eskildoodle1

Thanks for the warning, I guess.

After a pleasant afternoon poolside under mostly clear skies, thunder boomed in the distance. To the east and west skies were still clear, but to the north a very dark bank of clouds loomed larger and noisier. Suddenly a brisk gust of wind shook the surrounding trees to their very roots and showered branches andContinue reading “Thanks for the warning, I guess.”

Trees Knees

Gnarly projections from cypress roots, known as knees, poke above water and ground, looking like woody gnomes. Their exact function is debated, though they do seem to help stabilize the trees in the swampy ground. It has been commonly assumed that they function to oxygenate the submerged roots, but evidence to support this is unclear.Continue reading “Trees Knees”

Looking through the Glass

Iconic glass-bottom boats wait for passengers by Silver Springs, the headwaters of the 4.5 mile long Silver River. Since the 1870’s, boats with clear glass panels in the bottom have carried tourists along the river to see fish, turtles, ‘gators, birds, springs and more. We had a lovely time aboard one with friends recently andContinue reading “Looking through the Glass”

Juvie Jive

Two immature ibises landed in our back yard, not far from the bird feeder, and foraged for insects and grubs. Meanwhile a young squirrel looked on disapprovingly after scurrying back to the tree to avoid the approaching ibises. It made a couple of aggressive advances, but always retreated to avoid the long, curved beaks. Finally,Continue reading “Juvie Jive”

Red in the Morning, Promise or Warning?

Sailors may be wary of red morning skies for good reason, but for us landlubbers it bore hope for much needed rain. By late morning the temperature had risen to equal the humidity, in the 80’s, and growing cumulus clouds developed into thunder storms. The red sky indeed turned to promise and delivered great raindropsContinue reading “Red in the Morning, Promise or Warning?”

Twilight Thunder

The sun had dropped below the horizon, but still illuminated clouds and sky with muted rays. Thunder rumbled from both directions, but the clouds went around us, leaving the grass and trees that thirsted for rain, disappointed.

Waters of Time

On a recent glass-bottom boat tour on the Silver River by Ocala, Florida, we were treated to the view of an ancient dugout canoe resting on the bottom of the river. Tests have shown that it is around 500 years old and likely was created by the Timucua People residing in the area at thatContinue reading “Waters of Time”

Once Upon a Camper

As a kid I loved to go camping with family and friends, especially to Colorado and the mountains. We also camped along various local parks and rivers in Nebraska where I grew up. It started off in a tent, and later, dad designed and built this camp trailer that served us very well. We hadContinue reading “Once Upon a Camper”

Once Upon a Fairy Boat

Once upon a time we had a 26-foot Bayliner which cruised the waters of Flaming Gorge, Utah, the Columbia and Snake rivers, and finally Puget Sound and British Columbia. The last 10 years we had it, it was based in La Conner, Washington, near the Rainbow Bridge. The boat had been the idea my ofContinue reading “Once Upon a Fairy Boat”

Toadpad?

These mushrooms look more like a segmented pad than a cluster of stools. Perhaps it could be called a toadpad.