Donuts: Scarcity = Specialness

Melinda with the Toyota Echo named Spot

Several years ago my beloved Toyota Echo started to fail me while we were at a bird festival in Salt Lake City.  I spent the day in the Toyota dealership where they worked on the Echo.  Melinda spent the day with other sisters. As the day wore on I decided to ask about other cars, after all I had been looking online for a new car for more than a year now.  I drove out with a new leased Rav4 complete with navigation system.  I don't know if it was user error, programming fairies, or magic but the first address we found in the Nav system was for a donut shop in Wichita Falls TX.  We'd never been there nor how or why it was in the system. So in 2017 Shanna and I decided that we might as well find out what was up with this donut shop.

Toyota Rav4 Hybrid named Rafe Jr with travel buddy named Skittles

It did exist and made very yummy donuts.
Texas Donuts
1208 Holliday St
Wichita Falls, TX 76301

This year on our way to Texas for Christmas I made Texas Donuts one of my targets with the new Nav system.  (Yes of course we've transferred the address to every new car since the first Rav4.) We were making regular stop and stretch your legs breaks and Wichita Falls made a good stop.  The donuts were just as good as we remembered.

I've been working in my life with the concept of scarcity = specialness.  If you have popcorn all of the time it no longer keeps it's cachet as special.  The same can be said of a lot of food in our modern world.  We lose our wonder at the deliciousness of a strawberry in part because of its abundance.  Another aspect of our modern world that I feel we lose connection with is the turn of the seasons.  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, all blur together in our heated/air conditioned offices/cars/homes.  Yes we might change some of our clothes, add a coat or swimsuit but our day to day living is still so much of a sameness.

Shanna with the new Hybrid Highlander aka Macleod 

I have added those two concepts together and have for the past bunch of years worked to move what I eat to the appropriate season. This is easiest to do with fruit. Strawberries are May and peaches August, grapefruit in the winter and apples in the fall.  It isn't that these fruits are available here because of Idaho's growing season, but because they are available fresh and flavorful at that time from the farmers far and near.  Yes I prefer to get fruit from Farmers Markets & Stands, but that's not possible in the winter and I need that fruit.  I'm also finding over the years that this concept of food for a season really works.  I crave stews, chili, soup, and oven fresh bread in the fall and winter.  Hamburgers, pasta salad, lemonade are summer foods, and quiche one for spring.   By making these choices I make the food more important to the season and to me.  They become treats again.  Those first May strawberries that taste of early summer are delicious and delight my soul as much as my taste buds.  August peaches which my daughter finds amusing as I spread them out on the counter as a number-line from most ripe to least ripe are a celebration of the hot summer and beginning of school.

So what does this have to do with donuts?  Well, what if the only donuts I will eat come from that shop in Wichita Falls TX?  Since they are the best donuts why would I eat any others?  Maybe I find a few other such places where I only go once a year.  Maybe I enhance my enjoyment and reduce my overall caloric load by only eating donuts at such places.   Something to think about?  Definitely.

I did think about this when I saw the email last week announcing that someone had brought donuts in to work.   I remembered the yumminess of cream filled maple bars from Texas and decided that today I could give a pass to the ones in the break area.  Apparently I'm saving my donuts not to a specific season, but to a location.

-- Jenny

Books found and read in 2018

New Favorites
I found several new series to read this year along with a new genre - Alaska mystery.

In the Alaska Mystery genre I recommend most highly the Dana Shugak novels by Dana Stabenow.  They center around an Alaska native woman who is a former law enforcement investigator who has retreated back to the village of her birth.  Mysteries then ensue along with a bit of romance and a cast of quirky characters reminiscent of Northern Exposure.  I LOVE these novels.  'Breakup' is probably my favorite.

The second series in this genre is by Sue Henry (Alex Jensen & Jessie Arnold series).  This series is missing the cast of ongoing characters but is still a fun read.  Both authors live and work in Alaska and bring their perspective and knowledge on the location to the books. 

I also read all of the Tony and Anne Hillerman novels set in the desert southwest. I had read the first novel in the series before and it just didn't capture me.  I think they get better as the series develops and Anne Hillerman who takes it over from her father brings a new perspective, that of Jim Chee's girlfriend Bernadette Manuelito.  I really enjoyed reading about the Navajo and Hopi cultures and the southwestern locations.  I bought 'Navajoland' a guide to the locations of the Hillerman novels arranged by location name.  This meant I could read that book and remember the novels during the big drive to Texas for Christmas that we did. 



Shanna introduced me to the Circle Universe young adult novels by Tamora Pierce which is a charming fantasy series with a unique take on magic. 

I've had the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris recommended to me on a few occasions. I finally read it and loved it.  It was hard to put down.  I also got the Midnight Texas series in which several minor characters from the Stackhouse novels show up. I recommend it if you like supernatural mysteries. I particularly enjoyed the Texas series since I drive across west Texas on my way to visit family near Dallas. 

I also read the Sherlock Holmes oeuvre. I found it as a collection on audible read by Stephen Fry. It includes brief introductions to each novel or collection of short stories. These were interesting and I enjoyed the whole thing.

I also read a bunch of nonfiction.  Most entertaining biographies I read this year include "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed" by Alan Alda, and Elephant Whisperer" by Lawrence Anthony.  Mike Meyers' "Canada" is both about Mike and about Canada and has one of the best ideas I've heard for living well.  'How soon can we make this funny' when life deals you a difficult time, this concept can help you over the bums.  And speaking of humorous books, I read "My Life and Hard Times" by James Thurber to a colleague on one of our trips across to Boise.  Arlene introduced me to Thurber and this one is always a good one.  Lastly the most inspiring self help book I read in 2018 is "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do" by Amy Morin.

I read a LOT of books this year.  As long as you define reading as both listening on audible and reading on kindle/paper.  On average I read just over a book a day.  I know that seems excessive, but I read fast and can listen at what my daughter calls chipmunk speed (2-3 times the normal speed of the audiobook).  My reading goals for next year include more new series and fewer overall books.  We'll see how that goes. 

Foundations

I was journaling this morning in the book "Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration" by Meera Lee Patel and I found myself thinking of a time when I did something hard that really paid off. 

Anne, Jan, and Jenny on Graduation Day 1993

That hard thing would be going back to college.  Particularly for my graduate degree in Library Science.  My family was able to help me out financially for my undergrad degree, but not for grad school.  At this time I was a single mother of a second grader. We moved to my grad school in mid January 1992 and I was lucky enough that an Aunt (Louise Knapp) was willing to take me and my daughter in while we looked for housing. 

The good grades from my undergraduate degree met with the plan to teach out and close the library school. Which meant I got full funding for tuition/fees.  You are limited to two financial aid disbursements in a calendar year.  By starting in January I was able to go take a summer semester and then a traditional fall and spring semester pairing.  By taking a large load of credits I was able to graduate in the spring.

I was on every financial/food assistance program I was eligible for.  I worked a part time job and I shared an apartment with one of the funniest, kindest, smartest women I've known.  Anne you know who you are.  :)  I have been very lucky to meet and be friends with an amazing circle of kind women.   We tried to take some of the same classes and shared books so we both didn't have to buy them. We ate a lot of beans and for entertainment we rented vhs movies (usually action) and had dinner.

While I was living this, I had the best time. I didn't think it was hard, it was just the way things were.  I worked hard and did what was necessary.  My goal was to be able to put a roof over my daughter's head and food on our table without any other assistance. 

Looking back I can see it was hard and that I/we struggled.  But I also know that this foundation work paid off.  It took time and more work, finding jobs, moving, scraping by. But in not too many years (less than 5) I was able to provide for my family and  now 25 years after graduation I have my financial ducks in somewhat of a row.  There will always be times when they run amok and I don't expect smooth sailing.  But I am oh so grateful to be at this point and understand and appreciate where I came from. 

Arlene and Jenny on our way to Nome, Arlene is the amazing friend I met working on my undergrad degree.

I want to thank that younger me for setting things up for this older me.  I am seriously comforted by, and grateful for the retirement account, health insurance, solid tenured job, colleagues who are smart and funny, a job that I enjoy much of the time, and the financial resources to live well.  I'm not rich, but I sure feel rich in family, friends, and activities. I get to travel, work with students, and work in an atmosphere of ongoing and perpetual learning.   

So what have I learned? That if you lay your foundations you're older self will be oh, so grateful.  With that in mind, I went and did yoga for the first time in months. 

I am concerned for my future self's health.  This concern is not as immediate or omnipresent as putting a roof over a child's head.  However, it is perhaps as important.  I need to lay foundations. RIGHT NOW. I'd like to live to 120 and still be walking and talking and taking care of myself. 

Hey, one has to have a goal, right?

Somehow, I must keep in mind that every thing I do health wise will have an impact on future me.   Maybe by reliving some of what I did to get that degree will help move my health goals forward.

One can only hope.

-- Jenny

Oh, and do the work.

P.S. Life as we all know doesn't play fair, and I know I'm just as eligible for crazy illness as the next woman. If you are one of those women to whom life has dealt a difficult illness, I'm sorry.  You and your efforts are not to blame for what you are dealing with.  I know this.  And would never blame anyone past or or present for where they are now.   For me, this is about seizing the now and wringing from it as much amelioration for my future as possible. 

Iron Cranes

Once upon a time there was a crane.

The crane stood with two of his fellows at a store. They were so lovely but I thought, "I only need one." But no, I sent Shanna back to grab the others while I held our spot in the checkout line.

My aunt, came to visit and she loved them. So months later when next I spotted the very same cranes at the store I bought another pair, thinking I'd give them to her, but no. She didn't visit again till it was too late and I had fallen in love with them as a larger flock.

Months later I found a lonely crane at the store in Utah and he had to come home. Then a year or so later there were two more. The flock was growing, I couldn't help myself. I had 9 of them. Then a strange crane appeared, he was the same size though a different species. He clearly needed a flock.

When there were only three they lived in the living room. Roaming from one area to another. I had a treadmill in the living room for about a year and they liked standing on it. As the flock grew they wandered from upstairs looking out the big windows to downstairs hanging out in the family room. 

This spring I moved them out to the front porch. I thought I had a picture of this activity, but no.

Here they are flocked in the living room waiting to migrate to the basement family room until the holidays are over when they'll come back to look out the front windows once again.
 

2018 Halloween

I apparently like things. I like collecting things, gathering things, organizing and displaying things. In order to keep this impulse in some kind of control I try to weed things out of my life at similar rates as the increase of things. I've also discovered that you can display and collect around holidays. Of course, you also must store such things. I am lucky in that I have ample storage space and if I start to need more, then it's a trigger to weed.

For Halloween I have three collections scattered in my house. The first and oldest is one of pumpkins, the second of stuffed bears in costume, and the third and most recent of crows & ravens. I try to be very picky about what I add.

Front door wreath with crow


You put candy in the mouth of that ceramic pumpkin


Looking towards my front door the inside wreath also has a black bird

Ravens and my enthusiastic Christmas cactus

Shell cabinet with two small onyx ravens in front of the red Chinese pot


Halloween tree

Fireplace mantle with my orb collection now intermixed with ravens and crows





With a few more ravens

Hutch with wreath


Collection of stuffed bears in costume. The one sitting on the chair is in an owl costume/hat.



Part of the pumpkin collection on the buffet


We didn't really get any trick or treaters. Our house is just not in the right neighborhood, but I loved having the autumn in my house.  I packed it all up this past weekend, leaving a wreath on the front door, a vase of autumn foilage and an old fashioned paper turkey out to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Those are easy to pack away on the day after Turkey day.  Besides, I need my buffet and side cabinet for the upcoming feast.  -- Jenny

Mormons and the Social Media Fast

Dear Mormons:

I know you've been asked to take a break from social media by your leaders. I can even understand why it can be a good thing for an individual to do so.  But.  If your primary mode of communication with family and friends is via social media then what you are saying en masse is that you don't care about anyone who isn't a Mormon.

See, if you are a Mormon you get to play join the game of going offline. And probably most of your social contacts are in the church and you get to see them there.  If you are not Mormon then this isn't a superfun game. Maybe the only regular contact is through that random picture on Instagram or the occasional comment on Facebook.  Little bright spots of contact.

Sure you can call, either of you can call, but in today's hectic world we don't.  Sure you can text, but sometimes anxiety or just a dislike of trying to text gets in the way.  We all, intentionally or unintentionally take breaks from social media, that's just part of life.  And your family probably understands.  I do.  But the whole team shutting down (yeah I know it's only being requested for 10 days) FEELS like shunning. 

It says that if you aren't part of the Mormon gang then you don't matter. 

Balanced, use of social media is a good thing. It connects us to our large clans. I do know that it can be addictive and out of control.  This is when it's time to learn moderation. 

I'm really frustrated at this and don't feel that I'm expressing it well.  It's not that an individual is taking a social media break that makes me angry.  It's that a collective of people just turned their backs on everyone who is not part of their 'in group'.   It's very Mean Girls. 

This was not well thought out.  I know friends on social media who are removing Mormon contacts from their circles.  Why?  Because you collectively are shunning us/them. 

So, there you are.  My two cents.
Jenny

Texas Vacation, the outbound trip

Shanna and I left Pocatello and drove to the Salt Lake City Airport. We had to park in long term parking, since we would be gone for a week. I was impressed with the size of this lot. We got out and talking and I was slightly flustered we headed to a nearby pick=up point for the shuttle service. It was only when we were on the shuttle and far from the car that I realized that I might not have locked the car. ARRRRGH. Once offloaded at the airport I took a break then left Shanna with our bags and took the shuttle back out to check on the car. I just knew that I’d stress myself sick if I didn’t check and we had more than enough time. And yes, habit had made me lock the doors so it was a false alarm.   *sigh*


 So I got back to the airport and we moved right through all of the processes. Since we had time to kill we stopped for lunch at a good Italian restaurant (Il Viaggio) inside the airport. I did the usual of chicken alfredo and Shanna tried the carbonarra.

On the plane, I tried to listen to the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I'm so used to listening to books via Audible at higher speeds that the slow speaking narrator Michael York was an impossibility.  I ended up listening to music and playing on my iPad. Shanna too had her headphones on.

Bluebeary the blue bear was a resident of Bozeman till Shanna came along and gifted him to me. He became our travelling companion and photographic subject, thereby negating the need for photos of us.

 We got lucky on the plane and though I had purchased two tickets we ended up with three seats. I’m sure Bluebeary appreciated it. Melinda picked us up at the airport and we went out and feasted at Applebees. Got to Italy TX and the comforts of my parents home that night at 9:30 p.m.

 








P.S. I kind of hate all blogging software. I've spent most of the past two hours trying to get the formatting to do what I want it to do.  It doesn't seem to matter that it looks right in the editor, once published it gets fricked up.  I'm quite mad at this and am contemplating tossing the whole effort.  Argh. 

What I've learned by reading 01

When I was young I was obsessed with reading. I guess not much has changed. What has changed is the scope of available reading material.  One of the magazines to which my family subscribed was the ubiquitous Readers Digest.  I loved that magazine. I loved the funny stories, the vocabulary tests, the look and feel of the paper.  One day I read an article titled "Lessons from Aunt Grace" by Nardi Reeder Campion.  I still have that article though its color is yellowing.

Funny how memory tricks us. I thought I read it while still in Junior High, but after searching high and low via the library's databases and the internet I could not find a full citation.  The internet is clogged with references to the same article reprinted in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Woman to Woman." http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/31890/48-lessons-from-aunt-grace.  Eventually I got into my filing cabinet and located the article. July 1984.  Well that's a surprise.  I was married and had a six month old daughter when I read this article.

This article was the first to introduce me to the idea that sometimes you have to "do something I don't want to do that needs doing." In 1991 I graduated with my bachelors degree from Idaho State University.  In my graduating class was my sister Sarah Robin and my best friend Arlene. In the audience was my daughter Shanna, sister Nanette, my aunt Myrna and my grandmother Marj.  I'm still so happy we were all able to be there.  On the stand was the best graduation speaker I've ever heard.  His name was Roger Williams.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Williams_(pianist)

He sat at a piano and played something then talked, then played, then talked.  The gist of his talk was about doing what was necessary to succeed.  How those who truly succeed are willing to do the things such as practicing scales in order to be really good.  He was very good.  I'll never forget, though clearly the memory has blurred. I used to be able to quote from his talk.  It was very Aunt Grace.  Do the work, be grateful, exercise both brain and body, and take care of yourself.

I recently listened to a book using the fabulous Audible titled "Take the Stairs" by Rory Vaden. It is a whole book about the idea of self discipline. Though it embroidered on the idea by adding the many concepts, one of which is that of timing and seasons. There are a lot of seasons in ones life and different pursuits are better done in the appropriate season. You are the one who gets to decide which pursuit fits which season.  Tthe book as a whole gets a bit tired from his references to his success and web site.  Still there was enough really good stuff that I am going to reread it.  I like that he really hammers the idea that we can't just sit around thinking positive thoughts and expect to get results.  That results require action of some kind.

So why am I writing this? Somehow people think that I'm lucky, and I won't deny that I feel lucky, but when you look at things, really look, much of my luck is actually work, hard work, work I don't want to do but do anyway because I want the results.  If I want a clean house then *I* have to clean it.  If I want to know how a camera works and be a better photographer, then I have to do the work to learn this too. And work definitely has its rewards.

Do yourself a favor and read "Lessons from Aunt Grace". "Chicken Soup for the Soul" has posted it online at: http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/31890/48-lessons-from-aunt-grace  It has more than just self discipline, it really is a recipe for living a more happy, fulfilled and enjoyable life.

Update

A lot has happened since 2013. Birding, travel, adventures, job offers (no I didn't take any), changes in my job, new cars, new hobbies, and lots and lots of fun, learning, adventures, beauty, art ...

Bedroom in Cliffdome 2016

I'm now maintaining a birding/adventure blog with Melinda and Arlene
at: https://blueravenbirders.com/. And of course my library blog still exists at: http://librarybanter.blogspot.com/ I've kept journals and over the past few years and may end up writing up some of my life and interfiling it here on this blog.

This is a big year for me.  I finish paying off my student loans in March!!!  Whoo Hooo!  I am so grateful that I was able to get the education I have. I am grateful for those student loans.  I would not have the life I currently enjoy without them.   Just a few weeks ago I finished paying off my sewer line.  I'm hoping to be debt free next spring.  Of course I'm also working on going on another sabbatical next spring and that usually costs.  I'm not certain I can of course, but it is in my long term goals to redo my sabbatical to update the research.

Otherwise, I expect the year will include rodeos, photography, art, trips to yellowstone, possibly Alaska, and definitely Texas.

As an update on my family...

Mom & Dad are still in TX
Sarah married Lance and retired from teaching
Nanette married Gary and retired from being a full-time engineer. She is writing like crazy
  Matt and Carrie are here in Pocatello
  Kaleb and Hillary and their daughter Sloane live in UT
  Erika has been performing in many plays/musicals and lives in Dallas
David and Jen just moved their family into their new dome home in Logan UT
  Amy just graduated from high school
Melinda is busy with her property management job and continues to bird
Rebecca married Joe and with their cute little daughter Chanel moved into her own dome home in TX
  Hannah is also living in TX
Jessica and Doug moved to Spanish Fork UT
Mike and Tessa are still in TX with their children, chickens, dogs, garden and bees.
Jamie and Hob are still in AZ where Jamie trains diabetes medical assistance dogs.

Clearly there is a lot of change since my original posting about my immediate family.

New Blog: Blue Raven Birders

 FYI: I just started a new blog.  This one is called Blue Raven Birders.  You can find it at: https://blueravenbirders.com I will be putting all of my birding, wildlife. and other adventures up on this blog.  See you over there. - Jenny

Rebecca is Moving

Friday July 19th head to Rebecca’s  she’s pregnant and moving from her apartment on the hill to the old Liberty Park apartment.  I got there and we ran errands (stopping at Taco Time for crisp burritos). I drove the jeep so we could put the bed frame in it and I could take it home. As we were running errands I noticed it was running kinda rough but the air conditioning is powerful and blissful and it was 103 degrees F out there.  Ended up at a baby store where they had the cutest clothes, the bank, another bank to change peso’s to dollars, Office something for boxes, Walgreens for snacks, and who remembers where else. In any case we’re waiting for our turn to turn left when I start noticing the heat gauge on the Jeep going up.  and up. and danger, danger.   We turned off the air conditioning and turned on the heat which brought the heat gauge back down.  We then drove around a couple of blocks and ended up at the Big O Tires across from her current (soon to be moved out of) apartment. YAY for mechanics who will work on weekends.  Hannah + her friend and CRH (Christie Red Hair) met us there and loaded all of our stuff into Hannah’s car and drove it over to the apartment.  Rebecca and I then left the jeep in good hands and walked on over ourselves.  Packing and packing and dinner of leftover caesars salad that Rebecca had purchased earlier in the week.  Lots and lots of cookies. Eventually I went to sleep on my airbed.

Saturday July 20th, moving day is at hand. Rebecca hired a couple of movers plus their van, her friend Maria and Maria’s husband and brother, and we had CRH & Hannah too.  I got to crack the whip and get things organized because Rebecca was overwhelmed.  Poor pregnant woman who is used to being active and in charge had to just sit there.   We managed to get it all loaded. Thank heavens for Maria’s troop!  Maria then stayed to clean. CRH went with the troop to load up the storage unit. Hannah led the movers to the new place.  Rebecca and I sauntered over to the auto repair shop where I shelled out the big bucks for a new radiator fan and mounts, new thermostat, new water pump, new hoses, and YAY a new back door latch.  Then we drove back to Taco Time for food for the many, a service station for soda for the many and then on to the Liberty Park place to supervise the unloading.  

Rebecca was of course worn out by the time everything was in the house.  She was able to keep a positive attitude throughout which was most impressive, considering the stress.  In any case CRH and I met Hannah and a couple of her male friends back at the old apartment where they loaded my jeep up with my bed frame, Rebecca’s marvelous big red carpet (which is coming to my house for awhile, another hollywood frame that Shanna wanted, and a box spring (also for Shanna).  Thereby getting rid of stuff R doesn’t need and solving my bed dilemma.   CRH lost her keys (including the one to her bike lock) so I drove her home, stopping for party supplies.  She was kind enough to snag me a bag of twizzler’s and a big bottle of water.  And I headed for home.  YAY!  Jessica and family had come back to town after her visit to mom in TX, and her car breaking down along the way.  But she and I agreed that I could come back later in August to visit.  I got home and Shanna and I unloaded the box springs from the top of the car.  EEK, I should have covered it with a tarp.  Along the front edge were a bunch of black flecks, the desiccated remains of a swarm of gnats.   Thank heavens they were easy to brush off.

8 Hands 2 Pianos

Concert in Logan 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. http://www.utahfestival.org/index.php

Shanna and I left early and drove to Logan, went shopping at Ross (nothing) then TJMaxx where we found a small cabinet with glass doors. Then a quick stop at Taco Time and on to the concert.  

We had seats in the front row! The concert was awesome! Particularly the ragtime version of the classical piece, the piano and kazoo, 10 hands (5 people) playing two pianos and the encore Chariots of Fire theme song ending with all 5 playing the same piano.  We stopped for binge snacking and drove home.  I'm definitely going again next year.

Texas Trip Day 5 & 6

Saturday June 29, birding in the morning then hanging out with Nan & Min in the early afternoon.  I made barbequed pork in the crockpot and the family all got together.  Late that night pregnant Jessica, Doug, Rachel and Joey showed up.

1. Mystery sparrows
2. House sparrows
3. Common grackles
4. Starlings
5. Rock doves
6. Mourning doves
7. Mocking birds
8. Crows
9. Cardinals
10. Great egrets
11. Flicker
12. Road runner!
13. Eastern phoebe
14. Yellow billed cuckoo!
15. Eastern bluebird (juvenile)
16. Red tailed hawk
17. Red bellied woodpecker
18. Painted buntings!
19. Barn swallows
20. Black vultures
21. Lark sparrows!
22. Turkey vultures
23. Scissor tailed flycatchers!
24. Cliff swallows
25. Grasshopper sparrows
26. Dicksissel
27. Great tailed  grackles
28. Purple Martins

Cotton tailed bunnies

Mama with two babies white tailed deer

Sunday June 30, Dad drove me to the airport, I flew to SLC, then picked up my car and drove home. Finished listening to the Lonely Men book.  

Birds from early in the week:

1. Red shouldered hawk

2. Swallow tailed kite (new one for me!)

3. White winged dove

4. Cattle egrets

6. Eurasian collared dove

7. Kildeer

Texas Trip Day 3 & 4

Thursday June 27, breakfast at Inn (quiche, tea, potatoes, sausage, fruit) lots of chatting. Family picked me up and we drove around a bit looking at houses then headed for Italy.

Friday June 28, running errands with Mom & Min, dinner impromptu family get together

Trip to Texas Days 1 & 2

Monday June 24, work, listen to Lonely on the Mountain on the way to SLC, stay in hotel

Tuesday June 25, fly to Dallas, picked up by Min, Nan, & Syd who drove me to Nacogdoches and dropped me off at the Brickhouse Inn http://www.thebrickhouseinn.biz/.  The search committee+ took me to dinner at Auntie Pasta’s http://auntiepastas.com/: "PAN SEARED TILAPIA Pan seared fillets topped with sautéed tomatoes and Dijon peppercorn sauce." (I had them put the sauce on the side) Served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables and Key Lime Pie.

The drive was gorgeous and the company outstanding. We talked and talked and talked... Nacogdoches is lovely with lots of trees. It really is a forest and even has hills.

June Miscellany

We did lots and lots of yard work, drop load after load of stuff off to DI and mailed several packages (mostly of books) to Nanette. Joe Roth helped us by fixing/coating our fence. It looks very good and the back gate now opens and closes beautifully.

Jeff and Randi came up for Uprising, we (Shanna & I) did not attend that but did make it over to Loretta's house for an afternoon visit. It was good to see them.

Yay for the repaired and coated fence!

Day Trip to Yellowstone

Shanna and I drove up to Yellowstone.

We stopped in West Yellowstone and shopped for a new car companion and jewelry, bought nothing.  Drove down Firehole canyon drive then on to Old Faithful stopping only for birds and wildlife. Ice cream and shopping (still little buying). Walked around Black Sand Basin and Biscuit Basin, drove through Firehole lake drive.  Then stopped at our favorite diner and headed home.  Bought a park pass. Need to go three times this year to make it worth it.

Saw birds:

1. Starlings
2. Magpies
3. Crows
4. House sparrows
5. Red winged blackbirds
6. Meadowlarks
7. Red tailed hawks
8. Swainson’s hawks
9. Ravens
10. Flickers
11. Trumpeter swans
12. Yellow headed blackbirds
13. Osprey (with fish)
14. Scaup
15. Canada geese (everywhere)

16. Great blue heron (good spotting Shanna!)
17. Yellow rumped warblers
18. Spotted sandpipers
19. Common mergansers
20. Mountain bluebirds!
21. Turkey vultures
22. Kestrels
23. Brewer’s blackbirds
24. Robins
25. Brown headed cowbirds

Also saw

Lots and lots of bison and lots of baby bison!

Ground squirrels

North American Lunatic walking south on HWY 20 outside of Ashton

The Croods

Shanna and I ran a bunch of errands and had been working on the garden and house so much that we decided to go to the movie.  This is a delightful animated tale.

See: http://www.thecroodsmovie.com/‎

GSL Bird Festival Day 2

Today I went a two separate tours and attended a couple of classes.  I started the morning with a tour out to Gower Ponds.  This was not a damp tour, but a full on raining wet tour.  Glad I had my umbrella in my car.  Saw some great birds though:

Snowy Egrets

1. Starlings
2. Red winged blackbirds
3. Black necked stilts
4. American avocets
5. American white pelicans
6. California gulls
7. White faced ibis
8. Western grebe
9. Pied billed grebes
10. Western meadowlark
11. Great blue herons
12. Double crested cormorant
13. Coots
14. Mallards
15. Cinnamon teals
16. Jilldeer
17. Cliff swallows
18. Canada geese
19. Marbled godwit!
20. Marsh wren
21. Caspian tern

Next I attended a class on identifying falcons and another one on the butterflies/moths of the Wasatch.

I drove up to Layton to have lunch at Red Lobster then back to the festival in time to get on the bus for my next tour. I've never birded from a bus before. I didn't think it would be as effective as from my own car. Boy was I mistaken. Of course it took awhile to get the bus driver to really stop instead of just going slow. Still we saw a lot of birds:

1. Pied billed grebe
2. Eared grebe
3. Western grebe
4. Clarks grebe
5. American white pelican
6. Double crested cormorant
7. Great blue herons
8. Great egret
9. Snowy egrets
10. Black crowned night herons
11. White faced ibis
12. Canada geese
13. Green winged teal
14. Mallard
15. Blue winged teal
16. Cinnamon teel
17. Northern shoveler
18. Gadwall
19. Redhead
20. Ruddy duck
21. Ring necked pheasants
22. Coots
23. Sandhill crane
24. Killdeer
25. Black necked stilt
26. American avocets
27. Long billed curlew with babies
28. Marbled godwit
29. Common snipe
30. Wilsons phalerope
31. Franklins gull
32. California gull
33. Forsters tern
34. Mourning dove
35. Tree swallows
36. Barn swallows
37. Cliff swallows
38. Marsh wrens
39. Robins
40. Starlings
41. Red winged blackbird
42. Brewers blackbird
43. Yellow headed blackbird
44. Brownheaded cowbird
45. Western meadowlark
46. House sparrow

Double Crested Cormorant
the larger picture clearly shows the aquamarine eyes

I spent both nights at the Ramada out by the SLC airport. I was supposed to go on still another tour the next morning but was too tired and it was too damp so I just drove home on Sunday.

GSL Bird Festival Day 1

The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is amazing.  For more information go check out their website at: http://www.greatsaltlakebirdfest.com/

Friday I drove down after work. I had hoped to go to the class on the evolution from dinosaur to bird but ended up at the Bear River Wildlife Refuge where I saw an astonishing number of birds that damp, drizzly evening.

Pocatello to and through Bear River Refuge

Long Billed Curlew

1. House finches
2. Robins
3. Eurasian collard doves
4. Rock doves
5. House sparrows
6. Magpies
7. Red tailed hawks
8. Common ravens
9. American crows
10. Cliff swallows
11. Blue winged teals
12. Red winged blackbirds
13. American kestrels
14. Western meadowlarks
15. Mallards
16. Killdeer
17. Western kingbirds
18. Western grebes
19. Northern harrier
20. Cinnamon teal
21. White faced ibis
22. Great blue herons
23. Long billed curlew
24. Northern Shoveler
25. American avocets
26. Black necked stilts
27. Common grackles
28. American white pelicans
29. Yellow headed blackbirds
30. Bank swallows
31. Canada geese
32. Snowy egrets
33. Willet
34. Vesper sparrows
35. Sandhill cranes
36. American coots
37. Black crowned night herons
38. Wilsons phaleropes
39. Marsh wrens
40. Forsters terns
41. Redheads
42. Gadwalls
43. Clarks grebes
44. Brown headed cowbirds
45. Double crested cormorants
46. California gulls
47. Ring necked duck
48. Starlings
49. Ring necked pheasant

Yellow Headed Blackbirds in Flight

• Muskrat
• Skunk