Whose Paw Left a Print?
I have a natural desert dirt driveway. Most neighbors have opted for fancy rock, but I like the natural substrate. I have holes dug by round-tailed squirrels and tarantulas. (You can read about the squirrels digging holes in my book, Squirrels of the Sonoran Desert). I love the footprints the most. I see where birds […]
It’s Festival Time Again!
Tucson is known for nature, music, and food. As a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, Tucson will feed your body. Nature and open spaces provide sustenance for your soul. For your mind, Tucson has the Festival of Books! My books offer a particularly nourishing mental feast with chunks of information in a rich sauce of […]
Where’s Elaine?
“A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called “leaves”) imprinted with dark-pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly […]
My Explosive Mauna Loa Tale
I woke up on November 28, 2022, to the headline announcing “Hawaii’s Mauna Loa is erupting for the first time since 1984.” Mauna Loa erupting always gets my attention. Before 1984, the volcano on the big island of Hawaii had last erupted on July 5, 1975. I know because I was on the side of […]
Morton Salt, Campbells, and Flamingos in the Bahamas.
Recently, while in Chicago I happened to see the iconic Morton Salt sign. It’s so huge you can’t miss it. While it’s called a sign, in actuality it’s a roof on the old Morton Salt factory on Elston Avenue. As a child, this sign always reminded me of the Morton Salt Girl and the drawing […]
Saved: Dragonflies vs. Gnats–No Contest!
One major difference between the hot, dry weather of a desert (Tucson, AZ) and the hot, humid weather of the Gulf of Mexico (Ft. Myers, FL) in July is the number of human-eating insects. I was reminded of this recently. As I obtained my parking permit from the machine at the beach, a cloud of […]
My, That’s a Really Big Tongue You Have!
I have learned a lot about horses in the past two years. But there is one ability that continues to amaze me: the agility of the horse’s tongue. Above is a friend of mine, Simby. He has Cushing’s disease, which is treated with a small pill, Prascend. I give the same medicine to my mare […]
How About a Big Bug Snack? It’s High in Protein!
Every seventeen years, the Brood X Cicadas emerge from the ground in the northeast US. They climb and fly, singing their mating call, mate and produce the next generation. With over a million per acre, there are a lot of big, very noisy insects out there. Something different this year is the number of recipes […]
That Hurt! Where is a Bottle of Alcohol When You Need It?
A couple of years ago I rescued a Rhinoceros Iguana, Rango, who had bitten her owner and a guest too many times. I brought her into my home and, after quarantine, allowed her to free roam — until she started biting my feet. I finally figured out it was the color socks or pants that […]
Chorale, Cul-de-sac and . . . Chupacabra?
To maintain safe social distance, my chorus has been meeting outside in a neighborhood cul-de-sac. We’re masked and standing six feet apart. We meet after dark and we each bring an illumination device, such as a clip-on light, or a head lamp or maybe even a wrap-around flashlight you wear on your neck. Whatever type […]
Horseback Riding and Cougars Just Do Not Mix!
I recently had an encounter with a mountain lion while riding my horse. Button tried to tell me a big cat was near, but I couldn’t see it. I suspected she had seen the cat by the way she bolted. It was a wild ride but we got home safely (with much stomping and agitation) […]
November 6th is National Nachos Day. YUM!
November 6 is National Nachos Day, a day set aside to celebrate a delicious culinary delight. Nachos are crunchy with melted cheese, a perfect combination of taste and texture. Nachos were created by “Nacho” Anaya from Piedras Negras, Mexico in 1943. Over the years, other ingredients have been added to the tortilla chips and cheese. […]
I’ve Been Blown Away!
Image courtesy of David Mark of Pixabay In my book Curtis Curly-tail is Blown Away, I described Curtis and his iguana friends being caught in a hurricane. I’ve had personal experience in hurricanes from living along the Gulf Coast. My first week at Florida State University was delayed by a hurricane. I had to go […]
Let ME Tell You How to Find a Lizard! by Curtis Curly-tail Lizard
Hello, my friends! It’s been a while! I’m just getting back home after the hurricane on Beach Cay. Phew! THAT was an adventure! If you’d like to see what I’ve been up to, Curtis Curly-tail is Blown Away is now available at Amazon.com. But I’m back, and my friend, Elaine Powers, author, asked me to […]
Curtis Curly-tail is Blown Away is Now Available! by Curtis Curly-tail Lizard
Hello, everyone! I recently mentioned my latest book would soon be out—well, it’s here! The next Curtis Curly-tail adventure has been released: Curtis Curly-tail is Blown Away is written by, of course, my good friend and author, Elaine A. Powers. The gorgeous illustrations are by artist Monique Carroll, who also illustrated Grow Home, Little Seeds. […]
August 7 is National Lighthouse Day
Image courtesy of the US Coast Guard August 7th is National Lighthouse Day. Lighthouses have always intrigued, standing tall at the sea’s edge often high on a cliff. They have played an important part in history, making sea travel safer, indicating dangerous coastlines and reefs and rocks. Two lighthouses have meaning in my life, both […]
Adventure I Must! says Curtis Curly-tail
Living on a Caribbean island beach is wonderful (except for dive-bombing seagulls looking for a snack) but some days I do get bored. I love watching people come ashore from their boats, but when they leave, I wonder where the boat is going. Where do those tourists come from? Do they have an island, too? […]
