Shadows

Endings.

I went on a run this morning, as I always do, with Cooper. We ran out into the woods on a path for a while, and the whole time we were hit by acorns, with hard spikes on the outer shells, from above. 

On the way back we came across this sweet little nuthatch, dead, in the trail. There was an acorn next to him with a feather plastered on its thorny side.  The whole story was there in front of us. Coop did not lunge or sniff, he simply stared down at this beautiful life, ended. 

It was over for this bird maybe as quickly as it had begun. We said a pray and placed the bird in the thick underbrush of the forest and continued on our jog, breathing in and out together. 

Sunken Garden Sunday

This public garden is on a busy street in Lincoln, but getting off the highway of modern life is worth it to get lost in this beautiful place. 

Here's a movie I made of the afternoon. 

Turtles and more life

A trip to Pioneers Park Nature Center yesterday was a feast for the eyes. The colors of the prairie are starting to be a W O W.  

This Painted Turtle just astonished me -- yes they are very common but look at this coloring. If you were a fish looking up from the muddy bottom of a pond, this is what sunlight would look like. Pretty good camouflage.  

"Shotgunnin' is for people who don't think a lot."

This is an exact quote from my instructor yesterday at the Platte River State Park - Outdoor Heritage Education Complex. I could have slipped in a good joke about Republicans after he said it, but I bit my tongue. Probably not the best thing to do in a room full of Nebraskans and firearms. This gentleman from Nebraska Game and Parks showed us the basics of a shotgunnin' and explained that "it's about looking good," and "your predatory instincts." 


All joking aside, the guys and gal at the park were excellent teachers and I learned the basics of shotguns, the different actions (pump action, semi-automatic, bolt action, etc).  At a few different times during the firearm safety demonstration, I blurted out a few gasps of laughter knowing that my friends and family would be like, "whaaaaaa?" if they knew I was there.  Well, now you know what I was doing yesterday! 

When we got to the archery range, I was suddenly taken back to Alford Lake Camp and, well, skipping archery to go swimming. At ALC, the range was in a clearing in the woods, the bugs were bad, and the sun burned through the pine trees making my polyester camp uniform itchy and sweaty. Swimming always won.  But this time around, I enjoyed flinging a few arrows. 

Here's a cool picture of targets in the archery range. 

I had to post a picture of this guy, 

a volunteer who helped us shoot.

I experienced a very electric adrenalin rush while handling the shotgun - this reaction scared and shocked me. I was very nervous, but the man who was helping me was very calm, knowledgeable, and encouraging. Don't worry folks, I'm not about to go hunting, but I might bring Aaron back to the range and shoot a few clay birds.

After shootin' guns and flingin' arrows, we talked at length about Teddy Roosevelt and the history of wildlife management in North America. In response to exploiting game and depleting populations to nothing, he said, "If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." I like that. 

We could all use a kick in the pants from time to time. 

Here's a quick video of the afternoon. Enjoy. 

Looking North, over the Missouri River

When I think about where I am in the country, I can't help but get lonesome. I see myself from space, a little dot in the middle of a cornfield. Growing up on a coast gives you an internal compass that seems to ground you, at least it does for me. Being out here without the edge of an ocean lapping at my soul makes me feel lost. 

But enough tears. Here's a picture I took this week near Omaha, in a nice forest where birds chirp and wind blows. I took this shot on a break during my Nebraska Master Naturalist class -- something I'm doing to get to know the local natural environment. 

The Missouri, known to folks here as the Muddy River, is far from clean...but it provided two pioneer type folks a good passage-way to explore.  More than 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark paddled and trampled all through these parts, along their famous journey. I asked a classmate if the river was clean and she said, "Well, if you don't mind the dead pigs that float by."  Hmmmm. 

                           

 

Sunday, after the rain...

...the sun came out and it was a perfect time to sit on the porch swing.  I tried to follow Coop and smell the Sunday smells. 

Utah fruits

Aaron's studiomate, TJ, a big friendly guy with a full beard, just took a trip home to his family's peach orchard and returned with fruits to share. I don't think I've ever eaten a peach of Utah origin knowingly, but let me tell you, it was heavenly. Watch out Georgia, you've got some competition.  

Happy Broday

Here's a picture of my brother as a little guy.  He's 36 today and has a beautiful family of his own now and is the editor in chief at Skiing mag.  To say I'm proud of him is an understatement. I saw him a few weekends ago and refueled my tanks with familial love. Happy Bro-day Sammy!

Not welcome here

a visitor and other living things

Today, we are celebrating all living things. Check out this visitor that we were lucky to observe. 

We saw this beetle (below) at the zoo, in an insect display. As a little girl, I used to catch spiders with my bare hands, put them in jars with a rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton ball. Once dead but still structurally perfect, I pinned each spider to a cork board for display. 

More than 20 years later, I would not pick up a spider with my bare hands and this vexes me. Why does this happen? Where does the fear come from and when does it grab hold of us? 

We should try--each day--to fight off these changes...the changes that make us adults. 

W O W

Lessons

Aaron's brother and niece are here visiting for a few days.  Today Aaron showed them around the art building, his studio, and gave Lilah a pretty nice demo on how to make an enormous ice cream bowl. Check it out...

Another moment from Boulder

Family

I just got back from Boulder visiting with my brother and his family. The cool mountain air, the Ponderosa pines, and being with family was just what I needed. Here are a few pics of Mek and me being silly after eating Sam's famous kale chips. 

A favorite

The Journey  

Mary Oliver 

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice --

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do --

determined to save

the only life you could save.