Very local phenology, in pictures

[pameladean]

David went around the yard a week or two ago and took some splendid photos. You can look at them here.

I had a lovely time at Wiscon and managed not to bring any horrible viruses home with me. Raphael and I went to Murphy Hanrahan Regional Park earlier this week and saw clouds of dragonflies, mostly dot-tailed whitefaces with a leavening of frosted whitefaces, common whitetails, and at least one twelve-spotted and one four-spotted skimmer. Over the weekend Eric and I went to Eloise Butler, where we saw dozens of four-spotted skimmers and a goodly number of whitetails; not to mention two large and extremely oblivious wild turkeys browsing under the birdfeeders. We also went to Lebanon Hills Regional Park, where we were too late for dragonflies but delighted to see fireflies twinkling and flashing in the vegetation next to the fire road.

Also, I had a writing date with Pat WINOLJ, made copious notes, and wrote 500 or so new words on the Liavek novel. The style of the novel as written so far pleases me a lot, but it's rather mannered, and getting back into it will be interesting.

Pamela

Comments

[lcohen]

i would happily be your naive reader and then get up to speed later!

i can't use sanitizer--i'm allergic to it. i do wash my hands. i ate no food at parties except for some cheese at the brit party. i tasted no cocktails. i slept in, though i also did a safety shift until 3 am at one point. but i am forced to conclude that i am the virus trap BECAUSE i have the not very robust breathing system.....

(also, hotel room air is frequently a problem for me, though at least at the concourse i can use open windows rather than air conditioning if it's cool enough outside. so this might be a hotel problem rather than a wiscon problem, if that makes sense?)

[pameladean]

It may be easier for you to get up to speed when I can lend you my copies of the anthologies. I can't let them go right now because I keep having to refer to them.

Oh dear for the allergy. I should have thought.

I noticed that the Concourse windows opened, but we couldn't actually figure out how to open ours. I'm glad they are really meant to and not just intended to taunt one. Hotel room air in the absence of any outside air can be pretty icky. I don't know how they dry it out that way.

Alas, I expect you are right about the breathing system. Pfeh. There's also just a weird element of chance. Last year Eric got the Wiscon Death Flu not from Wiscon and not from me, but by playing cards at a Minn-Stf meeting with someone who had also not gotten it at Wiscon but rather was given it by a third friend who attended Wiscon too and was just coming down with it when the card-playing friend and the third friend met the week after. It was apparently just really determined to get him.

P.

[lcohen]

i don't expect anyone in the world could keep track of the number of things i am allergic to!

loans of copies will be wonderful when they come available. in the meantime, count me in the eagerly anticipating new writing from you crowd and keep referring!

since you are fine and eric is fine and ian is fine and multiple other people are fine, i might be the person who was targeted this year--i have no idea of the vector.