Obstructions

RonSonic wrote:

I notice that this thread has got a mixture of Crocodiles and
Alligators. Where were the above scenes captured?

All the photos I've posted within this thread were taken in a
coastal wetland area in the southeastmost section of Miami Dade
county. As I understand, the extreme southern tip of Florida is
the only place on the planet where alligators and crocodiles share
habitat.

I wonder who the well intentioned soul who introduced Crocs to the
'new world' was, and when that occurred.

They are not only native here, but have been considered endangered.

The introduced species we need to deal with are big pigs. Those have
earned eternal hate and hellfire for the people who set them loose
on Florida.

You aren't alone, hunters release those huge black swine in California
as well. During the rainy season they leave meadows looking as though
roto-tilled. Maybe they make good mountain lion fodder, more so than
agile deer.

Jobst Brandt

On 24 Dec 2008 20:18:08 GMT, wrote:

RonSonic wrote:

I notice that this thread has got a mixture of Crocodiles and
Alligators. Where were the above scenes captured?

All the photos I've posted within this thread were taken in a
coastal wetland area in the southeastmost section of Miami Dade
county. As I understand, the extreme southern tip of Florida is
the only place on the planet where alligators and crocodiles share
habitat.

I wonder who the well intentioned soul who introduced Crocs to the
'new world' was, and when that occurred.

They are not only native here, but have been considered endangered.

The introduced species we need to deal with are big pigs. Those have
earned eternal hate and hellfire for the people who set them loose
on Florida.

You aren't alone, hunters release those huge black swine in California
as well. During the rainy season they leave meadows looking as though
roto-tilled. Maybe they make good mountain lion fodder, more so than
agile deer.

Jobst Brandt

Dear Jobst,

Deer are much easier to kill than feral pigs. The male deer's antlers
are seasonal and more for display and ritual combat with other deer
than for real defense.

Unlike deer, pigs have sharp teeth and know how to use them:

http://bp1.blogger.com/_6u6A3LIMxMY/...d+boar+web.bmp

The tushes (tusks0 are upper canine teeth that curve out and upward
(weird) and are handy for disembowelling anything foolish enough to
mess with a hog.

The warthog in the video is a smaller relative of the feral pig, and
the African lioness is larger than a cougar:
http://failblog.org/2008/11/24/hunting-fail/

"You want a piece of me?"

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

[snip]

Harlan's obstruction, perched on a Christmas fence-post, blurred due
to frantic camera fumbling:
http://i40.tinypic.com/29238ux.jpg

Harlan's obstruction leaving the fence-post a second later:
http://i42.tinypic.com/23i728k.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/123lhg8.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/35jkt8g.jpg

That's Pikes Peak, off-tilt, in the last photo--hard to keep things
level while whirling.

A quarter-mile further down the road, Harlan's obstruction stopped me
again by landing on another fence-post:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2rrky9i.jpg

Looks almost like a seagull from that angle.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

[snip]

Sixteen familiar obstructions were blocking the highway shoulder at
the bottom of my descent this afternoon.

Luckily, they scuttled out of the way in a panic, so I grabbed my
brakes, dropped my bike, and got my camera out.

Here they are, too many to fit in the photo, scrambling away:
http://i40.tinypic.com/n1x83l.jpg

They can fly, but prefer to run.

They didn't even bother to run too far:
http://i40.tinypic.com/t9ukh4.jpg

It took a while to check that there are still sixteen of them:
http://i43.tinypic.com/15hl5c8.jpg

Happy New Year!

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

[snip]

Lazy obstructions:
http://i43.tinypic.com/n2mo7a.jpg

Eek! There's a bicyclist on the road!
http://i43.tinypic.com/nzm1lf.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

[snip]

Too damn many obstructions, too damn close to the bike path, too damn
busy to flee from bicyclists--they don't even all fit in the
viewfinder:
http://i44.tinypic.com/15hfsz5.jpg

Here ten of them manage to fit into the photo:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2i04sp0.jpg

Better view of the two on the far left:
http://i42.tinypic.com/dfy5ch.jpg

But this fellow didn't show up in the group photos:
http://i42.tinypic.com/pywee.jpg

At least they were aware of the fire danger warning and weren't
burning charcoal in that picnic barbecue.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

It's over 70F in Colorado in the dead of winter.

After my ride today, I stripped off my shirt and absent-mindedly pawed
at my back, not even really thinking why.

A dangerous little obstruction had hitched a ride in January, crawling
inside my shirt.

Luckily, it didn't attack me while I brushed it off my finger and
clapped a Coke bottle-cap over it to imprison it on a notepad.

I released it outside, where it will surely die, miles from its
colony:
http://i42.tinypic.com/25unpg8.jpg

It buzzed off and landed on a rock a few feet away, where it's still
sunning itself:
http://i41.tinypic.com/1zqwky1.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Carl Fogel wrote:

A dangerous little obstruction had hitched a ride in January, crawling
inside my shirt.

I released it outside, where it will surely die, miles from its
colony:
*http://i42.tinypic.com/25unpg8.jpg

It's hungry season for the bees in my drought-stricken land.
Yesterday, one of them discovered the honey bottle in my kitchen, and
told her buddies back at the hive. The place had gotten thick with
bees when my wife asked me to move the bottle outside. She took mercy
on the little guys and gave them an ice tray full of sugar syrup.
This morning, they came back for more and she gave them more. With
any luck, some handouts from us will help keep the hive hanging on
until the local flowers are accepting visitors.

Chalo

On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:24:40 -0800 (PST), Chalo
wrote:

Carl Fogel wrote:

A dangerous little obstruction had hitched a ride in January, crawling
inside my shirt.

I released it outside, where it will surely die, miles from its
colony:
*http://i42.tinypic.com/25unpg8.jpg

It's hungry season for the bees in my drought-stricken land.
Yesterday, one of them discovered the honey bottle in my kitchen, and
told her buddies back at the hive. The place had gotten thick with
bees when my wife asked me to move the bottle outside. She took mercy
on the little guys and gave them an ice tray full of sugar syrup.
This morning, they came back for more and she gave them more. With
any luck, some handouts from us will help keep the hive hanging on
until the local flowers are accepting visitors.

Chalo

Dear Chalo,

Let's hope that the whole gang doesn't show up:
http://i31.tinypic.com/17eqfd.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/2nkront.jpg

And remind Lisa that flowers are the painted whores of the plant
world:

http://techgeer.com/the-simpsons-tak...order-of-bees/

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

[snip]

About ten seconds into my Sunday ride, I stopped, turned around, and
took a picture of this obstruction:
http://i42.tinypic.com/209110x.jpg

What I like about the photo is how the amazing digital camera lets me
read the green street sign at the other end of the block and how the
foreshortening makes it look as if I live on a hill.

A minute later, the same obstruction entertains my neighbor's dogs:
http://i39.tinypic.com/10hsweq.jpg

Even at a walking pace, parts of the obstruction move so fast that one
foot is blurred and the head is starting to go out of focus. Even
digital magic can't quite get around that problem, at least in my
incompetent hands.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel