Found This Little Guy In The Bottom Of The Demudding Kiddie Pool After We Boiled 60 Pounds Of His Buddies

What would you done? Would have tossed him into the boiling cauldron of death or fed him to the cat? You would?! What kind of monster are you?! I took him to a beaver pond I know where there are few or even no fish to eat him and there is plenty of cover from great blue herons. He will live out the remainder of his days there in quiet retirement.

Monday's Missives

Wassup!? You got somethin' you want to say?

Old picnic area on Goose Island at Mineral Wells State Park Lake.

• Caraziest thing that's crossed my mind since I don't know when? After my patient left this mortal coil before my shift was over the other night it put me driving home in the middle of the night. Out of nowhere and without provocation it popped into my mind: You know what would be terrific right now- I mean awesome? A dip of Copenhagen! Doesn't that sound tumultuous?
• I don't know the last time I had any of the stuff.
• It was all could do to keep from pulling into a convenience store.
• I mean I fantasized about the stuff.
• Something you'll have to learn to accept if you're going to be around women: they always look for deeper meaning in everything- from the music you listen to, to the random sighs you make and they always and I mean always come to the wrong conclusion(s).
• Last night I dreamed about travelling to a foreign land, a foreign land where militants held sway. I was in uniform but not an actual soldier. A group of us were captured with a bunch of tourists. At one point we were marched into a mosque. I looked up and realized only the Muslims were in there- besides me of course. I sneaked out. A big, mean looking female terrorist came out and started beating a small child assuming he was the offender. I didn't say a word to intervene. It also involved zombies and dinosaurs. 
• That was my dreamscape for the night of 07182013- how was yours?
• Nope.......I may not agree with his sexual orientation but, he was a solider and deserves exactly what every other hero gets. Whos peter hes puffin' shoudnt make a difference. A comment regarding Alan Turing.
• Take it away Fly's with Got You Where I Want You featuring a pre Cruise kook-fest Katie Holmes.

Monday's Missives

• Two of the people close to me are the worst in my life about asking for my advice on issues and then ignoring what I say- or worse yet arguing with me about it. I don't mean in matters of pure opinion where they can (or even should) challenge me, I mean they ask me about things in context of my nursing background:  I just cut my hand off with a table saw, what do I do Kevin?  Wrap a tourniquet 2 to 4 inches above the stump. Put the dismembered hand in an ice chest out of direct contact with the ice and then either call 911 or have someone take you to the hospital. Well, if I do that then..."
• Aye carumba!
• I am very proud to be a nurse.
• A thing that initially hurts most people I think after a marriage ends is not being a consideration in important events and decisions in the other persons life, but if you'll let it, these same realizations will help you get better after you face them.
• There are at least 5 toys in my house within view of me that were mine during my boyhood.
• When I say, Whateva! you'll know I've been Listening to Liam Lynch's United States Of Whatever."
• Is there anything worse than pet names in a relationship when you're not there yet in your mind or anything sweeter in this world when you are ready for it?
• Sioux City Birch Beer- what I'm drinking. Sliced brisket, sausage, marinated tomatoes and green beans from Bakers Ribs- what it is washing down.
• Was it Mike that asked about KCMO's BBQ? I had a sliced sammie at Gates. It was terrible. Their thing there besides saying, Hi, how may I help you? over and over (I think that is right) is no black pepper that I could find anywhere. I didn't even ask, assuming it was one of those their thing kind of a deal that they were going to beat me down with. I had a full on meal at Hickory Pit. It was tumultuous. A cool thing about up there is you can order, "Burnt Ends". Which is exactly what it sounds like- all caramelized end pieces. You can even buy it chopped.
• For some reason I can't do a caption on the video below. I am demonstrating how to shave the magnesium block to a fire starter- rake the block across a sharp blade, not the other was around as would seem intuitive to most people I think.  Always make more shavings than you would ever think you could need. Use a bottle lid to gather and concentrate it and have a paper under it to catch what doesn't land in the cap. You can then place paper and all at the base of your fire and strike away.
  
  
  

  

  Hog nosed adder doing his best cobra impersonation.

  
  

  

  Put me down you stupid human or so help me... I'll poop on you!  (Yes he did in case you are wondering)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Entrance created probably by a woodpecker to a cavity type nest. I thought it interesting how this piece fell off intact.

  
  

  

  Goose nest in old BBQ pit

  
  

  

  Old duck that lives at MWSP. He seems to be imprinted hard on humans and enjoy their company. He is very talkative and will give his position away when he is in a hide and you never would have otherwise seen him until he charts chattering at you.

  
  

  

  Goose nest

  
  

  

  Big Agnes

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Whitetail deer being delicious looking

Monday's Missives

I've waited for years to have the chance at a sunburst with a jet contrail coming into it.

Harvester ants were everywhere- a good sign. We didn't see any but horned lizards love eating these guys

From Dinosaur World, a privately owned venture near the park.

Prevent tree loss- quit putting up signs every 50 feet.

Was kidding about the last quip- their signage is probably appropriate and beneficial. Here a probably young, new to the area beaver had a snack.

Would like to have a better image to show but this one is interesting in its own right. This thing was a crazy shade of red and his pincers sort of a tiger striped pattern. I've never seen one quite like it.

Big Agnes

Pavilion overlooking Paluxy river. Wall this bad boy up and I'd be good to go.

Raaaaaar!

I know who to call when I have some winching work to do that needs to be well lit.

Zac got mad at me

We interrupted a squirrels lunch. When I turned my back Zac started chowing down. Do squirrels have cooties?

For some reason this sign made me laugh.

From trucks placed in front of Rio Brazos restaurant

• We just got back from Dinosaur Valley State Park. If it is still there after Zac and I got through with it ask for site #39 when you visit- it is very nice and well sited for cold or hot weather. It is also near the little playground and close but not too close to the bathrooms.
• Something I had to have known but forgotten- people used to dig the fossil tracks up from the Paluxy and sell them on the roadside for garden focal points and other landscaping. In some places all you can see are the holes the tracks were dug out from.
• Paluxy comes from Biloxi a Siouan tribe/language.
• There is a ban on gathering firewood for the campsites.  The motto is something to the affect, It may appear dead but inside- there is life! That is true, insects depend on the wood and animals depend on the insects but in a 1500 acre park there is plenty of rotten wood for the termites to eat and there is no way people would clean out the whole park of dead wood. My guess is if picking up dead wood was allowed there would be a very predictable area cleaned away from the sites- probably about a 100 meters out from each as people would only go so far away from the sites. As it is now there are tinderbox situations of fuel right where people are allowed to make fires. Also, by bringing in wood from outside there is an increased chance outside pests could be brought into the parks.
• A bit of interesting legalese: nudity is defined on a woman's upper body as the breast being visible from the upper part of the areola down- unless she is nursing.
• I wonder why we are so hung up on that anyway? It seems odd to me, especially on beaches.
• We met a couple from the Netherlands. 
• There is a store out that way- a typical We sell cigs, wine and BEER! store called something like BUBBA'S. I wondered, did that guy when he was growing up in a Lahore Pakistan slum ever dream he would be selling Keystone Light to the yocals along FM 51 in Nowhereville Texas?
• I do not care if there are eleventy billion examples living in the world of the species Bear Grylls eats on his show, every time he does so it  is a waste and that is shameful.
• The lady who runs the souvenir shop is I think 88 years old and has been there for 19 years. She took a one month break when she had a heart attack. She is very sweet and it was oddly funny to me for some reason to hear her correctly pronounce complex dinosaur names.
• I'm sure the person I asked to not read the blob has not been back. It was not too much to ask in my opinion anyway but yeah, my respect level has gone up at least 2 and maybe 3 notches for her. I'm really surprised at the amount of respect I'm assuming she was showing by honoring my request.
• The big dinos on display out front of the DSVSP gift shop are in sorry shape.
• Big Agnes performed admirably. It only took 10 minutes- maybe to put her up. Like any other tent buy the size larger than you need (as long as your not backpacking) and get it when on sale from Campmor. Every order over 49 bucks is free shipping. Buy a tarp to place under the floor. It will be cheaper by a fourth than a footprint, save the floor just the same and be comfortable to walk on.
• The best thing about camping may be coming home and after some delicious Panda Express falling out of a hot tub into a bed with clean sheets.
• Good night world. I love you in spite of yourself.

Turner Falls Take Two

Early AM at the Blue Hole. All these small mouth bass were oriented downstream and slightly in toward the bank they were near when I approached. The ones who are out of phase to the others moved only due to my presence.

Parasitic mistletoe infestation

Generations of hikers have referred to this rock as the Dragon's Tooth.

I was kidding about that last bit of lore but this really is Mormon Tea

Raccoons often eat on a log that has fallen over a creek. Their dooky then fills a rotted out knot hole. I'm not sure if this is intentional or just coincidence

Zac called this machete his big pocketknife

DPs made more delicious and nutritious by soaking in the creek overnight

View from the back porch

Zac begins his assault on the mountain behind the cabin. When he left he said, Dad, I'm going to climb the mountain behind the cabin. How many kids in the history of ever have said that?

His bid for the summit was thwarted by an injury. He booped his head on an overhang. Here he begins his descent free without ropes or support of any kind dispirited but not defeated. He will return next climbing season.

I think Mr Scuba Diver looked like more of a tool than he realized

Rat that did his macabre dance with death and met his demise in one of the water filled rock features. The water here is probably 2-3 feet deep and only discolored by the tannin from the leaves

Gravel pit cause by softer stone being swirled against harder stone over eons of time

Water skimmer skiing over Rat Fink's dead body

Yep, that is my boot as I traverse a very shaky cedar log over just nearly frozen water

I've mentioned that our south of the border friends had found TF. Spanish language graffiti  and food and drink garbage are everywhere.

I don't know what this is I found it near Honey Creek.

Sunset over a farm house on the way home. I think it was near Valley View

• OK, I'm reluctantly trying this again.
• There is a cactus splinter in my right pinky  that I had no idea was there until just now. 
• My vision is blurry and I have a bit of a headache and I don't know why. I've tried a warm, relaxing bath, counting to ten and counting my blessings in case it is a symptom of elevated BP to no avail.
• The cabin was OK. The biggest downside was the drunk couple next door doing it until the wee hours of the morning. I finally drowned her squeals out by turning the TV and ceiling fan on and turning the heater fan on high. Friend-girl slept through their antics so I gave her a play by play the next morning with a passable imitation of her sound effects. As you could guess we bumped into them everywhere we went the next day. He would turn red and mumble and she would look at everything but us and pull furiously at her cigarette and Keystone Light when we would see them and offer a greeting. I'm not sure if they just knew we had to hear their antics and after they sobered up were embarrassed or if they heard my interpretive reenactment of their escapades through the cabin wall the next morning.
• Another slight drawback- the satellite service had one usable station and eleventy billion channels of infomercials and cooking shows- ridiculous.
• I caught a crawdad. In it's torpid state I must have assumed I could get away with handling it lackadaisically  That is how the crayfish laughs at you man. It pinched the fire out of me. I jumped around in a circle hollering, Son of a ... and God... while Zac and friend-girl back away from me with their mouths hanging open looking at me like I was a crazy person. After a minute or two it drew up, lost it's color gasped a few times and seemed to expire. When I threw it back in the water after several seconds it came to and went about it's crawdad business. I don't know what mechanism causes that to happen but they do seem to rapidly expire when in a torpid state they're removed from cold water. I have seen it happen multiple times.
• We went to two areas I've never been before. An interesting thing I noted was how the nature of trails change the further way from the park proper we got. The trails seemed more rational- you may arguably take a step or two extra here and there but they were less strenuous and safer. They were obviously made by people who knew more about hiking than most of the visitors to the park.
• Me to friend-girl: Take your Keurig if you want. She: Really?! Me: Well, yeah, we'll be in a cabin miles from town and confidence is high we'll be wanting a cup of coffee in the morning. She: You're right that's a great idea! Want me to bring a toaster? Me: nothing but a blank, dumb look... She: Oh, uh- wow, where did that even come from? Is that the dumbest question you've ever been asked? Me: Nah, I've been asked lots of dumber questions lots of times. Why just last year a girl asked if she should pack an aquarium and two or three others have offered to bring vacuum cleaners.
• I must look competent in that environment, 2 or 3 people asked me directions or other questions.
• I can spot a veteran from a mile off and can usually tell very quickly if they were Army or Marines and if they were support or combat arms troops. The first time it happened if we hung out you would tell me I'm retarded and there is no way a person could know all that. Then I'd be proven correct enough times and you would understand it is just another one of my superpowers.
• Wish you were there. Thanks for reading.