Marty’s photo of the day #4431: This great gray owl stopped by the house for a visit last year.
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Month: June 2023
Water in the Old West
Marty’s photo of the day #4430: For the last couple of weeks, I have been learning a lot about water rights in Old West Montana. I say that because as near as I can tell they haven’t evolved since the 1800s. Deb and I have 25 acres, “The Essen Wildlife Refuge,” on a private mountain […]
Woolly lousewort
Marty’s photo of the day #4429: Woolly lousewort, photographed near the Arctic Ocean in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Dad! What do I do with this thing?
Marty’s photo of the day #4428: “Dad! What do I do with this thing? I can’t chase it, like a squirrel, but I can’t really play with it, like a dog, either.” In my book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer, I have a story about Buddy, a cantankerous Saint […]
What does an osprey have to do with all of this?
Marty’s photo of the day #4427: One of the disadvantages of living in the mountains of Montana is that reliable internet service is difficult to get. When Deb and I built our house, in 1996, we picked a spot on a ridge where we would have to cut down the fewest number of trees. That […]
Baby spiders!
Marty’s photo of the day #4424-4426: Last night, Deb called out, “Marty! Come here. And bring your camera.” On our front porch railing, a major hatch of spiders was taking place. The mother spider wasn’t around, so while I took photos, Deb got a magnifying glass and the National Audubon Society Guide to North American […]
Forced to comply
Marty’s photo of the day #4423: Fine. I fucking give up! When I’m at home, I have multiple landline business phones, multiple high-quality stereo systems, multiple cameras, multiple computers, and multiple tablets. Why the fuck would I need a smartphone? The only two times I need a cell phone are when I’m on the road […]
Risk taking
Marty’s photo of the day #4422: On my posts yesterday, some of us had a lively conversation about the Titan submersible and risk taking. Whether sinking down to the Titanic or climbing up to the top of Mount Everest, it’s just human nature for some people to take risks. And risk-taking doesn’t have to be […]
Sure, we’d do it
Marty’s photo of the day #4421: Last night, Deb and I discussed whether we would take a ride in the Titan submersible to see the Titanic shipwreck if given the chance. We both agreed we’d do it, but not for the $250,000 per-person fee. Perhaps if OceanGate removed one of the zeros from the price […]
A dazzle of zebras
Marty’s photo of the day #4420: I don’t think I’ve posted this particular photo before. It’s a dazzle of zebras, photographed while hiking across Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.
Wait for it. . . .
Marty’s photo of the day #4419: “Okay, the guy with that thing in his hands is back again. I’ll tell you when. Wait for it. . . . Wait for it. . . .” (Galahs, photographed in Queensland, Australia)
Great blue heron
Marty’s photo of the day #4418: A great blue heron stands atop a cardón cactus, near the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.
The pig cobra
Marty’s photo of the day #4417: The following short excerpt is from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. For this adventure, Deb and I are on the island of Borneo, and Stephen is our guide from the Dusun Segama tribe: Eventually we rose to our feet and started toward the […]
Nellie’s playpen
Marty’s photo of the day #4416: Deb and I built our house in the mountains of Montana back in 1996. Deb designed it, with a little input from me here and there. All these years later we still love our house, and even though it’s more than quadrupled in value, we wouldn’t sell it for […]
Ironically, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will have proven one of two things. . . .
As someone who has written four novels that some consider blasphemous, or at the very least irreverent, I have to laugh at the entire concept of blasphemy. If the god that is being satirized is real and powerful, why would that god need the help of people to defend itself? As I’ve witnessed with my […]
The largest elk on Earth
Marty’s photo of the day #4415: The following short excerpt is from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Late Thursday, Deb and I had the privilege of being the first spotters of the largest elk on Earth. Okay, Deb spotted it without my help, and it probably wasn’t the world’s […]
Watching the penguins
Marty’s photo of the day #4414: A south polar skua watches over a penguin colony, on a tiny island, just off the coast of Antarctica.
I’m reasonably sure . . .
Marty’s photo of the day #4413: I’m reasonably sure this is a young, black-lined plated lizard, but if I am wrong, I’m sure I’ll hear about it. (Photographed in Zimbabwe)
Happy Arraignment Day!
Marty’s photo of the day #4412: “Happy Arraignment Day! While some of the lower primates are going nuts, we’re going bananas!”
The invisible friend
Marty’s photo of the day #4411: Huge scientific discovery! Gentoo penguins are the only animal species, other than humans, that enjoy going for walks with an invisible friend. (Photographed just off the coast of Antarctica)