HAPPY NEW WEEK and HAPPY FULL MOON!
Last week's chat thread is HERE.
I'm going to carry over Annette's links for the California Condor webcams (because I'm enjoying watching the funny looking fellas): Ventana Wildlife Society nest and feeding cams and Sespe Condor Sanctuary nest cam .
Also, Explore.org has a lot of interesting cams right now: underwater whales; sharks; the Grand Cayman reef; various underwater cams at Long Beach, California; grizzly, panda, and polar bears; puffins; a hummingbird nest; penguins; auroras; and various Africa cams. I like to watch some of them while meditating. Explore's Hawaii cams might be interesting over the next 2-3 days as Category 4 Hurricane Ignacio approaches from the east and tracks just north of the Hawaiian Islands, causing very high surf.
Everyone have a great week!
Diane - TQ for starting us off again. Think the condors are better to watch than vultures!! Condors flying on thermals are wonderful to see (not seen them in real life, but seen them on film) Any new typing projects looming? You sound as though you have been very busy outdoors, must be difficult to keep on top of it sometimes.
HeatherB - any answer to the mathematical conundrum your granddaughter had? Your summer sounds much like it has been down here and the wind has been quite wicked at times. I suppose we can live in hope of a reasonable autumn!!
Rita - hope you are getting on well and not trying to do too much in the garden yet.
Clare - you seem to be enjoying Minsmere quite a lot - are the number of days you do likely to increase?
Oh Diane: Thank you! Also for carrying over the Condor cams. Was quite warm again today, but managed to cool off by watching the Weather Channel, which was showing - don't laugh - Highway from Hell! This one was about the giant tow trucks that operate on the Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia, specifically in the winter when it's snowbound. Lots of jackknifed trucks and other calamities! A bit like Ice Road Truckers Behaving Badly.
Heather: I started watching the Weather Channel coz I wanted to see what Hurricane Erika was up to, what with your family in Florida. There's a 40 percent chance it could strengthen in the next few days, but doesn't sound like it'll gain full hurricane strength although it may dump a lot of rain. When is the family heading back to the UK?
Oh dear, now OH has come in and we're watching a program on sinkholes.... Too warm to work outside still....
Liz: Good to see you. I have Turkey Vultures here on my patch, not the most handsome birds. They circle around when I'm cutting the grass. I think they're still betting that mowing all this ground is going to end me. Some days I think so, too. LOL LOL I'm an editor, and unfortunately I don't have any projects scheduled until October. I'm going to spend September looking for a regular job because working freelance is just too insecure. Hope you're well!Annette: I've seen TV programs showing trucks maneuver those dangerous high-north roads. Better them than me. I don't even like to drive on my roads in winter. LOL We're predicted to have 93 F temps next week (that's 34 C), so we'll get your heat. I wish I could help you with your pre-paint job tasks. Don't try to do too much too fast. I always under-estimate my outdoor jobs and end up aching, because I've pushed myself too hard. Hope the new paint is exactly as you expect. Yup, I know about the 2017 total solar eclipse. The hotels and inns are already booked in the zone of totality. I'm not in the zone, but darned close to it. Should be wonderful to see!AQ: Feel better and enjoy your upcoming trip. Sounds fascinating!
Heather:
I've been to Naples and Marco Island. It's a breathtakingly beautiful coastal area. The beaches are vast and spectacular, and there are aquatic preserves and wildlife refuges all along the coast in that region, including the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge with a bird watching tower. Naples city also has world-class and peaceful botanical gardens that display Floridian, Caribbean, Asian, and Water plant life, as well as lovely art and architecture. Stunning water birds are everywhere on the coast and inland.
If you know how to use Google Street View, you can wander the beaches and the city.
Naples rests on the edge of the vast expanse of the Everglades wetlands. Not far east of the city, I've been in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. It doesn't offer much in typical tourist activities -- and general public access is restricted -- but researchers and conservationists are studying and protecting an astonishingly rich diversity of wildlife, including the highly endangered Florida Panther. The wild areas are soul-nurturing with towering cypress trees and wild orchids. I've also hiked the Picayune Strand State Forest and watched bears. I've seen manatees, alligators, and crocodiles in the wild. I also rounded a bend in the forest and found myself nose to nose with a big wild boar. I was polite, and so was he. LOL!
I so hope the weather will ease and your family will get to enjoy the area, because it's so special. Erika has dissipated -- unless it organizes again, as Annette mentioned. If torrential rains arrive, though, your family will need to heed any official instructions if flooding threatens. The Gulf coast has had some bad floods this year.
Sorry to prattle on.
Florida PantherGovernment photo labeled public domain (copyright free)
LizLFW: Crossed posts there. Hope you're enjoying the condors.
Diane: Good grief. I'm clearly behind the curve when it comes to the eclipse. I'd have to whizz up to Oregon to catch it...
Much warmer this evening than last night. Warm winds from the Northeast. Yuk.
Annette: I'll stay on my land for the eclipse. I wouldn't try to travel. But I know that most of the major hotels and inns throughout the Midwest are already booked full for that time. Officials are worried that places like St. Louis and southern Illinois will have massive traffic jams. LOL
Unknown said:Clare - you seem to be enjoying Minsmere quite a lot - are the number of days you do likely to increase?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Good morning
LizFW - before I forget (!) The answer to the homework question was 120. I think it was CLARE who suggested that they wouldn't make it very complicated for a 10 year old. Several people said 132 using an alternative way of doing it. It was oddly worded.
I'll be back later
Heather B said:The answer to the homework question was 120. I think it was CLARE who suggested that they wouldn't make it very complicated for a 10 year old. Several people said 132 using an alternative way of doing it. It was oddly worded.
Just to brighten everyone's day (especially Margo's) here is the gorgeous Monty, who is currently scoffing a fish:
Copyright Dyfi Osprey Project