Random

Remember these characters from a previous post and the interesting uses of their spore powder?  (clubmoss, dusting powder for condoms)

I recently read another interesting use of this powder in a different field guide which said that it was used as a flash powder in photography back in "the day".  It didn't work so well with my DSLR though.  Considering those two diverse uses of this powder, there could be some potential bad consequences if these two features somehow combined.  POOF!  Be careful out there!

Trying to make something ugly pretty again on a frosty morning in the Muskeg Meadows N.P.

Does this look like some kind of reptile skull to anyone else?  It makes me think of some sort of lizard head but is actually some sedimentary rock that I found on a really interesting small island in the Wrangell vicinity.  The rocks on the island are much younger and different than the predominant geology of our area and it is possible to find fossils of shells there.  Any rock hounds out there would really find this place interesting.

A giant psychedelic octopus recently rampaged through the town of Petersburg leaving ink stains everywhere until those Norwegian fishermen took care of it.  Coastal Cold Storage has octopus pretty cheap while supplies last!  This was just a photo I took when I got an idea to do a post on nautical charts soon.  Nautical charts are works of art in and of themselves and are getting very difficult to get as marine electronics take over navigational needs with digital charts, GPS, etc.  A law enforcement officer from a federal agency recently told me that they are not permitted to use paper charts anymore, only electronics.  They are no longer available to purchase in Wrangell as demand declined and now I believe that they are mostly only available by downloading from the internet.  A nautical chart post coming soon!

A couple of local kayakers on a beautiful clear, cold sunny, still day.  I wanted to end this post with this photo to emphasis the importance of getting out and being closer to the natural world.  I realize the hypocrisy of what I am about to say here, but get out from in front of your screens, take your damn ear buds out of your ears, leave your damn phone AT HOME and spend some time disconnecting to reconnect to yourself and each other.  Spend more time staring into space and being in your own head thinking rather than being thought for.  WE are the thought police.