Don't go to the Estate Sale

It was haunted; 

but real hauntings have nothing to do with ghosts finally; 

they have to do with the menace of memory.

~ Anne Rice, The Queen of the Damned 

"Be careful what you bring into the house," she warned. "You never know what might be clinging to an object...what memory." Thus I'd been warned and I had heeded the warning for a good long time. 

There are enough ghosts here without bringing in any extra things - haunted or otherwise. We do have enough stuff - and memories. But I was invited to the sale by a friend. She's be coming from a bit of a distance. Afterward we would go for a chat and some tea.

We had a great visit and I was careful in my selections. Button jars, a length of denim, red dominoes (really - RED), blue Pyrex bowls, the perfect pasta pot, and an egg plate...oh, oh...and a horned lizard cookie cutter (I will bet you have never seen one of those!). 

Yes, I have already revisited my childhood by searching through the buttons and picking out those I will be using for my latest project (yoyo turtles for folks who helped me with a reptile class this summer).  There was also a zipper foot for a Singer (sewing machine part for those of you who don't know what a zipper foot is) and a garter clip (I don't know the last time I saw one of those). 

Zipper foot (everyone needs a spare) and garter clip (this was a BONUS - haunting memory from pre-pantyhose days)

I heard Dad and his buddies at the hunting lease as I counted the dominoes and then put them away.

"Oh oh Domino" ~ Van Morrison

Kitchen things always reminds me of my mother and grandmother - both incredible cooks. The small blue Pyrex bowls match larger bowls we use every day. The pot is Farberware (what I was raised with and still use) of a size I have given away to my children and have discovered I still need. It appears that it was never used. By heavens, I'll use it!

Okay - I am obsessed with deviled egg plates. I once had my grandmother's and mother's and others that came home with me from garage and estate sales for years because they looked so sad. I knew that the kids would need one at some point. I think I had six in the cabinet until recently when they went to happy homes with my girls and a niece. So, I suppose I thought I needed one again. The cabinet felt a little empty. And this one is small - it will only hold 12 deviled eggs. <sigh>

Egg plate - don't tell.

The cookie cutter will haunt me only for the next couple of weeks. I have finished one 10-year project and there is clay calling.  I'm sure I can figure something out.

Okay...this thing is haunted...took me 20 minutes to get the photo to upload and post. Really.

Sometimes the ghosties want to come home with you - sometimes not. But afternoon tea and conversation with a friend is ALWAYS the perfect way to end a weekend. Thanks for the invite TJH!

Spiders (at the end), Dragonflies, and Frogs!

Come come! Come Out!
From bogs old frogs command the dark
and look...the stars
― Kikaku, Japanese Haiku  

This park has the best sunsets.*

We've been trying to get this kid to an amphibian watch for almost a year. Finally, the stars aligned, the moon came out, and the frogs and toads showed their stuff. The Green Tree Frogs were calling as were the Rio Grande Leopard Frogs. It seems like forever since we have heard the leopard frogs call with the gusto we heard (and recorded).

Shhh! It's a Green Tree Frog...

...that wants to be free!

After we measure and photograph someone has to let it go.

Adventuring with young people can be amazing. They see things differently and are only too willing to share that vision.

In between all the spiders he "spied" JS found this Spot-winged Glider (dragonfly). I was fixated on the red eyes!

Here's a little bit of our adventure. [BTW - He loved it!]


FROGS AND TOADS: We observed five species (the 4 pictured here and the Blanchard's Cricket frogs who called, but did not appear. At one point the cricket frogs started calling from across the pond...then the calling moved in a wave, gathering in intensity until a few frogs at my feet began calling. It was stunning. Some day I need to figure out how to add audio and video here.).

American Bullfrog floating on a mat of green yuck (my unscientific word).

After a little distress this Green Tree Frog decided to pose.

Smile!

Rio Grande Leopard Frog  and cricket friend.

The person who finds the frog gets to release it.

We knew there were Gulf Coast Toads around. On our way back to the cars we found this little guy.

 Other Critters:

This stunning beetle (I think it is a hardwood stump borer) was the first observation for most of us. No, it did not bite, but I bet it could...look at those pincers!

A couple of "woolly bear" caterpillars were crawling up this tree as we passed by on the trail.

It's a katydid of some kind...beautiful.

Other chores/duties:

If park visitors have questions - or car trouble (apparently) this group is ready to lend a hand!

Naturalists are often working on other projects on amphibian watch evenings. KM marked a tree with Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy crawling up its trunk The identifying signage for those vines located elsewhere must be moved (at the recommendation of an arborist) and this will be their new site.

NOTES:

* Berry Springs Park and Preserve - https://www.wilco.org/Departments/Parks-Recreation/County-Parks/Berry-Springs-Park

Zelda loves to go on adventures. Here she watches companions stop for water. The evening was hot. It was still in the 80s as we headed home well after 10:00 p.m.

~~~~~~~SPIDERS ~~~~~~~

Once again the spider photos are left to the end of the post. The orbweavers were everywhere, but there were also some other BIG spiders - really big spiders! So, here they are (with the exception of the Yellow Garden Spider whose photo was not up to snuff.

Look or don't look. It's up to you. No people or spiders were injured in the process of documentation, although we watching one orbweaver snag supper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dark Fishing Spider

Orbweaver

A member of Genus Tetragnatha, perhaps...

A BIG Wolf Spider

A Texas Cave Adventure

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.
― Joseph Campbell 

Our long drive through the countryside was almost a delight - few crazy drivers, only a little construction, and the lovely curves and hilly road to Longhorn Cavern State Park.* As you find in many older parks in Texas (and across the country) many of the improvements at Longhorn Cavern have the look and feel of Civilian Conservation Corps work. And they tell that story throughout the cave.**

My siblings assured me we had explored this cave with our parents many years ago, but I didn't see anything that sparked a memory. So this sojourn would be something new for all of us. DH and I had invited two intrepid adventurers along for the day. The lure -- a cave and pie.

The CCC has been here. These are the steps to the cave. Down is easy.

The entrance is just off this area....a place where a dome has collapsed?

The temperature has already dropped a few degrees as we began our trip into the cave.

The first thing we noticed was the cool. We had been experiencing dangerously hot weather, but the cave was more than pleasant. 

There quite a lot of history to this place. Native Americans, Texas Rangers, local settlers and more. I cannot imagine traveling in this place in the dark...

DH, JS, MS, and I managed to get on the second tour of the day.

 I did not remember this cave, not the stairs leading down, and not the walls of crystal*** to be found in a few places inside. A fan of "shiny objects," I think I'd remember the crystals...

I mentioned to JS that "I love shiny things." "Who doesn't?" he replied. I knew I liked that kid.

"Soft" calcite crystals were formed by the waters that formed the cave.***

We counted Tricolored bats (9)****. I put this here as some of you will skip the critters at the end. This species has been ravaged by a number of things including white-nose disease.

It's an interesting hike through this hole in the ground (an underground stream bed?*****). Dark side-tunnels beckon.  At one point I joked with MS, the older brother. I peered into the darkness of a chamber and pretended to call his brother back to the group. [Hey, it's my job!] When JS, the younger of the two, appeared at our side from a different direction, MS realized the joke (and that he will have to be alert for he associates with pranksters).

The following will be extra-large photos for a better view...

"Queen's Watchdog" or just the "Watchdog" -- thought to be a natural formation as a study could find no tool marks. The formation was repaired after a fall, but is otherwise thought to be natural.

Dark marks above are from prior colonies of Mexican Free-tailed Bats that were sealed out of the cave when the openings were closed.

Once a designated a fall-out shelter the cave still shows signs of different uses (including hideout and nightclub).

The guide gave us a brief experience of how early explorers might have seen the cave in candlelight.

Moisture on a low part of the ceiling shows just a little bit of the moisture at work in the cave.

We also climbed a small observation/water tower nearby. Even the "scaredy-cat" in the group climbed the two spiral staircases to look out on the surrounding countryside (and the "castle").

The tower - we were a little underwhelmed until we saw the view.

One person on the stairs at a time!

A lovely design that lets in the light.

The view. What is that castle out there?

Proof! My tennis shoes at the stop of the winding stairs.

There is a "lower-level" tour of the cave for the more adventurous. It requires equipment, a change of clothes (you get muddy and wet), and twice the time. It could be that some in our group will try that on a Saturday soon. Stand by.

Post Script: We headed to nearby Marble Falls to eat at the famous Bluebonnet Cafe. The food was good, but portions so large that we skipped the pie (yes, you heard that right). Stand by for pie stories soon.


NOTES:

*https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/longhorn-cavern
**https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/longhorn-cavern/park_history
***https://geology.com/minerals/calcite.shtml
****http://www.batcon.org/resources/media-education/species-profiles/detail/2345,      
        https://www.fws.gov/southeast/pdf/fact-sheet/tri-colored-bat.pdf
*****https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/longhorn-cavern/nature

CRITTERS [Including a ~~~~SPIDER~~~~]

There were critters inside (cave crickets and bats) and outside of the cave. Here are a couple.

A true bug of some kind.

One of my favorite spider species - Yellow Garden Spider