Birding by Accident

Carib Grackle

Okay, I know what you are thinking. . . "birdwatching is something my grandma does".  But I am fascinated by the variety of birds that exist around the world.  As a biology major, it is funny that I never took one bird class the entire time I was in college, but now I wish I had.

A bananaquit hiding in the tree.

I own bird books from most states and countries I have visited and I have also managed to keep lists of what I saw and was able to identify.  That being said, I am horrible at it.  I always forget my binoculars, I never get up early, and my kids and I probably scare away most potential subjects while we tromp through whatever natural habitat we encounter, crying and shrieking.  (The kids - not me.  At least, not usually me.)

Lesser Antillean Bullfinch

On our recent trip to St. Lucia, I had once again forgotten my binoculars, but found that our new camera was a good substitute.  So one afternoon while my daughter was napping, my son and I watched birds from our hotel balcony. 

Mostly we saw doves and grackles, but we also spotted some hummingbirds, bananaquits, and bullfinches.  And a bullfinch even snuck into our room, opened a sugar packet and decorated the floor with it, much to my son’s delight.  For me, despite its limitations, it was fun sharing my hobby with my son.

Antillean Crested Hummingbird

We have also gone birding at some fun, kid-friendly sites in California.  Check out the following articles Bird Watching on California's Central Coast: Nojoqui Falls and Birdwatching on California's Central Coast: Oso Flaco Lake.     

Tour of Texas with Kids: Strawberry Picking in Alvin

This spring, the kids and I tried something new - strawberry picking in Alvin!  Our Friendswood-Alvin Mom's Club goes every year, but we had never managed to make it before, so we were excited when they scheduled the trip for a time we were in town.

Froberg's Farm is just a quick 20-minute drive from our house, but apparently it transported us into an alternate universe.  Let me explain.

My 2-year-old daughter is the pickiest eater this side of the Bermuda Triangle.  I believe she is on a quarterly cycle, where she will enthusiastically eat an item once every three months.  So if we have apples in January, I can't serve them again until April at the earliest.  And there are some items that she won't eat at all, most of them being of the wet, mushy, or slimy persuasion, thus eliminating many fruits and vegetables.  However, the trip to Froberg's Farm was the exception to her strict regimen.

The fun began as soon as our group was escorted to the bucket rental area.  I assumed we would just need one bucket, but realized quickly that shelling out $2 for each of them to have a bucket was a small price to pay for a morning free of bucket fights.  So, armed with our two buckets, we were routed toward the rules sign, where the kids learned not to pick the flowers or the white strawberries. We then set out for the strawberry fields.

Both kids took to strawberry picking as if they had done it their whole lives. They checked the plants carefully, only chose the red ones, and really didn't pull up the whole plant. It was just extra stem. Seriously.

What happened next will probably never be explained by modern science. My daughter asked for a strawberry. I rushed the kids back to the scale to have our buckets weighed and paid for our strawberries.  Then I ran over to the sinks to wash some for her. And lo and behold, she ate some strawberries. No coercion, no begging, she just ate them.  Of course, she hasn't eaten them since, but I still consider it a victory.    

Our Favorite Sunscreen

With record heat in Houston already this summer, we all have sun and, hopefully, sunscreen on our minds. It reminds me of our visit to Schlitterbahn last year when a local woman was amazed we had survived a day in the park without getting a sunburn. 

Hats, rash guards, and sunscreen keep the sun fun!

“What’s your secret?”

  

My husband and I turned in bewilderment to the lady at the next table, “Huh?” 

“I can see you just spent the day at Schlitterbahn, she said, gesturing to our armbands, “yet not one of you is even slightly sunburned.  I have never seen anyone leave that park without a sunburn.” 

I turned to look at my two children, then ages 3 and 1 and had to agree.  I mentally patted myself on the back.  As a fish-belly-white, redhead with sensitive skin, I take sun protection seriously.  I had experimented through the years on my own skin, and when my son, who inherited my skin-tone and sensitivity, started playing in the sun, I was even more vigilant. 

I had found that any sunscreen using chemical blockers was too painful to use so I only bought those that listed zinc oxide or titanium oxide as the active ingredient.  I also found that many sunscreens would eventually run into my eyes, but stumbled upon an amazing discovery after a spending a day on a dive boat with only my daily moisturizer for protection.  It worked great! 

So I told her, “Actually, I just use Olay Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer, SPF 30 for sensitive skin on everyone’s faces and then any regular sunscreen with titanium oxide or zinc oxide everywhere else.  The kids also wear rash guards and hats, and we try to get as much shade as possible during the day.”

I laughed when she wrote it down, it was almost as good as someone asking for my autograph.  I never thought I would run across someone who thought fish-belly-white was cool!