Portrayal of Calm and Peace (a fictional entry)

We decided to take Moss and Giles for an early morning stroll at O'Leno State Park.  It was incredibly hot and Cymande and I in our de-conditioned state barely survived the two hour walk.  The boys slept through the entire ordeal.  Sleep.  Must be nice.

Before my brain was replaced by the circuit board from a vending machine I would have looked up the species and given everyone a glorious tale about this mushroom's lifecycle.  Instead:  Orange Things on an Old Stinky Log.  

Rapids.

Duckweeds languorously rotate as the Santa Fe disappears under the earth.  

Storm clouds approached and I thought 'My body can't take much more. Great Gods of the Sky have mercy on me and my family.  We are weak and tired and really not too far from home, but it is still a hike to the car and all I have is about 500 calories worth of energy bars to get me through the next 20 minutes."  

North Florida is lousy with sinkholes.

Again, this photo's caption would typically be full of useful and entertaining information about this insect's abilities to build this cocoon.  Instead we have: a bug vomited all over itself, rolled in Cocoa Pebbles and emerged as a big pretty butterfly!  How awesome is Nature?

Kira rubs Giles' head for good luck. 

Lucas soothes Moss as he tries to determine if his hand is better than a binky.  Currently, it is not.

Helena, Erin and James came for a visit and we all got trapped in the barn by a big thunderstorm.  Notice Buckley with his tail between his legs.  

Good Boy.

Late July

Moss and Giles spend a couple hours a day playing on their play mat that has a variety of animals represented abstractly, sort of like little soft totem poles, except that one of them plays high pitched electronic' Mary Had a Little Lamb'.  Sometimes, I worry about exposing them to this version of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', but then I shake the roundish pig with his inner clunky bell and that cheers me up.

    

Sadly, Nana has left Old Wire Road and is back in Ajo.  She was in charge of soothing Moss for most of July.  He can be one tough character, but she figured him out.

Tutita, Mark and Sasha stopped by to meet the babies.  They came bearing vegetables and gifts.  For Mark and Sasha, I estimate that Tutita was born in November 1997 (near the airport on Culebra, Puerto Rico).  Thanks to Amy and Tu for her rescue and early care.  

  

Mark, Moss and Sasha.

Sasha and Mark enjoy the balmy environs of the studio in late July.

For the past week Moss and Giles have been babbling reciprocally to each other.  We're just hoping that it doesn't lead to reciprocal crying.  

In late Summer the spider population not only multiplies exponentially, the individuals get very large.  This is a smaller species (tropical orb weaver? I'm not sure) that has caught a broad winged katydid. 

Giles unhappy, but not to fear, happiness soon followed.

Mid-Summer brings out the Eastern Hercules Beetles and their corresponding foul odor.  They have a powerful and unique odor that reminds me of carrion and an electrical fire. Lovely.

    

Moss and Grandpop.