Big Tree at Goose Island State Park

Is this not the most amazing Oak Tree you've ever seen?  I couldn't fit the entire tree in the shot with the lens I was using so this photo really does it no justice at all, you HAVE to see this tree in person.  Just a few quick stats to put in into perspective:

• It's thought to be one of the largest in the nation.
• The trunk circumference measures 34 feet & 1.75 inches!
• The average trunk diameter is 11 feet & 2.25 inches!
• It's 44 feet tall
• It's over 1,000 years old!  

You can learn more about Big Tree by clicking HERE!

There are a few large Oak Trees nearby as well that have incredible root systems:

While checking the trees out, Matthew spotted this Texas Spiny Lizard, and I probably spent about 30 full minutes taking a gazillion photos hahaha!  Here's my favorite:

And this is where is gets it's name:

I hadn't climbed a tree in a few years and there are "no climbing" signs posted and a fence placed around Big Tree, so I climbed one of the other ones instead.  I am now convinced that this should be a regular occurrence.  I miss climbing trees!!!  That was like...my thing when I was a kid!  Oh, and I had my first pedicure in over 8 years!  I've totally been missing out.

When is the last time you went tree climbing?

Insects: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

I'm a big fan of visiting state parks and wildlife refuges, so of course we went to visit a few while we were in Rockport!  One of the places we visited was the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  We got to see quite a few deer, a snake that I wasn't fast enough to catch, and a coyote with a couple of pups!  I was so disappointed that I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to snap a photo before they darted into the tree line, but it was awesome getting to see them anyway!  I did get plenty of shots of different insects we saw while on the trail, and decided to share these:

Honeybee

Cicada

Mating Monarch Butterflies

Leaf Footed Bug

Insects are one of my favorite photography subjects.  I can't wait to get a real macro lens and start getting into it more :)

Wish I Had: A Macro Lens!

 Ants are really fucking amazing creatures.  Did you know that:

• The weight of all ants in the world is the same as, if not greater than that of all humans?
• They have the longest life span of all insects?  30 years!!!
• All worker, soldier, and queen ants are female.  
• Ants and humans are the only creatures that farm other creatures.
• Most ants can survive 24 hours under water.
• You can find these and other fun ant facts here!

I really really wish that I had had a macro lens when I took these photos at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  I'm really happy with the results I got though using my 55-200 zoom lens without a tripod.  The ants were super docile and didn't seem to mind me getting up in their space too much at all.  These particular ants are Red Harvester Ants.  I've never seen a Harvester Ant colony up close before, but it was really fascinating watching them work together. 

Harvester Ants make up close to 70% of the Texas Horned Lizards diet. The combination of pesticides and the red imported fire ant have drastically reduced the number of Harvester Ant colonies...which in turn has made the population of Horned Lizards plummet.  I've lived in Texas my whole life, and I've only ever seen one of them.  It was really neat getting to watch these guys though and I plan on having a macro lens the next time we go (hopefully they'll still be there)!

I Like Turtles

I don't know about you, but I absolutely 100% LOVE turtles!  I've always been one to stop and help them cross the road, and I always get super excited when I find them while hiking and such.  I think most people would be excited to see the ocean while visiting a little town along the Gulf of Mexico, but I get excited about something else.  The park.  They've got a nice little walking trail that winds around a pond and through a wooded area, and the pond is packed FULL of turtles.  I always take a little packet of bread to feed to the seagulls and ducks, and that ends up bringing all the turtles swimming up to see what's going on.  They'll actually come close enough to eat out of your hand!

As I was sitting under the little pier taking photos, this little Grackle wandered pretty close and I was able to snap a photo.  

I was using a zoom lens to take these photos, but this particular seagull let me get about 2 feet away to take this picture.  I love it when animals sit still for photos :)

Not only are the turtles and birds at this park super friendly, but so are the squirrels...which are another of my favorites!  These little guys will take food from your hand too :)

Hope you're having a great week!

Photo Of The Week: Earl

Earl hiding under some fabric while I cleaned the bottom level.  Such a cutie!

Happy Weekend!

Rockport Wildlife: Black & White

I don't usually edit my photos in black & white because I'm obsessed with color, but I played around with it a bit on a few of the photos I took while in Rockport, and I actually liked these particular ones a lot better in black & white!  

Do you ever edit your photos in black & white?

iPhoneography Monday // 1

After a much needed vacation, I'm back home and excited to kick off my new blogging schedule with photos from my iPhone!

1) Brando looks super grumpy....I think I might have woken him up.

2) A few of my things in a corner of my desk.  Chelsea Cain books (I haven't gotten the first one in hardback yet.  Ooops!  ET of course, and my Ferris Bueller marker holding mug :)

3) I can't get enough of these guys.  If I could go back in time, I would totally be a Monty Python groupie.

4) The latest rat cage setup.  I love the way the checkered fabric looks in there :)  

My Kingsnake Nayner and a Red Ear Slider turtle that we rescued from the middle of the road at my mom's house.

I LOVE this photo of the snail from our back porch one morning.

Do any of you guys use Instagram regularly?  I'd love to check out your photos!  You can find me HERE!

Photodump: Valentine's Day 2014

I had SUCH an amazing Valentine's Day weekend!  I worked until 1:30, and headed straight to Matthew's house.  When I got there he had a couple of little gift baggies waiting for me as well as something reeeally big that I've been needing...a new desk for my craft room!  We saw it a few weeks ago while out shopping and I loved the color and design.
He had planned on having it put together before I got there, but due to mix ups with the post office it arrived late and he didn't get it until about an hour before I got there.  That worked out for the best though, because we have so much painting to do in there.  It won't fit through the door once it's put together.  I can't wait to share photos of the craft room as we make progress!
So what were the goodies in the bag?  Just some of the best things EVER:

 I have been wanting Jelly Shoes for SUCH a long time!  I used to wear them all the time when I was a kid, and I was fawning over these the other day on ModCloth, so he went ahead and ordered them for me!  I was afraid they might be nasty to break in...break out the band-aids sort of nastiness, but to my pleasant surprise...they are extremely comfortable and I haven't had problems so far!  They're perfect!  Also...I love the way they smell :) :) :)

 Look at these LUSH goodies!  So far I've only used some of the MMM bath melt (the pink one).  OMG it smells soooooooo yummy!  I can't wait to try the other ones!  From left to right they are: Floating Island Bath Melt, MMM Bath Melt, Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb, Space Girl Bath Bomb, and the ever popular Sex Bomb.
I also got a new smoothie/blender cookbook and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes.  I'm most excited about the breakfast smoothie recipes and am eager to find favorites to help out with my health/weight loss goals!

Aaaaaand we went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, which is about an hours drive from us.  We are both HUGE animal lovers so I'll just let the photos tell you what a great time we had:

What's your favorite animal to see at the zoo?