Two deer and a runaway bunny! #backyardzoo #deer #bunny #nightvision https://www.instagram.com/p/CtZFV03OeeY/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
World war II ended about 75 years ago, now. (Panel is about 25 years old) https://www.instagram.com/p/CtXd8KvsgDj/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Grapes are coming in
June 10, 2023
This young lady arranged the pillows herself to make a little chaise lounge. I think it turned out pretty well, she seems quite comfy.
#misspearl
#catsofinstagram #tabbycatsofinstagram #caturday #stripedcatsofinstagram #honkshew
June 9, 2023
It was a rare occasion when the whole family gathered for an outing. My father-in-law, a mothman of considerable stature and renown, had flown over from his house up the street to join us. He was eager to see his children, who adored him and his stories of adventure and mystery. We took his wife the jackelope, who was due for a checkup, to the vet. She was healthy and happy, and the vet complimented us on her shiny fur and antlers.
Dinner tonight was Mermaid homemade Ramen and Blueberry pie, much to our great pleasure. Finished the night with an episode of Vera to digest with.
#mothman #cryptidfamily #jume092023 #vera
June 8, 2023
Tonight was a night of miracles. My mother-in-law, who had lived in a foggy world for so long, saw the light again. She underwent a surgery that replaced her clouded eye with a clear one, a gift from a human doctor who defied the laws of nature and compassion.
She had been losing her sight gradually, ever since she was a young jackalope. She blamed it on the harsh sun, the dusty wind, the polluted water. She said it was a curse from the gods, a punishment for her sins. She said she deserved it, for she had seen too much horror and sorrow in her life.
She had seen her mate killed by a hunter’s bullet, her children taken away by coyotes, her friends starve or freeze to death. She had seen the destruction of her home, the invasion of her land, the extinction of her kind. She had seen little but darkness and despair.
But my wife loved her dearly, and she wanted to give her one last chance to see the beauty of the world. She had heard of a human doctor who could perform miracles with his tools and machines.
@maximillian_deersteak and I escorted her to the doctor’s office, which was hidden in a small town near our burrow. We sneaked in at night, when the streets were empty and the lights were dim. The doctor was expecting us. He greeted us warmly and led us inside.
He asked her if she was ready. She nodded, nervously but courageously. He gave her some drops that numbed her eye. Then he used a laser to cut open her eye and take out the cataract. It felt strange but not unbearable. Then he inserted a new lens that looked like a tiny crystal. He sealed the cut with another laser and put a bandage over her eye.
After a brief healing period everything was clear and bright and colorful. She saw the doctor’s face, his kind eyes, his gentle smile. She saw Max and me, my furry ears, her twitching tail, our loving gazes.
We left the doctor’s office with a new sense of wonder and awe. We walked back to our burrow under the cover of night, but we felt like we were walking in daylight. We saw things we had never seen before, or had forgotten how to see. We saw the shapes and colors and textures of the world.
#cryptidfamily
#jackalope
#cataractsurgery #doodle #CryptidLife
June 07, 2023 at 06:38PM
Catching up with back issues – from ghost rider number 5 [legacy 248]
Spot the cameos in the rally. I wonder how Man-Thing on the woodbike will do.
#ghostrider #manthing #blade #wolverine #moonknight #doctordoom #marvelcomics #comicpanel https://instagr.am/p/CtNMnwWOn_3/
June 07, 2023 at 05:56PM
June 07, 2023 at 01:32PM
Listening to an old episode of Bonanza while working in my office, and I heard mention of “tarantula juice” , so I did a quick look up during leftover taco lunch, and it is more interesting than I’d hoped.
“For those settlers, miners and prospectors living on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, the local drink of choice was “Tarantula Juice.” This home-brewed beverage imparted a nasty “bite” due to the strychnine added to it. Strychnine is a poison, but in the early 19th century French scientists had promoted a diluted strychnine/prussic acid mixture as a cure for pulmonary disorders. In lethal doses, strychnine kills quickly.
In Carson Valley, traders purchased a strychnine solution in Placerville, California and then added it to what they called “gin.” Carson Valley gin was wood grain alcohol made from turpentine, oil of vitriol, rosin and essence of laurel. Sometime around 1852, local Nevada fiddle player “Dutch Nick” Ambrose added prussic acid as well as tobacco oil to his concoction and called it Tarantula Juice.
Strychnine is an alkaloid and probably produced an effect similar to the drug methamphetamine. The erratic bursts of nervous energy coupled with heavy alcohol consumption often resulted in violence. The moniker “Tarantula” alluded to more than the drink’s bite.
Historian C.W. Bayer wrote, “As the pleasurable effects of the strychnine whiskey wore off, muscle spasms set in and the celebrant’s skin would crawl as if covered by dozens of baby tarantulas. The name seems to have derived because men ordered two tumblers. The second tumbler remained for early morning — so as to combat the muscle spasms, the lockjaw. Left upon the table until midnight, a spare tumbler of the ‘juice’ killed off the baby tarantulas — that feeling of small hairy arms creeping upon the flesh as limbs began to stiffen.”
Mark Twain mentions miners afflicted with these “spiders” in his book “Roughing It.”
Info via – https://bit.ly/45S6Yx9
#tarantulajuice #doodle #oldwest #saloon #bonanza #thanksinternet https://instagr.am/p/CtMpojVuHEr/
June 06, 2023 at 07:22PM
As the moon rose high in the sky, casting its silver light upon the world below, I emerged from the shadows to prepare our meal. With practiced ease and stealthy grace, I gathered the ingredients: beans, veggie meat, flour tortillas, shredded cheese, taco seasoning and taco sauce. The aroma of spices filled the air as I heated up the beans and veggie meat in a pan and added the taco seasoning. Then I warmed up the tortillas and assembled the burritos with care, spooning the beans and veggie meat onto the tortillas, adding shredded cheese and a drizzle of taco sauce before rolling them up. The result was a symphony of flavors, a satisfying and healthy meal that even cryptids like @maximillian_deersteak and myself could enjoy. (If I do say so myself)
#domesticmonsterlife #mermaid #cryptid #tacotuesday #kissthecook #doodles #northbeachmd #june062023 #quickandeasymeals https://instagr.am/p/CtKs2M6M2gz/
June 05, 2023 at 06:33PM
Today was the day I had to really dig in and pack up my man cave / office. It had been a long time since I last used this room, as it had become mostly a storage space for things I didn’t need or want anymore. It was a mess of boxes, bags, and piles of stuff about which I had long forgotten.
I am still sorting through the room, just taking a break on the couch before dinner. I look around the room, feeling a mix of emotions. I have spent hours sorting through my belongings, deciding what to keep, what to donate, what to trash. It is to a degree a bittersweet process, saying goodbye to things that have once been part of my life, but now only hold me back. I also feel a sense of relief, knowing that some of my things will make someone else happy. I still have a long way to go before I am finished, but I’ve made a decent start. Moving can be stressful, but also exciting.
I’m looking forward to having more room, and stuff well organized for a change.
#cryptid #packing #northbeachmd #moving #sorting https://instagr.am/p/CtICfepO4ms/
June 05, 2023 at 09:53AM
Also guest starring on cam early this morning was one of the Venison sisters. (I think it was Valerie or Vera)
#roanokeva #backyardzoo #deer #venisonsisters https://instagr.am/p/CtHG4UGOHN9/
June 05, 2023 at 09:39AM
Some more of our special skunk visitor last night.
#backyardzoo #skunk #roanokeva https://instagr.am/p/CtHFYuDOzFg/
We got a stinky little visitor on the backyard cam! #skunk #backyardzoo #june052023 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtHCTSNNfL5/?igshid=NzJjY2FjNWJiZg==
Plane crash in staunton
**The Mystery of the Staunton Plane Crash**
On June 4, 2023, a small plane crashed in the Blue Ridge Parkway area near Staunton, Virginia, after entering a restricted airspace near Washington, D.C. The plane had lost contact with air traffic control around 3:50 p.m. and was pursued by F-16 fighter jets that created a sonic boom heard across the region. The Virginia State Police were still searching for the crash site and trying to identify the pilot as of June 5, 2023.
This incident raises many questions about the motive and identity of the pilot, the origin and destination of the flight, and the security and safety implications of such a breach. The airspace around Washington, D.C. is more restricted than any other part of the country, as it is governed by a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) within a 30-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport¹. The SFRA is divided into a 15-mile radius inner ring and a 30-mile radius outer ring, which restrict all flights in the greater D.C. area unless they have an authorization from the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration². The SFRA was established as a national defense airspace after the 9/11 attacks to prevent any potential threats to the capital².
According to the news article, the plane was flying from Weyers Cave to Manassas when it entered the restricted zone⁵. Weyers Cave is about 20 miles southwest of Staunton and Manassas is about 30 miles west of Washington, D.C. This means that the plane was flying in a northeast direction and crossed both the outer and inner rings of the SFRA. It is unclear why the pilot did not follow the flight plan or respond to air traffic control. It is also unclear if the pilot was aware of the restricted airspace or intentionally violated it.
The F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to intercept the plane after it entered the restricted zone⁵. They broke the sound barrier in pursuit and created a sonic boom that was heard across Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Some people thought it was an explosion or an earthquake and reported it to 911. The sonic boom also caused some minor damage to windows and buildings in some areas.
The plane crashed in the Blue Ridge Parkway area near Staunton around 4:05 p.m.⁵. The crash site was difficult to locate due to the rugged terrain and dense vegetation. The authorities said there was no threat to public safety or national security from the crash. They also said they were still trying to identify the pilot and determine if there were any passengers on board. They did not release any information about the type or model of the plane.
This incident is reminiscent of another plane crash that occurred in Crozet in 2018, when a Staunton pilot was killed after flying intoxicated⁴. The pilot had taken off from Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave and crashed into a wooded area near Crozet around 9 p.m.⁴. The pilot had a history of alcohol abuse and had been arrested for DUI several times before⁴. The plane was a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, which is a small single-engine aircraft⁴.
It is possible that there is no connection between these two crashes, other than being coincidental tragedies involving small planes from Weyers Cave. However, it is also possible that there is some link or pattern that could shed light on the mystery of the Staunton plane crash. Perhaps there is something about Weyers Cave or its airport that attracts or enables risky or reckless pilots. Perhaps there is something about Staunton or its vicinity that makes it a target or a waypoint for unauthorized flights. Perhaps there is something about Washington, D.C. or its airspace that attracts or repels certain pilots.
Whatever the case may be, this incident highlights the need for more vigilance and enforcement of airspace regulations, especially near sensitive areas like Washington, D.C. It also highlights the need for more education and awareness among pilots and general aviation enthusiasts about the rules and risks of flying in restricted zones. It also highlights the need for more cooperation and communication among federal, state, and local authorities in responding to such incidents and ensuring public safety and security.
In conclusion, the Staunton plane crash is a mysterious and alarming event that raises many questions about the motive and identity of the pilot, the origin and destination of the flight, and the security and safety implications of such a breach. The incident also reminds us of the previous plane crash in Crozet in 2018, which may or may not have a connection to this one. The incident also highlights the need for more vigilance and enforcement of airspace regulations, especially near sensitive areas like Washington, D.C. It also highlights the need for more education and awareness among pilots and general aviation enthusiasts about the rules and risks of flying in restricted zones. It also highlights the need for more cooperation and communication among federal, state, and local authorities in responding to such incidents and ensuring public safety and security. Hopefully, the authorities will find out what happened soon and prevent any similar incidents from happening again.
Sources – 6/4/2023
(1) https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone/dc/#:~:text=The%20National%20Capital%20Region%20is%20governed%20by%20a,inner%20ring%20and%20a%2030-mile%20radius%20outer%20ring.. https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone/dc/.
(2) DC Area Prohibited & Restricted Airspace – Federal Aviation Administration. https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone/dc.
(3) Airspace Restrictions | Federal Aviation Administration. https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/where_can_i_fly/airspace_restrictions.
(4) The 5 Best Places to Fly A Drone Near Washington, D.C. – UAV Coach. https://uavcoach.com/where-to-fly-drone/washington-dc/.
(5) The Washington, DC Flight Restricted Zone. http://www.washingtonfrz.com/Washingtonfrz.com.html.