Welcome back teachers and students!

Welcome back to school for the 2018 - 2019 school year!  For many local students today is the first day of classes.  Other students started last week.  A few (like my nieces and nephew) started the week before last.  I've been hard at work scheduling school programs.  So far I have almost three hundred programs booked for the school year.  My first school programs will be next week (unless I schedule something for later this week.  I have lots of plans for this blog this school year.  My goal is to post something new every day of the school year; I certainly have enough photographs!

For now though, I am going to answer a question that students across the nation are asked on the first day of school.

How did you spend your summer vacation?

I did not spend my entire summer indoors.

I chased birds. And butterflies.  And dragonflies.  And bees.

I was enamored by bees this summer and spent long moments watching them gather nectar and pollen from the flowers in our garden.

I watched fireflies.

I set up lights in the woods and waited for moths.

I watched clouds.

I watched sunsets and moonrises.

I sat in a lawn chair and watched a meteor shower until my neck ached.  We saw three blazing fireballs and many smaller meteors.

I sat on the front porch and watched the rain.

I took many, many photographs.  So many photographs.  Over ten thousand in all.  Some of them are among the best photos of my life.  During the process I got much better at using my camera.

I spent time with friends and family.

I laughed.  Sometimes at myself.

I talked for hours about everything.

I played games.

I stayed up late.

I slept in.

I ate some great meals.

I tried new foods.

I cooked new things.

I ate dessert.

I traveled.

I attended two concerts.

I went to a county fair.

I visited museums and archeological sites and at least on lighthouse.

I hiked in local parks and preserves.

I led hikes for other people.

I volunteered hours of my time to help remove invasive species.

I pulled weeds in gardens.

I picked up trash.

I taught about trees and forests at two summer camps.

I read a lot.  Books.  Magazines.  Newspapers.  Online journals.  Blogs.  I read about science and history.  I read science fiction and fantasy.  I read about hunting and fishing and hiking canoeing and travel.  I still have piles of books waiting to be read.

I bought new field guides.  And new copies of old field guides.

I used my field guides to identify everything from wasps to spiders to wildflowers to lichen.

I saw species that were new to me.  Mostly insects and wildflowers, but a couple birds too.

I got bit by mosquitos.  And flies.  And stung by a couple sweat bees - my fault, not theirs.

I walked through thistles and nettles and rosebushes and blackberries.

I did not get any major rashes from poison ivy.  Somehow.  I definitely walked through enough of it.

I got wet feet.

I got wet clothes.

I fell down.

I got scratches and scrapes and bumps and bruises.

I was outdoors every day this summer.

I had a great summer.