July 2013 – The (Urban-Wildlife) Interface

July 25, 2013July 25, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

Three’s a crowd

Three harvestmen crowd together underneath a lemon tree leaf.

They've got legs -- 24 of 'em. — They’ve got lots of leg room for 24 stilty gams.

July 25, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

This week’s challenge is all about fresh. The top photo was taken almost fresh out of bed as this butterfly flitted from bloom to bloom. The photo below it represents fresh too, but in a rather dark, macabre and downright “ewwww” kind of way, as nature can be at times. (You may not want to scroll down.)

Yellow and black butterfly. — Yellow swallowtail makes an early morning visit to the hydrangea.

Spider and grasshopper. — This spider somehow wound up impaled on a thorn on one of the citrus plants. The green grasshopper spent a good deal of time on the carcass this morning. By late afternoon, the spider’s body had disappeared.

And other sources of fresh:

July 23, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

Weekly photo challenge: The golden hour

Once again, better late than never. Here is our entry for the July 12 challenge: The Golden Hour. http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/the-golden-hour/

Sunshine skims over mountaintops. — Morning sun skims the tops of this mist-cloaked Ouachita ridge.

Other golden entries:

July 18, 2013July 18, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

Horses, heat and happiness

A former equestrienne*, it’s always a treat to hang around a horse show, even if it’s an outing disguised as work. Here are some shots from this year’s Arkansas state 4-H horse show. Temps hovered around 100 degrees and I left the show covered in horse, dog and dust, but supremely happy.

Chestnut horse trotting. — The horses kicked up a lot of dust and I loved the way it softened the background.

7-11 Waiting to Come In — Contestants waiting to enter the ring for their class. At more than 90 degrees, the jacket rule was waived, but nearly all the competitors in the hunter classes remained fully turned out.

7-11-PrizeBox1 — What waited at the end of the class.

*Once a horse person, always a horse person, I’m afraid.

July 14, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

Ch-ch-ch-changes

One of our favorite pizza joints is undergoing a renovation. We love this place. We could walk in, sit down and not even have to say anything. Rose, Ali and everyone else would just know.

It’s one of at least two stores in this local chain built in an old gas station. Part of the charm of these two restaurants was the quirkiness that came from stuffing a pizza n’ beer eatery into a service station: tables in the service bay with a thin veneer of decor (adeptly seasoned by everything ever cooked there), the funky traffic flow inside and the bathrooms outside.

The other ex-gas station restaurant we frequented was abandoned and a shiny new one built in a somewhat post-modern Italianate concrete box with elaborate landscaping. Inside is the most sound wave-richocheting interior that could be conceived. The food has never been the same.

We’re hoping for a better outcome for this restaurant, but have already learned that at least one of the well-seasoned ovens won’t be making the change over. It was so old, repair parts can’t be found.

6-27 US Pizza inside — One last look. The view from our favorite table.

July 6, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

Weekly photo challenge: Nostalgic

This week’s challenge, “nostalgic,” isn’t a hard one, considering 1) celebrated my 50th birthday this week — a natural place to look back on one’s life, and 2) the wonderful take-you-back-to-your-childhood gift my husband found: a box full of candy someone born in 1963 would remember from his or her childhood.

Box full of can — From candy necklaces to Zotz and everything in between.

This was quite a collection, including boxes of what used to be candy cigarettes, a bubblegum “Pink Owl” cigar, wax lips, Dots, Turkish Taffy and a bag full of yellow candy-covered bubblegum bits packaged as “gold nuggets.” You can see my dentist smiling already.

7-6-birthday-box — The cover of the candy-bearing box and the super sparkly tiara with the big 50 in front, another gift from my husband. It was truly a happy birthday!

Others gone nostalgic:

Nostalgic Evening: http://followyournose.org/2013/07/05/nostalgic-evening/
Family album: http://lynneayersbeyondthebrush.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/old-family-photos/
Yesterday’s fireworks: http://littleyarisphoto.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/weekly-photo-challenge-nostalgic/
At the beach: http://grandmalin.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/beach-nostalgia/
Dad: http://runningafterale.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/weekly-photo-challenge-nostalgic/
Outstanding in her field: http://sherylynoben.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/weekly-photo-challenge-field-of-nostalgia/
Boat life: http://northumbrianlight.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/weekly-photo-challenge-nostalgic/

And this week’s Way Back Machine: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/nostalgic/

July 2, 2013July 6, 2013 suburbanferndaleark Cement mixer

Tiny toad

This fearless fellow was maybe an inch long. He was hanging out by the front door.

Month: July 2013