Not Gonna' Let Three Weeks Get Past Me

According to Michelle, it's OK that I've missed blogging the past two weeks, and I agree with her. Two weeks ago we were helping with my sister-in-law's wedding reception and last week we were moving. Technically we're still moving, but now it's that really annoying part where we have to figure out where everything goes in the new place. Since I'm the muscle and Michelle is the brains I was the key factor in moving out (last week) and Michelle is working as the key factor for the moving in (the rest of this week).

Here's something to tide you over till I get some time to write.

Yes, Post B.S. is a Fly-By-Night Organization

So, for those of you that didn't notice, I missed another posting deadline. However, instead of letting it slide, I'm going to give you a mid-week post with some pictures I took recently in Owl Forest at the Tracy Aviary.
The mesh threw off my camera's focus, but in the background you can see the barn owl.

I just decided to use my long arms to get the camera lens between the wire mesh and got a sweet zoom-in on the great horned owl.

I got a clearer picture of the long-eared owl, with mesh and all.

But I like the shots through the mesh better :)

If you can't tell, this is the face of a saw-whet owl. It was hiding behind a pine branch, so it makes for a pretty curious effect. However, it also gives you an idea of how small these guys are (check out that pine-needle to eye ratio).

Running With a View

Guess I need to start off with an apology. I procrastinated with my weekly blog last week (just like I'm doing this week,) and the little gremlins in the computer decided to throw a rock into the gears.

The thing I was writing about last week (but failed to be able to publish,) was the Legacy Parkway Trail. The good news is that this week, I didn't really need to think of a topic ;)

It's a great trail if you don't mind gnats and bikers that need to make sure you know they're faster on their bikes then you are on your feet. (Yes, I know this is normally to be polite and to give you warning so that you can move over, but the trail is pretty wide and the bikers are pretty noisy so they're not really sneaking up and going to surprise you.)

Just last week on our run we saw a couple of American coots, a Franklin's gull, some red-winged blackbirds, and a double-crested cormorant. The view of the mountains and plant-life is great, it's so wonderful to look at that you almost forget about the running. There are clear markers starting at the southern most part of the trail with 0 and showing every .5 miles up to the 14 mile marker. As I mentioned earlier, the trail is wide and so makes for very comfortable run even when there is more than the usual activity level.

There are plans to run the trail further south and connecting it with the Jordan River Parkway Trail which would be awesome. Anyways, guess this is just my little post to let you know that if you haven't been there yet, check it out.

Let the Training Begin

Guess we're making it a tradition.

For the third year in a row we've registered to run in the Deseret News Pioneer Day 10K. Technically this is only the second year that I've registered, Michelle ran the first year by herself (and placed 79th in her age group) since I was involved in something else that I don't recall at this time. And, of course, Michelle got sick right before last year's race and so I did that one alone (and placed 97th in my age group, so you can see who the better runner is).

So, here's hoping that 3rd time's the charm and we'll make it down together.

Hole in the wall, full of good stuff.

Get ready, I'm making my first attempt at a restaurant review.

Buca di Beppo

Michelle and I have always enjoyed Italian, but Buca di Beppo is a different style.

Most Italian restaurants are elegant, showing off a beautiful Tuscan atmosphere. Not Buca. They pull you right into the most active and lively part of Italian culture. The walls are covered with black and white photos (flattering or not), Italian football scarves, wine bottles, and grape vines. There are replica statues of world renown and busts of famous Italian personalities. The restaurant is lively and fun.

OK, enough about the environment, on to the food! Again, Buca di Beppo leaves the norm behind. Correction, it leaves the normal restaurant behind, but brings you in as a member of the Italian family. All the servings are done "family style". In other words, they ain't cheep. Unfortunately each serving is designed for more like four people, and the cost is for more like four people.

While these servings are larger than either Michelle or I can handle, it still doesn't stop us from going there for a celebrity night out. The food is great! It's full of flavour and shows up fresh and piping hot.

So, in summary, great place for a party. If you're just in the mood for some tasty Italian food, well, it's still pretty darn good (but plan on having some leftovers).

First Reader's Request

I think that something happens when I'm trying to write something and I'm just staring at the blank page, my mind becomes even more blank . . .

So, after many attempts, I'm going to try and tackle one of the requested topics and see where it takes me. From this point I'm just writing for the sake of writing and hope that something publishable shows up . . .

"Not just another pretty face, the personalities of birds."

Something that I think a lot of us don't stop and think about is that we're mammals. Why do I point this out? Well, as mammals we're more likely to relate of feel some sort of connection with other furry, hairy, woolly, things. (I'm not going to be the one to judge as to which category you fall under.) The mammalian sorts take front seat for most people as being the most individualistic.

What do many people feel about our feathery friends though? I remember in Biology 1010, the professor would always refer to them as bird-brains. He talked about how birds are simply designed to react. This enables them to fly through whatever obstacles evading predators or chasing prey.

While I can't speak for all birds, I do know that some have higher levels of thought than that, some could even say that they have quite the personality. Some of them are more willing to be trained and are even eager to work with us as we try to teach them new things. Others of the same group might just wish to avoid us all together.

We never really can tell what type of bird is going to react to what until we've worked with that individual for a while and can have a good idea of what their personality might be like.

I'm sure that those of you living with multiple animals, or children (if you want to put them in a different category) understand. Basically, what works for one doesn't always work for the others. Try to explain why and you'll probably come up blank.

Most Useless Machine Ever

I'm suffering from Writer's Block, so instead you get a view of this little invention: