Working Hard...or Hardly Working?

Working hard of course!

Determining whether an object is a lead buckshot from the 19th century.

Ghost Hunters

I am obsessed with Ghost Hunters.  A new season started last night and I was glued to my t.v. waiting to see what crazy things the TAPS team would catch.  I have to admit that I don't really believe in ghosts.  But when I watch this show all my uncertainties go out the window.  How can you deny there are ghosts when they are clearly being caught on camera and audio from the TAPs team?  Last nights episode really freaked me out when they caught on their audio recording the voice a of a women responding to their questions. Of course no one was with them in the room...eeek!  After I watched the show I laid in bed telling myself over and over again that there is no such thing as ghosts, even though I was pretty sure I just saw something in the corner of the room.

Me: "Bobby?"..."Bobby?"..."BOBBY?!"

Bobby running up the stairs

Bobby: "Whats wrong?"

Me: "I'm scared"

Bobby: "Have you been watching Ghost Hunters again?"

Me: "Maybe"

Bobby: "There are no ghosts in the room... I already checked."

I really do wonder if we are alone. Hopefully if I ever run into a ghost it will be Casper or another friendly ghost.

Get it right!

A helpful list in knowing how to talk "South Florida"

Glades = Everglades

Gator = Alligator.

Rez = Reservation

Coke = Pop.  Everyone will laugh at you if you say pop.

Charlie, Wilma, Rita = Hurricanes, not people. They're on a first name basis down here.

Craker= A term identifying native Floridians. Not to be confused of course with the racial term. Umm ok.

**Now you can come visit and fit right in!
 

My Office

For almost 9 hours out of my day I am here... in my tiny office in the little modular in the middle of nowhere.  I share my office (or rather he shares it with me) with the Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer.  It is quite small but we make it work.  Now you can picture where I live out half my day!

My desk

So you know where to find me..notice the awesome pink and white wallpaper

It must be official

Oh, and a little gift from my lab manager.  His hair is always blowing in the wind/air conditioner.

One of those days

Yesterday was one of those days... 

1.  Smelled something horrible in one of the collection rooms and found out there are dead rats in the ceiling

2.  Found two stray puppies on the boardwalk and watched their mom attack them. It was horrible but animal control saved them and they were ok.

3.  Discovered a leaky pipe in the lab

4.  Field crew came back early because they were accidentally shot at by hunter in a pasture. 

5.  Was told that this is going to be the worst hurricane season Florida has seen in years and then everyone proceeded to talk about all the catagory 4 and 5 hurricanes they lived through.

Sunny Boardwalk

Pictures are worth a Thousand Words

Every week on MSNBC.com I love to look at their weekly animal pictures.  It never ceases to amaze me the beautiful and unique animals that live on the earth with us and how many of them portray the same emotions as us.  These are some of my favorites.

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Rainy Day

Another Rainy Day in South Florida.  It has forced us inside to catch up on our Netflix movies.  Maybe tomorrow will be sunny...

heavy

The air is so heavy today I can feel it weighing me down as I walk.  My hair is starting to curl and my glasses fog up when I go outside.  Summer is coming...

Have a Magical Day!

This weekend Bobby and I went up to Orlando.  Our friends Melissa and Makenzie were running in the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon.  It was so wonderful to see them... to see familiar faces, and to be around people who we love.

We spent Saturday catching up around the pool and going to their expo so they could pick up their race numbers.  There we were surrounded by a million women all wearing tiaras and glitter.  This lady even asked Bobby how it felt to be the only guy around! Everyone was getting excited for their race.

Sunday was spent going to the finish line where both Mel and Makenzie finished with awesome times!  I'm pretty sure I would have made it 1/2 a mile before collapsing into a heap of exhaustion and Tarzan would have had to drag me off to the side.  Afterwords we spent the rest of the day in the Magic Kingdom.  The minute I walked through the gates a flood of memories came back and I was 5 years old again.  When we were on the Haunted Mansion ride I remembered so clearly the ghosts who are dancing in the ballroom.

We all had a great time and we were exhausted by the end.  I was even somehow forced to ride Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain which I was proud of myself for because I am terrified of roller coasters.  It was so wonderful to spend the day in a fantasy land where everything is perfect (minus the 3,000 temper tantrums we witnessed).  But what made it even better was spending the day with my friends.    

Epcot

Jessica and Melissa

Snow White also ran...as a man

Modeled after Down Town Fort Collins!

Yes there was dancing!

The one who started it all

Enjoying the scenary

Me and Makenzie 

mmmm turkey

Thunder Mountain

Speed Racers

As we left the park we heard the loud speaker yell "Have a Magical Day!"  It was.

Caught Red Handed

I caught a thief today in the act!  Part of his face was covered with a black bandana and he kept looking around to see if anyone was watching as he continued to pick through an innocent person's back pack.

Unfortunately he got away...

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Sneaky and very Large Mr. Racoon

Magical Weekend

We are off to Disney World tomorrow!  My friends Makenzie and Melissa are running the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday and Bobby and are off to support the princesses.  I have not been to Disney World since I was 5 and I am very excited!  A bonus to living in Florida I suppose.

Hopefully it won't be overly crowded with screaming children and irritated parents.  I am looking forward to being in the most magical place on earth and pretending that I am sleeping beauty.  I hope Bobby is prepared to fight off the dragon and evil witch.

Snake Road

Snake Road is the main road that feeds into the Big Cypress Reservation.  It takes about 20 minutes from the time we exit off I-75 to get to the THPO office.  It is a beautiful drive, with pastures and palm hammocks surrounding the roads.  There is a canal that follows the road the whole way into town which is where you can always spot the alligators in the early morning and late afternoon.  The road is a very windy two lane road.  

Turtle Crossing

Hence the name Snake Rd.

I usually drive in the morning, while my co-workers are passed out (they are not morning people).  I get to enjoy the quiet morning commute with my coffee and the sun coming up, making the sky glow a pinkish orange.

1, 2, 3, 4

Alligator Count Today: 29