APED - A Picture Every Day: catawba

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Thursday's Triplets

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday. A trio of Spider Lilies for you tonight. You can find these beauties blooming now at Landsford Canal State Park in South Carolina along the rocky shoals of the Catawba River. Landsford Canal has the largest population of rocky shoals spider lilies in the world according to their website. This is also known as a Catawba Lily, it is in the flower family Amaryllis - you know Amaryllis; that bulb people give out around Christmas time that grows quickly, if treated correctly, and blooms about a month or so later. You can't do that with the rocky shoals Spider Lily. The state considers it a threatened plant. So, you have only a few short weeks a year to enjoy it. I hope that those of you who live within a couple hours or less can get out and see them very soon.
And I think three is a lovely number. Just think about it; my mother raised three children, and, in decorating shows they prefer a grouping of three for room accessories.
I hope you had a great Thursday. Thank you for looking. See you tomorrow.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Monday Cautionary Tale

This picture was taken while paddling the Catawba River in South Carolina a few years ago. How funny it was to find a sign about motorcycles in the river. Of course we had to take a picture for our friends to see or no one would believe us. And then today, on my way home and on the interstate, I was about to get into the right lane. I had on my signal, no one was immediately behind or beside me and as I was angling over I heard a ZZZZINGGG! Out of the corner of my eye I saw him. Some crazy person on a motorcycle flying around me. He must have been going at least 100 miles per hour. I was doing about 70 and he was out of my sight before I knew it, darting in and out of other traffic ahead. So after I said a "thank you" to God for somehow alerting me to this crazy person that I had not killed today, I finally changed lanes. A little while later I was home safe and sound and waiting on the snow that may fall tonight.

I hope everyone is safe, happy and loved tonight - and warm! Watch out for those motorcycles. And, if you see one while you're kayaking the Catawba river I'd sure like to know. And, please, those of you who drive motorcycles, be safe out there and don't put us all in danger.