I was expecting to observe other teachers this week to get an idea about teaching stategies and games I might not know, but due to the absence of one of my fellow field instructors I'm teaching instead, which is fine by me because it pays more and we need the money. As an added bonus, the kids this week already seem to know everything, so they're very easy to teach. On the first day, as I stopped to talk about a Douglas Fir tree, I noticed a large salamander wedged under an exposed root. When I dug it out I discovered that it was that holy grail of local salamanders - an adult Pacific Giant Salamander. This is the first adult I've seen - it was a beautiful reddish color mottled with black. An impressive find, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera.

That evening, M. and I went up to 21 Grand in Oakland to hang some art for a show that opens next weekend.




Around midnight, while driving home after dropping M. off, I collided with a deer. The poor thing didn't have a chance. It was standing between lanes in the freeway around a blind curve. I had time to slam on the brakes and start to swerve, with tire smoke filling the air behind me. It had time to turn around to meet the front left side of my car. The impact tossed it into the air and shattered the plastic and glass housing for my left turn signal. Nothing I could do. I try not to think about it too much.

Today I remembered to bring my camera to work. The ground was covered with frost, so the scorpion I found was pretty cold, huddled under a log and barely moving. It warmed up and walked around after being held for a bit.




I've also been becoming more interested in fungi. I'm still not too good about identifying specific types, but being out in the woods during the rainy season is a real eye opener for me. There are interesting mushrooms everywhere. Here's a photo. More to follow, I'm sure.