Spatter

Lettuce Lake Park

2010-01-02T07:26:00-05:00

Lettuce Lake Park is a 240 acre park in Hillsborough County, just outside the city limits of Tampa, Florida. It's actually just down the road from the University of South Florida, but it opened in 1982...seven years after I attended. Actually, nothing in the area looks the same as I remember. I guess not surprising after 34 years. Jeez...that's sobering to count the years up!

The park's nice. It features several boardwalks that wind through a variety of Florida eco-systems: fresh water wetland, flood plain, an oak-dominated forest, cypress domes, and the Hillsborough River.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T05:41:00-05:00

Be Healthy & Happy!

New Year's Tradition Continues

2009-12-31T05:12:00-05:00

Once...many years ago...I was actually in Times Square on New Year's Eve. It was fun, albeit a bit disconcerting to be pushed along with and by the crowd. I couldn't see the ground. I couldn't control where I was going. It even snowed some right after midnight. I'm glad I did it, but never need do it again.

Most years...when I didn't have to work...I've spent New Year's at a house party. But over time, the parties became smaller in size and fewer in number. Somewhere along the way my New Year's morphed into Judy, Shaynee and I celebrating quietly and comfortably at home.

But three years ago, a new tradition of sorts started that we'll do again this year. We drop Shaynee off at Judy's sister's house and then Judy, her sister, and I go to the Muvico theater in Boca Raton. We go to the early show, have dinner, and we're off the roads well before midnight. The first year we saw Dreamgirls. Last year we saw Milk. This year we're seeing Nine.

What makes it nice is that the theater has its own restaurant - Bogart's Bar & Grill - on the premises. We see the movie, then go eat. It's quite nice...they have a special fixed menu which includes a bottle of wine. Tickets bought and reservations made ahead of time so all we need to do is show up.

A healthy, happy New Year's to all...

Osprey

2009-12-30T05:16:00-05:00

bydamanti

Thorn Treehopper

2009-12-29T06:19:00-05:00

Next time you look at the branch of a bush and notice thorns on it...look again. It might be that they're not thorns at all. It might be that they're thorn bugs.

From Wiki: Thorn bugs are members of a group of insects related to cicadas and leaf-hoppers. They are found on all continents except Antartica. They are best known for their enlarged and ornate pronotum, which most often resembles thorns, apparently to aid camouflage.

But in some...the females... the pronotum grows to a horn-like extension...

The males are the more colorful ones. Here's a few other interesting facts about them:

They pierce plant stems with their beaks and feed upon sap.
Individual treehoppers usually live for only a few months, but they belong to a lineage that's at least 40 million years old
They are often tended by ants. The ants collect a sweet secretion called honeydew from the treehoppers and, in return, protect the treehoppers from predators.

Mother & Child

2009-12-28T05:29:00-05:00

bydamanti

Meerkat

2009-12-27T04:15:00-05:00

bydamanti