Sun Rays, Swamplands, and "Spidergraphs"

WHEN: October 9, 2010
WHERE: Charleston Park, North Charleston, SC

Stace came in to wake me up this morning at 9:15 and subsequently opened the blinds with a resounding, "What is going on?!" I jumped out of bed, quicker than a college student late for class on test day, to see what could be so alarming.  Our neighborhood was engulfed in a thick fog, even this late in the morning and with a sunny forecast for the day. I don't think we've seen one cloud this past week and this weekend was supposed to be the same.  So, this sight was rather unexpected.  I threw on a shirt, grabbed my camera, and headed out into the neighborhood to snap some pictures.

I'm sure glad I did!  What began as a hurried attempt to take some fog pictures, turned out to be a fun morning adventure.  I spent 1:30 hours and took 153 pictures of the fog, forests and, eventually, the sun as it broke through.  This week has been very dry and we did not receive any precipitation over night.  But you couldn't tell that from looking around this morning.  The trees, streets, and everything outdoors was dripping with water from the fog that formed overnight.  The air was fresh (though obviously humid), the neighborhood quiet, and the woods and swamps were alive with activity.  Armies of frogs were croaking, birds were chirping, water was dripping through the tree canopy, and a faint glow from the sun was vigorously trying to win its battle with the fog.  It was a beautiful and picturesque way to start the day.  And I had my camera with me every step of the jaunt.

 I quickly noticed spider webs everywhere, beginning with these two on our street sign.  You could have thrown a rock into the woods and hit 10 webs before it hit the ground.  Stacie and I have come to welcome these arachnids (and the amphibians) around here, to help keep the oppressive insect populations at bay.

I know spiders give most people the heebie-jeebies, but the beauty of their webs, highlighted with thousands of dew drops, was everywhere! 

 One of the nature trails in our neighborhood where I tracked these webs like James Bond.  They were below, above, in front, and all around you.  I only made it 25 feet down that bridge before I was 6 inches from running into a large web that spanned across the bridge.  The hunt was well worth it though!

 Halloween Harry

I left the house not a minute too soon, as the sun soon broke through the fog and much quicker than I had wanted it to.

40 minutes apart (the proverbial fog lifted).

I'm not saying the stroll was any less beautiful, though.

 It quickly became to feel more like June 9 than October 9.

Heading down another trail...

...into the swamps!

I quickly came upon this large palm and could have spent all day photographing it.  The sun was shining through the dense tree canopy, directly illuminating these large, green fronds.  Each frond was around 3ft. in diameter.  It was stunning.  I felt like I was in 'Avatar'.  I got some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken in the 5 minutes I spent with this palm.

I wish I could start every morning like today's.  I think everyone should.  You couldn't have come back from this walk with a frown on your face.  Even after 1:30 hours, I did not have one bug bite on me (I thank you spiders, and your 7 billion webs)!