So several educators locally are beginning to use Second Life (or at least experiment with it) for teaching purposes. I haven't figured out how to do that effectively yet, but here my avatar relaxes by the pool. I can feel the virtual stress leaving me now.
This ant stopped its current activity to take a look at my camera lens. This is probably how UFO rumors get started back at the colony.
Morus rubra fruit. The Red Mulberry tree has fruit that look kind of like a blackberry when ripe. This tree is in the lot next to ours and is loaded with fruit every year. I think I may make a mulberrry pie this year.
Silene virginica or Fire Pink (Carnation Family) is a native wildflower that likes shady slopes here in North Carolina. It has to be the reddest of the natives we have locally. This specimen was right off of the feeder street for Sesame.
Grammy O'Brien was up for a visit and purchased Seamus this walker. He wants to practice standing all the time despite the fact that his balance isn't quite in the same league as his motivation.
He has found reverse, but his transmission lacks the other desirable gearing. He really loves bobbling around in this thing. He can stand, chew, look, and slobber simultaneously. Kind of looks like he is developing a Mohawk to.
Big big eyes = too too cute.
Odds: Sometimes I see an image of myself (In this case I was playing around with the camera last night) and I am surprised at how old I look. I fully expect (for no good reason) to see a 29-year-0ld in the image not this old guy :-)
Ends: First thanks to JamesF for some HTML code that improved the Filmstrip of Images from yesterday's post. Above is a frame of reference f0r the rather unusual photo from yesterday.
Title of Photograph: Season of Remembrance Begins
I really liked this frog sculpture on the wall at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The really cool thing was that the frogs were at a height that adults and children alike could get up close examine and touch them.
This view would have been a lot more intimidating when this Mastodon was alive! Interestingly, they lived in North America until fairly recently. They only became extinct about 11,000 years ago. 
Sometimes I just can't resist a little Photoshop fun. This started its life as a picture of a water main at Lake Junaluska. I actually kind of like this one. An hour or so more and I could probably even get consistent light and shadows...but Seamus probably needs a diaper change or something :-)
And this was one of those million bland duck pictures I have taken...what can I say I like ducks and water ripples :-) I can waste hours on this stuff; making a subpar picture almost average. Tomorrow I am off to the University of Florida to tour the new Genetics Institute, and some large plant micropropagation facilities (Agristarts) in Apopka. I am told to be prepared for smoke. The miracle is I can now get a direct flight from Asheville, NC into Orlando.
Well it has been a busy couple of weeks. We had a major freeze (series of freezes actually) here that zapped everything that was blooming. Then there was wrapping up 5 courses and lets not forget Seamus who is now 3 months old, weighs 13 lbs, and is elongating as we speak. Imagine if an adult doubled in size in three months...wouldn't be pretty...but it works for an infant. He looks like he will be tall which is kind of a shocker if you know that there really aren't too many tall people in my family or Christine's for that matter.
I got a chance to see a great garden this week. I wish it had been a better day for pictures...but in too short a time it started to rain. A retired surgeon lives on 20 acres overlooking Asheville. The house was built by the original owner/builder of the Grove Park Inn in 1906. The home went through a series of owners and then during Prohibition a 100 gallons of whiskey were found in the basement and the land became federal property.
Interestingly, it became the summer White House for Herbert Hoover. There is even a second home by the gate that was built for the Secret Service. The neat thing is that the property seems to have been owned by a series of people who loved gardening in one way or another and the surgeon maybe most of all. He is an artist, woodworker, surgeon, and I must say all around gentleman. A real Renaissance kind of guy.
This sign was hanging in the greenhouse. I promised myself I would Traipse at least once this week :-)
First, today was Christine's birthday and Seamus as usual wanted to make sure he got lots of face time. In babyland... if you are going to kiss up...kiss up to the milk truck. I am disappointed that his hair is starting to grow in...we won't look like Dr. Evil and mini-me much longer.
On Saturday I took part in an event we like to call Nanna exchange. Nanna (my mother) has mucho experience with babies and occasionally we are lucky enough to get her to come visit. Christine and I had our first dinner out since the Seamus arrived.
This one was a bit of a surprise in North Carolina.
No fishing to your left?
...and finally for avid SF gardeners John and Jeff, something for you west coasters to shoot for :-)
Easter weekend....4.5 inches of snow, low of 13 F, tulips toast, dogwoods toast, redbud toast, apple blossoms toast...but it made for some interesting pictures...I thought when I left Vermont this type of April was over.
Even the other children seem to be aware that he is a little bit different. They arrived this day to pay the milk tax in support of a royal crib.
I was taking pictures for one of my classes recently. It was an overcast rainy day. I took a shot of these Poncirus trifoliata flowers and I really liked what happened with the background. This is the way it appeared without any Photoshop. Not the best picture, but I like the dappled light.
Part of the same image after switching to a Tritone and adjusting the curves.
Happy Birthday to Me!
Well I have resisted for years buying a riding mower. I just thought (still think) that mowing grass is a phenomenal waste of time, but our yard is big here and the hill is steep and I will be 39 very very soon. I mowed it all last year with a walk behind, but we bit the bullet today and purchased it....and now I am ready to ride. The best part...the cup holder.
