who?

I got to meet a baby screech owl this morning.

P.S. If anyone would like to know, I've identified my beetle,
Humpback Dung Beetle - Deltochilum gibbosum.

poop beetle

Sometimes if you sit still the most interesting things come to you. I caught these dung beetles rolling their gross little hairy ball across my garden path while I was sitting on my porch. I was trying to get good pictures of birds, these are more interesting.

I used some white paper to isolate them I think it came out pretty cool. I'm thinking about building some sort of white box so I can isolate more bugs and get their photos. The only problem was that by the time I was through taking their pictures they were rather desperate to get out of my paper lined box, when I let them go they went their separate ways leaving their little poop ball behind. I felt like I broke up the little family.

carolina wren

Here is a little Carolina Wren that got knocked out of it's nest during a storm. The students at the press found it on the lawn of the quad and came to get me. Here he is all wrapped up in my winter hat. I held him close to keep him warm until my local TWRC wildlife rehabilitator came to pick him up. He has already grown up and been released.

aggieland

We went to New Student Orientation and got the whole campus tour thing. Steve is all signed up for Summer and Fall classes. His classes start Tuesday, I'm so excited for him but wonder if he will start making weird whooping noises soon.

metro parks and goodbyes

Last day, we all met up at the Metro Park and went for a walk by the river. Metro Parks are these great little nature parks that are all over Ohio. There were really nice wide hiking and biking trails. Beautiful and peaceful.

Brunch at Panera. Here is Sarah, she was an excellent Ohio organizer and new friend!

Saying goodbye to Shendo at the airport. "Next time you see him he will be pixels."

Soon after we said goodbye to Shendo I realized I was missing my little Cybershot camera. I was pretty sure it fell out of my pocket at the Metro Park while I was bending down to look closer at the flowers. I thought it was lost forever, but before we went to the airport we went back to the Metro Park. Lauren, Sarah, Dan, Steve, and I embarked on the camera quest. I found the camera right where I figured I had dropped it. The success of the camera quest led to this short but exuberant celebration:

Goodbye Ohio, but we are not done. Straight from the airport to Bryan/College Station for Steve's New Student Orientation.

science center and coventry

Day three in Ohio we went into Cleveland to the Science Center.

Lauren, Dan and Shendo!

This (I am told) is what a pigeon looks like in Ohio. LOL.

After the Science Center we went to Tommy's which is a really cool veggie restaurant in Coventry Village (it's the artsy hippie part of Cleveland). Tommy's was delicious I had the Quinn, which was a toasted cheese sandwich with homemade peanut butter and veggies on pita, and a giant yogurt banana shake. YUM. Then we looked in all the little shops in the area.

french song

After Cedar Point we went to a restaurant called Quaker Steak and Lube. After one margarita Lauren treated everyone to the famous French song.

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. It currently holds the world record for most roller coasters with 17, one of them being the world's second tallest and second fastest roller coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, which reaches speeds of 120 mph and a height of 420 feet. Cedar Point is also the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than 200 feet (61 m). As of 2008 Cedar Point will be the only park in the world with 76 rides, becoming the park with the most rides.

-Wikipedia

YAY! Rollercoasters!

Steve shaking our bucket on the sky ride.

Yum. Taffy.

It was a fun day. I won Cedar Point! I didn't sit out a single ride.

Cleveland Zoo

We got off the plane and met Lauren, Shendo, Sarah, and Dan for the first time. It was kind of weird meeting people who you have talked to, but never seen in real life. We headed for the Cleveland Zoo which was a fun ice breaker, we got to walk around and talk and look at the animals. I love the zoo. I think I could spend days there taking pictures of all the different animals and their mannerisms.

I love the primates. I know I'm not supposed to anthropomorphize these guys, but you can hardly help it, they have such human expressions. When I see them I am almost sure they share our feelings.

There are such unique shapes and forms in the ocean. Makes me want to learn to scuba dive.

Baby Koala, how cute can you get?!

Chameleons are one of my favorite lizards. They have those crazy eyes and three toed feet, and bounce when they walk like they have some sort of tribal drum beat in their head.

OHIO

We are off to Ohio!

Steve is my hero!

Steve graduated with his AA from Montgomery! Now he is off to A&M.His parents came down to join the celebration. I was super proud of Steve, he worked his butt off.

i <3 mom

My mom is the best mom in the universe. Happy Mother's Day! I love you.

P.S. Sorry I put you on the internet again :)

lazy sunday

Taking it easy this weekend. Clean. Read. Laundry. Movie. Nap. Walk. Read. Sweep. Bask. Nap. Heal.

home alone

Being sick at home is so much more pleasant than being sick at work. I am enjoying the quiet of this day home alone even if I am drowning in boogers.