tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988267392056579432024-03-06T14:01:42.905-06:00Emily's PlanetNature and art blogging from Baytown, TX.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-58545042500901936742016-05-12T01:28:00.000-05:002016-05-12T01:53:43.020-05:00Early Summer Wildlife: Baytown Nature Center, May 11th 2016Now that the Spring school semester has finally concluded, I have a lot more time to spend at my favorite place: the Baytown Nature Center! It was a beautiful clear evening, humid but with a strong breeze in most places. The first animal to greet us on this visit was, quite surprisingly, a raccoon! She had been standing at the water's edge, and quickly approached the nearby trash can.<br />
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We had pulled over in front of the trash can after she had gone inside, and she wouldn't come out while we were there, just staring at us like this. After a few minutes, we went on our way so we wouldn't disturb her too much. This is one of the few times I've seen a raccoon out in broad daylight around here.<br />
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Just down the road, we saw a fight breaking out in a flock of Black Vultures standing around the road. The two or three that had been fighting flew away, but the rest of the flock (15 in total) stayed at the roadside, barely moving aside as our car pulled up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the Red-Winged Black Bird on the other side of the roof!</td></tr>
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My brother Travis discovered that several of them were eating something in the nearby ditch. He went out to find that it was - interestingly enough - another raccoon! This one not doing so well as the one in the trash can.<br />
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Red-Winged Blackbirds were, as usual, out in abundance, the males advertising themselves with prominent perches and mechanical songs.<br />
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A slightly more rare sighting was a White Pelican, sitting pretty on the shore overlooking Burnet Bay.<br />
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They're very big birds, a startling sight when I don't normally see them sitting here like this. They're somewhat common here in the Winter, but as Summer marches forth most of them migrate further north.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow-Crowned Night Heron</td></tr>
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This tropical plant, with it's absurdly bright pink flowers, always entertains me somehow. I just found out now it's called a Powder Puff Tree, one of the <i>Calliandra</i> species. Examining one of the flowers, I noticed something really interesting: there were several small blue-gray inch worms on it.<br />
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Closer examination led me to see that they were on several other flowers as well, clearly enjoying this plant. I have to wonder what butterfly or moth they turn out to be! I'll have to try and find out sometime.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis picked one up to get a closer look.</td></tr>
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Herons were, as usual for the summer, very numerous. We saw eight different species today, all the usual residents: tri-colors, black and yellow crowns, great egrets and blues, snowys and cattles. You can spot this Little Blue Heron out on the rocks, overlooking turbulent Scott Bay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a lot of Great Egrets out today.</td></tr>
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Another species that was extremely numerous was the White Ibis: I saw over a hundred individuals during our hour-long visit. There's some sort of roosting area or rookery nearby, resulting in many, many ibis visiting the nature center and flying out to Scott Bay. They'll often fly right over your head, which is fantastic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many White Ibis flocks heading over to Scott Bay.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few White Ibis foraging in the marshes.</td></tr>
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Travis insisted that I take a picture of this giant block of foam. Sadly, there's always plenty of trash washed up on almost every shoreline here. All sorts of detritus, big and small. Kooky inventors like my brother love to trawl the wreckage for odd treasures.<br />
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On the drive in, I had seen this Forster's Tern hovering above one of the bay inlets. On the drive back out, he was still there, so I stopped for pictures.<br />
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Terns hunt by diving headfirst into the water, and this one seemed to have found a great spot with wind that allowed him to essentially hover in place. After only a minute, he dived and caught a small fish right in front of us! There were many terns here today, as we're getting into tern season: they hang out here in the summer. I saw Forster's mostly, but also a small flock of Gull-Billed Terns (four or five species are seen here with some frequency).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Crystal Bay</td></tr>
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To my surprise, the White Pelican from an hour ago was still there when we were driving out.<br />
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He was watching the sunset, I guess.<br />
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And just on the other side of the road: one of the many Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, with a full and beautiful breeding season crest.<br />
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29579872">(eBird checklist for today's visit is available to view</a>.)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-33151890271455435052016-04-17T23:13:00.001-05:002016-04-17T23:13:21.963-05:00Bugs at the Birdie PlaygroundMuch like a small child, my delightful and demanding Blue-crowned Conure loves to be taken on little outings to her closest playground, so she can climb and scream and destroy things to her heart's content. In my bird's case, this playground is the crepe myrtle tree in our garden. It's parrot safe (trees, though they may seem peaceful, can really be dastardly villains), and it's close to the house, so pretty safe for her and pretty convenient for the human who has to watch over her. Because, of course, she can't be left unsupervised. She'll start screaming her distress call the moment she's left alone anyway. We tried to take her on a walk once, thinking she might enjoy seeing some sights, and had to turn back because she was terrified of the mail boxes. If you have a small child, I hope she's slightly less fearful.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Play it safe" is her bird way.</td></tr>
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Other things that are very scary and alarming and have to either be attacked or fled from: the UPS truck; any unusual sort of car, like maybe just a color she hasn't seen before, especially scary if it decides to park across the street from us; unfamiliar cats; bowls from the cabinet; the pen attached to the fridge for writing on the grocery list; boxes that were not present in a room the day before; nail polish; bandages; any bird over a certain size flying over a certain height in the sky; plastic bags of any sort, but <i>especially </i>the big black trash bags.<br />
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Things she finds lovely and enjoyable, but are actually more dangerous than the cardboard box on the counter: dogs, the bigger and the barkier, the better. <br />
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Given the list (ever-growing) of strange things that terrify her - and hey, parrots are prey animals, I can't blame her - watching her on the "playground" is not just about watching out for predatory birds that might take her as a snack, or making sure she doesn't get caught by a gust of wind and fly off: it's also watching for the UPS truck. Or anything else that might set off an instantaneous panic attack.<br />
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You also have to keep up some verbal feedback. "Yip?" "Yip." "Ruff?" "Ruff." She wants to know you're paying attention, and engaged in this super-fun tree climbing time. You also have to look at her every now and then. Don't look at her for too long, and she'll think you're not paying attention, in which case she'll start making distress calls. You'll also be surprised at how quickly she can climb through the tangled branches, and just how invisible she becomes in the green foliage. If something happens, you need to know where she is anyway.<br />
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(and yes, my poor birdie plucks her feathers, which is why she's so bare in places; we're still trying strategies to solve the problem.) <br />
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There's also the odd "bird stuck in a tree" phenomena, where she climbs too high, doesn't understand the concept of climbing down, and proceeds to freak out because she's "stuck". If she does climb too high, preparations have to be made to get her down, including extra long sticks and possible assistance from other family members. We had to lure her down with a pop tart once, but we won't talk about that. (I think she's learned her lesson now and it's thankfully been years since we had to use that trick. If only she'd learn now that the bowls for my cereal are not deadly at all).<br />
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So, birdie playground time basically requires someone to stand and crane their neck up at a tree for up to an hour, armed with an arsenal of retrieval sticks. Meanwhile the bird has the time of her life, tearing off leaves, clambering around, sunbathing, chewing sticks, hanging from branches, looking at people or dogs in their yards across the street and saying "ruff" to them.<br />
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This is cute for a while but pretty soon your neck starts to hurt and it's kinda boring. Trying to read isn't that great between having to look up all the time and being interrupted by persistent "ruffs". Any work that requires consistent concentration is kinda a no-go. The bird wants all of your consistent concentration. So looking for bugs and stuff is kinda the best option.<br />
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Such as this fine fellow. They're everywhere. They fly with a giant buzz from leaf to side of your house to wherever else they like to hang out. I don't know what they are, which is terrible. I wish the focus of this picture was better, but you can see this one's got its proboscis mouth thing stuck into the leaf!<br />
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I found another one, very close by.<br />
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And look who else I found, peeking out from beneath the weird sun face that came with the house? A Green Anole, blending well with the house.<br />
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My cats are frequent company during birdie playground time, and Mr. Kitteh always likes to sit like this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little orange ladybug was trying to hide from the camera on my hibiscus plant.</td></tr>
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Now those are all things I found on a playground run back in November. What follows are some things I discovered on a slightly more exciting day in early January.<br />
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I'm not kidding when I say that these bugs are everywhere! They're a pretty reliable find. Now the ones from November did look slightly different, but the overall form is the same, so I don't know if these are different species or what: I'm still totally clueless, I don't know what they are, I'll find out someday. And yes, it's as big as it looks: an easy two inches long, three across with the width of its legs accounted for. When you see these flying through the air, you get out of the way. <br />
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Now, bored as I am looking after my cute bird in the tree, I pick up a curling dead oak leaf that had been sitting on my weird giant leafed tropical plant (I'm not a botanist). Lo and behold, look what rolled out of it, to my enormous surprise:<br />
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A much smaller one of these buggys, only about an inch or so long! I suppose it was hiding or napping inside the leaf, maybe. <br />
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I left the buggy alone, put the leaf back, and slowly, slowly, the little buggy crawled back, until eventually it had disappeared back into the leaf from whence it came. Such an exciting story!<br />
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Meanwhile, Merle's doing great:<br />
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Cedar Waxwing songbirds are still around, going "see see see see" as they browse the neighborhood. I also hear one of the neighborhood's Barred Owl's rising early, with those booming musical whoooos, always a delight. The usual gang of Blue Jays is hanging out, and some sort of chickadee or titmouse is making a fuss over something. I'm busy examining what's happening on a branch of my hibiscus plant.<br />
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One of the flowers is withering. This wingless wasp, which does look very much like a large ant, investigates the blossom. I have a healthy respect for these fellows after one of them somehow managed to get on my face while I was in a car and stung me right next to my eye. It hurts, and I would recommend avoiding the experience.<br />
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A quick glimpse to the underside of the plant reveals a huge number of what I would guess to be aphids, accompanied by a ladybug (same color as the flower), and multiple wingless wasps, all of which I hope are feasting on these little beasts, since I would guess they're responsible for the flower's wilt. It's quite the congregation, and I was excited to have discovered them all! This is the first time I've witnessed such an infestation on one of these flowers. The hibiscus plant, in this current month of April, is blooming insanely wonderfully with about twelve flowers, none of which seem aphid affected at all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mess with these guys.</td></tr>
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Another event of the day was that the holly plant had its little flowers, and the bees were going crazy over them. Berries were out in full, too.<br />
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This plant is mainly notable only because the bees like its flowers, various birds like to hide in it (Mockingbirds especially), and lizards clamber through it. My bird wants to clamber through it too, but the leaves have sharp points and it's probably not parrot safe, so her access is denied.<br />
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That's all I've got: some bugs, some birds. It's an exciting world out there, and I'm not often bored.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-49294904206470166212016-03-18T02:21:00.001-05:002016-03-18T02:21:19.585-05:00Family Photos, Birdventures: El Paso<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF7qP9DyRMG71G30FuB5ik3LSm-XJaCpvXknbiGn73vV_k_QQKlTSZ3_MDiwrO2U0S1KxkbBmuPooO9RYyr6QOez7tQVzt8iieOdL63aa6VEOlkxDr5jGAJbyZamn1v4cEyrduN00AbdL/s1600/IMG_0414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Consider this my photo album for our Spring Break family trip to enjoy the desert scenery of El Paso, TX. As of this writing, we still have a few more hours of adventure left here before heading back home.<br />
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As it stands now, I've seen three new bird species here in El Paso: Crissal Thrasher, Bufflehead duck, and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, which makes for a somewhat unlikely but definitely charming trio! One of El Paso's most common birds is the White-winged Dove: they're all over the parking lots, city parks, and gardens. Great-tailed Grackles are here too, just like in Houston, but I notice that the calls they make sound pretty different from those of Houston Great-tails. Very exciting!<br />
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Weather has been clear and sunny the whole trip, with lows of 50 F overnight, raising through the morning to the 60s and 70s, reaching 80 at the peak hours of the afternoon. Usually there's a cool breeze, which is a definite help when it gets into the hottest part of the day.<br />
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I'll be going through photos in rough order of day and relative location, so stay tuned for the photographic tour.<br />
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DAY 1: Typical City Sights<br />
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This is the airport building, which is a pretty snazzy design, and does well to reflect the artistic designs of various other parts of the city.<br />
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This is the airport carpet, which is all about these lovely lizards:<br />
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<br />Here we have your average street corner, complete with desert flowers.<br />
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Next to the highway, and visible from our hotel window, were these interesting public art sculptures. They spin when they catch the breeze, and are lit with an orange glow in the evening. I thought they were weird at first, but they really make for a nice landmark.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry photo shows what they look like at night. I should also point out that the city lights of El Paso are extremely beautiful at night: it's a valley full of orange stars.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical roadside views of neighborhoods with mountains nearby. Apologies for the car window's reflection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sloping neighborhood street shows the typical city vegetation, of tall skinny evergreens, palm trees, and a myriad of desert trees and shrubs.</td></tr>
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My new art piece: Travis Asleep in Car With Cactus<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis being asleep in the backseat was another typical element of this trip to El Paso.</td></tr>
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The following are impressive cityscapes from an overlook, located on the <i>extremely</i> creatively named road, Scenic Drive, that snakes through some of the mountains. Scenic Drive is, indeed, a scenic drive. No kidding. The view lets you see large parts of both El Paso and Juarez.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The giant red X sculpture of Juarez, visible from so many places in El Paso, serves as one of the constant visual reminders that Mexico is right next door. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis and Dad, with your friendly neighborhood binocular stand.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqlKVR7gfcRC_zRZcS7GJpcu-ge6zklUmUjeJbyS1m9ZN2g_RrXfVbeL1zpPRA5kSj_tsDoV7jEUj2-eCQofZPfhB5T4OCKRg4j8OV4QgzlSQyOShgL2KwcxOzrEdZblVayE7ZDHn-WLq/s1600/IMG_0194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqlKVR7gfcRC_zRZcS7GJpcu-ge6zklUmUjeJbyS1m9ZN2g_RrXfVbeL1zpPRA5kSj_tsDoV7jEUj2-eCQofZPfhB5T4OCKRg4j8OV4QgzlSQyOShgL2KwcxOzrEdZblVayE7ZDHn-WLq/s640/IMG_0194.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis the Mountain Man</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just another version of Desert Neighborhood with Mountains</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix52onN6wUat022zBe5bY5F8Sy3L5bdULbmHnMXJsdxdMQH3-KI5x3s7i2pFRF7RW-LXqkxxqiFj6LFMs69slz4-CeWtMXb9QuqKkAK0VMQgW_4lFiW3mhnadH3zJ7BBaNajd5mZiJ_U5X/s1600/IMG_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix52onN6wUat022zBe5bY5F8Sy3L5bdULbmHnMXJsdxdMQH3-KI5x3s7i2pFRF7RW-LXqkxxqiFj6LFMs69slz4-CeWtMXb9QuqKkAK0VMQgW_4lFiW3mhnadH3zJ7BBaNajd5mZiJ_U5X/s640/IMG_0212.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One thing I found neat about El Paso is that many sections of the freeway feature artistic designs and colors, such as this green and red portion. It's not just freeways, but overpass bridge railings and things like that. They look great, and they serve as great landmarks as well, with different areas showcasing distinctive colors and designs. </div>
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BILLY ROGERS ARROYO</div>
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Most of the state parks and museums that we're interested in close in the evening, but this arroyo is more of a public use park, staying open late: the perfect little adventure for our first evening in El Paso. An arroyo is basically a dry creek bed that fills with water after sufficient rain. It's a great little pocket of preserved nature in the middle of desert city. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mMylP4dQVMw/Vuins0I_QxI/AAAAAAAAF3M/wD98uB54sXMgDvimZu5Z-POOTBTID_HAw/s1600/2016-03-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mMylP4dQVMw/Vuins0I_QxI/AAAAAAAAF3M/wD98uB54sXMgDvimZu5Z-POOTBTID_HAw/s640/2016-03-15.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VDTDidmB6WaK9Hp9UsqJ3XQgepmee67blK9l3BAtzIr7deK7QpzyDQCm6aefpq73w-1PK1s3qU1FmeWJ1kG53TstUjSAADuw9uRGeTzM_230ijQgQl5LucVBHK9BbWznbUUAmmnNzn_o/s1600/IMG_0216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VDTDidmB6WaK9Hp9UsqJ3XQgepmee67blK9l3BAtzIr7deK7QpzyDQCm6aefpq73w-1PK1s3qU1FmeWJ1kG53TstUjSAADuw9uRGeTzM_230ijQgQl5LucVBHK9BbWznbUUAmmnNzn_o/s640/IMG_0216.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-a0xo9ahqWaVO47XV8RvfJyI11zb3t95sObkkeuH6RHgvPJPByQBxpkDlUM5vpsVQlyXIXJQgXHGxxVeayfW3ML8A-G1LBQBJcKGT9jihvGEQnVMTsJqVAO0QjxR-KjOHNod10AWCGUy0/s1600/IMG_0228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-a0xo9ahqWaVO47XV8RvfJyI11zb3t95sObkkeuH6RHgvPJPByQBxpkDlUM5vpsVQlyXIXJQgXHGxxVeayfW3ML8A-G1LBQBJcKGT9jihvGEQnVMTsJqVAO0QjxR-KjOHNod10AWCGUy0/s640/IMG_0228.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just a few examples of the vibrant desert plant life. Given the season, there were plenty of wildflowers to be found.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqT_LaGc1-6_NWThgxbd5zlKlHbOe4Ptv-wKZslFM5n3QcrWFW1SuyvfF1fntgliZFjwtU1k-9BlcK6w26nCoINC-sO5mbZyR3qciVYzQgYO3c9uop7glKEv4uiDDnrQSrcXRyT1suXOGu/s1600/IMG_0219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqT_LaGc1-6_NWThgxbd5zlKlHbOe4Ptv-wKZslFM5n3QcrWFW1SuyvfF1fntgliZFjwtU1k-9BlcK6w26nCoINC-sO5mbZyR3qciVYzQgYO3c9uop7glKEv4uiDDnrQSrcXRyT1suXOGu/s640/IMG_0219.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At one point a blimp flew overhead. This pocket of nature is, of course, surrounded by houses, which just reminded me of home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Wk_ZTh3116w8xLUEe40waUCi87g-3ckEzghZ4nmuDz772rUQIDw__jgXzlQ-nGpoq4QqO55_tOTBVhjHvm5B-LVLJPa4LZRelJX8YxsiJ6gKAW8dwsnqBWsPqNBydTteoYcYwrMEd2D/s1600/IMG_0221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Wk_ZTh3116w8xLUEe40waUCi87g-3ckEzghZ4nmuDz772rUQIDw__jgXzlQ-nGpoq4QqO55_tOTBVhjHvm5B-LVLJPa4LZRelJX8YxsiJ6gKAW8dwsnqBWsPqNBydTteoYcYwrMEd2D/s640/IMG_0221.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeZd3K06OUfyHawsWhbh1xzN3-zhCyWLXf6YwJKmb4wLlGMLk9TDPdb1475tyy_NVDRauMfoVzeBAlv3GCVHiIDwpM2EtwBr6sEhYfNEDSDQDkka0QVh1od6Xbks8lGOMyRVpPHdZ-8x5/s1600/IMG_0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeZd3K06OUfyHawsWhbh1xzN3-zhCyWLXf6YwJKmb4wLlGMLk9TDPdb1475tyy_NVDRauMfoVzeBAlv3GCVHiIDwpM2EtwBr6sEhYfNEDSDQDkka0QVh1od6Xbks8lGOMyRVpPHdZ-8x5/s640/IMG_0229.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Examples of arroyo scenery.</td></tr>
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Wildlife was out and about this evening: we saw two pairs of Pyrrhuloxia (the Northern Cardinal's desert cousin), a jackrabbit, and a Crissal Thrasher (one of the new birds for me) singing up a storm in a tree. I'm so used to mockingbirds, I thought that's what must be singing the beautiful fast-paced medley of other bird's songs. But a quick look through the binoculars revealed a much longer, curvier beak than the typical mockingbird's.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YBRAT-Gp8QnmGdHy4pkX3xyV2zKRBLQvgiE-j9wqdXpDxxkzfJn1WIdfibJ-ZHiq-viFAR6dr_6CbAFjHyaiqtmw-1i4grTVG_9YykbhGfjH2QDA4jgc6bauwbiv-uA3TXtBuu8Hgm2T/s1600/IMG_0236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YBRAT-Gp8QnmGdHy4pkX3xyV2zKRBLQvgiE-j9wqdXpDxxkzfJn1WIdfibJ-ZHiq-viFAR6dr_6CbAFjHyaiqtmw-1i4grTVG_9YykbhGfjH2QDA4jgc6bauwbiv-uA3TXtBuu8Hgm2T/s640/IMG_0236.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm_f2rp5Z9DCpScQc-1Ut2CpIvgTwpn6eFJgasZYrfY9xJStrrZeLiGkw1iyQJqYqRYNvLkSwdafEcHH42VQ3iKSfjpgkZmeIcHMLrW008sNs75rfZqCgbIcdui6oC8K3ikCuWCczaUzB/s1600/IMG_0238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm_f2rp5Z9DCpScQc-1Ut2CpIvgTwpn6eFJgasZYrfY9xJStrrZeLiGkw1iyQJqYqRYNvLkSwdafEcHH42VQ3iKSfjpgkZmeIcHMLrW008sNs75rfZqCgbIcdui6oC8K3ikCuWCczaUzB/s640/IMG_0238.jpg" width="442" /></a></div>
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We caught a glimpse of two more thrashers sitting together on a neighborhood street sign as we were leaving, a really charming portrait of desert city birdlife.</div>
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DAY 2: KEYSTONE GARDENS</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vwgmzMkZru7URYDG0V2ox-rmA5n55ezs0X-JlVdreC7_WQp9-gGcd4LBtdSeuOe22TFK7gAH2em91MnuBGAmiLypMbJZrBCQMivO1lbdreA9_r74jg4jwuXHE5Q2YOs5nHfNsvV7khzB/s1600/IMG_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vwgmzMkZru7URYDG0V2ox-rmA5n55ezs0X-JlVdreC7_WQp9-gGcd4LBtdSeuOe22TFK7gAH2em91MnuBGAmiLypMbJZrBCQMivO1lbdreA9_r74jg4jwuXHE5Q2YOs5nHfNsvV7khzB/s640/IMG_0244.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was trying to take a picture of a roadside mural as we were driving past, and this was the only bit I got. Kind of startled me when I was going through my camera pictures!</div>
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The day started with an attempt to visit Hueco Tanks State Park, only to discover that, due to the fragile nature of the archaeological and nature stuff they got going on there, only a limited number of people can be in the park at one time. We waited around for a little bit, but then decided to try our luck somewhere else.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0W_llQoEnSfHK3QTXomPECsciY3WtKO3V_7z985vNkxgZXTwKjruWbLqp45skqdilOUJ1cb88E5TK9O6ZiaWEd4-VocX-JsAgF1Sc7vcsbhrbonQO9pyDbK3EkQaKS23_O_Qj7oSgvcj/s1600/IMG_0261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0W_llQoEnSfHK3QTXomPECsciY3WtKO3V_7z985vNkxgZXTwKjruWbLqp45skqdilOUJ1cb88E5TK9O6ZiaWEd4-VocX-JsAgF1Sc7vcsbhrbonQO9pyDbK3EkQaKS23_O_Qj7oSgvcj/s320/IMG_0261.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a cool moth/butterfly thing sitting on the wall of park hq. Speaking of butterflies, there were a lot of little white ones fluttering about in various places, as well as one Tiger Swallowtail that I saw in Franklin Mountains State Park.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PKsXTZYZ2vg/VumgBUopObI/AAAAAAAAF4A/3rCKdR80UjE0qHpRIMbT5JvXyg4adcSUA/s1600/2016-03-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PKsXTZYZ2vg/VumgBUopObI/AAAAAAAAF4A/3rCKdR80UjE0qHpRIMbT5JvXyg4adcSUA/s640/2016-03-16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the rocks near the entrance to Hueco Tanks.</td></tr>
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Our next stop was the Keystone Heritage Park and Botanical Gardens, which also features a cool desert wetlands. We thought we were out of luck here too, because the gardens were closed due to lack of volunteer availability, but the very nice individual overseeing the plant nursery let us in anyway. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ8yJmXgji4Pxm0dZ35FEiuEDBoYabAGbmQyUf0Tl5fTo5nAwiCa84F5wR2EUb1dGbbVwSWjUgyoVQ9PQnb3f5KspFdwB3spfaEygfw9mj7JWl5vjqUzwxQtNOYBs0i-w0dPD1fzPpW8d/s1600/IMG_0262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ8yJmXgji4Pxm0dZ35FEiuEDBoYabAGbmQyUf0Tl5fTo5nAwiCa84F5wR2EUb1dGbbVwSWjUgyoVQ9PQnb3f5KspFdwB3spfaEygfw9mj7JWl5vjqUzwxQtNOYBs0i-w0dPD1fzPpW8d/s640/IMG_0262.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Something I didn't expect to see: a large flock of seagulls, that launched into the air from the adjacent wetlands (which really just looked to be a big pond) and circled over the garden parking lot. Couldn't tell what exact species they were.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9bYo6QybqreNS170HvFEmLTB4wsQMmdBB7c17fjBgWUcvVJDqB-cmo0hX3Busl_rPBd5FFKfUGife1zXz7d0pcpbKZUBmFAVdnbWQpeEt3NfAdI3bFcujRNk9QHuDccFb6sp7qYdHwqF/s1600/IMG_0263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9bYo6QybqreNS170HvFEmLTB4wsQMmdBB7c17fjBgWUcvVJDqB-cmo0hX3Busl_rPBd5FFKfUGife1zXz7d0pcpbKZUBmFAVdnbWQpeEt3NfAdI3bFcujRNk9QHuDccFb6sp7qYdHwqF/s640/IMG_0263.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The botanical gardens were lovely, a beautifully constructed show of so many great desert plants, and swarming with gigantic black bumblebees that really appreciated all the flowers in bloom. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJ5lYo4I4JF1G-wbBmEIYU9-8QZYC23TCU8F304-RpKRl_Z6ZjlN7XYofYwS4U9pNdh70tUeySyb0p2NnAIxd-1RyMQSwfG6mvaUFbfOixdd1oVDbpOyRCFiHxsMVXMFXs5jiNA9T942n/s1600/IMG_0265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJ5lYo4I4JF1G-wbBmEIYU9-8QZYC23TCU8F304-RpKRl_Z6ZjlN7XYofYwS4U9pNdh70tUeySyb0p2NnAIxd-1RyMQSwfG6mvaUFbfOixdd1oVDbpOyRCFiHxsMVXMFXs5jiNA9T942n/s400/IMG_0265.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You see what I'm talking about. These bees are no joke.</td></tr>
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Another charming local seen here and in various other El Paso places (including scaling the cliffs in the Franklin Mountains State Park) are these desert squirrels.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08OVfH1LWtNql2DkYPRgZM2aK7QwwArTaIjMvoZ12AwSGfuqGV00jP4XWIdY-3LXU3Xa8pc_eogRlhESCRR-W8JigvKWbjkWazSyO2pEAuCusm5u_051kVI7LL7ngl1BbXlE1Mwq5KFgR/s1600/IMG_0269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08OVfH1LWtNql2DkYPRgZM2aK7QwwArTaIjMvoZ12AwSGfuqGV00jP4XWIdY-3LXU3Xa8pc_eogRlhESCRR-W8JigvKWbjkWazSyO2pEAuCusm5u_051kVI7LL7ngl1BbXlE1Mwq5KFgR/s400/IMG_0269.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As someone used to forest squirrels, desert squirrels are so odd: very familiar, and yet distinctly different. They all kind of look they're glaring at you with narrowed, judgemental eyes every time they look your way. They seemed more shrewd than the squirrels I know at home.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYGVY7yYXiVv94MzHKQXKOyZo_b60f_cdZtAhT3xrZBzsOB7mcN-kdySUVFpULZh-fOeui2ANVVkVRyTnGNppYZ55BtXvcaMc1ATdSiyVtTztk0FCA5PRvb274KxIb-8rfE5OFK58_ZTo/s1600/IMG_0272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYGVY7yYXiVv94MzHKQXKOyZo_b60f_cdZtAhT3xrZBzsOB7mcN-kdySUVFpULZh-fOeui2ANVVkVRyTnGNppYZ55BtXvcaMc1ATdSiyVtTztk0FCA5PRvb274KxIb-8rfE5OFK58_ZTo/s640/IMG_0272.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And of course, it would be terrible to miss seeing some of our best friends: the desert lizards.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwWQBwTd7xSucel_cXlBeVOA9k20ou6zCj6AnyyWuw2STzUIrRVhgkUx34s0zMeVVMSsntNGJvq7jCw_tC-2okmZ1JYAuq6D44pe9VRFrHDalh-zUHZqCIntPr_bDncZ33_JMTqKCOccw/s1600/IMG_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwWQBwTd7xSucel_cXlBeVOA9k20ou6zCj6AnyyWuw2STzUIrRVhgkUx34s0zMeVVMSsntNGJvq7jCw_tC-2okmZ1JYAuq6D44pe9VRFrHDalh-zUHZqCIntPr_bDncZ33_JMTqKCOccw/s640/IMG_0273.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This park seemed to feature mostly Curve-billed Thrashers, with their mottled breasts and lack of rusty undertails. They, too, were singing beautiful mimicked mishmashes of song.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPV9ToYX9CCRGPPXSNAKDJdx6ILe49OH7hLiFTOkZCHtoe6ss3aIwT7qiZwK0_eHcMBy6GR3RKEtme48uevJOezYqLEEI9X2mDgUHS5RkcIrebjQRmLokdMgVl04rFIbuAI8n4tkwGqns/s1600/IMG_0275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPV9ToYX9CCRGPPXSNAKDJdx6ILe49OH7hLiFTOkZCHtoe6ss3aIwT7qiZwK0_eHcMBy6GR3RKEtme48uevJOezYqLEEI9X2mDgUHS5RkcIrebjQRmLokdMgVl04rFIbuAI8n4tkwGqns/s640/IMG_0275.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some great flowers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwx_tiLoNQfhBNXP8lEB9UNUf6y6FPNzftz4fyGTH2kJ-QWxaTR-68la7JHLFTHNNglc_vwgD-FJaUVlMlXzT_2EjGea2Hw0izTqGiXHxuQ0LC9rz1DqqxECRFxjhYSv3WWirmn8QTEL6/s1600/IMG_0278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwx_tiLoNQfhBNXP8lEB9UNUf6y6FPNzftz4fyGTH2kJ-QWxaTR-68la7JHLFTHNNglc_vwgD-FJaUVlMlXzT_2EjGea2Hw0izTqGiXHxuQ0LC9rz1DqqxECRFxjhYSv3WWirmn8QTEL6/s640/IMG_0278.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's me, and my friend, the gigantic cactus. A giant cactus will never disappoint you. My expression is the complex "please hurry up and take the picture because there is a bird behind you"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsbf36G4m4NbEF0-xphCeisa1-q0flBuQCyMuHzNcyDMBwyqIJDDZ3AZHJ9zqNvOPS5I9gIaaaJo5aKEZpPCZQ5oYgKDXTwTFPMdOWVZksr3z-dr0b1jKgYq7WiLhd88DpxWYMmkUlfXQ/s1600/IMG_0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsbf36G4m4NbEF0-xphCeisa1-q0flBuQCyMuHzNcyDMBwyqIJDDZ3AZHJ9zqNvOPS5I9gIaaaJo5aKEZpPCZQ5oYgKDXTwTFPMdOWVZksr3z-dr0b1jKgYq7WiLhd88DpxWYMmkUlfXQ/s640/IMG_0281.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love these weird little cylindrical cacti.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUddi5DnyQjsc6zlfJvxsWUU9gFKbfqiZXiErtDFTwrHNGqz8a3WlZfN992kPinTnqsrP9xalnIiulpwX2IzdRQTs6_7vL8IGR4F8O9Th6R98o-Hxq7xIutIqfyUcpktZw1_Xjd_I-lKo-/s1600/IMG_0283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUddi5DnyQjsc6zlfJvxsWUU9gFKbfqiZXiErtDFTwrHNGqz8a3WlZfN992kPinTnqsrP9xalnIiulpwX2IzdRQTs6_7vL8IGR4F8O9Th6R98o-Hxq7xIutIqfyUcpktZw1_Xjd_I-lKo-/s640/IMG_0283.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's one of those White-winged Doves I mentioned are all over the place here in El Paso.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfASAcJd4gDqFLNmuz94bfpAZSnJAp8matMn5122m5QcGgWSPr2Da9I0pq5eBoHQKVEvmeySvOfQm5td1rVRtzUs8-4jTvX6xnJfPSvz7b_vBIDSJrfL9PAFbPZeKhsEdQbCOuheE9hvY/s1600/IMG_0286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfASAcJd4gDqFLNmuz94bfpAZSnJAp8matMn5122m5QcGgWSPr2Da9I0pq5eBoHQKVEvmeySvOfQm5td1rVRtzUs8-4jTvX6xnJfPSvz7b_vBIDSJrfL9PAFbPZeKhsEdQbCOuheE9hvY/s640/IMG_0286.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
It's a continuum of my previous art piece: Sunglasses Travis with an Artsy Cactus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxz5FUlm23yf4s8He2B5-_3KhshR6v6VR3b31-6c49Q2Yy_7CWZldYQkxaGJFrCe8tqhtOGyVyFRDO0L9-5F42CekFiTB43JkJCl0S-98LXIO0aAfeKKleRLTGyvpqSmDLOpFqCbNNixe/s1600/IMG_0291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxz5FUlm23yf4s8He2B5-_3KhshR6v6VR3b31-6c49Q2Yy_7CWZldYQkxaGJFrCe8tqhtOGyVyFRDO0L9-5F42CekFiTB43JkJCl0S-98LXIO0aAfeKKleRLTGyvpqSmDLOpFqCbNNixe/s640/IMG_0291.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Desert wetlands." This is where I saw my next new bird: the Bufflehead duck, which is one of my favorite birds, not just because their cute little ducks but because they have such a great name. It was cool to see some in person, even if they were so far away I barely made the identification. Still cool! (The wetlands were, sadly, closed for real: we were just looking over the garden wall).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOkA8kvworH892JNjqKiI9PZ1x2UA0NIS7-uSBcZRPSHClp6ZdgjiTJ3O6JPphg8mQrtGd3FhG0Q66OCUis4PQPV-ce9N5xqWtBDzYtfdoOeiJ_xykG4qzSoKh7m6tTc6HiqlTXbMWafn/s1600/IMG_0291-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOkA8kvworH892JNjqKiI9PZ1x2UA0NIS7-uSBcZRPSHClp6ZdgjiTJ3O6JPphg8mQrtGd3FhG0Q66OCUis4PQPV-ce9N5xqWtBDzYtfdoOeiJ_xykG4qzSoKh7m6tTc6HiqlTXbMWafn/s640/IMG_0291-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There were some great birds hanging out here: visible in this closeup are stilts (which you can see in Baytown in summer), avocets (which I only just saw for the first time in Galveston this December), and those unidentified seagulls. There were numerous coots swimming around as well, and some other species of duck I wasn't able to get a good enough look at.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMuQgW2RdlyisDK-dYcxoRDUp-E7SLBU-CvQGyR_UExbmNgF_ibmRAjYr_hcgIkhWn8jXbowb-YW7BdU11gyjAX07Xnu-yn0DMXhXJ0lxAFZcsOHMyPjqnRATiVSnEhFzZLh_QWcfBWyi/s1600/IMG_0297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMuQgW2RdlyisDK-dYcxoRDUp-E7SLBU-CvQGyR_UExbmNgF_ibmRAjYr_hcgIkhWn8jXbowb-YW7BdU11gyjAX07Xnu-yn0DMXhXJ0lxAFZcsOHMyPjqnRATiVSnEhFzZLh_QWcfBWyi/s640/IMG_0297.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I never get tired of seeing quail, so it was awesome to spot a pair here in the park just before we left. It's only the male that made it into the picture, but there was a female here as well. It's the fantastic Gambel's Quail: gotta love their perfect bouncy little crests. They flew away not too long after this photo: their wings move so incredibly fast, they sound like little whirring motors as they zoom away.</div>
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EL PASO ZOO</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW4Ok5_c6rkiEoBAJckLccF1pUsijiFXT4hmMd8j0pTh3ItiW_YKO6Wy21967I5GeOq7IOfnpd8iPl_neVCid5B56109aQexIx2R7OCYw8hpf5cHKcEAWYLqd5jwXvPz1PtxP7tzVD9Lt/s1600/IMG_0300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW4Ok5_c6rkiEoBAJckLccF1pUsijiFXT4hmMd8j0pTh3ItiW_YKO6Wy21967I5GeOq7IOfnpd8iPl_neVCid5B56109aQexIx2R7OCYw8hpf5cHKcEAWYLqd5jwXvPz1PtxP7tzVD9Lt/s640/IMG_0300.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting to the zoo involves nearly crossing the border: here's the view into Juarez, from the highway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiTdvJbb-IkjF-Vs-dtCfFvwzTjm1LHcsMbEsiDTHRsPQNNrmcm7ZV536cqH6iHW2u0Y4Vzv-8nib_rLErG3zmsAqwuKJwHa7kVmuN6vPwxbvKVu6By23vdehyphenhyphenwN-F21M56rHmBiRAstG/s1600/IMG_0303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiTdvJbb-IkjF-Vs-dtCfFvwzTjm1LHcsMbEsiDTHRsPQNNrmcm7ZV536cqH6iHW2u0Y4Vzv-8nib_rLErG3zmsAqwuKJwHa7kVmuN6vPwxbvKVu6By23vdehyphenhyphenwN-F21M56rHmBiRAstG/s640/IMG_0303.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We always love seeing macaws.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRno5s5yQlY06n2fpEy88DOGidEO-h7IGODxPpBjQiEZUHENb4qXUyWn7ZRMF0o3m_1LnHC7di4Nf8TJI2VLWKQpojv7lMP0YMII-Pky7CV_c74sT_I1q9EV_qk4zmxsxYGX4g6BAmfYg1/s1600/IMG_0304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRno5s5yQlY06n2fpEy88DOGidEO-h7IGODxPpBjQiEZUHENb4qXUyWn7ZRMF0o3m_1LnHC7di4Nf8TJI2VLWKQpojv7lMP0YMII-Pky7CV_c74sT_I1q9EV_qk4zmxsxYGX4g6BAmfYg1/s640/IMG_0304.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the green one!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxzTc2ZkrCH0ENQDa_nIF1FiYXtS-SDBg1gcwzJxz3JDLyEWJOnHx0BKzd7AFtf5IakVHNYsiDbJ_238d3Zy5i68jFzFg4OYvBKrKVSGBXHR_qwYWBI-Gg4qgnoii1FFdOTJHYcc7k5Sj/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxzTc2ZkrCH0ENQDa_nIF1FiYXtS-SDBg1gcwzJxz3JDLyEWJOnHx0BKzd7AFtf5IakVHNYsiDbJ_238d3Zy5i68jFzFg4OYvBKrKVSGBXHR_qwYWBI-Gg4qgnoii1FFdOTJHYcc7k5Sj/s640/IMG_0305.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pigeon was sunbathing, so we had to take his picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDBr1um7w0ExxavUjW6J6UusEHnZhb0skLwCZAB8ViHSIDLWVOslZP5F9iqF-sf9K-8godtaQNaBvIB3HAXnCfbi8XAgQTHNUhRH88IDjN8Ltm6kgu3EKyhFB8zE0D489aZgSBQ7Yi8XF/s1600/IMG_0306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDBr1um7w0ExxavUjW6J6UusEHnZhb0skLwCZAB8ViHSIDLWVOslZP5F9iqF-sf9K-8godtaQNaBvIB3HAXnCfbi8XAgQTHNUhRH88IDjN8Ltm6kgu3EKyhFB8zE0D489aZgSBQ7Yi8XF/s640/IMG_0306.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These sleeping barn owls looked really cool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFTcqIly41JVEuAq6SsjqhyphenhyphenvVCeEerJwvAJ009mz4GEStpi7kjDgEmXCr2rmIsuls_449rVrdqmfdC1h71k-rkMkfEHH5K1pBqhJnzLhU6a-WPnhoBxI2eVG1Yy9Vzprn6WLX2koODNS7/s1600/IMG_0320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFTcqIly41JVEuAq6SsjqhyphenhyphenvVCeEerJwvAJ009mz4GEStpi7kjDgEmXCr2rmIsuls_449rVrdqmfdC1h71k-rkMkfEHH5K1pBqhJnzLhU6a-WPnhoBxI2eVG1Yy9Vzprn6WLX2koODNS7/s640/IMG_0320.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prairie dog snuggle party!! While one stays on watchful guard duty.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPr6SAZ6eLAjqAcOFqqQQ7WQtRO-i2om5MI2j_KfR1r3kikk8G8vl7ZPjKsEGEIJnivF310qUV_7OoOU-wsldVM3gx2FeOtSSNZKUQEMS-ckHAJVQjt3qrme-vQPjSbhyphenhypheno45_0FZsstzh1/s1600/IMG_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPr6SAZ6eLAjqAcOFqqQQ7WQtRO-i2om5MI2j_KfR1r3kikk8G8vl7ZPjKsEGEIJnivF310qUV_7OoOU-wsldVM3gx2FeOtSSNZKUQEMS-ckHAJVQjt3qrme-vQPjSbhyphenhypheno45_0FZsstzh1/s400/IMG_0315.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVNymUqlh_rrs-NaHo9Rxf3kD4AmuoOkTeAWJu5k7a0Sr9uFG1RbTX1b5mGca8aTyNYxwYCn61Q5qlHhmvMvM9GBY_X-_qa5qNyRxDDBkjHlXEzgee2tFSjZbi3yOp5866Pr2txYd3il3/s1600/IMG_0321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVNymUqlh_rrs-NaHo9Rxf3kD4AmuoOkTeAWJu5k7a0Sr9uFG1RbTX1b5mGca8aTyNYxwYCn61Q5qlHhmvMvM9GBY_X-_qa5qNyRxDDBkjHlXEzgee2tFSjZbi3yOp5866Pr2txYd3il3/s400/IMG_0321.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I thought their recycling signs were really charming.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ykbwrGvjfuvPyl_EUfsq982kIdafup_36gp9w3yaw8ujV_OfU8c0wa4BBaXqK1adltv6yLpJi0UQ2q2K7Ga0KYZfawnqC9g-bNKGyG_NEZHabfNslnk81mOJOrK2jA-fCnSGp8ctnqA0/s1600/IMG_0325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ykbwrGvjfuvPyl_EUfsq982kIdafup_36gp9w3yaw8ujV_OfU8c0wa4BBaXqK1adltv6yLpJi0UQ2q2K7Ga0KYZfawnqC9g-bNKGyG_NEZHabfNslnk81mOJOrK2jA-fCnSGp8ctnqA0/s640/IMG_0325.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The incredibly beautiful, spirally mustachioed Inca Tern. Having only seen these in books, I was incredibly pleased to see some up and close and personal - and unexpectedly! - in the zoo aviary. They're sea birds that breed on the coasts of Peru and Chile.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALu-lIsJfX_6n8FxHj7IAPv0LI8mkH7tNR_222XKkI2yXiF6v664BEDkG4Go9sRT0nal5sJWeGwgK8x0y5kZa-r3kjARadqnjF4fpHYOFcCrpIKIlMLKMIbFNnfVt7voklEEFSHxfoRlq/s1600/IMG_0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALu-lIsJfX_6n8FxHj7IAPv0LI8mkH7tNR_222XKkI2yXiF6v664BEDkG4Go9sRT0nal5sJWeGwgK8x0y5kZa-r3kjARadqnjF4fpHYOFcCrpIKIlMLKMIbFNnfVt7voklEEFSHxfoRlq/s640/IMG_0326.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aviary Roadrunner, looking extremely handsome. Yes, he <i>did</i> cross the aviary road.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgou0FL1fIg8VbfVXtV7H1uVC0B3eIghe-8wB0jEBvpWKSSxFaEMbS0nqU8VvHiq6KfzOeRaGmK5gRHZWoR0kspNBzqzC7bzYn77RQYkXjeMXMcbnoL2orW_pGPlnTAQT94cONC7ldlUvJd/s1600/IMG_0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgou0FL1fIg8VbfVXtV7H1uVC0B3eIghe-8wB0jEBvpWKSSxFaEMbS0nqU8VvHiq6KfzOeRaGmK5gRHZWoR0kspNBzqzC7bzYn77RQYkXjeMXMcbnoL2orW_pGPlnTAQT94cONC7ldlUvJd/s640/IMG_0330.jpg" width="601" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same aviary Roadrunner, looking extremely weird.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80bRtOzwrIWIMGTk3IMMDthm38MXGdm-KNBQ8bdERog70fLTW0-SliPs5c0OsJIKNXbKbgLKBQJRKJ02nrqMiosEZ97kMy96fUPQ_EmTTkdlZURbMBH8b0rGf3bBiYUEYlw5fj2iAwICd/s1600/IMG_0340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80bRtOzwrIWIMGTk3IMMDthm38MXGdm-KNBQ8bdERog70fLTW0-SliPs5c0OsJIKNXbKbgLKBQJRKJ02nrqMiosEZ97kMy96fUPQ_EmTTkdlZURbMBH8b0rGf3bBiYUEYlw5fj2iAwICd/s640/IMG_0340.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Travis took this picture of your standard House Sparrow, and I must say, that Travis, with his meticulous focus, takes some pretty incredible pictures of birds sometimes.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbckIZl5fgtkb4PMPApBXaLY5CExWVYanP3MMaE-vrdDBTW0Wef_N1Fa5rXKkT3Lh8VypVWqMAMJLuv86EjWs3SGmtLwHIRs8JCD2MLZ2A4A3F3xFXBFluHH8KIp9hRvq6ZFxUDv26863/s1600/IMG_0341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbckIZl5fgtkb4PMPApBXaLY5CExWVYanP3MMaE-vrdDBTW0Wef_N1Fa5rXKkT3Lh8VypVWqMAMJLuv86EjWs3SGmtLwHIRs8JCD2MLZ2A4A3F3xFXBFluHH8KIp9hRvq6ZFxUDv26863/s640/IMG_0341.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping moorhen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkxklECI6JwdEwrmp1MQGGusyIoaQyw9kZ3E3CBbDu-lvKJIpFT6i_FJsGqEa2hPNHfbZ3isrvpBgfA8AHe3NEXVFqm_r9K-ZPsFq56_xbmxczI0vWq-XOks95eBFIxka_y6YV3Fk_mXD/s1600/IMG_0342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkxklECI6JwdEwrmp1MQGGusyIoaQyw9kZ3E3CBbDu-lvKJIpFT6i_FJsGqEa2hPNHfbZ3isrvpBgfA8AHe3NEXVFqm_r9K-ZPsFq56_xbmxczI0vWq-XOks95eBFIxka_y6YV3Fk_mXD/s640/IMG_0342.jpg" width="606" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Roadrunner got all poofy, so we had to take his picture again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVXjsLOXiWmmZghbmy1gw3nvzxCli726WobGCV9_h6M6iwWVI2_CVm6AcK4C1Ul3z15mXMxDF3OgbJGoUwIu0KHLUe0fgiFG7ULNn3JtaQOJEaeEk-K8B3rvG8C1jbWyo0c2_W2DFi_cm/s1600/IMG_0345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVXjsLOXiWmmZghbmy1gw3nvzxCli726WobGCV9_h6M6iwWVI2_CVm6AcK4C1Ul3z15mXMxDF3OgbJGoUwIu0KHLUe0fgiFG7ULNn3JtaQOJEaeEk-K8B3rvG8C1jbWyo0c2_W2DFi_cm/s640/IMG_0345.jpg" width="632" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of poofy, and speaking of Travis taking good pictures...featuring the Red-crested Cardinal of South America</td></tr>
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Now here's where things got really exciting. When we approached the exhibit for the Plush-crested Jay (another South American bird), the single jay took note of us, and began to approach the glass. Travis approached further and knelt down, and the bird got even closer, looking right into Travis's face.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcehysBND2uVTSxyYM3nnpMu2CO1fokCCugki46TUHhAPOZs61TT52kdQlD6IPrcPHMy54WRLRhn2UslGPngbQgheMjB4W4paTPp7FZ05x9RzKcUf32E2dq2JWrPbRDWTGJ2uScGn3BqOA/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcehysBND2uVTSxyYM3nnpMu2CO1fokCCugki46TUHhAPOZs61TT52kdQlD6IPrcPHMy54WRLRhn2UslGPngbQgheMjB4W4paTPp7FZ05x9RzKcUf32E2dq2JWrPbRDWTGJ2uScGn3BqOA/s640/IMG_0353.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6u6I_BzIEEWEI3Cj1Ui6TPJKKbzowC01sBo4OATs6rTk3ixR4MWM_t6H1sb3pD-v2d4xFMZmXNvkGKgthBzJJLfTvtnP-EOZb6zWFbfVkDTRxIWolekAvS3VP2cRe-NKgr0Ufw-apwDxJ/s1600/IMG_0354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6u6I_BzIEEWEI3Cj1Ui6TPJKKbzowC01sBo4OATs6rTk3ixR4MWM_t6H1sb3pD-v2d4xFMZmXNvkGKgthBzJJLfTvtnP-EOZb6zWFbfVkDTRxIWolekAvS3VP2cRe-NKgr0Ufw-apwDxJ/s640/IMG_0354.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would've called it the eyebrow jay, but that's just me.</td></tr>
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In all our time spent in zoo aviaries, we've never had this happen with a bird behind the glass. And then, as if this bird was really showing off (and maybe he was?), he spat some food out from his crop.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU04xC6zeDZdR24YSIGOmgb6k1RKtSEgnqw2zm2fGXAIj4Ot6ZwROMnX1dvVjZ4rhlR-MFz2KffsqNZ3huRjSmHovsqwggBHApwcBPz4jgjtp-b_dWoHvu7x49hPvE9cWTJDTrSE2ni0PE/s1600/IMG_0356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU04xC6zeDZdR24YSIGOmgb6k1RKtSEgnqw2zm2fGXAIj4Ot6ZwROMnX1dvVjZ4rhlR-MFz2KffsqNZ3huRjSmHovsqwggBHApwcBPz4jgjtp-b_dWoHvu7x49hPvE9cWTJDTrSE2ni0PE/s640/IMG_0356.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am so lucky to have got this exact moment on camera</td></tr>
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Some sort of seedy thing. Then swallowed it again in front of us. Only to spit it right back up. After a while, he took it over to the back of the cage, digging around in the mulch, maybe thinking of a good place to put it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDrfmk4MZu1GuIynVxR1Q-CYZlSJ_csujsm2qUE78haW0IU9OaRdAnZD_12wIl7-mEUAKiOl2Gs93H_j_94zRKaPqxT9mZSMQM4diyk5hEZ8c5SYL_BL2j2erNOh-A7UTMJfa4fJ8zVmM/s1600/IMG_0357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDrfmk4MZu1GuIynVxR1Q-CYZlSJ_csujsm2qUE78haW0IU9OaRdAnZD_12wIl7-mEUAKiOl2Gs93H_j_94zRKaPqxT9mZSMQM4diyk5hEZ8c5SYL_BL2j2erNOh-A7UTMJfa4fJ8zVmM/s640/IMG_0357.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare shot of Travis actually looking excited about something.</td></tr>
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It was a great experience.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8uR-kxzvd8rllFPFLicnVgn5q6V5zpQFMHj8FQU4MISLEIaHy0aSbVx_9YQQPS2eDZkNn2yhbInzDB9rx1jfRWBrDIW69XC7c8mHIRA-rG8U_7AMXhl3P2BUstZCHoQigDvPIi3MX8tD/s1600/IMG_0366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8uR-kxzvd8rllFPFLicnVgn5q6V5zpQFMHj8FQU4MISLEIaHy0aSbVx_9YQQPS2eDZkNn2yhbInzDB9rx1jfRWBrDIW69XC7c8mHIRA-rG8U_7AMXhl3P2BUstZCHoQigDvPIi3MX8tD/s640/IMG_0366.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This giant Galapagos Tortoise was awe-inspiring, sounding like stone as he walked across his exhibit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtTRTnV6sX-ErSg4WwZhRBTuGTyyK_JKw0GLaHm3kdVZ-J1X2QufPcIG18flr57zvI6WGfy1OM1rDIJRYwFd7g8xcWOZzKMBrmRn0aBi_Pp77oyrcA7xvLQbT51hCmmFA4dUSrxlEIINg/s1600/IMG_0378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtTRTnV6sX-ErSg4WwZhRBTuGTyyK_JKw0GLaHm3kdVZ-J1X2QufPcIG18flr57zvI6WGfy1OM1rDIJRYwFd7g8xcWOZzKMBrmRn0aBi_Pp77oyrcA7xvLQbT51hCmmFA4dUSrxlEIINg/s640/IMG_0378.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An elegant tapir.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWLPBRdcITDVHtdW1Nhdsd-Qvgk6rA96mZ5En3o8SOEm0PI3YNzIwhnMidnmSczr-gWywjX1PR00MuurXmo5Q7o4fGa-KaoSOhFC5PtDbNUJ_e_kpjIpsAM4EtB4VW3cfev7Yr9oLSmzF/s1600/IMG_0381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWLPBRdcITDVHtdW1Nhdsd-Qvgk6rA96mZ5En3o8SOEm0PI3YNzIwhnMidnmSczr-gWywjX1PR00MuurXmo5Q7o4fGa-KaoSOhFC5PtDbNUJ_e_kpjIpsAM4EtB4VW3cfev7Yr9oLSmzF/s640/IMG_0381.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some very red-eyed starlings. Maybe Metallic Starlings? Didn't quite catch their name.</td></tr>
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DAY 3: THE FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS</div>
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In case you're wondering if this goes on forever, I can assure you this is the final section.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6RGFB4ZhJVI/Vursv3qk-FI/AAAAAAAAF40/kXGkElOBG1guv4YoMil3bHuJsU_V0XrMw/s1600/2016-03-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6RGFB4ZhJVI/Vursv3qk-FI/AAAAAAAAF40/kXGkElOBG1guv4YoMil3bHuJsU_V0XrMw/s640/2016-03-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It began with a hike down this Ron Coleman Trail in Franklin Mountain State Park. A beautiful trail that, like most here, winds up and inbetween the mountain peaks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtxXBQJRTSAlNctg1Y6ot2sD9nR9m-drKygHFLC23y1PKAiqAXd2eiLzo4X7a_sc_n8odAGoqBHM963W6_xgFr9entNNDLDMkmacpHSCQAqYsuhLf-l4w-CJrdZbL6iAtLVMrDBwJPw2s/s1600/IMG_0394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtxXBQJRTSAlNctg1Y6ot2sD9nR9m-drKygHFLC23y1PKAiqAXd2eiLzo4X7a_sc_n8odAGoqBHM963W6_xgFr9entNNDLDMkmacpHSCQAqYsuhLf-l4w-CJrdZbL6iAtLVMrDBwJPw2s/s640/IMG_0394.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cactus Wrens were abundant on this trail, singing weird Cactus-y songs.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF7qP9DyRMG71G30FuB5ik3LSm-XJaCpvXknbiGn73vV_k_QQKlTSZ3_MDiwrO2U0S1KxkbBmuPooO9RYyr6QOez7tQVzt8iieOdL63aa6VEOlkxDr5jGAJbyZamn1v4cEyrduN00AbdL/s1600/IMG_0414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF7qP9DyRMG71G30FuB5ik3LSm-XJaCpvXknbiGn73vV_k_QQKlTSZ3_MDiwrO2U0S1KxkbBmuPooO9RYyr6QOez7tQVzt8iieOdL63aa6VEOlkxDr5jGAJbyZamn1v4cEyrduN00AbdL/s640/IMG_0414.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They blend in well with the scenery. And they didn't want me to get too close.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBq9YSGMrD_T8H4ODHNu_9bI955vGpUEiOwJ3IYP5UpWC2bJE6MnAAkX7f3jJZ2HjTJwZSbz0tEIyPkOj1lfRJanIUQ3W7Go2zsmJZlZsYDvqnzgWvI_wN0gKiEz7JK9mzvnb4NnK4SM3/s1600/IMG_0403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBq9YSGMrD_T8H4ODHNu_9bI955vGpUEiOwJ3IYP5UpWC2bJE6MnAAkX7f3jJZ2HjTJwZSbz0tEIyPkOj1lfRJanIUQ3W7Go2zsmJZlZsYDvqnzgWvI_wN0gKiEz7JK9mzvnb4NnK4SM3/s640/IMG_0403.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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We didn't actually complete this hiking trail, because it was an extremely uphill climb that was too much for some of us (hills? we're not used to those). But luckily we got far enough to see one more new bird: the Ladder-backed Woodpecker.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5sY_o_dRjQwrmMXwvrVEoNwAUsMsOQY5yh4tn9UMnvJX2LNyUQ1rcj5gcaJ5dpRZQLAlV49ZT1m6klvQcAIyBpZqm5exWtVqm1pSJHyYORCL7jv9HjJ5C2qsFfZGm0H52oYUHSAyc2ml/s1600/IMG_0407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5sY_o_dRjQwrmMXwvrVEoNwAUsMsOQY5yh4tn9UMnvJX2LNyUQ1rcj5gcaJ5dpRZQLAlV49ZT1m6klvQcAIyBpZqm5exWtVqm1pSJHyYORCL7jv9HjJ5C2qsFfZGm0H52oYUHSAyc2ml/s640/IMG_0407.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIAzp4SoiKQrOiIWg4762SkhY0WXmwaG8htMNXf-7G7PiEAdpxhQKuImH9uXi5s8V3yaGYfIUPCyU0RRBdo2SXbyXBbcDZV9v1wB6jrYaMOJHAGsAju_CIaWGdR9LWMnDx5zOEN3SRDJO/s1600/IMG_0409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIAzp4SoiKQrOiIWg4762SkhY0WXmwaG8htMNXf-7G7PiEAdpxhQKuImH9uXi5s8V3yaGYfIUPCyU0RRBdo2SXbyXBbcDZV9v1wB6jrYaMOJHAGsAju_CIaWGdR9LWMnDx5zOEN3SRDJO/s640/IMG_0409.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super adorable</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmEpwT4M8KLDneSMlLKs3k3yBuJ1f9QsTYKJqeYLzsfc485-zvsr42dwC3Hg1K7ZZYLsQavDNO41xaCBF0FPWLhXngAe9KVkc6l8d36kCU1btF8x2ESajjhwXeEn1KfggTCAzwYX1yOVk/s1600/IMG_0408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmEpwT4M8KLDneSMlLKs3k3yBuJ1f9QsTYKJqeYLzsfc485-zvsr42dwC3Hg1K7ZZYLsQavDNO41xaCBF0FPWLhXngAe9KVkc6l8d36kCU1btF8x2ESajjhwXeEn1KfggTCAzwYX1yOVk/s640/IMG_0408.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was a pair, male and female, hanging out in this branchy thing, pecking away. One can presume there must be some good eats to be had under the bark. The female was much easier to spot, as she was on the side closer to me, and she was calling continuously (the sharp <i>pik pik pik!</i> calls), whereas the male stayed silent and only came around to my side of the bush after a few minutes of observation.</div>
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After giving up on the hiking trail, we decided to follow a lead given to us by a very nice lady, who recommended that we check out that poppies blooming at the archaeological museum just down the road. They had a nice little nature trail there, with plenty of bright orange poppy flowers.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXr0MDPGKDZvK3dIIZfzcsoyfjRjPjBXFzu-qk-yPsSAt9SNw_79KbQU0UOVzojoYCaHMfx62bgDlTSyjOsHpU8jj4M-HPBFpwnPmEG4oilznXfrWj3eeATGv9yZfCOF6P3avYKygLHUA/s1600/IMG_0415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXr0MDPGKDZvK3dIIZfzcsoyfjRjPjBXFzu-qk-yPsSAt9SNw_79KbQU0UOVzojoYCaHMfx62bgDlTSyjOsHpU8jj4M-HPBFpwnPmEG4oilznXfrWj3eeATGv9yZfCOF6P3avYKygLHUA/s640/IMG_0415.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I get so used to the coastal birding trail signs, I end up finding trail signs for other areas to be super exotic and exciting. Especially if they feature my favorite friends: adorable quail.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3LQsU0zJpNxm1h01oEFdvCmDRjm8QRvQZdkveE4zzVxsl1gyIOci7RcHs9Lb8WM0SnLTuoSTszZd56jzx4mp_VRx52TOtebcQyuDMvacJUd5zsV4UCE0Zchi7XnrVkTpcKVTcyAGlh1b/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3LQsU0zJpNxm1h01oEFdvCmDRjm8QRvQZdkveE4zzVxsl1gyIOci7RcHs9Lb8WM0SnLTuoSTszZd56jzx4mp_VRx52TOtebcQyuDMvacJUd5zsV4UCE0Zchi7XnrVkTpcKVTcyAGlh1b/s640/IMG_0417.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The poppies were present throughout this entire mountain meadow.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPxlsFEP1xbFyz4IUm57nSNiF9kjS9p8CVoYnKdV5S-_oC38C0ICO4Pl_hYtyyhjPsXVkunj1PYBn0B7qV1XPPy8m50zyKvbLDbEz33a54y6yJF7qjL1qWe6NuqEmnZsr1TDWKsZbjBDG/s1600/IMG_0421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPxlsFEP1xbFyz4IUm57nSNiF9kjS9p8CVoYnKdV5S-_oC38C0ICO4Pl_hYtyyhjPsXVkunj1PYBn0B7qV1XPPy8m50zyKvbLDbEz33a54y6yJF7qjL1qWe6NuqEmnZsr1TDWKsZbjBDG/s640/IMG_0421.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugtl6CuJ5vZt6IhVhdz_cKCw_9CIsMTwz2MF5wPuxS6A7Kj9p2PIwEOpz1mwcQWKAtR2E_ts5A4Be1q6JvtfoDGQflsarMeRx1GJbpajYkUE9acAoa5aO0oWF2FZUZOPCsfmOHX5_NFrb/s1600/IMG_0423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugtl6CuJ5vZt6IhVhdz_cKCw_9CIsMTwz2MF5wPuxS6A7Kj9p2PIwEOpz1mwcQWKAtR2E_ts5A4Be1q6JvtfoDGQflsarMeRx1GJbpajYkUE9acAoa5aO0oWF2FZUZOPCsfmOHX5_NFrb/s640/IMG_0423.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUAg-w0Kn5IdU562yeHJPStheKMxWCFmlNmNAn2aUTQfBIWuQVRFo1Qj_86BpR0Yx8ZUtOylYbjoaa2tBsMHVzJ6D_xkva1UAMXbqWkAbEFOUAst0NjraklOaITBZn_xkEaRI20FiDqqB/s1600/IMG_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUAg-w0Kn5IdU562yeHJPStheKMxWCFmlNmNAn2aUTQfBIWuQVRFo1Qj_86BpR0Yx8ZUtOylYbjoaa2tBsMHVzJ6D_xkva1UAMXbqWkAbEFOUAst0NjraklOaITBZn_xkEaRI20FiDqqB/s640/IMG_0429.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX_f93O40xMUkAe90_FILbdU0O-YlLtrOX_zWF612M6aYo3BlGAahrBIPbsFn4XFPPGn3d2AyPxnpR_Fty2v7vMafowG2Sw2G462iB1RRiyMoRubetVf9dY63XYKIW2qjFRZOVUFzB6Sv/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX_f93O40xMUkAe90_FILbdU0O-YlLtrOX_zWF612M6aYo3BlGAahrBIPbsFn4XFPPGn3d2AyPxnpR_Fty2v7vMafowG2Sw2G462iB1RRiyMoRubetVf9dY63XYKIW2qjFRZOVUFzB6Sv/s640/IMG_0431.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we have another art piece: Travis Brooding Under a Desert Tree</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHanlTFEtfxgROD3FbOk-fErzLt5Is_fGnHqoKj5DKy0FJnzz1SaJ3YPr1wejPxFdeYjqVFU3pkHa3WCo1hi-oAeT5bIG3Si4VERuis8TOTEMMGG-AXPG_1jj75ADnV29UwSOavRH00H1J/s1600/IMG_0435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHanlTFEtfxgROD3FbOk-fErzLt5Is_fGnHqoKj5DKy0FJnzz1SaJ3YPr1wejPxFdeYjqVFU3pkHa3WCo1hi-oAeT5bIG3Si4VERuis8TOTEMMGG-AXPG_1jj75ADnV29UwSOavRH00H1J/s640/IMG_0435.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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THE AZTEC CAVE TRAIL</div>
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Still in the Franklin Mountains, we decided we needed to actually complete a full hike. We picked a trail that we <i>thought</i> would be easy, because it said it was suitable for families with kids. I think by "kids" that must have meant baby mountain goats, because this was a steep climb up the side of a mountain and into a cave. It was so steep, it required numerous breaks every dozen feet, and nearly killed Travis. But hey, we actually did make it all the way to the end and back.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdvnzaIHcJ6w8sJUnOxoz8isg6z1wqYjy4hrXsIZsagIhfCeF5O5QBKCY5rnxVolQ-bBtiisHCHtEmVPcNos6S-MQGaWW5zos98-DFQg9mcYuZRkzyjHIuDb4e7HZjjBOnaErzlvy-zd3/s1600/IMG_0445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdvnzaIHcJ6w8sJUnOxoz8isg6z1wqYjy4hrXsIZsagIhfCeF5O5QBKCY5rnxVolQ-bBtiisHCHtEmVPcNos6S-MQGaWW5zos98-DFQg9mcYuZRkzyjHIuDb4e7HZjjBOnaErzlvy-zd3/s640/IMG_0445.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big lizard! Beautiful lizard!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4_B_-Z_yTnO264q4aFo6Zt-x0WeOX1w6gVfsmxWQYS5VuSil2PTvBZngrAy1Lr7cjdnj-fdPDPzduGYr6rpMTBKUKgvkNQkspQbZP02WeSr6X1Wv8G_yc1OWkc6cHWcq4BkWEoP_1Uyu/s1600/IMG_0448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4_B_-Z_yTnO264q4aFo6Zt-x0WeOX1w6gVfsmxWQYS5VuSil2PTvBZngrAy1Lr7cjdnj-fdPDPzduGYr6rpMTBKUKgvkNQkspQbZP02WeSr6X1Wv8G_yc1OWkc6cHWcq4BkWEoP_1Uyu/s640/IMG_0448.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis got really close.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9PWwVeNATFuQwCtuf0dt6qdpqalfhweKLa2K9ooBY_LFsk5goS3Lzvmv5JcbTA9XKxO_yblTQfj_HUbBOeafwx9YkcRuIK5r78vjeAJp2cTIzGRnUNeyDw1KtEKCK30czivQbTcrNYs9/s1600/IMG_0450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9PWwVeNATFuQwCtuf0dt6qdpqalfhweKLa2K9ooBY_LFsk5goS3Lzvmv5JcbTA9XKxO_yblTQfj_HUbBOeafwx9YkcRuIK5r78vjeAJp2cTIzGRnUNeyDw1KtEKCK30czivQbTcrNYs9/s640/IMG_0450.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad in his natural habitat.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5_yCEUGmghIxMQEhoDq4hsSWU5qJm09oxPORj8U1ZVWxA14nzGURZICC9_P7OdC70CaQIlKX2Ffyp5kSoNyvKQ55SAKu8NmjNE_ZjVslbWM9lI63INYXk3H2_OhAkxrw0ILGiGF5vhd0/s1600/IMG_0444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5_yCEUGmghIxMQEhoDq4hsSWU5qJm09oxPORj8U1ZVWxA14nzGURZICC9_P7OdC70CaQIlKX2Ffyp5kSoNyvKQ55SAKu8NmjNE_ZjVslbWM9lI63INYXk3H2_OhAkxrw0ILGiGF5vhd0/s640/IMG_0444.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Now, this is from near the start of the trail. The caves are just big shadows in that center rock ridge. From here it doesn't look that far, or that steep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7n6kqqtusuD-vkwMa4C_Yx3r7jnMYkGUNDWv8jc3wn7FqR_MhZuvCdNtrinRfWbA3SqxbSnHuSHecapAzuNArhXv9eWUL-K44cMxQZR8OxFSAQ5bFbYYCh7kiiqkv3Qkp3hQ4pGFRcyt/s1600/IMG_0451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7n6kqqtusuD-vkwMa4C_Yx3r7jnMYkGUNDWv8jc3wn7FqR_MhZuvCdNtrinRfWbA3SqxbSnHuSHecapAzuNArhXv9eWUL-K44cMxQZR8OxFSAQ5bFbYYCh7kiiqkv3Qkp3hQ4pGFRcyt/s640/IMG_0451.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
But here's a view from much closer to the caves. Look at how far you can see. How very high up you are from here.<br />
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There were beautiful White-throated Swifts flying around the cave entrance. I love swifts in general, and this species I never get to see except when I'm out here in the desert, so that's always exciting. They move so quickly, I couldn't catch any on camera, but it's soothing and wonderful to watch them fly around this hard to reach place. A great reward for the climb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZqoSuarbSPo_foyLPCe9I1HB3HOq0seX74BU6kXeOmDAqWjicblVz9trSdtL4G1v8RKUL0VE7HLpfmeGITHXaZcozsrbgL0qnryzeje5aaiJ5FEKYDpb6UCLJfj4jP08_YTw4hnmfTZG/s1600/IMG_0456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZqoSuarbSPo_foyLPCe9I1HB3HOq0seX74BU6kXeOmDAqWjicblVz9trSdtL4G1v8RKUL0VE7HLpfmeGITHXaZcozsrbgL0qnryzeje5aaiJ5FEKYDpb6UCLJfj4jP08_YTw4hnmfTZG/s640/IMG_0456.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis Plays Video Games Even in Desert Caves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-kw6LB1R4ZbIfwr7iJwUH2vWhex3G2qeUjxKKancir5WIdSUMvub-4V-mZ-0gFwzRviKTHn_Ob9H0AbHOxHGasfaxwRucbduAbOTi9x54hVsY6FrchyphenhyphenhZrZEt4WO7UZ5Vn_Fxtkog9Sz/s1600/IMG_0457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-kw6LB1R4ZbIfwr7iJwUH2vWhex3G2qeUjxKKancir5WIdSUMvub-4V-mZ-0gFwzRviKTHn_Ob9H0AbHOxHGasfaxwRucbduAbOTi9x54hVsY6FrchyphenhyphenhZrZEt4WO7UZ5Vn_Fxtkog9Sz/s640/IMG_0457.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new home sweet home!</td></tr>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-2639999934733765402016-01-15T15:12:00.000-06:002016-01-15T15:12:35.628-06:00Happenings at Bay Area Park: The Hungry VulturesPart three of the series! Because I am behind on entries (you can add malfunctioning computers to my list of ailments!), please note that these events transpired on <b>November 30th, 2015</b>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNOeVmDCglWmQDFe4zjfVX-K3V1lF9A6shhPENIkmj-shgmFBPtuSQCtXlssddkGuOGjQah3OjKInWJSjGg2Q4mUlhoh12fx-KDU3jtpnFguFdPANUL08AKf93QYRRZCNlVfay6JtbMTL/s1600/Bay+Area+Park+Nov+30+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNOeVmDCglWmQDFe4zjfVX-K3V1lF9A6shhPENIkmj-shgmFBPtuSQCtXlssddkGuOGjQah3OjKInWJSjGg2Q4mUlhoh12fx-KDU3jtpnFguFdPANUL08AKf93QYRRZCNlVfay6JtbMTL/s640/Bay+Area+Park+Nov+30+2015.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's Bigfoot!</td></tr>
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Alas, we could find no goose or mallards at the duck pond this fine day! Actually, there were no ducks there at all, not even the fairly numerous Muscovys. So we went in search of our favorite waterfowl, exploring other areas of the park, walking through mossy trees, disturbing half a dozen squirrels.<br />
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Finally, we found some Muscovys! My brother had brought along some bread especially for them.<br />
After the Muscovys had been nibbling on the bread for a few minutes, I noticed something interesting: one Black Vulture had flown in to a nearby tree. It then flew to the ground, not too far away from us. Interesting!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOGd1sVnsOgupWej66fsE3zKAy8VTNOsu_H3p9KwCC5n6D1UHf0cjacsTFmLXUaxaeY6Vm6yM3hkYwbxoM8N0kYiPVdbaxdr1OXyQo94RatJjDv1u3deZkzqu8__c2IG5draL1N7XjjA8/s1600/v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOGd1sVnsOgupWej66fsE3zKAy8VTNOsu_H3p9KwCC5n6D1UHf0cjacsTFmLXUaxaeY6Vm6yM3hkYwbxoM8N0kYiPVdbaxdr1OXyQo94RatJjDv1u3deZkzqu8__c2IG5draL1N7XjjA8/s400/v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's but a vulture shape in the distance.</td></tr>
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But then one more showed up. And then another. And another. They began to move closer to us.<br />
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They seemed to be looking around for food in the grass.<br />
Their numbers grew, and suddenly, they were <i>very</i> close.<br />
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My brother threw a piece of bread towards them, and they were in on the action almost instantaneously.<br />
The entire flock was galloping over to us at high speed.<br />
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I was immediately struck but how very <i>differently</i> vultures move from the other birds I'm used to watching. This was my first close encounter with wild vultures. Normally I see them soaring high in the sky, or settled down on a street lamp, or even standing at the roadside waiting for a chance to access roadkill; <i>not</i> running around on the ground by my feet.<br />
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<i>Galloping</i> seems like the only polite way to describe their movement<i>. Skulking like a goblin</i> would be another way I'd put it. I must confess to feeling a little creeped out by their sudden movements, all creeping gallops and hops, often moving about with heads ducked in and bodies held low to the ground, with the occasional long hop accompanied by a burst of wings. I couldn't help but feel slightly threatened, suddenly surrounded by this strange group of skulking winged goblins.<br />
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Their movement seems bold, their intentions sharp, their personalities dynamic.<br />
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I don't feel like words do them justice at all, so I implore everyone to watch this video, to get a better sense of what I'm talking about. Watch their intense flurries of activity and competition, at one moment bold and direct, at the next cautious and hesitant.<br />
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One of them landed on the trashcan right across from me. It only nibbled at the bag a little bit. These vultures got very close at times. One of them even came close enough that it could've touched my shoe. <br />
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You can see here that most of the ducks were finished with this frenzy, and began making their way down to the shore of Armand Bayou. The ducks laid down next to the water, their backs to us. The vultures stuck around.<br />
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I really loved watching them. It was something exciting, new, and entirely unexpected for us.<br />
These vultures are fascinating birds that I found very entertaining to watch.<br />
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Also visiting us on this amazing day was a sizable flock of Red-Winged Blackbirds, which mixed occasionally with the Great-tailed Grackle flock. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKVHna8UN5TwZHsBvCAhU7irBjsRH5HcSJsjVYmaWe-9y_qc8agBvAvZ045StOLlKJWVTsZOyU1AzXxdmWH25EJJCWtZ9uV9EOqvz2PE2ZADN5Iq8cyV9AvRiIFBXzMfL4jA2reyBIyDs/s1600/gr-bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKVHna8UN5TwZHsBvCAhU7irBjsRH5HcSJsjVYmaWe-9y_qc8agBvAvZ045StOLlKJWVTsZOyU1AzXxdmWH25EJJCWtZ9uV9EOqvz2PE2ZADN5Iq8cyV9AvRiIFBXzMfL4jA2reyBIyDs/s640/gr-bb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red-wings are in there, if you look closely.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O7twdyIqG9buCpPhKXZ-WG9Nulf7zYkp6WJyqbOyLSV1ET6wyG-sFZL_ue4tOkd5GvCiy6n2O-Xd3csQvYAHt-N3xUG2PsUYzkqArwwTEGEx6AqQY1LtZ5WRNwEeij-8qOZeqXlwrUNg/s1600/gr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O7twdyIqG9buCpPhKXZ-WG9Nulf7zYkp6WJyqbOyLSV1ET6wyG-sFZL_ue4tOkd5GvCiy6n2O-Xd3csQvYAHt-N3xUG2PsUYzkqArwwTEGEx6AqQY1LtZ5WRNwEeij-8qOZeqXlwrUNg/s640/gr.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the iridescent purple and blue of a male Great-tailed Grackle.</td></tr>
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Another somewhat unexpected sighting were two tabby cats, one orange and one brown, slinking out of the bushes to go lounge in the parking lot. The original frenzy of the vultures was dying down almost as quickly as it had begun. Many had lost interest in the bread, and the flock began to fan out. A few of the vultures went in the direction of the parking lot cats, and I watched with interest, wondering how far the cats would let these birds approach.<br />
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Turns out the answer is: pretty close! And here's where I put in a little note of remorse about how one should always take good notes when you're out in nature observing, because you may think you're going to remember everything that happened, and, oh, you're gonna write that blog post in two days tops, all the details will get in there. But then you're sick and busy and months go by and you forgot what transpired between the cats and the vulture. Did the vultures seem interested in the cat? How much was the cat ignoring them? Did the cat walk away at this point, or did the vultures never get closer than this? All lost now because I didn't write it down right away.<br />
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Another thing I didn't make strong enough note of is that one of the vultures seemed very slightly different from the other, both in appearance and in some behaviors, and I thought this might be a young individual. But having not noted down exactly what those differences were, I can't report them here, and it now only counts as yet more lost information.<br />
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In the following picture you can see that a few vultures just decided to sit in the grass!<br />
One of them even laid down completely!<br />
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Even they slowly began to gather together in the nearby tree, lining up on the branches one by one. At this point, we felt it was time to move on, finish our search for the goose, and head on home before it got too late.<br />
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Bird count for the day:<br />
9 Black Vultures<br />
8 Muscovy Ducks<br />
50 Great-tailed Grackles <br />
40 Red-winged Blackbirds<br />
2 Mockingbirds<br />
1 Anhinga<br />
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker<br />
12 unidentified gulls (they were too far)<br />
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We also saw three cats total, and one rabbit! I realized on this day too that I'd never bothered to count the squirrels that I see here, but it seems, at this point, a little unfair to just ignore them. Might start keeping track of that in my later adventures here. <br />
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I'd also like to point out that we have not seen the goose or the mallards here since mid November. We swung by several times in December to look for the goose especially, with no luck. Where did they go? Will they ever come back? It's a mystery.<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-87318912703707989412016-01-10T17:30:00.000-06:002016-01-10T17:30:25.903-06:00Happenings at Bay Area Park: Seagull FrenzyBeing plagued by various illnesses and learning to navigate the maze of higher education has left me woefully behind on a lot of things, and blog posts are no exception! Now that months have passed by, I can review my notes and try to get back in the swing of things!<br />
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These are some <b>Happenings at Bay Area Park (part 2 in a series!), from November 9th 2015</b>!<br />
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The domestic swan goose still lurks on the premises. You can see him here, proudly surveying his terrain, while his four mallard friends have a little conference in the shadows.<br />
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These mallards frequently cluster together and quack to one another in soft voices. This happens suddenly and seemingly randomly. It's the same group of mallards that were present here two weeks ago. One is "wild" colored (with a greenish head), one is brown, and two are white - and one of those has a poofy hat! These four stay together in a flock, and the mallards and the goose seem to hang out together quite a lot, with the goose following the mallards around, or the mallards following the goose. It's interesting to think that, without any other members of his own species around, this goose has perhaps found an adopted flock to be a part of. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzBesLG_u_IkACxa7WkiLm7IiEEUDpqlTHgPFedPGUHs57cHowLp3b6tN4hhGErslWrkQgIvEfY4V22_aPBU_N59Sq9jFA-SPXb1A6W7PaGAna_KAo4LA8kNgKoQYbKhSu0waCRJ8e-hY/s1600/20151109_142603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzBesLG_u_IkACxa7WkiLm7IiEEUDpqlTHgPFedPGUHs57cHowLp3b6tN4hhGErslWrkQgIvEfY4V22_aPBU_N59Sq9jFA-SPXb1A6W7PaGAna_KAo4LA8kNgKoQYbKhSu0waCRJ8e-hY/s1600/20151109_142603.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, yes: the reason we're here. (Pictured: Muscovy ducks, Franklin's Gulls, Great-tailed Grackles, Strange Human)</td></tr>
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We're mostly visiting this park because it's a lovely place to eat lunch, and my little brother is very keen on interacting with birds. Of course one of the chief ways to get birds to interact with you is to start feeding them scraps of your lunch.<br />
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These are Franklin's Gulls (and one Great-tailed Grackle there in the back), in their winter plumage. This is not a typical year-round resident species for Texas, but a migratory one, passing through in the Spring and the Fall. Fifteen of them joined us for our lunch this afternoon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1FVc91OPXi9-4qRqYRbmGvyg-2VIyBMfe585By0xkoBMPi91co4A-k-YO1peAESvW7keaEMjil6ZZfqj6CHGvWNrfLVGYfAFbyuXGsju-w288CwYmImF3ydQEhGCqeX2-IKq2mqBcNsz/s1600/20151109_143059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1FVc91OPXi9-4qRqYRbmGvyg-2VIyBMfe585By0xkoBMPi91co4A-k-YO1peAESvW7keaEMjil6ZZfqj6CHGvWNrfLVGYfAFbyuXGsju-w288CwYmImF3ydQEhGCqeX2-IKq2mqBcNsz/s640/20151109_143059.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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These gulls were all pretty amicable...with one exception. You can spot the gull I'm talking about right here near the center, mouth open wide. This particular gull was ferocious. Rushing aggressively for the food, attacking any other gull that got in the way (even grabbing one by the neck for a few moments), and screaming more and more loudly and for longer periods of time as the feeding frenzy went on. The rest of the gulls were silent aside from some soft squealing calls, and didn't seem at all aggressive, not fighting with each other the way this gull was picking fights. In the video I'll be posting soon, you can see perfect examples of the fighting and screaming, and how the other gulls are just so much calmer. In addition to these behavioral differences, I couldn't see any white spots on this particular gull's wing tips, which lead me to believe that it might be a lone Laughing Gull in this flock of Franklin's Gulls. This theory is supported even further by reading the passages for these two species in <i>The Behavior of Texas Birds</i> by Kent Rylander (great book!), where the Franklin's Gull is noted to be gentle and non-aggressive, whereas "noisy, aggressive, and persistent" are all words used to describe the typical Laughing Gull. This brings our gull count to fifteen Franklin's, and one Laughing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMkN4LlIgIPYLytPW28REo9-3pQzqOnQF59FfjlV7yfvzSo2ggEcaGjJ5tBkKwvxNY96WqH4NOULmgIz1aY9vTGYiebmydyzTKbxBUWlmT2o4i1XqQL3dbXERBIjKOAYeUTLjwrDEB0VZ/s1600/20151109_144526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMkN4LlIgIPYLytPW28REo9-3pQzqOnQF59FfjlV7yfvzSo2ggEcaGjJ5tBkKwvxNY96WqH4NOULmgIz1aY9vTGYiebmydyzTKbxBUWlmT2o4i1XqQL3dbXERBIjKOAYeUTLjwrDEB0VZ/s640/20151109_144526.jpg" width="532" /></a></td></tr>
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It seems that one lone grackle always managed to sneak his way into
these pictures. They couldn't quite compete with the gulls, so they
mostly stood on the sidelines, snatching food opportunistically. Or they
ignored the frenzy entirely: the majority of the grackles were just
foraging in the grass nearby.<br />
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I just like this one seagull backed by the sunlit fountain. Plus the duck face peeking in.<br />
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This Muscovy duck has such lovely yellow feet! These ducks were only slightly interested in the chicken scraps we had to offer, so they mostly just hung around the vicinity, nibbling at the occasional bits and pieces. I saw eight Muscovy ducks at the pond, and four in another part of the park, leaving us with a total of twelve seen. <br />
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A fantastic passerby to our feeding frenzy was this Great Egret, first spotted standing on the opposite side of the pond! It was not interested in the food we had to offer, sticking to the shoreline and ignoring us.<br />
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The following video shows one piece of the action for the day, including the egret walking by, and the one boisterous Laughing Gull in this flock of calmer Franklin's. In the background you can hear the grackles chattering.<br />
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Speaking of grackles, I counted thirty of them here at the pond, foraging in a loose flock. Most were wandering through the grass, looking around, occasionally picking at leaves or sticks. Whatever they were eating (small bugs, I assume?), I could never see it.<br />
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Great-tailed Grackles are gregarious birds with a highly varied diet. As most Houstonians know, they can make quite a living in a fast-food parking lot. Though most of them weren't all that interested in our fast food, foraging on their own instead, which gave me an impression of self-sufficiency. A grackle won't beg you for food, I guess, but a sea gull will. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Wne7IMC5_zu3SRdTqc5wW2KL1girTd5DRIOhMuAhMgz05Iheop0G-SGYjfHRUbB_PrSbAAAFp_TEbxoP5fAcqK-nSwvyfnVu73pG-RcbQiuhTCVfu-hslbdLhkLNaB5hGogr6UnEIjVl/s1600/20151109_144755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Wne7IMC5_zu3SRdTqc5wW2KL1girTd5DRIOhMuAhMgz05Iheop0G-SGYjfHRUbB_PrSbAAAFp_TEbxoP5fAcqK-nSwvyfnVu73pG-RcbQiuhTCVfu-hslbdLhkLNaB5hGogr6UnEIjVl/s640/20151109_144755.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't miss the grackle at the edge of the picture with a stick in his beak! Also note the way you can see all the way through a sea gull's nose.</td></tr>
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These grackles are also one of my favorite examples of sexual dimorphism in birds,
with males and females being vastly different sizes in addition to
having different coloration. The big males with their long tails are obvious - seriously, they're show-offs! Rather than ever come to blows, they just engage in posturing contests with one another. I have witnessed these posturing showdowns personally in Ihop parking lots, and I've seen super poofy courtship dancing in Whataburger drive-throughs. I feel like I owe these grackles for making parking lots exciting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*squawk*</td></tr>
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An hour later, after the feeding frenzy was long over, we found the goose and the mallards taking an afternoon nap!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So asleep.</td></tr>
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We were able to get very close to the goose without waking him up. He only opened his eye once to look at us. We didn't want to risk disturbing him too much, of course.<br />
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Another interesting visitor to the pond was this Black Vulture! It took a few sips of the water before flying away. A second vulture dropped by shortly afterwards!<br />
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As if really trying to showcase the variety of birdlife here at this little duck pond, twenty minutes after those vultures showed up, this cormorant appeared, drying their wings in the sun!<br />
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I also saw a small bird flycatching in a tree nearby, but I couldn't discern whether it was a wood peewee or a phoebe before I lost track of it for good. I also saw a Great Blue Heron on the Armand Bayou shore, a ladybug in some reeds, a Green Anole, four turtles in the bayou (two of those had red ears), and heard what sounded like chickadees.<br />
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There was one last strange thing waiting for us before we went home for the day: a red-eared slider in the parking lot!<br />
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My brother said he saw someone placing this turtle in the lot before they got in their car and drove away. These people had been kayaking. I'm not sure what the story behind this turtle is (why was he put here, if he was even put here at all?), but we were a little concerned about leaving a turtle in the street.<br />
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We picked up the little fellow and moved him closer to the bayou, so he could swim in if he wanted. A few minutes left alone, and into the bayou she had gone.<br />
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This concludes my park stories for <b>November 9th</b> (2015!). Check back soon for the third entry of this series, and a closer look at some of those Black Vultures!<br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-40108968096650192492015-12-22T19:23:00.000-06:002015-12-22T19:23:17.741-06:00Super Ultra Magical Winter LightsWhile it is possible to email all your friends the cool stuff you saw at the Magical Winter Lights display in Houston, if you have a blog, you can just put it all there, and then it feels like you're putting up a new page in a cool community scrapbook, instead of sending a letter or a few dozen stray files destined to get lost in someones inbox of I-never-ever-delete-emails-ever-even-the-junk-ones-from-Crazy-Tarot-Cats-dot-com or the all-consuming labrynth of someone's phone. I don't even want to talk about Facebook.<br />
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This was a journey made on one perfectly warm (70 degree) winter's night, with my little brother and my courageous mother. Said little brother (who answers both to "hey you", "frogger", "frogsauce", "super frog", and "Travis") was also the photographer to this trip, so if you like the photos you can say "hey, thanks, frogsauce", just like I would.<br />
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This is one of the first things we saw, and man, look at all these dancing skeleton pirates and their adorable hats. I don't know if I'm scared or completely delighted. They're great. Almost as great as that dragon. Almost. Wish I could give that dragon a high five for being awesome.<br />
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They divided all the lights up into countries. But the best country of all is, of course DINOSAUR KINGDOM. Everything else pales in comparison, and as such, I basically have no comment on these other much less impressive countries. I promise you, pictures from Dinosaur Kingdom are coming. I promise.<br />
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This Christmas tree was gigantic. REALLY, really gigantic. It was a dinosaur size tree. You can't tell in this picture, so just take my word for it. Really nice tree.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's just the face my brother makes all the time.</td></tr>
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It may seem at first like this is the best place in the world for adorable family photos, but then you realize that it's just a place of overwhelming blinding lights, cursing you with adorable family photos that are going to be either blurry or shadowed. Unless you actually know how to work your camera in difficult lighting situations, in which case, bah humbug to you, you're making the rest of us look bad.<br />
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Even super adorable Chinese dragons are not immune to the awesome power of the blinding lights. This dragon did a lot of wiggling around, which is what I imagine dragons do best.<br />
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They had a section devoted to all the Chinese zodiac animals (yeah, now we're gettin' to the good stuff!), and all of them - I really gotta say - looked pretty crazy, bizarre, and/or terrifying. This snake was really one of the more elegant and poised ones, and I was impressed with the way they handled her lack of arms, by making it sort of look like she has arms, but also not <i>entirely</i> like she has arms. It's the perfect mystery.<br />
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Now, each animal had it's own statue like this snake, and each animal also had a Photographic Opportunity statue, which I thought was kind of overdoing it a little, but oh well. The Photographic Opportunity statues were just as weird, and actually probably much creepier, because it looked like they were all very happy to devour many innocent victims. Just like the people who ask you for money so you can get in the parking lot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytYUglWGSBw7dffLTlUUZVoZ-5KC3MnME4cktFF-it6_skztvuMYaItyApX0QJi2k4o7EH0mdN6vLjZNjfJjeDDPBoUXFMgdJt8MZcIBEt-tCyY-jIlRnIwd8BEXfKzsBLdWUV75FceMw/s1600/IMG_9872+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytYUglWGSBw7dffLTlUUZVoZ-5KC3MnME4cktFF-it6_skztvuMYaItyApX0QJi2k4o7EH0mdN6vLjZNjfJjeDDPBoUXFMgdJt8MZcIBEt-tCyY-jIlRnIwd8BEXfKzsBLdWUV75FceMw/s640/IMG_9872+%25282%2529.jpg" width="446" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my "please, help me" face, which is only appropriate.</td></tr>
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I wasn't actually born in the year of the snake, but I appreciated the snake's poise and elegance so much, I got my picture with her anyway. Just look at that smile. Who wouldn't smile back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SeNTgefWEMtEp8pXhqOqdQb7f-_I0Hlw9FJmbjLgWMJz1srKpvRI0Iqej20tE3-KcFpTfwuSrmBZ63mnqicu8zz6n1_m8DatQ6YZ33rZZ3Q2lqUjeCAGe-P4xf4UcCyUag2ru7v41hMz/s1600/20151221_200558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SeNTgefWEMtEp8pXhqOqdQb7f-_I0Hlw9FJmbjLgWMJz1srKpvRI0Iqej20tE3-KcFpTfwuSrmBZ63mnqicu8zz6n1_m8DatQ6YZ33rZZ3Q2lqUjeCAGe-P4xf4UcCyUag2ru7v41hMz/s640/20151221_200558.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just look at those <i>eyes.</i></td></tr>
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I really don't think anybody could help but be entranced by such dazzling beauty. I sure couldn't. <br />
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You can see a T-rex in the back of this picture, which is awesome. My mother is awesome, too, of course. She probably didn't even pay me to say that.<br />
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Now we're getting to the REALLY good part: DINOSAUR KINGDOM. It really is called Dinosaur Kingdom. There's a big sign for it. This is how you know it is THE best part of the show. I assure you that I am very, very biased and that this dinosaur section is 100% the reason I wanted to go here in the first place. Just let me just say the words: DINOSAUR CHRISTMAS. That's synonymous with BEST POSSIBLE CHRISTMAS. Person who tipped me off that there were dinosaur lights here: this entire post is your fault. Also, I love you. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhw57TlCeeeWIYxAZur835G_qYuzbUwFUL33mOUifHt9A82P5BmnmnjKg8uLRgzU-JYCmXJGldrU8dkyqgoBDxmbr_LxYoA1k04vEQTWrNyRj2qcBR_dyL09qoSyzRjXTqSnXl0FbwsOP/s1600/IMG_9876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhw57TlCeeeWIYxAZur835G_qYuzbUwFUL33mOUifHt9A82P5BmnmnjKg8uLRgzU-JYCmXJGldrU8dkyqgoBDxmbr_LxYoA1k04vEQTWrNyRj2qcBR_dyL09qoSyzRjXTqSnXl0FbwsOP/s640/IMG_9876.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'M HIGH FIVING THE DINOSAUR</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekw6bziFykHu6-OWclU5A6egO_itSTfXlBlJUIOo2BjPKo6OYZCt5cdAYRvJpkxJJJrT6AS4CV60rKqWAf2VOyQlZ1oaW9Hfr-_wUWzgoqxi8PQRh1gYrDj3DWzGZsYKiDhco1K8BYtRy/s1600/IMG_9877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekw6bziFykHu6-OWclU5A6egO_itSTfXlBlJUIOo2BjPKo6OYZCt5cdAYRvJpkxJJJrT6AS4CV60rKqWAf2VOyQlZ1oaW9Hfr-_wUWzgoqxi8PQRh1gYrDj3DWzGZsYKiDhco1K8BYtRy/s640/IMG_9877.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HIGH FIVE HIGH FIVE HIGH FIVE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb2Vs-owpP2pIFA1Zqc911oAhazZFYp6sollCuFCNYDF_bEoOJQesX82iVxBV3HtgIx8Am5QOopv2vXfMuU_TEMuJAROMFpz3LCEftneVkqxRiHSM9aw3hF60D7eJfSXRdZWYA_PBnnAv/s640/IMG_9878.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinosaurus, my hero of Christmas. May you be remembered forever.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSMNyk1mn4xNSZGuFQD6cgA9IWZqx5rJ4tNd-NVComhJHTWl-IuoTTZxtb69RwMihbgS7W_mUEJnCOe2pjFIbiionIlbWYuN_74M-MZ-RUkEhZeLZqk5ubQJt4NeZj3ztwvWqXfoi3DCV/s1600/IMG_9880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSMNyk1mn4xNSZGuFQD6cgA9IWZqx5rJ4tNd-NVComhJHTWl-IuoTTZxtb69RwMihbgS7W_mUEJnCOe2pjFIbiionIlbWYuN_74M-MZ-RUkEhZeLZqk5ubQJt4NeZj3ztwvWqXfoi3DCV/s640/IMG_9880.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"are we done yet are we done yet can we go now are we done yet"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbJpNcx7BQghO7JBWI4GIEaYBa9CW2uBaKNwMUMdZ1_eJVbMPdIOct0hzQ3L42JG9jB2jyaSNhoFj5IKOQiI6Kt2G0FIVPsVs8UEsHTROxy05ypMGZNxbNW9-1W7QWnYL4V6dcaT-NCgI/s1600/IMG_9881+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbJpNcx7BQghO7JBWI4GIEaYBa9CW2uBaKNwMUMdZ1_eJVbMPdIOct0hzQ3L42JG9jB2jyaSNhoFj5IKOQiI6Kt2G0FIVPsVs8UEsHTROxy05ypMGZNxbNW9-1W7QWnYL4V6dcaT-NCgI/s640/IMG_9881+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought these tiger-striped dinosaurs were beautiful.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazaJzndS1lRh38cks9fXelIihto9ZKoPoPCifmFzHsWw5kdpWMin2E1f4-mfQgdRg8kLJ8zVTrT8wxqugcujqrX0PNV8Bz5aGQhyljeaGp21oYU-DkMLPI918DDICai1R6LlS6MU36yz0/s1600/IMG_9882+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazaJzndS1lRh38cks9fXelIihto9ZKoPoPCifmFzHsWw5kdpWMin2E1f4-mfQgdRg8kLJ8zVTrT8wxqugcujqrX0PNV8Bz5aGQhyljeaGp21oYU-DkMLPI918DDICai1R6LlS6MU36yz0/s640/IMG_9882+%25282%2529.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then again, I think all dinosaurs are beautiful.</td></tr>
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank whoever might be responsible for including Dinosaur Kingdom in this light show. You had Asia, Europe, America, etc, and somewhat inexplicably, Dinosaur Kingdom. Thank you so much. Your fellow dinosaur fanatics are cheering for your success. You could've had Penguin Ice City instead. Maybe do that next year. With an expanded Dinosaur Kingdom.<br />
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It really wouldn't be Christmas if you didn't take a family picture in front of the very tall cat.</div>
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We were all intrigued by the apparent drama of this scene. What's going on here? They all seem so busy talking about each other's snakes, wrangling snakes, even trying to pet/steal each other's snakes?? Really I think I just enjoyed the sheer number of snakes.<br />
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This picture didn't turn out crisp, but these camels were beautiful. The African Animal Kingdom, though not as expansive as Dinosaur Kingdom, was almost as lovely and dearly appreciated.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They almost look like they're friends!</td></tr>
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Hard to go wrong with a blue antelope, that's my opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAmiPhI-ErVcsDHrwvk62whWfMHK6vlsMF-FtbcFbIv3-oe_rIumhFoXqP2g_pWh-rWnwmUpb0Kx8MfNxe4IqO67oWR_J10cNTwEcREnfFMV16RzKA3hfmENXfQshyb7TGMzZ_FIdhvXY/s1600/IMG_9896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAmiPhI-ErVcsDHrwvk62whWfMHK6vlsMF-FtbcFbIv3-oe_rIumhFoXqP2g_pWh-rWnwmUpb0Kx8MfNxe4IqO67oWR_J10cNTwEcREnfFMV16RzKA3hfmENXfQshyb7TGMzZ_FIdhvXY/s640/IMG_9896.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Obligatory Sydney Opera House. Can't go without one of those, either.<br />
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Now, we get to what is definitely my favorite part of the show outside Dinosaur Kingdom. A thing really worth saying. A creature that may just be haunting my dreams and nightmares even long after Christmas.<br />
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THIS WHALE. It is both beautiful and terrifying. Stare deep into it's bulging eye! Look closely at it's rows of pointy teeth! It's powerful fins and impressive size! I see no mercy in its cold expression. It's incredible. I love it. Perfection is known to be this whale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrk_RhvG7QE4Cya1q8JX6UrwonO8NJr4trbU4Dp8Vth_ock2PL7QFeVAOHkl0-rjc855QR7Ikg-4uHfRpCPJlFXPhPcNI_xKh5Yb_513ToIP6gSVZYAzvlb24z8vqDRtPBcEDnOFB6gny/s1600/IMG_9900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrk_RhvG7QE4Cya1q8JX6UrwonO8NJr4trbU4Dp8Vth_ock2PL7QFeVAOHkl0-rjc855QR7Ikg-4uHfRpCPJlFXPhPcNI_xKh5Yb_513ToIP6gSVZYAzvlb24z8vqDRtPBcEDnOFB6gny/s640/IMG_9900.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOOK AT IT</td></tr>
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To whatever artist is responsible for this beautiful monstrosity: I hope you sleep well at night.<br />
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These giraffes, on the other hand, are not terrifying, just super cute.<br />
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Ok, so, I said the whale was my favorite; I may have lied. Because THIS NEXT THING is my favorite:<br />
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The picture doesn't do it justice. It's humongous, and it's beautiful, there are about five birds on it, it's so elegant and so beautifully done, and it will haunt only your dreams and not your nightmares. It's really gorgeous. And birds being classified as dinosaurs anyway, it's pretty much a giant elegant dinosaur painting that glows. You can't beat it.<br />
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Obligatory America.<br />
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Obligatory pretty light tunnel.<br />
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Obligatory pretty landscape featuring Jesus.<br />
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THIS THING. Which really was a wonder to behold. It renders me speechless. And will be eagerly sent to all our international friends, I'm really quite sure.<br />
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My mom is a wicked gun-slinging cowboy. But we knew that already.<br />
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So these...."arctic people + dogs"...look like if you crossed an extremely old museum display with a funny old sitcom, but ok. And I thought that whale was creepy.<br />
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This army of color-changing eye-less and arm-less penguins was <i>also</i> kind of creepy. But also kind of cool. I could never quite decide.<br />
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I am not sure what is going on with that bear on the right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixgOoFASmEM5fsi-BRIJYdLDdCuv4EcOSYZqR7b2a9VybBDsVzNW9ApL9EqiN-OHkB7nW4wa4-uA8hUTzZFcA7F7WlK45xAGDJX8InuaTn2GnbZN6u_UrL9qOGLiGn4XvdOezqdsn4mBI/s1600/IMG_9918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixgOoFASmEM5fsi-BRIJYdLDdCuv4EcOSYZqR7b2a9VybBDsVzNW9ApL9EqiN-OHkB7nW4wa4-uA8hUTzZFcA7F7WlK45xAGDJX8InuaTn2GnbZN6u_UrL9qOGLiGn4XvdOezqdsn4mBI/s640/IMG_9918.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nor am I sure what is going on with these penguins' flippers, but we were happy to imitate them anyway.<br />
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And that's that. The whole thing was an overwhelming experience that left me a little dazed and befuddled and with nightmares about a toothy whale, but it was all fun to see, and I'm grateful to my familial companions for allowing me to drag them there. There's a lot of lights, and there's a lot of accidentally standing in the way of people's Photographic Opportunities, and there are a lot of dinosaurs, so basically, it's everything you could ever ask for out of a fancy Christmas light show.<br />
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Thank you, and see you again, when I make more posts about birds (who you can just think of as dinosaurs). Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-49226665646313591652015-10-21T22:10:00.000-05:002016-01-10T17:31:30.946-06:00Happenings at Bay Area Park: The GooseI've started visiting this park in Clear Lake on a regular basis, so I'm hoping this will be the first post in a series on nature sightings at Bay Area Park.<br />
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Last week, a short visit revealed a crow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, bluebirds, Common Grackles, a tree completely covered in sapsucker feeding holes, an armadillo burrow, and a pond where a Great Egret, a seagull, a goose, and some ducks were devouring the foody offerings of a small child. The goose - which was larger than said child - could be heard screeching long before we laid eyes on it.<br />
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On today's visit, we got a chance to get a closer look at this lone goose.<br />
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A much, much closer look.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwv93nB8ejwUGiDa7VCwofpWICcxDQw3_YXq-9hLSGnzUOGtZ0oJvc5sVxSBJ4N-0ouMjGaVjBthIJx4Z_2tXuBsl2swZb0U5bcmslZB1CJ-4Gogim57SHkHysYEDsSF7KRHO2BqSf9zC/s1600/20151021_155053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwv93nB8ejwUGiDa7VCwofpWICcxDQw3_YXq-9hLSGnzUOGtZ0oJvc5sVxSBJ4N-0ouMjGaVjBthIJx4Z_2tXuBsl2swZb0U5bcmslZB1CJ-4Gogim57SHkHysYEDsSF7KRHO2BqSf9zC/s640/20151021_155053.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You have to look pretty close to see it, but he has a pretty yellow eye ring.</td></tr>
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We'd brought our lunch to the pond, and this goose approached us before we'd even selected a table. Immediately he began to assail us with what I can only call a dinosaur screech. The following is a 40-second video that will allow you to hear some dino screeching with your own ears, and observe this magnificent dinosaur goose in action.<br />
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<br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HPto6n7UHPs/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HPto6n7UHPs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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My brother was offering him a bit of chicken. The goose didn't eat it. Later, he offered Sir Goose some granola, which Sir Goose did accept. The goose stared at me for quite a while, even though I had nothing to offer, and at one point even pecked at my knee. I shooed him away, though he remained at our table. The dinosaur screeching was unceasing.<br />
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This seems to be the only goose living here at the park, and I suspect that makes him lonely. A goose like this ought to have a goose friend. Maybe that would keep him from screeching at us throughout our entire lunch. Or, even when he did wander away, would keep him from staring creepily at us from a distance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iqMZAQuJ7yvSXihFeZUYwF0DBaQZGaZAtjkHqnpce1JaHtc3LhKBskohn5eK_F0VJKiLA-WKtIrYWSRWYhJm1feFXif4-Us8fJGETpxp96YG0EzSWudBEXXUI4B_kgyXqD_fuORO4B3k/s1600/goose-creeper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iqMZAQuJ7yvSXihFeZUYwF0DBaQZGaZAtjkHqnpce1JaHtc3LhKBskohn5eK_F0VJKiLA-WKtIrYWSRWYhJm1feFXif4-Us8fJGETpxp96YG0EzSWudBEXXUI4B_kgyXqD_fuORO4B3k/s640/goose-creeper.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I must admit that this goose made me highly uncomfortable.</td></tr>
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This goose is a spectacle. People stop their cars to take a look at this goose standing proudly by the roadside. Anyone can approach the goose. You don't even have to have anything edible on you. If you are in need of a goose encounter, you know where to find one now. He probably won't attack you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yemn_1Q021VDJ4iBHYZQ2B3_Hd3qjHN0ICRebDGRycKb-aqbEUdtUPganPBtXMIQn1oTiv9PCwRBDifeNuAFYyC-d3A8JavA6LybkT3DiJqJNzh7iMuk4nQSYWZTBPhVGkplR6QSrGaX/s1600/20151021_154854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yemn_1Q021VDJ4iBHYZQ2B3_Hd3qjHN0ICRebDGRycKb-aqbEUdtUPganPBtXMIQn1oTiv9PCwRBDifeNuAFYyC-d3A8JavA6LybkT3DiJqJNzh7iMuk4nQSYWZTBPhVGkplR6QSrGaX/s640/20151021_154854.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rest assured you will be able to get much closer than this.</td></tr>
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A little internet searching reveals that this is a domesticated variety of the Swan Goose (yes, that's really what it's called), the wild Swan Goose being a native of Mongolia, China, Russia. There seem to be two breeds of domestic Swan Goose: the "Chinese Goose" and the "African Goose". Both seem basically identical. There was something about the "African" variant being larger, but I'm not sure, so I'm just going to call it a domestic Swan Goose and leave it at that. And yes, the wild Swan Goose makes dinosaur screechy noises as well. I'm sure you were wondering that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e3oxbnMSSHrUpJHxkspP6zUBYGoKsANaIKO3rFMPAtVDtJhMQxn4Y07itavk0JhqPMwYbUZpyubD8xiFEmHTQydAEVw1lHAKyVTC151cHyoT_r2wXxfvEqjB-823AlhhYat2JOAJu75k/s1600/he-is-here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e3oxbnMSSHrUpJHxkspP6zUBYGoKsANaIKO3rFMPAtVDtJhMQxn4Y07itavk0JhqPMwYbUZpyubD8xiFEmHTQydAEVw1lHAKyVTC151cHyoT_r2wXxfvEqjB-823AlhhYat2JOAJu75k/s640/he-is-here.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He is here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1atodn8NBbzoeR7Y3KJTIoGsM6yvNnsxAiebCIYAq2YkY28SA4bS_mq8yR9ZG36trSsoxNf01WENQELWODs9JjA5RQd3zDyGu5FCG4xaIjIe38Iv2rgEw4cjgk6jqxn-liHHm8xFVimxE/s1600/he-approaches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1atodn8NBbzoeR7Y3KJTIoGsM6yvNnsxAiebCIYAq2YkY28SA4bS_mq8yR9ZG36trSsoxNf01WENQELWODs9JjA5RQd3zDyGu5FCG4xaIjIe38Iv2rgEw4cjgk6jqxn-liHHm8xFVimxE/s640/he-approaches.jpg" width="508" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He approaches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMxN7Z2GP4dayTxI1va6BRnEBWBWSf9k91y6l55IQOUgq2LvCwQwze-R8X0lcOBijMwEX8CL0bFNOf_QeDy2wankNrkJ16p-rgg8ope1fyiq9o_SCB3R6_XOD9ydm8NfF2MHdbWHmShFX/s1600/he-approaches2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMxN7Z2GP4dayTxI1va6BRnEBWBWSf9k91y6l55IQOUgq2LvCwQwze-R8X0lcOBijMwEX8CL0bFNOf_QeDy2wankNrkJ16p-rgg8ope1fyiq9o_SCB3R6_XOD9ydm8NfF2MHdbWHmShFX/s640/he-approaches2.jpg" width="505" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You've got a goose friend now.</td></tr>
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In addition to this lone goose, there are also two small flocks of ducks: one group of mallards, one group of muscovy ducks. The two species don't seem to mingle at all, at least while we were there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-s5uMmyR3TYubr3vJMizlJy4tOhzlVc6BKr84S6mjr8RBenf7EGaQxAMHAnod-7ZwVkNzuT1H9lN-8WmFHe3bMKQ1dF8vsT5UT7UeUK52d5GraKOkATdsGLh2ruB4KWpXNIDQ5Y85eI6/s1600/20151021_155642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-s5uMmyR3TYubr3vJMizlJy4tOhzlVc6BKr84S6mjr8RBenf7EGaQxAMHAnod-7ZwVkNzuT1H9lN-8WmFHe3bMKQ1dF8vsT5UT7UeUK52d5GraKOkATdsGLh2ruB4KWpXNIDQ5Y85eI6/s640/20151021_155642.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forget chickens, why aren't we talking about geese and ducks crossing the road?</td></tr>
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I find one of these mallards very interesting because he has a perfectly round poof of feathers on his head. It's a permanent feature, because this little poof hat was spotted last week too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcU3kEJNF0Xg-s-xoA7gin3PpH1UoyenPRFqnlYRFLMCQq2YdPAG1Lb3YoK6XhKoIhRBZl1oHKgx_lDLZ2E0UZjlo4w5Sl_RfFB-826ySjSCQ_9ssDRWsf-iuC-UakMCTLkYdxmbMGzyp/s1600/poofduck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcU3kEJNF0Xg-s-xoA7gin3PpH1UoyenPRFqnlYRFLMCQq2YdPAG1Lb3YoK6XhKoIhRBZl1oHKgx_lDLZ2E0UZjlo4w5Sl_RfFB-826ySjSCQ_9ssDRWsf-iuC-UakMCTLkYdxmbMGzyp/s640/poofduck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice hat!</td></tr>
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Of course a little research shows that this is yet another peculiar breed of domestic mallard, probably the "crested duck" variety.<br />
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In addition to the ducks and geese, Franklin's Gulls were plentiful (distinguishable from Laughing Gulls by their white wingtips). We heard chickadees, but didn't see them, saw and heard a mockingbird singing loudly in a bush, and spotted another little armadillo home in the ground. Although there are signs for alligators everywhere, I'm still waiting for the day we spot one here.<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-27382151312431786372015-08-28T19:38:00.000-05:002015-08-28T19:38:55.413-05:00A backlog of nature pictures + a finished tape creationIn late May, I saw something really cool in my backyard:<br />
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Three snakes, intertwined, slithering through the grass. They stopped moving when approached for pictures, but went back to their slithering through the yard when left alone. They made their way down to the backyard bayou, where they were seen by a young yellow-crowned night heron, who looked extremely interested and followed them for a while at a safe distance. Always exciting to see just one snake; even more so to see three at once!<br />
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In late July, I discovered the largest live moth I've ever seen, roosting in our patio.<br />
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It's a Black Witch Moth (<i>Ascalapha odorata)</i>. I only found it because I was going back out to my studio to retrieve something I'd left behind earlier in the day. It was lurking by my studio door, and it took me a while to realize what it was, thinking at first that it was a strange triangle of rusted metal. When I opened the door, it took flight - and having never seen a moth so big flying around, I have to say I found it pretty startling! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is with my teenage brother's hand for a better sense of scale.</td></tr>
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We found the moth again the next day: it had moved around to the back of the house to roost for the afternoon. A nice opportunity to get some up-close looks, and more photographs!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnlHMXJlqREYOnBfPlkp5te-0yJyaApVN2ENrOy0B6IRqLjJmgsZsgWb8C3PpVYLiPJETKNG706iqhRFAjAxvgqFHXbF4gt94NX1QKcACyVdSKh41sBgd5MzlDFJYsX_BSc6K9O6gyjpV/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnlHMXJlqREYOnBfPlkp5te-0yJyaApVN2ENrOy0B6IRqLjJmgsZsgWb8C3PpVYLiPJETKNG706iqhRFAjAxvgqFHXbF4gt94NX1QKcACyVdSKh41sBgd5MzlDFJYsX_BSc6K9O6gyjpV/s640/IMG_8065.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite picture: the moth and my blue-crowned conure, Merle.</td></tr>
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I see lots of giant bugs in my current place of residence, which I do believe is one of the great perks of this area! Each year seems to bring forth a newer, bigger, better bug. Very happy to have seen such a wonderful moth this year.<br />
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In late July, my brother found another giant, buggy friend: the eyed click beetle (<i>Alaus oculatus</i>). We've seen these before - they're fairly common - but it's still always a treat to spot another one. My brother had a brief photoshoot with this one before releasing it. <br />
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He also took this lovely picture of a city mockingbird, back in February:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUKy6vbDaKtF2_fQYeMFbvh7t1Uzzjts801QViraci3IdhZVSFAwFPq-dBLNpa_HoGdnyKoxevWMl_RwYFkXbSlJfQZrMD8DBumPa4UmQurjRtUSOtV-D7z_TM3I5H8oMelbRDOpfuK2W/s1600/mockingbird-feb2015-museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUKy6vbDaKtF2_fQYeMFbvh7t1Uzzjts801QViraci3IdhZVSFAwFPq-dBLNpa_HoGdnyKoxevWMl_RwYFkXbSlJfQZrMD8DBumPa4UmQurjRtUSOtV-D7z_TM3I5H8oMelbRDOpfuK2W/s640/mockingbird-feb2015-museum.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Currently serving as my desktop background.</td></tr>
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Last but perhaps not least, I did eventually finish my little recreation of one of Joan Miró's paintings in tape! I made a <a href="http://emilysplanet.blogspot.com/2015/04/works-in-progress-snakes-and-stuff.html">post back in April</a> showing it as a work in progress, finished it in May, and now I'm posting the finished work finally in almost-September.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've said it before, and I'll say it again: tedious, but fun!</td></tr>
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I'm currently working on four major artworks (it used to be five, but I just finished one painting!). Three oil paintings and one colored pencil piece in progress. They involve snakes, birds, cats, and various lizardly creatures. I should be posting about at least one or two of those soon!<br />
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Hopefully we can all have more awesome nature sightings through the rest of the year.<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-33727910474519904262015-07-24T01:28:00.000-05:002015-07-24T17:44:59.025-05:00Animal Gesture Drawings : July 23rd 2015A major goal of mine is to squash any resistances I have toward drawing. Sometimes, I want to draw, but I'm reluctant to actually do it, because...drawing is hard? I'm allergic to emotion? I'll explode under all the self-inflicted pressure?? I will begin to feel that life is inevitably futile and sad??? Sure, sure, that all may be (just slightly) <i>exaggerated</i>, but - whatever the reasoning - sometimes I do avoid drawing, even when it feels like something I ought to do.<br />
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But in order to achieve some greater ambitions, such as drawing wildlife in the field that will never, ever stand still for you, being much better at drawing is a requirement. Speaking of wildlife again, drawing not just quickly, but precisely, would be my lofty goal.<br />
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I would like drawing to feel as natural and unimpeded as possible. I think if it ever truly feels <i>easy</i> I might feel like I'm doing something wrong. But natural, quick, sharp, automatic, with less doubt, less "I'm not sure what I'm doing; this is a jumbled mess I can't make sense of; I hate this drawing and everything it stands for", would indeed be nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgHZrIGLVBjuRB4E9gB3a6WjPg75ZojyFyeb6sSI4e19fPbQawGQU3ot-n3FKBfvomHa1Uon-YLEGwLCL7wpDagmJvHUySe4Ozo-OJm6BsBFvrK1wZwgd8dB3egG9Mc7BQRHAZ8FCaCAx/s1600/7-23-resize-pg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgHZrIGLVBjuRB4E9gB3a6WjPg75ZojyFyeb6sSI4e19fPbQawGQU3ot-n3FKBfvomHa1Uon-YLEGwLCL7wpDagmJvHUySe4Ozo-OJm6BsBFvrK1wZwgd8dB3egG9Mc7BQRHAZ8FCaCAx/s640/7-23-resize-pg1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top left two: 30 second sketches (peahen, kiwi). Right side four: 1 minute sketches (macaw, sparrow, dove, duckling). Bottom left: 10 minute macaw. Sort-of center: 5 minutes each for goose and seagull.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That's where gesture drawing comes in! Practice, practice, practice. Quick sketches, always with a set timer, and hopefully I'll get into the habit of doing these more often than just once every blue moon, because it's an important exercise for me. Building comfort with drawing, more confidence with skill, and more familiarity with anatomy, form, shape, shading, style. Trying to build myself a little no-pressure free-draw zone while still saying "Hey. Get good."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0r9QOwxjmHi_eD_nFW9fSQstbtxynDkOtlGIGfACt1-Rr1_J09DtWIjLWDBpXrZUm1n4sH0fStSUmTm_SLqtxENJcJJ7FgczTeWM3CrCxyvsQG1mDuKLBmpMYdrF130BNRXZvHGPFTCJ/s1600/7-23-resize-pg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0r9QOwxjmHi_eD_nFW9fSQstbtxynDkOtlGIGfACt1-Rr1_J09DtWIjLWDBpXrZUm1n4sH0fStSUmTm_SLqtxENJcJJ7FgczTeWM3CrCxyvsQG1mDuKLBmpMYdrF130BNRXZvHGPFTCJ/s640/7-23-resize-pg2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More 30 second birds surrounding a 5 minute horse, 5 minute squirrel, and 10 minute kangaroo. Yes the kangaroo was in a weird as heck position with strange perspective. It was not trying to be handsome or sensible like the other animals.</td></tr>
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Helping a lot to make this practice easy is a neat figure and gesture drawing tool completely free on the internet: <a href="http://artists.pixelovely.com/">http://artists.pixelovely.com</a>/. I love that they have animal drawing among the choices, and that you can customize the kinds of animals you want, focusing on birds, mammals, or anything from bunnies to tarantulas. I enjoy doing the "class style" program with a variance of sketch times.<br />
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Having a timer really helps cut back on the existential despair. Although there's still a lot of internal screaming and <i>frustration words</i> on those thirty second drawings, that's just part of the thrill. The <i>joy of art</i>, I should say.<br />
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My 30 second and 1 minute mammal sketches are not pictured here, because most are nigh-indiscernible and my brother made fun of them. Good exercises, not always pretty to look at it, not always something I'm gonna want to see again in ten years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IxZ7PwN302whDcnk1H9lC49nwe4pVs5eZFp129QwHbWZbiIUaFUhzH3VPlLoH2XszC5GHljw-Z_I0fI7HpJho3y8xlpcFQrHPky0wZtb3VdqZyoGhuqsjd_qKGrlJnHgz1twSCEpXQjO/s1600/7-23-2015-close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IxZ7PwN302whDcnk1H9lC49nwe4pVs5eZFp129QwHbWZbiIUaFUhzH3VPlLoH2XszC5GHljw-Z_I0fI7HpJho3y8xlpcFQrHPky0wZtb3VdqZyoGhuqsjd_qKGrlJnHgz1twSCEpXQjO/s640/7-23-2015-close.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother did not make fun of this parrot, the way he made fun of the poor squiggle cats.</td></tr>
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There's an awful lot of mental calculation that goes into drawing and it's only consistent practice over time that's going to improve that. You have to learn how to look, and what to look for, to construct your drawing, and how to do all the proper proportion checking and re-checking that will eventually become automatic. I still have to catch myself when I automatically draw a wing at the wrong angle, and that's just one example.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4l4erlbRA1ygrDAxkAwU-2BZhyphenhyphenmubhiuXpwEZvpVbZgZYLHGcuVHi3FiTkERCQnAfuazVeaLCcF7o4jFrr5QF_Q9tUU9YpWyZH4YFr5EA2dqPore4t92vsNYClOWDbo5NuII0Euejf_tc/s1600/7-23-2015-p2-close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4l4erlbRA1ygrDAxkAwU-2BZhyphenhyphenmubhiuXpwEZvpVbZgZYLHGcuVHi3FiTkERCQnAfuazVeaLCcF7o4jFrr5QF_Q9tUU9YpWyZH4YFr5EA2dqPore4t92vsNYClOWDbo5NuII0Euejf_tc/s640/7-23-2015-p2-close.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five minutes was not enough time to draw that entire horse and all its legs. Not with my limited familiarity with <i>entire horse</i> and <i>weird flailing leg</i> anatomy.</td></tr>
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Given that my ultimate goal is to draw things that move, well enough that I can capture things like personality, detailed body language, accurate identifiers, and behavior, the more automatic all the basic processes can be, the better. I want no hesitancy when it comes to putting pencil to paper.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-54294840467958017282015-07-17T19:38:00.001-05:002015-07-17T19:38:58.789-05:00The Class Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been making art my entire life. Even when I've felt apathetic towards it, even through all the times I've felt it only made me frustrated or angry, art has kept worming its way back into my life. And I can say, definitively now, that I'm glad I never let it go.<br />
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Throughout all this time, I was never one to try and teach others how to draw or paint. I always felt like art was some sort of personal quest, a journey I was undertaking to uncover some elusive secret I couldn't explain to anyone else (or even to myself). Art was a battle, a struggle, a hike across a valley for the ingredients to make a rainbow to grant your own wishes. It was a way to push my own limits, stretch my own boundaries, to make something that was unique and personal, an attempt to meld the intangible mind and all its echoing emotions with the tangible, physical, sensational world. To learn and to create and to feel. Art, for me, was more like an addiction I fell into, than a conscious choice. Most of all, always most of all, it was an intrinsic way of expressing myself. Through the years, I found I needed it like air. My notebook doodles are testament to my inability to ever stop.<br />
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Since I saw art as some sort of bizarre quest, or a deep internal struggle for enlightenment(?), to teach it never even occurred to me. If you didn't draw, refused to ever draw, maybe you were blessed, and maybe you were cursed, or maybe you were just crazy - who was I to say? It didn't matter to me anyhow. I was very busy searching for my magic rainbow potion.<br />
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<i>But it's fun</i>, I realized, over time. <i>And it's worth it.</i> <i>And I love art. </i>I believe in art strongly as an expression and exploration of an individual's personality. For me that's the entire point, and in the end, it's all I really care about. Everything else is secondary, or in achievement of that pursuit. If I'm sitting and talking with you, and my goal and my delight is to get to know you, to see your unique perspective as an individual human, it doesn't matter if your art is "good" or "bad"; that isn't the point. The point is that you made it, that you influenced it, that it is uniquely yours. That it says something about where you've been, who you are, what you care about.<br />
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I found myself encouraging everyone within badgering range to draw. Or to let me see, if they've already drawn something. Because I love it. It's a thrill just to see what you made and why, regardless of the skill involved. Who cares if the lines are unsteady? If the trees look weird? If it could somehow be better? It's proof it was put together by your own hands, constructed by your very own crazy brain, and to me that feels like an amazing, delightful, incredible thing.<br />
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So, while you could certainly have said I didn't care to be an art teacher, I was very excited and eager to encourage other people to make a bunch of art and show it to me so I could delight in it. And, well, maybe teaching a little art was a good means to that end.<br />
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To be honest that's probably what first lead me into wanting to work with kids. I wanted to rope kids into drawing stuff that I could see and that they could then explain to me.<br />
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Well, this was all a very long way of saying that I taught my first class this June, a one-time stunt that I was miraculously hired for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_P_yDtKmkbBbHdnFxN-iu5-Sv1PSX45ICGWVp0y1pJMe2Qs7GG8OesfNIC-jNlOQcZH73XEjPQD-4PouAk5_sCVBXsb5BKjViWEAPx1utZDT3dPEnD1S2zD6AeHflhEngNwZ82VONFYx/s1600/group-final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_P_yDtKmkbBbHdnFxN-iu5-Sv1PSX45ICGWVp0y1pJMe2Qs7GG8OesfNIC-jNlOQcZH73XEjPQD-4PouAk5_sCVBXsb5BKjViWEAPx1utZDT3dPEnD1S2zD6AeHflhEngNwZ82VONFYx/s640/group-final.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absolutely a dream come true, I must tell you</td></tr>
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I've covered the ways in which I felt I was not motivated to teach, now I guess I'll cover the ways I felt I was not <i>suited</i> to teach. My natural state is very quiet and introverted; I get anxious, I stumble over my words, and I hate talking to groups of people; I'm bad at thinking on my feet, or explaining things in the moment. I'm a fledgling artist myself, still with so much to learn, what do I have to teach anyone?<br />
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But I've been trying to change <i>I could never</i> into <i>I could at least try</i>.<br />
That's the message I would send to any would-be artist, after all, a thousand times over.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxkLbpPcZzzhQCrGAUBTIEkRAZWjjFCZltDKxtg6D9_xtuN6vfjQ4s0tpmvX6VbgoYkOisRIDMJ4DWRW1VPz1ciVgMVzxsR7x0jlUrQaIYlzkZj8jpZzb-HQvF7dMr05aQtHZWze3ql0y/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxkLbpPcZzzhQCrGAUBTIEkRAZWjjFCZltDKxtg6D9_xtuN6vfjQ4s0tpmvX6VbgoYkOisRIDMJ4DWRW1VPz1ciVgMVzxsR7x0jlUrQaIYlzkZj8jpZzb-HQvF7dMr05aQtHZWze3ql0y/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, less about me, more about the class! The theme was animals. Draw animals! I was going for <i>draw a portrait of your favorite animal</i>, thinking I could talk a bit about what goes into creating a cool portrait, and <i>get the most out of your crayons</i>, thinking I could discuss things like color layering and mixing and textures to make your crayon drawings look less flat and more impressive. Turns out there were a lot of kids, and I hate talking, and I was losing them anyway. So I'm not sure how much of that actually got across at all, but the important thing is that every kid drew an awesome animal, hooray!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIpard_0NEw6S58YW3ktys1t-qZTnhZNjY5fU9wd9ZOSqEIGBz9eIosmZUifKjZADb6sLidCS2yedk-NhgC5EoqaGDddtv8hLDqnNRdj-5WxEr3SKGcQhzCdpI5PD76hVlfUgpvBRIHXF/s1600/seal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIpard_0NEw6S58YW3ktys1t-qZTnhZNjY5fU9wd9ZOSqEIGBz9eIosmZUifKjZADb6sLidCS2yedk-NhgC5EoqaGDddtv8hLDqnNRdj-5WxEr3SKGcQhzCdpI5PD76hVlfUgpvBRIHXF/s640/seal.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World's best seal. Also quite arguably world's best facial expression.</td></tr>
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I made some sort of attempt at a brief presentation/explanation at the beginning but quickly abandoned that and jumped right into one-on-one guidance and critique, which I felt waaay more comfortable with. With about 25 kids spread around three tables, there was a lot of running around, as I tried to give everyone equal attention and address questions. I think I got around each table twice before time was already up. Having never done this before, it was a great learning experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoc-qbaoRpyL3AGWqQ5hTWOJvRdSB-_-hPY1UsL7T4RP2Xy56WTY01CCTOaI0NsFoCAivMSZu1gJF5N8BkZFhnPzdQ3DUH0_rTIiNvvuRmqs8uKW8mgv4FuqHJhbSP7m7aJLJKsrYTb701/s1600/pool-dog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoc-qbaoRpyL3AGWqQ5hTWOJvRdSB-_-hPY1UsL7T4RP2Xy56WTY01CCTOaI0NsFoCAivMSZu1gJF5N8BkZFhnPzdQ3DUH0_rTIiNvvuRmqs8uKW8mgv4FuqHJhbSP7m7aJLJKsrYTb701/s640/pool-dog.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She drew a dog contemplating jumping into a pool. Very awesome indeed!</td></tr>
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<h3>
So, what did you learn?</h3>
<b>Number one question I was asked: <i>how do you draw X-Y-Z?</i></b> How to draw a penguin? A dolphin? A parrot? They want to draw their thing of choice, they don't know how, they want your help. I realized I was giving the same answer each time: think about your thing of choice, and consider its most basic shapes. Imagine your thing if you were squinting your eyes and seeing it from a distance, so it's all fuzzy and indistinct. Looking at it like that, a penguin is basically an oval, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2ljNiMGtjVwss39dn9dFJU0BkGNI4mAVniSPmJ3AHpu1HL-jmG2QSgcu626M4ney5gpVPUtwhEx1zufb8yYR_I-Qk-yKwTjo_N-nioXemRctB27v6IJdVA5Fp4pZlE0dSXaRDWzVE2gI/s1600/test-sheet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2ljNiMGtjVwss39dn9dFJU0BkGNI4mAVniSPmJ3AHpu1HL-jmG2QSgcu626M4ney5gpVPUtwhEx1zufb8yYR_I-Qk-yKwTjo_N-nioXemRctB27v6IJdVA5Fp4pZlE0dSXaRDWzVE2gI/s640/test-sheet.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The piece of paper I carried around to do demonstrations. I found I needed this with the very first kid.</td></tr>
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And then its head is probably sort of circular, right? Then they have little penguin feet, and little penguin beaks. Flippers (or wings, whatver), and a tail. It's just simple shapes. Then you can fill it in to cover lines, and add more details as you go. By utilizing your mind's eye and thinking "what are the shapes?" you can make a simple recreation of pretty much anything.<br />
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Another question was "how do you get good at art?" and the answer to that is practice, only practice. Just keep going don't stop and you will transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly with the magic powers of time, love, and persistence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOreg_95786L2s9om-PUfKXdUcFCn9X4W9SdTuxZhmEMrYHDi5HSdKobPUyscAErGNnFhbxX-mPZsl8A6p95nzJRhQiWHpI0RurbBPcDbnf5BArtAM89YGC8o4vcRwapDcBdvcWMIe9IwK/s1600/pig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOreg_95786L2s9om-PUfKXdUcFCn9X4W9SdTuxZhmEMrYHDi5HSdKobPUyscAErGNnFhbxX-mPZsl8A6p95nzJRhQiWHpI0RurbBPcDbnf5BArtAM89YGC8o4vcRwapDcBdvcWMIe9IwK/s640/pig.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a lovely pig with awesome pink eyes, also wonderfully tall, can probably see the whole world</td></tr>
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<b>"Oh, is that a cat?" "No." </b>Please, for the love of pigs everywhere, do not make speedy assumptions about what someone is drawing. This can be embarrassing for everyone involved: I know it as a student, and now I know it as a teacher. I managed to get two wrong guesses in a row and vowed never to do that again. There's no reason not to ask "So what are you drawing?" instead of "OMG that's a cat right?" The way they look at you when you are wrong is not something I'd wish to inflict upon anyone's poor soul.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_irEdtJX1KNSeNyBUIG8g4uQG3ma57JrAFbS6daqVfJgQEjlMNU215mfLQuFePEIsgeaBmnjVCZ5PLxCANpJBejvvq5TxPd_H5SwYvdW6ZNxznz3IgpFREL8BKyXWoVQgGoIMyqA2_g6/s1600/cat-pencil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_irEdtJX1KNSeNyBUIG8g4uQG3ma57JrAFbS6daqVfJgQEjlMNU215mfLQuFePEIsgeaBmnjVCZ5PLxCANpJBejvvq5TxPd_H5SwYvdW6ZNxznz3IgpFREL8BKyXWoVQgGoIMyqA2_g6/s640/cat-pencil.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this cat's face, and the sense of flowy feline movement it has. Cute little paws too!</td></tr>
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<i> </i><b>Every single kid had an idea they wanted to persue.</b> No one seemed to sit and wonder for too long about what animal they wanted to draw. They knew, and they were on it. Some ideas changed. A penguin might become a duck. Monkeys could become squirrels that could become squirrel-monkeys. Some kids needed help with their ideas, but no one seemed to need my help generating ideas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOC5b4WleOLY_H1tULONcYL1Uhr1C5TQgzSfuRMAUhpwX3KGVUb97rEuYvlyfd4y_1TRupBtmIU0SE72T68j2guhog2FKWJttpKTK4v0XdG3qQuesav_-Y8wVSZv09_Fdd2_k0WAYElQE/s1600/neat-pigeon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOC5b4WleOLY_H1tULONcYL1Uhr1C5TQgzSfuRMAUhpwX3KGVUb97rEuYvlyfd4y_1TRupBtmIU0SE72T68j2guhog2FKWJttpKTK4v0XdG3qQuesav_-Y8wVSZv09_Fdd2_k0WAYElQE/s640/neat-pigeon.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I will stare into your soul". </i>Really wonderful bird.</td></tr>
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Also, very thankfully, no one needed to be coaxed into drawing. Every kid drew a picture. Every kid drew an animal, even! They played along magnificently.<br />
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<b>Be prepared for that one kid that just isn't going to talk to you. </b>It threw me a little bit. But just offer what you can, give them your best, and don't try too hard to coax them into communication (it's just going to be awkward). In this case, the kid was doing great work, and there was no problem at all.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1JbuZ_SbDpNh2gZ-rqljvJ4J96PLbFLiyy6dg49E7AQYEQRjgJiVWgJCXPXFydtL71ysHEYG2T_ry5drhbsqvthGv4Ga4ynRpHlszsbYc-QdXuiz9POttXjBiZTQ-UtvpM6r8us0nx1C/s1600/penguin-vs-penguin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1JbuZ_SbDpNh2gZ-rqljvJ4J96PLbFLiyy6dg49E7AQYEQRjgJiVWgJCXPXFydtL71ysHEYG2T_ry5drhbsqvthGv4Ga4ynRpHlszsbYc-QdXuiz9POttXjBiZTQ-UtvpM6r8us0nx1C/s640/penguin-vs-penguin.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penguin VS Penguin! They are wearing boxing gloves! I believe the animal in the scene above them is an interesting and very unique looking rhinoceros. This kid had a perfect sense of humor.</td></tr>
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<b>Kids like to see your art</b>. <b>Show it to them. </b>I'm weird about my art. It's counter-intuitive, but I often don't like showing it off. I brought one small painting and then print-outs of other paintings of mine, but in my goofy cut-off presentation I only showed the one small painting. I didn't think it was important, 'cause my motivation was in seeing the kids' art, all my focus put on seeing what they wanted to do.<br />
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But kids, more than any other group, respond really well to my art. They like it. They pick favorites. They get excited. And in addition to just enjoying the art, they can be inspired and motivated by it. Like one girl who decided to try making a drawing based off of my <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/emilysplanet/paintings/forest-fire">horse painting</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvf-KyvPmjrQt6hQbWth_935HLsHzhRU95DSBsv2HlSiSGR6dLMaA1E3ghGZ1q_S5Xl2cJALBinyh4AqTep7jLOnGOfQr7zWYDrWjSdjRhJhqbzGO-Tf27Nj198FWRDhAweZ8nkm6ynz1/s1600/fireking-icequeen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvf-KyvPmjrQt6hQbWth_935HLsHzhRU95DSBsv2HlSiSGR6dLMaA1E3ghGZ1q_S5Xl2cJALBinyh4AqTep7jLOnGOfQr7zWYDrWjSdjRhJhqbzGO-Tf27Nj198FWRDhAweZ8nkm6ynz1/s640/fireking-icequeen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so excited when she gave them titles all her own.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7OFCTueF7HtRynH2sF4q4xqbteXY1ONCJHm2U78bxhlccLvIvRMus6a_KzdF0fcOGuRgJEz_MnZGeSFVQtjX4fZ4a180Z0Y0tDH8COjJdnkZ8zpbgh-8NWdnwM8BqYn9yyPp5FcVQhqC/s1600/fireking-icequeen2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7OFCTueF7HtRynH2sF4q4xqbteXY1ONCJHm2U78bxhlccLvIvRMus6a_KzdF0fcOGuRgJEz_MnZGeSFVQtjX4fZ4a180Z0Y0tDH8COjJdnkZ8zpbgh-8NWdnwM8BqYn9yyPp5FcVQhqC/s640/fireking-icequeen2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing eyes. She put jewelery in the blue one's hair, also her own touch.</td></tr>
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It's really cool to see someone be excited about something you made. It's really awesome when they love it so much they linger over it, explore it, even create their own story around it. I was surprised when this kid said she wanted to do something based on my painting. It hadn't occurred to me that someone might want to do that.<br />
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What I really love about this piece is that it shows off her own interpretation of my painting. I never called them "the Fire King" and the "the Ice Queen". That's what she saw, and so she drew it, and I got to experience it. It's a really amazing experience to watch someone interact with your artwork like this, and it really hardly ever happens.<br />
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She made my own experience and relationship with this painting richer, by adding her version of the story to it, even just showing that she saw a story in it at all. I know she had fun with her drawing, and it's really motivational and encouraging for me as well. This is the kind of magic that reminds me why I love paintings so much, and why I wanted to create my own in the first place.<br />
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I tried to send the message that everyone can create an awesome work of art with a little extra effort, and I think works like hers and many others went far to prove that point effectively.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_pxaBA3J7kO2bYQHmXMH5XRRVSg8X3qyTal1yJuk-W1zUJdYdjk5kPFtuFq7jwB8YT0J-DC6mkSAp_HkFA1s8H8_3S4d7-GvQ2sF_D9ke1GEb5qkSTqkHUYdl5RDNGgOtL6TCRpzSw5C/s1600/example-table.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_pxaBA3J7kO2bYQHmXMH5XRRVSg8X3qyTal1yJuk-W1zUJdYdjk5kPFtuFq7jwB8YT0J-DC6mkSAp_HkFA1s8H8_3S4d7-GvQ2sF_D9ke1GEb5qkSTqkHUYdl5RDNGgOtL6TCRpzSw5C/s640/example-table.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of my example works, arranged by one of the kids, who took it upon herself to make it pretty - I said I ought to hire her for shows!</td></tr>
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I actually hadn't brought out the painting prints until the end of the class, when I wanted to show the girl who did Fire and Ice my other <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/emilysplanet/paintings/three-horses">elemental horse painting</a> ('cause we were talking about horse art). Some other kids saw, were interested, and I brought out the rest. It's always fun for me to see which ones are picked out as favorites. The colorful ones get the most votes, but there was one vote cast for my black and white painting from an enterprising young artist.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-En7PGMJoV2wBjtsivOjEnUE4G_CGMLpROoK9ZSbyNy-nTh2w0EBdcJvmH_MbGEDrX8HWSQ7DQKWEZZ12DJa1xzJ88pmVcLlG9NTDdjaYuuQ9dRQ7EAUlO6XA-30E4zaF77OkN9CPj8B/s1600/example3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-En7PGMJoV2wBjtsivOjEnUE4G_CGMLpROoK9ZSbyNy-nTh2w0EBdcJvmH_MbGEDrX8HWSQ7DQKWEZZ12DJa1xzJ88pmVcLlG9NTDdjaYuuQ9dRQ7EAUlO6XA-30E4zaF77OkN9CPj8B/s640/example3.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The black and white drawing is a horse I drew when I was around 12</td></tr>
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Some of the kids actually liked the prints so much they wanted to take them home. Because it was the end of class and most of the kids had moved on, I felt okay with giving them away. Were I to do this again, I'd bring enough so each kid could take one home. They had me sign the prints they were taking, too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EliGNKhVXP4xxaA0A7QqpvR9QrV0zZSIeNMWgUjCf9u5_w2s1Qy95lSLvYafkFlAoxOXQaFg83ofggt9we0sikN0_PbYwZvr77tLq6hEDGRmtNwrtqlR5ovzDXMGOQWHw6OQ1slGHtg4/s1600/ducky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EliGNKhVXP4xxaA0A7QqpvR9QrV0zZSIeNMWgUjCf9u5_w2s1Qy95lSLvYafkFlAoxOXQaFg83ofggt9we0sikN0_PbYwZvr77tLq6hEDGRmtNwrtqlR5ovzDXMGOQWHw6OQ1slGHtg4/s640/ducky.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The duck's artist didn't want the spotlight, so she let someone else present it for her. Whatever works! The duck's open mouth is so cute, and details like the crab, the fish, and the blazing sun are great.</td></tr>
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What may have impressed me the most was the great artistic vigor some of these kids displayed for their work. Some were so into it they kept working past the end of class, hurriedly scribbling to finish in time. Quite the familiar feeling to me, and always so cool to see. These are the kids that seem to have real interest and potential in being artists for the rests of their lives. Because they were so intent and interested, these are the kids I got extra time with, answering their questions and talking more deeply about art.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5W8L3n04v3z7mKBc9EykXnMkHZWd1CQz5WiesN-uDPuorJ4X5TFYQU2uf3DrgI1N7UI4MYm9zVaxfrszj-U1xHQJPtGdA9r5PVPQkquA7Np-XG2WFDk7qqyBwlx8cjLfprBOfjsHkhZx/s1600/parrot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5W8L3n04v3z7mKBc9EykXnMkHZWd1CQz5WiesN-uDPuorJ4X5TFYQU2uf3DrgI1N7UI4MYm9zVaxfrszj-U1xHQJPtGdA9r5PVPQkquA7Np-XG2WFDk7qqyBwlx8cjLfprBOfjsHkhZx/s640/parrot.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This kid drew her pet parrot, and also decided to do a split screen composition; the other half of the picture is an ocean scene, which I thought was a clever idea. Unfortunately there wasn't quite enough time to finish that second half. I love the mix of colors and patterns she put into her bird, too.</td></tr>
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One of the girls commented on how surprised she was at how much physical energy she was pouring into her drawing, working hard to color in large surfaces on time, focusing hard on detail, solving composition issues. I was excited by this observation: it's true, you're right, art can be surprisingly hard work! But that's why it can be so rewarding too.<br />
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I loved that she was able to pick up this valuable lesson about art (respecting artists, respecting the work that can go into what they do!), from a positive first-hand experience. I love that these kids who worked extra hard on their drawings never gave up and pushed through to the very end to create beautiful work. Even when they ran into trouble, they found solutions and work-arounds that suited them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfTIyjigbvUSwhEbJJfboocJyS5vQTg-a76On_y-Sl4qYn1DjaOQszLv95lCKUyB0jxuHp6jpeDi_CtJJv4ouhj_1exZaDJKxWM-KhwSqs0eosRroQ2lfw6ybH1Q9qen8ogkhz7c1BN6g/s1600/seahorse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfTIyjigbvUSwhEbJJfboocJyS5vQTg-a76On_y-Sl4qYn1DjaOQszLv95lCKUyB0jxuHp6jpeDi_CtJJv4ouhj_1exZaDJKxWM-KhwSqs0eosRroQ2lfw6ybH1Q9qen8ogkhz7c1BN6g/s640/seahorse.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea horse! The curled-up tail is awesome</td></tr>
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There is of course always the very ambitious, entrepreneurial, excited kid who already has a lot of dreams and schemes and on going projects. She was the only kid who decided to draw a comic (I think she was able to finish about six panels, which is pretty good), and she's already specialized in cats, and if she's telling it true probably practices drawing more than I do.<br />
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I think artists typically crave connection with other artists. And that as young artists especially most of us look for role models too, even if, like the girl with her extensive cat comics, we don't appear on the surface to need them. She was still eager to connect, discuss art and ideas, ask questions. A kid like this will have more constructive questions, but some kids seem to just need encouragement, or something that inspires them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hQvEKhuEl5KGGmkHRe5SMOWs2FHC3ijXRHEFUtjSaq5OnKVp50Ly0-6lk57OnsjPgqtNLH6VFPm8AhpinRyoSRQZcYgKgzk76UstNCm5EczQoZFbV6Eo5TNDtQe1mlQZOr90d-PSVRne/s1600/chicks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hQvEKhuEl5KGGmkHRe5SMOWs2FHC3ijXRHEFUtjSaq5OnKVp50Ly0-6lk57OnsjPgqtNLH6VFPm8AhpinRyoSRQZcYgKgzk76UstNCm5EczQoZFbV6Eo5TNDtQe1mlQZOr90d-PSVRne/s640/chicks.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really cute bird drawings</td></tr>
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I never thought of myself as any kind of good role model, but I do think the more artists you know, the better, and I'm happy to be an example of possibility. There are so many ways to explore art, and so many ways in which it can be valuable and rewarding, and if there is any opportunity to encourage that exploration, I gladly will.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YN2N8nbIY1Yj1txRZkLhM9njV8_Hx6tdMj3hHIWVVY_UuBCSiCUAjLLOedcmM3WRzbULGkpYG2ZpCh56O5PZ1RLKee08I9T3G1Kh6a1E3er6RiZ9eqthEgAsaYsMbFNQ4JbOiQ3D-D9G/s1600/happy-bunny.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YN2N8nbIY1Yj1txRZkLhM9njV8_Hx6tdMj3hHIWVVY_UuBCSiCUAjLLOedcmM3WRzbULGkpYG2ZpCh56O5PZ1RLKee08I9T3G1Kh6a1E3er6RiZ9eqthEgAsaYsMbFNQ4JbOiQ3D-D9G/s640/happy-bunny.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy bunny! I love those bunny feet</td></tr>
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I found working with the kids to be very energizing. It's always interesting, never boring, and the art kids do, and the stories they want to tell, can be so refreshing. Their enthusiasm, their focus, their sense of humor, or just their willingness to put something on paper, is an inspiration to my own work as an artist. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAreC350BnRjYgodZSUZbRRzqrVhVh0xY2LYbJSlHeIuTL1c83VUw3vOl2Ig3VAznc5sONCOO9H51z25s4hX5A_bJHrVK3BiCX5HI9GzqFkZUUHvSukVVox7RtqfXm3zY_UKG7eNtCyC8L/s1600/the-great-horse2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAreC350BnRjYgodZSUZbRRzqrVhVh0xY2LYbJSlHeIuTL1c83VUw3vOl2Ig3VAznc5sONCOO9H51z25s4hX5A_bJHrVK3BiCX5HI9GzqFkZUUHvSukVVox7RtqfXm3zY_UKG7eNtCyC8L/s640/the-great-horse2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">The Golden Horse! The barn is really nicely detailed, and the horse <span style="color: #0000ee;">seems to have a lot of personalit<span style="color: #0000ee;">y to me.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAsOqWwWakuq2r77MPTTGe6X2E46abePOHwcdSoKZNg_lgGTNIukMg3jhDlcbNxP7VVBjJVEnmgwAvHfcqrrW5EVWHsN4OGxc5u15nvyz4-d0MTWINaebGwuLbTXfBYC6f0s4IY4BBj4q/s1600/panda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAsOqWwWakuq2r77MPTTGe6X2E46abePOHwcdSoKZNg_lgGTNIukMg3jhDlcbNxP7VVBjJVEnmgwAvHfcqrrW5EVWHsN4OGxc5u15nvyz4-d0MTWINaebGwuLbTXfBYC6f0s4IY4BBj4q/s640/panda.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl seemed to be quite the accomplished panda artist! I like that it's an active scene, and the background is well developed.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZV_AQJXLovp9t5Ea59tatyw8atjJ2CeSg6fdJv7UJpqaScX9uw-GWj1jUfUrbfy3K-9MAnjm2P4alD-vlJrl8RwKy92VLWIiidEyUq5oVA7JsQX7RhBzLQOEmypicXATh74DrUvjX7aP/s1600/monkey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZV_AQJXLovp9t5Ea59tatyw8atjJ2CeSg6fdJv7UJpqaScX9uw-GWj1jUfUrbfy3K-9MAnjm2P4alD-vlJrl8RwKy92VLWIiidEyUq5oVA7JsQX7RhBzLQOEmypicXATh74DrUvjX7aP/s640/monkey.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the only night scene anyone did! I think this ended up being a monkey-squirrel creature of some sort? A fun one for sure.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguClA389U-plZmqWZP2Ck9fISnX-KXXjF7dShuR0pdHN_GC7XL0f0cBbkc5ISGDJtsHytDYitxv_1iOw2aUykFhvuN6KGUihga1jmUB07q-_iPYr9eHVOAkkhX54khB_Np2AIgOzCMZ0V/s1600/bears.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguClA389U-plZmqWZP2Ck9fISnX-KXXjF7dShuR0pdHN_GC7XL0f0cBbkc5ISGDJtsHytDYitxv_1iOw2aUykFhvuN6KGUihga1jmUB07q-_iPYr9eHVOAkkhX54khB_Np2AIgOzCMZ0V/s640/bears.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the colors of these bears. I am hoping they are indeed bears. The grass is nicely done too I notice</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQ0Fc-buEY2X0ea2arG43rTntO5hu5iR34_5wHavxNA4hSklmjhuMoqdkqLMDwT4Bbvn2GSP1JwQVkl9HH3zU9uuW4aHSy1_RJhdI-eiU3yHzNTM8-scpe58npSUaUKFwm8afW27JlpbQ/s1600/mouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQ0Fc-buEY2X0ea2arG43rTntO5hu5iR34_5wHavxNA4hSklmjhuMoqdkqLMDwT4Bbvn2GSP1JwQVkl9HH3zU9uuW4aHSy1_RJhdI-eiU3yHzNTM8-scpe58npSUaUKFwm8afW27JlpbQ/s640/mouse.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of these drawings I'm not sure I actually got to see in class - some kids did multiple ones that were lost to me in all the flurry of activity! This is really cute though</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB_K3FZa2aF7bSX3B5_iGoSxlgMC4l6xKfy5ZdHwvgYhbtz3OuAtXjsVj8SSO-hwqydYuIDxo_IyEwkHyuDm2yk3QbY93CrWDJe8KCL-ETFywmReXhylG4l4ovQqZKafVwHxeIsyvE-fA/s1600/bluejay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB_K3FZa2aF7bSX3B5_iGoSxlgMC4l6xKfy5ZdHwvgYhbtz3OuAtXjsVj8SSO-hwqydYuIDxo_IyEwkHyuDm2yk3QbY93CrWDJe8KCL-ETFywmReXhylG4l4ovQqZKafVwHxeIsyvE-fA/s640/bluejay.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a big fan of native birds, I was very happy to see this Blue Jay so well represented!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALDH1lOzG2-sGu7JAo_dYgNNrnhVSprWxOqnkT83Mb9awrWrJqq7JbEeIXhsO8vT4GBYDX0DvGvfRzeLVpjFJqbuj8KbJtd9MUbgmywNnrpgvh7HcJpQTgstTYxgqOce6MBmXP6aw1LgD/s1600/dogs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALDH1lOzG2-sGu7JAo_dYgNNrnhVSprWxOqnkT83Mb9awrWrJqq7JbEeIXhsO8vT4GBYDX0DvGvfRzeLVpjFJqbuj8KbJtd9MUbgmywNnrpgvh7HcJpQTgstTYxgqOce6MBmXP6aw1LgD/s640/dogs.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dogs were a popular choice. The smiles on these are so sweet! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVipWxg-sOH-3KqYbWkgaU9jRVbtCadOjmzH09vqxeA7hkFIJCUbwcY5ixPF-Dn-AEkxkZZySZgluq3SpExIdbTy4aohC5tuUutGYUeVMs_hvJovps6__qSArK7T7p1n0p44ccHR9I4iSC/s1600/dogs2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVipWxg-sOH-3KqYbWkgaU9jRVbtCadOjmzH09vqxeA7hkFIJCUbwcY5ixPF-Dn-AEkxkZZySZgluq3SpExIdbTy4aohC5tuUutGYUeVMs_hvJovps6__qSArK7T7p1n0p44ccHR9I4iSC/s640/dogs2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big bold lines for big, bold, expressive dogs.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKu9vhv5ya7-m9I0A-kiOUN4NzRDU36K5YbBw8mkcY7VPA55dQi7VYWB8MJiwYL4GlzfmqZjGlQ0OrqI48Aj1446zjexaC1LSZsZAEGwJ63iqh0eAcKvWwl_8I9f7WUuSz_o9SPt9NsVMv/s1600/I_heart_animals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKu9vhv5ya7-m9I0A-kiOUN4NzRDU36K5YbBw8mkcY7VPA55dQi7VYWB8MJiwYL4GlzfmqZjGlQ0OrqI48Aj1446zjexaC1LSZsZAEGwJ63iqh0eAcKvWwl_8I9f7WUuSz_o9SPt9NsVMv/s640/I_heart_animals.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I thought this picture couldn't get any better!</td></tr>
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Photos were taken by the always great Gail Bixler! Used here with her permission of course.<br />
<br />This class was part of the S.A.F.E. Summer program by the Mark Kilroy Foundation.<br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-17286006300480154022015-06-07T21:35:00.001-05:002015-06-07T21:35:29.041-05:00Styrofoam Sculpture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKrdDvvaqRrZwgu-brzexSOzas20ElPYH2AZ8rlxL2naVqx9Qdb6dn_le9x5Bl1Dz90mWl4SHrRFodQEsbs-IP1VM2bOns4T5f3kbpBiQnb3rNsfiXxorQwtQzKFHnpn98H9yuv1N_hyphenhyphenT/s1600/IMG_7819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKrdDvvaqRrZwgu-brzexSOzas20ElPYH2AZ8rlxL2naVqx9Qdb6dn_le9x5Bl1Dz90mWl4SHrRFodQEsbs-IP1VM2bOns4T5f3kbpBiQnb3rNsfiXxorQwtQzKFHnpn98H9yuv1N_hyphenhyphenT/s400/IMG_7819.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, once upon a time, in a funky little art class, I made myself a gigantic styrofoam cat.<br />
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And when I say giant, I really do mean it, because here it is next to a regular cat and an average adult human's chair:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuc5l3O1L4I-EqVqiT_Aum70gU_QsF0aiObtGifo609YLYvhs7w4q9dRfy4_NFP3NoxZDPtANSoOIwOJg7iBCCzUmvUaVCsC8clkE0lvq-S6PA2TGw6jzOflKnVaVejTIrR0EqAoLCkIl/s1600/IMG_7834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuc5l3O1L4I-EqVqiT_Aum70gU_QsF0aiObtGifo609YLYvhs7w4q9dRfy4_NFP3NoxZDPtANSoOIwOJg7iBCCzUmvUaVCsC8clkE0lvq-S6PA2TGw6jzOflKnVaVejTIrR0EqAoLCkIl/s640/IMG_7834.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's 4 foot, 3 inch tall cat!</td></tr>
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I always decide to be a little ambitious. Most of the sculptures were not quite so tall (and they were still lovely!), but I've been doing this "art" thing for a while now, so I feel like I need to push the edges sometimes. Could I have made a much smaller cat? Yes. Would that have been a lot easier? Yes. Why did I want to make a cat sculpture that is larger than most children? Maybe to hear said children pointing it out with awe and wonder. That's definitely pretty rewarding.<br />
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Painting it took forever. That's what always happens with sculptures like this. The building is one thing, the painting is a whole 'nother ball game and usually takes twice as long and always takes more time and more effort than I think it will. You'd think I'd have learned that by now. It's the painting, not the building, that caused me to work overtime on this thing.<br />
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This thing was assembled from sheets of styrofoam, glue, and toothpicks. It's that easy. Some pliers to snip off the ends of the toothpicks, a little saw to cut and carve the styrofoam. The paint is just regular acrylics. It is worth noting that during the carving process styrofoam dust gets <i>everywhere</i> and requires a lot of vacuuming to clean up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tC86saq575ByeGCebhjpsll-_07pEa6KQndHJP_PZGl_3AX7uPC_xGHbKMiKV7y4QW4U81-7ttd9U9X36xINzNfTyif6kdq90KEuqdPqkalxU1DCVhdG9dST0a_3V5RfAMMsruJfNMGD/s1600/IMG_7823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tC86saq575ByeGCebhjpsll-_07pEa6KQndHJP_PZGl_3AX7uPC_xGHbKMiKV7y4QW4U81-7ttd9U9X36xINzNfTyif6kdq90KEuqdPqkalxU1DCVhdG9dST0a_3V5RfAMMsruJfNMGD/s640/IMG_7823.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I don't really have a great place to put this thing. It's in my studio right now, keeping watch over my stuff, but that's not the most glorious place for it. And I don't know who would want a giant styrofoam cat, but this thing is totally for sale. So if you know anyone who wants a strange giant cat, hey, I've got one.<br />
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Just sayin'.<br />
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Anyway, here are some extra, unrelated photos!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEi1-uJe1gqqKijAfxl4qRLizP3BWW4fSuusBlbpagBP8iDkj4qKg8s934j2Tg_3mjtTzWsXdVYZ15K3_tWpstIxeCwyYCxoeHKWT560q_bJSNrFuqewg-ZK71LTaOamS9BDUxlJQSi0N/s1600/IMG_7793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEi1-uJe1gqqKijAfxl4qRLizP3BWW4fSuusBlbpagBP8iDkj4qKg8s934j2Tg_3mjtTzWsXdVYZ15K3_tWpstIxeCwyYCxoeHKWT560q_bJSNrFuqewg-ZK71LTaOamS9BDUxlJQSi0N/s640/IMG_7793.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilk0M-gPt1iVIEmhvxpa5Gf5X8WKX4SbIexoMX-vgInKOzCTK7AoQg94QuAkC8YiosfSiqeylUfcaerTLsC6IDpPBERLdpo7PQFnHzg9l4vCwNmDjIT6r3zUYYQU5tDO-FJebTDI_nZbQf/s1600/IMG_7795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilk0M-gPt1iVIEmhvxpa5Gf5X8WKX4SbIexoMX-vgInKOzCTK7AoQg94QuAkC8YiosfSiqeylUfcaerTLsC6IDpPBERLdpo7PQFnHzg9l4vCwNmDjIT6r3zUYYQU5tDO-FJebTDI_nZbQf/s640/IMG_7795.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know anything about plants, but these fuzzy antenna things going on with the hibiscus flowers are pretty dang cool.</td></tr>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-10012741148068276122015-05-28T14:52:00.000-05:002015-05-28T14:52:27.909-05:00Nesting water birds at Sheldon LakeA canoe trip through Sheldon Lake got us some close-up views of nesting water birds, such as this Little Blue Heron:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNNFO2eU2GGuPjfJdxbI-5i5UwCLa2f56wVZE48K5FgNszilbKXjmqvOjbw9jEdBRxtBOy8UzIpkXE0-ck5yBPzOcondJ0fZlc_AdGtGJ-CBqscUsrXsAf1zmUqvbZ-L5VFl0zkd80xwV/s1600/lblue1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNNFO2eU2GGuPjfJdxbI-5i5UwCLa2f56wVZE48K5FgNszilbKXjmqvOjbw9jEdBRxtBOy8UzIpkXE0-ck5yBPzOcondJ0fZlc_AdGtGJ-CBqscUsrXsAf1zmUqvbZ-L5VFl0zkd80xwV/s400/lblue1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />And these White Ibis:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1ywBHNB317CWEifKe4a_Sr03IfpYeQIad-u1Q881kSblXD8tGJM8MVD17qL0zO8Q6oMsrwWOnhoBgQUivZKoq448VzFp6wuadjzyzgs-lQHoeBetvznbzTpL5A1kJGMIoEI3BFpWp2zA/s1600/ibis1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1ywBHNB317CWEifKe4a_Sr03IfpYeQIad-u1Q881kSblXD8tGJM8MVD17qL0zO8Q6oMsrwWOnhoBgQUivZKoq448VzFp6wuadjzyzgs-lQHoeBetvznbzTpL5A1kJGMIoEI3BFpWp2zA/s400/ibis1.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9T5NBAk_p2nNz4MrOq3hVBdChKsXbXqfDEGvB4SdVhcSDhpNvOhse_B928_H-xT5y02QT9jqE0NoLEtK3HzRI2KsZiNDruzU9ZFUiUW0ydZ-PKnmhn-Y6FDiSQM2oxVj8grtRRnaX24u/s1600/ibis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9T5NBAk_p2nNz4MrOq3hVBdChKsXbXqfDEGvB4SdVhcSDhpNvOhse_B928_H-xT5y02QT9jqE0NoLEtK3HzRI2KsZiNDruzU9ZFUiUW0ydZ-PKnmhn-Y6FDiSQM2oxVj8grtRRnaX24u/s400/ibis2.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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There are hundreds of birds raising their young on little islands in this lake, and quite a variety of species: Cattle Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Tricolored Herons, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills, Anhinga - these are all the species I was able to spot nesting in the trees. And they're all clustered together, little groups of White Ibis among little groups of Little Blues, the occasional night heron or White-faced Ibis here and there. Little Blues, White Ibis, and Cattle Egrets were most common. The herons had young at all stages of growth, from tiny fluffy nestlings to adult-sized juveniles, but the ibis children were all still small enough to stay hidden beneath their parents, and many of the ibis were still in the process of building their nests.<br />
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My photographer for this trip was my brother Travis. I was steering the boat and identifying the birds, so it was a team effort. Two sets of eyes are often better than one when it comes to spotting all the cool birds!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNEFHTqNcAJcHXdYIR51VIfj2ZljaSHIu6stTZUs5LPyDtdMjFl_GqQaVidvQ-LT2ubLgUcZv6kVMyPpFuTYBBhtc1d9grLKqQ9e6xtrSXBk0zN9ad8JCQgRM-jpm-Oxm2OSgHDknQ__l/s1600/nestling1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNEFHTqNcAJcHXdYIR51VIfj2ZljaSHIu6stTZUs5LPyDtdMjFl_GqQaVidvQ-LT2ubLgUcZv6kVMyPpFuTYBBhtc1d9grLKqQ9e6xtrSXBk0zN9ad8JCQgRM-jpm-Oxm2OSgHDknQ__l/s400/nestling1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMD3krM5hKWQVduD-ZOSdyIXw48Uee-hoFalMIH5pFWGVkiQO0ficCIPg-j-QpU02CKLH2bZNM_O6Vchbka-i3fxmyY9ImYNtaE4LuTNnhK2dq_dUKPvD102_xD5B65ChMcMWCMt2u5YV/s1600/nestling2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="529" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMD3krM5hKWQVduD-ZOSdyIXw48Uee-hoFalMIH5pFWGVkiQO0ficCIPg-j-QpU02CKLH2bZNM_O6Vchbka-i3fxmyY9ImYNtaE4LuTNnhK2dq_dUKPvD102_xD5B65ChMcMWCMt2u5YV/s640/nestling2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure if this is a baby Cattle Egret or baby Little Blue, but it's adorable regardless.</td></tr>
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The Little Blue and egret youngsters were loud and boisterous, many of the older ones walking around the branches and flapping their growing wings. Sometimes they'd get overexcited when a parent came in to feed them, squawking, pecking their siblings, even chasing down and almost tackling the parent. Some of the parents would keep their distance when they arrived back at the nest, as their multiple almost-grown youths run up to them. I saw parents trying to run away from their own children when they begged too aggressively for food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5uxVV6282TTIEkRj3XisQ9cp5IOI3u5e9lC-rWf1hfVLrCFQ7Z2oRTWewqROI9vHMZX2meUzwhDX_UMqBzICmsNdXx5CTNLyQeP8lK-FyWdsbaJAwVMgH6Er4Ccv8zKAWMjCl3cZKpzi/s1600/lblue-youngsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5uxVV6282TTIEkRj3XisQ9cp5IOI3u5e9lC-rWf1hfVLrCFQ7Z2oRTWewqROI9vHMZX2meUzwhDX_UMqBzICmsNdXx5CTNLyQeP8lK-FyWdsbaJAwVMgH6Er4Ccv8zKAWMjCl3cZKpzi/s640/lblue-youngsters.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young herons are quite the handful, especially as they get older.</td></tr>
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You can see here that there are three young Little Blues begging for food from a parent that - for the moment - is just sitting and waiting in the next tree over. The kids almost looked they were dancing as they bobbed their heads and flapped their wings, stretching up tall for their parent's attention.<br />
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The Yellow-crowned Night Herons I saw all had mostly grown up children. All the black-crowns I saw were still sitting tight on the nest, with no visible kids.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6X2q9TP-ygqHzyyOdMyzBl_AMLQyxE4ARv7wge2nkCgCcF0OQIH2-j3Lqvz3vas0OeHSoo2QqTP6z5hcpz2krMyJ5UDXJmH9S68SXRrjppOfWYaralQJbxGqZY6cQlcBLbijizrLyGE4d/s1600/tri1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6X2q9TP-ygqHzyyOdMyzBl_AMLQyxE4ARv7wge2nkCgCcF0OQIH2-j3Lqvz3vas0OeHSoo2QqTP6z5hcpz2krMyJ5UDXJmH9S68SXRrjppOfWYaralQJbxGqZY6cQlcBLbijizrLyGE4d/s640/tri1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was the first time I'd ever seen young Tricolored Herons! Unlike a lot of these heron kids,they've already got colors and patterns very similar to the adults.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aVSxd38Y67W5x3az8vqduCyvnelRgm3EevlSnV3pm0492SjrTrS9LuatuR3d8yhskrVnBUI5gs74hD9zlBF_SFmbB7tu8djXwC26hzHMSnD3ZBnxgNwqXgvs3JCZ1lhbVl7qSKg-E3QD/s1600/cegrets1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aVSxd38Y67W5x3az8vqduCyvnelRgm3EevlSnV3pm0492SjrTrS9LuatuR3d8yhskrVnBUI5gs74hD9zlBF_SFmbB7tu8djXwC26hzHMSnD3ZBnxgNwqXgvs3JCZ1lhbVl7qSKg-E3QD/s640/cegrets1.jpg" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult Cattle Egret.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SH2Y7LLpwVyo8LA44Yb2gWhjJ-iq-3A2IT8vz1tYTr6Mrr9PNENqRUYzKaNxo91N44O1Yr_i8j6thNFXmO3nyQ8iBqr9KNYCuWAFbx6L4_aZsFKMcTAzauOTdaQY-8FHVbFeC2KqBo6G/s1600/cegrets2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SH2Y7LLpwVyo8LA44Yb2gWhjJ-iq-3A2IT8vz1tYTr6Mrr9PNENqRUYzKaNxo91N44O1Yr_i8j6thNFXmO3nyQ8iBqr9KNYCuWAFbx6L4_aZsFKMcTAzauOTdaQY-8FHVbFeC2KqBo6G/s400/cegrets2.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Another very exciting thing to see was a family of Moorhens! I describe these birds as "duck chickens", or water chickens - they swim like ducks, look a bit like ducks, but their feet and beak looks more like a chicken's. This family - two adults and four tiny, fluffy chicks - were foraging among the reedy plants at the water line, in front of the trees the herons were nesting in.<br />
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They were all out in the open for a little while, but then they started to hide - luckily we got this picture before they hid completely! Look at their bald heads!<br />
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There were plenty of flowers, lily pads, dragonflies and butterflies around as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFl3gkV5zLli8jk6JyxE_BRjtjVzR9ePs6RPGKitlpJTjs8LZO5kL4JNM-R9exBz-aoVBb0O789msxNTy-I-mCNWCPsQHGzNu-dzBbGi9b5Ww2QG4Q3G94hhSOHJC1tawUbhLEjp77hTO2/s1600/gator1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFl3gkV5zLli8jk6JyxE_BRjtjVzR9ePs6RPGKitlpJTjs8LZO5kL4JNM-R9exBz-aoVBb0O789msxNTy-I-mCNWCPsQHGzNu-dzBbGi9b5Ww2QG4Q3G94hhSOHJC1tawUbhLEjp77hTO2/s640/gator1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And, of course, there are alligators. A vital part of what's keeping this place safe for all those nesting birds. The gators might eat a few unlucky heron babies, but they'll keep all the egg-and-nestling munching predators away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UCsrDgJXhSg6NOD99P9-n_OD9Z7ZxEACGBOvWjImClnWxEUOb_hk1EgniKF3rs3pVDvWzoWfK1yK4dvO5Z77G9uC5yP17BSkjs93qLxX2nW4XUyo7CD-7ZEVhxUNOB2HD3OOpHc4w69c/s1600/gator2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UCsrDgJXhSg6NOD99P9-n_OD9Z7ZxEACGBOvWjImClnWxEUOb_hk1EgniKF3rs3pVDvWzoWfK1yK4dvO5Z77G9uC5yP17BSkjs93qLxX2nW4XUyo7CD-7ZEVhxUNOB2HD3OOpHc4w69c/s640/gator2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There were plenty of other birds around too, that may or may not have been nesting nearby, like blackbirds, seagulls, cormorants, and Great-tailed Grackles like this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXL99fRIOhULg3GrzH49ZIDUdYopy5RO3-V15kDpnt5ptn6IdblQ4I6fw1D5fawzwX1IV8XDAw5CA7dp-MtoGZ0BxVmz7Nb9ehyphenhyphenbT5zMvFmHSDd0dbO-MmoDhWSDGg6Fwx-F1jk8t9790/s1600/grackle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXL99fRIOhULg3GrzH49ZIDUdYopy5RO3-V15kDpnt5ptn6IdblQ4I6fw1D5fawzwX1IV8XDAw5CA7dp-MtoGZ0BxVmz7Nb9ehyphenhyphenbT5zMvFmHSDd0dbO-MmoDhWSDGg6Fwx-F1jk8t9790/s320/grackle1.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguh1ZcJZGzFnch7kZAkzMDWAJEKhCvJTdB085AvFxs8rRVADes2WkOeMO-gb6aWwB6FwdycrKNt3_yh61CPQHQKl3IKZxuagLtzOYXcx76jYP788JQspwmZetip4kwo-PYA5bhW7Spk4wf/s1600/grackle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguh1ZcJZGzFnch7kZAkzMDWAJEKhCvJTdB085AvFxs8rRVADes2WkOeMO-gb6aWwB6FwdycrKNt3_yh61CPQHQKl3IKZxuagLtzOYXcx76jYP788JQspwmZetip4kwo-PYA5bhW7Spk4wf/s320/grackle2.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They get all poofy when they make their crackly grackle noises.</td></tr>
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It was great to see so many youngsters so close, and to observe such a variety of wildlife. I'll leave you with one last picture, of a lovely backyard snail:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilzOTSJCwDHCR3XAhh9bKbATeUGwvyUEzHea8cjzsjO1tW-KAGvm9l52Ih0zT28P-GEBUtVhkt8LSB6Ke1bJEe4EuSkNw8Qc3rbZ4hGGg-dQ0R72vwMvrh-41s5SkyJkhBoe5l8uhQW0D/s1600/snail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilzOTSJCwDHCR3XAhh9bKbATeUGwvyUEzHea8cjzsjO1tW-KAGvm9l52Ih0zT28P-GEBUtVhkt8LSB6Ke1bJEe4EuSkNw8Qc3rbZ4hGGg-dQ0R72vwMvrh-41s5SkyJkhBoe5l8uhQW0D/s640/snail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">have a great day</td></tr>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-91909240207816965332015-05-26T16:45:00.000-05:002015-05-26T16:45:55.564-05:00Backyard bird fledglingsBaby bird time is always an exciting time, and I've been lucky in that I've been able to get some extended observations of adorable fledglings living in my backyard. Cute "teenage" birds, still begging for food from their parents, dressed in almost-but-not-quite adult feathers, pretty good flyers but not perfect yet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv3OrpGbvbtBgh_Et4VX347H6eewI-H0hZctM9SQN4j59OkbJ6fyyK8xuKbWnG3tpjtQRELbk8ZJ0RdbQbsH3JUTYVx9Ry9mOHprMJgH1wYLw7_hqRkitkR7D-Ttp8KiYf6nBJuAyaJb_/s1600/mockingb-adult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv3OrpGbvbtBgh_Et4VX347H6eewI-H0hZctM9SQN4j59OkbJ6fyyK8xuKbWnG3tpjtQRELbk8ZJ0RdbQbsH3JUTYVx9Ry9mOHprMJgH1wYLw7_hqRkitkR7D-Ttp8KiYf6nBJuAyaJb_/s640/mockingb-adult.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is an adult mockingbird.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi3O7a_JqBtq9fifotTkvP6NBhbxxEurtVeraTTxdGX65MkuWA_xvJEP_lgzowz_5i1SXy556fnuHLX9eZicOoi03wR-owCi9L2okN85iNwhfPUehbGfr2-SQzw4rq8ZuU0uf_yiFHjjw/s1600/mockingb-child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi3O7a_JqBtq9fifotTkvP6NBhbxxEurtVeraTTxdGX65MkuWA_xvJEP_lgzowz_5i1SXy556fnuHLX9eZicOoi03wR-owCi9L2okN85iNwhfPUehbGfr2-SQzw4rq8ZuU0uf_yiFHjjw/s640/mockingb-child.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this is a mockingbird child. A fledgling<i>, </i>looking like an adult, but not there yet! <i>"Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight."</i> You can see the child has a pale beak in contrast to the adult's black, and dark speckling on the chest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXVyYsx7l2Omdyv-ILJguys2Yd4fyEfVp3GmfF5_4N_RW4_EIwGNLr_Dz22VqSxgqurFrTsuRt_KrIiTvA7qoAHi2088a0Uvn-0iFA62JIcADC7EGyKU1QG1WAge9kRREkQSme4nRtfxE/s1600/mockingb-child2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXVyYsx7l2Omdyv-ILJguys2Yd4fyEfVp3GmfF5_4N_RW4_EIwGNLr_Dz22VqSxgqurFrTsuRt_KrIiTvA7qoAHi2088a0Uvn-0iFA62JIcADC7EGyKU1QG1WAge9kRREkQSme4nRtfxE/s400/mockingb-child2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can see here that the fledlings can still look very fluffy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsSqtGOqxNFbsvaR7cHgZrjnt7boeuJJ6hgM029sflbyEcanpkkP93LmBoHeT0yC8csDdmua9Sy2sIFM7CKTZbsTGyPQsN3c3m21H7_XqXEBg-Jfrffc8ilxs7MH5MqxBSL2KmXG54HRs/s1600/mockingb-child3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsSqtGOqxNFbsvaR7cHgZrjnt7boeuJJ6hgM029sflbyEcanpkkP93LmBoHeT0yC8csDdmua9Sy2sIFM7CKTZbsTGyPQsN3c3m21H7_XqXEBg-Jfrffc8ilxs7MH5MqxBSL2KmXG54HRs/s400/mockingb-child3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another great thing about these little fluffs is that they're very curious - this one turned to look at me very intensely! The adults might look at you with wary, sharp caution and judgment (when they're not pointedly ignoring you), while the children are more likely to look at you with open curiosity or confusion, and if you start getting too close, a more obvious nervousness the adults won't show.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcp3ZSfqMJ8YgdDwJKC4MngyxWQdzIuIijKR5e4BmAhJtzbk6HG2ivNTdk-a1L50CrqaxDcEgldREpxu29ZneLcBdXjTmTDkwOLx7d4CqCLneAAnJTNAn2wIYizYBLW4vWZaM1euJ3R-a/s1600/mockingb-child4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcp3ZSfqMJ8YgdDwJKC4MngyxWQdzIuIijKR5e4BmAhJtzbk6HG2ivNTdk-a1L50CrqaxDcEgldREpxu29ZneLcBdXjTmTDkwOLx7d4CqCLneAAnJTNAn2wIYizYBLW4vWZaM1euJ3R-a/s640/mockingb-child4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still watching.</td></tr>
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Blue jays are raising their children.You can see one of those parents here:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNwJ1sp6gxCmKxE-0wVkatzvVF6VZa6EPI-ufcjIhWuxu_qW9FOuOSiU1shiTHeF3_v7FHRQeoLcxl8MajrUeB_LHyrwG3u78OJhnb3hxoCmib4dN2WI5_S4BDidhj42lPM4f_4eE1FV1/s1600/bluej-adult-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNwJ1sp6gxCmKxE-0wVkatzvVF6VZa6EPI-ufcjIhWuxu_qW9FOuOSiU1shiTHeF3_v7FHRQeoLcxl8MajrUeB_LHyrwG3u78OJhnb3hxoCmib4dN2WI5_S4BDidhj42lPM4f_4eE1FV1/s400/bluej-adult-back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful iridescent blue</td></tr>
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While the mockingbirds feel comfortable in the front yard, the Blue Jays keep most of their operations to the back yard. As such, they're often a little further away, and photographing their children is a little trickier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqltkemf106q8bQVlv8FkXGflafik826sE4w-Z-JPgnZuduJHUdU2qDYwsoiYJqbMaC0cgSj0V5VFLwsJzIAVfa5iCb2ruabuRbeywCohOzoS5W6IMu08Fwu9ptA97_y9bY6TKIqgXRsC/s1600/bluej-child-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqltkemf106q8bQVlv8FkXGflafik826sE4w-Z-JPgnZuduJHUdU2qDYwsoiYJqbMaC0cgSj0V5VFLwsJzIAVfa5iCb2ruabuRbeywCohOzoS5W6IMu08Fwu9ptA97_y9bY6TKIqgXRsC/s640/bluej-child-wide.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFunPPDuaLPxOs0Hj-Y_S21Lya0rc1ZjABV19S6BqMAo0zgUpa5QlY-yz0xCJvUx3slWltfiwBLzks3g63vPU-RuhHPy2zNGV3Xp3BFPZsEK7yXo0t6EE2cK8rtykcCzCPb0jO_pK4J8O/s1600/bluej-child-zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFunPPDuaLPxOs0Hj-Y_S21Lya0rc1ZjABV19S6BqMAo0zgUpa5QlY-yz0xCJvUx3slWltfiwBLzks3g63vPU-RuhHPy2zNGV3Xp3BFPZsEK7yXo0t6EE2cK8rtykcCzCPb0jO_pK4J8O/s400/bluej-child-zoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a blurry little fuzzball!</td></tr>
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You can see again that these kids have pale beaks, too, and though they've got adult colors and patterning, it's still all fuzzy and dull. The kids will often stay in more or less the same place while their parents are out finding food for them, which makes them easy to watch. They're also usually very vocal, making a lot of high-pitch begging calls that sound something like a creaky gate. I can often hear these calls even when I'm inside the house.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYnrWb18u7JEMlUthaf_wLgA3CfFIJxMNtGJsq5D6avf7l4olumotB03o4GAxwneqQqDqj0qub8df4F93N0O9JyaRklX3tE41rpSJgo-ELOl4EHCMMih-ddXupx1aO1A9T2xTTMA7-TtA/s1600/bluej-child-f-zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYnrWb18u7JEMlUthaf_wLgA3CfFIJxMNtGJsq5D6avf7l4olumotB03o4GAxwneqQqDqj0qub8df4F93N0O9JyaRklX3tE41rpSJgo-ELOl4EHCMMih-ddXupx1aO1A9T2xTTMA7-TtA/s400/bluej-child-f-zoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here the adult comes in with some sort of food! Hooray.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zackKu3qGeDNVCLna09kNS-enTBfWJPlvs_cRZHSDMGMCTDNUxjqDh1P3HyqiHQWBuV7YTVs4be865fBaQHVIMs9ROcCnu-SxelVGEwA10kySagBM0ofzgJLL45__EQjAe6191dj_rJe/s1600/bluej-adult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zackKu3qGeDNVCLna09kNS-enTBfWJPlvs_cRZHSDMGMCTDNUxjqDh1P3HyqiHQWBuV7YTVs4be865fBaQHVIMs9ROcCnu-SxelVGEwA10kySagBM0ofzgJLL45__EQjAe6191dj_rJe/s640/bluej-adult.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I see the adults foraging a lot. Not sure what they're picking up, though.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4yzEMBa09igAPCsLSq729X_vI9uWCkLyh09OXdicQ1nC83-W1n_Pl43M98t6b0OjbSbCnogNcWpaGdJEQseL8z4HlNlE5XABAu33k0pIUX4FoFBIwHhrj1CJ0e8HivHY3b61NAWBl9Hs/s1600/blueh-adult2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4yzEMBa09igAPCsLSq729X_vI9uWCkLyh09OXdicQ1nC83-W1n_Pl43M98t6b0OjbSbCnogNcWpaGdJEQseL8z4HlNlE5XABAu33k0pIUX4FoFBIwHhrj1CJ0e8HivHY3b61NAWBl9Hs/s640/blueh-adult2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's actually been two weeks since I took these photos, and these children are now looking much more like their parents, with shiny adult feather patterns and colors. But they're still following their parents around, learning about the world and occasionally begging for food. It's been really fun to watch my feathered neighbors raising their families this year.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-80331702510908359072015-05-18T17:43:00.000-05:002015-05-18T17:43:17.346-05:00Spring Anole Photoshoot<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWBdyOtelF1AjoxwbBnm39tr5KZqmtn2gl9ieMPwBF310SY2rV9_eDTu4lO5M36SeHis9WaNS_CwH33PVch9d3mrkNUfkrcfo2E2NLHUjIDkZVOJEGgRu_fKHa6n1_Un_JfLJJnNqfjUg/s1600/IMG_20150423_132928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWBdyOtelF1AjoxwbBnm39tr5KZqmtn2gl9ieMPwBF310SY2rV9_eDTu4lO5M36SeHis9WaNS_CwH33PVch9d3mrkNUfkrcfo2E2NLHUjIDkZVOJEGgRu_fKHa6n1_Un_JfLJJnNqfjUg/s400/IMG_20150423_132928.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My pet bird Merle the Blue-crowned Conure, and a Green Anole lizard!</td></tr>
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I'm sure the lizards in the yard are sick of me. I'm always saying hello and asking for their photo and their autograph and if I can name a child after them and if they'll hang out with me and be best friends forever and then I take their beleaguered judgmental stares as consent. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRR-UkP0Lp571O67K-HqntlwrBJ_e7WeUH1fjTqS9x_GIoqFxf8WWK3DD-tS2MeKTuNHpKxnDwK1pBUpLlVDO4OSahQzyHA94GVxYW2faSZnRDKKq60YZ8LqnclidhpAfcZJQxIyarY-N/s1600/g-a-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRR-UkP0Lp571O67K-HqntlwrBJ_e7WeUH1fjTqS9x_GIoqFxf8WWK3DD-tS2MeKTuNHpKxnDwK1pBUpLlVDO4OSahQzyHA94GVxYW2faSZnRDKKq60YZ8LqnclidhpAfcZJQxIyarY-N/s1600/g-a-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes I am guilty of bothering the wildlife.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMzdHdz_Wnr8RHIFTc6B6-T7Mhlsi4gkGhE0ONUkijl6U7OJGJS1lWitdjgEeu3pnVfwUsuzG6Nn63-e9M4QX_WMon2XC1gSPnSKM2jyYjEqgha-HB78Km43gsF-z11ArOWzNSlcct8D9/s1600/g-a-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMzdHdz_Wnr8RHIFTc6B6-T7Mhlsi4gkGhE0ONUkijl6U7OJGJS1lWitdjgEeu3pnVfwUsuzG6Nn63-e9M4QX_WMon2XC1gSPnSKM2jyYjEqgha-HB78Km43gsF-z11ArOWzNSlcct8D9/s1600/g-a-2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>So handsome!</i></td></tr>
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This rain gutter is popular, it's true. Prime lizard territory.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WqHA85TGqNRGI_WzTD34PkTr5l6nKlvHJY1VjXUM6GePhewVFoAc5d63ppCZFL4PIuKN7VHSXlI9io_o8haj8RaAq5TYnDvuoJjAAbQTiCR-gvFWqwlFmRcNNrDsYllKON8af4nQgNYS/s1600/g-a-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WqHA85TGqNRGI_WzTD34PkTr5l6nKlvHJY1VjXUM6GePhewVFoAc5d63ppCZFL4PIuKN7VHSXlI9io_o8haj8RaAq5TYnDvuoJjAAbQTiCR-gvFWqwlFmRcNNrDsYllKON8af4nQgNYS/s400/g-a-3.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one has a weird ridge of skin on the neck! I've never seen that before! Not sure what's up with that.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvLlTB4cPgcPUDWokzTExvzYxXfyREVzliYw3vuUi882kIHe6gB8ShW1QSXQP5Bm7ZI0qkQ3XCL1cF2FmMeRc-Npwyf7ikN-TI7GLZ97aqEEqqSnfopehv3h3X8xLrAADzjOww6Dw6mfs/s1600/g-a-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvLlTB4cPgcPUDWokzTExvzYxXfyREVzliYw3vuUi882kIHe6gB8ShW1QSXQP5Bm7ZI0qkQ3XCL1cF2FmMeRc-Npwyf7ikN-TI7GLZ97aqEEqqSnfopehv3h3X8xLrAADzjOww6Dw6mfs/s640/g-a-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We all know these lizards are the best. Even if we don't admit it, we all know it's true, deep in our hearts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tNCiWf1eK2n-lR0ohs2FlBX8GDFZNnid-NxpjIiiqs_1ZlLSGct9JjdIGU6csHMhtxT_Iozwlno4E-VQJ1pesNtD5R4L5QoJBzCdWLRjpKaH0WEIKPVrGVY3kJMEKQiB3IJnaQ8fDfFg/s1600/g-a-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tNCiWf1eK2n-lR0ohs2FlBX8GDFZNnid-NxpjIiiqs_1ZlLSGct9JjdIGU6csHMhtxT_Iozwlno4E-VQJ1pesNtD5R4L5QoJBzCdWLRjpKaH0WEIKPVrGVY3kJMEKQiB3IJnaQ8fDfFg/s320/g-a-5.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I caught him showing off his throat flap, hooray!</td></tr>
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I hope y'all like lizards as much as I do 'cause I'm not even done yet. Let's show some other animals for a bit though:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNOzObC_4q5YikONmWdB97slBAtmKV6GUY6VR5SqryGJnmJxIEGJ9Dq5ay_L0RT3FMzt2G7_S86NClw3jaQQYQrELl-hAuYYrptbzR9016KGiq8QBe_UrhY83-ZMw7AvT_HSy88CX4Aok/s1600/merle-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNOzObC_4q5YikONmWdB97slBAtmKV6GUY6VR5SqryGJnmJxIEGJ9Dq5ay_L0RT3FMzt2G7_S86NClw3jaQQYQrELl-hAuYYrptbzR9016KGiq8QBe_UrhY83-ZMw7AvT_HSy88CX4Aok/s640/merle-cat.jpg" width="421" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do ya like these animals??</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Enough of that, though, there are more lizards to see!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_XbbBYGCSi0f4NUln_LazgLaChahf2nGh980zivIWYCzy-2g8egmOpCyKarWb-WW5hGXuffUlaTNt8CF5XXeOTpPTs5JUEn76D8bX2jzC6aDMfLv-Ar4iKI8mkYWlth3IMWTDF_IEJKM/s1600/g-a-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_XbbBYGCSi0f4NUln_LazgLaChahf2nGh980zivIWYCzy-2g8egmOpCyKarWb-WW5hGXuffUlaTNt8CF5XXeOTpPTs5JUEn76D8bX2jzC6aDMfLv-Ar4iKI8mkYWlth3IMWTDF_IEJKM/s400/g-a-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring time? Lizard time!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYgFbIf3Zx2TOZ5UUJnsY2c0c-rTC1lH1txebcoUSN3eKtqMr0UnS8MKcAC_QS22vEWVCZ7e-LSq89coheTcAT-6bHatomeAlqas4yb_ZMBXFshjmK69aX2FLd1t_aRzl_rQr_TR7jfXY/s1600/g-a-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYgFbIf3Zx2TOZ5UUJnsY2c0c-rTC1lH1txebcoUSN3eKtqMr0UnS8MKcAC_QS22vEWVCZ7e-LSq89coheTcAT-6bHatomeAlqas4yb_ZMBXFshjmK69aX2FLd1t_aRzl_rQr_TR7jfXY/s400/g-a-7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTEMtWc_xVHQdFYa1MWngc85V-RF7csYi4vgIWaTQfkXo64TkVp0E6Rfd2vfUPHqQxYwFnC7f071vdygXMlYVcgoBul0Dza1xheT-AX7EpWq15ciGir7_SGuH279JYZpLYIIJ16WWYxbB/s1600/g-a-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTEMtWc_xVHQdFYa1MWngc85V-RF7csYi4vgIWaTQfkXo64TkVp0E6Rfd2vfUPHqQxYwFnC7f071vdygXMlYVcgoBul0Dza1xheT-AX7EpWq15ciGir7_SGuH279JYZpLYIIJ16WWYxbB/s640/g-a-8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizards, lizards, everywhere</td></tr>
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Another picture of my bird, because why not:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5bAgQbT9YybtteLaSqvhiSMLed17m27HwrkJCd2cpvNax61W2nGw8SSFEUipAKtZSdJfDQrMuqAGUh7d8G-nLUX7gwSOG3zbzzuevtLRXoEV101rl5k7df_KS9DzUDwBR7WVjN9Ds2VD/s1600/IMG_7843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5bAgQbT9YybtteLaSqvhiSMLed17m27HwrkJCd2cpvNax61W2nGw8SSFEUipAKtZSdJfDQrMuqAGUh7d8G-nLUX7gwSOG3zbzzuevtLRXoEV101rl5k7df_KS9DzUDwBR7WVjN9Ds2VD/s400/IMG_7843.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And, because I have (most sadly!) run out of lizard pictures (but not lizards), we'll move on to a few things anoles might like to eat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikomj2cwpl45S6Wmfjw20vD-pHzL7gSdlBUvmR7_gCzDF3bg8Dpe7FxZTPu8MOgtsup2AL0koZE_gSZvadmQ_xwbuWXjxJZ9f5VdFGHpedNQV9izdN_Upf0nhnr8TgMZlOwxWT_YdmtfrB/s1600/beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikomj2cwpl45S6Wmfjw20vD-pHzL7gSdlBUvmR7_gCzDF3bg8Dpe7FxZTPu8MOgtsup2AL0koZE_gSZvadmQ_xwbuWXjxJZ9f5VdFGHpedNQV9izdN_Upf0nhnr8TgMZlOwxWT_YdmtfrB/s1600/beetle.jpg" /></a></div>
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Like this cool beetle that landed on my hand. Very small! I like the colors. Skin looks weird close up, but I guess that's how bugs see it.</div>
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And of course I can't resist a prime oppurtunity for a mosquito photograph.</div>
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And this picture blurred but I like how it makes this small moth look really big and spooky! Up against the glass on a window of course.<br />
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Now we'll end on a *super ultra bonus!* picture: <br />
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This neat crab exoskeleton that I found at the nature center. It's the size of my hand, and it's so intact! It's much more common to see the smaller fiddler crabs than these bigger ones, so this was a cool find. I thought it was just a dead crab, but after taking this picture I've since <a href="http://www.bluecrab.info/busting.php">found out that crabs shed their shells as they grow</a>, so maybe it's just a molted exoskeleton?<br />
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Keep your eyes open for cool lizards, crabs, and birds! Spring is a great season for exciting (and accessible!) wildlife encounters. You never know where those lizards could be lurking. </div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-7005728146574222842015-05-13T15:25:00.002-05:002015-05-13T16:20:29.809-05:00Ring-necked Parakeets in watercolorStep 1: sketchy-sketch.<br />
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Step 2: some vaguely parrot-shaped blobs of color.<br />
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Step 3: those parrots need some beaks and feet!<br />
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Step 4: and they need something to stand on, too, don't they?</div>
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Step 5: how about some lovely parrot eyes? And other important facial features, such as visible mouths and neck markings?<br />
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Step 6: What about details? Better wings, better feathers! The parrots demand them! Also more of a background, too!<br />
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Step 7: Ah, but we need more of a background than that! Something that seems a little more interesting, and a little less flat. And just a little bit more polish on those parrots so they stand out, the stars of the show.<br />
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That's it, that's the end! It's like magic. Parrots, suddenly, where there were no parrots before! Watercolor paints on watercolor paper, with some colored pencil work for the details, and a tiny bit of black ink for those parrot pupils. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL9dveza8xL1rXByOj3hrUkZIbd9rwpHqPKIHWNxCpXQu7nlf14AwcF7Xq64gIXkgiHweq0-ataAo3UoEur9Xzi-NDPOtre0LaIxL_JpBLulHD0LfNtTK_Fhfvw9-R8t0COr4nSAr1Ghc/s1600/rp-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL9dveza8xL1rXByOj3hrUkZIbd9rwpHqPKIHWNxCpXQu7nlf14AwcF7Xq64gIXkgiHweq0-ataAo3UoEur9Xzi-NDPOtre0LaIxL_JpBLulHD0LfNtTK_Fhfvw9-R8t0COr4nSAr1Ghc/s400/rp-w.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My workspace</i></td></tr>
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Why Ring-necked Parakeets? I kinda fell in love with them when I watched some really charming individual pet birds on YouTube. I was fascinated by how many of them seemed to really love stuffed animals - my parrot, a Blue-crowned Conure, has only ever had a very passing interest in them (she might bite them, or give them one kiss or a high-five if prompted, but that's it). They also have such sweet voices!<br />
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You can see from the videos that the captive birds come in a variety of colors, and you might be able to tell from the painting that I'm pretty fond of that pastel blue form.Wild birds are usually green, though you can see from photos like this that the green can include aspects of blue:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Rose-ringedParakeet.jpg/550px-Rose-ringedParakeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Rose-ringedParakeet.jpg/550px-Rose-ringedParakeet.jpg" height="320" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rose-ringedParakeet.jpg">Wikipedia</a></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Parrots and Squirrels feeding together" height="333" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7464/15903852219_2c6fec47e4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="https://flic.kr/p/qenpbB">Flickr</a></td></tr>
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So, in short, I just think they're really charming, interesting, charismatic birds, which is why I wanted to paint some. <br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-44047454414301544222015-05-04T22:38:00.000-05:002015-05-04T22:38:36.771-05:00Rosetacular! Well, well, what do we have here?<br />
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Colored pencil, on paper, in the shape of a rose? A rose drawing? Complete? 100% feline approved??</div>
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<br />I've been working on this little beauty for a little over 2 months, and I'm finally done with it. Good riddance! No, it was quite fun, and really turned out much better than I expected.</div>
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So I started out with some crummy phone pictures of a rose. Now, I was going to draw the rose while it was, y'know, still alive, but do I get anything done on time? Ha! No.</div>
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Rosetacular! Right? Now we move into how exactly you get from a sub-standard photograph to a (hopefully) above-average piece o' art. You already know I ditched the leaves. Why? I dunno, I thought about it. I just wasn't feeling it, I guess! I wanted something simple, I suppose.</div>
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A light sketch, and the laying down of a few colors. Feeling it out, hoping everything will look okay in the end. Then a bit more definition, and the addition of the stem. Clearly you can see that I am like "man, I do not want to get into all those layers." Do you know how many petals are smooshed into that rose? Too many, that's the correct answer. I took a slow and steady approach to the whole thing.</div>
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Slow and steady can win a race or two, I think. You can see I'm working from the outside in, and shading and defining everything as I go, tweaking everything bit by bit, petal by petal. At this stage you can see I'm mixing in more colors. And yes, I did use about 25 colored pencils for this project, with probably 10 of them getting the most use.</div>
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Clearly, there's only so long that the inner rose petals can be avoided.</div>
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Then, of course, things start to get tedious. And confusing. I try to define the shape and placement of each petal, but then there's the layers of colors to add, to make the shading, to make everything more rich and (hopefully!) more wonderful.<br />
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On the picture below, you can see that I'm going into the final stretch: all the petals are there, everything has color, and now it's just a matter of buildup, filling in the gaps and defining the details.<br />
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Once that's done? Oh, sweet victory-</div>
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It kinda looks like a rose, yay! It's all I ever wanted. Quite the journey, my friends. Are we all richer for the experience? I know I am.</div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-49106272316142396112015-04-16T19:05:00.000-05:002015-04-16T19:05:23.640-05:00Works in progress: snakes and stuffI woke up one day and felt like painting a snake. Luckily this is a dream I'm quite capable of fufilling, so I jumped right into it:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrNpXEEKMAI-vbjxCdxirj3xFRyxPKz1R8QNQlMTH_WcbrnyQY4UIsmzyLVIenzGJjjGJ9dUXeGZHiKpjQCUyJK029Ux5tXWhPRG-B1OzBc2Y_3-kIxbRcWwLowZdT_WGCKleRMK9_0qT/s1600/v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrNpXEEKMAI-vbjxCdxirj3xFRyxPKz1R8QNQlMTH_WcbrnyQY4UIsmzyLVIenzGJjjGJ9dUXeGZHiKpjQCUyJK029Ux5tXWhPRG-B1OzBc2Y_3-kIxbRcWwLowZdT_WGCKleRMK9_0qT/s1600/v1.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is a terrible picture full of glare (it's glarrible!), but it gives you an idea. I wanted something up close and personal, sweet colors, a snake that's fierce, beautiful, captivating.<br />
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You can see here that the snake begins to grow up, gets more definition, less of a shadow and more of a living thing.<br />
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After coating the snake with another layer of paint, I start adding scales.<br />
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This was really quite tedious. <br />
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But really quite worth it, I think.</div>
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I got a little frustrated trying to change the eye around, messing with different colors and things, so it lost a little bit of its luster as more scales were added. I'll get back to it. The scales, now that they're all more or less in there, will now of course need to be refined. And I don't know what'll be happenning in the background. Or what color the snake's eye, or even the snake itself, will end up being.<br />
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I based the snake's look on <i>Atheris squamigera</i>, a bush viper.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Variable_bush_viper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Variable_bush_viper.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo</i> <i>from<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Variable_bush_viper.jpg"> wikipedia</a>. More <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Atheris+squamigera&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=vUwwVY72BMvWoATDqIGgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1252&bih=557">here</a>!</i></div>
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I knew I wanted to paint a viper of some sort (..I just like vipers?), and a search of viper species led me to <i>squamigera</i>, an exceedingly beautiful and captivating snake.<br />
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Next in line:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGd-EqojYbWmLEsQXyXdB7GuQ4O-O_Vd3rTzTaEfX9xhTRfbl1hPPZiHm9P5IOPVw1qbqJmbXhs0w96D5JNNf_H4JwTJVe9luCb0Pnn6DMRxs5Y2noI9gM2D2Ra_Ky8tEN7MsMG6mFChaJ/s1600/f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGd-EqojYbWmLEsQXyXdB7GuQ4O-O_Vd3rTzTaEfX9xhTRfbl1hPPZiHm9P5IOPVw1qbqJmbXhs0w96D5JNNf_H4JwTJVe9luCb0Pnn6DMRxs5Y2noI9gM2D2Ra_Ky8tEN7MsMG6mFChaJ/s1600/f1.jpg" height="303" width="400" /></a></div>
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Flamingos! This is a considerably smaller painting, and it's not nearly as far along as its snakey roommate. Right now it's really no more than a rough sketch. We'll see what happens to it in a few weeks!<br />
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Next up is a really fun project: tape art! <br />
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The assignment: recreate a classic masterpiece of art, using a myriad of decorative and practical tape. I chose to work from this piece by Joan Miró. It called to me. So lively! So weird! So much detail! And cool shapes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUAx0yXf3u5MCCwaTTyIYNNsQqlEifjyJbVVciVrxgnRxN148s_MgAFtz5fBC6Shyphenhyphen3IS0Fuv9B8uRSErnSo3PkdurI6GjmEDhl00xMA3FSkZt8OfZwgIS7gutU9WUkJocrSUE4mJPrq6U/s1600/tape-miro2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUAx0yXf3u5MCCwaTTyIYNNsQqlEifjyJbVVciVrxgnRxN148s_MgAFtz5fBC6Shyphenhyphen3IS0Fuv9B8uRSErnSo3PkdurI6GjmEDhl00xMA3FSkZt8OfZwgIS7gutU9WUkJocrSUE4mJPrq6U/s1600/tape-miro2.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a></div>
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You can see I chose to zoom in to the little bug fellow. At first I was a little baffled by how on earth to work in <i>tape</i>, and thought, "goodness gracious, this is going to be tedious and insane." And yeah, it is kinda tedious (and maybe kinda insane), but as I got used to it, it became really fun, and really satisfying, too. Multiple rolls of tape, cutting, cutting, and more cutting, sticking and resticking, hands full of tape and scissors and multiple funky little pieces. There's almost a sort of rhythm to it.<br />
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I'm enjoying it way more than I thought I would at the beginning, and I love the subject I chose. This painting is really fun to explore, and recreate in my own way. And the tape itself is so charming.<br />
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Finally, we've got some colored pencil work:<br />
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If you give a rose to an artist, you can almost guarantee the artist is going to draw it, right? Isn't that some law of nature? Wouldn't nine out of ten artists agree? I dunno, but if you give <i>me</i> a rose, I'm gonna draw it, that you can say for sure. The color's so rich and vivid, the sentiment's so sweet, and if you stare at it for a week or so, well, how can you resist?<br />
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I hadn't worked in colored pencils in a long time! I felt rusty. They seem like they should be very simple, but I don't think they are. Lots and lots of layers, slow and steady work, building up the color and the form.<br />
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I think it's coming along really nicely. If I do so say so myself. Don't know what I'm going to do with the background yet, if anything. I do have a <i>lot</i> of colored pencils, so its nice to put them to use after they sat around for a while (I mean - vacationed for a while, in colored pencil land!). Good to remember the fun stuff they're capable of. <br />
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It's very motivational to look back and see how artworks have progressed! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-1219875131131221382015-04-08T21:08:00.000-05:002015-04-16T19:12:29.323-05:00Baytown Nature Center tunnel book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What's this? A bird?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfEtRPgDh92sPv_CdSb4yrhVaoM_jaKcWGtTx8vIIk6MnfRx5O8P2av6Q00kfIunRaczJbqWebrDPMFw41QcgsZxQhUrbqlJ31w3U79yo8_njJLHJQW6sCFUZsxS5BID4R5iNNWDFtfjJ/s1600/r8-x700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfEtRPgDh92sPv_CdSb4yrhVaoM_jaKcWGtTx8vIIk6MnfRx5O8P2av6Q00kfIunRaczJbqWebrDPMFw41QcgsZxQhUrbqlJ31w3U79yo8_njJLHJQW6sCFUZsxS5BID4R5iNNWDFtfjJ/s1600/r8-x700.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And what's this - <i>another</i> bird?<br />
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<i>Even more birds</i>?<br />
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Of course!<br />
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Because this is the Baytown Nature Center, one of my favorite places, mostly because it has a lot of birds! I love the place so much, I made a whimsical little tunnel book to represent and express my love for it. I just couldn't help myself. My hand slipped - and I drew a bunch of birds. Slowly and steadily they grew their way into some sort of multidimensional watercolor painting.<br />
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I will confess right away that I enjoyed this immensely. Creating it was tons of fun. Few things are quite so magical and soothing as converting memory and emotion into what feels like a living, breathing work of art. Something you can show your friends and family, something that people can talk about and discuss, something that can sit on your own shelf, reminding you of good things that have made you happy and felt enormously special to you. A fantastic sort of bridge between the physically tangible and the purely emotional, constructed at last! Feels real good. And sometimes you don't know how much something means to you until you pick up a pencil, and suddenly all the feelings come gushing out onto the page and you're left thinking, "Huh, I guess I really care about this!"<br />
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Do I care whether other people pick up on that emotion or not, when they look at the piece? Do I care if they get a sense of the memories, of what I see when I visit that nature center? I dunno, I guess so. But that's a secondary concern. It's something I might hope for, I suppose! But it's not my primary goal in the creation of the piece. My goal, I guess, was only: "<i>I want to capture and display aspects of this place that I love, shaped by my own vision, twisted by my own senses, my own heart, in a way that is mine and mine alone." </i>Photographs are pieces and fragments, vivid stills; this is more a love letter or an essay.<br />
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Because my goal was mainly to explore my own memories of the place, I decided from the get-go not to be painstakingly realistic, to go more with what memory and imagination said than what photographs might tell you. The flowers, for example, are ridiculous and totally made up, but there <i>are</i> a lot of really cool plants there at the real world nature center, plenty of flowers, plently of grubby water plants and cacti and twisting vines and little trees with completely green skin, and those flowers are a bizarre representation of all that. Something that could exist there, maybe, but doesn't; not quite.<br />
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The frog, of course, is exaggerated, as is the crab, and the birds are drawn from memory as well, but my memory for birds is a little more detailed, so they're all specific species, and they're all common and you can see all of them there and at many other places as well. The moderately majestic Great Blue Heron, at the front; the funky White Ibis; the tiny and talented Belted Kingfisher; and the eagle in the back with the fish, that's supposed to be an Osprey.<br />
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It's not particularly recognizable as an Osprey, mostly because I realized too late that I'd put two white birds awfully close to one another, and having both the Osprey and the ibis be bright white was going to mess up my composition. Not knowing what else could possibly work, I just went with orangey-brown, thinking, "hmmm, well, maybe it could be a Golden Eagle, too..." even though I've never seen one. Or maybe a young Bald Eagle - something I <i>have</i> seen there? Do they catch fish like that, too? Hm, things I don't know. Anyway, the point is I didn't really know what an Osprey looked like anyway, and fuzzy memories and throwing random birds in random places makes for weird fusion birds that exist only in watercolor paintings.<br />
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I should probably mention the background: it features refineries and the Fred Hartman bridge, which you can, of course, see from many places in the nature center. A painting meant to represent my feelings and memories of the place absolutely wouldn't be complete without them. They're a major identifier of the location, and something you can't help but notice when you're there. I would've included a big ship going by as well, but I only had so much space, and the birds were definitely more important.<br />
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Some people viewing the piece thought I was making a statement about industry/humanity encroaching on nature, and yeah, I guess you could see it that way, as habitat destruction is all too real and all too widespread. But I was really just trying to describe the place as I saw it. You go there: this is what you see. That's as far as my intention goes.<br />
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I personally delight in the contrast, an island of vibrant wildlife surrounded by refineries, neighborhoods, other signs of industry and humanity. You can see the San Jacinto Monument; you can see the Fred Hartman bridge; the ship channel, oil refineries; playgrounds for kids, and people's houses, docks, and recreational boats. To me, the place feels like a sanctuary: not something that's being encroached upon, but one little piece of nature, saved, because the habitat had already been destroyed (the place used to be a neighborhood - when it flooded, it converted to wet lands, wildlife habitat, a park for fishing and birding).<br />
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I see it and say yes, the refineries are here, and thank goodness these birds are here, too. Thank goodness these two things <i>can </i>exist in the same picture. It's a sense of relief, more than a sense of peril. I'm thankful and glad, because this little piece of nature - and it does so feel like such a little piece, surrounded by industry as it so visibly is - feels like a little piece of paradise.<br />
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Anyway, enough about that! Here's my initial draft sketch:<br />
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Little note, actually: though I told you everything was drawn from memory, my memories of what the refineries and the bridge actually looked like were so abysmal (because they're not alive at all, gosh!), that I actually did make a special trip out to the nature center to sketch them. Just a little bit. So that I felt like I could draw something that looked kinda like them. Strengthen those memories, a little! It did help, to sketch for a little while, sit for a while and really have to look at them, and think about their identifying details, and how they work. Because everyone knows I'm looking at the <i>birds </i>when I'm out there, and all those refineries, big ships, even the cool bridge - it all gets only a passing glance.<br />
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A funny thing that happened when I moved to sketching on the watercolor paper, is I drew everything much larger than I did on my draft sketch. This was not intentional at all; I didn't even realize I was doing it. It got so bad, and was so hard for me to correct (I don't know why), that I had to redraw my "Osprey" multiple times, and eventually had to cut out my original drawing to use as a size reference. <br />
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As you can see, the "book" was assembled layer by layer, each layer cut and painted separately. I did rough sketches so everything ended up in the right place and looked ok; then painted in watercolor; then outlined those watercolor images in Sharpie marker. Thin Sharpies are my favorite thing, y'all. The outlining was my favorite part.<br />
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What I considered a moment of true victory was one of my teachers saying she recognized the bridge, the moment she saw it, and so recognized the entire area. Another was when a different teacher said she could name each of those birds. I remain very glad that I managed to create a recognizable location, and recognizable animal life! I enjoy that.<br />
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"Hey, look at all this nature! It exists, and I've found it well worth exploring. There are things to see here, and stories to tell." That's what this painting wants to say, in my very, very humble opinion.<br />
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BONUS POINTS! These are<i> </i>wonderfully imaginative and fantastic tunnel books that some of the kids in my class made!<br />
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I love these so much. I was tempted to buy all of them, I wanted to look at them all day long. It's such a fun project, and everyone has a different take on it! It was really cool to see the different things that inspired people.<br />
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And if you want to see more nature center, maybe to compare with the book, or maybe because you missed the photo post, you can <a href="http://emilysplanet.blogspot.com/2014/07/baytown-nature-center-photos-july-5th.html">click here to see some photos I took there once upon a time</a>!<br />
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-676448912419555292014-12-22T23:56:00.000-06:002014-12-22T23:57:41.004-06:00Figure drawings, 2013 to 2014We draw live models, sometimes, in class. These are some of my gesture drawings from 2013:<br />
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Not particularly impressive! Very tentative. Reminder: gesture drawings are quick drawings anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes, a good way to warmup before more detailed drawings.<br />
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Now here are some gesture drawings from 2014:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndwD4SQI7ynitk7leOCpTx_FvbDs8LRXoWaPKqSKWpNtO3cX8xg0DVLWjBUFo9FMf_DIYSOXVe55lKDu_2-OS0ndFf0TfbJK1QbBEfApJ37Zd88o-7tElG0tlp0OZwFBnc70aUYqPA9fZ/s1600/newgesture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndwD4SQI7ynitk7leOCpTx_FvbDs8LRXoWaPKqSKWpNtO3cX8xg0DVLWjBUFo9FMf_DIYSOXVe55lKDu_2-OS0ndFf0TfbJK1QbBEfApJ37Zd88o-7tElG0tlp0OZwFBnc70aUYqPA9fZ/s1600/newgesture1.jpg" height="400" width="227" /></a></div>
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<i>This was really fun: our model was a dancer, and I enjoyed trying to capture the</i></div>
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<i>movement of the dance poses. The time limit of only a few minutes actually made this way more fun - and easier, in a strange way - than if I'd had all the time in the world to draw them. </i></div>
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A little bit better, right? I think so.<br />
What changed? Confidence, and practice throughout the year (those two things being somewhat correlated). In the first set of drawings, I had no idea how I wanted to go about drawing a human being. And I learned a great deal, in the following year, about what makes a good drawing. So when I approached figure drawing this year, I had a much better idea of what I wanted my drawings to be, and how to make them happen.<br />
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From casual practice and study, I figured out what I liked about drawing people, and what I wanted to focus on (emotions, lines, personality, form). I also figured out what I didn't know, the areas in which I could use more practice and study to better achieve what I wanted (certain aspects of people in profile, wider variety of movement, details of clothing, hand gestures, this list goes on forever). With some increase in drawing technique, I learned how I could make my drawings a bit more interesting (hello line variances, stronger contrasts, etc.), which lead to me feeling more engaged with my drawings and a bit more confident in my abilities. All of this led to me feeling pretty determined and eager when I approached figure drawing again.<br />
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Artistic progression: some sort of weird alchemy of time, action, knowledge, and motivation. Or so it seems, sometimes. I don't know. Feedback, observation and instruction from others has been essential, but so have those hours drawing alone at 12:30am and not worrying about any of those things.<br />
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Those stick figure drawings may not look very impressive, but I know they were an important stepping stone. I remember looking at my stick figures, and then looking at the gesture drawings of my much more experienced classmate. Hers were vibrant and detailed, full of body, full of life. I remember thinking "Wow, these can be beautiful. I have so much to learn here. I could re-imagine my entire approach to this."<br />
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Let's check out a portrait, from the same time period as those stick figures:<br />
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<i>All black and white drawings in this post were done with charcoal, on sketch paper.</i></div>
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I think it's clear from this drawing that I felt much more comfortable drawing faces than drawing full figures.<i> </i>While many of my classmates were dismayed at having to do a portrait, I was excited! I love faces. I think they're always interesting to draw. Though my lack of experience still shows, I was very engaged with the subject, and I hope that shows, too.</div>
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Here's a portrait from later in the year:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnfAPerLX5dUozYXxX-3yRCrwl994OMMbFngFNPaMe_YPpJMiEpUSx21_aSAFmkLmgOuQeYgBTvG92y7CasTqW9WAefKiHAXMNHl3KUjv0WM4QfCRHL4hR428AH3gF-2Kr3s3uok4CTE7/s1600/portrait2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnfAPerLX5dUozYXxX-3yRCrwl994OMMbFngFNPaMe_YPpJMiEpUSx21_aSAFmkLmgOuQeYgBTvG92y7CasTqW9WAefKiHAXMNHl3KUjv0WM4QfCRHL4hR428AH3gF-2Kr3s3uok4CTE7/s1600/portrait2.jpg" height="400" width="296" /></a></div>
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We had a bowl of fruit and a model available, and I focused a little more on the bowl of fruit; I think because I felt a little stuck drawing the model! The fruit seemed easier. The model was knitting, which is impossible to tell from the drawing, but explains why her eyes appear closed and her hand looks a little strange. I do like the pineapple a lot! </div>
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Another drawing, this time in pastels, with the same model:</div>
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Again, I decided to make fruit the focus! I guess I liked her boots? Felt like drawing feet? I don't remember why I wanted to go this route. It does tend to be easier to focus in on one thing. And it is true that when it comes to drawing figures, I tend to neglect the feet! I think this was about the time I started to notice that, and try to correct it. So the boot makes sense: I was interested in learning how to draw shoes at the time.</div>
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Back to 2014:</div>
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More gesture drawing.</div>
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Introduction of a second model, and trying to capture a height difference.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ECZFS1gTEAYE7LP54XiZvvlbRYkyIeQ8Qz6_56THhHwst6jfkpeclEgfk5KWpOhjlCvxAZd5OK85IXLco1tLVb1b2wPgngHnUa48qeoKtcWFlUh7U8e8kzIfa1os5f-E_MF2zZGkVt8s/s1600/newgesture5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ECZFS1gTEAYE7LP54XiZvvlbRYkyIeQ8Qz6_56THhHwst6jfkpeclEgfk5KWpOhjlCvxAZd5OK85IXLco1tLVb1b2wPgngHnUa48qeoKtcWFlUh7U8e8kzIfa1os5f-E_MF2zZGkVt8s/s1600/newgesture5.jpg" height="400" width="317" /></a></div>
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I don't like this one all that much, but it got high praise in class! Another dance pose, with one model holding up the other, but I was at a tricky angle and picked the composition I felt was my best option: zooming in on the face and hand. It was still tricky.</div>
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Some pastel drawings:</div>
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I chose absurdly bright colors, because that's what I enjoy. I felt like I was just starting to get used to the charcoal, so I found the switch to pastels a little disorienting! But the colors are always kinda fun to work with.</div>
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I still have a lot to learn when it comes to drawing, but it's an enjoyable journey.</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-47134820565351955112014-11-29T16:32:00.000-06:002014-11-29T16:32:14.894-06:00cats and birds all across the sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NZH-1aFB7Hu5rmh5woEBoLRGdVPqSXCcXAdExR_H6Uo2cKG7WKd0dTI-Q8G6O-SFtgRyF389GJjzUfg1_C7F_qjKw-fZ330x2-n5Qcbii7wOIAWKAw2CyLPBCGUEhop2u9nySrYTij7Q/s1600/600x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NZH-1aFB7Hu5rmh5woEBoLRGdVPqSXCcXAdExR_H6Uo2cKG7WKd0dTI-Q8G6O-SFtgRyF389GJjzUfg1_C7F_qjKw-fZ330x2-n5Qcbii7wOIAWKAw2CyLPBCGUEhop2u9nySrYTij7Q/s1600/600x.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
Some of you may remember that commission I was working on! <i>It's finally finished! </i>And safe and happy in its new home. It's up on the website <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/emilysplanet/paintings/meowdonna">right here</a>, where it shall be preserved for all eternity.<br />
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I've also been struck by a fit of the crazies, and decided to go back and do some small edits on a painting that's been "finished" for over a year. For all that time, I let it be, even though there was significant work that could be done to it, because I didn't feel motivated enough and no one else seemed to care that it was - technically, in my view at least - unfinished. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4oLcmqngXLa0UJBmU4FdVGhzx6DCUTh_96RXW1dWWIBtuKSGAxY29HZJI66Vj_LOj6naW3Z6NeuQS-OXShcm7a8fV87rOyPIem0PhzE0nUFPtZhH2kCfZJWW1bSjDK5tIuGMI_AhhEPH/s1600/spacebirds-compare.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4oLcmqngXLa0UJBmU4FdVGhzx6DCUTh_96RXW1dWWIBtuKSGAxY29HZJI66Vj_LOj6naW3Z6NeuQS-OXShcm7a8fV87rOyPIem0PhzE0nUFPtZhH2kCfZJWW1bSjDK5tIuGMI_AhhEPH/s1600/spacebirds-compare.png" height="419" width="640" /></a></div>
I must simply cross my fingers and hope that everyone agrees with me, and thinks the new one is better.<br />
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I just simply couldn't stand that the birds didn't have ANY FEET, and my goodness gracious just, just -- <i>look at that old branch.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzS6yQ2krLoIxyNiiUHDzQ-FX8oaiJylG48mraPk6kSZuBPKIKp6VTRXYLfZqKVWu3yfNYsNn_bIfBE6Ydz2_Pe0XxbjFCHodDqio8rlqe__ATloadg5xcyDryVw8JzqhwA1HZXQd6h8d6/s1600/spacebirds-feetold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzS6yQ2krLoIxyNiiUHDzQ-FX8oaiJylG48mraPk6kSZuBPKIKp6VTRXYLfZqKVWu3yfNYsNn_bIfBE6Ydz2_Pe0XxbjFCHodDqio8rlqe__ATloadg5xcyDryVw8JzqhwA1HZXQd6h8d6/s1600/spacebirds-feetold.png" /></a></div>
<br />This was all I saw when I looked at that painting and <i>I didn't like what I saw</i>. Everything in me screamed that it wasn't right. I didn't care that my family was all "hey, it's cool". It gnawed on me like a persistent beaver. One day I just cracked, I thought "I can't live with this anymore, I can't live my life knowing I just <i>left it like this</i>" and I did something I never normally do, which is go back to a piece a year later and change it.<br />
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Isn't this better? So much more <i>solid?</i> And it makes some semblance of sense, too? Some still say it makes no difference, but I can live with this. So I'm happy.<br />
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They were always supposed to have feet. I just never put the feet on there. Now I have, and all is right with the world. Here are some extra pictures to celebrate:<br />
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Aaaand, here's a bonus picture! It's the next painting I'll be working on:<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-76524031426805736532014-08-14T16:39:00.000-05:002014-08-14T16:40:13.608-05:00Painting in progress: commissionI'm putting these pictures under a cut, as the lovely individual who wants this painting may or may not want to see in-progress shots. Sometimes its preferable to avert ones eyes from the gawky, awkward teenage phases of a painting. I, of course, don't have the option of such luxury, so I like to take photographs that showcase my trials against rebellious and unruly paint on canvas!<br />
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In other news, I drew this in five seconds on a whiteboard and I'm weirdly fond of it, so much so that I haven't wanted to erase it even though it's taking up valuable space. Every time I look at it, I'm reminded of how much I like drawing eagles.<br />
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Anyway, onward to oil painting!<br />
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The request was: <i>your interpretation of Madonna and child. </i>No limits, no suggestions, no rules, do with it what you will. Anyone who's known me for more than five minutes will not be at all surprised to hear that my immediate thought was: <i>cats, I'm going to paint cats. </i><br />
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Of course I did my research, looked up many a painting of Madonna and child, just to get some inspiration and a feel for what I'd like to do. If you'd like to see my favorites and the ones I found most inspiring, you can click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Torelli_Virgin_c.jpg">here</a> (<span class="fn" id="creator"><bdi><a class="extiw" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="en:Felice Torelli">Felice Torelli</a></bdi></span>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Stokes#mediaviewer/File:Marianne_Stokes_Madonna_and_Child.jpg">here</a> (<span class="mw-mmv-source-author"><span class="mw-mmv-author"><a class="extiw" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="en:Marianne Stokes">Marianne Stokes</a>)</span></span>, and <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17373/17373-h/17373-h.htm#img_03">here</a> (Gabriel Max and Murillo). This is the wibbly-wobbly first draft:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8QLvc8drvhbxlpVqdhP2WHdXEyD6h5pgXriCWe2lokwoBbn-dfeaPiL6ledVxivJbSR5sTG47Z_J1AlduNkAv5OXaWnfueSxNnDPOut8CEF7yAOzacOBI22lGeXoOtl0wOSs2q456IxF/s1600/mc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8QLvc8drvhbxlpVqdhP2WHdXEyD6h5pgXriCWe2lokwoBbn-dfeaPiL6ledVxivJbSR5sTG47Z_J1AlduNkAv5OXaWnfueSxNnDPOut8CEF7yAOzacOBI22lGeXoOtl0wOSs2q456IxF/s1600/mc1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> </i>It's feeling things out, dipping toes in the water, putting some paint on the canvas and hoping some guiding light will show the way to a beautiful painting. Yeah.<br />
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Here we have the third draft:<br />
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Now it's looking much more like a real painting, but clearly, I'm still feeling a lot of things out, and there's a long way to go yet! In particular it is now impossible not to notice that the blue cat -- dear mother cat -- looks really weird. And she looks weird because I totally mismeasured and got her proportions totally wrong. <i>Whoops!</i> This happens sometimes when you're a careless little punk like me. I did some measuring, of course, but failed to do some essential ones in some essential places, and now I feel the need to redo blue cat's whole head. <i>Remember to measure things properly the first time, kids, you'll save yourself some pain</i>. Hey, I claim to be an artist; I never claimed to be a <i>good</i> artist!<br />
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Vague clouds were added into the second draft, and strengthened here on the third because my eye was traveling up towards the sky and then over the edge of the canvas, never to return. The clouds bounce the eyes back to the cats, where they belong. While I may mess up cats and make them look weird, I do know that when constructing a painting you want the viewer's eyes to bounce around the canvas, easily, without effort, without thinking about it, and you want to focus the eyes on your keypoints, so on and so forth. <i>Your painting ought to be fun to look at, maximize fun. </i>That's kind of my go-to rule. <i>Also, remember to measure your cats properly. </i><br />
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By the way, here's my reference picture!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehd6ed6bQigHrZNOPCehSeV5H2jeOSr4NEKqaBbjakfn08N872zQ6e3w2EzJNoF7BaobOPQy_-VeN28N98_ndExIsexMeBqWtlfkmSaxmJRz6q2eTXafi_fr_DU1N-cZ70lvY-btbAHVK/s1600/mcref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehd6ed6bQigHrZNOPCehSeV5H2jeOSr4NEKqaBbjakfn08N872zQ6e3w2EzJNoF7BaobOPQy_-VeN28N98_ndExIsexMeBqWtlfkmSaxmJRz6q2eTXafi_fr_DU1N-cZ70lvY-btbAHVK/s1600/mcref.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
My own photograph of my own cats, Squirt and her mother Angel, lookin' real cute. This is from quite a few years ago. Squirt is still around; she's a very grown-up cat now! <br />
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You haven't seen the last of this painting, and it may very well look substantially different by the time I'm finished with it. We'll see!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-23154343562269055312014-07-08T20:09:00.000-05:002015-04-08T21:09:11.628-05:00Baytown Nature Center photos, July 5th 2014 - whistling ducks, mosqutioes, & moreA perfect summer afternoon: cloudy, relatively cool, a nice slight breeze. And as far as I could tell, I had the entire no-fishing section of the park to myself!<br />
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Something I'm interested in creating is a super-simple, short but effective guide to identifying the herons of this area, for the use of folks who don't typically leave the house armed with a heavy pair of binoculars and multiple field guides. With only a little bit of luck it's not hard at all to see nine species of herons on any given trip to this nature center, and if you know which key points to look for -- overall size, leg and beak color, body color -- they're not hard to distinguish. All these herons can be seen in my own backyard, too, and so I'm aiming to make something my non-birding family can use to easily identify species they see in the yard.<br />
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So I walk into the nature center with that goal in mind: getting used to looking at herons from that perspective, thinking about their shapes and identifying markers, and hopefully snapping some pictures I can use for reference.<br />
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I luck out by stumbling across a pair of usually-elusive Green Herons. Often these guys are thick in the foliage, and I don't get to observe them for more than a few minutes. They're one of the smallest heron species we see around here. One awesome thing about this pair was that I could actually tell them apart; even in this admittedly-not-very-great photo you can see that the skin between eye and beak (the lore) is much thicker in the lower individual.<br />
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<i>They look very different with their necks stretched out!</i></div>
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<i>Zoomed in.</i></div>
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While I was watching the herons, I noticed Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were gathering at a nearby tree and sticking around. When one of the herons flew to the ground beyond my sight, and the other spent the remaining 10+ minutes of my attention simply preening and observing the scenery, I moved closer to the ducks so I could see what was going on there.</div>
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<i>Whistling ducks! ...and one White Ibis!</i> <i>The ibis was hanging out there before the ducks arrived.</i></div>
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<i>Landscape shot, to set the scene. I just sat across the road. At first the ducks were tense, watching me, but it didn't take long for them to relax, to start preening and whistling softly amongst themselves.</i></div>
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<i>A young Yellow-crowned Night Heron, startled by my presence, flew up from the marsh to perch between the lone ibis and one of the ducks. </i></div>
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<i>Another night heron, in a tree across the marsh from the ducks.</i></div>
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Now while I was watching these ducks, I noticed an unusually large and colorful mosquito, perched on my sleeve:<br />
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I have no idea what kind of mosquito this is. Pretty neat, though!<br />
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Also saw this cool bug. Again, no idea what it is! Bugs, they're overwhelming! It kept moving around to the underside of leaves whenever I tried to get a closer look at it, but it did hold still long enough to get this picture.<br />
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Now the ducks are relaxed. Every once in a while a new duck or two flies in, giving its loud whistly call, and the other ducks return that loud whistly call, and if the new duck perches too close to one of the original ducks a slight squabble might ensue, with the original duck giving what looks like a somewhat gentle nip, maybe two if the other duck isn't quick enough to get the message, and there will be some wing flapping and quick shuffling away. Sometimes one duck will move over to a different part of the tree. Sometimes they'll all just sort of whistle and murmur, the soothing, gentle hum of a duck crowd. But mostly they just sat there and preened. One time the ibis displaced a duck by simply moving towards it. <br />
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The ducks are all incredibly pretty and soft-looking through binoculars. And unlike those two herons, they all look exactly the same to me. Eventually I tired of watching the duck hangout tree and moved along. The ducks watched me go by, without flying away. By then the ibis was long gone, having flown far out of sight.<br />
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I stopped to photograph these wild flowers in front of a pond, and to my delight, some BABY WHISTLING DUCKS swam into view!<br />
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They were accompanied by two adults (the other adult trailed a ways behind), and there are, at least, thirteen ducklings there. The two adults hurried these youngsters to the edge of the pond, the other adult catching up to swim at the rear of the group, where they sat next to a bunch of reeds, and simply stayed there, watching me and certainly waiting for me to leave. I didn't want to bother these duck parents too much, so I went ahead and left. This pond is, by the way, just around the bend from the Duck Hangout Tree. And I have seen baby whistling ducks before, at this nature center, last year at a different pond. It was great to see more of them this year! A day with baby ducks is always a good day.<br />
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I thought these flowers were cool; they're about the size of my thumb, and I'd never noticed them before. I know even less about flowers than I do about bugs, so once again I have no clue what they are.<br />
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More wetlands are being created in the park, so there are these large empty pools of water by the bay. I stopped to watch and take pictures of the Great Blue Heron and Great Egrets that were wading around in this pool, but then I noticed, on the far shore, three Black Skimmers, just resting on the dirt:<br />
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I love Black Skimmers, but I don't see them all that often, so whenever I do, it's a treat! They're both beautiful and funky-looking, with long, sleek wings, and bright orange uneven beaks. I think this is the first time I've ever seen them just resting, and not flying and skimming the waters of the bay. They were quite far away so I couldn't see them very well, but it's just nice to know that they're in the area.<br />
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<i>That Great Egret I mentioned.</i> <i>I tried to get a lot of quick photos like this, to get a sense of what herons really look like in the field, and how I can translate this into a guide for easy identification. You know it's a Great Egret, not just because it's the largest of any of the solid-white herons you're likely to see, but because it is the only solid-white heron with black legs and a yellow beak. White body, black legs, yellow beak = Great Egret.</i></div>
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I got glimpses of many cardinals in the more forested areas of the park, and a photo of this male singing.</div>
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Lastly, my favorite photo of the day from a purely artistic standpoint, another White Ibis:</div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-68920606010069383922014-06-26T23:20:00.000-05:002014-06-26T23:45:30.921-05:00Birds of Lightning!*wipes dust off blog* *coughs slightly* I've got another painting to show you! Friends, family...strangers?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenOYKzg-irPJ6A-K4DMMsLmkTPOl4-LE5stERsQ9pWwzMHTG10sw6fqVZIOuBaXN7RSxljRzcDMhqNOybp_mfIuwU-HwHTNfn187xpfptpDsp9BcxGaA1Tn-OVLzTa_THJEUyBKNfwAfA/s1600/l1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenOYKzg-irPJ6A-K4DMMsLmkTPOl4-LE5stERsQ9pWwzMHTG10sw6fqVZIOuBaXN7RSxljRzcDMhqNOybp_mfIuwU-HwHTNfn187xpfptpDsp9BcxGaA1Tn-OVLzTa_THJEUyBKNfwAfA/s1600/l1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>chillin'</i></div>
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It's a bird made of lightning or with the power of lightning or something like that, you know, the sort of thing writers come up with when they start wading into the realms of giant talking sturgeons and angsty neon pink squirrels. You might even recognize it from a sketch <a href="http://emilysplanet.blogspot.com/2014/03/experimental-text-adventure-sketches.html">a few posts back</a>. A sketch that I actually did finish, woo hoo!<i> </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVWJcZATfIHCLc4_tY_-D3l1sA8ACYXmE8U7g4dx-_MKgerVxOytht040-_3D-HEx_xyU7i0xDFG7xcPGTrIrX03U148Y4nRGa1LhWjQFyCwhk2a2gTcWeH2p8tHe4TQbqgt4Oh0aCzA1/s1600/lb800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVWJcZATfIHCLc4_tY_-D3l1sA8ACYXmE8U7g4dx-_MKgerVxOytht040-_3D-HEx_xyU7i0xDFG7xcPGTrIrX03U148Y4nRGa1LhWjQFyCwhk2a2gTcWeH2p8tHe4TQbqgt4Oh0aCzA1/s1600/lb800.jpg" height="640" width="572" /></a></div>
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You can <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/emilysplanet/paintings/lightning-bird">CLICK HERE</a> to read more about the Lightning Bird, see a different picture, watch me question my life choices as per all the usuals.</div>
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Also, here on the blog, you can now sign up to get an e-mail alert whenever I make a new post, I know at last one person wanted such a thing so there you go, look in the sidebar. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds and browse posts via topic, if you are so inclined. I'll leave you with a very beautiful picture of my very beautiful cat:</div>
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<i>so gorgeous</i></div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-73153476511748050752014-05-07T13:16:00.000-05:002014-05-07T13:16:20.036-05:00new paintings, and a sketch!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5miPi9vcxIs6razW8UWQ8dyLQKeTRQQSy8Pn6iU2288EL6xNU1uAjqHPMPP09nxolJkquaIiD57WwJFcgU8COp07WnWzvVfeofAoKGJn773rYzDd_pcpdr-ITODxcKvMgmxKhoZ845CWs/s1600/scissors-sketch-fullsize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5miPi9vcxIs6razW8UWQ8dyLQKeTRQQSy8Pn6iU2288EL6xNU1uAjqHPMPP09nxolJkquaIiD57WwJFcgU8COp07WnWzvVfeofAoKGJn773rYzDd_pcpdr-ITODxcKvMgmxKhoZ845CWs/s1600/scissors-sketch-fullsize.jpg" height="400" width="311" /></a></div>
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This is a two-hour sketch of my own hand, holding a lovely pair of craft scissors. It was incredibly fun, and a great exercise! Just the right level of complicated. For me, drawing hands is always fun. They're so expressive! It's just like drawing faces (which I also enjoy). And like faces, they're so easy to break down into simple components, so easy to understand how they work when you've spent some time practicing. I need to stop being lazy and put some effort into sketching more often.<br />
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In other news! Those under construction paintings I posted a few weeks back are finished now, and on my website. They didn't change much, but they've got better photographs and long rambly descriptions. Cardinals are <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/emilysplanet/_/rsrc/1399484589402/paintings/cardinals-thumbnail.png">here</a>, black and white moon bird is <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/emilysplanet/paintings/moonlit-flight">over here</a>. <br />
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In other news, I've got not one but two unfinished paintings I need to start working on again. One is humongous, one is small, and they're both birds. Is anyone surprised?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396280700078537422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-898826739205657943.post-24528623161838270082014-04-27T16:40:00.000-05:002014-04-27T16:44:04.924-05:00Notebooks, and their inevitabe doodles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was very little,
my stories were shared out loud. I came up with them on the spot, writing them </span>out loud, sharing them with those who were willing to listen. It was
entertainment for me, and, in some sense, a way of bonding with the people
around me. Stories were always running through my head. Following them, running
after them, gathering up the fragments and trying to weave them into something
tangible was always a natural impulse for me.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>Continue after the jump for more words and a boatload of doodles!</i> </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBj_ebPvcj63OBBaRiPSRLcLC9a1wJVV1D6leNRJJBfROrqwcmZlZLbNWWm92H12EfZsHr__ad23mtrR24BImxB9otH2cdPgMuEL0ChUQYXhi3otgpcos6uXKSCvrZoICYnv-06auvwS5S/s1600/squiggledog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBj_ebPvcj63OBBaRiPSRLcLC9a1wJVV1D6leNRJJBfROrqwcmZlZLbNWWm92H12EfZsHr__ad23mtrR24BImxB9otH2cdPgMuEL0ChUQYXhi3otgpcos6uXKSCvrZoICYnv-06auvwS5S/s1600/squiggledog.jpg" height="151" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPxpJ_E7LHIqWD8h9GMpWUbLax2-Wkxjl9dPU8K_bEhi8Uj6Jk5JpZBp9b2829uZS0-4HN1yYMgaxLOWCvnLpNnUVBdUnRLbW4kcvD0aQMUOoxESZpUV1gxJCrY8Dw1q556oJR4LpYV3B/s1600/squigglecat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPxpJ_E7LHIqWD8h9GMpWUbLax2-Wkxjl9dPU8K_bEhi8Uj6Jk5JpZBp9b2829uZS0-4HN1yYMgaxLOWCvnLpNnUVBdUnRLbW4kcvD0aQMUOoxESZpUV1gxJCrY8Dw1q556oJR4LpYV3B/s1600/squigglecat.jpg" height="140" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPxpJ_E7LHIqWD8h9GMpWUbLax2-Wkxjl9dPU8K_bEhi8Uj6Jk5JpZBp9b2829uZS0-4HN1yYMgaxLOWCvnLpNnUVBdUnRLbW4kcvD0aQMUOoxESZpUV1gxJCrY8Dw1q556oJR4LpYV3B/s1600/squigglecat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When I was twelve, I decided -- impulsively, on one fine afternoon -- to
start a <i>writing notebook</i>. At this age, I was becoming more shy, more
self-aware, and increasingly ambitious. My urge to share stories
remained, and I kept that up, with friends and family and the internet. But I
think I was craving something a bit more intimate. I wanted something that was
quite thoroughly mine, and mine alone. A safe space to practice and explore. In the back of my mind were grand ambitions, thoughts
of truly beautiful stories, visions of dignified nigh-on mystical authors bent
over their desks working hard at their craft and <i>I felt like I could be one
of them</i>. So I grabbed some plain old notebook, wrote on the first page that
it was my writing notebook (by declaring that it would be filled with "bits of writing and snatches of tales"), and penned its first piece of story, with awful
scribbly handwriting and neon ink. That first story lasted about three pages, before
I switched to something else.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I still keep exactly the same sort of writing notebook. When I ran out of
pages in that first notebook, I got another one. And another. I simply never
stopped. A chain of scribbly stories leading from twenty-one all the way back
to twelve. A notebook I keep close at hand, for whenever I feel like writing
fiction purely for my own entertainment. My safe-haven of creativity. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I kept it simple, and I kept it flexible. Organization wasn't a concern. I
switched stories frequently, started or abandoned stories at whim, filled pages
and pages with ridiculous notes between scenes--whatever I wanted. I simply put
up notice whenever I switched, to keep things from being completely confusing. It was kind
of gritty and haphazard, but that’s the environment I enjoy working in.</span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I would write at my desk. I would write while lying in bed. I would write
on vacation. Storytelling is addictive, and I found I really did enjoy having
these stories of my own. I liked that they were mine--just mine--and I never
wanted to share the stories they held. I needed the sense of freedom that the
solitude brought me. I was forging my own relationship with words, exploring
story and what it meant to me. And these were experimental works. None of them
were finished, none of them were <i>ready</i>. Over time, I grew increasingly
protective of these notebooks. I didn't leave them lying about, and began to
feel pretty nervous at the thought of anyone looking through one. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In addition to the writing notebook, I also kept a journal. Diaries always seemed like a fun,
comforting thing, and <i>journal</i> seemed very scholarly and exciting, so I
wanted to keep some sort of diary or journal, too. I tried to imitate what I
saw in TV or elsewhere, where folks write the date and then diligently record
what happened to them that day (but I always thought the "Dear Diary"
thing was pretty silly, so I scrapped that). But I quickly found that I had
little patience for just recording the events of my life. And so it rapidly
transformed into a <i>gritty, haphazard </i>stream-of-consciousness notebook. A
stream-of-consciousness notebook is where you just turn to a blank page and
write whatever you're thinking, without purpose, without much care, just to see
what happens, or just to get your thoughts out of your head, for meditative
purposes, or just <i>because</i>. I wrote about whatever I was putting a lot of
thought into. I wrote about little things that annoyed me, or worried me. And
just like the writing notebook, I never stopped. I still keep what I call a
diary/stream-of-consciousness notebook.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Whenever I feel like it, I open it up, write down the date and time, and
then start scribbling out whatever happens to be on my mind, even if it's only
"<i>there's nothing on my mind right now, but I felt like writing, so here
I am."</i> Sometimes I just write about how I feel lousy and my head
hurts. Sometimes I sit down and try to work out problems, or figure out
emotions and goals. If I feel stuck, this is the space where I can admit to
myself that I feel stuck, and then I can just chill and think about why, and
think about how I can fix it--or sometimes admitting it is all I need.
Sometimes it's just a chance to turn away from what might be bothering me, and
look at what I really love, what I might be excited about and enthused for.
Other times I’m writing just to write, and it’s simply relaxing and fun. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When I'm putting words
down on paper, the ideas and thoughts in my head expand, and so this notebook
feels essential to me as a way of thinking out loud, of building up thoughts
and working things out.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6nfkCkP2lOlYI6LYX646MGXcw67RW_pKv63zuLK2tbrxUhjKzKFPlpWeGBp3TkOHu-bVnYKy73d2FDHrsvc9rQT70TgaX9t_ZOToWk7D-E-TenCZwl9X6x_4YjLKpAmUu9dUHyuu9Rau/s1600/leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6nfkCkP2lOlYI6LYX646MGXcw67RW_pKv63zuLK2tbrxUhjKzKFPlpWeGBp3TkOHu-bVnYKy73d2FDHrsvc9rQT70TgaX9t_ZOToWk7D-E-TenCZwl9X6x_4YjLKpAmUu9dUHyuu9Rau/s1600/leaves.jpg" height="103" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And there are many, many times when what I write about is only what has
happened (or what might happen) in my favorite TV show or book. My parents
might joke that I'll soon be writing horrible things about them in my journal,
and it's with an odd mix of humor and guilt that I assure them I won't be doing
that; for I know full well that the last thing I wrote was a twenty-page essay
on my latest favorite character, and that my family is hardly mentioned at all
in my haphazard journalings. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPNrXP6XW7-eWOCuS5c0TC8_8GhyphenhyphenFI-cdGQknMCEyZ2POglR_PPjRx7tdtVITqwmtpWxD9uyRQQNrsd9gHpAI0X-CVrfEBWxeD-uQRMu82Gar_cOmu7asVtlUxg9XyxreWfJCSueV45o4/s1600/mouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPNrXP6XW7-eWOCuS5c0TC8_8GhyphenhyphenFI-cdGQknMCEyZ2POglR_PPjRx7tdtVITqwmtpWxD9uyRQQNrsd9gHpAI0X-CVrfEBWxeD-uQRMu82Gar_cOmu7asVtlUxg9XyxreWfJCSueV45o4/s1600/mouse.jpg" height="87" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">You'll notice my lack of schedules and rules when it comes to these
notebooks. There are times when I don't write in them that much. There are
other times when I write <i>feverishly</i>. It doesn't matter. These notebooks
are meant to be there when I need them. That's it. They're not trying to serve
some grand purpose. They just make me feel at peace. I <i>need </i>them, and
it's why they exist. If I haven't written in my stream-of-consciousness
notebook for a while, I start to feel itchy. My fingers twitch for my pen. If I
don't turn to my writing notebook now and then, my head starts to feel full to
bursting with miscellaneous scenes and jumbled dialogue crying out for freedom.
When I write, I feel better. It's a natural mode of expression, something I
crave as much as food or air. An essential part of my life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSLzIROYvRUfH0Oa_bfmoVbkoIwkkgfhRGmNC8y4fUwRUAnMiuNJbqNJA3hVpCGRA5hIVkTjaeqd-v6_rcC_tHfXrA0UyHZbo6uUWRI1p96W74OFymRfATvDu9k2rS9N8F_d0rZPrdJf7/s1600/bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSLzIROYvRUfH0Oa_bfmoVbkoIwkkgfhRGmNC8y4fUwRUAnMiuNJbqNJA3hVpCGRA5hIVkTjaeqd-v6_rcC_tHfXrA0UyHZbo6uUWRI1p96W74OFymRfATvDu9k2rS9N8F_d0rZPrdJf7/s1600/bottle.jpg" height="200" width="122" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Art is the same way. A natural way of expressing myself, vital and
essential, something I just can't stop. Doodling and idle sketching is one of
the reasons I do so love writing by hand. When I get lost in thought, pondering
some difficult topic, or just letting my brain rest between chapters, my pen
starts doodling in the margins. The same patterns have been repeating
themselves for years: looping vines have always been soothing and meditative.
Faces, hands, cats, soda cans. I think it's interesting to see what comes up,
to see the shapes my mind turns to when it wanders. Drawing helps me think. The
idle sketching helps my mind keep moving. It's almost an automatic reflex at
this point. I start thinking about how a scene ought to play out, and before I
know it there's a dove perched on the side of a page.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvVUt_PbA8tkMXvuqh7hDFNdWOsNJs8KhvDlOGbyvtanwdK0dGtqF86JRN-9dxHDoL04r2fBO-rRd7knUBqMIoEXPgt9Uj4UTmXK_sGPhjl79zbfDFlK-QARBpEg5J9Iu921zAn19dWRO/s1600/dove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvVUt_PbA8tkMXvuqh7hDFNdWOsNJs8KhvDlOGbyvtanwdK0dGtqF86JRN-9dxHDoL04r2fBO-rRd7knUBqMIoEXPgt9Uj4UTmXK_sGPhjl79zbfDFlK-QARBpEg5J9Iu921zAn19dWRO/s1600/dove.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjncnabAS3LNi1Q1Whmx-OwDelujCkoexkUi-dFwUwAgoaS1Z7y3UGk2DttdBq-N4kh0K2sSCrMsYeM0MCBAu9mKEogxMchvqsm5h4ikkx7lG1s724LE-qYVsop_91OJsxQuMv-HJNo8E/s1600/dove2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjncnabAS3LNi1Q1Whmx-OwDelujCkoexkUi-dFwUwAgoaS1Z7y3UGk2DttdBq-N4kh0K2sSCrMsYeM0MCBAu9mKEogxMchvqsm5h4ikkx7lG1s724LE-qYVsop_91OJsxQuMv-HJNo8E/s1600/dove2.jpg" height="320" width="78" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Curious, and wanting to see what these doodles might look like all together, I
decided to go back through a large selection of both writing notebooks and
diaries, to snap photos of the best doodles. "Best" being my
favorites and the ones I felt were most representational. There are more
squiggly vines than anyone cares to see, and so many birds and cats that
eventually you've gotta start cutting some out. Doodles are usually quick and small, because I usually pause for only a moment between bits of writing, but occasionally you'll find doodles where it's clear that I sat there for some time, very much lost in thought:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIv6OoLYReragMluuNd_4M0HNiOCJTPz08ljY_jlTHtRgy6ljXK-xqeHMJ_0YVkYZU7dgeiug9AFZQlXmuwWw5nd3kh-lNKdKpnCGq-LA3eL8J0b-f_KxmD2N-cmFObNLpTX1yFTL_6dN/s1600/doodles936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIv6OoLYReragMluuNd_4M0HNiOCJTPz08ljY_jlTHtRgy6ljXK-xqeHMJ_0YVkYZU7dgeiug9AFZQlXmuwWw5nd3kh-lNKdKpnCGq-LA3eL8J0b-f_KxmD2N-cmFObNLpTX1yFTL_6dN/s1600/doodles936.jpg" height="331" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GaXnoByCkCrrktAcPgKhzaioYit48fClI2T_m65VrKY-S7UbICT9Yn2UQdgceCtlAhHcVRArg7dDYLIyzfGdHee_fFIv8mJR_ZxYZLXKMgJnIU-FpVSeqpfvPlNf3inboDfFftYF5NeU/s1600/doodles937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GaXnoByCkCrrktAcPgKhzaioYit48fClI2T_m65VrKY-S7UbICT9Yn2UQdgceCtlAhHcVRArg7dDYLIyzfGdHee_fFIv8mJR_ZxYZLXKMgJnIU-FpVSeqpfvPlNf3inboDfFftYF5NeU/s1600/doodles937.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8-bVJ0bsdFu3ABl5-jij2YIojwakZnyv1cuzpGrDXhy142CTECEPauVSA_Wyas3SdZZ3b3j-I14nTkHhFmpb9Hqzl6Nx9Old4xpexVdHq6LAzobeplLWFZgnjVhSBAJmQ8TfKUxRMtNM/s1600/doodles926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8-bVJ0bsdFu3ABl5-jij2YIojwakZnyv1cuzpGrDXhy142CTECEPauVSA_Wyas3SdZZ3b3j-I14nTkHhFmpb9Hqzl6Nx9Old4xpexVdHq6LAzobeplLWFZgnjVhSBAJmQ8TfKUxRMtNM/s1600/doodles926.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What follows are my remaining "showcase doodles", compiled and presented without comment. I do admit to doing a pretty shoddy job taking photographs for these, and will definitely do a better job if I ever photograph a bunch of notebook doodles again.</span></div>
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