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Gems from the Glory Hole Mine

Mountains, mines, and the minerals they held kept me longing for the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We would go camping there once or twice a year when I was a kid growing up in Nebraska. I could find the outwash from the mountains in the Platte River where I lived, but nothing matched finding theContinue reading “Gems from the Glory Hole Mine”

Nemo and Waldo?

The Finding Nemo ride left us with views of clustering clownfish. If one fish in the lot were named Nemo, it would be easier to find him in the Pacific Ocean than mixed among all these other little jokers. OMG! I think I may have just found Waldo, but I’d be even happier to findContinue reading “Nemo and Waldo?”

Grinning Again

As promised last week (“Vertical Moon” at: https://eskildoodle.com/2023/04/16/vertical-moon/ ), the evening crescent Moon is grinning once again. Just a week ago it appeared nearly vertical as it approached the Sun in the morning sky, but now it appears to lay nearly horizontal like the Cheshire Cat’s grin. The astronomical explanation for this is related toContinue reading “Grinning Again”

Of Blueberries and Birds

We recently spent part of a morning picking blueberries at a nearby farm. Of course all of the berries ended up in the bucket…well most of them… as blue lips and tongues could attest. Along the margins of the field, periodic blasts of firecrackers and rockets echoed from the trees, sending fruit-eating cedar waxwings scurryingContinue reading “Of Blueberries and Birds”

Half Dime

Believe it or not, before the nickel, there was a half dime. Tiny and made of silver, the ones above were minted 1838 and 1853. The top image was taken of a half dime from the Fort King historical center in Ocala, Florida, while the bottom two images are the front and back views ofContinue reading “Half Dime”

Three Centuries

It was “lunch with an archaeologist” day at Fort King historical site in Ocala, Florida. Fort King was first built in 1827 before the town came into existence and more than 100 years before any of the cars in the photo. The fort and classic cars embraced the 19th and 20th centuries, and one couldContinue reading “Three Centuries”

Hunt and Peck

It sounded like a poor typist trying to peck out a letter. Instead it was a pileated woodpecker in a tree in the back yard pecking out insects or larvae from bark around a knot. Occasionally it placed its beak deep into the tree as seen in the bottom photo, and slurped down a bugContinue reading “Hunt and Peck”

Tray Bien

Add red pepper jelly and brie to filo dough cups, heat in the oven and viola, a tray of tasty treats! Be sure to let them cool a bit before eating, and beware of leaking liquified jelly when you bite into one. Truly a tres bien treat fresh from the tray. #filodough #brie #pepperjelly

Little, but Loud

Small, but powerful, this Carolina wren was poised for its morning serenade. Its chest puffed out then forcefully contracted to power its delightedly loud song. The performance repeated over and over with minor variations. Even with the windows closed it could be plainly heard indoors, and I almost imagined that the white squirrel sculpture wishedContinue reading “Little, but Loud”

Life on a Leaf

It watched warily from its leafy perch. Perhaps it had been stalking insects for sustenance while its eyes were also searching for signs danger and the threat of becoming a meal. Or maybe it was just camera shy, for shortly after this photo was taken, it disappeared into the tangle of leaves. Either way, itContinue reading “Life on a Leaf”