Live video of Oil Spill

What happened on my vacation

So, while on vacation in San Antonio, Texas, the refinery next to Espada Park, where we were eating lunch, exploded.

I hopped in the car and drove over to get a closer look.

 

 

 

Martha took the following video from the park

Eagle Watching Day

We went out with my parents to watch the eagles at the Clark Bridge in Alton, IL. Most all of the eagles where too far away to really see, but this one stuck around for awhile.

While there, a very large flock of Snow Geese flew high over us.

A mallard duck couple

Out on the river three Common Goldeneye ducks were swimming and diving.

Hike at Lone Elk

Just got back from a hike at Lone Elk State Park. The temperature was great, only a bit muggy.

There were a couple of stags out on there own, and then one that had a harem.



Baby Elk, Ahhh.


There was this very interesting mushroom growth around a dead tree, and this tree looks like it has a face on it.


Some turtles were out sunning.


The downside to today's hike is that I dropped my camera while taking it out of the trunk of the car. The neck strap got caught on the tailgate latch pin and essentially pulled it out of my hand.

The camera and lens still seem to be working, though the UV filter on the lens shattered, and I still haven't figured out how to get the old filter off because its mushed.

Florida Vacation

I just got back from a very relaxing vacation in Pass-a-Grille, which is this little peninsula south of St. Petersburg, FL. During the week we swam in the Gulf and walked the beach every morning. After breakfast, we spent time reading on the porch of the condo.








We ate lunch out at one of the many local restaurants. Our favorite was the Sea Critters Cafe. All the food was good, and their onion rings were excellent!



During the middle of the day (when only mad dogs and englishmen are out), we played games, did some more relaxing reading, and some shopping.


On Monday, we went to a bird sanctuary.














On Tuesday, we visited, played games, and had dinner with my parents.

On Wednesday, we went canoeing with the alligators. Actually the alligators are pretty shy.


On Thursday, we went to the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. On display, they had many works of Salvador Dalí spanning his entire career. Some of the works were familiar, but some I did not know about including statues and jewelry.


One of the main things to take away from his life is don't name your son after his dead sibling, and tell him about it. That kind of thing can mess with your mind :)

Thursday evening, we went out for dinner with my parents to Roaring 20's Pizza and Pipes
. The draw for this place is that it has a fully functional "Mighty Wurlitzer".
Their non-pizza food was just OK, but my parents really liked their pizza. Afterward, we all went and had ice cream at the beach while watching the sunset.


Our flights to and from Tampa were on Southwest and were very good.

More Animal Pics From the Trip: