This poor guy got thoroughly tangled in the plastic net we had put around the tomatoes. I was able to free him after about ten minutes of snipping, but he got in a shot at me before I could get another of him. We don’t know how long he was stuck, but think it had to be less than 24 hours. There were tight loops around him in lots of places, and I’m pretty sure I got them all cut off. Some were very constricting around his mid-section, and there may have been some damage to his skin there — or it might just have been ruffled scales. I was trying to see when he zapped me.
Author: edwinridout
Went berry picking Friday
At Westmoreland Berry Farm in the Northern Neck, about an hour east of Fredericksburg. After picking our raspberries and blueberries, we enjoyed ice cream on the porch, looking west from the rocking chairs overlooking the fields. That’s white plastic for strawberries beyond the picnic tables. I think the occasional sparkle through the distant trees may be the river. Below, location A, with map showing Rappahannock River estuary and state route 3 upper right.
A bit more on the Northern Neck:
Bodies of water, from right to left and counter-clockwise, are Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, and Rappahannock River. The Northern Neck is the rural and somewhat remote peninsular between the Potomac and the Rappahannock, first visited (as a prisoner of the Powhatans) by John Smith in 1607. It has 1,100 miles of coastline, no cities, many small farms, and a growing number of vineyards.
Tufted Titmouse
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSa2UYi2LZ0
Family group on David’s 90th
Tim and Elspeth, Mike and Beth, Gareth, Sheara, Ed, David, Nancy, Erin, Edwin and Sandy, Judi and Nick. Doggedly volte-face: Gracie and Cadbury. Photo by Elspeth.
Cardinal
at the bluebird nesting box by the well: first two on May 23rd, the rest on May 27th, all early afternoon.
Mouse(?) at midnight
On the bluebird nesting box by the well.
Bluebird at the box
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuiKhQ5mhag”
Our Wildview camera’s video of a bluebird at the bluebird box 21 May 2011, 4:23pm. Only a week ago we though this box was occupied by chickadee chicks. After Youtube starts, you can activate the full-screen option by clicking an icon in lower right which looks like one of these: 
Historic Half-Marathon May 15th
At Fredericksburg, Virginia: pictures by Elspeth
High expectations: Tim met his, with a 7:35 pace, finishing 1:39:10. I started well enough but slowed down too much in mid-race, ending up with an 8:42 pace to finish at 1:53:58. Tim was 56th out of 422 in his age group, Mike was 15th in his (and also under two hours), and I was 9th out of 88 in mine.
Peony
Iphigénie en Tauride
Before dress rehearsal at Kennedy Center Tuesday 3 May 2011, photo by Barb B:
With Barb we saw Gluck’s opera story of Iphigenia in Tauris, Washington National Opera, the wonderful soprano Patricia Racette in the title role and a baritone Placido Domingo as her brother Orestes. Here’s a link to a nice Washington Times review. Elspeth found this Washington Post review. But as is often the case, the best review is by Charles Downey on his IonArts blog.
A week later I attended the WNO dress rehearsal at the Kennedy Center of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Here’s a link to the Charles Downey review. Pasquale was James Morris, bass, and soprano Norena was Ekaterina Siurina. I very much enjoyed all five of this year’s WNO performances, and maybe this one the most.