Saturday, May 24, 2008

We went to the desert, and now Memorial Day

Monday in the USA is Memorial Day. We remember all those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.


On May 30, 1918, Memorial Day services in Washington, D.C., culminated with casting flowers into the Potomac River in memory of those who perished on the Lusitania.

Ref. http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/history/Vignettes/Vignette_51.htm


Last Sunday we hit the road about 100 miles east of us...then...
...JP grabs a chuckawalla.
The cracks in the rocks...that is where those big lizards hide. They have a mechanism whereby they inhale, and they bloat up HUGE...to wedge themselves into a crack. There are, as you likely cannot see, TWO chuckawallas in this crack...male and female...the female is the one JP just had in his hand.


Rachel, Dan, Cruz and Marion. It was 97 degrees F. in the desert, but at my house it was 102...go figure!

Yesterday it only hit 50 degrees here, and there were tornados, snow and lightning the day before that.

Dan and JP, Joshua Tree area.

My wife, Cruz, waits in the car as the search for wildlife carries on. The tree is the type known as the "Joshua Tree", for which the area is so named. There is snow in the yonder moutains, though I cannot yet tell if it shows in the blown up photo...you try to see, if you wish.

Cruz is seen outside the car, in the heat! She was afraid of snakes. Smart woman! We were looking for them, and she knew it!

Allen, my next-door-neighbor, plays "Funk 49" Friday night, yesterday.

--Dan

6 comments:

MargieCM said...

You LOOK for snakes? We try to avoid them here Dan - they're big ones and they bite, and if you're not on the outside of some antivenom pretty quickly, you can be inside a box before too many hours have passed.

Mind you, I'm impressed by your Chuckawallas - I've never heard of them before. Clever little fellows, aren't they? That horned toad lizard in your last post was pretty cute too. You live near some strange and wonderful places and things my friend.

Memorial Day is a nice idea. We mark November 11th as Remembrance Day - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, which was when the Armistice to end WW1 was signed. I think you call it Veterans' Day, is that right?

We also observe April 25th as Anzac Day - a very big deal here. (Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). It's the anniversary of the infamous landing at Gallipoli - an insane sacrificial bloodbath.

We never learn, do we?

grace said...

Hi Dan, Hope your weekend was good. I have been snake hunting many times in the desert. Have owned many too.
Wonderful photos. Have a good week. xo

MargieCM said...

Grace - another snake hunter? Can't you guys find a safer hobby???

Metalchick said...

Hi Dan,
Just looked at this blog, looks like I missed a whole lot here! Great pictures though. I always remember Memorial Day because my birthday is always close to that day, but I also remember that day for those who served our country.

Take care.

Koos F said...

Good to see that you have rarely a dull moment, Dan.
I feel so lucky to live far away from these reptiles, though all that moderate climate (no extreme heat and tornados) tends to make our life a bit moderate too.

Koos F said...

Margie, we must stop meeting this way