flux biota.

they don't get thaaat big.

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm growing dinosaurs in a mason jar.

sickly weekend drawin'. I have a cold.

2012-01-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

click on image for a better view.

2012-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Don't let this be your future.

The dog almost caught a deer.

2012-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Trevor, Mudd, and I went for a walk through the fields yesterday. We walked around the muck and snow, we looked at old/lightning struck trees, and followed turkey tracks.

Suddenly, there was a crashing sound in the timber and a male whitetail deer (antlers and all) came crashing out from the trees. The deer was scared but the dog wasn't. Mudd perked up his ears, growled, and took off full bore after the gigantic beast.

"Mudd! Stop!" I yelled this over and over but the deer was out of sight.

I heard some more crashing and the deer came running from the other side of the field. Mudd was still behind him, running as fast as he could. Eventually, I was able to get to a high point and see my little pooch. He was panting and excited. But, really, what would he have done if the deer decided to stop? I dunno. A kick. A deer kick. All I know is my dog wanted to eat this deer.

Really, this was all my fault. I take him to see deer all the time. Watch the video. I'm just glad the dog is ok.

It is the day of my birth. My birthday, if you will.

2012-01-16T07:58:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fxmX230bzc&feature=related

1. Victoria surprised me with a whole batch of melted snowman cookies as a birthday present! Such a treat. Victoria also introduced me to a new word awhile ago. In Chicago, we'll call a sprinkle a "sprinkle"...in Phili they call them "jimmies". These snowmen have marshmallow heads and jimmies for noses. What a great birthday present! I won't even tell you guys what everyone did to my desk to celebrate. Let's just say I filled up a whole garbage can with packing peanuts by the time I was done cleaning up. Thanks guys!
2. On Saturday a group of us went to Zombie Burger to celebrate my 29th. We had a damn fine time...except for the snotty bartender that made me feel like a dummy. I ordered a "redneck" burger. What was on that?: bologna patte, chicken friend bacon, mayo, and I can't remember the rest because I stroked out before I was done eating it. So much fun.
3. here is my birthday horoscope and the surprise 50 dollar bill my mom sent to me today. She hid it inside of a new sketchbook. I'm a lucky girl.

4. Here's a photo of me, kyle, and two girls from Fong's pizza. We went there on Saturday to try a kamikaze shot...they make you wear the helmets, not my choice. The nice woman on the right offered to take our photo and I told her I had no camera. She whipped out her cell phone, sent me the photos to my gmail, and saved the day. Smart phones are incredible...kind of like my birthday. Its not even over yet.

Northern Cardinal.

2012-01-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

Cardinalidae

moon dog.

2012-01-09T09:07:00.001-08:00

I thought this was beautiful. I was a lucky witness.

Vulpes Vulpes

2012-01-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Vulpes Vulpes

Birding.

2012-01-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

A tree full of bald eagles.
Trumpeter Swans!? Well, I'm pretty sure these big white birds are trumpeter swans. I saw them floating in the Des Moines River last Saturday and they peaked my interest. I've only seen swans in ponds, never in a river. I did some research and read that the Midwest is working on restoration projects to reintroduce these FORTY POUND birds back into the ecosystem. Looks like it may be working.

December Fossil Hunters!

2012-01-03T05:27:00.001-08:00

(horned coral, bivalve fossils, flint, and various rocks)

Unseasonable warmth made for a good day of fossil hunting. I'm completely happy because I found well over 20 fossils on December 31st. Kyle found an arrowhead and we found out that the dog can leap off ten foot cliffs. A good start to a new year.

Here's a very distracted video of me and Mudd finding a horned coral fossil. I found four horned corals in one hour. Sidenote: when I yell "Whoa, Dog!"...its because he just jumped off a ten foot cliff. That terrier is a stuntman.

holiday. day 3 and 4.

2011-12-28T05:24:00.001-08:00

1. I woke up at 7 am on December 23rd to visit my pal, Leksi. Of course, she wasn't awake...who would be on a vacation day? So, I tooled around Oak Park, walked the dogs, drank way too much coffee, and waited for the hours to pass. Which they did quickly. Before I knew it I was at Leksi's house drinking more coffee. She told me she had a surprise and we walked onto her roof. Leksi had urban chickens! I was excited. My favorite chicken was the grey, fluffy headed lady. But Ol' fluffy-head chicken had a spinal deformity and couldn't lay eggs. Even though she was completely useless as a chicken she was good for a laugh. What a ridiculous animal. And a lucky one. Leksi and I went to eat at Lula cafe (delicious) and once we were done it was time to get home and get ready for my mother's party.
2. (Friday) At 7pm my mother celebrated her 60th birthday at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, Illinois. Fitzgeralds is a well established music joint/bar and the band American English was playing. We got to the place at 7:45...whoops, fashionably late. 50 of my mother's closest friends were there by 8:15. I barely had time to talk with mom because she was so sought after socially. This didn't bother me, I had three of my closest friends to hang out with that night. Virginia, Ali, and Juice...not to mention Dean, Kate, Nick, Vince, all my brothers (cept' paul who isn't 21), my step mom, neighbors, and the list goes on. We drank, danced, smoked (in the COLD, Cold outdoors. I should quit smoking), and chatted the night away. American English had three set changes, each with a costume change, and they did a damn fine job. Eventually, I asked Virginia, Vince, Nick, Ali, and juice if they were hungry. It was midnight and we went on a munchy run to Wendy's then left the party and chilled at my mom's. I couldn't have asked for a better visit with my closest friends and family. Hell, I actually felt festive.
3. (Saturday) Something that is not so cool? Waking up at 8 am when you went to bed at 3am. I am no longer 18 and that is no longer "fun". But I did it. My brothers (all strapping and shown above) and I went to Rush Street to visit my dad and his wife, Cheryl. And although the Weber Grill overcooked three of the five ordered steaks, I didn't let it ruin my time. I was with my brothers. Who can be pissed when they're around?

Overall, an amazing holiday. I saw all of my closest friends and family, I got to see my dogs, the city, Dekalb. I was able to have an honest to goodness balls to the walls road trip. i couldn't have asked for a better holiday.

Holiday. day 1 and 2.

2011-12-27T05:28:00.000-08:00

I hit the road for the holidays and had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. But, damn it, I did it and I'm damn proud of myself. My hectic day began on the 21st at 5am in Iowa. Although I was ready to leave at 5am I still had to work until 11am. So, I printed t-shirts and stared at the clock too much, I was close to insane by lunch time. 11am eventually showed up and I hit the ground running...red bull, coffee, red bull, coffee, change lanes, change highways, more coffee.

I sailed into Dekalb, Illinois on an insane caffeine high at 4pm. Ann and her fiance were house hunting so I had a couple of hours to kill in the "big" city. Its amazing, I used to hate Dekalb but after I went country feral it seemed a lot bigger and a lot more wonderful. I shopped and bought locally, take that economy. Ann was done house shopping by 5:30 and we went to stuff ourselves with Miller Light and chicken wings at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Soon it was time for ol' jane to meet a couple of collegiate chums at my favorite dive bar, the Annex. It was good to see those jerks (tim and ryan), I got some art out of the deal and an underemployed gentleman tried to sell me slightly irregular women's shoes in the alley. Good times.

12 am rolled around, I had been up since 5am and I was damn tired. Lucky for me, Ann was willing to open the doors to her home and the seat of her couch to me. I finally fell asleep at 2am. Damn Red Bull.
I left Dekalb on the morning of the 22nd and made it to Chicago by noon. I came home to an empty home. At first, I was pissed. No one's home...its Christmas time and I'm by myself. My self pity ended when I realized that my mother works. I am dumb. So, I occupied my time by staring at my cat while he drank out of various sinks in the house. Entertaining? A little.

Shortly after, my brother and I got into a fun lil' Christmas fight over cigarettes but shook hands when the fight ended...this made my mother so proud she bought us steaks and beer at the Avenue Ale House in Oak Park (my home town). Full of steak and slightly intoxicated, my mother drove us home in her new Prius and I crashed on her couch like a wet slug and watched tv into the wee hours of the morning.

Day 3: Coming tomorrow.

in honor of another roadtrip. oh yeah, and a happy holiday to all of you.

2011-12-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Souvenirs. Wyoming.

why, hello!

2011-12-20T04:28:00.000-08:00

I walked through some trees, I looked up, I found this little man.

lots and lots of sea glass.

2011-12-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

1. Sea glass. Collected from Lake Michigan over the course of 4 years.
2. Sea glass that has been bound together with deer sinew.
3. Polished Creek Rocks from Wyoming.
4. Lead Bullet. or slug. Whatever you want to call it.

One day I will be old and surrounded by a lot of stuff I've found on the ground.

photos from the drive home.

2011-12-12T07:24:00.001-08:00

1. Its best to treat every day like a road trip. What's the point of driving if you can't pull over ever time something peaks your interest? I was on 34 West when I noticed a large animal eating grass behind barbed wire. It wasn't a cow and it wasn't a horse...it was an ELK! I love elk farms. Elk taste delicious...I pulled off the highway, found the access road, and had a photo shoot with these beautiful cow elk. The owners of the farm saw me, they gave me several dirty looks.
2. I've always wanted a tacky, cement, lawn ornament. Seriously, since I was a kid. I found these beauties in Fairfield, Iowa. I'm going back and buying them this Spring.
3. It was very cold. The stream from this factory billowed like a cumulonimbus cloud on a breezy day. I thought it was so beautiful I put my life in danger and snapped a few shots while driving a cool 70 mph. There were no other cars near me so I'd like to think the only life that was in danger was my own.

happy friday!

2011-12-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

Drawing faces on an unsuspecting taproot. This should put anyone in a good mood.

Horrible Taxidermy. HORRIBLE!

2011-12-01T05:34:00.000-08:00

1. this weasel is not an albino. Its sun-bleached, horrifying and is possibly the worst taxidermy mount I've ever seen.

Customer: "Hello, good sir. I've procured a weasel this week and would like it preserved as a taxidermy mount. Can you make any suggestions on a lifelike scene?"

taxidermist: " Most weasels are in logs. I'll just cut it in half and shove it into a log hole."

Seriously, the weasel is cut in half and shoved into a log hole. Its the worst thing I've ever seen.
2. This was in the store's window display. They put it in the window display!

Shop owner: "how can we encourage customers to buy our taxidermy, friend?"

Friend: " Stick a rotting muskrat corpse in the window display. People go batshit for that stuff."

my trip to chicago summed up in four photos.

2011-11-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

1. The city put up a sculpture of Marilyn Monroe by the river. Its simply atrocious but the people love it. I had to see it for myself. First impression...uhhh, if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. At least there's some VPL for everyone to enjoy.

To read more visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/15/marilyn-monroe-sculpture-_n_899978.html#undefined
2. We visited Chicago's famous Billy Goat Tavern located in scenic Lower Wacker Drive. I had a Billy Goat lager but enjoyed the Schlitz draft better then the signature brew. Great ambiance. http://www.billygoattavern.com/
3. "Cloud Gate" lovingly renamed "the bean" by Chicago locals and tourists alike. Pretty cool sculpture.
4. HA! Never in all my years have I bumped into the CTA's Santa Express. Every year around the holidays the Chicago Transit Authority decorates an L trains and throws Santa aboard. I was thrilled. Santa doesn't look very thrilled, though.

only to find gideon's bible.

2011-11-29T05:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I feel rejuvenated. Nothing like a good trip to get the creative juices flowing.

Spent the other night in Coralville, Iowa. Of course I had to leave my' mark somewhere in the room. Petty vandalism is always good for a cheap thrill.

I also got a lucky wheat penny in my change from CVS. This is always a good omen. Next blog...my brief trip to Chicago.

dirty toes

2011-11-23T05:31:00.000-08:00

It rained yesterday. Cold, wet drops landed everywhere all day long. Slowly but surely, it saturated the ground.

I've become accustomed to walking the dog in the back field. The dog also enjoys this ritual and I knew we were in for a muddy ordeal when we walked to our regular stomping grounds. Even with all the rain, the ground was a solid wet...not a sloppy wet. I didn't think we'd get too dirty.

Mudd and I ventured into the back field and he blasted off into the distance like a dog-rocket. He loved the dirt and had a good time running. By 5:30 we both looked like we had hoofs. There was no definition of "foot" on either of us. Just mud caked clodhoppers.

So, here's a picture of Mudd (post mud walk) I took with my new camera in low light. Mudd is showing off his dirty feet for you. He got a good bath shortly after this photo was taken.

Some random finds from Sunday and Monday.

2011-11-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

Found: In the back field and on a river sandbar.

Top: Rabbit shoulder blades.

bottom: Holes in hard rock.

I found a deer mouse nest...by accident.

2011-11-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

Oh no! I was on a hike and my curiosity got the best of me....again.

Don't put your hands into mysterious holes, friends. I've been surprised far too many times. The other day, I spied a a wooden drop box at the Lake Miami nature trail. I had to see what was inside, what if it was money?

I opened the lid...

Nope, it wasn't money. It was a mouse house and there were five nuzzled together in a filthy nest. Of course I had to photograph them and I managed to disturb their tranquility while doing so. The mice quickly decided that they had had enough of me (who can blame them?). One by one, the furry animals exploded out of their box and onto the ground. They jumped like gold medal Olympians and I was truly impressed by their leaping abilities. In order to prevent head to head collisions I had to duck.

Touché, mice. Touché.

No mice were harmed in the making of this blog entry.

the iowa whitetail.

2011-11-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

The young bucks of Lake Miami.

Don't you just love fall? I certainly do. The best part for me?... rutting season. Rutting season is that magical time of the year when the whitetail deer decide its time to get it on. When the deer decide to make some babies they make their presence known to the general population of Iowa. The deer are, literally, everywhere. They're on the side of the road, in front of my car, littering empty corn fields, in my backyard, they're even by the damn bowling alley...throw a stone, you could hit an Iowa Whitetail. Just try not to hit them with your car.

painting time.

2011-11-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a snippet of the new painting I've been working on. The full image is approximately 15 X 22 inches...painted with Windsor an' Newton gouache.

a snake tail.

2011-11-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

UPDATE! : I've been told that this is not a young bull snake but is an adult brown snake. I've got some smart friends. nov.2

The dog and I have been taking a lot of walks. Every time there's a walk there's an adventure. Saturday, Mudd's ears perked up and he began to paw at dry grass. Of course, this perked my human interest and I bent over to separate the grass blades and maybe figure out what the dog was looking at.
This is what I found. But it's kind of an odd story. The snake was small, about seven inches long, maybe 9. I reached down to pull the snake off the grass and had a hell of a time trying to get it to release it's grip. A small snake couldn't hold on that strong, right?

I was partially correct. I finally got the snake off the grass and it was super heavy. I looked at the bottom of the snake and a small grey mammal was voraciously gnawing, biting, shaking, and HANGING from the snakes tail. It was a shrew and it was trying to eat the snake! Wow. Eventually the shrew released it's death grip and disappeared into the tall grass. I stood there, befuddled.

I shook off the shock, photographed the snake and returned it to the wild.

Iowa Artifacts. 2011

2011-10-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

Since arrowhead hunting is officially over for the season I'd better post a picture of all of the great pieces Kyle and I found. We started at Spring's first rain and ended after the leaves began to fall off Autumn trees. If you look close there are some pretty amazing pieces... It takes a lot of work to find this much stuff. Probably 3 hours of walking for every piece you see.

more souveneirs.

2011-10-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have way too many smashed pennies. And by way too many I mean not enough. In all seriousness, if I took all of my sp's and multiplied each of them by 51 cents I'd be in the red well over 200 bucks. Oh well. I found these guys in my Tupperware full of random souvenirs...I realized I have over 4 Iowa Truck Stop pennies...I must smash one whenever I drive across 80.

I found an arifact all on my own!

2011-10-19T05:33:00.001-07:00

I've learned a lot about stone artifacts over the last two years. I've been on a lot of adventures and have found a lot of wonderful objects. But I never went out on my own to find an arrowhead...until yesterday.
Mudd (the puppy) was pooping in a ditch when I noticed a cache of small stones in the dirt. I picked through a few pebbles and found flint rocks. Flint is a hard stone that can be napped into shapes (you may have seen arrowheads napped in obsidian at fairs or rock stores), where one finds flint one finds artifacts. I was optimistic about finding a piece at that point. And, sure enough, I picked up a brown piece of flint and saw nap marks where an Iowa native (500-200 years ago) would have used an antler to bust off small pieces to make a sharp edge (see below for napping patterns).
Now, I know that it may look like "just a rock " but it's not. If you look at the top photo you can see the clam shell shape of the rock, a sure fire sign that the rock was shaped by human hands. So, there you go. I found a scraper...a scarper is a multipurpose tool used to scrape fat off hides, bark off tree, meat off bone...you get the idea. I'm freaking geeked about my find. All by myself!

Here's a video on flint napping. Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bvl9662aVc

va-voom!

2011-10-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

Well, Kyle and I did a nice thing this weekend. We helped an Adopt a Highway group clean up 4 miles worth of dirty roads.

List of gross stuff I found while cleaning:

1. deer skull
2. dead vole
3. underpants! ew.
4. too many McDonalds wrappers. People that eat there litter.
5. A rope that was 1 mile long.
6. porno!

I had a good time, though. I got some exercise, hung out with some nice people, and found this lovely piece of smut of the side of the road. Of course, I had to censor her a lil' bit. I guess all garbage isn't bad. Should I hang her on my wall?

Happy Friday!

2011-10-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

I wish I owned this poster. I also hope/wish I win big tonight. Kyle and I are gonna go gamble the night away at some casino. Big money, Big money, Big money!

sigh.

2011-10-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

Click on image for a better view.

Well, guys...its Fall. Summer has come to a close and we've traded green grass for falling leaves. And for the first time in many years, I'm not mourning the loss of a season.

Unfortunately, the changing of the season also means its harder to find stuff on the ground. No more fossils and rocks until next year...they're hidden under crunchy leaves. I've scanned in some interesting objects I haven't gotten around to posting until now.

Left to right top to Bottom:

1. River Amber (such a strange rock. Its soft, see through and looks a lot like the amber from Jurassic park. I've only found two pieces. Both were found on the river so I named it River Amber....take that scientists).

2. A geode: Its the state rock of Iowa, check out this interesting and fact filled page http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/browse/geodes/geodes.htm. Apparently, Keokuk (iowa) is one of the best places in the United States to find Geodes.

3. You can't totally tell but this segmented rock is also semi- crystallized and very beautiful. I can't figure out how to identify it. Its bumming me out. Help?!

4. Quartz with flakes of pyrite (fools gold). You can make out the pyrite on the left side of the rock. Cool stuff.

5. An impression of a shell on a flint like rock. Fossils!

6 and 7. I haven't been able to identify these either. I imagine they're volcanic or were somehow blasted with heat a long long time ago. At first glance they look grey and unimpressive but if you hold them up to the light you can see through them. When you jingle them together they make a beautiful clinking sound. Sort of like a wind chime.

turkey nuts.

2011-10-04T05:19:00.000-07:00

I'd like to consider myself an adventurous eater. Put a new food in front of me and I'll try at least two bites before I politely spit into a napkin while I pretend to cough. I used to be a semi-picky eater...that is, until Andrew Zimmern's show came out. Bizarre Foods opened me up to a new world of interesting tastes.

Deer, Bison, Elk, gizzards, poutine, scallops, squid, eel, octopus, goat, deep fried dandelions, pigeon, wild mushrooms, heart, liver, deep fried oreos (snickers, reeses peanut butter cups, and three musketeers...ALL DEEP FRIED AND DELICIOUS), oysters, clams, mussels, seaweed, vegan food, kibbeh...and the list could go on. I'll try anything.

My interest in new foods got me into trouble the other day. Big trouble. Bizarre food caliber. Almost vomit on my lap trouble.

I was at a barn party last Friday. It was good times. Lots of nice people, bonfires, and beer. Did I mention that someone brought turkey balls to the party? Yeah, a whole gallon of them in a large zip-lock bag. I was surprised by how large the testicles were...some of the bite sized snacks were longer then my pinky finger. And round. Ugh.

I was "cocky" and boasted...

"I'll eat those greasy bastards."

I shouldn't have said that. About ten minutes later Kevin walked up to me with two balls in his hands. I grabbed the smaller one and popped it into my mouth. I gave it one chew and swallowed. I also made the mistake of saying it wasn't too bad. I said it tasted like chicken. Kevin handed me the second testy. It was a big fellow and dripped oil. I popped the second turkey nut into my mouth and bit down. Instant gag reflex. For some reason the second bite was way worse then the first bite. It tasted like wet chicken fat mixed with organ meat. The hot oil that poured from the center of the morsel didn't help, either. I started to panic, I had a mouth full of balls and nowhere to spit.

I grabbed the nearest beer can and unloaded my palate. It was a horrific experience. Three other people tried to feed me turkey balls that night.

I told them to go piss up a rope.

an interesting optical illusion.

2011-10-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

I managed to catch a pretty great optical illusion on camera.

smashed pennies.

2011-09-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

Obsession runs deep in this kid. I can't get enough of these smashed pennies. Its gotten to the point where weekend trips will revolve around whether or not a smashed penny machine exists at the location. Unfortunately for me, both of the penny machines at the Blank Park Zoo were out of order (it didn't stop me from trying, I lost two bucks. Damnit)...I was a little disappointed.

But the the Botanical Center had a machine. Thank goodness. I bought all four and couldn't be happier with the beautiful penny designs. But it gets even better. You may notice the penny on the top right has no design. Trevor made me a smashed penny...he laid some pennies on a train track and went back the next day to collect the cool objects. Old school smashed penny, not too shabby.

2011-09-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

Highlight of my trip to the Blank Park Zoo: the carp pond. Holy hell was that pond packed with gigantic goldfish. These things had to be 10 pounds a piece and were hungry as hell. I'm kind of scared of fish so I decided to do something bold....I stuck my finger in a carp mouth! It bit me! But it made me laugh so hard I almost fell into the stinky fish pond.

2011-09-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Check out this beastly caterpillar. Regular sized spoon...gigantic caterpillar.

animal photos from vacation-time!

2011-09-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

1. An afternoon jaunt turned into a rare animal sighting. Apparently, albino squirrels are fairly common around the Minneapolis area and every local has several albino squirrel sighting stories. It's lucky Rachel spotted one, now we have a story as well.

2. I found a fuzzy and hilarious caterpillar at the Springdale Cemetary in Peoria. Poor buddy, we harassed him for a full ten minute photo session before releasing him on a nearby tree. (identification: the Banded Tussock Moth, Halysidota tessellaris.)
3. The sheep donned fancy outfits at the Minnesota State Fair. I can't decide if I think the outfits are adorable or clannish.
4. I almost stepped on this gnarly fellow.
5. Suckling pigs! They're cute but those teets are kind of grossing me out. Have a nice Friday, guys

end of summer haiku.

2011-09-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

farmers combine corn.

the fields are empty, leaves fall.

Goodbye summer birds.

the mall of america.

2011-09-20T05:10:00.001-07:00

We left Peoria and drove to see Matt in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a great city for smashed penny collectors mostly because of the Mall of America...sort of because of the State Fair. Before I left on the trip I went to www.pennycollector.com and looked up all of the pennies available at the Mall of America...I was hell bent on collecting all of them. We walked around the mall for hours...we went through a mirror maze (baffling ordeal), rode a roller coaster (horrifying) and a mechanical bull (i stayed on for 11 seconds), all the while collecting smashed pennies. I ended up with well over 25 and for some reason they had a "I love Canada" machine. I know Minnesota is close to Canada but Minneapolis isn't...what's the deal? Mostly, there are a lot of Rainforest Cafe pennies. That place sucks.

As for the fair, it boasted something I've never seen. A free, FREE smashed penny machine. The only problem with that is the line. A huge line full of children, inept at smashing, stood behind the machine. Of course I waited, they were free.

vacation pt.2

2011-09-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Good morning world! It's a beautiful Monday morning, the grass is wet, the birds are cold, and I didn't hit any horses on the way to work. Good deal. I'm content with all of these facts.

I'm still rolling along with the vacation blogs but am realizing that I'm not doing it very diligently. I didn't write at all last week, I blame stress and diet. But, I kept a sketchbook the entire trip and it's filled with a bunch of narrative. I plan on scanning in a few choice entries for a blog. But until then,

Peoria

Rachel and I were in Peoria for a few days. We had some adventures and were ridiculously social. Some highlights include: a visit with Juice and her puppy, letterboxing jaunts in various historic graveyards, lots of salivating over really nice road bikes. Steve worried about sewage in a basement, we all ate way too much ice cream (and Avanti's cheap Italian food, delicious), and rachel and I found a hilarious caterpillar.
Some Peoria Hot Spot Stops include: Avanti's, One world, Emo's, Co op Records, Mexican food, country road driving, pool, Blue, The Peoria Art Guild, Art Show, etc
Some people I saw: Rik, Juice, Erica, Gabe, Gabe, Bruce, Drew, Steve, Chris, Shannon, Christian, Bethany, Rachel's mom, Oscar, Ann, Sarah, Heather, Dave, Sarah, Eliz, Beth, Christy, Janet, oh man and the list goes on, I'll add to it...if I forgot your name it's because it's early and I still love you.

And in case you're wondering about the clown photograph, let me explain. This clown is the face of Peoria as far as I'm concerned. It's the Emo's ice cream shack marquee. I have countless memories of friends and I sitting on colorful parking lot benches while we munched on coney island dogs. Their ice cream is fabulous and the place does all it's math by hand. No fancy registers at that place (a math teacher opened up the icecream place many years ago. To encourage his young employees to be diligent at basic math he eliminated the register).

The first time I went to Emo's a girl named Dani brought her rabbit with us. The rabbit's name was Yishi Spudnick and I wanted to hold her while I ate my ice cream. Bad idea. The rabbit peed all over me and I dropped my cone. I learned two things that day: rabbits pee way more then you think they do and giant flying bugs like to land in cheese dip. Oh, I forgot to mention that right after a rabbit urinated on me a giant bug flew into my cheese fry cheese dip...rendering it useless. You'd think an experience like that would turn me off to Emo's but nope.

Needless to say (which I say a lot needlessly), I had to come back to Emo's at some point during my stay in Peoria. Rachel and I hiked over and were pleased to find out that they had lemon flavored ice cream...it tasted like a girl scout cookie. I got a cherry dipped cone and some cheese fries. It was good times.

Check out what I almost Hit on the way to work.

2011-09-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

Its 6:30am and I'm heading to my car and I'm mad. I've got to go to work. I've got a bunch of deadlines. I need to exercise. I'm hungry. I'm in a bad mood and when I'm in a bad mood I like to drive faster then necessary.

I slam my car door, buckle up, turn on the engine, drive down the alley and turn onto the country road that heads towards work. Driving 80 feels great at the moment. I'm living dangerously and crack the windows to feel the morning air. My mood improves.

At the bottom of a hill I can see large shadows loitering in the road. I have no idea what they are. I'm going 80 mph and these shadowss are huge! I brake as hard as I can, the car begins to swerve and there are SEVEN horses right in front of me. I finally stop and need a paper bag to breathe into. I'm 10 feet away from the horses that almost did me in. Jittery as hell and barely able to hold the steering wheel I try to gain composure but all I can smell is burning rubber.

I honk at those stupid horses until they start running, I follow them with my car into the area where I assume they came from. And I drive to work.

Stupid fucking morning. I was so happy I didn't hit them I brought doughnuts to work.

That was Quite a Vacation. Day ONE!

2011-09-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. My blog hiatus is over and, unfortunately, so is my time off from work . However, it was whirlwind of a vacation and it felt like Rachel, Matt and I didn't stop moving the entire time.

The trip began with a lovely jaunt to the Des Moines airport where Rachel landed at the ungodly hour of 11:15pm. It was too late to drive to Peoria and too early to settle down. We decided to have a couple coronas at a nearly abandoned bar then get a room at the Super 8. We made the mistake of ordering Papa John's when we got there. I haven't eaten that stuff in well over a year...I remember why. The horrible food coma and ridiculous BLOATING.

The morning came soon enough and we hit the road hard. Peoria was only 4 hours away but I had a lot to do. The reason being...2 freakin' art shows! The second we got into town we were greeted by Steve, Chris, Shannon and their entire gang. Steve and Chris live in a home that houses traveling musicians, wayward bike riders, and good people all around. It almost feels like a hostel. But it was a quick Hello followed by a quick goodbye. Shannon, Rachel and I had some errands to run

1. Hang the salon style show at Blue

2. Buy 90 beers and drag them to the Peoria Art Guild

3. Set up the cheese tray.

And I don't like to brag but the show looked amazing. Ryan Nelson, of the Peoria Art Guild, totally rehabbed the first floor gallery. It was a beautiful flowing space and all of the artist's work hung together like it was always supposed to hang together. Jillian's work was immaculately beautiful and delicate, Chris's work was humerus, complicated and multi-layered, and mine...my work looked OK too. Shit, it must have looked good because someone bought two pieces at the show. They wanted to remain anonymous and I'll never get to know who they are (but I hope they know me and Chris appreciate their generosity)

There was a constant flow of people through the gallery. I saw my old professors, my old school mates, Erica came in from St. Louis, Brian came in from Chicago, even Rachel's mom was there (i was worried she thought I was drunk but I was really just nervous). It warmed the heart to see so many close friends in the same room together for the first time in a dog's age. As a matter of fact, I felt warm and fuzzy the whole night...or maybe it was that cooler of 90 beers that helped everyone feel warm and fuzzy that night.

The evening continued until 2am... the after party was at the Peoria bar called Blue. My friend, Shannon was nice enough to help me plan the whole event. Damn, it was a party and I smoked too many cigarettes and drank too many beers but at least I got some quality time with quality people. I even sold some t-shirts (with my drawings on them) and wow did that help pay for my trip. Eventually, the night ended with Erica and I in Steve's basement...we talked about art and boys.

Tomorrow, Day 2.

We Interrupt This Hiatus

2011-09-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is Jane's old pal Rishika. Hop on over to my blog I am in South Korea to read about my recent travels to Shanghai!

Happy reading! ^^

one week hiatus.

2011-09-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

Can you see the shells in the limestone fossil? Not quite as fabulous as the last fossil-find but a find none the less. Its humble and looks like it would break easily.

As for me, I'm going on vacation today. I'm excited. My buddy Rachel is flying in from Eugene, Oregon to join me this evening. we'll order some Chinese food, bullshit, and leave for Illinois in the morning.

...And if you happen to be in Illinois tomorrow, I curated and am participating in a show at the Peoria Art Guild (along with Christoper Hutson and Jillian Ludwig. Its on 203 Harrison street in downtown Peoria. Free beer and handshakes for all who come and are of age...so, I guess handshakes for everyone!

2011-08-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

click on the image for a better view. Can any of you blogger people tell me how to make giant posts with giant images?

Happy Friday!

2011-08-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

A real sign from the Iowa State Fair. Don't even think about using those butt fans you've been hiding...its not gonna fly.

2011-08-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

Iowa is an acronym. People around here joke that Iowa stands for

I diots
O ut
W alking
A round

This is one of the more truthful statements I've heard about the state. But, really, people just kind of walk around and look for stuff. Bait for fishing, arrowheads, fossils, wild asparagus, wild mushrooms, wild game...its pretty impressive. Iowa has a treasure hunting culture...so, I fit in in that respect.

While I was an idiot out walking around I stumbled upon a piece of Native American pottery. I reached down to pick it up and saw a bunch of pottery chips scattered by my toes...they were probably all from the same pot. I grid walked the area and found well over 30 pieces of broken pottery in a 10 foot area.

Yup, that was my day. Not too shabby.

2011-08-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

click on image for a better view.

wow, this is a large fossil.

2011-08-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

People who suffer from mental illness or delusions should not hunt rocks. When someone believes books, movies, inanimate objects, music, or symbols are relaying special messages to them, they're going crazy. A good example of this : Charlie Manson and the Beatles' White Album.

Another good example of this...me while I rock hunt. I went to art school for 7 years...artists are trained to yank out all of the symbolism in an image. A rose is never just a rose. Everything has a hidden messages and hidden symbols. This skill is a blessing and a curse, I can't look at anything without over analyzing it.

Which is why rock hunting brings out the crazy in me. Rocks have shapes. Its really pretty wild how varied their shapes can be. I've seen animal shapes, phallic shapes, tool shapes, people, buildings...all sorts of stuff. And when you're in a particular mood the shapes can tell you things. They didn't tell me to murder slews of people or start a cult but one rock told me to keep looking.

We were in a ditch searching for arrowheads and fossils. It was buggy but nice. The only problem was that the surrounding trees had dropped their leaves all over every sandy patch in the ditch. A tree leaf looks exactly like an arrowhead, they trick your eyes. I was getting a wee bit frustrated, every time I bent down to pick up a nice looking rock...it was a damn leaf.

I was getting ready to call it quits when I looked down and picked up a rock that looked exactly like a human eyeball. I thought,

"why not just go crazy for a minute and assume this rock is talking to me?"

So, I did. And I decided the rock was telling me to keep my eyes open. I kept them open and around the bend I saw a large orange/pink rock. I picked up the rock and it was the best fossil I've ever found. Period. Good thing I allowed myself to go schizophrenic for a brief moment or I may have walked past this bad boy.

some finds.

2011-08-18T05:22:00.001-07:00

The Des Moines river is running low. Rocks and indian artifacts have been under water are exposed...fossils that have been hidden for millions of years finally make their way to the surface.
Yesterday, Kyle and I took the boat out and went on a fossil hunt. It was a successful hunt, we found a handful of wonderful fossils (seen above in the photo).

found: horned coral, colonial coral, brachiopods, and foraminifera! I'm in hog heaven.

And since I'm on a fossil kick I decided to post the fossils I aquired 5 years ago. I was at a gas station in rural Wyoming (wait...I think all of Wyoming is rural) and right next to their candy isle was was a fossil isle. Trilobites, Pleistocene horse teeth, shark teeth...all sorts of fancy rocks. Right next to the candy isle. Needless to say, I bought them.

We're going out to hunt on Saturday. Hopefully, I'll have some photos to post. Ta-ta.

penny time.

2011-08-15T06:34:00.001-07:00

I went to Adventureland park over the weekend and had a damn fine time. I rode some roller coasters, drank a warm beer while eating an overpriced Phili cheese steak, screamed a lot, almost threw up on a spinney ride, and did some excellent people watching. I saw three people with one leg, two people with one arm, one woman who was covered in warts, and I observed the obesity epidemic while waiting in line.

My one beef about the park is that they didn't have a smashed penny machine. Its an old, historic park...it should have had a smashed penny machine. Well, since they didn't have one I decided to post more of my collection.

p.s. I just found a comprehensive list of all of the penny smashing machines in the united states.

http://pennycollector.com/

2011-08-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

This is my beta fish, Meatloaf. This week was our one year anniversary. We made it, Meatloaf! I've kept your bowl clean and you haven't kicked the bucket (knock on wood, knock on wood!).

Other Stupid names I've given my Beta Fish.

1. Vanillaroma (named after a car air freshener, the name rolls off the tongue)
2. Beef Wellington (Mr. Beefy for short)
3. John Fredrick Esq. (named after my English boyfriend...I think it freaked him out, I was 18)
4. Opie-Fish (he creeped me out. I think he was an albino)

Happy Anniversary, Fish. May we celebrate again next year...but i won't hold my breath.

art show.

2011-08-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Image: Love Whoopsies, Jillian ludwig.

I put together a three man show. Its called Gurgle Growl Gulp.

http://www.pjstar.com/entertainment/x1510863111/ARTSplus-Art-guilds-latest-exhibition-takes-on-playful-tone

The Peoria Journal Star put together a nice article. Have yourself a read. Maybe I'll see you at the show.

www.jillianludwig.com

www.chrishutsonart.com

www.janeryder.com

Check out our work.

lost and found.

2011-08-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

I rent an old, creaky/creepy apartment. It has a creepy basement, a creepy coal shoot, a creepy shower, and a couple of creepy neighbors that scream for no reason (no one knows if they're married or siblings but I'm pretty sure they go through my mailbox and steal my coupons). Its the kind of place a young child would love, it has hidden nooks and crannies everywhere. It would be an excellent apartment for hide and seek.

I was "cleaning" up my hide and seek bathroom the other day and found a hidden shelf. I know its not a good idea to put your hands into dark, random holes (insert "that's what he said") but I was curious and reached deep inside. I pulled out a small vintage box. The photo pretty much explains what I found...but its so odd. Oh so very random. Oh so entertaining. I wonder what else is hidden throughout this creepy place.

Happy Friday!

2011-08-05T12:45:00.001-07:00

which one of these things doesn't belong?...click on the image for a better view.

(but isn't it the coolest duck on the block?)

muscatine mayfly.

2011-07-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, isn't this disgusting? Hoards of winged insects plastered against tavern glass. Kyle, George and I recently visited Muscatine, Iowa and this is what I remember...mayflies.
Because these bugs so thoroughly grossed me out I had to do a little research bout' em'...what did I learn?

1. Male and female mayflies have two sets of genitalia.
2. The larval stage lasts for over a year.
3. The adults live anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. They are a short lived creature and their primary function is procreation (which happens mid-air with double genitalia, interesting).
4. The insects have mouths but they are vestigial...their mouth serves absolutely no function. Why does it even exist?
5. They are related to dragonflies and damselflies.

Overall, I'd say that the mayfly is a silly creature. I don't understand why they exist, they kind of scare me, and they come out like a plague. I hope I don't run into them again.

everything is so small.

2011-07-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=43

While I walk, I stare at my feet...that's why I find so many things. I found this guy by my big toe. He was about as big as my thumbnail. What a neat lil' specimen for my photo archives.

why, hello. you're an eagle.

2011-07-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

It was a bright, blue, crisp day. Buzzards, Herons, Kingfishers, and Cormorants were ubiquitous but not easy to photograph. My bad luck was beginning to frustrate me until we spotted a giant eagle nest deep/high in the timber. Sadly...it was too deep in the timber to get a good shot. I was about to put my camera away when I heard an ear piercing shriek. The eagle in charge of the nest decided to make her presence known. She did not want us near the nest. I've never seen a bird make such intense eye contact with humans before. She was flapping, shaking her head around, and vocalizing her distaste for us. I snapped a couple shots, apologized to the bird for disturbing her peace, and we got the hell out of there.

poem for a porch.

2011-07-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Her plastic body, filled with dirt
just birthed a baby flower.

The summer sun she bathes upon
gets brighter every hour.

A brittle vessel, filled with seeds
that never feel cool air.

This lucky one, born of a thumb
will wait for solar flares.

2011-07-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

My marigold garden is looking pretty fine.

I noticed my flower's proliferation yesterday. Little, tiny marigold greens are popping up all over the place. I was clumsily weeding when I saw the marigold babies. I yanked a few (by accident) before I realized what they were...in my defense, I am not a gardener.

A list of things I like about marigolds.

1. they smell odd.
2. I've heard they attract bees.
3. orange, yellow, etc!
4. Nirvana wrote a song about them.

enjoy the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqhh9Vvi0mA

wow, another fantastic trip to Des Moines.

2011-07-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Des Moines is never a bad time. When you live in a rural area you learn to appreciate all those things you took for granted. . . Like bars that make drinks in Tiki cups. This is a photo at the bar in Fong's pizza. One day I will drink out of this monkey's head. Jeez, it seems like everything I think/talk about is Fong's pizza. I love that place. This time we had the Thai Chicken pizza. It came with cilantro and peanut sauce. Delicious.
Nice little addition to the sign, skateboarders. Good work. Now all the roller-blader folk are going to be offended/hurt.

Wall DRAGON has captured my imagination. I've been thinking about dragons a lot, I don't only think about Fong's pizza. Too bad the wall dragon bar wasn't open, I would have enjoyed sitting with a tiki drink under the beast. That damn place is never open.

its been a good bird week.

2011-07-08T05:39:00.001-07:00

This Robin, named Bandit Rodchester, has a zip tie on his ankle. My only guess is someone hand raised him before he flew the coop. He's been hanging out at the campsite for over two weeks. I can hand feed him mulberries.
These are the turkey vultures of Buzzard Island. I don't know why they hang out on the wood pile but sometimes there's as many as 50 turkey vultures walking around. It's pretty gruesome.
Cranes from the wall of Fongs Pizza.
Iowa has pelicans. This still shocks me. Why are you here? Why?

i drew. i was a kid.

2011-07-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gz1DIIxmEE

the truck sunk.

2011-06-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago this truck sunk in the DesMoines River. After a few days of submersion, car help arrived and the wet truck was yanked out of the muddy depths.
The debris looks nice wrapped around the hood ornament. It looks like the eagle is making a nest.
The interior was filled with silt and dead fish. Notice there are no human bodies present, no one was hurt when the truck sank. Lucky ducks.
I don't know where it came from but there was a deer skull laying in the truck bed. It couldn't have been in there before the truck sank, a skull would have floated away. Did someone throw it in there after the accident? I wanted to take the skull home with me...but I'm pretty sure that would have given me bad luck.

2011-06-28T05:26:00.001-07:00

Small brown bat. Photographed on the hood of my Honda by the DesMoines River.

Animal specimens helps inform the content of my work (no animals are ever harmed by my hands and have died natural deaths). I am able to get an up close encounter without all the hassle of harassing small mammals. The photographs are often incorporated into complicated paintings or drawings. Real observations of real animals are important to my work and its more personal then picking an image to draw off of google image search (not that I don't do that occasionally).

cute guys.

2011-06-24T05:48:00.001-07:00

The toad has a natural defense mechanism. Urine. Noone likes to get peed on. He tried to pee on me but only managed to pee all over the porch. His natural defense didn't work on me...but I'm pretty sure his skin secretions gave me a mini-rash.
This slug was about 4 inches long. Brag-able? nope.

poor baby.

2011-06-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

I noticed a lot of bird chatter. Oriole bird chatter, to be exact. Frantic and concerned oriole chatter. I couldn't figure out why two adult birds were so upset with me...until I almost stepped on their reason. A tiny baby bird was sitting, scared, next to my big toe. I knew I couldn't do much for the baby bird but I could at least keep him from becoming a dog's breakfast or a mess on someone's shoe.
I put the lil' guy a tree and he scooted up the bark like an old pro. He was safe for the time being. Little baby oriole perched himself on a branch and began to sing at his parents. This went on for over three hours until he lost his balance and fell into the bushes. His parents, who were never far away, began to freak out...again.
We all know there's not much you can do for a baby bird, it's the circle of life. I picked him out of the bush, set him on a tree branch, and let nature take it's course. He sang to his parents for the rest of the afternoon.

a gift from the dog.

2011-06-22T05:32:00.001-07:00

We own a puppy now. I am constantly yanking objects out of his curious mouth. Bottle caps, paper goods, rotten food, underpants, pennies. All sorts of fun things.

While camping, Mudd pranced up to me like he'd found something good, something super good. his tail was wagging.

"drop it, Mudd!" yells jane.

Mudd droped his treasure. A flattened and dehydrated leopard frog. Good eye, dog!

2011-06-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

We went out arrowhead hunting but ended up as fossil hunting. Check out these beauties.

(Brachiopods)

These shells are among the most common fossils found in Iowa. Brachiopods lived inside the protective cover of two hinged shells, attached to the floor of warm, shallow seas that once covered the state. These eastern Iowa specimens are about 375 million years old (Devonian).

2011-06-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

lovebugs. click on the image for a better view.

Also, I just caught wind of a great blog. I was in a print exchange called "Leftovers". The exchange was put together by Wingtip Press and encouraged artists to use their "leftover" paper to make a 20 prints. I silk screened hog on kitikata paper...because everyone likes leftover bacon. You can check out all the clever art from clever artists at the blog:

http://leftoversanyone.blogspot.com/

penny. penny!

2011-06-13T05:12:00.001-07:00

I'm a collector. I collect rocks, bone china, books, fossils, postcards, nick-knacks, and basically any other small (and interesting) souvenirs. People know this about me and when my friends travel around this beautiful country they'll make me smashed pennies. I love smashed penny machines, they're classic Americana. Any good tourist trap will have a penny smashing machine. They're cheaper then anything(51 cents), even a postcard. So, why not get one? I'm planning on making a giant shadow box frame to display my amazing collection that would only partially exist without the help of my worldly, road tripping, pals.

2011-06-09T05:38:00.001-07:00

i captured his essence. click on the drawing for a more accurate viewing.

2011-06-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

fortune cookies that should exist: don't eat Cheetos for breakfast.

2011-06-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

he's cooler then we are.

A Challenge for Jane.

2011-06-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

(first drawing I've made in awhile, they'll get better. let's observe progress)

Confession: The puppy made me complacent until about a week ago. I got heady and cranky. I was upset because all of my drawings looked shitty. To feel better: I'd start a new drawing, work on it for 10 minutes, get pissed off at the sophomoric proportions, tear the drawing apart, throw it in the can, and play with the puppy to make myself feel better.

No more! I am not going to let myself get into the habit of not drawing. I took a hiatus. The hiatus is over.

My goal: a drawing a day. (I can't post on weekends, no inter-web access).

Wish me luck!

2011-06-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

This is the best coaster I've ever seen.

A wild eyed, rearing, black stallion BLASTING outta two cans of delicious Busch light.

Three cheers, Busch.

I'm Hijacking This Blog.

2011-05-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

Just when I've figured out how to get my way in Korea, it's time to leave.

Sigh.

And not in an "I'm an American. I'm entitled!" sort of way. Not in a way to take advantage of people. But a way to make my life easier.

I've learned my role in society and how to use it to my advantage.

Before, when my phone got stolen, I ran around yelling at everyone and demanding that I not have to pay because it was STOLEN AND I'M FROM AMERICA. This did not work because

1. I did not speak Korean
2. My translator was too embarrassed to translate my angry American demands
3. I didn't understand how Koreans work.

Now, I think I do.

Now I've figured out how to make my day easier. For example:

Yesterday, after working out, I went to the grocery store. I bought ground meat. Next stop was one of my favorite soup places for lunch, but was worried about letting my meat sit out. (ha)
But, since I frequent this place, and Koreans view foreigners that eat alone as lonely, sad souls, I knew that the ajummas* would maternally grant my request. A simple request. Woman to woman. I showed them my meat (ha) And woman to woman, they understood I wanted to keep it in their fridge.**

And thus, my day was much easier. In the past, I would have fret about going home first to refrigerate the meat and then go to the restaurant, but by then, I'd be STARVING...etc...

Now, life is much easier. And the ajummas love me.

*married Korean woman. Usually older with short, permed hair and mismatched floral clothing. They wear visors year round and when encountered on the subway, have elbos and shoulders made of cement.

** this post is not a metaphor about banging the ajummas at the soup place.

You can read more of my adventures at I am in South Korea.

meet mudd.

2011-05-25T04:42:00.001-07:00

This is why I've taken a blog hiatus. Meet Mudd. A little rat terrier that has stolen my heart and my time. Dang, he's cute.

2011-05-16T04:22:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the brief hiatus.

jeez, puppies are a lot of work.

When I come back...puppies, drawings, poems, and a story or two!

much love.

2011-05-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

2011-05-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

baby birds kind of creep me out.

2011-04-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

I went to the store, my bill was 5.99. I gave her 6 bucks and this was my return. Today's my lucky day.

2011-04-26T05:06:00.001-07:00

quick lil' ramhead drawin'

2011-04-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

The Bison of Madison, South Dakota. I thought he had an interesting paint job.

2011-04-21T05:14:00.001-07:00

catfishmonster.sympatheticmagic.

2011-04-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

"iowa diary" 2011 Here's some photographs from the Madison Area Arts Council's two-man show, Instinct. It was a damn fine show and a damn fine time. Thanks to Cassie and the Madison Area Arts Council for the invite. It felt good to bang some holes into drywall and hang some new pieces. "Spatiotemporal Fork Biota"
Left to Right: Mouth Rot, A Small Herd, Spatiotemporal Fork Biota

2011-04-19T10:29:00.001-07:00

I caught frog!

2011-04-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

drawn in South Dakota.

2011-04-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

Another momentous day for Jane! I found my first matching set of deer sheds! Granted, they're not the biggest sheds that ever fell off a deer but I think they'd be in the running for the cutest sheds that ever fell off a deer. And also, there's my toe...bottom right. (the big antler was found buried in a creek bed. it was part of a skull at some point). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X73Yg6UCro (watch this. incredible)

2011-04-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

The other night I had a dream that we were walking along the edge of a cornfield. As we walked, I looked down to stare at my bare feet buried the black mud. I saw something purple and shiny next to my big toe. I reached down and pulled a perfect, purple, three pronged arrowhead from the dirt. Then I heard a loud noise. Wha Wha Wha Wha. Alarm. I was groggy but the dream was a good omen. We put on our rubber boots, hopped into the truck, and off we went into the hills of Iowa to look for arrowheads. We trudged through the mud and the muck, through water and rocks and above is what we came up with. Three pieces, two of them...perfect. The dream was pretty damn prophetic...three pronged arrowhead and we find three arrowheads. Purple? If you look at these in the light, they are all shades of purple and reddish purple.

2011-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

i was looking at Albertus Seba.

2011-04-01T05:20:00.001-07:00

2011-03-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

The robins came back,

calves are dropping in the fields.

Iowa, it's spring!

I wanna live in Jamaica.

2011-03-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

1. A tiny, yellow, Jamaican bird. Can someone identify this for me?

2. Bob Marley's thinking rock. He would sit on top and think of lyrics.

3. The zion party bus. we rocked this bus so hard. They served us rum punch and played "Legend." 4. The countryside was beautiful and green.

2011-03-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

oh yeah, I got into an art show in New York at the Limner Gallery. Check it out at

http://www.slowart.com/limner/current/upcoming.htm

2011-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Creek Finds. Left to right: Pleistocene Horse tooth (super old), bison tooth, bison tooth.

Kick ass day.

the sights of Cozumel.

2011-03-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

1. The palm and shoe filled skies of Cozumel, Mexico.2. I think this may be the DMV.

3. An immature brown pelican chillin with floating garbage.

4. tagged.

5. We saw a dolphin and his trainer on our way back to the boat. I waved to the pair and the trainer asked the dolphin to wave his flipper at me. Amused, I pulled out my camera to take a shot. The trainer signaled the dolphin to shake his head "NO". It was pretty damn funny.

2011-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

(a feral chicken race in the Cayman Islands. They're nose to nose!) The Cayman Islands were beautiful. The water was clear and blue. The sky was cloudless and infinite. The ancient ocean left behind limestone structures that looked like mini mountainsides. There were sea turtles and stingrays to touch and feed.

Feral chickens?

Oh, yes. I learned a lot about stingrays and aquatic turtles while cruising round' the Caymans. But I was totally fascinated by the ubiquitous feral chickens. The lil' fuckers were everywhere. They were at the gas stations, the Pizza Hut, on the side of the roads, they were in Hell (hell was an attraction we visited...so, yes, there are chickens in Hell).

How'd the chikens get there, Jane? Well, the tour guide told us that hurricanes knock fences down. When a fence gets knocked down whatever resided inside that fence has "flown the coop."

After a particularly bad hurricane in 2004, the chickens took over.

So, there you have it...Feral Chickens in paradise.

2011-03-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

A coyote on the snow covered ice of the Desmoines River. (this photo was taken during mating season...about a month ago)