Random Pictures

Hi all! So much has happened, and I don't have time to write about it all. So here are some random photos since last time.


We have a lot of field work going on these days. Here Phil is explaining to us the lay out of the plots we need to put in on a wildfire site.Oops. This is out of order. This is a flower from a Saturday morning hike up Rock Canyon.
Lunch break at work.
I helped out with a high school science camp that was held at an old Forest Service research station outside of Ephraim. This is the old lab.
High schoolers learning in the best classroom ever! If I had more time I would explain how fabulous this day was and the fuzzy feelings I got as I was a part of this exceptional learning experience with students and scientist from three states.
This is from another Saturday hike. Keith had new gear so we needed to go try it out.
We roasted Starbursts up by this big rock outcrop.
We had leftover Starbursts so a few days later we took a study break and roasted the rest of them. Cristi (on the left) had never experienced the joy that is a roasted Starburst. So we had to make her some. You all should try it to. It is amazing!

Cynicism

I have been studying for the GRE lately. Which means that I am kind-of fitting it in between school, work, and the funner aspects of my life. It is seeming more and more like a silly yet painful hoop to jump through on my way to grad school. Yep, I am a bit cynical . At least Calvin understands. (click on the cartoon to make it bigger)

Namesake

In case you missed the previous post, Melinda (my roomie) is one fantastic gal. This semester she is taking an etymology class. My roommates and I have all gotten on the bug bandwagon and are ruthlessly stalking any interesting insects we see and placing them in the freezer for Melinda's collection. Thursday night Melinda mentioned that she was going up to the bell tower to look for bugs and was wanting someone to go with her.
"Me! Pick me!"
For those of you unfamiliar with BYU, the bell tower is lit up every night by several large spot lights. This bright glow attracts young lovers and bugs of all types. We went crazy netting, grabbing, and pinching bugs of all shapes and sizes until the bags and tubes were full and we were mostly blind from staring into the lights. One of our most exciting finds was a couple of katydids. My grandma Temus and Liz have called me Katie-did for years but I never had seen the critter I was named after. I let this guy out of his bag and he made a bee line for the dying roses on our counter and started clicking. I never could quite tell how he made the clicking noise. These lovely insects are elegant, emerald green, and very friendly (this one sat on my finger). I am happy to be named after such a delightful creature.
After all, I could have been named after something a bit more eerie like a preying mantis.