Miscellany

There's really no theme to this post -- just a bit of this and that.

This photo doesn't do justice to this morning's mix of fog, sun, and clouds.

Patches of early morning sun and fog on Fore Mountain. The red-orange flush is red maples just beginning to bloom. The white tree trunks are mostly oaks. The vivid green is pines. (Not quite sure how to handle the grammar there. Nothing sounds right -- "green are pines" or "green is pine" or "green is pines"?)

As I was cleaning out a flower bed this afternoon, I came across this remnant of a seed pod from a daylily (Hemerocallis spp.). It's about 1 inch (3 cm) long.

We've had a lot of helicopters flying over recently. This one hovered for minutes at a time over different locations near Clifton Forge.

And finally, a short slide show:

Dakota and Sadie on our front porch.

Hunt Library at NCSU

For three years MeadWestvaco (aka MWV, now WestRock) had their engineering and product development departments on the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University. Just before we left, the back parking lot was closed and work began on the Hunt Library. The library is now complete, and it's a spectacular structure.

An overview of the main lobby/reading room.

The modern "circulation desk" is still in the customary location near the entrance to the library, but since so much is done on line (or robotically -- see below), it's really downsized.

The "stacks" are very utilitarian. Libraries have always struggled with how to house the heart of their collection: books and periodicals. This is the modern solution for housing 2 million volumes.

The books are retrieved by "Robert the Robot".

Retrieval in action.

A box of books being retrieved. Since the computer keeps track of where a book is "shelved", the books are organized more by size than by topic. Retrieval time is typically about 5 minutes between making the request and having the book ready at the circulation desk.

The library is loaded with technology. In this room, visitors can choose which among several dozen displays and presentations to view.

There were many group study rooms, including several set up as specialized spaces for music or CAD or presentations. This duck appeared to have two heads when viewed with its reflection in a glass door.

The stairways between levels were painted this bright yellow, and one half was set up as bleachers with cushions for sitting. The caption below the large screen in the center says "The Dynamic Sun will return shortly" -- I presume after the clouds go away!

I really liked this wall-sized art. I thought it had some resemblance to Arabic calligraphy. Turns out the title is  "Nature of Language". (For those who want to know, the artist is José Parla.)

Another reading/study area. Each area had a different style of chair. Some of the chairs were "out of the box", while others were more conventional.

The top floor has an outdoor patio. This is a view of the building that MeadWestvaco occupied.

The outside patio also overlooks the lake where a rower and geese were paddling.

Vultures

Vultures may have disgusting habits and are far from the most attractive birds, but they play an essential role in an ecosystem. Today we saw a tree full of turkey vultures sitting out the early morning fog.

Trees along the Jackson River near Low Moor -- filled with turkey vultures (Cathartes aura). I counted at least 25 vultures.

A closer look at the upper group of vultures.

It's a bit pixelated, but here's a shot of a turkey vulture. It gets its name from the red head.

Bits of India in the U.S.

We've finally gotten around to getting our India "stuff" on display in our house. Looking at and using these beautiful objects really helps us remember our wonderful friends and experiences in India.

I know Ganesha should be over the front door, but he couldn't be seen there. So we have our Ganesha panel over the window in one of the most-used places in the house -- the kitchen sink.

Many of our best pieces are in the "piano nook": Kashmiri embroidered hangings, a wooden screen, marble plates from Agra, a lady-beetle kite, and a rug from Jaipur.

The sofa pillows are also from Kashmir.

A closer look at the large Kashmiri embroidery panel. It goes well with the "nature" theme of our house.

Invasive Asian lady beetles are a real pest in our house, so I couldn't pass up this kite when I saw it in Vapi.

Not from India -- but just to show that lady beetles are a recurring theme for us.

The top of our masonry fireplace has items that can stand a bit of heat (thermal, that is, not spice).

I have a great affection for Nandi. Back in January he was poking his head our of the snow.

Now he awaits spring in the garden.

Not in our house -- our grandson, Amos, in his Gujarati cradle along with his admiring parents in their house in Pittsburgh. By the time we were able to get the cradle to him, he had just about outgrown it.

A Thorn in the Sole

I'd been feeling a thorn in my left sock today -- tried four or five times to find it, but couldn't see anything. Finally I decided to check my shoe instead. Wow! THAT was a thorn.

A blackberry thorn embedded in the sole of my crocs.

The thorn was about 12 mm long. I also pulled another shorter thorn from my shoe as well.

I love to eat blackberries, but those thorns can be hazardous!

Pittsburgh's South Side - Addendum

I wrote about the South Side neighborhood in Pittsburgh when we visited in December. Here are a few more photos from our most recent trip.

This cantilevered house over Emerald Art Glass looks more like a Mumbai residence than Pittsburgh!

South Side Slopes from the South Side Flats.

On slopes this steep, steps replace streets. This set of steps is officially "Eleanor Street". There are actually houses that are accessed from these steps, and have addresses on Eleanor St.

Sunrise, Sunset

Usually we get to see more of the sunrise than sunset. Our house has a clear view of the eastern horizon, but the west is hidden behind Fore Mountain.

This week we've been treated to several good sunrises and sunsets.

Sunrise

Sunrise reflected in the glass on our deck table.

Sunset and fog.