Aquarium of the Americas

A happy day in New Orleans.
Who's looking at who? (OK, whom)




I have heard from people who have heard from people that the Aquarium in New Orleans was completely destroyed. I don't know if it is true, but it would make sense considering the location. I can still find no info about the zoo since the flooding began. If you have some, let me know, even if it's bad news.

The aquarium was a happy place, home to many many penguins and sharks and fish and sea turtles and the like. Since most of these animals can swim, perhaps some made it out to sea and can begin a new life. Perhaps the penguins will start a new colony in Jamaica! We went to the IMAX at the aquarium. In the lobby, it smelled like a mixture of popcorn and band-aids. Very strange, I know.

I can hardly watch the news. It is heart-breaking.

Hey Spammers

Stop spamming on my blog. Do not comment on here anymore. I will not visit your great site about insurance or vitamins or whatever the hell you are selling. Neither will anyone who reads this. So please. Just stop it. Good grief.

Happy Distraction

Cliff-Climbing Ralph

Is it too soon for a little comic relief? The past couple of days have been so tragic and sad, and I feel like I have been hit by a bus. We took the monkey hiking...he's lucky - he got carried most of the way. But here he is, braving the steep high cliffs of the Minnewaska Trail. One thing's for sure. he never complains.

Great Sadness

PHOTOS FROM NEW ORLEANS







I never thought I liked New Orleans until Kev and I spent our honeymoon there in April 2003. It is a city of great food, great music, beautiful gardens, friendly people, Meyer the Hatter, Voodoo BBQ, the Sock Monkey Man, and lots of nice animals at the zoo and aquarium, including the penguin in the photo. I have also been to Biloxi and Gulfport. I feel very sad for the people and animals on the gulf coast. This is a bad day.

Fret

I cannot find any information about the animals at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Have any of you heard anything?

Progress

Geez...leave town for 9 days and come back to THIS. It was only about a foot high when we left. This photo doesn't quite capture the enormity of this monstrosity across the street.

Fine Art

This is an original painting given to me by my not-quite-two-year-old nephew, Ryan, for my birthday. It is only his second painting, and I feel very proud to own it. I think it is beautiful.













The last few mornings of our trip, Ryan started saying "coffee" every time he saw me. I wonder why that is?

The Butterflies of Hyde Park

Vacation Wildlife

Here is my wildlife list from Hudson Valley '05:

BIRDS:
Canada goose (hundreds)
Hawk 1 (could not ID)
Hawk 2 (could not ID)
Turkey Vultures
Wild Turkey
Tufted titmouse
Chickadee
Cardinal
Some kind of Heron (Prob. Great Blue)
Eastern Bluebirds
Pileated Woodpecker
Raven
Some kind of thrush (heard)
Red-bellied woodpecker
Hummingbird (prob. ruby-throated)
(I unfortunately did not have my field guide with me)

OTHER CRITTERS:
Various butterflies
Tons of dragonflies*
Deer
Chipmunk
Squirrel
Tree frog (heard)
Bats

*Have you guys noticed that there seems to be a lot more dragonflies this year? Maybe it is just because of my new pay attention policy, but I have been seeing them everywhere in great numbers.

Home

Left Hyde Park yesterday at around noon, and about nine hours later, walked through the door at Palo Pinto. A long day of travel, but the flight wasn't bad. We ordered some Thai food and went to bed early. I kept waking up not knowing where I was, and managed to sleep in until 8:00, so I must have been tired. Felt sorry for Kev having to get up early and go to work. I don't have to be at my office until 1:00.

I was glad to see that everyone has been blogging A LOT, but I know I will never be able to catch up on reading them all. I will do my best. I also have some photos to post, but no time today. In the meantime, here are a few things I learned on my trip:

• Sandwiches always taste better on the side of a cliff in the middle of a 7 mile hike.
• Bats are really cool until one flies right at your head.
• If you put honey on your finger, the butterflies will sit right there and drink it.
• Frogs never drink.
• The world's largest kaleidoscope in is Mt. Tremper, NY.
• Apparently, fall is "asteroid season." (I am suspicious of that one.)
• Sailing is fun!

If you are someone who is unable to embrace the heat, I recommend a trip to the Hudson Valley in late August, as it is delightfully cool and quite scenic.

Time to get back to the real world...

UPDATE: Not really digging the real world...I want my vacation back.

Bloggiversary

A quick blog from Hyde Park...felt I should write since it is the first anniversary of starting this blog. I have lots of photos and Tales of Mild Adventure to blog blogs about when I get home tomorrow, but for now, here is a blog about a good sandwich I had the other day, dedicated to Kev, who is in favor of revolutionary sandwiches, and who brought me on this nice and much-needed vacation:

Since the Hudson Valley is home to the Culinary Institute of America, there are lots of good chefs in the area. On Wednesday, we ate at a cafe in New Paltz, home of many many people who wear tie-dye and smoke various things and protest whatever they can and so forth. It is kinda like Denton, for those of you who know Denton, but more quaint. Anyway, at this cafe there is a chef from the CIA, and he prepared for me a delicious grilled brie sandwich with blueberries and almonds. Unexpected combo, huh? Very messy, but very tasty. I will try to recreate it at home someday.

Anyway, I look forward to catching up on my blog reading when I get back, and to sitting in my chair, and to September which is coming soon. But I will miss the people and dogs and cats and trees and mountains and birds and stars and lovely cool evenings of the Hudson Valley. And the sandwiches.

Road Blog

A quick hello from Historic Hyde Park, New York. We are having a great time so far. Spent the weekend hanging out with Kev's family, enjoying our nephew and the dogs and cats. I have seen lots of birds and butterflies, and some deer this morning. Headed to the mountain lodge today for some relaxing and hiking. Yesterday, I fell down. It was pretty embarassing, but I think only Kev saw me. Last night, when I stood up after dinner, I hit my head on the kitchen hanging lamp. Pretty much everybody saw that one. So one more accident, and I have the trifecta. I will try not to fall over the cliff. Hope you are all doing well.

Vacation Countdown

After a really bad day at work yesterday, and another demoralizing trip to the mall, vacation can't come soon enough, and luckily for me, it is tomorrow. I will look forward to catching up on all of your blogs when I get back. Until then, I am going to go enjoy people and toddlers and dogs and cats and mountains and highs in the 80s for a few days. See you soon.

On Second Thought...

I am afraid that the synthetic fibers in the Johnny Cash pants would release harmful chemicals into the environment if burned, so I have decided to ceremoniously cut them into tiny pieces.

Step One

Spent the morning going through my closet, getting rid of stuff that I haven't worn in years, or is never gonna fit again. It feels good. I have discovered I have some skirts I like that I forgot about, but pretty much only one pair of pants I can continue to wear this fall. I have a pair of black pants, affectionately known as the Johnny Cash pants, that have seen me through several winters. I am considering a nice bonfire for them this year. I shan't wear them again. They are pleated, too short, and hopelessly out of style. I can't wait to not have to wear them this winter. I loathe the Johnny Cash pants. I desperately need a fresh start.

By the way, all morning during my closet raid, Sirius First Wave has NOT played Turning Japanese. Happy times.

Whitney, I have a big bag of clothes for you. Not the JC pants, though. They're going up in flames.

Call Me Crazy...

...but Tommy Lee Goes to College is my new favorite show. I was cracking up watching it. So stupid, yet so genius. I sure hope Tommy Lee doesn't flunk outta the marching band drum-line.

Shout out to Francine, who is in town from Austin, and is planning to go to lunch at Antone's tomorrow. We WILL save Antone's, one lunch at a time.

My mom says it is worth the money to have good pants. She is going to try to help me find some on Thursday.

Kev says that even though he has no background in film, he could make a better movie than The Cave. I think he is right. I saw the commercial tonight and it looks really stupid.

Yesterday a catering truck came to sell lunch to the guys who are working on the new McMansion across the street. It was like the ice-cream man's truck, but without the scary music. Question: Am I allowed to go over there and buy some lunch from the catering truck? I was thinking they might have good tamales.

The Continuing Saga of Pants

There is nothing like a trip to the mall to precipitate sudden immobilizing depression and plummeting self-esteem. Question: Do they even MAKE jeans for grown-ups anymore? I am finding that the only choices out there are Low-rise or Ultra-Low-rise. Same problem with trousers, and I really need some for work. I might be the most unfashionable speech pathologist in America, and it makes me feel unprofessional. How could anyone take me seriously in the pink capris from 2001 and white tennis shoes? (Deep heavy sigh). I seriously think it is impossible to be fashionable on a budget these days. I know they have a few faux-designer things at Target, but the quality is poor. Kev always says you get what you pay for. He's right. But I can't afford to pay for the good-quality stuff in the mall. And I can't afford a tailor to make me some custom pants. And I can't justify buying expensive clothes, just because I think they will make me feel better about myself. Like the beautiful pink cashmere wrap sweater ($148!) I saw today at J.Crew. Ah...but shouldn't everyone have a cashmere sweater? So delightfully soft...

Here's the thing. I don't really need the beautiful pink cashmere wrap sweater. I have sweaters. Lots of them. And Kev is not going to like me any better if I have that sweater. And my family doesn't care what I wear. It would just be nice, I guess, to leave the house every once in a while feeling good about my clothes instead of feeling like Stacy and Clinton are going to ambush me at any minute and put me on What Not to Wear. Maybe that would be good. Maybe Stacy and Clinton could help me find some pants. I need to go sit in my chair for a few minutes.

Smart Bird Alert

LarryFeathers alerted me to this link for Einstein the bird:
http://www.koreus.com/files/200502/smart-bird.html

There are birds like this and MORE at the Birds of the World show at the State Fair of Texas, which is coming soon! Please go to the bird show. It is free and you will see great birds there.

Thanks Larry.

Chair Time

The weekend is over, but it was a good one. I spent the greater part of it sitting in my new chair, reading this book ------->.

It is a really good book, and I recommend it even if you aren't a bird person. It is sorta about birds, but it is more about paying attention and noticing things around you. It is basically about what I have been trying to say all along on this blog, but Simon Barnes says it so much better. The thing about paying attention is that you never know what you might see. For example, I go to work in a depressing office building on the service road of a depressing highway. But every day, there is a chance I might see the American Kestrels who live in the Ramada Inn overhang. So, when I get out of my car, I take a minute to look around. Every time I do see them, it makes my day just a little better. And even if I don't see them, if I look for them, I might see something else. I have seen mallards, killdeers, kingbirds, etc. If I didn't pay attention, I'd just be like the rest of the people who walk into the building with their heads down, depressed about going to work that day. Anyway, it's a good book, so check it out from your local library or wait for the paperback if you don't want to shell out the dough for the hard-cover. It is uplifting.

Since getting my chair and sitting in it a lot, I have had no nightmares, and very little stress. It is doing me a world of good. TG was asking if Kev has a chair. No, he doesn't. I was pretty sure Kev isn't the kind of person who needs a chair, but just to be sure I asked him last night if he wishes he had a chair. He said,"I don't need a chair." So, there you go. He has a desk, anyway. Also, TG, I liked the windchime idea, but the chair is in the bedroom, so that might get annoying at night.

Yesterday, my birthday concluded with dinner at my parents' house. My mom made delicious spaghetti and brownies, and my dad made home-made vanilla ice cream, and LarryFeathers was there and Albert the dog, and it was good. After all this birthday dessert, blackberry cobbler will have to wait until after vacation. I think I am going to save it for the first nice cool crisp fall day. Lots to look forward to!

An Open Letter to Lazy People

Dear People who Shop,

Would it kill you to walk a few extra yards across the parking lot to return your cart to the cart corral?

Love,
T.