, I noticed a little bunch of impatiens that also survived the frost. 
Then I looked up and noticed the red camellia next to the carport has started to bloom. 
That doesn't usually get going until closer to Christmas. 
I hope it is beautiful where you are, too.
I guess they expect these behemoths to back up for them - I don't know. But you would think that even an idiot seeing one of these monsters coming down the road would know enough to stop, get in someone's driveway or do something to stay out of harm's way. Most of us have deep drainage ditches separating our property from the road. This is flat land, the water has to drain into the Bay or the Ocean, hence drainage ditches. Notice the curvature of the road - it is called a turtle back here and is very slippery in freezing weather. It is very rare for a big piece of equipment to start up the narrow part of the road when they see someone else already in the middle of it.
However, on Monday, a school bus was coming down my road heading back into town. This monster sized piece of equipment did not stop and wait for the bus to get thru, he just kept driving. The road is 4 lanes wide about 500 feet before the bus and Deere had a "meeting" on my road. My property is a tenth of a mile long - no place to get out of the way for something this big. It is close even for 2 school buses to pass each other.
Did he expect the bus to back up over a tenth of a mile or just go in the ditch with all the kids on board? I came in the house to grab the camera. By the time I got back outside, somehow the bus had managed to get by and the equipment was up on my bank. 
in fact my back and side yards are still under water in a number of places,
and so soft, one can actually sink in with the mud over most of your shoe. If I go out today, I will definitely be wearing boots. The pics of the yard don’t look so bad until you realize the water is over a foot deep in places 
and the leaves are floating on top of the water!
down further in town of a neighbor’s yard and a lost tree.
I have included a picture of the old Hopkins Store on the wharf in Onancock
and the parking lot adjacent to the store.
It looks like the boats are tied up out in the middle of the creek! 
See the car driving thru the parking lot? 
on TV last night, they showed the house sitting in a LOT of water, the water was up over the road...
much more than seen in this pic from 
This picture is from 
I pulled off and took this picture yesterday while on the way to the Organic Food Store, Quail Cove. I have had many a meal at this restaurant over the years. It was usually very busy. Fortunately the motel behind it was not damaged. 
Nothing like joining a group and doing your first volunteer job before the ink is dry on your check! After hearing the band and sirens for a while,
the parade finally came in view as they headed down East Main St. Eventually, they went around the country sized block and came back headed for the FireHall.
When the economy gets rough, the first programs in the school systems to lose funding seems to be the arts. Trust me on this - I taught art for 38 years! None of our county's school bands could make it to march in our little parade, but the kids from Northampton County proudly showed up with only band sweat shirts for uniforms. What they lacked in uniforms they made up for in enthusiasm and talent!
God bless them! I must say, it brought tears to my eyes! I also have to say, they were excellent!
They played and played - those kids played their hearts out! I do hope they got some money in their Uniform collection bucket! Northampton is one of the poorest counties in the state. 
We had a good collection of Fire and Rescue vehicles from neighboring Volunteer Fire Departments (as seen thru the freight door in the old train station)
Now, I confess, I have a spot in my heart for a certain GTO, but there has never been a sharper looking car than the 66 T-bird. And my favorite color, too! However, I am content with my van...
but still, some memories are nice. 
It really was pretty, but it has done a number on some of the cold sensitive plants, namely the Strobilanthes
and coleus. I think I have all the impatiens in the greenhouse.
I grabbed the camera and jacket and headed out back. The azaleas got kissed by Mr. Frost, and tho they can usually take a bit of frost, I think this will finish the red and magenta ones.
My new roof on my newly rebuilt lean-to got a good covering of frost.
If anyone was hunkered down inside, I hope they were warm. It is built with openings so the possums can get in and out.
A nice pile of shatters makes a pretty mulch, and yes, it makes the soil acidic. However, camellias and azaleas LOVE acidy soil and that is why they do so well here. In the spring, potato farmers bring in tons and tons of lime to ‘sweeten” the soil before planting their potatoes.
is a big flower, whereas Yule Tide
is not much more than 2 1/2 inches across. These azaleas are about 3 inches across.
The temps that day were in the low 60s. This morning's temp was 30!
If you look carefully, you will see that the bushes are still covered with tomatoes. Each year millions of pounds of tomatoes are poisoned then burned so they can quickly be gotten rid of and the field made ready for the next crop. Currently winter wheat is up about 6 inches. Soy beans are being harvested. So the air is filled with the roar of farm equipment and the stench of burned tomatoes and soy dust. 
