Allison!

We had a bunch of them here in western Montana as well, though I never saw any myself.

Oh I love Owls. They are one of my favorite raptors. Owls are cool. Only have one owl pic though. An immature screech owl.

Awwww. And, they eat rodents!

Hoo Hoo Allison.

Then this book is for you (or actually your kids)! Also was written by my mama.

Very nice picture.

The owls are not what they seem.

Thanks. There was a mature screech own at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland Fl. that the had just mended it’s wing. They were about to let it go into the wild when it got loose. It then came back and made it’s nest in a big oak tree at the center and last I heard still uses it.

Hey, good on your mama….. fun!

Thank you Allison!
The only good thing that happened to me today was a personal thank you from Cecile Richards for my donation to Planned Parenthood recently. More snowy owls!

She was a bestselling children’s nonfiction author. Mostly did nature and dinosaur books. She had an amazing ability to take really complex scientific information (and she would read the scientific literature and talked with the leading scientists) and translate it into something that a 12 year old (her target audience) could understand and be engaged by It was kind of weird for me since she really started this after I went to college and she had always been just a housewife when I was growing up. It was a side of her I had never seen.

Oh, I am so buying this book! Thanks, DrDick!

Copyright has long since expired, but the estate thanks you nonetheless.

I did tell you all that I saw a whale breaching (over and over) my last day in Hawai’i. Sigh, it was so wonderful.

That is so great! My kids came to my graduation when I got my MSW and then 12 years later when I got my law degree. So many of my children’s friends have been inspired to know that education can be undertaken again and again for new goals. When I hear now mid-30 year old friends of theirs not liking their first choices, I tell them that I went to law school at 50 and passed the dreaded California bar exam first time out. They are always, “Really????” But I know they are also freed up to know that they are not limited by choices they made at 18.

What a gift!

She wrote one on whales a well.

One of the things I love about living in western Montana is the up close and personal encounters with the wildlife. Had a bald eagle land on a deadfall 30 feet away from me while I was fishing. Got within 20 yards of a mama grizzly and three cubs (NEVER want to do that again). Saw two bobcat (possibly lynx) cubs from about 10 yards away. Saw two huge golden eagles from about ten feet away while driving on a back road. Li=terally had a herd of bighorn sheep on the front bumper of my truck.

Time for me to toddle off. That 8:00 class always comes way too early.

Isn’t it great to be able to get out in the world of nature. I had some wonderful experiences, myself, while young in California. Fishing on the east side of the Sierras alone on a trout stream, I was face to face with a small puma across a stream…..we both were a bit shocked. Neither moved….just looked. Finally the cat turned and wandered off into the brush. I can conjure up the moment fully. Love the memory.

My best nature vacation, ever, was a few summers back, on Campobello Island. The little bridge between Maine and Canada, has a huge evergreen next to the water. And on one crossing a bald eagle was just perching on the top, gazing down for lunch at the water. That bird was magnificent.

Wonderful!

We used to live on a lake (overgrown pond) with a nesting pair of osprey. One day, when an eagle was doing its usual, tormenting the osprey, they flew so close I could hear the eagle hiss. Very cool. But I’d rather have seen whales jump.

Wow! Dearie, I’m so impressed! Good for you, you are a brave soul.

Hey!
I’m used to osprey and their nests in Lewes, DE where they build great nests on pilings in the ocean. Love them. But the whale was a parting gift (oh, now who has the Irish song, the Parting gift?).

Osprey ?

Osprey feeding younin.

Oh, my, fabulous! Love, love those birds. My Dad, now 89, became a birdwatcher at about 75, and hooked me line and sinker.

Thanks. Took those two in the dreaded Sanford Florida. Lake Monroe.

My husband claims I act like a little kid anytime I see dolphins or porpoises breaching, hell add manatees just swimming around, that it’s embarrassing. I’d probably get so excited seeing a whale I’d pee my pants.

And while I won’t tell you how old I am now, I will say that I did my first Status Conference in front of a presiding judge at a workers’ compensation court this morning. Fortunately (Ha!) the drive to Van Nuys was so distressing (morning traffic is hideous) that I didn’t have time to get concerned about doing something brand new that I didn’t know how to do. I just ‘fessed up that this was a first for me and everyone was very helpful … and I won the issue and got a change of venue despite the best efforts of the defense attorney. Once I realized that most people are actually very nice and helpful, life got so much easier. I run into a snake now and then, but not all that often.

Oh, I miss the ocean. It was such a huge factor in my life, and when my parents retired to Lewes, Delaware, I thought that it would be a part of my life forever. That was not to be. But Lewes was a success story, from bustling 18th century pilot town to 20th century poor as dirt before becoming the second “Summer Capitol of the Nation” after other beaches in Delaware. Hey Joe Biden, I’m looking at you!

As someone who has taken thousands of bird pics, that one is impressive.

I rather like Sanford. Used to live in Geneva.

Thanks. It wasn’t easy and the lens I was using was kind of soft.

Great pix! Thanks for sharing.

Everyday for me! I’m a five year old with each nature reveal.

Got ta hit the sack. Night all.

Night.

Wow! THIS morning! You go!
I spend most days doing reference and art bibliography — they do count on me to find “treasures” for art exhibition research, but I don’t need to defend what is right for people. Thank you for what you do.

Now if you had gotten the little tail shake they do when they get out of the water…

National Geo for you.

I am too. I guess it’s good that despite what goes on in the world, we manage to retain just a smidgen of innocence.

Did I ever share with you the inter-species manatee story about my daughter and a manatee at Cincinnati Zoo? Late on a summery evening with almost no one left at the zoo. My daughter (who has a celestial voice) sang a note; the manatee responded. They sang to each other while the manatee swam around his pool. It was surreal and glorious. We so wanted to free that manatee to swim in the ocean and sing forever.

Manatees sing? Woweee. How utterly coooooolll.

on edit: Did the manatee sing the same note?

How very cool.

Despite the fact that it is illegal here to “molest” a manatee, I know many, many people, they all live on lakes connected to the intracostal waterway, who have had up close manatee experiences. The manatees seem to seek out people. One friend was out in the water messing with his boat and a bull brought over his pod to have the youngster’s arm pits scratched. That went on for 2 hours. I’ve been on a kayak tour that advertised manatee scritchin’ but it was in the winter when they aren’t so interested. However, I’ve seen lots of noses over the years.

Armpit scritching? The stuff one learns here at LLN.

Too bad I’m falling asleep and can’t stay.

Actually, no! This was not a one-note manatee…..it was as if my daughter and the manatee were serenading each other. It brought tears to my eyes…and still does in memory. Truly a moment. Actually went on for several minutes….until it made us sad that we could go home but the manatee couldn’t go home. The tones were lovely. I once heard a woman who did ‘whale’ sounds at guru type gatherings. Deeply, intensely core reaching.

Hey, me too! I’m falling asleep watching a Titanic story from Belfast on PBS.

That brings tears to my eyes! Yikes.

What a neat memory. Nice to “see” ya, Dearie…congrats on the first today. (I feel like every day is a first, and I seem to be winging it, despite my best efforts. For the most part, everyone is being nice to me, too.)
Gotta go to sleep. Up a little later tomorrow, so wanted to come by LLN, but eyes are drooping big time.
Niters, all!

Well, they can’t scratch their own, so I guess us humans will do.

Ciao!

No fingernails, huh? (I’m going, I’m going)

I’m so happy for you that you jumped right in and are just doing it! You make me proud of all of us! Sweet dreams.

I’ve never heard them make any noise other to blow. So, you have one very unique experience. And how cool.

Night

Night and I guess the job is going well. You seem upbeat so I’ll take that as a yes until we cross paths again.

The next time you run across a manatee, sing him/her a love song and see what happens! I don’t know what provoked my daughter to sing to the manatee, but I’m just glad I was there to wallow in the experience of such a mutual serenade.

Since I run into them in the wild, a hunter would probably shot me. I can’t sing. That said, I hope I remember to give it a try.

edit: shoot me.

Just give it one beautiful note…..and see what happens. :)

Last note for Allison (thank you). Why some people don’t suck, they love nature (but I’ll bet that they are all Democrats).

I’d probably break into Bohemian Rhapsody and end up in the back of a cop car.

and drunk..

Well, she’d better be drunk if she’s in the back of the cop car. Just do us proud and get all the lyrics right, tuez!

Okay, I’m going upstairs, kids.

Whitley Striber.