Photographer Bob Dreeszen took this photo at Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no explanation for what the fox is doing, but let’s assuming he’s having a good time. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior on 6/26/14.
Archive for June 2014
The Fox Dances Leave a comment
Six Things I Just Don’t Understand Leave a comment
And they all came up this week! It’s a very confusing time:
1. Luis Suarez was the big news from the World Cup. He bit an opposing player in his last match … and it will be his last match in this World Cup, as he was suspended by FIFA for 8 matches.
Mr. Suarez explained that it was all a misunderstanding … he fell against the player with his mouth open and hit his teeth on the other guy’s shoulder. That’s too bad. It’s also too bad that this is the 3rd time this particular professional soccer player has fallen against opponents with his teeth leading the charge.
Mr. Suarez needs to go back to kindergarten for re-education.
2. Mom had to call for help this week because her house was filling with smoke. Come to find out, the smoke was there because her city was testing the sewer system by filling it with smoke. Which went into my mother’s home.
Smoke testing, which fills some homes. Really?
3. Tattoos are bad. Come to find out, having tattoos can keep you out of the military. Apparently, having what Uncle Sam believes to be an excess of tattoos, or simply tattoos in the wrong places, means that you won’t work out as a trained killer and protector of our freedom. My stand against tattoos of all kinds is well established, but … really, Uncle Sam?
4. Obama isn’t doing his job? The hypocrisy of the House leadership reached a new level this week, as
This is not a left/right issue for me. It’s an ARE YOU KIDDING ME? issue. Think what you will of the Republicans and Democrats, but when they start suing each other instead of taking care of the people’s business, then we’re just log-rolling until the next election. Throw the bums out.
5. Soccer is hot right now. Everybody roots for their country in the World Cup … just like in the Olympics. And that’s great. What’s confusing is the number of people complaining about the bandwagon fans that are only now noticing the sport. Doesn’t matter to me: enjoy the Cup, and root for your country. Sounds perfect. Ann Coulter had her 5 minutes of attention this week by disparaging the sport while everyone else was cheering on her country’s team. And that’s the last bit of attention Ms. Coulter will have from me.
6. Political correctness extends to plants now. It’s not enough to include people in every category (because we’re all special), now we have to do so with plants. There’s a movement to classify all plants that can grow in an area “native” to that area. In the case of Southern California, some would have any “drought tolerant” plant called “native.” Thank you, no. Just because a plant can grow here, that doesn’t make it a native. That just makes it a plant that can grow here. Native means it’s a plant that belongs in our ecosystem, and a plant that will feed the other living things that call Southern California home.
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Purple Mountains Majesty 5 comments
Mount Rainier National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/25/14.
Birds, Bees And Babies Leave a comment
A baby owl in Zion National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/12/14.
An aerial battle between hummingbirds at California’s Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Sarah Chah. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/17/14.
Bee Sweet: Bees pollinate 75% of US fruits, nuts & veggies. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/18/14.
Two moose calves near Alaska’s Forty Mile River. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/18/14.
Three spring cubs, born this winter, with their mother at Katmai National Park. Posted by the US Department of the Interior on Flickr, 6/19/14.
Cute, yes … but beware Mama’s teeth, believe me! Photo taken at the Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 6/24/14.
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Rocky Mountain National Park 6 comments
Where Is It: Take I-25 north from Denver (about 75 miles) or south from Cheyenne, WY (about 90 miles).
The Birth: From Wikipedia:
Enos Mills, then a 14-year-old boy, moved to Estes Park in 1884. He explored the mountains of the area and wrote many books and articles describing the region. He later supported the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park, and he split his time between the mountains he loved and the cities of the eastern United States, where he lobbied for the legislation to create the park. The legislation was drafted by James Grafton Rogers, a Denver lawyer and avid outdoorsman. Mills’ original proposal for park boundaries went from Wyoming all the way down to the Mount Evans area, including areas such as the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Much of the land was favored for mining, logging, and other operations, however, so the proposed park was reduced to an area approximating the current park borders. The bill passed Congress and was signed by President Woodrow Wilson on January 26, 1915. A formal dedication ceremony was held on September 4, 1915 in Horseshoe Park.
It Happened Here: From Wikipedia:
In September 2013, both the park and the town of Estes Park were heavily damaged by a significant 500-year rain event. The park was closed to visitors from September 12–19, 2013, and all roads leading to the park entrance from the east were closed for several days to several weeks. At one point, the only way to leave the town of Estes Park was via Trail Ridge Road, the park’s scenic byway leading to the town of Grand Lake on the western side of the Continental Divide. The most lasting impacts inside the park were in the Alluvial Fan area, where flooding waters, rocks, and debris washed away parking areas, and much of Fall River Road. Old Fall River Road is closed indefinitely due to the damage.
Size: 265,761 acres
# Visitors: 2,991,141 in 2013. Attendance peaked in July, but was very low October – April.
Animals: From the Park website:
Elk number about 1000 in the park, and are easily seen. Moose are more rare, found primarily in the Kawaneeche valley. Bighorn sheep are fond of coming to mineral licks in Horseshoe Park. Mountain lions are fairly common, but as is also true of bobcats, secretive and rarely seen. Black bears thrive in the park’s lower forests. Hardy ptarmigan remain active at higher elevations through the winter, as do pikas. Ptarmigan, snowshoe hares, and ermine blend with the season, whitening in winter. Marmots and ground squirrels sleep deeply then, but are easily seen during the summer. Greenback cutthroat trout have been restored to many lakes and streams, where they feed on a rich insect fauna.
Choices: See RockyMountainNationalPark.com for a great hiking guide. They’ve divided the Park into regions, and also separated out waterfall hikes, loop hikes, wheelchair accessible hikes, etc.
Fees: An automobile pass is $20, and good for 7 days.
Staying There: There are 5 campgrounds in the Park. They fill most days in July and August. Weekends fill up in June and September.
Contact Info:
1000 Highway 36 Estes Park, CO 80517-8397 970-586-1206Current Issues: A 19-year old Canadian youth went on an early season hike to summit Longs Peak. He got lost on the descent, and eventually became stranded on a ledge at 13,000′. He was rescued by the Park service … at a cost later announced as $41,000.
Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/17/13
Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/20/13.
Photo by Nic Showalter. Sunrise over RMNP. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/18/13.
Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 12/16/13.
Photo: Heather Ryan. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 12/20/13.
Bear Lake, just after sunset, with Hallett Peak in the background, just beginning to be enveloped by clouds in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo: Glenn Nelson. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior 6/4/14.
Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 7/27/13.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
From the Park’s Facebook page.
The weather is warming, leaves are budding, and lakes are starting to open…summer is on its way! Where are you headed on your first summer adventure? ch (photo taken by C. Brindle of Mills Lake 5/3/14). From the Park’s Facebook page.
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National Park Service: Rocky Mountain National Park
Denver.org: Rocky Mountain National Park
Jason’s Travels: Winter Waterfall Hikes
TerraGalleria.com: Rocky Mountain National Park
Gorp.com: Rocky Mountain National Park
Red Lettuce: Lactuca sativa Leave a comment
Falling Beauty 2 comments
Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park. Photo: Tom Tessier. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/21/14.
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Jermaine Jones: “What A Cracker From Him!” Leave a comment
When Jermaine Jones loosed the shot that brought USA even with Portugal, that was the call from Ian Darke: “What a cracker from him!” It was in the 64th minute, and Jones brought USA level with a 25-yard strike that the Portugal keeper didn’t even move his feet to defend.
Taylor Twellman, Darke’s color man on the broadcast, and former USA player, taunted Portugal’s keeper with his comment: “Pick it out of the back of the net, Beto, it’s 1-1.”
4th ranked in the world, Portugal was favored to make a long run in the World Cup tournament.
13th ranked in the world, USA had high hopes … but they were in the “Group Of Death.” The group is Germany, Ghana, Portugal and USA. All of these teams are dangerous. As Portugal was about to learn.
In the 81st minute, here’s Darke’s call: “Yedlin, Michael Bradley, Zusi .. and then Dempsey. Is he onside? HE IS. It’s 2-1 to the US!” Clint Dempsey, who plays professional soccer for the Seattle Sounders, put the crossing pass into the net … playing it off his hip. As Darke said, “Captain Marvel, again.”
Alas, the lead would not endure. Soccer’s so-called world player of the year (formally, the recipient of the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or), Cristiano Ronaldo, is the lead player for Portugal. He did a perfect pass in the 5th minute of added time, and Portugal’s Varela headed it into the US net. Final score: 2-2.
So, all four teams in the Group of Death are still alive. USA advances to the round of 16 with a win or draw when they play Germany on Thursday, 6/26, at 9am EDT. Join me in rooting them on, won’t you?
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Deadspin: What Has To Happen….
My Favorite Posts From Year 2 3 comments
Wild Mushroom Cobbler
MowryJournal.com sprang to life on June 22, 2012. Happy Anniversary!
Here are my favorite posts from the 2nd year of MowryJournal.com. Please, enjoy those you missed, or revisit your own favorites.
I do note that of these 16 posts, only one also appeared on yesterday’s most read posts … meaning that you, dear reader, are often not reading what I’m liking. It’s OK. I forgive you.
Have fun … it’s what I’m doing!
Creating An Eagle Court Of Honor
My Other Blog: Radio Broadcasters
Eagle Court of Honor’s Gathering Of Eagles
That Horrible Need To Talk To Salespeople
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I Married A City Girl
Most Read Posts From Year Two 3 comments
Wild Mushroom Cobbler
Yes, MowryJournal has been kicking along merrily for 2 years now. Who knew I could stick with something that long? (ed. note: married for 36 years. One job for 22 years. You get the idea.).
Here are the most read posts from the last 12 months, according to the statistics provided by WordPress. Don’t get me started on the accuracy of online metrics … but this is probably a very good approximation of what people decided to read in the last year.
6 of the 15 are from the Portraits series on Presidents … so people DID read those, even if none of those readers are related to me. 5 of these 15 were also on the most read list from year one … which must mean I was twice as good of a writer in year 2. Hey, it’s my blog, and that’s the way I see it.
Meanwhile, if you missed a few along the way, dig in!
US FLag: Common Display Mistakes
What You Must Not Say About QBs and Pretty Girls
US Flag: Common Display Mistakes
Portraits: Theodore Roosevelt
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Smoked Paprika
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