Back from vacation, absence of communications, and more...

Went on a two-week jaunt to NC,VA, and FL with the family.
Among other things, I saw family, friends, deer, rabbits, heron, lories, gorillas, tigers (went to Busch Gardens), tourists (which I apparently have become as well), and more. Some more notable findings were that the Royal Empress tree (paulownia tomentosa), which I wrote about earlier, is in fact invading much of the Appalachian area's disturbed land (roadsides, mostly) with already at few flowering/seed producing size (3+ years), and many, many more ending their first or second years of growth. As invasive as they are, I'm not so sure their harming their surroundings in any way. The leaves are great for natural composting as well as for wildlife, and with their fast growth rate, they'll help curb erosion. Really, the only downside I see so far is that these are growing in place of other native trees.

As for the lack of posts, the mountains aren't exactly friendly to the wireless service industry. Neither is low population density, as AT&T didn't have any services available (not even roaming) in Clarksville, VA. Having zero bars every now and then is a nice change. Especially when relaxing in a lake.

With all that said, I must now get back to work. Oi!