night fig

get it while you can

birthday party in Petersburg

stinkpot

aka "musk turtle"

in latin that's Sternotherus odoratus.

See the barbels under the chin.

Has a toenail-like claw at end of its tail (not pictured).

Climbs trees.

Book says "if a turtle falls into your boat while you're fishing, it's almost certainly a musk turtle."
Does that mean one is wise to wear a helmet when boating?

hatchling

See the chrysalis shell left behind.

And note how plump the spotted belly is.

the past would be behind us

but the past is made of cast iron,
weighs a lot,
& is really hard to move



This hitching post is ready for the Lenin-Stalin Grave Yard

new turtle

mid-September yard walking, found this walker

Photography session likely scarred him for life

grey tree frog

The remarkable thing about a grey tree frog

is that on silvery metal, he'll turn silver.

I did have to touch him.

He didn't really like that.

don't we know it

day in another country

Shelly's house & chickens, Hanover County

Some people grow catalpa treess for the caterpillars -

good fishing bait

as Susan Orleans says - "chickens: the new IT bird"

this is what I saw in NYC Labor Day weekend 2009