Connie and Neil are really glad they’re fully immunized against the Covid now…it means that they can start getting back out with some precautions. They still mask up when inside until they get to their table and are trying to mostly go to places with outside seating…although with the hotter weather we’re getting into that’s getting less attractive. This week they went to a local pub named 1025 for reasons that escape me…Connie chose it since they had 30something beers on tap and on checking their list she noticed a dozen we had tried before and liked so off we went. Neil had a Kentucky Vanilla Cream Ale followed by a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale…she had a local Irish Red which was so so and then a Key West Ale which was delish as were the two Neil had. Dinner was a plate of homemade tater chips with some jalapeño queso dip…they originally figured they would need to eat more and noticed a lot of delectable things on the menu but were full after the dip so that was that for dinner.

Still waiting on Neil’s new camera to ship…latest estimate is April 22 but he’ll believe that when he gets the shipping notice.

Our weather cooled back off so we have been able to be mostly open for the breeze…had to close up a couple times and engage the A/C in the mid afternoon but by bedtime it had cooled off and we went back to our preferred mode of windows open. We’ve also been eating out on the lanai a lot as well as cooking out there…we’re more likely to have to close up for a bit if Neil cooks inside.

Neil invented another new cocktail this week…it is based on one up in Alaska that is called a Duck Fart and it is one of the traditional drinks up there like a Mai Tai is for tropical islands or a Cuba Libre down in the Caribbean. It is made with Crown Royal Whiskey, Kahlua, and Bailey’s Irish cream and is traditionally served in a shot glass…they tried one when they were up in Alaska and they’re actually quite tasty. Anyways…the Elks Lodge sells them but they’re pretty expensive…so Neil told Connie he would make her one when they got home. We don’t have Crown Royal…but it’s just whiskey so he replaced that with Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and replaced the Bailey’s with No-name Irish Cream. He didn’t put any Kahlua in it since we didn’t look up the recipe but it was so good we’ll try that next time. Traditionally…this is served as a layered shot with the Kahlua on the bottom, the Baileys in the middle and the whiskey on top…but that means you have to drink it all at once so the flavors mix…and while that’s fine for youngsters and Alaskans…we’re older and wiser than that. So…we stirred ours up to mix the flavors and then sipped instead of slammed it down…lasts longer that way. After some discussion…we named the drink a Cormorant Fart© since Duck Fart is probably copyrighted someplace.

Not much else going on these days…but we did have a few more images we got this week.

Mockingbird mating dance. Yeah…I know it’s only a mockingbird which is common but he’s doing his dance to attract the ladies…we didn’t see one nearby so either he was practicing, the female doesn’t have to be close, or he was practicing for his Modern Dance 101 final exam.

Our chill Great Blue Heron dropped by as well.

I wasn’t going to post this last one as it’s a lousy photo since it was taken through the lanai screen…but he flew off before I could get a better one. One of the things that wildlife photographers do is take a series of insurance shots as they work a subject. What you want to end up with is a frame filling shot of a beautifully posed creature doing something interesting…but sometimes they don’t cooperate and fly off or wander away into the woods or whatever. So…when you first see it you take an insurance shot so you have something then you start working closer…generally by angling back and forth while not looking at it works the best…and stopping for better insurance shots as you close. When you’re close enough…you stop and wait for the pose and/or doing something interesting to happen but take some even better insurance shots first.

Anyways…he spotted this Tricolor Heron perched on the very top of one of the pine trees across the pond…it has to be 40 or 50 feet tall…and he got a shot through the lanai screen which resulted in the lack of detail. He then opened the door to get an outside shot without the moire effect cause by the screen but off it flew. I decided to post it since while we have seen herons in trees we’ve never seen one that high in a tree…generally if they’re 10 feet up that’s pretty high for a heron.

Interesting things found on the net.

Cyas.