tracks

There are some moments in life that are like pivots around which your existence turns -- small intuitive flashes, when you know you have done something correct for a change, when you think you are on the right track. I watched a pale dawn streak the cliffs with Day-glo and realized this was one of them. It was a moment of pure, uncomplicated confidence -- and it lasted about ten seconds.

- Robyn Davidson, Tracks

clever flowers

Yesterday I went for a hike at Huntsville State Park. On the dam two of my favorite wildflowers were blooming. Bee balm and passionflower, I love them for their beautiful strangeness. Pollinators were busy buzzing away gathering food, what I enjoy more then watching them work is watching the flowers work. Such clever flowers.

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.

sticks and stones

It always takes a second glance. When my eyes first move over them I see a twig, a smooth stone, another piece of forest litter. Then my brain clicks the stick is not rigid enough it's fluid, it curves too perfectly against the earth. The rock is too smooth, too round.
Much to their dismay I see through their camouflage, wait for them to give up, come out, look around. So I can click away with my camera, pick them up, study the pattern on their backs: shells and scales. I interrupt their lives for a few quick minutes and then let them go on their merry way.

I've decided that I would like to be able to identify all the Texas snakes. This one is a brown snake (I think I could have come up with a cooler name.)

farting around

Listen: We are here on Earth to fart around. Don't let anybody tell you any different!

-Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

happy earth day

I love the whole world.

wall : a prologue

Some how she knew that you didn't get many moments like this in your life: moments when you knew, without any doubt, that you were alive, when you felt the air in your lungs and the wet grass beneath your feet and the cotton on your skin; moments when you were completely in the present, when neither past nor the future mattered. She tried to slow her breathing, hoping somehow to make this moment last forever.

- Neil Gaiman

great-horned owl

This guy fell out of his nest a little early, but thanks to TWRC he will be fine. It was a remarkable experience to get to be near this bird, still covered in baby fluff, but two feet tall and with talons that could rip the flesh from my forearm, he was beautiful. I have more photos that I haven't gone through yet, but I had to get at least one up tonight.

Enchanted Rock

Spent the past weekend at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area with the SHSU Outdoor Rec group. I have so much fun on these trips. This one included sunrise yoga on top of a batholith, rock climbing, bouldering, hiking, and caving. If you want to, check out my trip photos here.

Monstro

Meet my new friend Monstro. He moved into my office today. I like him.

beep beep!

This guy has been hanging out in the driveway for a while now. I went out to walk with the dogs and he was still out there, let me get pretty close too, I didn't have the telephoto lens. This is him just chillin'.
I snapped a couple of photos then I gave a little whistle. My roadrunner friend's feathers stood straight up on his head. His expression of "ZOMG" gave me the giggles and he ran away but not before I caught him in his moment of surprise.

a day in the garden

Spent the day in the garden today, pulling out thorny vines and weeds until my hands are sore and my arms are scored with tiny pink line where the brambles raked across my skin. I planted several different kinds of basil, two cherry tomatoes, some peppermint, lemon balm, bee balm, and lantana.
I rearranged my outdoor furniture so that it sits in a little grouping on the side porch, under the shade of the balcony, looking out at the side garden.
The perfect place for a cup of tea.I also found this chrysalis in the dirt of one of my beds. It is still alive, when you squeeze it lightly it wiggles. I thought I might of knocked it off something when I was terrorizing the weeds. I took it over to Gina's house thinking she would be able to find a way to attach it to something to let it hatch. She knew what it was and said that it was a big moth and the chrysalis belonged in the dirt. So I took it home and reburied it in the garden.