:mattLandia:

Sweaty Knee Pits. Curly Hair. Steamy Sunglasses. Melting Candles.

Yup.

It's summer in Dixie. It couldn't have come at a better time. This past holiday weekend was beautiful, blue bonnet skies, humidity not quite at that 'MAXIMUM HELL' level, and bugs not at invasion strength. The highlights:

1) If you own a motorcycle, you must, must, must take 316 east just past the Gwinnett Airport (more like a long, long driveway with planes on the lawn) and take a left on Winder Hwy (aka Hwy 8). If you're lucky, and I was lucky, you'll have blue skies, virtually no traffic, and 30 miles of easy riding. You'll pass through towns called Carl, Winder, Auburn, Dacula before finally ending up at Bogart (you're last stop before reaching Athens). You'll pass long stretches of railroad, abandoned motels, farmland, and small-town Dixie. Don't forget to stop for BBQ at 'Fresh Air BBQ'. A plate of tasty swine is about a $5.

2) The Rennaissance Festival. Turkey Legs. Leggings. Men in pantaloons. Medieval garb by the chalice-full. I always wondered what would have happened if I had let my D&D fascination grow unchecked. Now I know.

3) Edible Horticulture. I have a fairly large post brewing that will cover the saga of the GARDEN. More on this later.

4) mattLandia redesign. I've changed the layout a bit and will continue to tweak it over the next few days. I've added a new link to my stream of photos at Flickr.com at the top of the right column. Click on a photo to see more...