What Cicadas Have Taught Us

I'm sorry to say that the Cicadas are pretty much gone now. For me, the great Cicada invasion of 2007 was truly an amazing event to witness and experience. Who knows where I'll be in 17 years but if I'm not in the Chicago area, I will make it a point to come and party with these these amazing creatures. Anyway, I also wanted to share this interesting article I found in the Chicago Tribune on what the Cicadas have taught or can teach us humans on life lessons. Enjoy.

LIFE LESSONS: What The Cicadas Have Taught Us
10 bits of wisdom by Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel

• Savor every moment. Good times can be farther apart than you know.
• Whether you consider it clean or dirty, you still don't want to get too close to a dog's mouth.
• It doesn't matter that you fly badly. Only that you fly.
• Be patient. Even bottom feeders get their day in the sun.
• It's amazing how little you really need to throw a good party.
• Stupidity and ineptitude are not insurmountable when you have numbers on your side.
• Make all the noise you want, but it's common decency to quiet down during bedtime.
• Beware excessive pickiness. Spend too much time looking for your perfect match, and life will pass you by.
• Persistence pays off.
• It can seem like forever, but 17 years can come and go in a hurry.

When Cats Attack

Cicada Sounds

Brian and I took our bikes out for a spin yesterday. We wanted to go see the Cicadas one last time before they all died. We started heading east along the Great Western Trail towards the heavily infested areas of Lombard and Elmhurst, IL. Once we got to Lombard we were, or least I was, in awe. Surrounding us were hundreds if not thousands of Cicadas singing in the bushes and trees. At the same time there was also this eerie high pitched "hissing" sound in the background coming from the little Cicadas as well. It sounded like a bunch of flying saucers from those old Lost In Space episodes. It was a very surreal experience. Above are two clips I recorded during our bike ride. You can hear the "hissing" sound of thousands of Cicadas in the above left video (Notice the wave of singing Cicadas at second 17 coming into full force). The above right video shows a close up of a few hundred singing Cicadas on a small tree in Elmhurst, IL.

Juliano - Switched At Birth

Can you tell which person above starred in the 1970 children's classic, "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town"?

Hiking On Kelleys Island

I finally got a chance to go through my pics I took on Kelleys Island last weekend. Renee from Didymops invited Brian and I to come along on a nature hike with her and friends from The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Despite the extreme heat and humidity it turned out to be a very fun hike! We did a bit of bird banding, searched for fossils, and got to see Kelleys Island's famous Glacial Grooves. Afterwards, Jay, Larry, Judy, Brian, and I headed over to the Village Pump for some brewskies. That was a hoot! Below are a few pics of the things I saw during the hike. More pics can be found at the following link: Click Here . Enjoy.

Cliff overlooking Lake Erie.

Some yellow bird about to be tagged.Me releasing a grackle. (Photo by Jay Cossey)A random butterfly.

Hunting for fossils on Kelleys Island.

A fossil I found.

Glacial Grooves of Kelleys Island.

Renee's Birthday Party

Lui5 wants to send some birthday lurve to Renene. Happy Birthday Renee! Below are some pics of her exclusive BBQ party which I was invited to this past weekend. Enjoy!

Can Anyone Spot The Real Monkey In This Pic?

Brian and Renee Befriend A Homeless Person

Brian and Renee befriended a poor homeless man and offered him a free brat at the West Side Market.