Braceface

Braceface, (Siberian) train tracks, metal mouth, tin grin, tinsel teeth, zipper mouth . . . what are some other insults for people who wear braces?
Dum dum who can't chew gum gum . . .

Happy ANZAC Day (Observed)

In our studies about World War I we learned that on every April 25th the countries of Australia and New Zealand honor the memory of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), and their sacrifice at Gallipoli. And a part of that celebration is making ANZAC Biscuits (cookies to you and me). Apparently these resilient cookies were sent over by wives and mothers to the soldiers serving in Turkey. We made these as part of our ANZAC day celebration, but we didn't get off from school, Dudeboy notes.

Varied Carpet Beetle

Here is a Varied Carpet Beetle that Dudeboy found crawling on his hand. They are a very common household pest. The larvae can cause a bit of damage to clothing, blankets, furniture, and the like. Apparently, they wreak havoc in museums.

The little booger (and I do mean little . . . an adult only measures 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length) would not stay still, so the photos are not as crisp as I would like.

Mottled Tortoise Beetle

Dudeboy and I are starting (with this post) a backyard bug series for the blog. Dr. J found this Mottled Tortoise Beetle on a leaf of Swiss Chard. Being ignorant of all things creepy crawly, we found our guy easy enough in a field guide on insects and spiders.

Apparently, the metallic gold fades with death. One bug site states, "this color shift is achieved by introducing, or withdrawing, moisture to the surface of the exoskeleton. When hydrated, a perfect reflecting surface is produced, but in the absence of the moisture the underlying colors become visible."


Darth Vader . . .

Todd County Cliffs

Saturday we joined some friends on a hike through the Todd County Cliffs area on a beautiful spring day.

Busy as a beaver . . . or the result.

Tarzan

Undocumented natural arch that we found on the hike

One of the two trees we used for crossing the creek

Dudeboy at another natural arch that we had previously documented

Falls at Copper Spring