Photo Hunters: Two for One

I ran down to Rutland on Wednesday in order to attend this concert at the old Paramount Theater. What a wonderful night! The music was superb. I can't say enough about it, so I will let the video tell you all.

Most of the photos are lousy, but the music? Well, you'll see! I felt very self-conscious taking photos (I never used flash) but I should have taken hundreds more: everybody else had cameras, phones and video. But this is what I got.

Why is this my Photo Hunt? It was two huge shows for one. And one of the acts was two singers. I chose the song in the video because it was the shortest song by the first musician. On Thursday morning I went to the iTunes store and bought a lot of music.

Happy Hunting! I am birding today and am going to the Pirates of Penzance tonight, but I will visit you during the day when I am home and tomorrow (before the Demo Derby at the Fair, that is!)

Technorati tags:PhotoHunt
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Good Morning!

Female house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Technorati tags: female house+sparrow Passer+domesticus

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It's Too Hot Here

It was 84 freaking degrees here when I arrived at 3 PM! What is this? I have no shorts, nothing cool to wear at all!

So I went outside because there were sunflowers. They are in an overgrown old garden but they are sunflowers.

I disturbed this little cat that was hunting birds in the yard. There are bird body parts strewn about. But they are all starlings. The starlings that have left the Northeast Kingdom because it is too freaking cold.

So this little cat was upset that I upset her hunting and stood way down near the river at the edge of the garden and watched me watching her.

One of the wild sunflowers in the broiling sweltering hot sun.

I won't tell you the real reason for coming down to Rutland until the Photo Hunt on Saturday. I'm excited about it and hope you come back to see what I've got.

Technorati tags: Rutland Vermont sunflowers

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Sluggish Snails at Mead's Falls

While at Mead's Falls, I saw these creatures. They are very small. They are the same animal I tried to photograph in Killington on the dandelions.


I think these are some of the best photos I have taken. I enjoy looking at the tiny antennae.


A slug's body and it looks like a snail's shell. I did not touch them to see if it was a shell or not!


You absolutely must click on each photo (which will open a new window) to see the large version.

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Weekend in Rutland

Female (above) and male (below) goldfinches at a feeder Sunday morning. Goldfinches have more yellow as the season goes on. I hope that is the reason for the male's "bald spots". I hope he isn't a sick bird. Also seen: Baltimore Oriole and Pileated Woodpecker: both in flight, so no photos.


Below: a large clump of Red Clover, Vermont's state flower. This is not a good photo but it is the best photo of red clover that I have taken so far. Seen near Mead's Falls.

And finally, two shots of a spider web on a clothesline. This spider (unseen) makes a coarser web than the one I shot on my cedar post that is on my blog header. Unfortunately, if you browse with Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can't see my header on the blog.


It was a short weekend. I was too tired to leave Barton on Friday, so I was a day late. I watched the Johnny Cash movie, cooked, did my photography and picked and cleaned strawberries. I actually got some reading done.

Wingnut is coming next weekend! Next weekend is a big one: movies at the library, the annual village-wide yard sale, and Bread and Puppet opens for the season. There will be lots of photos coming up.

This week? I have two days of inservice with the publishers of the Growing With Math text that the school has adopted for the upcoming year (NCTM, NSF, and NAEYC "approved"). Wednesday I have to pack up my classroom (unless the classroom elves have done it!). Thursday and Friday I clean house before the "summer invasion."

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Mead's Falls, Rutland

I made a short expedition to Mead's Falls, Rt. 4 on Otter Creek, today.

MEAD'S FALLS

James Mead, Rutland's first settler, arrived at these falls on the Otter Creek in 1769. The next year he and his family were given shelter by members of the Caughnawaga tribe while they finished their log cabin. Mead built saw and grist mills on the falls and ran a ferry on the Otter Creek. He was an ardent defender of the New Hampshire Grants and served as a colonel in the militia. Mead's Falls wa an important military site: the 1759 Crown Point Military Road ran by here, General Arthur St. Clair wrote his report after the Battle of Hubardton in 1777 at Mead's home on the West Proctor Road, and Forst Ranger was built in 1778 on the bluff northeast of the falls.

Vermont Division for Historic Preservation — 1999

I was dismayed by all of the trash around this historical site. There were tires and debris in Otter Creek, the electrical substation was discharging dirty water, and there was a general malaise about the beautiful area. But we had a wonderful time.

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Bugs in Rutland

Black, hairy jumping spider with 4 eyes and green fangs:

UPDATE: On June 26, 2007, Eric Eaton at bugguide.net identified this spider which I described as being 1/4 inch diameter:
"Phidippus sp.
Actually, 1/4 inch is pretty 'large' for a jumping spider. Most of the diversity in Salticidae seems to be in a much smaller size range. This is a male of some kind of Phidippus. They vary greatly in coloration and pattern among individuals, so I can't put a species name on this one. Not a dangerous species, and good to have it on pest control patrol:-)"

Ants on the peonies:





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Giselle

She is T's new dog: a golden retriever. She must be the sweetest dog in the world.
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The Goldfinch and The Fly

Female goldfinch.
Rutland, Vermont
May 20, 2007
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Blue Jay

Rutland, Vermont
May 20, 2007

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Tufted Titmouse

A very shy bird, so it was difficult to get a good shot.
Rutland, Vermont
May 19, 2007
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Black-capped Chickadee

Rutland, Vermont
May 19, 2007

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