Jon & Ivy

Death of a Fish

2011-12-31T11:28:00.003-05:00

Usually the last day of the year people sit around reminiscing about the year, more so the highs rather than the lows. We were planning this year would be no different, until we got out of bed this morning and discovered that our beloved pet, Fishy was its name, wasn't in its bowl.

Fishy’s life with us started on a chilly October 2010 evening at a ‘throw a ping-pong ball into a fish bowl – win a fish’ contest at the annual Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, Massachusetts. It was the end of the night and we were making our way back to the car to go home in Salem. Ivy wanted to try her luck at throwing a ping-pong ball into a fish bowl and try to win a fish. The odds didn't look very good, as there were many people there and it cost five dollars to play the game, a rip off if you ask Jon, to throw plastic balls into a tiny bowl, yet we were at a fair where you’re supposed to play games that you have no chance of winning…so we did. We had 20 ping-pong balls (chances) to win a fish. It was getting down to the last five or so balls, and then it happened – we won a fish! The game-carnie came over and gave a ticket that read “congratulations, you won a fish! Please turn card over” and we turned the card over, it read “fish costs 50 cents.” Double rip-off! All we had was a 20 dollar bill, which they gladly changed for us. We won a fish, which we apply named “Fishy.”

We weren’t sure how long Fishy had been in its bag so in the car we opened the bag a bit to let in some fresh air. Luckily, it made it home. When we got home however, we didn’t know where we would put our new pet. We had a two-quart measuring bowl and a bag of sea glass in our closet, and we created Fishy’s new home. Fishy spent his entire life in that bowl, which was cleaned every month or three. We loved Fishy. Fishy was an easy pet, as it just stayed in its bowl. Daily Fishy would remind us to feed it by splashing the water (out of the bowl) or by making the fishy noise with its lips on the water’s surface. They were a few times we forgot to feed it or went away on vacation for days, but yet it was a hardy fish. Fishy was our friend that we would daily greet in the morning and say goodnight to at night. Fishy was also liked by our visiting friends and family.

In August 2011, we moved from Massachusetts to Maryland. We weren’t sure how we would move with Fishy. We put Fishy in a bag in its bowl and placed it on the car floor. Jon was in charge of keeping Fishy ‘comfortable’ during our insanely long drive on the MassPike, the Merrit Parkway in Connecticut, I-287 in New York, and I-95 through New Jersey and into Delaware, and eventually Maryland! Jon continually checked Fishy and talked to Fishy during the trip. Fishy was hardy in the least! When we arrived at our new place, we gave him some clean water and placed it back on the countertop in the kitchen…just like in Salem. When one of us was home alone, Fishy was someone to talk to and keep us company. Jon always greeted Fishy when he came home from work as well. We loved Fishy. Fishy was a good friend

On December 31, 2011 – Ivy woke up and walked to greet Fishy, as she did every morning. However, Fishy was not in its bowl. We can only speculate what happened but it appeared that something made Fishy jump out of its bowl, as Fishy was found underneath the countertop this morning, covered in dust. Not a good way to end or start a new year. We really loved Fishy and will miss it dearly.

In remembrance of Fishy Connelly – December 31, 2011.

Good Harbor 2011

2011-01-24T14:12:00.005-05:00

On January 22, 2011 we drove north on Route 127 up to Rockport. On the way we stopped to look at Good Harbor Beach, in Gloucester. So beautiful. It was cold outside, so we stayed in the car.

Fall 2010

2010-10-25T19:47:00.014-04:00

It's October 25, 2010 and the heat is on, as it has been since mid-October. The bread machine is making bread and we're listening to David Crowder Band. It's 50 degrees and foggy here in Salem. We're also in the midst of Halloween. Traffic hasn't been all that bad, which is nice. We actually went into downtown a few Sundays ago before church to enjoy a chai lattle and pumkin chai latte at our favorite place called Jaho...and then walked down to the Friendship Boat (Jon's boat).

Ivy is teaching math & science at the Charter School, and is preparing a Nature's Classroom presentation now. She's enjoying teaching for the most part. Jon is still doing environmental consulting. Both of us are starting to realize that our jobs are turning into jobs and we are loosing our passion for them, which is unfortunate. However we both are enjoying life at Grace Fellowship. Ivy is leading the Discovery Club on Friday nights and is really good at it and enjoying it! Jon is the Missions Coordinator and is enjoying the position. It's nice to keep in contact with people around the world. It's amazing. Jon is also leading a monthly prayer spot on Sundays, which is okay because he doesn't like praying in front of the church.

We ARE enjoying fall up here. The leaves are bright reds, oranges, and yellows! We went to Russell's Orchards this weekend with Jon's mom (visiting from Charleston, SC) to get some cider donuts and see some 'wildlife' that isn't so wild. Ivy styled a pony's dew; a 1,000 pound pig, and Ivy found a pumpkin. Here are some photos:

We also went to the Topsfield Fair earlier this month. We went on a Saturday and it was packed with people. We bumped into another teacher that Ivy works with, and the Newbys. We enjoyed eating funnel cake and a thanksgiving-style-turkey-sandwich, and enjoyed seeing farm animals. We played two games and the second game we played Ivy won a fish! (Which on the back of the card said it cost $0.25! So we aptly named the fish '525.' Five dollars to play the game and twenty-five cents to get our prize). And we are proud to say that fishy is still alive and well! We didn't have a fish bowl, so its home is a large measuring cup that we never use (fits two quarts of water).

Fun times in NE.

First Week of CSA

2010-06-17T17:23:00.010-04:00

Yummy!

I just picked up our second week of fresh veggies from Crunchy Granola Baby, where Heaven's Harvest farm delivers their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. This is our third year participating and we love it. Last week I thought I would document some of the delicious meals we made; take a look.Pizza with greens and broccoli, and I made pizza dough in the bread machine for the 1st time. It was an exciting night.

Farm fresh eggs and homemade zucchini herb bread; a wonderful breakfast with our friend Will.

Bruschetta with almond/garlic paste, goat feta and greens. This was Jon's favorite.

Bulgar salad with cucumber, radish, and scallion, served in pitas. Cucumber and radish are not my favorite veggies, but this was delicious.

Stir-fry bok-choi with a little egg over rice.

Umm, as I sit here and snack on the strawberries and sugar peas from this week, I am starting to plan dishes for next week.

Spring Blossoms

2010-06-15T19:01:00.016-04:00

I noticed this weekend that things in the garden are staring to blossom. Peas, zucchini, tomatoes all have flowers. Beans, lettuce, pepper, broccoli and herbs are also sprouting up quite nicely. All this rain is good for something!

Jon's Columbine is blooming like crazy.

And after a long delay, I finally finished my self-watering planter project. I am hoping it will grow some extra-special, delicious broccoli.

Food Inc.

2010-06-05T16:45:00.002-04:00

We watched Food Inc. this afternoon. It is kind of like King Corn but more detailed about where meat/poultry/dairy comes from, how they are raised, what the animals eat, and how it's produced. It was disgusting. The problem, though, with these films is that watching them is entertaining and disgusting but will it move me to change? I want to think - sure it will - but in reality I think that it won't. I have frozen meats in the freezer that I bought from BJs and I'm going to eat them all. Throwing them away is wastful but keeping them means that I am ignoring the film? You could say that I won't buy meats in BJs or other big-box stores but that's kind of ridiculous. Have you looked into purchasing locally grown/fed cattle? It's expensive. Here in New England there are 'meat farms' in Vermont and to buy meat would cost about $250 and up. We participate in a Summer CSA that costs $375 for 15 weeks - the most veggies I eat in a year! I did do some research on WHERE to participate in buying local, here's the website: http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/ (sorry Sally/Ian, nothing in Cananda). However, our food cost would go up immediately! The problem is cost. It seems that it's always the first issue. So after watching this film, like other films I've seen, I'm going to TRY to reduce the amount of GMOs I consume, the amount of corn, and eat more locally...which means we probably won't eat out as much since that food is mass produced, the same as Stop & Shop, etc. I think is ridiculous - from the film - that even the veggies in the grocery stores are modified! It seems that there's nothing 'safe' to eat unless it's organic and locally grown. Maybe we should move to a place next to a farm and 'live off the land' like the Amish do! I wonder how their health is since they don't buy food from the stores....hmmmm, another documentary film idea??
THOUGHTS????

Washington 2010

2010-05-30T21:44:00.010-04:00

During Ivy's April Break we took a trip to Washington State to explore Olympic National Park and the Pacific Northwest. It was an AWESOME trip! We flew into Sea-Tac and drove northwest-ward towards Port Townsend - this is Ivy walking on the driftwood.

Then Dungess Spit,

Then Port Angeles - where we stayed for a couple of days. While we were there we went to Hurricane Ridge (5-10 feet of snow at top); Crescent Lake; Sol Duc Hot Springs (for dinner) no hot springs for us, too expensive!; a tiny aquarium; and out to dinner! Also went to DQ for dessert one night. This is Ivy on Hurricane Ridge with a friend she made (LITERALLY!).

Then we went to the most northwestern point in the lower 48-states and along the way counted 50 bald eagles!! That's the most I've EVER counted in one day!! Then we drove down to La Push to stay for a couple of days - which was a glimpse of heaven! Watched bald eagles from our room sitting on the couch!!! We stayed in a hotel right on the beach, crashing waves on beach, bald eagles, awesome sunset. Also went hiking along the beach - Rialto Beach - which was a 3-mile hike on the beach round-trip...which felt longer since we sunk into the sand AND it was raining! Had a snack beneath an old tree stump, the only dry spot on the beach. Then we drove south to the HOH Rain Forest - which it wasn't raining! But it was great. Huge cedar trees, moss, ferns, a tree-huggers dream! ;) Then we went to Lake Quinnault - a glacial lake. At this lake, the largest Sitka Spruce IN THE WORLD resides in the area!! I think the expression on my face sums up the excitment!

We spent day here - had the best breakfast EVER at the lodge overlooking the Lake with hummingbirds! There were like 10 hummingbirds in front of me - no camera though. Ivy told me 'no camera' at food time. OK. Then we decided to go to Mount Rainer. Stayed at a B&B just outside the park. Had a great breakfast (not as good as Lake Quinnault) and drove up Mount Rainer and snowshoed a little ways up - awesome!

Then we left to go to Seattle, stayed in a B&B in Seattle that overlooked Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains in the distant distance! It was cool.

Awesome vacation! Sadly, we had to come home. More photos on Facebook.

February 2010

2010-02-15T19:57:00.003-05:00

Well it's still winter here. There's an impending snowstorm knocking on the door. We will see if it amounts to any of the hype! We are well. Had a nice long President's Day weekend. Saturday we got a new couch...fit through the window by the help of our Growth Group & Jon N. coming over at 930am!! They are awesome! Sunday we took a nap on the couch...always a good sign. And on Monday we got up, drove up Rt. 127 to Gloucester, and went walking and birding. Saw some eiders, mergansars. buffleheads, scaups, and gulls...and one red-tailed hawk hanging in the wind! It was great!! Then we played games (dominos) with Jen & Ehren and while we were there I saw two red-tailed hawks out their window! Fun times!!

Weekend Escape

2009-10-18T19:56:00.013-04:00

Ivy and I like to escape from our 'normal' or 'everyday' weekends to go on an adventure. This Saturday, after breakfast, Ivy and I headed to North Conway New Hampshire, which is in the White Mountains. We visited North Conway in September when we visited some friends up there vacationing and thought, we should come back up here sometime. North Conway has a nice downtown with many shops and cafes that are so welcoming and just relaxing. We stayed at a place called the Swiss Chalet Village Inn in Intervale, NH. It was okay but was better than driving home! We walked around, did a little shopping with lots of window shopping, and took in the fresh crisp air and beautiful scenery of the changing leaves and snowy-topped Mount Washington! Beautiful. I love seeing trees with yellow and red colors...it looks like they are on fire, exploding!

We had a very nice dinner at the Wine Thyme. So good and yet not expensive...looks expensive but not. Good wine too - says Ivy. I had a cranberry walnut chicken-salad spinach wrap - SO GOOD!! And Ivy had a pumpkin soup that was really good too...even Jon liked it! We are relaxed and had a good weekend. We also went to Peaches for breakfast. Very good too. We had a very peaceful and relaxing weekend. It's nice to escape from our business to be together and be outside in pure beauty!

On our way home, we drove through a Nor'easter. North Conway was cloudy but not raining or snowing, but the whole way home it was raining, sleeting, and, yes, snowing! It's October, it's not supposed to snow!! And right now it's snowing too. Craziness. Here's a photo from our window...it's dark out and hopefully you can see the snow.

Birthday Hike

2009-09-04T08:56:00.014-04:00

For my 29th Birthday Ivy and I went hiking. I recently decided to hike all the 4000-footers in New Hampshire...there are 48 total. So we decided to hike Mount Hanock in the White Mountains, which has two peaks - north and south. The northern peak is 4420 feet and the southern peak is 4319 feet. Two down, 46 to go! It was a good, long day. We drove up to Lincoln, NH to the Kagamagus Highway to the hairpin turn and began an adventure at 10:29am. The trail was described as "Strenuous: With wooded and easy to follow trails, Mt. Hancock makes for a solid out-and-back day hike." We totally agree with the description! It was nice in the beginning...then it started to go up and get rocky. We paused a few times to breathe and drink some water from our 5 Nalgens! The views were beautiful. This was Ivy's first hike and trip to the White Mountains. We got to the summit of the northern peak and had lunch...the overlook was crowded with other hikers. We sat on some boulders and enjoyed the view. This view actually -->

There was a gray jay there too...many people were feeding it but not me! I don't feed the wildlife! It must have heard me because it was dive-bombing me a couple of times. Then we continued our hike to the southern peak of Mount Hancock. It was a nice hike beneath the stunted hemlock trees and sphagnum moss within the groundcover. The mossy ground looked welcoming for a nap, but there was no time for that! We got to the southern peak and nixed the overlook because it was small and down a little...we had a lot more down to go and we didn't want to waste our knees for an overlook! But the overlook looking back to where we had lunch was pretty sweet!

So we started to hike down. It was quite rocky and steep. We didn't take many breaks, other than Jon walking too fast and Ivy too slow. It was nice, and not too many people. There were some streams which the water was ice cold and refreshing! We made it back to the car in 6.5 hours, which is pretty good. The hiking book said it would take about 6 hours and 25 minutes...and we stopped a lot...especially on the way up. Then we stretched abit, got in the car, and drove home (2 hour drive).

When we got home, Ivy insisted on making me dinner - lobster ravoli! MMM, so good! Then we had dessert.

Awesome Birth-day!

The Giving Tree

2009-04-24T20:21:00.003-04:00

The "Giving Tree." This tree is located at Salem Willows on the North Shore, and I call it the "Giving Tree" because last summer we spent a lot of time beneath this tree. We came here several times with Jen, Ehren, Ian, & Sally, and occassionally with others. We had lunch and snacks beneath it. We sat in our chairs or blankets, over looking the inlet towards Beverly. It kept us cool during the hot summer days. "And when they were tired, one or some would sleep in its shade." We played bauchi ball around it and sometimes on its trunk...but often the balls would bounce away. A lot of fun occurred beneath this tree. Hopefully this spring and summer will bring more joy to us beneath this magnificent tree! I look forward to it.

Best Superbowl Commercial

2009-02-02T20:32:00.001-05:00

I think that careerbuilder.com's commerical was the best this Superbowl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tMMFja-Fw

Winter's Day Adventure

2009-01-11T18:46:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009 some friends and I went birding in Newburyport. The Bald Eagles have returned to the area, and we were on a mission to spot at least one! We saw 2 bald eagles, and maybe another one...although we're not certain because it was so far away and even with the scope it was difficult to see. It was a good time though...a little on the chilly side. Here are some photos of our excursion:

Matt snappin' some photos and Ehren takin' a look.
there's a bald eagle in the tree, right of the evergreen tree...yeah, it's a speck.

Great Blue Heron chillin' out (litterally) on the bank of the Merrimac River.
Winter Sunset at Sandy Point on Plum Island.

I found a dollar!

Dating 101: Have Fun

2008-08-22T09:45:00.006-04:00

The rules to golfing:

Place the ball on the tee. Grab the club. Get a good, firm grip on the club. Position your feet apart and in line - where you want the ball to go. Bend your knees a bit. Focus on a particular point or spot on the ball. Slowly breathe in and out. Keep your left arm straight. Slowly bring the club back, not too far,

keeping that left arm straight. Then as you come down, put pressure on your left leg and put some force into your swing. Then whack the ball!

Here's a vidoe to help your sweet success at golfing:

Note that Ivy lifted up her right foot and didn't keep her left arm straight - bad news. You must keep both feet on the ground and arms straight. Try again, and again, again, again, and again until you got it down. It's a good thing we aren't professional golfers but at least we had fun and (Ivy) looked pretty cute!

Grandma: Ina (Betsy) Connelly

2008-06-29T17:41:00.004-04:00

Today, Sunday June 29, 2008 my Grandma passed away. She left her old body, full of cancer and pain, and received a new body - as she entered the Kingdom and was welcomed by the Heavenly Father! She will be missed. She is already missed! I love my Grandma so much. I'm sad that she's not on earth anymore but very happy that she is completely healed! We were very fortunate to have spent time with her this past April and over the years. Walking around the circle, eating, talking, learning how to knit, playing with Katy (the cat), and watching MASH and Jeopardy! I love you Grandma!
Jeopardy: 'Famous' People: for 500: Answer: This person was the one of the greatest Grandmas: she took her grand-kids to Disney World and stood on long lines forever; who sat with us at the pool and let us swim for hours; who allowed us only four ginger-snaps with lunch; who let us drink as much favored club-soda as we wanted; allowed us to hit plastic golfballs in the backyard; told me to chew my gum with my mouth closed; who let me help with her puzzles; who gave me nickles for not worrying in school; who played poker with the family during reunions and laughed so much she had to pee!; who sat through an entire Red Sox Game and loved it...cheering for Manny (who has the long hair!); who came to my high school and college graduation, mine and my brother's wedding, and who came up 'north' where it's not 80 degrees all the time!
Question: Who is: (see Title above)

V A C A T I O N ! !

2008-04-26T12:57:00.011-04:00

Vacation! Ivy and I went on vacation this past week. We drove 16 hours south to North Carolina to see some my extended family. It was a long trip with TONS of traffic, but it was a lot of fun. Ivy and I spent some quality time together and listened to "The Horse and His Boy" and "Prince Caspian" by C.S.Lewis during the trip. It was great. Listening to a story while sitting in traffic is more fun than just sitting in traffic. It made the trip not-so-long. Anyways, after visting family, we drove north towards PA. On our way there, we stopped in Shenandoah National Park and stayed there a night. It was fun hiking around and laying in the grass. View along Skyline Drive.We drove along Skyline Drive, up and down the mountains, yelling "wildlife!" every time we saw, well, wildlife...which was usually a squirrel, chipmuck, deer, or a turkey vulture! We first went Dark Hollow Falls. This was a moderate hike, not too steep...although, we were stiff because we were sitting in the car so long! But was nice. There was a small waterfall. Water is so cool to watch. We hiked along, looking at the water, the plants, and looking for wildlife. We think we saw a peregine falcon, but couldn't get close enough to see. We then went to Skyland Resort, where we stayed for the night. We checked in and then drove down to our room. It was a large room, but earth-friendly. I suppose all the National Parks are trying to "be green" nowadays, which is good. All the lights were CFLs, the shower was a low-flow, and instead of having those small shampoo/conditioner bottles, there was a "soap" dispenser that you pressed buttons and a small amount would squirt out. Nice. And lots of windows to light up the room, so we could use less eletricity. So we were friendly to the environment on Earth Day. ;) We relaxed and chilled out while in Shenandoah. Then we drove to PA to spend some time with Ivy's family.

Of course during our trip, my eye was looking for birds (wildlife!) and plants. Here are some photos!

Ferns growing out of a large boulder.

Signs of Spring with new flowers emerging.

A Dark-eyed Junco sitting on a wall on Hawksbill Mountain Summit (no hawks though).

While we were hiking in Shenandoah, we came across a Ruffed Grouse. Male drums with wings to produce a series of deep thumping sounds that increase in tempo. This is what we saw and took video of. It sounds like a tracker starting its engine. This is loud in the forest.

That was our traveling vacation! It was great! We are looking forward to the summer to have more vacation!! WILDLIFE!

High Gas Prices are GOOD

2008-04-04T20:36:00.005-04:00

Bring on $6 a gallon gasoline!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/133994

Some Vernal Pool Species

2008-03-21T18:05:00.004-04:00

To the left is a photo of a wood frog (Rana sylvatica). Wood frogs are found throughout New England and northern North America. They are common, small frogs (~2 inches) that don't get very large but their singing can be heard during the spring time. Here's what they sound like http://allaboutfrogs.org/files/sounds/wood.wav
Right now the frogs are migrating from the forested uplands into the vernal pools.

Vernal Pools also are home to salamanders. To the right is a spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). The salamanders are also migrating from the upland to the vernal pools. These salamanders are quite common and large (some grow up to 7 inches). If you ever come across one, make sure you wet your hands with water or wear latex gloves. All amphibians have pores on their skin and are very sensitive. Salamanders also diffuse a slim as a deterant for predators (and humans). It's a sticky slim or goo. Not nice to get on you! Usually there's a Big Night once a year, usually in April. It's when many salamanders move from the upland to the vernal pools/wetlands, and usually "they choose" a rainy, warm night.
The reasons to 'why' they are migrating to the pools is for mating. And that is why Vernal Pools are so important to the ecosystem, and why vernal pools are protected.
(These photos were taken by Jon).

Favorite Videos - So You Think You Can Dance

2008-03-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv8XMUtan54&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGY5lhFZFpc&feature=related

Paper or Plastic

2008-03-13T20:55:00.002-04:00

There's an article on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23358591 that discusses which is better: paper or plastic. Paper weighs more, costs more to ship (from tree to factory to consumer...and paper factories pollute a lot!) Plastic bags are made from fossil fuels (OIL) but weighs less and shipping costs are lower than paper. Paper bags are easier to recycle, plastic bags not so muchl; plus trees are a renewable resource while the oil needed for plastic is not. Also, there are certain areas that specifically grow trees for paper use. A good alternative: reusable bags. Pretty much anything resuable is best for the environment in the long run. The link above is a good interactive website. Another website: http://msnbc.newsvine.com/_news/2008/03/11/1359519-battle-of-the-bags-paper-vs-plastic discusses what others think about the topic. I'm going to use reusable bags only.

Killdeer

2008-03-05T19:37:00.003-05:00

Here are two pictures of the same bird. This is a killdeer. Everytime I see this bird, I think that it is a sand-piper or plover but it's not. It's a killdeer, which is pretty common. An interesting fact about this bird is that if you are getting too close to its nest, the adult bird will make it's wing appear to be broken and lure you away from the nest. Pretty ingenius way to get rid of predators and/or humans. I saw this bird on Tuesday next to a pond which was next to an apartment complex. It's fun to see birds everywhere. Take hawks for instance, I see so many hawks on the side of the road or in trees next to highways. They are everywhere! So cool. I love birds.

2008-03-03T18:48:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post. I hope you haven't been anxiously awaiting for a post from me...anyways, I found this link on the Nature Conservancy Website and I thought it was cool [maybe depressing] to know how much of my life, everyday chores, work, yada yada yada affects the environment. Check out this website and take the survey: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/?src=search
My household emits about 57 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere a year. Is that bad? It isn't good. It's below the national average for my household. I think that these Carbon surveys can be read two ways. 1) Make you feel quilty and "push" you towards eating organic, buying "green" houses/cars, etc. OR 2) making you aware that everything you do affects the world around you. Some people might say you (I am) ignorant because I don't drive a hybrid or eat organic food. Eating organic is expensive! I refused to buy apples at Shaws because they were $1.29/lb. Maybe I'm cheap (probably) but I'm not going to pay more (up front) to "be green." Because even buying a hybrid isn't all that great. Yeah, it saves you $$ at the pump, but the battery for the hybrid and all the other "extras" end up costing you more in the long run. I'll write more later, I'm done for now.

Derby has passed

2008-02-24T10:24:00.002-05:00

Dearly beloved,

We are gathered here today in great memory of our friend, Derby/Diesel - the beta-fish. He has lived and blessed so many lives, particularly the lives within GCTS, and my family. This is with great sadness that Derby/Diesel has passed into the great blue, he has followed the light, and has left his home. We don't know how old he is/was but he was well loved. Thank you Ian and Sally for bringing this friend into our lives and my family's lives. He will be missed. We will miss you, Derby.

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-20T22:05:00.003-05:00

Cool!

Birds Birds Birds

2008-02-20T19:11:00.006-05:00

I love searching for birds, rare or common. It excites me! I went birding this past Sunday and Monday, it was great. I also saw two rainbows on Monday afternoon, pretty sweet. I think that I'm going birding again this weekend, so if anyone wants to come along, let me know. I also saw many buffleheads, goldeneyes, cormorants, and possibly a harlequin-duck! Birding is fun. I heard some chickadees this morning when I was sitting in my office. Great.

2008-02-17T22:13:00.002-05:00

Hello. I’m not sure if anyone has clicked on the link “shrimp suck” but it’s a website that says why we should stay away from eating shrimp. “Shrimp is the #1 seafood in the U.S. Eating shrimp can be among the worst things you can do to the ocean. Bottom trawling and farming for shrimp can destroy the ocean. You don't want to be a part of that.” The site urges consumers to stop eating the country's most popular seafood, which is typically caught using turtle- and dolphin-killing nets. The reason that it’s on my blog is because I read it in Outside Magazine and it brings up a valuable point – everything we do and eat has an affect on the Environment.
That being said, I have a confession to make – I love eating shrimp. It tastes so good. Ivy and I ate some on Friday night at Legal Seafood and it was amazingly good. I had a trio of fish, and shrimp and scallops; so good! I do believe in caring for the environment but it’s not like I eat shrimp everyday. Agh, now I feel better. I’m gonna go eat some shrimp…just kidding!!

Skiing Adventure

2008-02-13T19:38:00.005-05:00

So this is Ivy learning how to downhill ski...just kidding!
This past Saturday, Ivy and I trekked northward in search of snow and mountains. We found ourselves at Ragged Mountain. It's a nice mountain to ski at, although it is a long drive from the highway. I enjoy downhill skiing but I often go alone because Ivy doesn't like to ski very much because she doesn't know really how to ski. BUT she agreed to go skiing with me and was also willing to take a lesson. Fine by me! :) So Ivy took an hour private lesson, and her instructor even took her to the top! Ivy is good at skiing, she just needs to relax and enjoy the views. She had fun. I had fun too. It was a nice day to ski. Not too cold and it even snowed. Skiing in the snow making seeing more difficult though. I always say that skiing is like riding a bike, you just remember. I remembered but it was difficult. It has been a year since I last skied. I definitely didn't ski like the photo above but it was good. I think I'm done with Ragged Mountain. Too small. It's too bad that skiing is so expensive! Normally it would have cost $60 per lift ticket! That's crazy expensive! No thanks. Ivy and I had a good day though. I'm glad we went. Maybe we'll go again this season now that she's a pro!

It's Underdog!

2008-02-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

So you would think that a movie about Underdog, an old cartoon, would be pretty stupid and not worth the effort to rent and then watch...wrong-o. Underdog the movie is so funny!! I laughed pretty much the entire movie.
"It's a bird, no it's a plane, it's a frog! A frog?!"
"It's no bird, no plane, no frog, IT'S UNDERDOG!!!"
What else rhymes with dog?
Great movie. So funny. Highly recommend.

More Birds

2008-02-03T17:17:00.000-05:00

So today I and some friends went birding again. This time we went up to Plum Island. Our ultimate goal was to see a snowy owl but we figured we would see other awesome birds while we were up there, and we did. We did end up seeing a snowy owl but didn't know it until someone told us later...we saw it from a distance. But we saw many short-eared owls...like the picture above. As we were leaving the Park, we followed an owl along the road and it happened to stop and perch on top of a wooden stake, perfect for a photo without a scope! (Which I still need to figure out how to use). It was awesome. We saw tons of hawks too. Birding is a fun hobby. We also saw many mallard ducks in the marshes. They are so funny to watch because their butts float as their heads are under water searching for food. It was a great day to bird...despite a little wind and cold.

2008-02-02T17:58:00.000-05:00

Greetings, and welcome to our blog. We are new at this but figured 'what do we have to lose' by setting up a blog? Asolutely nothing...so here goes:

So today I went up to Newburyport, along the Merrimack River, and went birding. Birding isn't catching birds or trapping them, it is simply watching and looking for certain birds. Today I was in search for Bald Eagles. Bald Eagles migrate to the Merrimack River every winter because of the open water. Today I drove north on 95 and drove along the River. Immediately I saw 7 Bald Eagles hanging out on a sand-bar in the middle of the River. I was pumped with excitement! I got my binoculars out and looked through them, and saw 2 adult Bald Eagles and 5 juveniles just hangin' out on the sandbar and in the shallow water. They were playing and washing themselves. It was a sight. Then I setup my scope and tripod to view the eagles through it. Much better than the binoculars! They were flying back and forth from the nearby white pine and paper birch trees along the River to the sand bar. They are so cool to watch. They are so majestic! I took some photos, but they didn't come out so well. I tried to take the photos through the scope but not so good. Oh well, it's the best I can do now.
Then I drove down along the River to a park and saw another Bald Eagle soaring in the wind. Today was a windy day to say the least! Cool.