parallel play

(thematic 210 - parallelism)

you never realize how many parallels there are 

(not including the universes of course!)

until you search.

here are just a few!

parallel plants growing along the side of our parallel wood home   

the parallel lines of the Six-lines Racerunner

parallel lines running down the driveway

the Yellow Rat snake's parallels

parallel lines of the shed's wall

parallel waves at sunrise. Neptune Beach, Florida (8 aug 2011)

even concentric circles are considered parallels

and

so 

i leave you with a misspelled sign!

even though this sign was previously in one of my posts...a long while back...

(e-mailed to me by Susan @ This n That.

she snapped this picture while looking for a place to PARALLEL park

in a little town called Nimmitabel, 

which is in New South Wales, Australia) 

it seemed very fitting to post it again now!

i'm linked up with carmi's thematic weekly photo sharing.

join in!  check it out here:  Thematic Photographic 210 - Parallelism

thanks for stopping by!

stay cool. be safe.

laura

catch you later. i'm home between appointments, and was anxious to get paralleled!!  =)

the brave 'shroom. the Orb. another misspelled sign.

a

single

mushroom

standing tall

and brave

against the almost freezing rainy nights

and

enjoying

the sunny & cool days.

~~

weird weather.

some of the plants are being fooled into thinking spring is here.

then the next day the temperature drops.

Flatwoods Plum

this small Flatwoods Plum tree i bought a few years ago 

at a local Florida native plant sale.

it's grown from about 2 feet tall to 6 feet.

this is the first year it's delicate blooms have come out!

mini Daffodils

the tiny daffodils blooming by the front porch.

oOo

REMEMBER the Orb Weaver from recent previous posts?

the one living in a wind chime on the front porch.

on colder nights, she stays hidden.

but when she senses the temp will be tolerable...

she appears just after dusk and begins weaving her web.

every time i see her out there

i can't resist taking pictures!

she's really grown.

one night i saw that an unfortunate bug had ended up in her lair.

(well, unfortunate for the bug, anyway.)

she wrapped it up.

when she was satisfied that it wasn't going anywhere...

she moved to another spot and left that little bug, June Bug i think, just dangling there.

i was really surprised the next morning to see that she had left this bug 

still hanging on a strand of web...

while she slept all day in her bell.

for her next night's snack?

usually her web hangs from 'her' chime, straight down to the porch railing.

one night, she wove it so that it was almost against the front of the house.

(even if you don't like spiders, you have to admit...

it's pretty cool to watch them at work.

isn't it?)

♥ "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."  ♥

~Albert Einstein

having the NEED to get out of town...

sam & i are both taking off work tomorrow (friday) and going camping this weekend.
with milo of course!
she's looking forward to it just as much as we are.
(no phones. no internet. not for milo either.)

most of the local parks are booked but i found one with some vacant spots.

we haven't been there for a few years...and they have a few good trails...

so hopefully i'll get some decent pictures.

maybe even a picture of an ANIMAL or two,

and not just their TRACKS or POOP (oh, sorry...be professional laura...SCAT!)

oOo

i leave you with ANOTHER misspelled sign i spotted at a church 

on the way to a client's home.

i didn't have my camera...but did drive back there the next day

HOPING it was still misspelled.

it was.

this is the third church i've taken pictures of their misspelled signs at.

"I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way." 

~Mark Twain 

when you're done shaking your head,

if you don't have to rush off,

check out my page up at the top or just  CLICK HERE   for MORE misspelled signs.

stay cool & be safe.

laura

♥ "We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, 

and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, 

we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."  ♥

~Robert Fulghum

a weaving arachnid & another misspelling

an orb weaver.

the first time i noticed one like this, was about a year ago.

she was on the front porch...in the same area as this one.

she was much bigger than the one who spins her web out there now.

these Orb Weavers are nocturnal.

the ones usually seen are females. they have bigger, rounder bodies.

top side

under side

she waits...night after night...not just for a meal...but for a male too.
the males are smaller, and their main purpose in life is to seek out a mate.
then, after mating, he will likely become her next meal. poor guy.

she spins her web after dark...consumes it around dawn...hides all day...

and then repeats her web making the next night. 

consuming her web...

getting ready to retreat into the wind chime's bell...

she will lay a large clutch of eggs. die at first frost. her babies will hatch in the spring.

Orb Weavers live approx. 1 - 2 years.

and there she goes...into the bell...until dusk.

the following is a video i saw on one of the blog's i read. cindy's blog: Bug Safari.

this is an unbelievable, amazing  5 minute  MACRO  3D  video. 

not for the squeamish...or arachnophobes!

a successful catch. 

Spider Catches Moth.

go to YouTube for LARGER version!

((just in case...when i publish this...the movie doesn't work, here's the link:))

Spider Catches Moth

oOo

i've had this picture of an email since before halloween.

since today's post is a spidery post...

i thought i should get this on here before too much more time passes.

i really felt sorry for Florida State Parks.

can you imagine how many people this email went to??

of course 'spell check' wouldn't fix this one...

because LOOSE IS A WORD.

just not the correct word for this sentence.

i don't think the state parks are on the loose...running around.

i think they are fearful of not enough money coming in...to keep things going...

and florida might LOSE some of their parks.

oOo

well, for many...today is the Thanksgiving celebration.

sam & i don't really 'celebrate'.

it's just us.

but since the stores are overloaded with turkeys...we always pick one up.

(well, we don't just pick it up to see what the dead weight of a turkey feels like...)

we buy one.

sam deep fries it.  always.

a turkey from the past...

ONE YEAR...

if we should ever have company...

i plan to give sam a break,  and roast one to look like this...

(update! the boys...justin & travis are on their way up for a visit!

but it's too late for me to do one in that bikini. maybe next year!)

have a nice day.

if you're here in the states...enjoy the long weekend!

have a safe journey & enjoy the ride.

laura

for more spider or orb weaver info:

http://www.cirrusimage.com/spider_orb_weavers.htm

http://www.spiderzrule.com/

http://insects.about.com/od/spiders/p/Araneidae.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orb-weaver_spider

http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Animal_House.html

21, 184 days...

 508,416 hours ago...

30,504,960  minutes ago...

1,830,297,600  seconds ago...
i was born.

i'm 58. today.

so i googled  'i am 58 years old'...and ALL that popped up were things like:

hello, i am 58 years old, i have a cataract in my left eye.

Hi-it was horrible when my sister who is 55 was diagnosed  w/ Alzheimers.

WELCOME. I'm 58 years old also and have approx. 140 lbs. still to lose.

I am 58 and so disappointed on how I am looking these days.

I am 58 years old male. Since the last 15 days I am suffering from burning sensation in the eyes.

 I am 58 years old.  I get very painful leg and foot cramps at night.

I'm a 58 year old muslim man in love with my cousin of 11. What should i do?
 I'm 58 and I have to get up to go several times a night.

and so on and so on...yikes!  

i don't FEEL my age.   well, what am i supposed to feel like at 58?

if all i had to go by...was what i read by googling my age...

uh-oh!

anyway...

usually, every august at this time, sam & i are on vacation...camping...

a road trip somewhere...for about two weeks.

not this year though, because sam started a new job about 3 months ago.

i know...it's the HOTTEST time of the year! 

the mosquitoes are out in full force.

BUT...the campgrounds are usually empty!  

we don't have to worry about not being able to find a spot to stay in.

and if we want to use the campground's facilities to take a shower...

we don't have to wait in line.

the hiking trails are  usually empty too...

with spiderwebs running across the trails...from tree to tree.

who wants to go for a hike when it's a hundred degrees out?

uh...we do.

we started this tradition of camping this time of year

because our anniversary is the 16th, my b-day the 19th and sam's b-day the 21st!

anyway...knowing we wouldn't be able to do our usual august get-away...

i signed up for a continuing education class for my massage license.

Reiki 2.  

not too far a drive from home. over by the beach, near jacksonville, on aug 20th.

so we decided to make a weekend of it.

and instead of camping...we reserved a motel room!

now THAT will be weird.

it's been YEARS since we slept in anyone else's bed!

we're heading over there today, and we'll be home sunday.

it'll be a nice few days away.

OH, what about milo?

she's a cat. she'll enjoy the time alone. she'll sit by the back door

and watch the crows...the squirrels...the lizards...

and MAYBE wish she was out there to give chase...

but on second thought, she doesn't mind just relaxing...

and not getting too overheated!

after all, she does have a litter box...she has food & water...

she has her toys. and it's only for two nights!

(but my mother-in-law insisted on stopping by a couple

of times to check on milo.)

 hopefully i'll get some good pic's this weekend.

i leave you now with a few  in the meantime. 

just some assorted pic's taken over the past couple of weeks.

enjoy.

 

dragonfly

Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment 

of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone.  

~Jim Fiebig

 

little baby lizard...'anole'.

(we had these little 'chameleons' as kids...they always escaped their tanks...

only to be found weeks later...all dried up...behind the couch...)  :(

 grasshopper youngster on a hibiscus bud!

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.  

~Chili Davis

little Fence Lizard

a hummer...

 a communal gathering of little clouded skippers feeding on a hibiscus flower.

 

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?  

~Satchel Paige

  

a Gulf Fritillary. the underside of their wings looks white. 

but it's an iridescent silver!

 

these little mushrooms obviously aren't paying any mind to the

weather reports.  they're waiting for a cold spell. they have their sweaters on.

 

maybe this is why the mushrooms aren't listening to the weather reporters.

if they can't spell PRESSURE...maybe they can't predict the weather correctly!

only the mushrooms know for sure...

have a nice relaxing weekend...

and a safe journey.  enjoy the ride.

laura

want to know how many days, minutes, seconds...you've been around?

http://www.convertunits.com/dates/

want to know where i got the little yin-yang  'flavicon' from?

http://www.freefavicon.com/

cool clock widgets like the steam-punk clock on my side bar?

http://www.clockwidgets.net/

other cool widgets...like weather or music...just about anything u can think of.

http://www.widgetbox.com/tag/blogs

quick nature fix & signage!

 

speck of dirt trapped in rain drop.

the past few days has been hot. sweltering. 97 but feels like 150.

the weekly forecast they showed last sunday was for isolated

thunderstorms every day. nope. wrong again.

i shouldn't complain though, because we've had more rain than usual.

 i can't get enough of these BIG BRIGHT PINK hibiscus flowers! 

  

it's just a little too hot to be doing anything outside during the day.

 

it's kind of a drag...leaving a client's home...me, a little over-heated...

getting into my car that's been sitting in the sun for 2 hours...

only to grab a nice refreshing drink from my water bottle, 

and have it scorch the inside of my mouth.

*just kidding*  although that has happened...

now i try to remember to grab a frozen water bottle before i head out!

 

if you were to give this following mushroom picture a title...

what would it be?

 uh...do these leggings show off my figure, or what!?

(is it just me...or does anyone else see...a...crotch...)

oOo

on my way home the other day i saw another misspelled sign.

at a church.

i did a U-ey...and got it!

FIRST,  let me say that i NEVER saw ARCHAEOLOGY 

spelled like it is in this sign!

BUT when i got home & looked it up...it seems that ARCHEOLOGY  

is acceptable!

WHY are there 2 different spellings?

check out the Society  for American Archaeology!

it has to do with the 'ae' being a diphthong...or connected letters...

in the original spelling of ARCHAEOLOGY.  

in the late 1800's the US Government Printing Office decided to eliminate

the ligatured 'ae'...and it was simplified to an 'e'...

for ease of pronunciation & spelling.

it is rumored that for some Archaeologists, the two spellings 

symbolize competing aspects of the field.

social science vs humanist.

ANYWAY, it just didn't look right...and it was kind of interesting to read about it.

click the link up there under the picture if you want to know more.

OK, so what about this one?

isn't BUDDA  spelled  BUDDHA?

(maybe it's the chinese way of spelling it?!)

thanks for dropping in...

stay cool (literally!)  have a safe journey & enjoy the ride.

laura