The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Sunday, April 27, 2008

A wonderful weekend

I will go ahead and post my "Odd Shots Monday" shot, following with my routine... In order to participate in this, visit Katney's blog. This week, I am sharing a picture I took today while I was in Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park with bf. I definitely found the following sight quite interesting... and odd. Wouldn't you say?I would say that a two-headed turtle is an ODD sight. The turtle-keeper said that it's not all that rare in the wild... sort of like siamese twins... yeah, you see those all the time.... right... Just some more insight on the two-headed turtle, though... It had been there at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park since 1990. Apparently, as the guy said, two-headed turtles are not uncommon. Unfortunately, when they occur in the wild, they have very little hope for survival, but since this one was captured, he/they have lived a long healthy life. I could see why it might be difficult for such a turtle to survive in the wild... while the turtle(s) were being fed, the head on the right was quite dominant, and looking at the eyes of the one on the left, I suspect it might be blind, but the turtle-keeper hand fed the turtle(s) to make sure that both sides were well-fed. Interesting that dominance in that case would be their/its demise in the wild.

Now, let me start at the beginning of the weekend. As I mentioned, bf and I were headed to Tampa for a conference, Acquire the Fire (click here for more information), a Christian Youth Rally/Concert, getting teens excited about Jesus, where we had volunteered our time. We arrived in Tampa around 3:30 on Friday, and reported to training. We worked tirelessly from 5 until 9:30 Friday night, then arrived at 7:15 Saturday morning to do it again until 9:30PM. I worked the main merchandise store, where I was quickly promoted to table manager with a 20% increase in pay. Unfortunately 20% of nothing, is still nothing. At one point, they pulled me aside to count the offering... apparently, I have a large stamp on my forehead that reads, "PLEASE let me count money!" lol. Apparently, it's my calling. What a phenomenal event it was, such powerful worship, they reached SO many teenagers at once. Early ticket sales were about 6,800, their largest event this year. I encourage everyone with teens to check out the website and check for a venue near them. Even if you don't have a teenager, I would encourage that you volunteer your time. It was very rewarding.

Well, we finished that and slept in (slightly) on Sunday. We decided to do a little more Floridian west coast exploration, since we were in the area. We traveled up highway 19 to Homosassa Springs, where we went to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Starting on a boat, we were transported to the park, where there were many native birds and animals and the now Floridian resident (as proclaimed by the governor), Lu, the hippopotamus. How about that for a warning...? At least they offered the warning...

Well, onto my pics from the day... (I just completed my huge post when it all resorted back to an earlier save. I am quite frustrated with blogger right now.) I will start with the bald eagle shots, which were among my favorite shots yesterday (Sunday). I think it's important to note that it is unlawful to hold bald eagles in captivity unless they are injured. The two bald eagles at this park are each missing half of one of their wings. Of course, in typical Dew fashion, I took a boatload of photographs... here are my birds shots, of which, the owl shot is my favorite... purple. :O)This area of the Floridian west coast is most known for the native manatees that inhabit the area. They love the constant temperature of the Homosassa Springs and the spring fed Crystal River, which is beautiful, btw. We couldn't stop though, since we were on a narrow bridge over it. These manatees or "gentle giants", despite their enormous size (these were between 3000 and 3500 lbs. each), move with amazing gracefulness and speed in the water. They have no known predators and generally only die from injuries sustained by boats passing by or natural causes. They are very majestic creatures, though quite ugly, imo. Sorry, if you happen to find them attractive... We watched the feeding and got to learn all about them. The volunteer was feeding them carrots and sweet potatoes, but she said they also love romaine lettuce.I also captured some nature shots...

Leaving there, we traveled up highway 121 in FL, and came across this wonderfully artistic garden in the middle of no where. It appeared to be the remnants of an old factory wall or something placed in the middle of a field that was decorated with floral arrangements and water features. There were plenty of sitting areas. It was well kept and beautiful. We, of course, had to stop and enjoy it.All in all, it was a wonderfully rewarding and adventurous weekend. We had a blast!!

Regarding weather, there are a couple of areas of slight risk for severe weather, on the Carolinas and Virginia coast and the Kentucky/Tennessee area. Hopefully, Mikey and Tennessee Mike will get their big shots. They are calling for heavy rain in my neck of the woods. Jason shared with me an article about Wednesday's tornadoes in Texas. Friday saw 9 tornado reports, including one in Washington state, which I am a little suspicious of... we are still tracking well above the average and recent years for reported tornadoes, and the season is far from over.Have a terrific Monday!
~Dewdrop

P.S. I am home with a sick Mini-Dew today. She is doing much better than last night.

Minidew says hi. I've been making good grades in science.
(Typed by the infamous Mini-Dew, herself... )

33 comments:

  1. Ewww... gross and odd for sure!

    Hello back to mini dew. Keep up the good grades! Summer vacation is around the corner.

    Have a great week Jenn!

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  2. Omigosh! I thought it was two of something inside themouth of something---er, weird!

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  3. Yes, the two headed turtle is odd to see however, I have, also, heard it is not all that unusual.

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  4. That is definitely odd - much odder than mine :)

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  5. How odd indeed, I need new specs.lol.


    my 2x2 odd shot is up too.

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  6. Very very odd!
    A good choice for today!

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  7. That is stunning.. I have seen the odd lamb born like that.. and seen pictures of cow calfs.. This looks to be healthy were the lambs I saw did not last long at all..
    If you are pooped out it must have been a great weekend ..

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  8. OMG! That is so freaky. So this isn't a myth, two headed turtles exist. An extremely odd shot, well captured.

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  9. Now that is odd .. I wonder what the odds are on a siamese turtle?

    Daryl

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  10. That is definately odd and a very rare find!

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  11. Courtney, It was wild, and it was so funny because I didn't realize what it was at first, but when I did, I looked at bf and said... Well, I got my odd shot for Monday. lol Mini-Dew is sick today. I will let her know to keep those grades up. She's a good kid.

    Katney, It did possibly have something in its mouth. They had just been fed before they were picked up. Very weird, indeed.

    Person with puppies, It was certainly unusual to me. A first.

    Archie, I thought it was pretty bizarre. I'll have to check yours out.

    Imac, lol! I checked yours out.

    Mrs. Nesbitt, Thanks. I thought it was quite appropriate.

    Tom, You saw a lamb born that way?! How intereting. The two-headed turtle was at least 18 years old, so VERY healthy. I had a terrific weekend. I can't wait to write about it.

    Babooshka, It was a wild find. Not a myth. I saw it first hand, watched them/it eat actually. Thanks.

    Daryl, I don't know, but if you find out, please let me know. I guess I could do a little research on that myself...

    Dot, Very rare indeed. :O)

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  12. Since both sides must eat, I wonder if they have two separate systems inside. Very strange. Do they reproduce? Do they reproduce more two-headed turtles? Very interesting.

    http://wanderingwonderinggypsy.blogspot.com/

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  13. Gypsy, I have no idea... Those are great questions.

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  14. Oh my goodness this is a very odd shot for sure.

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  15. That is definitely odd! Great catch.

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  16. wow, very special...i must say that it is interesting, but somehow also nasty...
    visit also main:
    http://amazed-bear-mom.blogspot.com/

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  17. I know, Lilli. Can you believe that?!

    John, THANKS!

    K. Bear-mom, Lol! It was interesting. He/they were wild looking.

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  18. I'm actually in the middle of an MD right now....I hope it pans out. Down day at work and some severe weather coming....I hope I don't get left out in the cold again!

    SCM

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  19. Hope it doesn't bust again for you, Mikey. As I type, I am listening to thunder and watching an area of interest headed me way, currently under a dry slot... Could get interesting, but it looks like it will sail by just to my south.

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  20. Looks like a great place to visit. Since the turtle has two heads does this mean it gets overweight?

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  21. I meant because it has two mouths. ;)

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  22. Crazy! There was a 2-headed turtle on The Today Show a while back and it was tiny.

    Great bird shots, dh would love them!

    Hope Mini-Dew is feeling better.

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  23. Do they have 2 little tales too? Definitely odd...

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  24. That turtle photo is something else! Wow! So interesting.

    And the manatees - I've always been fascinated by them. In your picture they resemble the slugs I've been finding in my garden and hurling over the fence into the neighbor's yard from whence they came. Shh. ;)

    Your photos are just gorgeous - all of them. I called my daughters in to view them with me. They ooh'd and aaah'd. We all laughed at the "Splatter Zone" sign.

    I'm going to follow your link to Acquire the Fire. I do have two teens left at home. Have been a youth group worker for decades, though not at the present. Taking a break. Refreshing to find out you love the Lord, too! Yay!

    I'll be back.

    Oh, and I hope Mini-Dew is on the mends.

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  25. Major outbreak here today in SE Virginia. Possible F4 in Suffolk. Wow!

    SCM

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  26. Beth Ellen, It was a nice place to relax, take pictures and enjoy wildlife. BF was a little bored with the manatee discussion, but otherwise, it was great. He was thrilled to have the opportunity to see the hippo do his thing. As for the turtle being bigger... interesting thought. I wonder if they shared a stomach or not.

    Nicole, On the Today Show?! Really? Cool. Dh has a thing for birds? That's cool. I just love taking pics. Mini-Dew is much better. Thanks for your well wishes.

    R&J, I didn't even notice the tails... can you believe that? Odd, indeed.

    Cherie, You crack me up with your slug story. LOL. I promise not to tell. ;O) I appreciate your compliment on the photos. I am glad you and your daughters enjoyed them. I love taking them. It's nice to hear about them being appreciated. I hope you will get an opportunity to send your teens to ATF. It really was a wonderful experience. Bf used to be a youth pastor. I love the Lord, and it's refreshing to know that the Lord loves me. Stop back by anytime. Oh , and Mini-Dew is much better. Thanks!!!

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  27. Mikey, did you see anything??? An EF-4 tornado in Suffolk?! Great Googaly Moogaly!!!

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  28. I'll have a video of the rotating supercell up later tonight. Didn't capture the tornado on my video, but grabbed some stuff off the news. It passed about 3/4 of a mile to my west as a water spout, so I had to head for home and take cover. Very scary.

    SCM

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  29. Wow! What an amazing creature. Fantastic odd shot.

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  30. Wow, Mikey! That sounds very scary! Glad you made it ok. I hate to hear about large tornadoes hitting populated areas.

    I look forward to your video.

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  31. hi - colin and nicola here from UK - we have been visiting GeGe the turtle for 190 years niow but were informed in december that unfortunately he died this summer. altho we have loads of pics of him/her - yours is probably one of the last. thanx for the memories of this great little chap/chapess?

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  32. sorry that was a misprint above - should read 10 years!!!!!

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  33. lol. I was thinking 190 years?! WOW! That's cool that you found it. I hate that he has passed. They took such care!

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