Owwwwl

Finally... some good NEWS out of Iowa

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110404/ap_on_re_us/us_eagle_cam

Baby, baby, baby

I wanted to share this.

Stream videos at Ustream

The camera is set up in a neighboring town.  I have been watching off and on for three weeks or so.  There are three eggs under there and the momma & daddy rotate warming duties.  The eggs are due to hatch any day now.

Day 3: Part 2

(I have finally caught up with my life after vacation . . . I think . . .)

White Sands formed when crystals break down into white grains of sand. The crystals form when gypsum-saturated rains pour over the Tularosa Basin. There is no river outlet and as the rain evaporates the crystals are formed.

Mom and I watched an interesting film at the visitor's center situated at the entrance of the monument. (See more information here.)


The dunes are constantly moving sometimes up to 30 feet per year. One of the regional plants that I found most interesting was the soaptree yucca. It is a fast growing plant (but sometimes it can't even outgrow the dunes). It's roots are on the basin floor and grows up through the dunes. As the dune moves on the stem collapses on itself until the yucca dies.

View White Sands National Monument in a larger map

Sky show

On Friday, besides handing out sweets to begging children, I will be watching the skies. Just after sunset on Friday Venus and the moon will be in the southwestern skyscape.

Then on Saturday evening I should be able to see an earthshine or earthlight. The effect seen when the earth reflects the sun onto the dark side of the moon.


I'm hoping to get a good photo. Although nothing I could take would look half as good as the one above.

For more details check out this link.

Weekend recap part 2: The do-something portion

Saturday I did something I rarely do . . . I got up early.

My mom had the morning shift at the quilt show so she had to be there early. Which meant I had to be at the house even earlier! We (Mom, Grammy, and I) were going to spend the morning at the quilt show.

On the way out to the farm, I found out what I miss when I sleep in . . .


This . . .

And this . . .


The frost was evaporating off the fields leaving a low mist. It was beautiful.

And these weren't even the best views.

I love the night

I had a meeting this evening and walked home in the night. Night is so beautiful. A different kind of silence.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a night owl. I love to stay up late (and wake up late!). Tonight I was reminded of one of the reasons why.

There is a light breeze -- not too warm and not too cold. The cicadas buzzing surrounds.

::sigh::

I found this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that mirrored my thoughts:

The Day is Done

THE DAY is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
That my soul cannot resist:

A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.

Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.

For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.

Read from some humbler poet,
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;

Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.

Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.

Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.

And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.

Isn't it beautiful????

My kitchen . . .

that I cleaned from tip to top in and hour this evening!

My kitty . . .

who apparently believes the unusually temperate weather is a heat wave.

The sunset . . .

I captured a couple evenings ago.

Turtles & Sharks & Stingrays, Oh My!

Next stop: Key West Aquarium. Actually we ate first. It was very hot. Just walking a block from the parking ramp to Mallory Square I was dripping, I mean, glistening.

We ate at the Red Fish Blue Fish restaurant.

(This photo was taken from the top of the wrecking tower -- more on that tomorrow.)

We both had fish, by the way!

Back to the aquarium . . .

They have a tour that we missed by about 30 minutes so we while we waited for the next one we walked through the aquarium.

This is the eel tank. Basically, the tails of two eels. I don't have a better photo of these because, frankly, they creeped me out a bit.


This is from the sting ray tank. (Also you can see the rear of one of the sea turtles.) There were about 10 - 15 rays in this tank. This is one of the larger ones.


This one's lookin' at me!


They vertical feed the sting rays at this aquarium -- which means the sting rays swim up to the side of the tank and the handlers hand feed them. The handler/guide said that this was preferable for them because they could make sure that all the rays got to eat (instead of the biggest ones being the food hogs) and they could more easily dispense medicine through the food, when applicable. This method is also a bonus for tourists as the sting rays are trained to expect food when they see someone at the side of the tank -- which provides a lot of sting ray action.

They also splash a lot!

This one is thinking my camera is a tasty morsel! I am trying to take the picture without getting splashed!

Tourists (me, included) were not allowed to feed the sting rays or the sharks. But during the tour the handler/guide did. She said the rays have sharp teeth -- her fingers didn't linger as she fed them tasty morsels.

Fish break! Some more of the fish tanks.

He likes me, he really likes me.


This guy liked me enough to sit in front of my face while I tried to figure out my camera and take about 12 pictures. (Of those I wound up with these two. I have never claimed to be a photographer!)


These are nurse sharks. They are the "nicest" shark , if there is such a thing as a nice shark -- excepting those in Finding Nemo. Despite their gentler reputation, they have one of the highest shark bite records. This is due more to the stupidity of humans who do not understand the "nice" in reference to sharks is not the same as "nice" in reference to say, bunnies.


This is the shark I got to pet. (Well, not just me, everyone who was on the tour.)


The shark feels like if you were to take a very fine grain of sandpaper and soak it in water. And my hand didn't smell like fish -- because sharks do not have scales. And yes, that is how close he is -- I didn't use my zoom lens.

Here is a video of the nurse sharks.

And I end this post with some photos of the sea turtle. The aquarium had four sea turtles.


Sea turtles are protected mostly because a lot of the time their nesting ground (the lovely beaches) are easily disturbed by throngs of tourist-type people. The guide said that one of this species' (below) nesting ground was in Mexico where armed military protect the egg-laden beach.

Butterflies & Nurse Sharks

The second stop in Key West was the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory. Which was the brother's absolute favorite part of the entire trip, especially since everyone walked out of it with this on their shoulder:


Ha, just kidding. He was somewhat indifferent. I, on the other hand, went camera crazy. And as I am not camera adept I did delete many of my attempts at butterfly photography. Here are some of the better photos.

This was the very first one we encountered. Pretty, huh?



This one opens up to be a beautiful blue color (the video below will show that) . If I was this butterfly's enemy I would easily be thwarted, as I didn't realize that this one and the beautiful blue butterflies I couldn't seem to get a photo of were the same butterfly. Yeah, that's me. I catch on real quick.

These photos (and the incredibly shaky video below) can not convey the experience. There were literally hundreds of butterflies (and some birds) in the conservatory. Fluttering around. It would be a great place for kids! Even big kids like me!

Okay, I am going to show you the video. You can't laugh, it is my first attempt at filming. Probably not my last, despite every indication that I will NEVER be a camera person.

Honestly, every time I look at this video I shake my head a little harder. But please try to ignore the camera handling and focus on the butterflies.

And one more:

Then there was a turtle off to the left of a footbridge.


And another butterfly.


There really isn't a lot of commentary to go with these photos and videos. The Butterfly Conservatory was more of an experience.


Tomorrow, sharkey's coming to visit.

Woolly caterpillars and an omnious winter

The last couple days have been gorgeous. I could stand a couple more weeks of sunny days.

Since I was just a wee lass (my terrible Scottish brogue rears its ugly head) I have heard the the tale about Pyrrhaclia isabella. Don't ask me how to say that -- I was barely able to spell it.

Normal people call it the woolly caterpillar. Eventually the woolly caterpillar becomes the Isabella Tiger Moth. But as a woolly little caterpillar, it is a barometer of the winter weather to come. Or so the stories go . . .

Supposedly, the wider the black bands on the woolly caterpillar (or the narrower the brown band) the harsher the winter. Which means more snow, colder temperatures, and possibly a longer winter.

Apparently, this tale has been around for ages. In fact, in 1948, the curator of insects from the Museum of Natural History in New York started an eight-year study -- during his vacations, no less -- to prove or disprove the folktale. He basically picked up every woolly caterpillar he could find and did some scientific tests -- measuring and recording. He concluded that the caterpillars wintery predictions were 70% accurate. Not bad for an insect. Better than most meteorologists, in fact.

All this to say that the caterpillars here seem to be less tan and more black this fall. And you know what that could mean -- more snow, colder temperatures, and possibly a longer winter. Hmmm . . . hopefully this winter the caterpillars will be 30% inaccurate.

Maybe?

Starry, starry night

David Trapani

I was walking home tonight and couldn't help but enjoy the beautiful starry sky. Granted it was slightly obscured by the street lights but it sure was pretty.

The above photo is NOT from tonight (cause, really, my camera could never take a photo like this and even if it could I could never take a photo like this). This photo of the star cluster Pleiades. I was reading about Pleiades in Wikipedia:

The cluster is dominated by hot blue stars, which have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud that the stars are currently passing through. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, when it will have dispersed due to gravitational interactions with the spiral arms of the galaxy and giant molecular clouds.

I was thinking about this:

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. -- Psalm 19:1-3

Oh what a beautiful weekend!

This is the weekend I had.

Beautiful weather, extraordinary friends, & great fun. A friend and I went to Wisconsin this weekend to visit two of our friends from high school. We stayed the weekend with one of our friends near Lake Geneva.

This is where the lake is at:


View Larger Map

This weekend we had great weather so we were outside quite a bit. We walked often and this is the view from yesterday afternoon (the one time I actually brought my camera on our treks). But you'll have to take my word that I saw this view much of this weekend -- give or take a few boats.



More of my weekend to come . . .

I don't know about your brain but here's a little about mine

Our brains are amazing. They are made up of over 100 billion nerve cells. I don't know about you but that is hard for my 100 billion-celled brain to fathom.

Besides controlling all the body functions that keep us walking, talking, and breathing every day, our brains also interprets the world around us through our senses, lets us think, dream, & be the emotional creatures that we are.

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. The frontal lobe of the cerebrum performs thought, learning and memory and the hippocampus is the short-term memory center. (I love that word! I'm going to try to work it into conversation -- just to see what people say!)

Which brings me to the reason for this brainiac post. Memory. I have committed (to myself) to memorizing Awana sections along with the kids in my group. My goal is two sections per week -- which is what we, as leaders, encourage the clubbers to memorize.

This means, as I only got my book this Sunday, I have 4 sections to complete this week . . . hmm . . . maybe I should re-think this.

Anyway, I have first three memorized pretty well -- and I think they will stay in my hippocampus (yea!) until Wednesday. It's the 4th section that is giving me fits.

God gave me this amazing brain the least I can do is use it.

(By the way, for more info on brain stuff check out this link.)

Golden moments

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by: Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

This is one of my favorite poems (also one of Ponyboy Curtis's favorites -- for those of you who enjoy The Outsiders).

Whenever I get up early (which isn't often, as I am more a night owl than an early bird) and I go for a walk, there is that magical time before the dew has burned off and after the sun has come up. Everything seems to have a golden hue. I am reminded of this poem. That time of day passes quickly.

I also am reminded of this poem when big changes come in my life. At every stage of my life there were golden moments and there will be golden moments to come. But the golden moments will be different for "nothing gold can stay."

Poetic fire

Isn't this beautiful?

I love campfires. The crackle, the smoky smell, the sparks trying to reach the sky.

I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good,
And my sorrow grew worse. My heart was hot within me,
while I was musing the fire burned;Then I spoke with my tongue:
“LORD, make me to know my end
and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am.

The perfect evening

The past week it has been hot and humid. Last night, before bed, I shut off my a/c and opened every window. This morning I was huddling under my covers because it was so cool. (You have to understand that I am a natural born cuddler so there is rarely a time that I am not huddling under my covers but after the past couple days it was unusual.)

Today was beautiful. But tonight, tonight was glorious. There is a nice breeze. The fireflies are out in droves. I walked downtown and on the way home a firefly hitched a ride on my thumb.

Tonight was reminiscent of childhood.

Sigh. It is nice to be reminded.

Flowers, flowers everywhere

This past Sunday was our church picnic. We had it at one of the church member's home. They are gardeners (if you can't tell from this photo). Wow. Every time I visit out there I am blown away by the beauty.

My goal is to someday have at least 3 plants (that are not classified as weeds) that I can keep alive in my front yard.


Isn't it beautiful? We had a great time. It was a great day. The last picture here is of the "cup race." Every year the kids get a cup with their name on it. They drop the cup into the creek at the spring then run across the yard to see whose cup wins. I think I had more fun watching everyone watching the race!


There were lawn games . . . I played croquet. I hadn't played croquet since I was in elementary school and I don't think I have ever played by the rules. My brother and sister and I always stuck the hoops in the ground and hit the balls until we got tired of the game. I actually learned the rules and did fairly well for my first time. I started out slow but finished in the middle of the pack.

I could have stayed out there for days. But all things must come to an end. Besides, the way time seems to fly by, next year's picnic will be here in no time!

Forget I said anything

Did I say I was happy with the summer weather? That, of course, was before I hiked up a "mountain" in 80 degrees (plus humidity). It has taken me all day to recover. Well, at least an hour or two.

A friend and I went hiking this morning. This morning because I thought "hmm . . . it being summer now, maybe the earlier we hike the cooler it will be." Hah. Wrong. Still hot. However . . .

Blessing #1: Communing with nature.

We stood 8 feet away from two deer and a fawn. (Although not this particular deer and fawn because I didn't have the foresight to bring my camera.) We also saw a raccoon, multiple squirrels and chipmunks, and a woodpecker.

It's amazing how beautiful animals are in their natural habitats.


Blessing #2: My fallibility.

I came to the realization that I am not as fit as I thought I was. I came to this understanding as I was gasping for breath two-thirds of the way up the first hill. Again as I gulped water at the top of that hill. Again as I glimpsed a bench at the top of the next hill and thanked my lucky stars it was the last hill we were climbing.

Many may not consider this revelation a blessing (I may not consider it a blessing), however I believe sometime in the future I will.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the walk down. Now what to do with the blessings . . .