23 July 2022
Saturday
Yesterday, I wasn’t able to include any photographs with the post due to no wifi at the eco-village. I’ve posted the photos and two movies on Day 3, so keep scrolling to see the photos from yesterday.
I was wrong about being the only person in the eco-village. There is a construction worker that was in the other wing. I know because while cooking dinner he set of the smoke detector in his eco-cottage which set off the alarms in the community part of the village. The camp host apparently cannot hear the alarms and the guy had to walk over to the host’s trailer in the rain and get him to come over and reset the alarm system.
At least, when he had to go over to get the host, the severe thunderstorm had abated. As luck would have it, a pretty significant storm passed through. I received the usual emergency texts on my iPhone and it seems Fargo, Georgia was the main area affected. Mother Nature put on quite a light show and then downpour.
Yesterday, when the host let me in my cottage, I asked him what made this an eco-cottage. Was it the construction materials, the source of energy? He didn’t know. Strange.
Even more unusual was my going to bed at 9 pm. I had just finished a book on my iPad and my eyes were tired. I was going to watch TV (they have satellite) when I discovered someone had swiped the remote. No TV. I then fell into bed and actually went to sleep. Better yet was I didn’t take a Benadryl nor did I wake up five times during the night to slather on anti-itch cream. This is the first time since before January of this year that I have been itch free. Pray for me!
I waked at 3:24 am and remembered the host saying the night sky was great at the village. I went outside and at first didn’t see anything much because the “village” is lit up at night and I thought there would be too much light pollution. As I walkedart farther away from the buildings, I was able to see more stars. I was afraid it would be overcast.
What I like about the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the camera. It can photograph in total darkness. It also has a system that takes a 3 second exposure anytime there is total darkness. When I looked at the photos, you could see more stars and even parts of the Milky Way. Nothing like seeing your home galaxy.
My GPS wanted me to go to I-75 and through Atlanta. Never go through Atlanta unless you absolutely have to. Instead, I used the GPS on my iPad and it routed me along US441 (we know it as state road 7 in South Florida) and other back roads. It added an hour to my drive time but it was worth it. In reality, if I had gone through Atlanta it probably would have been longer with Atlanta traffic. As it was, the back route had very little traffic on it and for once, I was the fastest car on the highway – even though I went the speed limit.
Somewhere along the way I did the drive-thru at Hardee’s. I think the last time I ate at a Hardee’s was when I was teaching at Itawamba Junior College in Fulton, Mississippi. Actually, the Hardee’s wasn’t in Fulton but in nearby Hamilton, Alabama. I think I achieved my yearly salt intake with their ham and biscuit.
Tomorrow, I head out to Helen, Georgia and Smithgall Woods State Park which is nearby. I really hope this place meets my expectations.
Stay tuned!