Turtles, Wet Weekend, Backyard Photography, Heavenly Bodies

It was, indeed, a wet weekend. We needed the rain, and we got quite a bit. Our weather guys, who keep up with stuff like that, say we need more, that there is a deficit. I'm not sure how much we got. Checking out the radar Saturday and Sunday showed some pretty intense stuff, at times. And, there was the steady, soaking rain, at least at our home. Good for the grass. And, the weeds. Yuchh. Good for the forest fires. The winds, unfortunately, were bad for a lot of crops in this part of the state.

Dancing around, now.

Robie, my wife, thinks that a turtle from her childhood has found her. After quite a few years. Might be a birthday gift from the past (she celebrated hers Sunday). The turtle has been hanging around our yard since we rescued it from the street a few months ago. Keeps coming back. Her dad, a retired marine captain, had brought a turtle home one day, back in the 1960's. They turned it loose, but the turtle, we think, keeps returning.

Nothing else to do but give it a name. She chose Mac, after her dad. Works for me. Mac really enjoyed the weekend. Lotsa rain, lotsa puddles. He paid no attention to our dogs. And, they just took a sniff or two, and let him be.

I've seen turtles all my life. Box turtles, in the woods where we played and later hunted and explored.

On logs along the creeks where we fish.

Always a curious and interesting creature, hiding out in their rugged shells, safe from most critters in the woods. You could buy tiny varieties in stores, those meant to be kept as pets, either in a box or in a waterless aquarium. Never did that. Just enjoyed them in the wild. As it was intended.

Mac makes for some interesting pictures. Sticking his head out to pose for the camera.

A little info on box turtles. There are six subspecies. Four are found in the United States, a couple more are down Mexico way.

Terrapene carolina triunguis (three-toed box turtle)
Terrapene carolina carolina (eastern box turtle)

Mac is likely one of these, though I haven't been able to count his toes, yet. I'll try that next time. I never thought about turtles having toes.

This is from the Smithsonian, National Zoological Park web site.

All T. carolina have a bilobed, hinged plastron that allows the box turtle to close its shell almost completely. They have a steep-margined, keeled, high-domed, rounded carapace with variable markings. Concentric growth furrows can be seen on the carapace, although in some older individuals they become very difficult to see. The upper jaw is slightly hooked. The toes are only slightly webbed.

Males are slightly larger on average than females, the posterior lobe of their plastron is concave, and the claws on their hind legs are short, thick, and curved. Males also have thicker and longer tails. Females' rear claws are longer, straighter, and more slender, and the posterior lobe of their plastron is flat or slightly convex. Males have red irises and females have yellowish-brown irises.

Environmental temperature determines activity rate. Preferred body temperature is between 84 and 100° F (37.8° C). In the heat of the summer, box turtles largely restrict their activity to mornings and after rain. When it gets too hot, they hide under decaying logs and leaves, crawl into mammal burrows, or into mud. When it is really hot, they go into shady pools and puddles to cool off. In the spring and fall, they may be out foraging during all daylight hours, and they sometimes bask in the sun to get warm. Box turtles are diurnal and scoop out a shallow indentation in which to spend the night.

In the northern regions, box turtles go into hibernation in October or November, but farther south they remain active later in the year. To hibernate, they burrow as far as two-feet deep into loose earth, mud, stream bottoms, old stump holes, or mammal burrows. They may return to the same place to hibernate in successive years and sometimes more than one turtle hibernates in the same hibernacula. They usually emerge from hibernation in April. They sometimes wake up and find a new hibernacula on warm days in the winter.

These turtles usually have a home range with a diameter of 750 feet (230 m) or less in which they normally stay. Occasionally, for unknown reasons, they journey out from their home range. Home ranges of different individuals overlap frequently, regardless of age or sex. The turtles are often found together and show no antagonism towards each other.

Exclusively North American, box turtles occupy the eastern United States ranging from southern Maine to Florida along the East Coast, and west to Michigan, Illinois, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Due to their popularity as household pets, box turtles are sometimes found far outside their normal geographic range.

Robie thinks Mac looks a little like that general cartoon character on the insurance commercial on TV when he retreats nto his shell.

She might have something there.

The moral of my story is...well, there really isn't one. Except, as I have said many times, one need not venture far from home to get to some pretty cool pictures. Open your eyes, and let your shutters do the walking.

A final pic, speaking of that, and it has nothing to do with turtles. Did you notice the moon Saturday night? In Jacksonville, it looked pretty bewitching as the clouds moved across our nearest heavenly neighbor.

Got Fresh Fish? How 'bout a sandwich?

I am not the biggest fan of sandwiches. Never was. Most have too much bread, too little good stuff, and are seldom more than a fill-me-up kind of thing. There are exceptions, of course. Like a good burger. One that you make yourself, or one from one of the few remaining restaurants that can make them look and taste like those you make yourself.

I do like a good fish sandwich. But, alas (always liked that word, often describing despair), where can you get a good one? With a bit of king mackerel from a wunnerful day on the high seas, I found myself in need of lunch. Time to try something a little different.

In the fridge, Robie (my wife) had a bottle of Thai Peanut Sauce. The label said it was a dressing or marinade. Marinade! Why not? I took a piece of the king filet, the part near the tail. Thinner than the big steak chunks. I rubbed a little of the sauce over both sides of the fish. Sprinkled it with Old Bay, salt, and pepper. And, I let it set for a spell while I got everything else ready.

Like I said, most sandwiches come in thick buns. And using sliced white bread just sucks. For almost everything. A few months back, I discovered flat, thin, WHEAT buns. Whole Grain Honey Wheat, it says. Called Sandwich Thins. And, only 100 calories.

Out came the well-used cookie sheet. Sprayed a little section with olive oil. Separted the bun into its two sections. Kicked oven on to 350. Added a pad of butter to each section of the bun. Into the oven it goes.

As the butter begins to melt, the non-stick frying pan comes out. Sprayed it with olive oil, and onto the burner, already on high. As soon as I see smoke, I drop the fish into the pan. It sears. Nicely. First on one side, then the other.

I cut back on the burner, back to mid-scale. Medium. Now comes the cool part. Oven changed from bake to broil. Door cracked. I always keep a jar of red onion sauce, aka New York Onions, on hand. The kind you buy at those little hot dog stands, where vendors set up outside businesses (like Lowes in Jacksonville). Good stuff on hot dogs, and great for all sorts of dishes. I poured a bit on top of the now-seared fish filet. A tablespoon or so of water added to the frying pan. Covered the pan with a glass lid. The fish will cook evenly through and through, without burning.

Watch the fish and bread closely. When the bun starts to toast, take it out of the oven. Fish needs about 2-3 minutes, long enough to cook until it's flaky. Add the cooked fish to the toasted bun, spread on some cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or, in my case,both.

Absolutely yummy! A sandwich actually worth eating.

King Mackerel, artificial bait, Yozuri, and bad hook

Gotta head over to see my doc, Doctor Sam. Anyone with a clinic named Pelican Family gets my attention, and business. Love those birds. So photogenic.

But, I digress. As is all too often the case.

Had a great day fishing (and, catching) Wednesday. My brother-in-law, Thurman, aka T, and I left Tideline Marine at the crack of dawn. Actually, before dawn. Used boat spotlight and GPS to locate markers in New River for the first couple miles. We watched the sun rise over the Sneads Ferry bridge, and it was clear sailing as we headed offshore.

Nice weather, seas were running about two feet. If you navigate New River Inlet, though, be careful following those last couple green cans as you cross the bar. Running from one to the other can leave you in really shallow water. Go northeast before making your turn towards the bell buoy. Look for anything but white water.

Headed for Divers' Rock, a nice outcropping with a 10-foot relief, about five miles from the inlet. No birds working anywhere. Birds, FYI, feed on bait fish on the surface. Big fish do, too. No birds, no bait, no big fish. We trolled for a while, then decided to continue to a spot we had heard might harbor some mahi-mahi, aka dolphin (fish, not Flipper). About 10 miles offshore, that most pleasing of sounds went off. A fish had grabbed a lure and was peeling off line as the drag alerted us of the attack. And, the fight was on. Thought it was a good size dolphin; at least, at first that's what we thought. T was on the reel. I was, as is often the case, manning a camera. It's fun to catch 'em, and it's fun to get pictures. I like action pictures.

A ten minute fight, and the fish was almost worn down. Coming alongside, it was obvious we had a nice fish. And, it wasn't a dolphin. It was a good size king mack. Grabbed a couple shots....

...note the lure. Most folks 'round these parts, at least the avid king anglers, use live bait. We would, too, if we were really good at catching it. Well, maybe we would...sometimes. But, I do like artificial lures. T is a fan of the Yo-Zuri Deep Divers. And, since he nailed a 19 pound king last year on one, we figured it was a pretty cool plug. When Mr. King was close enough, I traded my camera for a gaff (gotta get a longer one if we're gonna keep going after kings), and in short order, the king was in the boat.

In my excitement, I hooked up my trusty digital scale before removing the lure. Let me explain how stupid that was. The lure has two treble hooks. A treble hook has three barbs, razor sharp. Skin piercing sharp. Go back to that word "barb". That means it goes in but doesn't want to pull out. Better at keeping fish from getting off. During my impromptu weigh-in, the fish slipped. The south-end of that north-bound treble nailed me. And, nailed me good. Went into the inside of my knee. With what I initially weighed as a 28-plus pound king still attached. Initially, I say, 'cause it's hard to get an accurate reading when the fish is bucking, and the boat is rocking in seas that are now running 3-4 feet. T produced his pliers and wire cutters, grabbed the fish and held on while I proceeded to cut the hook. Ok, that done, the fish and I parted company.

So, I have a barbed hook imbedded in my knee. Pulling it out the way it went in is absolutely not going to happen. Not on my watch! With trusty pliers, I proceed to push the hook forward, piercing skin, creating a second hole. Once it was all the way through, I simply pulled it out. T quipped that I could use the hole for a piercing. I thought about it, but couldn't come up with any metallic device that would do the story justice.

Washed away the blood. Cleaned the wounds with alcohol swaps, added antiseptic, and re-rigged, looking for the next big fish.

Got a couple more. A dolphin and a nice spanish mackerel. But, nothing to compare to the king on a lure. It topped the certified scales at exactly 29 pounds, one pound shy of being a Division of Marine Fisheries citation fish. But, a nice one in anyone's book. T was a happy camper, let me tell you. That smile tells it all.

Now, off to see Doc Sam. My wife and T both strongly suggested that I get a tetnus shot.

Go Green. The Seniors, among us, want to set the record straight.

As I am sure it is with you, I get a lot of great e-mails. And, I read them. Except those that are obviously from some spammer that wants my money or sanity or business or...well, you get the idea. 

I admit. I don't always read them right away, but I do get to them. Sooner or later. 

A lot of jokes come my way. And I love them. Many, I've heard before. At my age, though, I often don't remember them until I get to the punch line. 

And, as a lot of folks on my e-mail list know, I like to send them along. 

Tbe following observation (from an e-mail) is not a joke. Not exactly. It is funny. And, it certainly applies to us Gray Americans. Many of us, anyway. Thought you might need a tickle on this final work day (for some of you) of the week.  

    

Senior  citizens are constantly being criticized for every  conceivable deficiency of the  modern  world, real or imaginary. We know we take  responsibility for all we have done and do not  blame others.

HOWEVER,  upon  reflection, we would like to point out that it  was NOT  the senior  citizens who took:
The  melody  out of music,
The  pride  out of  appearance,
The  courtesy  out of driving,
The  romance  out of love,
The  commitment  out of marriage,
The  responsibility  out of  parenthood,
The  togetherness  out of the  family,
The  learning  out of education,
The  service  out of  patriotism,
The  Golden Rule  from rulers,
The  nativity  scene out of  cities,
The  civility  out of behavior,
The  refinement  out of language,
The  dedication  out of  employment,
The  prudence  out of spending,
The  ambition  out of achievement  or
God  out of government and  school.

And we  certainly are  NOT  the ones who  eliminated  patience  and  tolerance from  personal relationships and interactions with  others!!

And, we do understand the meaning  of patriotism, and remember those who have fought  and died for our country.  Just look at  the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in  their hearts as they stand  at attention  with their hand over their hearts!

YES, I'M  A SENIOR CITIZEN!

I'm the life of the  party.even if it lasts until 8 p.m.

I'm  very good at opening childproof caps.... with a  hammer.

I'm awake many hours before my body  allows me to get up.

I'm smiling all the  time because I can't hear a thing you're saying. 

I'm sure everything I can't find is in a  safe secure place, somewhere.

I'm wrinkled,  saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left  leg.

I'm beginning to realize that aging is  not for wimps.

Yes, I'm a  SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of  my life!

I especially enjoyed this final note from that e-mail:

Go  Green  -  Recycle  CONGRESS!!

My sentiments, exactly. Who said we older types aren't recycle-saavy?

Corn, Ethanol, Gasoline, Subsidies. E15.

Unless you're a boating enthusiast, a corn grower, an antique car buff...you might not understand what the big deal is over the ethanol boondoggle. It might not even affect you. At least, you might not think so.

For any number of years, boaters and marine mechanics have experienced the effect this corn based fuel has had. And, I am one of those. To the tune of a few thousand dollars, just for two outboard motors. And, now, I'm having to replace the fule lines on a leaf blower. Along with it's gas tank.

Let's see if I can explain it the way that Bill, a most knowledgeable outboard motor mechanic, explains it. Forgive me if I don't get all the facts exactly straight, but this is somewhat the way it goes:

• Ethanol goes through a process called Phase Separation. That's where the corn-fuel begins to separate into gasoline and alcohol. Doesn't happen overnight, but it begins to happen overnight.
• Alcohol, as we learned in basic chemistry classes...and by practical experience...absorbs water.
• Water is heavier than gasoline. Something we learned in elementary school. Most of us, anyway.
• Being heavier, the water sinks to the bottom of your gasoline tank.
• Fuel pick-up tubes take this water-laden substance we thought was gasoline, and sends it straight to your motors.
• Then, the fun begins. I can't even go into all the mechanics, other than to tell you that it will play havoc with your injectors and carbs.
• Another by-product of a gas-alcohol-water concoction is that it cleans out deposits in your gas tank. Natural deposits left behind when real gasoline was used. Deposits that adhere themselves to your tank's bottom and sides. Stuff that became SOLIDS over the years. Solids that clog up fuel filters and carbs when it breaks up and is pumped from your tank. Carbureators, in case you don't know, have lots of very tiny orifices. They're set up to mix fuel and air in just the right way to give you some fire in the engine. Plugging up even a small part of any orifice results in poor, or no, performance. Think of it like plaque in your blood vessels. Slows the blood flow. When it breaks off, as chunks, it can do bad things should it head for the brain.
• Another wonderful by-product of ethanol is that it tends to eat away, from the inside, older gas lines. Yep. You can't see it happening. Those primer bulbs? Yep, those, too. The insides of those lines and bulbs head straight for, you guessed it, the carbs.

We pretty much know my feelings for this grain gas. Haven't met many boaters who don't feel the same way. And, your Congress has passed a law that allows an even HIGHER concentration of alcohol in our gas! All I can say is that there must be a lot of corn money going into their campaign war chests. Even the EPA has warned against the use of this so-called E15 fuel in cars made before 2007, and insists on a warning label at pumps proclaiming it "might damage other vehicles", as well. And, they further warn, "Federal law prohibits its use in other vehicles and engines". Yeah. Like lawn mowers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, tractors.

Tractors? Hope those corn growers in Iowa have fun with ethanol in their tractors. All I can say is that they'd better be using lots of fuel stabilizer, water-fuel separator filters...and, they might consider replacing their fuel lines. Or, they can take a lesson from the Amish.

Now, what should we do? Watching TV, who can help but not see those lawyer ads solicting those who have taken almost any drug, had a loved one who experienced any side effects or death, after taking pretty much any drug on the market. Those guys are doing class action suits left and right. The thought comes to me: Why can't we find a law firm to file a class action suit against the producers of ethanol? They could advertise on TV and in boating magazines. Have you or members of your family had to cough up their hard earned money to have their engines repaired or replaced because of ethanol? I think I'm onto something here. I know some lawyers. I even know a lawyer with a boat. And, I can help him write the spots. I even have pictures!

Corn growers of Iowa! Beware. We're uniting, and we're coming after you and the ethanol industry!

And, in case you're not ticked off by now, the ethanol industry has been getting SIX BILLION DOLLAR tax credits every year. Looks like democrats and republicans are united, for once, and have decided that should be no more. The White House, though, is opposed to dumping those subsidies. Go figure. Must be a lot of voters in Iowa.

Plastic bottles.Recycling. Local governments.Roach bombs and grenades.

Are you a City Council or County Commission junkie? You know, the kind that likes to drop in on local government meetings and watch the real-life antics of your elected leaders and how decisions are made to spend your hard earned tax dollars.

I did it, for a living, at one time. As a general assignment reporter, I had the privilege of seeing, first hand, the all-too-often mundane public workings of local govenments. I knew very little back then. Not enough to really ask the hard hitting questions that our viewers needed answering. It was easy, sort of, to take the published agenda for the meeting, and pick one or two items of interest, and produce a story or two from that meeting.

So little did I know back then. But, I learned. Became a less than welcome fixture at meetings. Ahh...the pleasure of public servants squirming in their seats, not knowing what I was plotting. I asked questions. Some were irritating, kinda along the lines of Columbo. Loved that character.

You want to know boring? Regular local govenment meetings. At least, the part the public sees. And, local reporting on those meetings does little to serve the interest of the community. No better than so-called Government TV on local cables. By the way, did you ever see the budget/expense for one of those government TV operations? Wow. Got some nice stuff, many of them. That's another story.

If you want to have a little fun, drop by your city manager's office, or the county manager's office, and ask them to show you, in their budgets, how much money they spend for how many cases of bottled water each year. Personally, I have no idea. I'm just a suspicious guy. Although my suspicions started when I was at one city-function and was given a bottle of water that had the city seal on the label. Being curious...ok, being nosy, I checked out the label. The water came from Arkansas! Seems that city, in North Carolina, didn't think enough of the water it was providing its citizens, the taxpayers, to even get water from its own taps. It was trucked in. With custom labels.

You've no doubt seen the TV spot (that's the industry term for commercial) showing that Americans (not sure whether that's all North, Central and South Americans, or just U.S. Americans) purchase enough plastic water bottles to circle the earth several times. In case you aren't aware of it, the earth is about 25,000 miles around the middle. That would be, if true, a heap of water bottles. The most conservative estimate I find is that about 25% of the bottles are recycled. Part of the rest end up in landfills, landfills that are fast filling up. Plastic, by the way, takes about 100 years to go away. And way too many plastic bottles end up in our oceans and waterways, and alongside the highways.

Wonder what's wrong with drinking fountains? Employees could furnish their own glass or cup. Just keep it at their cubby-holes. Outside staffers could be issued a canteen when they start their jobs. You know, like our fighting forces get. Fill it up, from the taps, every day. Several times a day, if inclined. It would certainly be cheaper than buying a lot of bottled water. And, it would go a long ways toward saving the environment.

Back to the fun part. If you don't want to stop by City Hall, just send a note to your city manager or mayor and request that information. Then, share it, without shame, on Facebook, and/or write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

Ever notice how much fun it is to set off roach bombs, just to see the little critters scattering? Must be the same feeling for marines and soldiers chunking a frag into the middle of an enemy nest. Or, for people like me watching government servants squirming.

Are your ready to get ticked off? Look who we're supporting.

Not every person getting money from "The System" is taking advantage of "The System". But, for folks like the idiot appearing on a Judge Judy episode, it kinda makes my blood boil. If you have the time, check out the clip. I'm not sure how much of it you can take. Best to have the kids, spouse, and your dogs AWAY FROM THE HOUSE while you're looking at it. No need to teach them any new words. You might also lock up your guns and likker. But, keep the 2012 elections in mind while watching. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7XA2UUpXRk  Jude Judy Opens Fire

There are oh, so-so-SO many deserving, hard-working young and older-than-young folks who are trying to better themselves. People who actually want to make a better life for their families. These are the kinds of people who deserve a chance, even a second chance.

When the world's biggest jerk...the guy on Judge Judy...opens his mouth, it just makes me want to slap somebody. And, to think that local and state governments, along with the ever-so-holy blood-suckers in Washington, throw hard-earned taxpayers' money away to such idiots...I just don't know. I really don't know.

They've been battling in Washington for many months, according to the top stories on the evening news, looking at ways to cut expenses. An effort, the GOP says, to curb costs, save money. Trying to compromise on a budget plan of in-action.

What-evah.

If you haven't figured it out, yet, let me s'plain. They've been playing POLITICS! With OUR money. What have they achieved? They kept us on the edge of our seats, wondering whether the government was going to shut down. Whether there would be wholesale slaughter in the budgets for education, police and fire. Never, ever, did I hear any discussions about fixing the 70-thousand dollar boondoggles like the one depicted in the Judy video. The politicians who orchestrated this most recent absurdity on Capitol Hill could have directed and produced a Steven Spielbird thriller. Exciting to the very last minute. Just in the nick of time, they saved the day. Much like the western hero in silent films rescuing the chick tied to the train tracks.

Bravo Sierra. To all of them. And, to you and me for believing that they are helping us.