NO LAND IN SIGHT

Looking up through the main sail and jib sail.

If you look closely you can see the outline of two dolphins that swam under the boat.

Two salty steely eyed sailors

Me doing my best to not go overboard looking for our next marker.

Ocracoke light house, Martha and I got engaged here 9 years ago.

Some sailboats that were heading to Ocracoke as well.

No land in sight.

This past weekend was the summer solstice the longest period of daylight this year. Dad and I have always wanted to sail from Oriental to Ocracoke during this time and finally did so. My brother in law Nait, who is an impressive sailor was also part of our three man crew. The trip is roughly 48 nautical miles and takes around 8 hours one way. The trip there was an adventure as the winds and seas continued to build throughout the day, we finished the first leg racing a storm to port.Fortunately, we beat the storm and spent the night in Ocracoke. The trip back began at 5:25 am on Saturday, we made great time but ran into another storm on the way back in, this one not as bad as the first, mostly rain. I had a great time, learned alot about sailing and navigation and also gained a respect for the Pamlico Sound I would certainly to do it again;Dad says he has gotten this trip out of his system, but I bet we can get one more trip out of him.

Forest Fire

Last week there was a forest fire in Hyde County. Due to a shift in the wind we were covered in smoke all day long. Working outside in the triple digit heat heat was difficult enough, but with the addition of the smoke it was almost unbearable. I somehow had the camera set on black and white, and it kind of takes away from the images as the grays all blend together. You can still see how thick the smoke was and how it reduced visibility. This is the first time I have ever seen this happen, it brought back memories of my days as a firefighter.

Trains

We were recently driving through my hometown and we took some pictures of some old railway stations and trains. I have always been fascinated by them and love to watch them going by with their long trail of boxcars. My dad was a railroad engineer and we used to go to the railroad yard and my dad would let me ride in the locomotive with him while he put a train together before he would leave and drive it to its destination. With gas prices rising there will probably be an increase in rail transport over the coming years. I have relative who recently retired from the RR and he said that the RR can move a ton of whatever is being shipped 400 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel. If youve never travelled by rail you should try it, its a great way to see the country. When my sister and I were children my parents would put us on the train and we would go visit relatives. My dad new the conductors and they looked after us as we traveled and made sure that we got off at the right stop. It was always a good time.

" And the sons of pullman porters, and the sons of engineers, ride their fathers magic carpets made of steel"

from the son "City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman

THE ANSWER

Yes Yes I know that the picture was too small. That's what happens when we try to get smart and edit it! Congrats to Joy S. who was the closest to the answer. Your dollar is on the way! Really. This is a kudzu guard for power lines. We had never seen this before and thought it was pretty ingenious. Stay tuned for the next "What is it".

STRANGE SIGHTINGS

Tell me what this is and win a dollar. (picture above)

We saw this truck on the way home from Martha's grandma's house. I have seen some unusual vehicles in my time but this one is pretty strange. The funny thing is, he has used screws to attach the plates to his truck. He has also put them on the sides of the truck as well. Most of these plates kind of go together, NASCAR, John Deere, Confederate Flags times 2, the Duke plate just somehow doesn't belong. You have to admire his creativity.

Termites 101

This is just something I saw when I was in school. Termites work in the dark, so how do they know where they are going? There are pheremones emitted by termites that enable them to travel in the shelter tubes that they build and in the wood that they are working in without losing their way.

No, you just can't "get something from Lowe's"

Termite damage in a baseboard.

Our 100 gallon spray rig.

Drilling holes through a concrete slab to reach the termites in the soil.

Wall and slab after treatment.

When I find termites at peoples homes I always get asked "can't I just get something from Lowe's to take care of this?" I wish that I could say yes, but termite treatments require a little more than a spray can. The first picture is a pretty mild termite infestation, the termites went through the wall and wound up eating through a bookshelf and into some books. We injected chemical into the holes that we drilled in the slab as well as the cinder block wall. The idea is to break the termites contact with the soil so that it kills the termites while providing a protective chemical barrier for your home. Termites must have a source of moisture to live, most of the time this source is the soil. In some rare cases leaky roofs and pipes provide this source making them very hard to detect. Again, this is a rare situation and I have only seen it a few times over the past 10 years. Termite treatments aren't by any stretch rocket science, but like anything else you need to know what you are doing. Some of the hazards faced in this particular treatment were underground utilities and electrical wires in the wall. You just have to be careful, and think before drill and inject chemical. To end, I would just say that your home is the largest investment that most people make, it pays to have your home inspected at least once a year. Sure treatments are expensive, but repair cost are often much higher and you would still need to have the home treated after the repairs.