Last full day in Pine Tree City

Sad to say, but today was my last full day in Pine Tree City. I sure do hope to come back again next year, though.

P.S. Did you know you can go up Hwabusan at night? I've been seeing the lamp posts, and I can now confirm that the lights are indeed turned on at night, at least until 20:00 or so.

Perhaps you'd like to know what time it is.

I can report that as of 20220907-2030, both of these phones work properly.

Korea Telecom has always been good, regardless of whether their name has changed or not.

The people who staff the train station's information center are beyond excellent.

The urinal is just a urinal.

But check out the umbrella hanger in the top right.

They really take care of things here.

Hwabusan at night.

It's lit up well enough that I did not use my phone's flashlight function.

Thinking that maybe I'll have a whole bunch of spare time in the future to go after this one...

It would certainly require a lot of spare time.

20230403 edit: Maybe it wouldn't require too much time.
Several characters are repeated over and over multiple times.
Am I really going after this one?
I kind of knew this would happen.

Me and this white cat have had each other under surveillance for two weeks.

Another example of how well they take care of this town.

Removing grass from the sidewalk cracks.

There are at least two similar yellow Camaros in town.

I have seen them parked together, with the drivers talking to each other.

The Daelim Daystar (125cc or 250cc? I do not know.)

My first Cross Cub sighting.

I would love to have one in Perry County.

You know how they think of everything?

At the exercise equipment area on top of the mountain,

these are compressed air hoses for blowing dust off your shoes.

Of course I used it. It's a great idea.

I know what the room cleaner is thinking:

"Why does Baldy use hair conditioner?

He doesn't have any hair."

She does not know it is shaving cream.
Neither did I until recently.

20220907

Second day after Typhoon Hinnamnor, and plenty of water still coming down.

Today was the second day after Typhoon Hinnamnor's rain finally ended, but there is still plenty of water flowing down from the mountains and out to the East Sea. In my rational mind, I understand that one video of rushing water is about the same as the next, but I just can't stop myself. Don't worry. I'm not going to invite you to "come and see my vacation slideshow." But if you're into the sight and sound of rushing water like I am, then feast your eyes and ears on these:

20220907

Seven chin-ups at Hwabusan: Never give up.

Remember how I marked my official scorecard as one chin-up completed? Well, that was bullshit. I was up there on Hwabusan this morning, thinking "I ought to be able to do better than that." The problem before might have been having my hands too far apart. Seven chin-ups completed today, with my hands gripping the bar just a little ways past each shoulder. 

That's not seven consecutive chin-ups. It was a set of three, a set of two, and a final set of two. It feels like there's some slight damage to the right shoulder, but nothing too serious. I'll know more tomorrow. At any rate, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I guess I could have read up on how to position my hands, but trial and error worked in the end.

There was no way I was going to fail on that seventh chin-up--at least not today. Although I was the only person physically present in the exercise equipment area, there were a whole lot of people up there with me--relatives and friends and people I knew who have gone before. They were all rooting for me, and I didn't want to let them down. 

There is and always has been something very spiritual about these Korean mountains. I pray to the 산신 / 山神 / mountain gods that there always will be.

20220907

After the typhoon

Photos from a beautiful day after the rain finally ended at about noon on 20220906.

You have to be able to read Korean to get why this shop's name is cool.

The 1000-year-old-plus Gingko tree has seen many a typhoon.

Scientific name: Batman Birds

If you live in the grass on the riverbank, you have to go somewhere when that grass gets flooded.

One of my favorites. It's as old school as you can get.

It appears they take Tuesdays off.

Good for them.

After the rain, the beautiful blue sky revealed itself bit by bit.

After Typhoon Hinnamnor's 36 hours of rain

What's the first thing nature boys and girls do when the rain finally stops? That's right. They rush over to the river to check it out. In the case of Pine Tree City, the water flows down from the mountains to the west, through the Namdaecheon River, and out to sea at Gangneung Harbor.

I went a little overboard (OCD Jerry) on videos, but the power of this water rushing to the sea has to be seen to be believed.

20220906

 

 

Chuseok Moon: It will be full soon.

The 추석 / 秋夕 / Chuseok moon is 80% full here in Pine Tree City. When it's full on Saturday, September 10th, that's Chuseok. Happy Chuseok to all my Korean people in Korea and around the world.

20220906
Bad photography makes this Chuseok Moon look fuller than its current 80%

 

I didn't have eel for a long time. Too long.

Now that I finally had 장어 / eel again, I remember how good it is. I went way too long without it.

20220906

Corn Boy needs his Corn Bread: Substitutes NOT accepted.

In the 34th hour of 36 hours of Typhoon Hinnamnor's rain in Gangneung, I had to brave the wind-driven rain. Thought I turned completely rice, did you? Never. Corn Boy needs his corn bread. Never forget where you come from.

I had to go to three stores: first 7-11, a GS25, and finally a second 7-11, but find my corn bread, I did. Nobody gets between Corn Boy and his Corn Bread, not even Typhoon Hinnamnor.

20220906

Old Grizzled still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Okay. It wasn't fine dining. But a walk in the steady rain to the coffee shop, train station (Jack Daniels Chicken Sandwich for lunch at Egg Box), and the post office was enough for one day. I wasn't going back out again. It was one of those situations where you eat what you've got in the room. I guess ordering food for delivery would have been an option as well, but there was no need for that.

Tonight's menu:

• dried squid
  
  
• yellow radishes
  
  
• yogurt with California walnuts
  
  
• one smoked egg

Not too shabby. I've eaten much worse, and certainly less healthily.

20220905