More... new... goodies....

I was back at Lowe's this weekend for some pickup stuff around the house and they've got their Halloween decorations out in full force. Quite literally, as soon as you walk in, the whole left side of the front of the store has everything you would need to decorate your house from the lawn ornaments to the hanging door skeletons and little bowls for the tables. 

I didn't get pictures of everything, but the new animatronics are out. They seemed to have last year's DJ still for sale, but this year they've added some punk rocker skeletons, Disney / Pixar, creepy dolls and other big skeletons to the mix. The light up punk rock skeletons reminded me a little bit of Día de los Muertos skeleton dancers. They were really cute and unfortunately, the "test me" button didn't work on the Disney/Pixar stuff so I didn't get a video of them. Rest assured it was Mickey and Minnie as "The Mummy", Stitch in a costume, as well as Mike and Sully from "Monsters Inc" as movie monsters. 

With the first picture, the skeleton holding the candy bowl, that's pretty neat because you don't have to worry about constantly holding the bowl or passing it around. If you stood it next to you to "trick" the kids, they'd probably not know what to do first. I could see some random small human being so confused. 

Although, for the adults who want to have a party, I did find two skeletons holding a coffin, that could end up holding iced beverages or anything else you need for fun.

The pumpkin head scarecrow I've seen in various animatronic form - both online and in other stores.

The winged creature skeleton and upper half skeleton are two of the new features this year. The half skeleton box says he's a Grim Reaper Ground Breaker. Solely based on you plop him on the ground and he looks like he's coming up from the dirt. Much like the skeleton I saw at Costco the other day. The ground breakers really must be the new things this year because I don't recall seeing them in the past. 

Rather, I don't recall animated ones. I remember growing up, we had a family friend who would do his house up in haunted form and he'd have a heck ton of stuff out and around. If I recall correctly, he had smaller ground breakers - hands and arms, legs and feet, all dislocated and everywhere on the front lawn. I know I've talked about this plenty of times before. Technology is getting better with these things so we're able to add more oomph to them. 

There's a Grim Reaper mist maker available on Amazon and it's just the head. It looks like one of those things you could start your haunting with - put it by your front door to "welcome" the guests inside. Add to the illusion that maybe something might come scurrying your way once you pass the threshold. 

Which is not to be confused with the mouse maze floor at Spooky World in Berlin, MA, in the early 1990s.

Man, did I just pull that memory out of left field. Hot damn. That's crazy. I have such vivid recollections of going there with my youth group and really having fun with it. 

Wow.. even as I type this, I can't believe how it's all coming back.. the trips there. I remember we were told not to encourage the performers while on the hay ride, nor were we allowed to make contact with them. But I didn't listen. I high-fived one of them as we went around the corner and asked him how he was. He answered "Great!" as he high-fived me back. 😄 

Yet the "Mouse Girl" and some sort of "Mouse Maze" is another thing that sticks out. I remember walking through the tent like "o...kay.." and at some point I looked down and we had been walking over clear PVC flooring. Underneath our feet was a labyrinth full of scurrying rodents! The mouse girl was within a few feet of where the floor mice were. 

Crazy times, I tell you, crazy times! The things we remember when we least expect it! 

I guess, with the Coraline-meets-Wednesday-Addams-meets-Sally looking girl in the single picture after the ground breaker, she's cute and all, but she does have a Tim Burton feeling to her. I found various "creepy girl" animatronics on Amazon, but they're not close to the one at the store today. This is a "Haunted Farm" thing, it seems; they have other dolls you can buy. 

We all know the witches so it's not that hard to find them around. But with the last picture, it seems like the employee was so dehydrated from the Florida sun, he needed to take a break for a few minutes. Which ultimately, might have turned into a few days. He still looks a little parched. 

Overall, when I went to find most of the items on Amazon, I think the "Haunted Living" brand is specific to Lowe's so the search came up with other types of animatronics. Searching for "Halloween Animatronics" also came up with something different, but has similar items as the search for Haunted Living. "Haunted Hill Farm" might be the knock off - literally (because there are some really close look a-likes and scrolling the page I saw one that looked like the DJ, but in a different outfit). 

I'm still sitting here like, "da fuq am I remembering??" as I type all this. The power of just free-writing and going on about random things. This is what happens when I start a post - I get squirreled over something and then start thinking about something different. It is also why it takes me a few hours to write my posts. Just because the time stamp says one thing, trust me, it's hours later. I get too involved in research and writing, and before you know it, there's my afternoon gone. It's okay though; I am keeping things sharp and ready for the next round of adventures. 

Until then, be safe, be well, and stay hydrated. You don't want to end up like that last guy!

Cheers;

"Where do you keep them in the off season???"

Had to do a Costco run today with some friends. We weren't paying too much attention to some of the items at the front of the store (entrance) but once we turned the corner from the electronics, right in our sightline, we had two huge Halloween decorations.

I know on the Costco site (over $200), so Amazon having the skeleton for under 50 means it's not the same size. Buyer beware when you're looking for something economical because "size matters" in this case. 

The Frankenstein is listed on the Costco site as "7.5' Animated Monster with LCD Eyes and Sound" but it is not available on the A to Z page. Instead, I found other animated objects for sale. Like I said, the skeleton, listed as "62" Giant Ground Breaking Skeleton with LCD Eyes and Sound" in the warehouse, is not truly the same one as listed on Jeff Bezos' stakeholder site. The crawler varies by price and size. 

I didn't notice the eyes move on the skeleton (maybe the power was off), but holy cow; when we walked down the aisle and past hoodlum Frank, his eyes really did follow us. It was weird and got me singing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" (the debut album of the same name was released on Motown Records in January of 1984). 

Yes, I said "Hoodlum Frank" because he looks like he's trolling the bad side of town for a quick score of cheap candy. If he wanted the good stuff (you know, the king size bars), he'd be a little more dressed up dapper, in order to go to the posh communities. Plus, he wouldn't be wearing sawed off handcuffs to mansions on the hill. Unless they were made of gold and diamond crusted. 😂

Anyway, when we saw the decorations, one of the friends asked "Where do you keep those things when they're not on your lawn?" and I said "If you're like my friend Shawn, you're using them all year round". 

I explained how Shawn has two giant skeletons in his yard, of which he decorates based on season. During big football games, they're passing the pigskin. During summer, they're wearing pool floaties. It's gotten to the point that he's had them outside for so long, he's found a creator online that can 3D print some of the joint pieces and has had things replaced (because purchasing a new full body would be silly if you know how to just reattach a single piece). When you're that skinny and dislocate a joint, it's easier to pop a new piece back into place than to worry about someone getting jealous of the new kid on the block. That, and the trash men might not appreciate having to squish a Halloween decoration in their truck; depending on how compact it gets, there's potential of someone getting worried the femur is real and police are called to the dump. You never know... since the area could be corrupt (aka mob run) and all.. we both are very well versed with New England mafia lore. 

Ok. I'm going off subject and into territories that could get me in trouble. Back on track.

I did explain to my friends though, in all honesty, that Shawn really keeps the skeletons up all year and decorates them accordingly. My aside was just that.. me going on a squirrel adventure and taking you along. 

My friends thought that keeping the skeletons up year round was interesting and a fun idea because you seriously could do so many different things with these large items and if you have great neighbors, you're apt for some amazing times. But if you're like us, living in condos or small communities where houses are on top of each other, what can you do with the 7.5 foot tall Frankenstein Monster? Houses in Florida don't have attics or basements, so it's hard to stash large items. As it is, people tend to go all out with certain holiday decorations, so blowup stuff is more manageable. All in one / put together plastic or mechanical pieces tend to not find space in a closet because they're clunky. You never know though; someone could be quite smart in how they can pack away their decorations and still have room for more stuff. All the power to that person; I know what it feels like to play Tetris with tote bins. You're not alone!

Speaking of alone, it's Wednesday and I've been at this post long enough, that the History Channel reality show, "Alone" is starting soon and I'd like to go watch it. 

Until next time, stay safe, stay hydrated and stay off the streets during the night. You never know who's following or watching you...

Cheers;

I’ve got mad beats…

… On the sides of my skull?
 
My aunt and uncle were visiting from Connecticut early this year, as they wanted a vacation and didn’t realize they would be going home to “The Great Blizzard of 2026”. While they were here, they had made friends during their stay in another community. These friends were utilizing a different form of headphones during outings – whether they were at the gym, swimming, golfing or shopping; the person had a wraparound type of listening device that would settle by their temples and hook over their ears.
 
Imagine, if you will, the type of Bluetooth headphones that wraparound your neck and utilize ear pieces that are connected by a thin wire from the base of each side and they end up sitting in your ear. This new device gets rid of the tethering string (down your neck) and actually makes it more of a hearing aid meets headbandesque listening device. There’s no clean way to describe this, outside of the fact the connecting piece (back of head piece) sits / rests in the center of your skull. The ear pieces are hooked like the in-ear headphones that people mistake for hearing aids, however, the speakers don’t go in your ears; they’re flat pieces that rest at the sides of your head.
 
It’s bone conductivity, much like the idea of cochlear implants. Which, I guess, can be another way to describe these things; it uses the premise of a cochlear implant (speaker on bone hearing aid) without the need for surgery. This allows you to be able to listen to every kind of audio (music, podcasts, make phone calls) while being able to still pay attention to your surroundings. It by no way takes the implants out of the picture because that’s a completely different hearing issue (and fix). This headphone is using the idea of having a speaker on the sides of your head instead of directly in your ear. It is also why the headphones have a connecting piece of plastic, so everything is one piece and you can still be able to take it off and charge it when needed, as well as not lose it while wearing it.
 
I know I’m making some sort of crazy out of this, as I’m trying to explain it, just stick this out. I’m getting to a point. 
 
I’ve seen some people in the gym wearing these contraptions and thought they looked exactly like the wraparound headphones that came out a few years ago. The only difference is there’s no ear canal ear piece because they sit on the front of your ears (the area between your ears and eyes). People seem to enjoy using these headphones and are holding conversations with the humans around them and still seem to be listening to whatever is playing. I don’t know how they can multi task like that, but they do it with ease.
 
My uncle got to talking to one of the people in the community he was at, and that person showed him exactly what these things are capable of. As my uncle got to experience this new freedom of surround sound / multi-point listening, he was more excited to try it himself. He ended up getting a pair of Shokz Open Run on Amazon for $129. The headphones got to him in record time, so he was able to use them while still on vacation. The first few days, he couldn’t stop raving about them; he loved them so much. He had told my mother about them and she tried them on, agreeing how the sound was crisp and clean and it didn’t feel like she was wearing any audio stuff on her head. She wanted me to try them, but I declined. There’s something about sharing a pair of headphones I just get iffy about. Plus, they’re not something I’d want to go out and buy.
 
I have too many squirrel moments as it is; too many distractions. I don’t need something that is not completely in my ear to drown out extra noise. It’s bad enough that my hearing is getting to the point that I can’t listen to podcasts currently. Both pairs of JLab headphones are giving me issues as I’m working out. I don’t know if my hearing is getting progressively worse, or my headphones are not adapting correctly to what I’m listening to, as the upgraded iPhone got rid of some EQ settings I had been utilizing in the previous models. Odds are, it’s really my hearing getting worse, but I can’t say until I see someone about it.
 
That being said, I actually faced my ick and tried a pair of the headphones while shopping at Target. They are at the same price point in a big box retailer as they are online at the A to Z store. It’s just going to depend on how you want to get hit with taxes, to really get an end result, out the door cost.
 
Using the sample tracks the electronic department offered, I was able to try the Shokz and had to look around for a moment; I wasn’t expecting the volume it was set on. It definitely was crisp, clear and loud in my head and there was no feedback or fuzz. I was alone when trying them, so I couldn’t see how they fared with human interaction. I couldn’t have a conversation with anyone while wearing the headphones to see how bad of a distraction this would be. I did, however, turn on the ringer on my phone to see what it would sound like with some sort of other, outside noise. As I was expecting it, I knew it was coming and can’t say it was great. I should have had someone with me to test these, but I didn’t feel like calling anyone to hold a 5 minute conversation with.
 
I honestly don’t feel like it would have been worth it for me to purchase, simply because they’re not something I would have bought anyway. I mean they seem to be a good quality pair of headphones and would be worth a purchase for someone else, but it’s truly not me. I know it’s important to not have distractions when you’re out and about and these would be such a good thing for people to use, but again, I don’t need to be hearing everyone else’s conversations in the gym. This is the main place where I’d primarily be using the device since I don’t carry headphones around with me under normal circumstances (I barely make calls as it is). While at the gym, I have a hard enough time with the TVs being turned on really loud and the noise of the treadmills (and other machines) so my headphones aren’t cutting out that stuff. If I bought something that didn’t even go over or in my ears, it would make things worse for me. I am using both in ear and over the ear headphones at the moment and unfortunately they are both wireless since the iPhone got rid of the headphone jack. I’d love to use my nice wired cans again, but I don’t want to keep purchasing the slim adapters for the port. At one point, I was buying multi packs because something was going wonky on them every few months.
 
On top of everything, $129 for a pair of wireless headphones is a lot of money, from any store. I had my chance to buy a pair of Beats, but I bought the Jlab instead; only because there is no headphone jack. Yes, a high price point could mean a high quality and better opportunity for solid sound. I understand that. However, when all you want is to use what you have (and can’t), you have to get what’s available and affordable to you. It’s almost like saying, “the next best thing without breaking the bank”; if you can find something comparable, why not go for it it? You won’t know until you try it.
 
I know; take my own advice – here I’m saying I didn’t want to try the Shokz at first and then I did. I’m all over the place with my suggestion, but at least I finally gave in and tried it. It allowed me to understand it’s not something I’d want to buy and use. More power to those who do; there’s nothing wrong with it. I know I’ll be patiently waiting for “the next best thing” to come along, unless somehow the phones get the headphone jack back, and I get to use my Heyday (Target brand) plug ins.
 
Until that happens, go listen to something groovy.
 
Cheers;

See also:

• Shokz on Amazon (with different price points, depending on style)
  
• JLab JBuddies Pro Wireless Over-Ear Kids Headphones via Amazon. I alternate between these and the other JLab
  
• JLab Go Sport+ Wireless Workout Earbuds via Amazon. These are the other pair, but I might have the Sport, not Sport+.
  
• Beats via Amazon. Okay, so it ranges in similar pricing. I wasn't expecting that; it's been a while since I looked at the brand. My fault. 
  

(True) Crime doesn't pay...?

I started a new podcast this week. It's authored by HBO and the Boston Globe and is called "Murder in Boston". 

Via the synopsis on the Amazon page:

1989 Boston. The crack epidemic is raging, the murder rate soaring, and white flight has taken hold. Charles Stuart and his pregnant wife, Carol, are carjacked, drawn deep into a dangerous “inner city” neighborhood, and allegedly shot by a Black man. All of Boston – and the nation – is gripped by the hunt for the suspect. What follows will reveal truths about the city... and ourselves. Presented by The Boston Globe and HBO Documentary Films, Murder in Boston: The Untold Story of the Charles and Carol Stuart Shooting is hosted by Adrian Walker who, along with a team of Pulitzer-winning investigative reporters, unveils explosive new findings and change the narrative of a story long cemented in the city’s lore. The HBO Documentary Series Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning is available to stream on Max starting December 4.

According to the "product details", the podcast was released November 27, 2023. Which would match the December 4 2023 drop of the HBO series. As I just started the podcast, I haven't seen the television series. Unfortunately, I do not have HBO, so I may end up not seeing it. It should be fine; the podcast is feeling more in depth anyway, as there are ten episodes where the HBO show is 3. The audio version is broken up into 35 to 55 minute segments where the video version are single 55 minute segments.  

So far, it's interesting. It's a culmination of interviews, reporting and speculation, all wrapped up in a neat little box. I was too young to know about this story when it was happening, but it's a part of Massachusetts history that you'll never forget. Plus, the areas they are talking about, I've been in; whether it's in passing (Mission Hill), visiting (Dorchester, Roxbury) or other (Tremont Street, hospital district). Life happens and you don't know what's going on unless it's on the 10 o'clock nightly news some times. 

What hasn't been on the news, except for being on my blog, is I've got new flower pictures. It seems like this will be the last week of iPhone 11 photos, as I've been upgraded to a 17. I don't have the new iteration just yet, as it won't be in my hands until the weekend, more than likely. 

Before anyone starts screaming, "how can you afford a new phone?? You're always talking about being poor!", I am poor. Hence the reason I'm using an 11 that I bought in 2019. It's just that the store we usually buy from, called us back in December and offered us a deal to trade in our phones (my mom had the 13) and it all works out in our favor due to the value of things. After a month of a cluster bomb with these new devices, my mother has her new phone as of Monday and I will allegedly have mine at some point this weekend. They got shipped from two different places. 

That's why I am taking advantage of having the phone while I still can, even during the chaos of having our cellular service preemptively shut off and me having to figure out how to get an eSim downloaded and turned on. 

Allegedly, my phone was trying to look for service on my physically Sim while Verizon tech was telling the device to install an eSim. So I had to take out the card and scan a QR code.. it was a mess. I have service once again, however, I don't want to attempt this in the future. 

It's no wonder why Rach once called me a "neo luddite" and it stuck! I have a love hate relationship with technology. 

Anyway, the flower pictures.. the bush at our front door was sprouting again, and I attempted to get some fancy views of it. 

As per usual, I didn't want to get all involved with my Canon camera. It was one of those random moments in time where I was at the front door to see if any packages had arrived before we went out to do errands. I also didn't do much editing of the photos in Photoshop, except a little sharpen in some places. Added my name to the final product. What you see is what you get. 

Final result is something I am okay with. I know it could be better, especially in editing them for color, contrast, and so forth, but I'm still not calibrated for that on my laptop. One day I will be. One day. 

I guess that's it for now. I'm thinking of another post idea, but need to research it a little more before I start writing about it. Want to get the opinion of some of my friends first.

Until then, stay curious and watch what you do in the day light hours and at night.

Cheers;

"I want to see the bright lights tonight"

I didn't go to a concert, so further quoting the Richard and Linda Thompson song would not make much sense ( although, for reference, "I Want To See The Bright Lights" is a song from the same titled 1974 album. It's track 4 and is almost like a folky party dance song, in a strange way). 

The whole reason for the post title was that my mother decided she wanted to go see the Christmas lights around our community before they were all taken down. Most people seem to start the dismantling around New Years, while others wait until the middle of the first week of January. 

Either way, it was now or never to see this year's creativity. 

Even though we went out at 6:45pm, it was so dark, you'd think it was closer to 10. It felt weird slowing down and staring at the setups and it felt more strange taking photos. 

Like I said in a previous post, people get crazy when cars are slowing down in the neighborhood and someone has a camera or phone out. The Facebook blasts don't lie when the residents start posting their angry "What's this person doing and why?!" comment. So you've got to be careful around here, even if it's just you looking and not taking photos. 

I still attempted to take some pictures, but my mother was driving and didn't completely stop at each house. She slowed down enough to take a solid stare, but not long enough to have my phone register all the colors. Therefore, a lot the 53 attempted pictures came out blurry and bad. I was able to salvage 11 and there is one or two that aren't so great. 

All photos taken with an iPhone 11 and not edited for color and contrast. WYSIWYG. I added my name and did edit my hand out of one photo, plus house numbers.

From what I could find online, the NFL snowman is from a company called "Sporticulture". It's a Buffalo Bills snowman, and unfortunately not available for purchase on Amazon. The sport page has other teams, but NY isn't one of them, unless you want some sort of LED light object, framed art or other types of inflatables (people). 

The Nightmare Before Christmas inflatables have Stitch in the background, which is a little hard to see. He's closer to the front door and hiding. There are so many different Nightmare inflatables, it's hard to find the exact one at this house. I know the Stitch is in a Santa suit. 

The waving Santa doesn't exactly wave; he just looks that way. 

I found a similar "Santa in a bus" inflatable, but the characters are different. 

The house with the lights and snowman: There's a Gemmy brand projection on the side of the house that says "Let It Snow". I couldn't find that particular projector, but Amazon has other ones, including non Gemmy brands. That particular phrase doesn't seem to exist anymore (from what I saw, it's a Party City exclusive?). 

I did see other houses with different phrased on the walls and it took me a a few minutes to think of "Gobo" because the theatrical lighting experience I have, has told me that any type of design projected from a light source, usually comes from big stage productions. It's a stencil (sometimes aluminum, sometimes glass) that pops into the light and can show off a brand name, a saying, a picture, anything you want. And it can be expensive. 

That's why everyone goes with the lower cost plastic stake projector. It plops right into the ground, you turn it on and it does its thing. When its time to pack it in, you unplug it, take it out of the ground, put it in your Rubbermaid tote bin of holiday decorations, and it goes to wait the year out in darkness until you're ready for it again. 

The corner house with the Santa and inflatables, everyone has seen those types of characters, but it being a corner unit, it was interesting to have them all seemingly come at you as you make the turn.

I kind of like the simplicity of the second to last picture. It's low key enough that you know they wanted something, but wanted to remain functional and not over the top. It's easy.

A lot of people also had similar star shaped tree lights (the last picture). It's a star on top of free flowing string lights, coming down into a triangular shape. Looks a little like a tree in a way. I searched "Christmas outdoor star lights" and came up with a few different types, but the keyword also gave me stars. 

I feel like, over all, there were a lot of houses who threw together way too many lights outside. There were plenty of the darker colors this year and it honestly hurt my head to look at them. Some residents made their places look like the string light factory had a fire sale and then the box threw up on the bushes. It was way too much, as everything was covered - the roof line, the corners of the house, the ground, the plants... it was overload and messy. Which is why I feel that one house with the limited lights is classy enough that it's not headache inducing crazy. 

I know, I know.. it's the holiday season and people are allowed to go wild. But there needs to be a point where you step back and ask yourself "is all this really necessary?". I mean, there are places where there are just enough lights (without reaching that "too much" threshold), that it looks okay, tasteful in a way. They are solid, matching colors; a theme. But when you mismatch / mix and don't watch what you're doing, it gets dizzying and unkempt. 

I like the inflatables as well; they're cute. Full yards are also too much. One or two are plenty, unless it's a family of them (example would be Santa pulling a sleigh and each reindeer is individual. Or a scene from a movie where each character is doing something). Creating a space where there is no interaction and you put something down for the sake of lawn space? No. 

I've said it before and I will say it again: Florida is not the place for full on Christmas decorations. Palm trees and snow globes compete with each other. They don't match. (Fake) Evergreen and spruce trees in 75° weather with no fluffy white stuff on the ground? I don't think so. The seasons here aren't the same when you're used to the "white Christmas" of other regions. I didn't grow up here, so I know the decorations don't belong as much as they do anywhere else. It's just weird to me. 

Again, that's just me. I'm not trying to Grinch my way into the new year; I'm just being honest. I like a lot of the decorations, but too much is too much. As I've gotten older (rather the past couple years), I've had issues with a lot of the lights at night. It's becoming a neurological thing, I suppose. The variations are bothering me, to the point that I can't look at them. The dark colors (all blues and reds) seem to be the fashion lately, and last night I realized how bad it has become for me. It bleeds in a way that I don't want to deal with it. They used to be nice enough to look at, and now I find myself going "nope" at it. It's hard to explain without continuing to sound like a jerk. I wonder what would happen if I got back into theatrical design? I'd probably pull my hair out because people want specific colors on and around them. Which then would lead me to want to do audio instead. 

Can't have it all, I suppose!

What I can have is the end of this post. My keyboard is acting up and I feel like I lost have my rambling. I might need new batteries. Plus, we're getting surprise company in a few minutes and I need to get ready.

Be someone's brightness in the dark this week and take care of yourselves.

Cheers;

This is..

... Sparta?

No.

... Anfield?

No.

... Fog?

Yes.

Sunday was one of those days where I had to be at work for 8:45am and would be there for 12 hours. Unfortunately, it was also one of those days where the fog was so thick, it was a little dangerous to drive.

Or, as my friend Cat said after receiving multiple photos, "It's so eerie" and after seeing a video from when I parked at work, "it looks like a horror movie". 

It felt worse than a horror movie, although it was the type of gloom where I needed to take a different road to work, as the flyover bridge I would have taken, would have been a bit dangerous to use. The merging into traffic is horrible on a normal day; trying to get off the bridge and into oncoming traffic in fog? Good luck, buttercup; I hope no one is coming down the road at the moment you need to get into the next lane. 

Therefore, I had taken a more "scenic" route to get to where I needed to be. It doesn't defeat much traffic, but it's a little safer. Weirdly enough, the end result takes me to the same intersection that completes the merge from the bridge. 

Except the intersection is probably a couple blocks away. It's a landing zone and hard to explain. 

At any rate, the photos below are the "before" photos, taken with an iPhone 11. No editing: WYSIWYG.

This is the intersection where the flyover bridge is. You can barely see road signs in the distance, which are attached to another crossing bridge. 

The bridge is to the right of this tree; I'm about to turn into the "scenic area" part of the drive, so I can bypass the bridge.   

This photo is another intersection. One more past the merging intersection one (closer to where I work).

The photos below are the "after" photos, taken the next day (Monday) with an iPhone 11. No editing: WYSIWYG.

As you can see below, this is the first intersection with the bridge. Just past the second set of trees in the second photo, is the exit for the longer way. 

I just passed the "scenic route" entrance so this is the bridge road. 

This is the merging issue once you get up in the flyover and onto the other main road:

Cars don't like to let you in!

Which is why it was going to be easier to take the other road and not risk getting hint. The fog was too thick to try it, unless I was already on that side of the road. 

It's a risk no matter where you go, because fog is fog. I know that. But early morning crazy drivers tend to not pay attention. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially since I was going to be working a very long day. 

It did become pretty hectic at work, so I'm glad I did the easier way. I'm also glad I got proof how wild nature can be around here, even though we already know, due to the massive amount of rain in the summer as well as the random hurricanes. I'm not immune to seeing thick fog, but up north, it's usually with some sort of melting snow. 

Change of scenery, but not a change of nature?

Seeing how today is Christmas Eve, I'll keep this rambling short and let everyone go do their thing. Hope you all were nice enough to stay off the naughty list!

Cheers;

See also

* "This is Sparta" comes from the movie 300.

* "This is Anfield" comes from the mantra of Liverpool Football Club

* "This is fog" comes from pointing out low lying clouds.