Week Three

Last weekend, my friend (and ex-coworker) Pelican got married to Kiwi (who I don't really know well), and the ceremony was relaxed, inspiring, and fun in a way best appreciated by those of us who understand the power of beautiful, wild surroundings. Okay, maybe not exactly wild, but Huddart County park in Woodside was a good approximation. Given the nomadic nature of the couple's work history, three different environmental education programs were represented there. It was nice to see our ex-director, Anita, and ex-coworker, Comet, in attendance, as well as the surprising appearance of ex-coworker, Red Tail, who, along with his bandmates in Charmas, was hired to provide the music for the occasion. Since a few years separated their time with our program, Pelican and Red Tail had never met, so it was pure coincidence that Charmas was hired.

Sometime between the end of the wedding and the beginning of the work week, I shaved off all of my facial hair for the first time in eight years. Just because.

The geography of my lower face, long hidden by a forest of graying hair, is revealed to the air. The cicada on my nose doesn't know what to think:

The week flew by in a flurry of dust and sweat. It was hot, with temperatures hovering somewhere in the low nineties, so reptile sightings were confined to Fence lizards, Alligator lizards, one skink, a lazy turtle or two, one Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (hiding in almost the exact spot I discovered a Gopher snake the previous week), and a Ringneck snake.

I took our Trans Pecos Ratsnake out for a climb so the kids could watch a snake climb a tree.

The kids documented a lot of... interesting... animal sightings.

And lost a lot of their stuff:

We found a skink on one of the hikes, and despite my directions not to grab it by the tail, a camper did, with predictable results. Notice how this poor little critter is missing the last half an inch of its tail.

Thursday night, I moved a toad from the walkway that led from where the counselors were to where the pizza and soda were. That poor toad wouldn't have known what hit it. As it was, it was able to continue its solitary nocturnal existence in peace.

And here's a Friday morning photo of a couple of my favorite people and their related shirts.

One of the coolest things we saw this week was this cicada, drying off before vanishing into the distance.

It looks funnier if you turn it on its side:

Finally, here's a mandala from Monday:

Just like that, the summer is one third over. Six more weeks to go.

Next week, we have Monday off because the whole country grinds to a temporary halt while people drink to excess and ignite small, ineffective explosive devices.