One of the few good things about working out in Eden Prairie is that
occasionally I see some wildlife. I work next to a small lake and creek
(My office is actually built on the creek's wetlands, oh well).
Last night there was quite a bit of rain and the creek was gushing today.
I went out to take a walk, and the lake was the highest I've ever seen it.
As I was watching the water flow over the dam, I caught a splash in the
corner of my eye. Fish! There were some carp fighting against the current.
I spent some time enjoying the warm day and watching for another glimpse
of the fish.
I started walking back, but stopped to take a look at the lower dam, which
was totally submerged. A painted box turtle was crawling on the top of it
against the current. He wasn't making a whole lot of progress, so I
reached down and grabbed him out of the water. He was totally fearless.
"You're supposed to crawl inside your shell!" I told him, but he would
have none of that. I set him down on the concrete lip of the dam. He did a
quick 180 and dove into the water (with the current this time).
In December 2003, I went on vacation to Vieques, PR to visit friends and soak up the rays. It was
beautiful there -- for a place that was 2/3rds bombing range for a long time, anyway. Because it was
used for target practice by the Navy and Marines, Vieques is not as developed as other tourist
destinations in the Caribbean. It retains its rural character. Wild horses roam the island, and
chickens run around the streets of the two small towns. We were awakened by roosters every morning.
Sadly, that's changing now that the military has ceased bombing. I hope that the Viequenses can profit
from the new tourism while maintaining the character of the place.
I didn't go on a vacation this winter, but I've been doing some vicarious Google Vacationing with
Google Maps. Here's
Vieques (those white things are clouds). You can zoom in quite a bit.
You might also want to visit
Old San Juan.