Good Morning

Some of us need more beauty sleep than others.

Camping!

A few weeks ago we embarked on our first camping trip of the year to Assateague National Park. The park is located on Assateague Island which is a barrier island off the coast of Maryland. One of the interesting aspects of the park it that it's home to a herd of wild horses, some of which we saw grazing through the campground.

As we all know, organized camping is happy camping, so I spent the day before departure packing and preparing meals. I recently acquired a food dehydrator and that baby was working around the clock to dehydrate delicious meals and snacks. I made kale chips, sweet potato chips, mango leather, and dehydrated veggies in peanut sauce to serve over noodles.

Dehydrated spinach, mushrooms, carrot and cauliflower

Kale chips in the making

As usual, our trusty CVT tent did not fail us. Karyn was travelling with us, so she stayed in the granny flat (the annex on the side of the car). This was the first time we had been camping since all our camping equipment arrived from Australia, so we had (almost) all the comforts of home.

Our humble abode for three nights of camping

It was a bit cold, so Brian and Betty spent much of their time cuddled up beneath sleeping bags and next to the fire.

It's not a tumor

Snug as a pug in a rug

We made a special version of 'eggs in jail' for breakfast.

Yum

Much more delicious than an industrial prison complex

Relaxing at the campsite

Brekky time

Grumpy Brian

Brian helping with food preparation

Vikings are important when camping

We saw a number of run down barns and houses. Man vs. nature. 

Nature wins

Can you guess what this is?

Colloquially known as a mermaid's purse or devil's purse

It's an empty egg case from a skate! I found it washed up on the beach. Some species of skates, sharks, and chimaeras are ovoparous, which means they lay their fertilized eggs in these cases. Some shark egg cases are corkscrew shaped. Yikes.

We also found a horseshoe crab washed up on the beach. Horseshoe crabs, who are more closely related to arachnids and ticks than crabs, are often called living fossils, because they so closely resemble the fossils of their ancestors from 450 million years ago. Did you know that they have nine eyes and their blood is blue? In fact, their blood is collected for use in medical applications. Unfortunately, their numbers are dwindling due to loss of habitat, which goes to show that as a society, we should protect wildlife habitat, not just for the sake of a healthier natural environment, but to help ourselves.

Horseshoe Crabs mating off the coast of Cape Cod. Image from "Under Cape Cod Waters" by Ethan Daniels.

We had a fantastic time and can't wait until the next trip!

Happy Birthday Betty!

Betty turned five this year! She celebrated by spending time with her family, eating birthday cake and playing with her new toys. 

Betty as a puppy with big brother Brian

Brian and Betty traditionally get a birthday cake made with rice and ground meat, topped by pumpkin puree "frosting". This year it was decorated with dried chicken sprinkles and spinach hearts. They loved it!

Yum!

Look how Betty's ears are flying up in this shot!

Betty breaking the speed of sound to get to her cake

Next post: first camping trip of 2014!

World Frog Day

To continue the recent frog theme, Happy World Frog Day everyone!  Here's a link to an infographic on the fabulous freaky frog.

Editor's note: my favorite part of the infographic is the map showing where frogs exist on the earth. The two categories are Frog and No Frog. I like to read this in the voice of the maid from Family Guy.

What Wood You Say this Sound Is?

This weekend we went for a lovely hike at Great Falls National Park and we were lucky enough to stumble upon an ephemeral (or vernal) pool of Wood Frogs. Actually, to say we stumbled upon it is an exaggeration. The male frogs' calls can be heard before sighting the pool, so much like the female Wood Frogs, when we heard the call of the males, we came closer to investigate.

As you can tell from the video, their chorus of calls sounds similar to a duck's quack.

Wood Frogs are a common, widespread species of frog, but their ubiquity doesn't make them any less interesting. Like many amphibians, they are able to survive harsh winters by letting their bodies freeze. They stop breathing and their heart stops beating while they are frozen. However, one thing that makes Wood Frogs different to other frogs, is their ability to freeze and thaw multiple times per season if necessary.

It may be hard to believe, but it's been observed that Wood Frog tadpoles are able to recognize their siblings, and therefore group together in their ephemeral pool. Another interesting fact about the Wood Frog is that it's the only frog species that can be found north of the Arctic Circle. I wish I could adapt to the cold that well.

Thanks for joining me on this little trip to the world of the Wood Frog. This web site has some beautiful photos of the frogs if you'd like a closer look. I hope you have enjoyed my unparalleled cinematography. I have David Attenborough lined up to narrate my next nature film. Plus, you'll be happy to know that I just learned if I hold my mobile phone sideways, the video will be wider. Technology! 

Spring Flowers

Brian and Betty saw their first spring flowers a couple days ago on our walk. I'm choosing to ignore the snow forecast for tomorrow and say that spring has sprung!

Ukraine

The steps of the Ukrainian embassy in DC.