Well, I guess we can change the name of the blog now...I got home Saturday just in time to go to the MSU vs. Arkansas game, and luckily for the Bulldogs, I brought home some good luck!
The end of my stay was pretty uneventful...I got to watch a Puerto Rican Parrot necropsy and 2 Texas Horned Lizard necropsies on my last day, and Kevin, the boss/teacher took me to lunch at Cali and Tito's.
So, after finally getting everything stuffed into the Ford Contour, I made it home! I'm currently still trying to get everything out of the Ford Contour and into its proper place in the apartment, but it doesn't all seem to fit.
The next couple of weeks = cram time for boards, so the only interesting things to be aware of will likely revolve around the possibility of Raleigh!?
Thanks for reading!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The big news from yesterday...
Not a bad week to be at SCWDS!!! See article below:
Hunter Kills Cougar in Georgia
posted November 18, 2008
Hunters around Georgia's West Point Lake might be led to believe that Georgia has a new predator roaming the woods - the cougar.
A Sunday kill of a male cougar on U.S. Army Corps of Engineer land at West Point Lake, south of Hwy. 109 seemed to verify that thought. However, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, this simply is a one-time experience.
"Though cougar and panther sightings persist in Georgia, there are no known native populations of these animals roaming the woods," advises Wildlife Resources Division Region Supervisor Kevin Kramer. "There is no reason to believe that there are any more cougars out there. This likely is a unique experience and while exciting, is not something for which we should be concerned."
The cougar, taken near the Abbottsford community west of LaGrange, was a male, 88 inches in length measured from the nose to the tip of the tail and weighed approximately 140 pounds. The hunter who took the animal was legally hunting deer from his tree stand at the time the cougar approached.
Initial examination by Wildlife Resources Division biologists found no tattoos, tags or collars, and the cougar had not been declawed.
Further examination by The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens Monday afternoon confirmed the cougar to be healthy and well fed. Researchers determined the cougar had a very low parasite level and that the pads on all four feet were scuffed. According to SCWDS staff, these findings are consistent with a captive reared cougar, not a wild specimen.
Due to the fact that there are no known native populations of cougars in Georgia, no permitted cougars in this area and that the closest Alabama facilities permitted to house cougars (in Elmore and Macon Counties) have accounted for all permitted cougars, the animal taken Sunday likely escaped or was released from a non-permitted individual.
There currently are no leads as to who may have most recently held the animal, but the Division will continue to look into all possibilities.
Hunter Kills Cougar in Georgia
posted November 18, 2008
Hunters around Georgia's West Point Lake might be led to believe that Georgia has a new predator roaming the woods - the cougar.
A Sunday kill of a male cougar on U.S. Army Corps of Engineer land at West Point Lake, south of Hwy. 109 seemed to verify that thought. However, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, this simply is a one-time experience.
"Though cougar and panther sightings persist in Georgia, there are no known native populations of these animals roaming the woods," advises Wildlife Resources Division Region Supervisor Kevin Kramer. "There is no reason to believe that there are any more cougars out there. This likely is a unique experience and while exciting, is not something for which we should be concerned."
The cougar, taken near the Abbottsford community west of LaGrange, was a male, 88 inches in length measured from the nose to the tip of the tail and weighed approximately 140 pounds. The hunter who took the animal was legally hunting deer from his tree stand at the time the cougar approached.
Initial examination by Wildlife Resources Division biologists found no tattoos, tags or collars, and the cougar had not been declawed.
Further examination by The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens Monday afternoon confirmed the cougar to be healthy and well fed. Researchers determined the cougar had a very low parasite level and that the pads on all four feet were scuffed. According to SCWDS staff, these findings are consistent with a captive reared cougar, not a wild specimen.
Due to the fact that there are no known native populations of cougars in Georgia, no permitted cougars in this area and that the closest Alabama facilities permitted to house cougars (in Elmore and Macon Counties) have accounted for all permitted cougars, the animal taken Sunday likely escaped or was released from a non-permitted individual.
There currently are no leads as to who may have most recently held the animal, but the Division will continue to look into all possibilities.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I LOVE FALL!!!
It was a beautiful Sunday for a road trip! After church today, I came home and changed quickly to head to Tallulah Gorge in "North Georgia." I am disappointed that I didn't find out more information about this place before the fam came to visit, because I think we all would have enjoyed the scenery.
Tallulah Gorge is about an hour and a half north of Athens and consists of a number of water falls below a Georgia Power dam that was built in the early 20th century.
I got to the Interpretive Center around 2 pm, and one of the rangers got me a map of the gorge and explained where I needed to go. I told him I wanted the full Tallulah Gorge experience, so I got my permit to hike the gorge bottom (it was free, but it was a little scary to have to give emergency contact info and my car description). They give 100 permits per day to people that want to hike the bottom of the gorge- I think it keeps the liability down, and cuts down on the commercialism of it all.
So, with multiple layers of clothes, my water bottle, Chacos attached to my Mountainsmith, a flashlight (just in case!), and a banana, I headed off to Outlook #1. The following pictures and descriptions chart my journey:
This is one view overlooking the gorge from the north side- the leaves were beautiful!
This is the first waterfall that you see from the outlooks.
Uh oh! Get ready for 370 steps down to the...
suspension bridge (sorry I didn't turn it right-side-up)!
Here is a view looking back up the stairs. Now, another 225 stairs down to...
the base of Hurricane Falls. To proceed onward from here, you have to have your official permit (though no one is there to check it), and the trip through the bottom of the gorge starts by jumping rocks across the river:
Thankfully, a large group of girls was coming back across and one helped me across the log perfectly balanced like a see-saw. The following 2 pictures prove that I made it across the river, and I'm looking back towards the wooden overlook where I had my portrait made in front of Hurricane Falls:
This shows the group of girls headed back across. If you ever go to Tallulah Gorge, I'd recommend taking a buddy. With my short legs, I definately would have ended up in the water on the way across, though the way back wasn't as difficult.
A beautiful view of a pool of water at the top of Oceana Falls.
A view from the end of the gorge hike at Bridal Veil Falls. This would be a perfect spot for a picnic lunch! Now it is time to re-trace my steps back to the rock crossing.
One of the many self-portraits I took along the way to document my trek.
Soo...back across the rocks (I did get one foot a little soggy along the way), up the 225 stairs to the level of the suspension bridge...and347 more steps to the top of the south rim. This is one of the pictures I took along the way up the stairs...I mainly stopped to take pictures here so I wouldn't look like I was about to collapse, which was actually the case.
So...I followed the South Rim upstream, crossed the dam, and headed back towards the Interpretive Center, stopping to take a photo of the dam on the way:
.
So, a 2 hour, 4 mile jaunt down the Tallulah Gorge was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon- I'd highly recommend it, and I can't wait to go back with Joel one day.
A few pictures from the drive back to Athens:
A view leaving the mountains looking southward. There were some incredible views on the way north, but I couldn't stop to take pictures because I was scared all of the permits would be gone!
The huge sign at the outlet mall in Commerce, GA sucked me in. I didn't actually shop, but I couldn't resist driving through the parking lot since they advertised so strongly.
A random shot of one of the many "Pandemic Flu. Be Prepared." billboards around Athens. I'm not quite sure what action they're calling the citizens to, but it makes a good photo op!
Tallulah Gorge is about an hour and a half north of Athens and consists of a number of water falls below a Georgia Power dam that was built in the early 20th century.
I got to the Interpretive Center around 2 pm, and one of the rangers got me a map of the gorge and explained where I needed to go. I told him I wanted the full Tallulah Gorge experience, so I got my permit to hike the gorge bottom (it was free, but it was a little scary to have to give emergency contact info and my car description). They give 100 permits per day to people that want to hike the bottom of the gorge- I think it keeps the liability down, and cuts down on the commercialism of it all.
So, with multiple layers of clothes, my water bottle, Chacos attached to my Mountainsmith, a flashlight (just in case!), and a banana, I headed off to Outlook #1. The following pictures and descriptions chart my journey:
This is one view overlooking the gorge from the north side- the leaves were beautiful!
This is the first waterfall that you see from the outlooks.
Uh oh! Get ready for 370 steps down to the...
suspension bridge (sorry I didn't turn it right-side-up)!
Here is a view looking back up the stairs. Now, another 225 stairs down to...
the base of Hurricane Falls. To proceed onward from here, you have to have your official permit (though no one is there to check it), and the trip through the bottom of the gorge starts by jumping rocks across the river:
Thankfully, a large group of girls was coming back across and one helped me across the log perfectly balanced like a see-saw. The following 2 pictures prove that I made it across the river, and I'm looking back towards the wooden overlook where I had my portrait made in front of Hurricane Falls:
This shows the group of girls headed back across. If you ever go to Tallulah Gorge, I'd recommend taking a buddy. With my short legs, I definately would have ended up in the water on the way across, though the way back wasn't as difficult.
A beautiful view of a pool of water at the top of Oceana Falls.
A view from the end of the gorge hike at Bridal Veil Falls. This would be a perfect spot for a picnic lunch! Now it is time to re-trace my steps back to the rock crossing.
One of the many self-portraits I took along the way to document my trek.Soo...back across the rocks (I did get one foot a little soggy along the way), up the 225 stairs to the level of the suspension bridge...and347 more steps to the top of the south rim. This is one of the pictures I took along the way up the stairs...I mainly stopped to take pictures here so I wouldn't look like I was about to collapse, which was actually the case.
So...I followed the South Rim upstream, crossed the dam, and headed back towards the Interpretive Center, stopping to take a photo of the dam on the way:
.So, a 2 hour, 4 mile jaunt down the Tallulah Gorge was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon- I'd highly recommend it, and I can't wait to go back with Joel one day.
A few pictures from the drive back to Athens:
A view leaving the mountains looking southward. There were some incredible views on the way north, but I couldn't stop to take pictures because I was scared all of the permits would be gone!
The huge sign at the outlet mall in Commerce, GA sucked me in. I didn't actually shop, but I couldn't resist driving through the parking lot since they advertised so strongly.
A random shot of one of the many "Pandemic Flu. Be Prepared." billboards around Athens. I'm not quite sure what action they're calling the citizens to, but it makes a good photo op!
Friday, November 14, 2008
TGIF
A pretty uneventful day at SCWDS. I mainly read some disease articles and looked at slides of the tissues that I "cut-in" last week of the rabid bobcat and fox with distemper. One of the veterinary diagnosticians that graduated from Cornell's vet school last year said he'd go over the slides with me on Monday so I'll actually know what I'm looking at!
I also got to sit in on the CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease...the deer form of Mad Cow Disease) meeting this afternoon, but it turns out it isn't as official and exciting of a meeting as it sounds. Most states in the Southeast send in lymph nodes to be tested for CWD surveillence (that is what I helped the folks with the other day), and the meeting just served to see how many samples they had coming, etc.
The Key Deer didn't come in today...I'm really hoping that they decided not to send it, instead of it sitting on a UPS truck over the weekend- yikes! A little bit about the Key Deer: this is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives in the Florida Keys. They're a good bit smaller than white-tailed deer:
Dr. Keel (my teacher/boss/mentor/supervisor) will be gone to the American College of Veterinary Pathologists convention until the end of next week, but he sent me some information on two seminars to be held on campus next week. One will be about polar bears, and the other is about turtles- they both sound pretty interesting, and it will be nice to visit some other departments on campus.
Tonight, I went to Cracker Barrel for some blueberry pancakes, and then shopped around Kohl's for awhile, ending up with just some salt and pepper shakers!
I'm starting to plan my next 8 days in my head so that I can have the fullest Athens experience possible!
I also got to sit in on the CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease...the deer form of Mad Cow Disease) meeting this afternoon, but it turns out it isn't as official and exciting of a meeting as it sounds. Most states in the Southeast send in lymph nodes to be tested for CWD surveillence (that is what I helped the folks with the other day), and the meeting just served to see how many samples they had coming, etc.
The Key Deer didn't come in today...I'm really hoping that they decided not to send it, instead of it sitting on a UPS truck over the weekend- yikes! A little bit about the Key Deer: this is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives in the Florida Keys. They're a good bit smaller than white-tailed deer:
Dr. Keel (my teacher/boss/mentor/supervisor) will be gone to the American College of Veterinary Pathologists convention until the end of next week, but he sent me some information on two seminars to be held on campus next week. One will be about polar bears, and the other is about turtles- they both sound pretty interesting, and it will be nice to visit some other departments on campus.
Tonight, I went to Cracker Barrel for some blueberry pancakes, and then shopped around Kohl's for awhile, ending up with just some salt and pepper shakers!
I'm starting to plan my next 8 days in my head so that I can have the fullest Athens experience possible!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Almost the end of another week...
Week 3 of 4 is coming to a close...this week has been quite slow as far as animals coming in for the Diagnostic Service, but yesterday I got to watch a dolphin necropsy! This was a dolphin that washed up on the Georgia coast awhile back, and they saved the necropsy for a time when students would benefit. It was very interesting, and something I'd be unlikely to see if I hadn't been here. Also, it turned out that the pathologist performing the necropsy used to work at the MSU Experiment Station in Stoneville; it was nice to have a quasi-Mississippian in the same room.
During the day yesterday, I spent most of my time helping 3 other people put little pieces of lymph node in little vials to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease. It wasn't exciting work, but it was a good chance to get to talk to a few other folks that work at SCWDS.
Today, we did have a few necropsies: 2 baby squirrels and a Common Grackle (picture...
).
and a buck head came in with a brain abscess, which is quite a common cause of death in male deer. We're still anticipating a Key Deer from Florida, and I hope for the UPS man's sake that it gets here tomorrow!
I looked at my list of "Places to Eat in Athens" and realized I better get to eatin' if I'm going to get through my list before I leave, so after school/work, I went downtown to eat at Five Star Day Cafe. I hadn't been downtown all week, so it was nice to walk around for a minute, and see the Athens local panhandlers that I've grown to know and love (not really...but you definately see the same ones every time). There is one old man that looks sorta like a grungy Santa Claus and he plays a flute. The night I stood in line forever to get my free scoop of Ben & Jerry's, he was sitting next to the line serenading all of us with his little flute pipe instrument. I've seen him at least 3 times since and he's been playing the same "song" on the same block."
During the day yesterday, I spent most of my time helping 3 other people put little pieces of lymph node in little vials to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease. It wasn't exciting work, but it was a good chance to get to talk to a few other folks that work at SCWDS.
Today, we did have a few necropsies: 2 baby squirrels and a Common Grackle (picture...
).and a buck head came in with a brain abscess, which is quite a common cause of death in male deer. We're still anticipating a Key Deer from Florida, and I hope for the UPS man's sake that it gets here tomorrow!
I looked at my list of "Places to Eat in Athens" and realized I better get to eatin' if I'm going to get through my list before I leave, so after school/work, I went downtown to eat at Five Star Day Cafe. I hadn't been downtown all week, so it was nice to walk around for a minute, and see the Athens local panhandlers that I've grown to know and love (not really...but you definately see the same ones every time). There is one old man that looks sorta like a grungy Santa Claus and he plays a flute. The night I stood in line forever to get my free scoop of Ben & Jerry's, he was sitting next to the line serenading all of us with his little flute pipe instrument. I've seen him at least 3 times since and he's been playing the same "song" on the same block."
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I really feel like a local! A man with his high school-aged daughter asked me for directions for today when I was walking around campus during lunch! Don't worry, I did tell them that I'm not from around here, but I was able to point them towards downtown. I was pretty proud of that!
Not much has gone on so far this week. The family left yesterday morning when I left for work/school, and they probably had a more exciting Monday than I did, especially considering ValleyCrest called Joel on the way home and they're flying him out next week for another interview in Raleigh!
I did learn how to "cut-in" tissues yesterday afternoon...I'll save the gory details, but you're basically taking organs you get during the necropsy and cutting them into pieces so that the histology lab can make them into microscope slides. Wikipedia has more details if you'd like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histology
So...I learned that yesterday afternoon, and then "cut-in" tissues for 3 parrots, a bobcat, and a gray fox today. We were supposed to have a Key Deer come in for a necropsy, but I guess it got held up between Florida and Georgia...maybe tomorrow!
Other than that, I've been researching vaccine regulations and studying for boards!
Not much has gone on so far this week. The family left yesterday morning when I left for work/school, and they probably had a more exciting Monday than I did, especially considering ValleyCrest called Joel on the way home and they're flying him out next week for another interview in Raleigh!
I did learn how to "cut-in" tissues yesterday afternoon...I'll save the gory details, but you're basically taking organs you get during the necropsy and cutting them into pieces so that the histology lab can make them into microscope slides. Wikipedia has more details if you'd like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histology
So...I learned that yesterday afternoon, and then "cut-in" tissues for 3 parrots, a bobcat, and a gray fox today. We were supposed to have a Key Deer come in for a necropsy, but I guess it got held up between Florida and Georgia...maybe tomorrow!
Other than that, I've been researching vaccine regulations and studying for boards!
Monday, November 10, 2008
A social event I forgot to mention, and a summary of the end of family vacation
I forgot to mention that Joel and I went to the Melting Point Thursday night! After we ate at the Last Resort Grill with my parents, Joel and I got to hear Patrick's band "Colour Revolt" at the Melting Point. It was a really neat venue- very small with really good acoustics (at least that is what people who know acoustics say)...so it was really fun to see some familiar faces playing music in Athens!
Yesterday, we all went to Redeemer Pres and then to brunch at Big City Bread. It was another beautiful day and we got to eat outside. I then took the fam on a driving tour of campus and a few places in Athens they hadn't yet visited (it was sorta funny that I gave the big tour on their last day in town). Below are pictures from the day:
Joel enjoying his caramel latte at Big City Bread
Momma and Daddy with hot chocolate at Big City Bread
The Tree That Owns Itself...high point of the trip for sure!
Family photo in front of the UGA Sanford Stadium
One of the black bears at the Bear Creek Wildlife Trail. Don't worry, they're fenced in, though the park is in the middle of a neighborhood!
Yesterday, we all went to Redeemer Pres and then to brunch at Big City Bread. It was another beautiful day and we got to eat outside. I then took the fam on a driving tour of campus and a few places in Athens they hadn't yet visited (it was sorta funny that I gave the big tour on their last day in town). Below are pictures from the day:
Joel enjoying his caramel latte at Big City Bread
Momma and Daddy with hot chocolate at Big City Bread
The Tree That Owns Itself...high point of the trip for sure!
Family photo in front of the UGA Sanford Stadium
One of the black bears at the Bear Creek Wildlife Trail. Don't worry, they're fenced in, though the park is in the middle of a neighborhood!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
A long-awaited (and long) post
I haven't had a post since Monday since half of the people who read the blog have been here since Wednesday. A quick synopsis of the work week before I give details of the Johnston-Butler family trip to Athens: it was a pretty slow week. Only 2 full animals came in for necropsy, and both were rabies-suspect which means I can't help or even watch. Only U of GA employees (+/- students?) can help...I guess it is a liability thing. I was pretty disappointed too, since one was a bobcat and one was a fox and I haven't gotten to see a carnivore necropsy since I've been here. The bobcat was actually rabies positive, which I didn't realize was more common around here. Mississippi is the only state in the area that hasn't had rabies in a terrestrial animal (basically meaning we only have it in bats) in the recent past.
So, since we didn't have much going on, I looked at slides under the microscope a lot, studied about pseudorabies in wild hogs, and researched vaccine regulations.
Joel and my parents arrived Wednesday night around the time I left SCWDS, and after unloading some stuff at the apartment, my parents went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Joel and I went to the Gyro Wrap- which was incredible, by the way. My parents then headed to their hotel so Daddy could get to work on his conference call/cutover, and I gave Joel a quick tour of the campus.
Thursday: I met my parents and Joel at "Peaches" for some fried chicken and collards, then dropped Momma off downtown while Joel and Daddy came back to the apartment. Momma walked around the town and we met up after I got off work/school, and we all went to eat at the Last Resort Grill which had been highly recommended, and it was indeed very good.
On Friday, Joel dropped me off at work/school and headed to Charlotte, NC to meet the ValleyCrest Regional VP for a job interview for a position in Raleigh, NC!!! The interview went very well, and Joel (in his suit) made it back in time to pick me up at 5. Momma fixed a crock-pot roast and mashed potatoes, so we had a meal at the apartment Friday night, and then we eached watched the latest episode of Life on our computers (thanks again mystery Alex, for the internet!).
Saturday was a full day of regional road trips. Momma and Daddy went to Madison, GA (the self-proclaimed #1 small town in America), and Joel and I slept a bit later and went to Washington, GA (no super title for this town). It was about a 30 minute drive for each of us, and full of beautiful scenery:
Unfortunately, BJ's Biscuit Barn was closed, so we didn't get to enjoy that experience.
Washington was a cute small town with a few antique shops and lots of old houses. We at lunch at "Alfred's on the Square," and got to hear the owner yelling at the kitchen staff through the open kitchen window. Our meal was fine, though the service left something to be desired, and they brought me twice as much food as I ordered. We learned near the end of the meal that the owner surprised everyone that morning with a new menu- they normall serve a buffet of chicken, greens, etc, and that day she decided to sandwiches and burgers. Oh well, it was an experience for sure.
Luckily for us, we happened to venture to Washington on the day of "THE ART SHOW." This consisted of about 10 tents set up in the middle of the square with a large "Welcome Hunters" sign. It must have been a big deal for the 4000 people in that town, because every store employee told us to enjoy the art show:
I loved this house. We couldn't tell if it was being renovated very very well, or if it was new construction that was built to look old?
Once we got back to Athens, Joel and I went to the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia which were beautiful! (especially considering the area has been in a drought forever). We could have spent more time there, but we wanted to make sure our car didn't get locked in at 6:00 p.m. Below are some pictures. A wedding was going on at the "Day Chapel" at the time, and I took a short video clip to try to show the woods, the chapel, and the bluegrass music in the background.
So, since we didn't have much going on, I looked at slides under the microscope a lot, studied about pseudorabies in wild hogs, and researched vaccine regulations.
Joel and my parents arrived Wednesday night around the time I left SCWDS, and after unloading some stuff at the apartment, my parents went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Joel and I went to the Gyro Wrap- which was incredible, by the way. My parents then headed to their hotel so Daddy could get to work on his conference call/cutover, and I gave Joel a quick tour of the campus.
Thursday: I met my parents and Joel at "Peaches" for some fried chicken and collards, then dropped Momma off downtown while Joel and Daddy came back to the apartment. Momma walked around the town and we met up after I got off work/school, and we all went to eat at the Last Resort Grill which had been highly recommended, and it was indeed very good.
On Friday, Joel dropped me off at work/school and headed to Charlotte, NC to meet the ValleyCrest Regional VP for a job interview for a position in Raleigh, NC!!! The interview went very well, and Joel (in his suit) made it back in time to pick me up at 5. Momma fixed a crock-pot roast and mashed potatoes, so we had a meal at the apartment Friday night, and then we eached watched the latest episode of Life on our computers (thanks again mystery Alex, for the internet!).
Saturday was a full day of regional road trips. Momma and Daddy went to Madison, GA (the self-proclaimed #1 small town in America), and Joel and I slept a bit later and went to Washington, GA (no super title for this town). It was about a 30 minute drive for each of us, and full of beautiful scenery:
Unfortunately, BJ's Biscuit Barn was closed, so we didn't get to enjoy that experience.Washington was a cute small town with a few antique shops and lots of old houses. We at lunch at "Alfred's on the Square," and got to hear the owner yelling at the kitchen staff through the open kitchen window. Our meal was fine, though the service left something to be desired, and they brought me twice as much food as I ordered. We learned near the end of the meal that the owner surprised everyone that morning with a new menu- they normall serve a buffet of chicken, greens, etc, and that day she decided to sandwiches and burgers. Oh well, it was an experience for sure.
Luckily for us, we happened to venture to Washington on the day of "THE ART SHOW." This consisted of about 10 tents set up in the middle of the square with a large "Welcome Hunters" sign. It must have been a big deal for the 4000 people in that town, because every store employee told us to enjoy the art show:
I loved this house. We couldn't tell if it was being renovated very very well, or if it was new construction that was built to look old?Once we got back to Athens, Joel and I went to the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia which were beautiful! (especially considering the area has been in a drought forever). We could have spent more time there, but we wanted to make sure our car didn't get locked in at 6:00 p.m. Below are some pictures. A wedding was going on at the "Day Chapel" at the time, and I took a short video clip to try to show the woods, the chapel, and the bluegrass music in the background.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Fall Back
I have officially survived a week in Athens on my own!
Yesterday, I went to the 10:30 a.m. service at Redeemer Pres, and then walked around downtown perusing some stores until Palmer arrived from Atlanta. He and I then had "brunch" (which seems to be a pretty popular meal in this town) at The Grit. I'm glad we went there, because I've heard how great it is, but serves vegetarian only meals, so I figured I'd be hard-pressed to have any family members try it out this week. It was very very good- I had biscuits with yeast gravy, grits (of course), and coffee. We then walked around downtown for a few minutes, and he proceeded to drive me by the Athens landmark I've been waiting for: The Tree That Owns Itself. Very worth the wait!
A couple of stores downtown were especially interesting: Helix has lots of cute and unique gifts, jewelry, and accessories. Agora is a thrift/consignment shop with a little bit of everything.
Palmer and I then went to Memorial Park which has a little bitty zoo, complete with deer, Dill Pickle the alligator, some otters, and a black bear, along with an overabundance of owls. The funny part about the zoo is that it is in the middle of a Belhaven-like neighborhood.
We drove towards the west-side of town, and he showed me the Target (I didn't realize there was one here!), and then he headed on back to ATL. It was nice to have a face from home around for the afternoon.
Last night was the much anticipated "chicken bog" dinner with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Things went really well, and I had a good time! All 5 JWs were very very nice, and though I picked up on a few oddities in conversations, I wouldn't have known they were cultish if I hadn't been told beforehand. The chicken bog/chicken and rice is a coastal South Carolina dish (I found out) and was quite good- the sausage was a nice touch. The following link shows Paula Deen's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chicken-bog-recipe/index.html
We then watched Disney's "Song of the South-" an old movie about Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit, the tar baby, etc...it is also where the zippity doo dah song came from. It was a great movie! So all in all, the evening was fun!
Today is another Monday at SCWDS- we haven't had anything come in, so I've just been reading up on some articles!
Yesterday, I went to the 10:30 a.m. service at Redeemer Pres, and then walked around downtown perusing some stores until Palmer arrived from Atlanta. He and I then had "brunch" (which seems to be a pretty popular meal in this town) at The Grit. I'm glad we went there, because I've heard how great it is, but serves vegetarian only meals, so I figured I'd be hard-pressed to have any family members try it out this week. It was very very good- I had biscuits with yeast gravy, grits (of course), and coffee. We then walked around downtown for a few minutes, and he proceeded to drive me by the Athens landmark I've been waiting for: The Tree That Owns Itself. Very worth the wait!
A couple of stores downtown were especially interesting: Helix has lots of cute and unique gifts, jewelry, and accessories. Agora is a thrift/consignment shop with a little bit of everything.
Palmer and I then went to Memorial Park which has a little bitty zoo, complete with deer, Dill Pickle the alligator, some otters, and a black bear, along with an overabundance of owls. The funny part about the zoo is that it is in the middle of a Belhaven-like neighborhood.
We drove towards the west-side of town, and he showed me the Target (I didn't realize there was one here!), and then he headed on back to ATL. It was nice to have a face from home around for the afternoon.
Last night was the much anticipated "chicken bog" dinner with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Things went really well, and I had a good time! All 5 JWs were very very nice, and though I picked up on a few oddities in conversations, I wouldn't have known they were cultish if I hadn't been told beforehand. The chicken bog/chicken and rice is a coastal South Carolina dish (I found out) and was quite good- the sausage was a nice touch. The following link shows Paula Deen's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chicken-bog-recipe/index.html
We then watched Disney's "Song of the South-" an old movie about Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit, the tar baby, etc...it is also where the zippity doo dah song came from. It was a great movie! So all in all, the evening was fun!
Today is another Monday at SCWDS- we haven't had anything come in, so I've just been reading up on some articles!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A Beautiful Saturday in Athens
I woke up early this morning (9 am) and headed to the Athens Farmers Market...and it was FREEZING! I didn't buy anything because I could get peppers and collards and Wal-Mart for half the price, but it was a nice outing and I got a warm cup of coffee and an apricot bran muffin there.
When I left the market, I headed a couple of miles north to Sandy Creek Nature Center. This park is part of the Athens-Clarke County system, and it has a nice eco-friendly (this is Athens, of course) learning building with some aquariums, etc. I browsed around until a birthday party group of 8 year olds came through, and then headed outside. From here, I went on a run/walk down the North Oconee River Greenway. This paved trail follows the North Oconee River from the nature center to a park in the center of the downtown-campus area 3.5 miles south. It was a beatiful day to be out, and lots of families were bike riding, tri-cycling, etc. The trail runs through fields and forests and I saw a rabbit, squirrels, chipmunks (they are common here, but I still get excited to see them), and a raccoon. The raccoon sighting was a bit disconcerting since I just read some info on raccoons and rabies yesterday....maybe I'll be seeing him in the necropsy room later this week? Below are some pictures from the greenway:
Nature Center building
The Contour hanging in there for the trip in the Sandy Creek parking lot
The beginning of the trail
The trail as it runs through town along the river- there are bike lanes all over Athens; it is a very cyclist and pedestrian friendly town
I drove by a couple of legendary Athens locations on my way to campus:
The Foundry Inn and Spa and the Melting Point- this is the old foundry building where a lot of the old iron on campus was produced. The area has now been turned into a nice hotel and spa, as well as the Melting Point music venue, which is where Patrick's band will be playing this week!
If you know of the band R.E.M., the words on this sign may ring a bell. Weaver D's Fine Foods Automatic For the People. This is very much a soul food restaurant, and R.E.M. (from Athens) named an album after it. Weaver D., the proprieter, sounds like a character. His real name is Dexter Weaver, but when he was in the service, they wrote his last name first as "Weaver, D." so he has gone by that name since. I definately want to check this small restaurant out while I'm here!
After I walked back to the car at the nature center (the walk back was much less pleasant than the run south, as the elevation wasn't quite in my favor), I parked on Broad Street and studied for awhile on campus near "The Arch." From my location, I could see the folks downtown (the streets cleared at the 3:30 pm kickoff) and smell the tea olive I took a picture of earlier. From here, I walked to the campus bookstore and realized that I probably shouldn't have worn an orange shirt on the day UGA plays Florida- oh well, everyone was still nice to me, though there weren't many people around for sure! A LOT of students go to the FL game every year, and campus was dead today...I keep seeing signs that label this weekend as fall break, though I don't think the students get any days off- my assumption is that it is an excuse for non-essential campus personnel to be able to attend, or at least watch, the game. Below are some pictures from my walk through campus:
The view to Broad St. from my study spot on the grass
A view of the stadium from the bridge behind the end zone
When I left the market, I headed a couple of miles north to Sandy Creek Nature Center. This park is part of the Athens-Clarke County system, and it has a nice eco-friendly (this is Athens, of course) learning building with some aquariums, etc. I browsed around until a birthday party group of 8 year olds came through, and then headed outside. From here, I went on a run/walk down the North Oconee River Greenway. This paved trail follows the North Oconee River from the nature center to a park in the center of the downtown-campus area 3.5 miles south. It was a beatiful day to be out, and lots of families were bike riding, tri-cycling, etc. The trail runs through fields and forests and I saw a rabbit, squirrels, chipmunks (they are common here, but I still get excited to see them), and a raccoon. The raccoon sighting was a bit disconcerting since I just read some info on raccoons and rabies yesterday....maybe I'll be seeing him in the necropsy room later this week? Below are some pictures from the greenway:
Nature Center building
The Contour hanging in there for the trip in the Sandy Creek parking lot
The beginning of the trail
The trail as it runs through town along the river- there are bike lanes all over Athens; it is a very cyclist and pedestrian friendly townI drove by a couple of legendary Athens locations on my way to campus:
The Foundry Inn and Spa and the Melting Point- this is the old foundry building where a lot of the old iron on campus was produced. The area has now been turned into a nice hotel and spa, as well as the Melting Point music venue, which is where Patrick's band will be playing this week!
If you know of the band R.E.M., the words on this sign may ring a bell. Weaver D's Fine Foods Automatic For the People. This is very much a soul food restaurant, and R.E.M. (from Athens) named an album after it. Weaver D., the proprieter, sounds like a character. His real name is Dexter Weaver, but when he was in the service, they wrote his last name first as "Weaver, D." so he has gone by that name since. I definately want to check this small restaurant out while I'm here!After I walked back to the car at the nature center (the walk back was much less pleasant than the run south, as the elevation wasn't quite in my favor), I parked on Broad Street and studied for awhile on campus near "The Arch." From my location, I could see the folks downtown (the streets cleared at the 3:30 pm kickoff) and smell the tea olive I took a picture of earlier. From here, I walked to the campus bookstore and realized that I probably shouldn't have worn an orange shirt on the day UGA plays Florida- oh well, everyone was still nice to me, though there weren't many people around for sure! A LOT of students go to the FL game every year, and campus was dead today...I keep seeing signs that label this weekend as fall break, though I don't think the students get any days off- my assumption is that it is an excuse for non-essential campus personnel to be able to attend, or at least watch, the game. Below are some pictures from my walk through campus:
The view to Broad St. from my study spot on the grass
A view of the stadium from the bridge behind the end zone
Friday, October 31, 2008
My first, and likely only, Halloween in Athens
Following my last post (when I left work on Friday afternoon around 5), I drove around the "West Side," and realized I wasn't missing out on too many Athens-only spots. The west end of town is more commercial: Schlotsky's, Jason's Deli, Stein Mart, Kohls (which I do actually want to visit while I'm here), etc. I did see a Dunkin Donuts, however, and I really want to try their coffee since everyone up north says its good. As far as local coffee though, Palmer says that Jittery Joe's is unbeatable. There are a few Jittery Joe's around town, even one just down the street from my apartment, so I plan to visit one soon and try it out too.
For a late supper, I went downtown. For one, I wanted to try The Taco Stand, but I really wanted to have an excuse to see the Halloween costumes downtown. It was certainly worth the 20 minutes of trying to find a decent place to park. I saw Sarah Palin, 2 Burger King mascots, and countless people dressed as transvestites- though they may have actually been transvestites dressed as themselves, you can't tell in this town.
(Don't worry, I didn't get in someone's face to take a picture- this is from the internet, but since the mascot involves a mask, it looks just the same, but is even more disturbing in person.)
The Taco Stand was really good- they have homemade guacamole and really really good black beans- I'd recommend it if you're ever here!
For a late supper, I went downtown. For one, I wanted to try The Taco Stand, but I really wanted to have an excuse to see the Halloween costumes downtown. It was certainly worth the 20 minutes of trying to find a decent place to park. I saw Sarah Palin, 2 Burger King mascots, and countless people dressed as transvestites- though they may have actually been transvestites dressed as themselves, you can't tell in this town.
(Don't worry, I didn't get in someone's face to take a picture- this is from the internet, but since the mascot involves a mask, it looks just the same, but is even more disturbing in person.)
The Taco Stand was really good- they have homemade guacamole and really really good black beans- I'd recommend it if you're ever here!
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