Twitpic - Check out what climbed out from under my desk today

I was sitting down at my desk this morning, getting ready to start working, and this little monster slid out from under my desk.

It shocked me a little bit. I definitely wasn't expecting it.
I'm not too good with this species, but thankfully Tim was willing to take a hit for the team. Well, it tried to bite him, but I guess it's teeth weren't long enough to do much damage.

It's definitely not something we see everyday, even when there are thousands of strange creatures running around down here.

More Big Bend Power Plant Wildlife Pictures

This park is definitely one of the coolest places in Florida.  We've been back here several times.  Here are a few pictures from our latest trip.

And the coolest pics are the last two - a little blurry - but both are shots of jumping spotted rays.  You have to have lightning reflexes ... like me ... in order to get shots like this.  And check it out ... I got two of them.

I am like a puma!

 

 

 

Talk soon!
Al

Dolphin Video from Our Visit to Big Bend Power Plant

Hello,

I thought I would share this 3 minute video with you guys.
We recently visited this Big Bend power plant for the first time, here in Florida. Amazingly it is a free attraction. I guess it's a way for them to educate the public on care and safety for manatees - so they provide this park as a free service to the public.

Anyhow, we visited there in October, but it was still too warm for the manatees to be swimming in the water by the plant. So as we took the short walk down the pier, we stumbled upon these dolphin playing in the water. So I grabbed this short video.

While you might think seeing dolphin can get old ... you'd be wrong. We have only seen a handful of sightings of dolphins since we've been here. Every time I see one I am amazed.

I hope you enjoy.



Al

Some More Tarpon Feeding at Robbies Marina

This is a little bit longer clip - which shows more about the tarpon feeding at Robbie's Marina.

This is a small, little, out-of-the-way place. But this was a definite highlight of our trip to the Keys. If you make it down, you should definitely check this place out. Just remember - Mile Marker 77 - because it's barely marked as you drive by on the highway down to Key West.






Al

My Bike Ride to Work

Well, you asked for it ... so here are a few scenes from my bike ride to work. This was about 2-3 weeks ago. It's about 8'ish in the morning here.

Most of it is fairly mundane, boring stuff. I mostly just wanted to share a bit of it with you.

Around minute 2, you will get some clips and audio from some sand hill cranes along the way.

At about minute 3 you'll get to see a pretty large lake I pass by every day. This lake has several pretty good sized alligators. While there are NO Gators in this video (sorry - I was hoping), I will try and get some in the future. If I do get some, you'll recognize them from the lake in the end of the video. It's got some pretty cool scenery and wildlife that hang around it.




Al

Photo a day #8

Here's a cool creature we had hanging out around our front door last night.

To me, it looked like an albino / gray colored frog.

Here - it has a brownish tint.




I thought it looked pretty cool - and it must've thought we looked pretty cool too. It was staring straight at me ... with its E - D - B - D Eye.

Sand Hill Cranes Calling

Not too awfully long ago, I posted about the Sand Hill Cranes who hang around the neighborhood. You can see the posting and pictures of them here.

Well ... since then we've realized (partially) why they hang out. Because some of the neighbors are feeding them food from their front porch.

Ha!

I can't believe some people. Although that does explain another extremely close encounter the girls had with these cranes the other day.

Anyhow ...

I FINALLY figured out how to get my audio software up and running. And so I can post up the audio I recorded of these Sand Hill Cranes.


You should just be able to click that, and it will play in your computer. It's only about 10 seconds long, or so.

Not much - I know. But still cool.

Al

Sand Hill Cranes hanging around the Neighborhood

I was talking with my Dad the other day on the phone. And then we hear this strange squawking noise blasting through the neighborhood. Dad even heard it over the phone.

It was these things ...

They're Sand Hill Cranes.


This particular group likes hanging out around our house and our ponds. Just this morning they woke us all up right about 8 AM. It's almost like having a rooster - without keeping the flock and getting the yummy eggs.

They're ALMOST annoying. I mean, they are annoying when they wake you up in the morning. But, really, they are pretty cool animals.

I thought you'd enjoy seeing them.
They stand about 4 feet tall - or so. And they are dang loud when they do their 'squawking'.




This is the rough and tumble crew crossing the street out here. You don't want to meet up with these guys in a dark alley. Actually, they'd probably run from you, but when you're up close and personal - they definitely look like they could do some damage with those long beaks.








I actually recorded one audio clip from them - but I don't have the player hooked up yet. When I get it, I'll try and add the audio for you.

They do sound pretty cool.
It's a lot like an alien creature hanging around outside your house.


Al

Yo... Jelly Man!

It's kinda sad that we haven't really written about this yet, because I think it's been like 2 or 3 weeks since they were actually here, but...

My sister-in-law was here not too long ago.

While they were here, we made a trip over to the east coast - I think this pic is actually of Sebastian Inlet State Park.

I don't know if you remember the jellyfish we saw over on the west coast near Clearwater? But, if not, the ones we saw here were 4 or 5 times as big.

Check these out...


Again, no tentacles or anything like that. Just large, totally clear, silicon-implant type, goopy bodies.


Wild!

Little Winged Flyer

We grabbed these pictures a while ago, at the apartments.

I thought I'd share them, because this butterfly was so cool.


But, I must admit we were afraid to get too close, or to sneak up on it - because who knows what sort of lethal killing adaptations these things were created with.

You can see how large it is here - with Kait's hand beside it.



The heat definitely seems to help some of these animals down here grow quite well.



Mostly just wanted to share about some of God's creative details with you.


Al

Let's finish this old wildlife tale

I forgot about finishing up a story I had started quite a while ago...

You can re-read it here if you want.

Towards the bottom I talked about an adventure we had with a psychotic manatee.

Anywhoo...
Remember this fact - they can weigh about 2000 pounds.

A while ago, we made the 90 minute trip over to Crystal River - which is on the Gulf side, north of Tampa a bit. Christy's folks were with us. After driving around for an extra half hour, we were finally able to track down the canoe rental place we had used once before.

By the way, they also allow you to do snorkeling with the manatees - if you're interested in that idea.

Here's a pic of our trip out:

Oh... I guess it's just a picture of me looking funky. Oh well!


Christy, the girls, and I were circling around the little island trying to see the manatees as best we could.

We had been paddling around the snorkeling area, where we got a couple of sightings, but we wanted to get up close and really personal. You know... we wanted to smell their minty-fresh, seaweed breath, as their face broke through the water's surface, and they took a huge gasp with their lungs. (Kinda like people always do when they get real close to whales.)

As you cruise around on your boat, you can kinda tell where the manatee are because you can see large swirls in the water, where their tales swish close to the surface. So, we continued around the shoreline and came up a short distance from a tell-tale swirl. We slowly, carefully approached the exact spot where we had seen a swirl.

It looks like the smooth, flat circle in the upper left portion of this photo

In a split second - the entire canoe started rocking and heaving back and forth. Imagine being an ant, riding on a peanut shell, inside of a boiling pot of water. That's kinda how the rocking and rolling felt. It was totally frightening and unsettling. It creates this massive, sucking, empty pit in the bottom of your stomach.

We realized we had snuck up on a manatee, and freaked it out. And it wasn't thrilled having us right over it's back.

It was truly scary. Just thinking about this gigantic animal, that could just flip us over and crush us like miniature, 'girly', twig people. Of course my blood pressure shot up instantaneously. And I'm pretty sure my eyeballs expanded to two-to-three times their normal size.


Christy was like...

'Um, let's get out of here... right now!'

And I - trying to downplay it, and pretend like it didn't scare me, was like...

'Uh, okay, if you really want to?'

Of course, I was thinking, like... 'let's move over there onto the shore for a minute'.

And, of course, the girls are like...

'COOL! That was TOTALLY WICKED! Let's go back in there! What are you doing? Why are you paddling away? That was the coolest thing ever! Come on, you guys, let's go back over there.'

Kaitlyn, later, told us that she wants to go in there and snorkel with them.

WOW - was it ever awesome! But me, after wetting my pants, agreed with Christy and paddled away from the spot, and asked if we could go back to shore so I could change my shorts. Not something that I'm proud to admit, but that was a very cool, and yet very frightening experience. Although I don't know if I want to try it again, it was worth feeling every heart-pounding second.

Come on - You absolutely have to give it a try with us.
I'm sure you'll love it.


Al

Kids... Beware the Turkey Vultures!

Sometimes - you just gotta let the kids out to run around outside. You know... inside an apartment gets a little too cramped at times.

Around here... when the girls spend too much time outside playing, here's what you start to see hanging around.




Yep - that's a turkey vulture. Just outside our apartment.



Now...

Leave the kids outside a little bit longer, and here's what you see.






Lots more - like 50 or so - of those suckers flying around, zero-ing in on their prey.

It kinda reminds me of the old cartoons - where the vultures are flying overhead waiting for their food to keel over. It's a strange site.



UM...

KIDS...

I think it's time to come in now.

A Stowaway tries to get into the Apartment...

Amazingly, it's still right up in the lower 80's here in Lakeland. While Oregon gets pounded with flooding and winds, we are lying around cooking.

In fact - today - 12/13/07 - the girls and I went for a swim in the swimming pool. It is not heated, I might add. It was a little chilly, but not even close to the body numbing temperatures we used to face in Oregon.

Anyhow...

The other day we were hanging out in the apartment and a little stowaway tried to sneak in the front door.

Thankfully it wasn't one of the scary creatures that sneak around here from time to time.






Talk soon,

Our first visitors have come and gone.

Hi,
Our first visitors have left the state. The Miller's stopped in for a visit with us over the last week. We dropped them off at the airport this morning - so as far as I know they are no longer here.

It was great to finally see some more familiar faces. People who actually have been in the Pacific Northwest, and can tell us about adventures from home. So... in a way it was great to have them here, but it's also been bittersweet to see them go.

Unfortunately, I am a little leary of spending our money (since I'm a lazy bum and not working yet) so I had to squash a few big outting plans we had.

Thank goodness we at least did a few fun things while they were here.

Maybe most impressive was right here next to the apartments...

A big gator just hanging out.

Here it is from the far side of the lake. You can get an idea of the size with the car and other bird on the electric post there on the left.



And here it is from a little closer up. It still doesn't give you too great of an indication of the size of this one, but I think Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin would have been proud to wrestle this one around. It was definitely more intimidating than some of the other little things we've seen. This one could do some serious damage even to an adult.



Love you guys,
Al

Finally, a neighbor I can appreciate

Hi guys,
Here's a quick one. Last week, we had the pleasure of rescuing (at least it felt like a rescue) this turtle from the road here by the apartments.

He's a pretty good sized turtle. The girls had a great time checking him out.

That's the road in the background. Cars come through there about 20-30 mph, and he could have easily been squashed.




So it felt good to help out a neighbor. At least we can appreciate this one - since our other neighbor seems to be possessed by some sort of nastiness.


Al

P.S. the girls washed their hands afterwards. Christy tells me turtles can carry salmonella, so I made sure they cleaned up.

A New Neighbor Checks Out.

We were out running around town the other day, and came home around noon. Coming up to the apartment... people are standing around - freaked out about a new neighbor:


A Water Moccasin.

This is right outside our apartment - right at the foot of our stairs.

This is only the second snake we've seen since we've been here.
Unfortunately, this snake greets the same treatment as the first snake we saw... which is now flattened on Florida Avenue up near Memorial right here in town.

Here is how this water moccasin snake checked out of the apartment complex.



Not exactly the most humane way to go. Considering there's a huge natural habitat right behind the apartments that probably houses tens or hundreds more of these snakes, I would figure they could just relocate it back over there...

But I guess folks around here don't really like that idea?

Al