Fairy Eyes at Night

Yesterday we began a workshop for teachers that included a night time boat trip on the Hillsborough River. With our little Carolina Skiffs and electric motors, we took two dozen educators out to "shine for gators"...find alligators with flashlights by looking for their eye reflections. Gators are very easy to spot if you hold the flashlight next to your head and look along the edge of the river.  The bright red to hot yellow reflection gives them away!

The spiders' eyes also show up as little sparky light, though not as brightly as the gators, all along the waters edge, at the base of the trees.  The teachers were amazed at how many spiders there were, and I loved how one teacher referred to them as "fairy eyes"!  That dispelled a great deal of fear in my boat.  

Birds flew off their roosts, and when lit up with a flashlight, were almost eerie in their appearance, floating in the spotlight mid-air.  The frogs sang, the crickets chirped and there were tons of unrecognizable sounds as well.  The gar swam silently beneath the surface and were easy to spot with a strong flashlight beam.  One fish must have been disturbed by my motor and flushed himself right out of the water so high that I thought he was going to flip into the boat at my feet.  

It was a great experience and one I hope every person can enjoy.  The night was beautiful, not scary, and my passengers visibly relaxed as the night went on.  By the end of the trip, we recognized that we had bats, not giant insect, diving in and out of our flashlight beams, eating the insects we were attracting.  This is an activity I would certainly do again.  I hope they will too!

Photo by Karen Folsom.  

Que Linda!

It's getting close to the last few days of school and 6th graders are anxious to shed the walls of school. They are still coming out to Nature's Classroom and loving the freedom to explore the outdoors. What a great way to finish out the school year.  

My group of students this week was filled with Spanish-speakers, so we had some fun adding a lot of new words into everyone's vocabulary. It was also a great day to give those kids who are bilingual a leadership roles as interpreters.  Nature knows no language boundary, so it's easy and fun to help them learn. Hands on learning is perfect for bringing people together. 

My students could not wait to get into the reptile room and hold some snakes!  They were not afraid, just excited!  Their noise level was an indicator of enthusiasm, not disrespect.  I loved sharing our animals with them and one young man who spoke no English just touched my heart. He had been silent the entire day, but when we went into the reptile room, he became my assistant, completely on his own accord.  He helped all the other students get to know snakes and loved on my alligator.  He started it, and it soon echoed among the group...soon everyone was saying "Que Linda!"  "How pretty!"

The Last Day

It's Memorial Day. a day to honor those we have lost who have served our country.  Below is the Florida State Flower, the Coreopsis, shown here in memory of those who have gone on before us.

Coreopsis, The Florida State Wildflower

Some people asked about the location of the Peace River, so here is a map. It starts in Polk County and flows south to Charlotte Harbor.  We paddled the middle two counties (Hardee and Desoto). It is 106 miles long and drains near 1,400 square miles.  It also supplies 6 million gallons a day of drinking water to its residents.  It was amazing to find snook so far up the river!

The Peace River

Dawn came along the river in bird calls and distant traffic noise in the still air.  Our crew leader, Ryan, sounded reville with a grass whistle!  It made us all laugh.  I responded that I was awake by blowing my nose.  We laughed all the more.  Time to get up, get packed, and get back in the boats for day 3 and final of this trip.  Kelly and I have been ill the entire trip with head colds and we are looking forward to getting more decongestant in town.  Here's the view of the river from my tent this morning;

Peace River at dawn from my tent at campsite "Hickory Hammock at Oak Hill

At breakfast, we joked and laughed about all we had seen on the river; people yelling at each other, crashing into each other, swamping their canoes, kids crying for their TV sets and "real" parks.  From our perch along the bluffs in camp, no one could see us, so we had a very interesting evening of people watching.  It was kind of like NASCAR; just waiting for the crashes!  Some relationships are made on the river, like our group, and some are utterly destroyed by their own doing, as we watched real life unfold before us and below this high bank of sand;

Sunset on the Peace River looking downstream with Oak Hill campsites on the right

We had several failed attempts at drying out our boots (we have to wear these at Northern Tier, so we practiced having soggy feet all day);

3 days of wet and sandy boots

We got a late start as we knew we only had about an hour and a half of paddling to do. It was still morning, but all the party animals were gone and the river was once more peaceful. 

The gang's all here! L-R Jonathan, Ryan, Jack (seated), Mike, Bryan, and Kelly (photo by Mary)

The water felt "thicker" this morning as some of us sensed the affects of 3 days of using these not-so-often exercised paddling muscles.  At the train trestle, we knew the end of our 22.5 mile journey was going to be over at the next bend, home of Canoe Outpost Peace River in Arcadia. 

The train trestle plus Mary's view of the back of Kelly for 3 days.

We snugged up to the dock before noon and after loading our gear in the car, guzzled cold Poweraide from the vending machine.  It was a great accomplishment and although the weather did not test us, we did test ourselves and got stronger as a group.  

Giddy-up Gator and eat my sister!

We only wished Lauren Ebert could have been with us. (She will join us on the Northern Tier Trip.). This trip is may be over, but the next big canoe adventure will start July 31st with our flight to Duluth, MN. Stay tuned!

We did it!
Back Row L-R; Bryan Edwards, Jack Edwards, Jonathan Ebert, and Ryan Spence
Front Row L-R; Kelly Spence, Mary Spence, and Mike Ebert

Long Day on the River

Downstream is so much faster.  We made good time, until a few hours into it when we realized we had done less than 5 miles of our 12.5 mile day. After a few hours, you feel ready to stop, but we kept right on, enjoying each other's company and the scenery as we hit the 5 mile mark at Gardner, where we ate lunch and rinsed off on an outdoor shower, the 9 mile mark where we stopped for an afternoon snack surrounded by people and dogs, and finally our campsite before 4pm. 

The wilderness area upstream of Gardner was fantastic, with lots of wildlife, few campers, only 2 paddlers and a cowboy with his horse and dogs.  The paddlers had put in with their own kayaks at Zolfo springs and made it down just fine, they said. Oh well, we had a great campsite to  wake up in and we hated to leave.  

Dawn was spectacular and I woke in time to see the sky start to lighten at 5:30am. It didn't fully rise until after 7. 

As we got down to the areas of the river with public access, particularly scou of Brownville, we felt like we were suddenly just surrounded by people at times.  People were sifting for sharks teeth, playing in the water, and cooling off on this hot Memorial Day Sunday.  As expected, we saw and heard lots of poor behavior, especially as the day wore on. When we got to our campsite at Oak Hill we were pleased to find no neighbors in the adjacent sites.    This was a very nice surprise.  

In camp, we set up, changed into dry shoes and then just expored. Jon, Jack and Bryan sifted for shark teeth, Mike went fishing, Kelly and Ryan played frisbee and I started a fire. It was a relaxing evening.  

Tomorrow we paddle the last 5 miles to Arcadia. It will be sad to end it but nice to get a shower. We definitely feel closer to civilization, sadly, as we have seen airboats and even a jet ski on this section.  We can hear fireworks and/or gun fire upstream.  The sound of an air conditioner or generator hums in the distance, from across the river, and we no longer feel like we are in the wilderness. Paddling the Boundary Waters this summer with this crew will change all that.  We can't wait.  We are as ready as we can be!

Peace-ful Campsite

Beautiful day on the river today!  We paddled upstream several miles (we think about 5) and had to get out a few times to cross shallow sandy areas.  The weather was perfect and we were occasionally graced with a tail wind.  Our paddling muscles got a nice workout going against the current.  We even practices portaging! (carrying our canoe and gear)

L-R; Jack, Ruan, and Jon during portage

We had lunch and an afternoon break in nice shady spots as we tried to decide where to stop for the night.  We thought we might make it up to the bridge (7 miles from put in) but we didn't get that far.  The rains came in and we selected a spot that already had an established fire ring and a log for seating. The rain turned from little spatters to big fat drops and we huddled under a hickory tree until it passed. 

Mike caught a nice snook and a big tilapia from the bank of our campsite.  We fished strictly for fun; catch and release.  We set up camp, relaxed, and made dinner.  What a great day.   There are a few rumbles of thunder but the cloud cover is keeping the heat at bay.  

Jonathan says he seems to ask himself these questions whenever he goes camping; (1) What did I just swallow?  (2) What is that in my sock?  (3) What did I do with my sunscreen/bug repellant? and (4) Where is my headlamp?  We have seen lots of deer, wild turkey, hawks, herons, a kingfisher, a snake shed and plenty of armored catfish.  All the people we passed getting out this far in the wilderness said "Wow!  You all sure are traveling light!"  Compared to their coolers, cases of water, condo tents, and piles of gear on the shoreline, it's no wonder they did not come this far upriver.  I am glad we are traveling light.  It makes life simpler.  Home tonight is where I staked it; on the bank of the Peace River, overlooking some beautiful old Florida with great friends.

Closer to the Water

We are starting our canoe camping trip this morning down the Peace River!

Our plan for the Peace River was originally to start in Zolfo Springs, at Pioneer Park, and paddle the 31.5 miles south to Arcadia over three days. I liked the ide of starting in the same location that I had traveled over on horseback during the Florida Cracker Trail Rise across Florida last Feb. (see blog on that ride at mkspence.blogspot.com). Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not agree with my plans as we have had very little rain this spring and the upper reaches are currently not navigable.  The river is currently 28" (2'-4") below normal. That makes for tough paddling with all the sand bars, but the fossil hunting just might be awesome!

Our revised plan is to drop our vehicles at Canoe Outpost Peace River in Arcadia and catch a shuttle up to Gardner. We will paddle upstream into the 19.5 miles of Wilderness section between there and Zolfo Speings, as far as the water will allow us and camp the first night anywhere we want. The scouts like hammocks, so they will have their eyes outlet for good trees to hang them from!

The next day we plan to paddle south past Gardner to the Brownsville Bridge where we can top off on water (we could pump it and filter it, but hey, it's clean and available there) before we head south to Oak Hill for the night.  The last day (Monday, Memorial Day) will be the final paddle down to Arcadia. 

We really like Canoe Outpost.  They are helpful, friendly, and good to scout units. They run on time and are thus very reliable.  Their prices are reasonable too. Becky and Diane are the ones to talk to there!  They are both awesome. 

One of my coworkers who loves the Leace River asked me about the water level. He said to check it again.  Our River (the Hillsborough) has come up in the last few days. I got excited and checked the web site.  No such luck. Still 28" below normal. This is a great teaching point about a concept I try to get across to the kids called a watershed.  A watershed is defined as an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. (It can also mean an event or period marking a turning point in a course of action or state of affairs, as in "the arrival of Spanish Explorers marked a watershed in the history of Florida".)  rain has fallen in the Hillsborough River watershed this week, but not in the Peace River watershed.  Watersheds affect our life.  Sometimes it takes being closer to the water to realize that.  

Dragonfly

My class had a great time at shoreline today.  I heard kids actually say "I like bugs!"  That makes my day.  One of them brought me an injured adult dragon fly that was floating on the water with a broken abdomen. It was still alive and one young lady described in great detail how she could split it with a stick and tie it on with vines.  She wants a career with animals and I encouraged her to pursue her passion.  She would have smiled if it were not for the poor injured dragonfly in my hand that she could not save.  

Many thanks to Dr. Mark Deyrup, of Archbold Biological Station and author of "Florida's Fabulous Insects" for helping me identify which type of dragonfly we held on the eve of a holiday weekend.  It was a Banded Pennant that prefers sandy bottom areas.   I also learned that wing markings vary with individuals which made this one hard to ID. 

Banded Pennant Dragonfly
(Celithemis fasciata)

Milestone Day: After 21 published posts, I have been fortunate to have reached 1,000 views as of today to this blog alone including views from the United States, the UK, Italy, Spain, the Ukraine, and Australia. We are truly in a time of great global communications and my students have more power to reach out on global issues than I could ever dream of when I was their age. 

Worldwide Page Views

I recently contacted my State Representative about access to a natural area near my neighborhood.  People have been using that access point to public lands instead of driving to the two managed access points for years.  It's been a backyard battle for some time and I finally decided to try to make the access official.  My elected official actual called me back, listened to my plea, and said he would have someone on his staff contact me...and they did!  I am so excited about trying to make some positive change in my own backyard, so to speak.  I finally did what I encourage my students to do; call your elected officials and tell them about a specific problem that needs a solution.  Write a compelling argument.  Make your voice heard.  In the words of The Lorax, "Speak for the Trees"!

Beautiful Oak at Nature's Classroom

My mother recently posted a link to my Facebook page that I really enjoyed. It's called "Home is where you stake it", and the best part is the short (under 2 min) video called "Home", about living in a tent.  I love tent life and can't wait for my two night planned for this holiday weekend.  I have put a lot of time into organizing this trip and hope the scouts have a fantastic wilderness paddle experience on the Peace River.  Enjoy!  More to come from the River this weekend!

http://www.outsideonline.com/1982386/home-where-you-stake-it

April Showers Bring May Flowers

If April showers bring May Flowers, then what do May Flowers bring?  Pilgrims!  Ok, so that's a really lame joke, but it came to mind as I snapped these photos this morning.  I wanted to show you some of the flowers I saw in bloom today.  

But before I get to that, I have to share my hike with you. My class had a great time and when we entered the woods, they just gushed with excitement.  I heard everything thing from "this is so cool" to "that's sick!"  (They both mean the same thing in today's vernacular.  "Sick" means crazy, cool, or insane according to the Urban Dictionary.)  They also got busy putting on their "war paint" in the Pine Flatwoods, and they made me laugh at all the fun they were having!  Even the girliest of girls got into it and they used all their resources to check out their new woodsy look; aviator glasses, phones in selfie mode, etc.  Nearly everyone of them had smeared charcoal on their cheeks by the end of the hike.  They were happy to wear the badges of nature on their faces for the return to school!  

Photo; boardwalk at Nature's Classroom

Below are the photos of the flowers I promised you. There are many more, but I'll stop at just these few for now.  

Carolina Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) - It's seeds are spread by being forcibly expelled from the fruit of the mature plant. 

Agapanthus - This plant is also know as the Lily of the Nile. It is not native, but it is considered a Florida-friendly and drought tolerant perennial that someone planted along one of the paths I take the kids on.   

Lantana (Lantana camera) - This is a non-native, but drought tolerant, plant that is considered to be invasive. The flower is highly variable in color and may vary with age.  Butterflies seem to be attracted to it. The stem and leaves smell bad when crushed.  

Pickerelweed (Pontederia chordata) - This native aquatic plant gets its name from the fish that inhabit its area.  

Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis) - This native plant is also known as the Cucumber Leaf Sunflower.  It is easy to grow and maintenance free. It grows as well in a yard as it does on the dunes.  

Powderpuff (Mimosa strigillosa) - The leaves on this plant, like many other species of Mimosa, will curl up if they are touched.  

Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa) - The small red fruit looks like a true coffee bean, but it can not be made into the drink.  The leaves look a lot like the gardenia, which is in the same family.  

Fire Bush (Hamelia patens) - Not only are the berries edible, but this native plant was also used for many other medicinal purposes.  It is a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies. 

Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pukchekla). - This is perhaps Florida's most colorful wildflower and I saw them all along the side of the road as I drove home too. 

Florida Green Eyes (Berlandiera subacaulis) - This photo is from camp last weekend; it is endemic (unique) to Florida and likes dry, disturbed sites, like where our scout troop camped.

Between the kids and the flowers, it was a truly colorful day!

Conservation Connections

It's day one of our three day program, and I am just getting to know my new set of 6th graders. They are one of the quietest groups I have ever had walk through the woods.  We found fresh deer tracks on our way out to the orienteering course and I showed them how to photograph objects like this with a pen, watch, or coin in order to provide scale.

Deer Track at Nature's Classroom

My visiting teacher is a hunter and fisherman, who said he also likes to "hunt fish" (bow hunting and spearfishing).  Many of our best conservationists today are the outdoor sportsmen who know first hand of the degradation of the habitats they love to spend time in.  I always enjoy having a teacher along who actually plays outside as well!

My class is observant and spotted a gopher tortoise out of his hole.  Based on a poll we took, most of them have yards where wild animals pass through.  This is a very lucky (and rare) class as most of Hillsborough County is urban or quickly turning that way. They are very interested in what is happening in the wild pet trade, so I will bring this in tomorrow;

National Geographic - April 2014

Last weekend I received the Girl Scout Volunteer of Excellence Award.  I am very appreciative of my co-leader, parents, girls, and volunteers who did this.  It's always nice when someone says thank you.  They are awesome. 

In the last few months I have also received the BSA Silver Beaver Award, the BSA District Award of Merit, and the University of Florida's Advanced Florida Master Naturalist Award.  I am humbled to receive these, and appreciate all the work that went into making this happen. However, I know my work is not done.  There is so much more to do.  

BSA Silver Beaver and GSA Volunteer of Excellence Award

For example, Dr. Sylvia Earle is actively promoting her Mission Blue program and her ocean Hope Spots, protected areas of the ocean, at the grand young age of 79! She still actively speaks, tweets, posts, and more.  Check out her conservation movement at;

http://mission-blue.org

Greg Treinish of ASC (Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation) is promoting Citizen Science all over the world.  He spoke earlier this year at our District Science Fair and I was captivated.  I signed up right away to collect water for the microplastics research.  Check out his conservation movement at;

http://adventurescience.org

So where do we take what we are doing right now and raise it up a level?  How can we fight for what's right for the planet?  Each of us has talents and the kids in my class have the power to get involved. I encourage that!  But how do I specifically go about it?  I am thinking on that a lot these days.  

Tonight my husband and I are celebrating our anniversary. We plan to go have shrimp at Bonefish Grill. I wondered, after hearing Dr. Earle tell her audience to "be informed about what you eat", what is Bonefish grill doing to support fisheries conservation?

A quick review of their website under the Frequently Asked Questions led me to their "Responsibility" Section. They wrote that they follow the recommendations of NOAA (National Oceanic and Armospheric Administration), the Bloomin' Brands Seafood Advisory Council, and an ocean conservation foundation called Ocean Trust.  It appears that their food does come from sustainable sources. I think I will go ahead and order the shrimp, but I will also keep researching my food and looking for ways to conservation to the next level.  We are never too young or too old to learn!

Muscles on the River

Several wonderful things happened today in my class. The kids were amazing and it's always tough on day 3, their last day at Nature's Classroom, because just as I've gotten to know them, they are gone. Tomorrow will bring another school for their 3 days.  However, our shared experiences today were very special and involved a turtle, a mayfly and a river mussel. 

As we were discussing biodiversity as a measure of the health of the Hillsborough River, which is the source of our drinking water, a large native female turtle came up on the high bluff next to our class.  We watched in amazement as she found a shady spot under a tree and began digging her nest and presumably depositing her eggs.  What a wonderful commercial break!  We prepared to get in the river, issuing water shoes, nets, and collection buckets, all of which did not seam to phase her.  When we came back from our collection activity, she was gone. We saw a perfectly round hole, but it was empty and uncovered.  We saw other holes with eggs that had been eaten lying around, so maybe she changed her mind.  We will never know.

Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys floridana peninsularis)

Down by the water, our catch of critters was enormous and the kids were gleefully scooping out one species after another!  The mayfly nymphs, mentioned in an earlier post by that name (5/13/15), were numerous and always beautiful to watch as they seemingly fluttered along the bottoms of our buckets, seeking shelter under any creature they could find. The best find, however, was the adult mayfly nymph that someone discovered near the water.  It was beautiful!  This was the adult stage, the second flying stage of the mayfly nymph and is the one that lives for less than a day.

Mayfly Adult (Order Ephemeroptera)

We also found an extremely large river mussel and the kids joked about "finding big muscles" in the river.  All in all, it was a great day, with kids who loved to learn and overcame their fears of going in the water and holding insects and shrimp.  It was a glorious day for exploration and I shall miss them all.  Tomorrow is a new day!

Students finding mussels and building muscles

Final tidbit; One of my students asked me if I got paid to teach at Nature's Classroom.  I told her "yes".  She replied with "Wow!  You get paid to do something you love!  That is so cool!"  I guess it shows.  I love what I do.

Students catching critters in the Hillsborough River.

Gators and Caterpillars

Took kids out on the Hillsborough River this morning and had the rare opportunity to watch and listen to two male alligators bellowing.  They do this during mating season to presumably attract females and ward off competing males.  It was an incredible sight, the way they arch their backs so that their head and tail are both up out of the water, moving about as they expel air with a deep rumble.  The sound seemed so loud, but with the competing noise inside my boat and a plane overhead, you can just barely hear the bellow in this video.  What you can really see is their movement while they bellow.  It was an incredible thing to see, a first for me and the kids, some of whom had never even been in a boat before!

The other first today was finding a Puss Moth Caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis) on the boardwalk at Nature's Classroom, where I teach.  My son brought one of these to me at a scout camp a few years ago, on a stick, and we identified it then. I will never forget it as it is considered to be one of the most venomous caterpillars in the United States!  It has tiny little spines with venom beneath the soft looking hairs that hide the danger below. Touching one of these soft-looking creatures can cause severe pain up to and including respiratory distress. Tape is a good way to remove the spines, so I had better add that to my first aid kit.  Cool water and an oral antihistamine are also good remedies.  Luckily, I did not need to use any first aid skills and we all had the opportunity to see one in real life!

6th graders enjoy a day on the Hillsborough River

Puss Moth Caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis) near head of a nail (only about an inch log).

Link to YouTube video of Alligator Bellowing for mobile users;

http://youtu.be/yij-pBxCQFM

A Day of Thanks

Whenever I return from a campout, I am always thankful; thankful for a shower, a washing machine, a refrigerator, fresh water straight from the tap, and a kitchen sink. One of the things that I really like about camping, though, is doing with less.  I like having a world with just a few belongings; my tent and my backpack.  Life is simpler.  Coming home reminds me of both of these things.  I am thankful.

I absolutely love the group of adults that make our Boy Scout troop run so smoothly.  They give of their time and talent to so many youth. They have a servant's heart and lend a hand without being asked.  They help each other and the boys, teach, lead by example, and show a great deal of love through their actions.  They believe in the program and it shows.  They are funny and kind and they always make me laugh.  Throw in my role as caregiver for my husband's two year on-going battle with lung cancer, and you have some idea why it means so much to me.  I am thankful.  

Two years ago, just after Jim's diagnosis, we had a similar float trip.  All I could see around me on the river were couples, in their gold years, enjoying each other's company.  It made me sad back then. It did not hit me the same way yesterday on the river. I enjoyed the laughter and antics of young and old alike. I am thankful for each day that we are on this earth and know that there is no guarantee for any one of us to have a tomorrow.  We can only go on, one day at a time.  I am thankful. 

At our Scouts Interfaith Worship Service this morning, a scout told the story (presumably an Arabian proverb) of soldiers captured and taken prisoner. They were given two options; firing squad or a door.  All the prisoners chose the firing squad; something they knew, rather than the unknown. It turns out the door was to freedom.  Every day for us is a door to the unknown.  In the last two years, I have learned that while a lot of planning and preparation has to go into making an adventure or outing run smoothly, sometimes life happens and you have to take each day on faith. I am thankful. 

Sunset at Lake Panasoffkee  

Sunrise view from my tent

Rainbow River Float Trip

What a great day to be on the river!  We had perfect weather to take 44 of our Boy Scouts for a 4-hour float trip down the crystal clear water of this first magnitude spring system.   The Rainbow River is a true Florida gem and is kept clean with strict laws about what you can have on the river; only reusable materials for packaging our lunches and refillable bottles for our water.  This river is beautiful and a clean up day was in process there today to keep it that way. 

We put in at KP Hole, a Marion County Park, that rents tubes and other watercraft.  We had 12 adults in the kayaks and canoes to shepherd this crowd of boys down the river.  We had a lead canoe that held all the lunch boxes and a follow or "sweep" canoe to corral all the straglers.  One of the adults commented that "the Vikings didn't have this much food when they crossed the Atlantic!"

The boys splashed and played all they down the river. Some had water guns. Others had beach balls and swim goggles.  They all had fun.  I paddled past one boy and asked him if he was having a good time. He replied "Yes!  I have never done this...not even in a theme park!"  I laughed at his reply and thought about all those kids who have ONLY done this kind of thing in a theme park. This natural setting is SO much better!

As the resident naturalist in the troop, the ecology education usually falls to me and I really enjoy this.  Of course the boys know me well, and their responses reflect this.  When a damselfly took a rest on my big toe, I pointed at my foot and said "Look!  A Dragonfly!"  A scout quickly replied "I got it" as he pointed his water pistol my way!  He grinned at my shocked look and we both laughed when I realized that he "got" me!

There were so many birds out today and we saw osprey, ibis, cormorants, anhinga, red-winged blackbirds, woodpeckers, ducks with ducklings, and so much more.  A red-shouldered hawk called loudly overhead and I challenged the boys to "name that bird."  "Jeffrey" was the first reply I got; they were pulling my leg. "You told us to name that bird.  I named it Jeffrey."   

We are now camped in an oak hammock looking forward to dinner. Rain may come our way tonight but it won't matter.  We will all sleep well after a wonderful day outside.

"B-E-A-utifal!"