“the lighthouse has many steps.”

so during the extreme heat at the beach we went shopping. what else do you do? during one of my shopping excursions i came across a photograph of the lighthouse stairs that i loved (the lighthouse has an awesome checkered floor). inspired, i convinced laura and geoff that visiting and climbing the lighthouse would be a good thing. stupidly, we went around 2pm. not only is this prime tourist time, it is also prime southern heat index time. shortly before we climbed, we found out interesting facts, i.e…

CLUES THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU TURN AROUND AND NOT CLIMB THE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE:

1. the heat index was 99 degrees. they shut down the lighthouse when it reaches 103.

2. someone passed out yesterday climbing the lighthouse.

3. it is a 12 story climb, the tallest lighthouse in the united states.

4. there is a handrail on only one side of the stairs, and there is two-way traffic on the stairs.

5. and finally, this view from the ground:

cape-hatteras-copy1“wait wait, whose idea was this?”

long story short, it is a long and treacherous climb my friends. it is best to sprint up the stairs when possible in order to avoid focusing on the feeling that you’re going to collapse and die at any moment. also – no one knows who to yield to, so it’s just a giant mess of people coming and going, stopping and moving, and children screaming and crying. have fun!

it was hot. so, so hot. and of course i made everyone wait while i took pictures of the stairs. posted one on my “cityscapes” section of my main website. it’s not exactly a cityscape, but it fits best there. another:

lighthouse-copy

finally, we reached the top. it was totally worth it. not necessarily for the view, but for the outside breeze after walking up 12 flights of stairs in 99 degree heat and humidity. the view was cool, but it was incredibly hazy because hey, we’re in north carolina at the beach in july.

beach-325-copy

but there are no mosquitos at the top of the lighthouse! so if you’re in desperate need of a sanctuary on the outer banks where there are no mosquitos, climb the lighthouse.

the lighthouse grounds:

beach-322-copy“honey, i think our grass is dead.”

i have some sweet night shots of the lighthouse that i have yet to edit. i’m a little bummed that they moved the lighthouse some time ago. the old spot that it was in was prime for photo opportunities. this one is good if you can get it from a certain angle at the beach. i wanted to do that at night, but i was litterally fearing for my life due to the overwhelming mosquito population. i’ll be back soon, so hopefully it won’t be as bad the next time i go.

i’m excited to take more pictures, edit these ones, etc. one thing at a time. like i said yesterday, we’re ironing out some kinks in our ordering/booking system and trying to create an easier way to keep in contact with everyone, send out contracts, fill out questionnaires about sessions, etc. thank you thank you thank you GEOFF! as usual. :)

tomorrow is friday! i won’t be updating (friday is my blog-free day). have a good last day at work and i’ll see you saturday.

-carolyn

we only come out at night.

so during our beach trip we woke up several times before it was light in order to get down to the beach and get shots of the crabs. when we went to cape hatteras when i was little (and still willing to wake up before dawn), the ghost crabs were always out in the early morning light. however, they must’ve decided, like me, that they’d rather stay up late and sleep in because no crabs were ever out. sure there were some really tiny ones, but not like the kind we knew.

so one night geoff, laura, and i ventured out into the mosquito infested wildnerness covered in deet and decided to look for the crabs at night. and voila! we have crabs. we took a flashlight, but there were so many of them we were practically jumping to avoid stepping on them. they were all fiddler crabs and ghost crabs.

crab-copy“weeeeee!”

needless to say, they are terrified of my flash. they jumped into the air when i shot it. felt kinda bad.

anyway, the next night my parents took us out to dinner and we had leftover hush puppies. so of course, we all went down to the beach and tried to feed them to the crabs like any sane and respectable family would do.

but it worked! and OH MAN do crabs love hush puppies. they grab them and run. and all the while you swear you can hear them laughing:

crabhushpuppy“hahaha! so long, suckers!”

if you can’t tell, the photography skills required to catch a crab in pure darkness with a telephoto lens while laughing hysterically are hard to acquire, so i did the best i could. this was one of the crabs, running frantically away after snatching the hush puppy and presumably taking it back it’s crabby liar to feast for the next several years.

i miss the beach!

top of the dunes overlooking highway 12:

beach-352-copy“oh my god, the mosquitos are everywhereeee!”

-carolyn

for button.

on june 17th, 2009 i had to put my cat button to sleep. he was 14 years old. i got “yogurt” back when i was 9 and mercifully renamed him button after he tried to eat all of the buttons on my shirt. when i moved to raleigh a year ago he was too old and had too many health problems to come with me. he had mysterious off and on problems for several years, but our other cat, tang, had really severe asthma. taking care of tang occupied most of our waking hours for a long time before he passed away on june 26th, 2008, right before i moved to raleigh.

so i moved… and my mom and dad took great care of button who, at the time, had health problems that the vets were still trying to figure out. eventually he was diagnosed with colon cancer. he had surgery to remove a majority of the tumor in january, but we were told it would come back within 6-18 months. sure enough, 6 months later, it was back. i flew into pittsburgh to be with my mom, dad, and button to put him to sleep. he was suffering, but i got to spend one more night with him playing with his laser pointer and toy soldier.

i know a lot of people don’t understand the impact of putting an animal to sleep, but my cats have always had the personalities equal to any one of my human family members and are greatly missed. i also feel sad that i didn’t get to spend much time with him after i moved; we were constantly together for most of my life since i was 9. it is hard on me that we grew apart. like i said, most people probably won’t understand this, but my cats really are family.

today i started making a scrapbook for button just like the ones i made for tang. it is helping me remember a lot of things. i had made an online memorial for tang when i had a flickr account with a poem that reminded me of him. now it reminds me of  both of them. i hope they’re doing well… i know they are.

button

BEAMED FROM THE BRIGHT CATTERY IN THE SKY
(Michael Hatwell)

In case you have been wondering
Just how I am getting along
In my new surroundings
Or worry whether I have learned to cope
With the easy rhythm and pace
For which this place is renowned
Then listen: I have been chasing little mice again
Sweeter, lighter, infinitely more fragrant
Than any I ever brought into the bedroom
For your pleasure
In the old days.
That having been said,
I wouldn’t for all the world wish you to infer
That they stint the grub up here:
Admittedly
The celestial fish are not especially exciting
(Their natural zodiac ripeness has had to be homogenised
for the general run of feline palates)
But on the plus side
The nice cat-lady who comes round,
All gowned in blue (my favourite colour)
And with glory crowned,
Pours out a warm and creamy whiteness
That is literally
Quite heavenly.
Someone usually remembers
To cut my claws
And tickle my ear
So that side of things is catered for,
One might say,
Adequately enough.
I think of you sometimes
Certain that you will come one day
To take me on your knee
And talk to me the way you used to.
When that day comes
I shall let you know
Loudly and unambiguously
That things round here have finally begun to go
Really very well indeed:
I shall add to ordinary space and time
My own particular dimension
Of thick, soft-throated sound.