by Loti | Dec 5, 2014 | United States
Tryon, NC. Finally getting settled. A newly renovated house in a new place, a new life. So what does the future hold? What have I learned to prepare me for this new adventure in life? Over the last 9 months, I have moved 2 households, broken my right arm, visited 5 new countries, completely gutted a house, started and sadly ended a relationship and spent a lot of time creating one crisis after another. Hard to admit, but I have quickly become the queen of crisis! Yet now, things that seemed so important just months ago have faded into the background as inconsequential in the scheme of life. But damn, they seemed so important while in the heat of the moment! And doesn’t a crisis show everyone how critical my stuff is compared to theirs? Well, enough. After all, a crisis is rarely a positive experience (especially one you manufacture) and they always seem to pass. So back to blogging about falling in love with life, one fascination at a time; back to living with a sense of gratitude, learning new things (dancing is #1) and just looking down my very cool driveway. No crisis ahead, just a new day with unlimited possibilities. And how nice to have relinquished my queen of crisis role. Hopefully...
by Loti | May 26, 2014 | Conquering Fear, Insects, Landscapes, Uncategorized, United States
North Carolina. My first hike in years. About 3 miles, considered easy to moderate. I was warned about poison ivy, getting dehydrated and even to be careful of my hiking partner since I had recently met him. Not to mention bears, muggers, mountain lions, snakes and whatever else my catastrophic mind could conjure up. Yikes, should I even go? It is amazing what fear can prevent me from doing (I tend to become immobilized). But it is even more amazing what occurs when I conquer my fears. I had an absolute blast hiking. I felt like I was 8 years and on top of the world. And what a magical world. I half expected a forest fairy to run out and dance around us. We found a huge green lunar moth, tiny wildflowers, moss covered tree trunks, cardinals, streams flowing under old wooden bridges, mushrooms, and millions of plants including jack in the pulpits which I haven’t seen since childhood. And we found this beautiful (remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder)centipede tucked into a rotting log. How very cool. It was so much fun discovering new things around every bend. It just reinforces that life is to be lived, every day. There is magic every where you look. And if I hadn’t faced my fears about the hike? I would have missed one of the best experiences in recent...
by Loti | Mar 8, 2014 | Australia, Birds, United States
Sydney, Australia. Pretty cool birds. But what are they? Surely there is an internet app for identifying birds. Well, of course! Actually the one I found and like is the Merlin Bird app produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Covering 285 species, I identified my first birds using it this week, wild turkeys walking across the road in North Carolina. It is easy enough for a child to use (just my speed) and sends info to Cornell who uses it to track bird populations. So I am helping science while birding, my new favorite sport. And move over all you football fans. According to the US Fish and Wildlife services, birding is the #1 sport in the US (maybe a little biased). And it is free! Just look outside and no matter where you are, there are birds. Some 10,000 species worldwide. And the Merlin app is also free. Sweet! Well, the birds pictured are Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, only found in the wild in Australia and New Guinea. We saw them in a local park while visiting Sydney. Now I have 6 birds listed in my new Birder’s Journal. Only 8,393 to go to match Phoebe Snetsinger’s world record of birding, the most of anyone in the world at the time of her death. Well, I better go get...
by Loti | Feb 10, 2014 | Animals, Birds, Health, United States
Florida. What in the world do humans and red knot shore birds have in common? Horseshoe crabs. Really? I remember horseshoe crabs as a kid washing up on the Long Island shore. These cool looking crabs are one of the few living fossils surviving today, having been around for 450 million years (way, way before dinosaurs). They are close cousins of the spider and look like big scorpions with hard backed shells and a harmless, although scary looking, long tail. So how are we all connected? The red knot bird relies on the consumption of eggs laid by the horseshoe crab to refuel for their unbelievably long migration from South America to the Arctic (almost 20,000 miles round trip). Humans rely on the blood of the crabs to protect us from bad bacteria (to learn more check out this fascinating PBS documentary (video.pbs.org/video/1200406235). All intravenous drugs, including shots and vaccines, in the US are required by the FDA to be tested with horseshoe crab blood to detect any foreign bacteria. (Wow, that I didn’t know).The blood, containing copper (making it blue as opposed to the iron in our blood which is red), coagulates when exposed to bad bacteria. Birds, crabs and humans- all interconnected. What an amazing world! Photo from...
by Loti | Oct 7, 2013 | Africa, Australia, Conquering Fear, Easter Island, Fiji, Food, Indonesia, Panama, Portugal, Travel, United States
Miami/FT Lauderdale . Arriving at our kicking off spot for the jet trip around the world, I am vacillating between being totally terrified (I mean what was I thinking about signing up for a trip with 23 people I don’t know) and feeling completely exhilarated (what an adventure). We visit 8 countries in just 22 days on our Airbus (which hold 24 travelers plus 3 pilots, one engineer, 4 flight attendants, a full time chef and 4 tour guides, plus an IPad to use). So just how far is it around the world? I was guessing 50,000 but it turns out it’s just under 25,000 miles, barely enough to get Silver medallion status on Delta. So if you have any minimal status on any airline, you have probably flown the equivalent of around the world. I just happen to be doing it all at one time. And which way do you want to travel? East to west or the opposite, west to east? As with so many things, I never really thought about it. Our pilots feel flying from East to West is much easier on jet lag. You generally arrive during daylight and then can go to bed at a normal time. Which is great as our entire trip is east to west. We leave for Panama in the morning for a short 2.5 hour trip with no time change so I think we will be safe from jet lag for a couple more days. By this time tomorrow, we will have traversed one of the largest locks in the world (the largest is in Belgium). The journey...
by Loti | Sep 26, 2013 | Flowers, Food, Insects, Landscapes, United States
Denver. Strolling through the Botanical gardens, this interesting wood cabinet caught my eye. On further investigation, it turns out to be a hotel. For bugs! Why in the world would you want to have a place for insects to camp out? Well, where else do they stay in downtown Denver (or anywhere else in the world), especially in the winter? Made from pine cones, bamboo, grass, bricks and other recycled materials, is is an interesting and it turns out, an important addition to the landscape. Attracting ladybugs, solitary bees and wasps, grasshoppers and other critters that pollinate our flowers and vegetables and eat bad bugs like aphids, they are good for the both the garden and the ecosystem. Some are even considered art. And they are very popular in Europe. London sponsored a contest for architects to construct the most luxurious bug hotels which you can now see as you stroll though the city and the Chelsea Flower Show featured numerous insect hotels. Cities like Vancouver are also getting into the act. The downtown area reclaimed an old phone booth and turned into into an urban hotel for insects. How clever. If you don’t want to build a hotel, you can (of course) buy one on Amazon. And even if you are not into gardening, over 90% of the world’s flowers and crops need pollination to reproduce (just think, there would be no chocolate without midge flies!) By providing lodging, we can care for our insect brethren as we continue to encroach on and often destroy their habitats. Just be sure to leave the lights on and a mint...
