cool picture of the arctic tern eh? did you know that this bird migrates 10,000 miles every year? it's one of the longest migraters in the world of birds. and it's one of the main species i'll be banding and researching this summer. i was able to observe one nesting couple a few years ago, but an awful thing happened. their chicks were eaten by gulls in front of me and i couldn't do a damn thing about it. it was so sad. needlesstosay, i was very happy when the offending gull was shot and killed! hey, don't get all uppidity...the arctic tern is endangered and gulls are overpopulated rats with wings with no predation. the greater black-backed gull can decimate an entire colony. i'd much prefer more arctic terns than gulls any day.

this bird is also called the clown bird...can you figure out why? my one experience with puffins was that they were very loud, very messy and smelly...much like any other colony nester. i am a little nervous about reaching my hand into a burrow to fish out a chick to band and have the mom or dad chomp down on my hand with that massive beak. that beak is made for spearing and chomping on fish...not my hand. scary.

this is the common eider...i think i like the bird because it rhymes with cider. my close friends know i have an affinity for alcoholic cider and that's why i like the eider. i'm having fun with this entry if you can't tell. anywho...this is another bird i'll be banding in a few weeks.

this is a photo of a black guillemot. it's one of the species that i'll be responsible for monitoring and banding the chicks. when i was living out on the isle of shoals...i had spotted a pair of guillemots hanging out on the rocks. they're a pretty cool looking little water bird.

Quirks and facts you may not have known...

1. i'm not attracted to blonde haired, blue eyed, pasty-skinned men.

2. i bought a pack of marlboro lights when i was 19 and took 2 months to smoke them...and never tried it again.

3. i like to figure out what kind of underwear men are wearing by watching them walk.

4.secret favorite sport to watch...sumo wrestling.

5. i used to live in philadelphia working as a sound engineer for a touring company.

6. my childhood monster was bigfoot.

7. worked at a restaurant in which a mobster's grandson was shot 4 times in the chest the day after i quit...and survived.

8. i will stop my car and get out to help assist a turtle crossing the road.

9. i climbed up to and in a glacier while visiting the alps.

10. i have one husband (mel gibson) and three boyfriends (jackie chan, adrian paul and kevin sorbo).

my mother's ashes...

i picked up my mother's ashes yesterday. my first thought was that the box was heavier than i expected. we had all decided that her ashes would be spread out by franklin lake. my brothers didn't want or need to be there...and i do understand that, but at the same time i sorta resent that too. pam (sister-in-law) was there for me and my mom when mom passed away...i don't think i could've handled it by myself. i was alone yesterday. a little part of me was thankful for that...being alone, but i would have liked the company. the new owners of the house had put out a dock that had a bench at the end of it...i sat down and just relaxed thinking about mom. eventually i spread out her ashes...it was much more difficult than i expected and had a good cry.

i'm so tired of being sad...very tired. i took a couple of those personality tests online...i like doing that kinda thing. some of the tests i took were depression tests. duh...go figure...the tests said i have mild depression. i knew that already. i'm trying to take it day by day and think of things that make me happy.

i've got another 3 weeks up here in houghton, michigan. i'm leaving for maine on may 12th. i don't know when i'll be out on the island...but work officially starts on the 15th. after the 21st of july...i believe i'm heading for england. when i return back to the states in august...i'm planning on looking for an apartment in rhinelander, wisconsin. there's a possibility that tom (brother) will be moving in too. i'm looking forward to the whole thing, especially having my own place again. i'm going to do my hardest to find a place that will allow dogs!!

my brother david and me. he has had a very difficult time with my mother's death and our father's alzhimers. the most difficult time for me at the service was watching the obvious distance between my brothers. i can only hope david will eventually get over his problems with tom and realize what's really important.

my nephew k.c., niece christi and niece abbey in the front. what a motley looking group of kids...and i love them to pieces!! i know their grandma would've tried to put numerous bright red lipsticks on their faces if she could get to them!

isn't this such a nice photo of my niece christi and her family. dakota is such a little ham with the camera. notice the nice outfit he's wearing that i got in taipei when i was living there...he's so cute in it.

my cousin jim and his wife karen.

just a casual shot of amanda hanging out at the restaurant after the memorial service.

here's a photo of my niece abbey and her uncle david.