Scenes from a Weekend.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer.  In Phoenix temperatures continue to soar to 110 degrees, and in Texas the weather is similarly toasty so you'd be hard-pressed to prove that it's the end of anything, but in fact days are getting shorter, some of the leaves here in Charleston are starting to fall, mornings are significantly cooler (as are most of the days, for that matter), so it's easier to envision.

Labor Day also represents a number of other things - none of which I recognize.  One is the informal rule that you're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day and before Memorial Day.  Phooey on that.  I've got some white clothes I like and I'll continue to wear them.  Stores here are having all kinds of Labor Day sales featuring fall fashions (sweaters, long sleeve tops, boots) but I've said it before and it's true that I've made a lifestyle choice to wear open-toed shoes all year long.

I'm a visual person and I've said before that living here is a continual visual smorgasbord.  Every day I find myself doing things that fill my senses with the wonderful energy that the area seems uniquely able to provide.  There is a same-wavelength resonance that fills my days that I just get enough of.   Here are a few photos I took using my iPhone over these last couple of days....

Saturday I went for a wonderful kayak trip down some of the local waterways.  There are small islands with small strips of beach that are untouched by anyone and have some wonderful scenery for those willing to see it.

Mags and I spent the evening sitting on the lawn at a local park nearby...

Yesterday was a typically diverse weather day here.  I took the pup for her walk shortly after sun-up and although I've shared photos of the scene down by the water here before it's always different, always breath-taking, and a constant reminded of what makes this area so special for me.

Yesterday afternoon I took a ride on my bike and crossed the Cooper River Bridge - there was rain in the distance.  Another fascinating scene...

Anyway - my iPhone is always at the ready to capture these things.  It's a constant visual feast.

I was planning to take a day-trip in the car today and may still do that a little later.  Most important is to go to the gym shortly.  I've got a lot of energy and am looking forward to burning it off.  I've also got a number of things I should do around the house and am trying to work up my muster to justify doing them on a Holiday.  If I were a betting person I'd bet that I don't stray too far today....especially if it starts raining as they say.

I also find living here takes me back to earlier stages of my life.  For example, I don't have a washer or dryer here so Saturdays often involve going to the Laundromat.  I've found one that I like, and the Korean woman who works there always greets me warmly and enjoys chatting.  They have a drop-off service but I prefer to do it myself - it actually reminds me of when I was in college.

Another thing that takes me back to earlier stages of my life are some of the things that seem to be coming up time and again that, for me, haven't changed a bit.  In early 2004 I wrote an essay and shared it on my website titled "A Stealth Life" that remains as true for me now as it was then.  I read Jamison Green's keynote at SCC 2005 titled "Becoming Visible" and am struck by how his powerful theme continues to resonate today, just as back then.

I'm going to say this once simply for the sake of ensuring that there is no confusion:  Who and what I am, what I think, what I do, what I say, and what I will continue to advocate for has remained consistent for a long time.  It's not up for popular consensus, democratic vote, popularity contests, and is not derailed by noisy distractions.

Whether anyone likes it or not, my will and my character is stronger than those who would disrespect it, trivialize it, misrepresent it, or try to control it.  Whether anyone else cares, understands, or likes what I have to say or how I say it here is irrelevant - my little blog has always been my own personal outlet for me.  I'm always open to hearing from those who have other perspectives but my tolerance for crass, ignorant, disrespectful, non-productive behavior here simply depends on my mood at the time.  Despite what some may think, I do get cranky sometimes.

My idea of "activism" these days is far more social than political.  And the role that it plays in my day-to-day world has become much less formal and much less time-intensive than it once was.  That all trickles down here to my blog, and the things I choose to share here.  Anyone who has met me will know that the things I say and how I say them are consistent with how I am.  For better or for worse.

If this isn't your kind of place for whatever reason the answer is simple - go someplace else!  How difficult is that to get?  I'm enjoying life far too much right now to let those who apparently have bad energy to spare to infect my own little world.  Just not gonna happen.

iTunes is having a Labor Day Sale this weekend on a few select CD's.  One is by Maroon 5 that has one of my current favorite songs...Moves Like Jagger.  It's a great spinning song - the beat goes at the same speed as my feet (or vice versa).




Now, it's time to take the pup (she's fresh and soft from a bath yesterday) for a walk down by the water, and then to get on with the day.  She can still make me laugh out loud and that certainly stands for something.  Onwards...