Author Archives: eskildoodle1

Little Green Cannibal

We came across this praying mantis while walking on a local greenway trail. It seemed not the least bit interested in us, nor bothered by our presence. We were neither food nor potential mates, fortunately, for the female praying mantis draws little distinction between the two. When a female mantis captures its prey, which canContinue reading “Little Green Cannibal”

Mountain High

It’s better not having to take off from a high altitude when you’re flying light aircraft. The thin air at higher altitudes robs the engine of horsepower and limits the airplane’s performance. This lengthens the takeoff roll considerably and decreases the rate of climb. Cruising speed is also decreased a bit. Even so, this lightContinue reading “Mountain High”

Top of the Morning

These ibises seem to have a much more bird-worthy perch than their cohorts from yesterday’s post, which were snoozing in the middle of the street. I suspect that these two had not yet had breakfast and were probably mapping out their plans for the day. I do imagine that the neighborhood is much more interestingContinue reading “Top of the Morning”

Veteran Days

Forty-four years ago we were deployed to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, to care for refugees from the Marianna Boat Lift in 1980. Our unit was from Fort Sill, Oklahoma and we provided primary care and emergency medical services. I could tell many stories from my time there, some curious, some amusing but others, deadly serious. Fortunately,Continue reading “Veteran Days”

Noggin Knocker Season

This overeager acorn fell onto our sidewalk recently, but was off target and had poor timing. We are at the height of the acorn season now and are wary of the little projectiles falling from trees, sometimes bouncing off heads before reaching the ground. This produces the time-honored ritual that began decades ago when IContinue reading “Noggin Knocker Season”