Scenes from the Pond

I was out back last night during the end of sunset chatting with the next door neighbors when Pond Log appeared in the middle of the pond and made his way toward us. He's getting less skittish than he used to be, but we went inside long before he was close enough to be a worry. I had the camera, (because I originally went outside to take a different picture that totally didn't turn out) and snapped a few pictures.

I left this one as a wide-shot because I thought the pretty sunset colors made the alligator a little less menacing.

This picture was a total accident. I didn't realize the flash was on, and as a result the photo was way too dark. Of course, the glowing eye impressive enough that I decided to keep it!

The last photo is one of those that didn't come off the camera in a timely manner. I took it a few weeks ago, and the storm front was so defined it looked fairly armageddon-ish. The storm turned out to be pretty minor... at least here. I imagine someone got walloped!

Pond Log III: Leaving the Pond

Guess who's sunbathing rightthisveryminute behind the house!!!

Those first two pictures were taken from the bedroom, through the screen. In order to get this next picture I had to run downstairs, open the blinds on the glass door, and stand on a chair!

Somehow, he seems less menacing lounging in the grass than he does lurking under water.

Anyway, I'm about to be late for work. TTFN!

Reflections

I'm too scattered to sit down and write all about how exciting it was last night to stand at the screen door and watch a great blue heron.

Enthralling, right?

Well, long story short, the heron was walking way up away from the water, which spooked the cats. I've never seen them with their feet on dry land! So I watched it walk about 10 feet, ruffling its feathers and walking really strangely. The bird was spooked too! So we thought maybe the pond log was back. And we kept seeing something in the water. It just didn't seem alligator-like to us, but we weren't sure. And then the heron walked into the marsh and neither of us could bear to turn away, thinking the poor thing was about to be eaten by the dinosaur in the water.

So that's basically why we were watching. At some point, I tore myself away to grab my camera, since the heron was in a place with a near-perfect reflection of itself shining back. By the time I got the camera, I missed that picture, but came close with another one:

I dig symmetry! So about the time I took that picture, I had two simultaneous problems: the batteries in the camera were dying, and the memory card was full. So I stopped taking pictures. And then the heron lunged into the water - I really thought the gator got it - and came back up with a fish. I was standing there with my camera and couldn't take a picture!

And then, maybe 2 minutes later, a snake bird popped out the water with one of those big fat catfish, but the catfish got away.

So I changed the batteries and deleted some old pictures, but by that time the heron had moved on down the shore to another patch of marsh. And that's when the weird lump in the reeds popped back up.

Can you see it above? The reason we thought it was a turtle or a frog at first is because there was only one lump sticking out of the water. Usually with an alligator, you'll see the eyes and the nose sticking up. Keep in mind that picture above was taken with my camera on the highest zoom. It's much more visible than to the naked eye. And it wasn't until I did some photo cropping this morning that I saw the tiny nostrils, barely visible above the surface:

I'm still not sure whether this itty bitty alligator was hunting the heron or spooked by it, but either way it made for some excitement out back! And all of a sudden I'm dreading the idea that at some point I'm going to see one of my birds as the prey instead of the predator. I'm also secretly hoping that I can take pictures of it. Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad person!

Morning Rituals

In the morning, I always take a look out at the pond while I'm brushing my teeth just to see if there's anything cool out there. Yesterday, it was the Pond Log, swimming merrily along right below the surface. He disappeared after the lawn guy went by. Scott says they don't like the vibrations.

Really, he's only 3-4 feet long. Without any frame of reference in the photo, it looks like he could be twice that length. Except you can tell he's got a tiny little snout.

Also, Elphie inevitably stands guard outside the bedroom door, waiting for someone going out to let her in. It's because she's so cute we can't bear to say no. And she always jumps up on the bed for some petting from whomever is handy. First thing in the morning is NOT cuddle time. Pet her or prepare for the nagging meows to start. Still, she's adorable. We really can't resist!


...and though it looks like Scott is crushing her in this picture, you'll have to take my word that this is her "ooh...pet my belly!" time. It's her freakish non-cat-like habit. What other cat do you know who begs to have their belly rubbed (and the ones who lay on their backs daring you to pet their bellies don't count)?

These are the simple things in my day that make me smile.

Return of Pond Log

The other day, I was upstairs getting ready to shower when I did my standard look-for-interesting-birds-out-the-window peek. And then I ran to get the camera!

No birds today, and you can see why! Logic dictates that this is the same alligator that we saw swimming the other day, but this one really looks smaller to me. So who knows? Maybe we have a bunch swimming through the area. Anyway, obviously I wasn't getting a good picture from upstairs because of the screen. So I ran downstairs and took the next picture from inside the house, but with the screen door open.

Scott, helpful chap that he is, was in the living room at the time and offered to go get a better (closer) picture for me. If I gave him my pants. See, Scott was wearing boxers and unlike our neighbors, chooses to keep his bits hidden from view.

So I gave him my pants.

There he was, walking out of the house in my multi-color (but mostly pink) striped pajama bottoms. I would've gotten a picture, except he had the camera! Sadly, he got less than five feet from the back door when the gator slipped back into the water.

While bad news for future photos, it's good news for us. This thing is still as wild as they come, and it's not going to be sniffing around for burgers or cats. At least not this year. It's cool though, getting to be all nonchalant about an alligator just a few paces from the back door. It's certainly not anything I ever expected when I was growing up!

Pond-Log

Scene: Saturday afternoon, Jamie is on the couch watching TV while Scott is preparing to season his new grill (a process which requires burning a lot of charcoal for a long time, and which has no burgers at the end).

Scott goes outside to... do something involving the grill, and promptly comes right back in.

SCOTT: I draw the line at men sunbathing in the "back yard"

JAMIE: Is it Kirk? (our nickname for the guy who lives next door. the one with the pit bull, who sings 70s prom music at the top of his lungs, and slams his door all the time because he apparently doesn't understand physics)

SCOTT: (shaken) I don't know who it was.

JAMIE: Is he out on his chair?

SCOTT: He's on a lawn chair spread-eagle.

JAMIE: So? Go back out and finish what you are doing.

SCOTT: No way I'm going back out there! I saw testicle once, NEVER AGAIN!

JAMIE: You saw ball?!?!?

SCOTT: He's got his knees up, his legs spread, and his shorts are baggy!

A few minutes later, someone shirtless walks past our window having a conversation with someone we can't see. Scott peeks out and tells me the gator is back in the pond.

JAMIE: Take my camera and go get a picture!

SCOTT: No! There's still a half-naked man out there!

JAMIE: But I'm not wearing a bra. By the time I get decent, it'll be gone.



All that to say this photo would've been so much better had there not been a rogue testicle behind our house: ...and the sunbather wasn't Kirk. It was some guy we'd never seen before. Apparently there's renters on the other side of Kirk. I'm assuming that's who it was.

DISCLAIMER: this might not have been the exact conversation...but all the relevant bits (heh heh... 'bits!') are there.

Like Living at the Zoo!

Scott is officially jealous of me now. Why? Because I was home to see the OTTERS and he wasn't! That's right - we have otters in our pond! This is only the second time I've seen one in the wild, and the first time it was running across the road. This time, well, they were frolicking just like they do at the zoo!

wrestling on the shore

have fish, will travel

(again, photography through a window screen isn't the best idea, but there wasn't an alternative)

This definitively answers the "are there fish in the pond?" question. Also, Milo senses there is another cute animal vying for my attention, so he's curled up on my lap and purring, as if to say, "no more kittens needed." That's how he rolls.

Got Turtles?

Have you heard about the Tour de Turtles?

Started in 2008, the Tour de Turtles (TdT) is a fun, educational journey through the science, research and geography of sea turtle migration using satellite telemetry. Created by Caribbean Conservation Corporation, with help from sponsors and partners, this event follows the marathon migration of sea turtles, representing different species, from their nesting beaches to their foraging grounds. 2009 is the second year of the TdT and will follow the migration of ten sea turtles, representing four different species.

I heard about the TdT because Disney Vacation Club/Disney's Animal Programs is sponsoring a turtle named Dory. She was fitted with a satellite transmitter (and now looks a bit like an RC Car... can I have a turn at the controls??) after she laid her eggs, and was released at Disney's Vero Beach Resort on August 1.

Each of the turtles has a map tracking where they are and where they have been. They also have videos of the releases, in most cases surrounded by cheering fans. It's just the beginning, so it'll be interesting to follow where they go from here.

Go check out the site and if you're inclined, sponsor the turtle of your choice for $25.

I rate this site ***** out of *****, for education, entertainment, and TURTLES!

Gatorland

Scott and I went to Gatorland last week, mostly to see the white alligators and to take advantage of the $9.99 Florida resident tickets. I like it there - it's definitely worth 10 bucks. This time we didn't see any of the shows, didn't ride any gators (sadly, the link to the slide show seems to no longer work), and didn't toss any hot dogs. We took lots of pictures and fed the birds. Most of the photos are up on Facebook, but here's a few:

The white, or leucistic, alligators are in a dimly-lit habitat with glass walls. There's four of them, each in their own little pool. It's a nice display, but terrible for taking pictures. This was my best attempt.

Scott assures me this isn't what it looks like. Even still, the photo makes me giggle!

Best action shot of the day. Sadly, I can't claim it as my own. We were the only people in the aviary, and the lady who works there came in and took my camera.

When the photographer becomes the subject. By the way, these little guys are heavier than they look!

I love this guy, content to sun himself, and calm enough for a perfect reflection in the water. It was COLD that day, so we didn't see a whole lot of alligators actually moving. Most were either snoozing on the ground or mostly submerged in the water.

Home

We're back from Hilton Head. I have a monster ache in my left shoulder/back, so I'm going to keep this short. I'll be back later with details of exactly how much 'nothing' you can fit into a four-day beach vacation in December (lots!), and how good the seafood is (very!). For now, here's a few pictures. There's more (with captions) on my Facebook account.

Seas

While at Epcot last week, we actually did do things other than eat. We rode Soarin' and Spaceship Earth, and hung out in the Living Seas where there were FOUR dolphins in the tank at once. Sadly, my camera just isn't that into taking pictures through 6" glass, and my dolphin pictures all sucked.

I had much better luck taking pictures of things in the smaller aquariums. Here's my rockin' cuttlefish photo and a giant clam (about to suck up that poor clown fish!):

Photo Safari

After almost 18 months, I finally managed to be in Animal Kingdom on a sunny day with my "new" camera. The result? LOTS of animal pictures. Here's some of my favorites:

No Celebrity Endorsement Implied

I am by no means endorsing Alltel Wireless. I've never used their product, and can neither confirm nor deny that their customer service is better than the competitors (though it would be hard to be worse that Sprint/Nextel). However, any company that uses a cute, sweet guinea pig on their commercials can't be bad, right?

Lunch with Friends

So... yeah... it's nice to get together with long-lost friends. I can't believe I haven't seen Matthew and Kristin since our Hoop Dee Doo outing last March for my birthday. Anyway, we hooked up for lunch at the Yacht Club Galley (mmm...New England clam chowder...) and dessert at Beaches 'n Cream (mmm...frozen sunshine...). And we also spent lots of time just chatting. It's good to catch up. Really good.

Also today, I stopped by Scott's office and freeloaded some cantaloupe. I went to Publix and bought ONLY the two things I went in there for (cat food and deodorant... and coincidentally, I found a deodorant named after one of my cats!). And then I came home and checked my e-mail.

Scott started work at noon today, which means he should be home by 9. That will be especially pleasant since he didn't get home until after 2 this morning.

And if anyone was wondering how bird-sitting went, it was fine. Of course, the bird tried to groom the freckles off my neck on Sunday morning. But other than that, it was a pleasure. I would also like to point out that the entire time I was babysitting for the Rugrat Trio, the only time the phone rang was when their parents were going to be late coming home, or if the baby was sick. Cat was separated from the bird for less than 48 hours, during which time my phone rang FOUR TIMES. "How is the bird?" "How was her water dish? Cloudy? Green?" "Have you checked on the bird yet today?" (that last one came in at 9:30 am) Really. I'm not making this crap up. I ended up actually turning my phone off yesterday at work because I didn't think it was ever going to stop ringing!

Tomorrow's agenda includes a 2-hour work meeting (please don't let anything blow up in my face...). Scott wants to go see Casino Royale. We'll see how that one plays out. I can probably be bribed with some mac n cheese from Puck's.

Today

Hi! Today, I believe, is going to be a great day.

Yesterday, I found a hole in a bra I've only had for about a month. I thought it was an omen and I should stay home from work. Scott convinced me to go. Then when I got to work, I found that there was a little bit of water in the green beans in my lunch, which had leaked out of the gladware and puddled bean/meat juice on the passenger seat of my car. By that time, Scott agreed that I should just turn around and go home. It turns out the night wasn't as bad as all that. But we did have some setbacks.

But like I said, today is going to be a great day. The restaurant is closed for a private function that doesn't start until 7. Of course there's almost 70 guests, and I have to have their menus ready by 6:30 so they can be arranged by table. But I'm still going in 2 hours late. And I'm still going to be productive.

Before work, I'm going to hang out with Cat's bird. She and Mike are someplace else this weekend for a wedding, and I am going to visit the Nameless Baby and shred some greens, some carrot, and some broccoli for him/her, change his/her water, and give him/her some seeds. I shall do all of this while the bird sits on my shoulder (or Scott's) and poops on me (or Scott). I also need to feed the fish and check on the rats. The dog is at the kennel.

I know what you're thinking: "What? They have rats? What kind of freak petshop are they living in???" Well they have a burmese python (yep...a snake too) who a few weeks ago wasn't hungry when they brought the rat home for her. So they threw the rat in an old aquarium, gave it some wood shavings, food and water. The next week when Mike wanted to feed the snake, Cat made him go to the store for another one. Apparently once you feed an animal (even a rat) and give it a name, it becomes a pet. So they got yet another rat and the snake STILL wasn't hungry. So now there's 2 "pet" rats, 1 fish, 1 dog, 1 snake, and 1 bird.

Of course, all of their pets combined don't make the mess that my 2 cats and 1 piggie make. So I will just have to keep my mouth shut.