Tag: Allyson Marks

Cotton Balls on Stilts…by Brad Marks

Greetings everyone! Linda and finally made it back from Rochester, MN. We were up there for Linda’s annual heart checkup and I am pleased to report everything looks excellent. Linda has a bit of PTSD on these visits from all that has been through up there, but she pulled through like a champ. We even celebrated by going to our favorite restaurant, Canadian Honker – DELICIOUS. Think I have mentioned this before, but there are two things that always strike me about the Mayo campus. First is the perfect entropy that plays out in their waiting room. It happens in every medical waiting room since Covid, it’s just on a larger scale there. By entropy, I am referring to the fact patients will always pick the set of chairs that maximizes their distance from anyone else. I enjoy watching the visible thought process as the options narrow ha. The other intriguing element is everyone walking around with cotton balls on their arms. Pretty sure 95% of the patients with visits that day have to start out with a phlebotomist. Just thinking about all those pokes makes me want to faint. Luckily Brad is back with a much happier story about fluffy balls to help put my mind at ease.

Take it away Brad…

Have you ever been digging through some stuff piled on your desk or the kitchen counter and found something you thought you already took care of?  Well, that’s this story. I started writing just after Jan and I were in South Carolina this past February.  We were (OK, I was) overwhelmed with the embarrassment of riches of birds to photograph and write about.  I think I mentioned in an earlier story that we took well north of 11,000 photos over the course of three days.  Our primary reason for being in the area was not birding or photography.  We had really been trying to leave snowy February in Illinois behind for a week.  We also wanted to visit a State Park or two to be out in Nature without a parka.  It just so happened that the birding was rather spectacular, “forcing” us to fill up memory cards along the way.  I guess that’s what two backup SSD drives are for.

At first, I treated every white wading bird the same as I was trying to identify them.  I learned that some white wading birds are supposed to be blue, not white.  I also learned that all of the medium-sized white wading birds aren’t all the same bird.  I guess you need to pay attention to their feet, legs, and bills to know for sure.

Snowy Egret by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to learn more about the “fluffy factor”!

Continue reading Cotton Balls on Stilts…by Brad Marks

Hall’s Pond…by Brad Marks

Going to be setting a new land speed record for getting this last post of the month out – check off another successful meet on the Intrigued post quota. At some point my superiors are going to stop accepting that as a “stretch” goal ha. Have good news for everyone, we have “proof of life” for Brad. That sounds a lot more exciting that it really is as in today’s day and age, it simply means we got a text he’s on his way home. Probably dating myself here, but it feels just like the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom show. If you recall (assuming you are old enough), Marlin Perkins would sit back in his smoking chair with a snifter of Scotch while Jim is out in the field getting mauled by a pack of Hyenas. “Honey, I would like to get this bird located here {spins globe stopping it with a well placed finger}, what do you think?” “There!!! HELL NO..send Brad.” “Good idea, where’s my snifter?” I am sure he will have a number of future posts covering his adventures. In the meantime we are pulling one of his queue to keep you entertained while I tend to things that go bump in the night.

Three short little days until the first night of the Haunted Trail..as they say..or rather sing “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” (link here). Sure wish I had “Eight days a week”.

Kick it Brad…

If you’ve ever been to Boston, you know how frantic life can be there.  Like any other large city, there are big buildings, crazy people everywhere “driving” with a coffee in one hand and a smartphone in the other, and other people with a smartphone in one hand and a cup of coffee in their other hand posing as pedestrians.  Of course, nearly everyone has obligatory earbuds firmly ensconced.  Jan and I were visiting Boston for the umpteenth time (really, I’ve lost count over the decades) for our goddaughter’s high school graduation.  Knowing I’d like to see what birds were living in and around Boston, our friend Connie suggested I try a little pond near our hotel in Brookline. 

When I first arrived at Armory Park, all I could see was a giant dog park (very few were picking up, BTW, so watch your step if you visit) and a half dozen tennis courts with players who thought they were getting ready for Wimbledon.  It was then that I noticed a heavily wooded area behind a fence with a swing gate; that’s where I headed:  Hall’s Pond.  I went through the gate, wandered along the wooded trail, and came upon a serene little pond with a small deck extending over the water.  The pond is roughly 150 feet wide by about 200 feet long.  The surrounding gardens and wooded area may only be 3-4x as big as the pond itself.

Hall's Pond by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to see more finds from Hall’s Pond.

Continue reading Hall’s Pond…by Brad Marks

GAWWS (Great! Another White Wading Shorebird) or Déjà Vu All Over Again…by Brad Marks

We are now in the pressure zone, a mere two weeks before the big haunt and my days are starting to feel like back to back ultras. The good news is we are making progress – a lot of that thanks to my brother Ron spending multiple days down here helping me out. Probably have maybe 3 or 4 days max to wrap up the new props before clearing the trails and starting the mind-numbing battery installation phase. Last year required well over 300 AAs, 50 AAAs, 120 9vs and a myriad of other formats – with all the new props those numbers are going to jump significantly. Note, things would go a LOT faster if the younger generation(s) would stop sucking on batteries causing that #$%@#%@#$# little screw to be on all the battery compartment lids. Fortunately in all this chaos, I have been able to get in a little birding…

Birdman 2023

You might have noticed I am back to using my injured elbow…how about we just keep that to ourselves for now, first rule of Fight Club – “Don’t talk about the elbow”. While I toil away, Brad is stepping in to once again throw me a lifeline with one of his birding adventures. He is currently out in the field on assignment, so responses will be dependent on his connectivity – if we are lucky he will stumble upon some forgotten jungle tribes with Internet access points and let us know how it is going. Well, “I Bis” be getting back to the haunt work.

Take it away Brad…

I think I’m finally beginning to understand why Brian has such a backlog of bird stories.  When he and Linda travel south during the winter, he racks up 200+ birds per “vacation.”  Jan and I encountered 56 on our trip to Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina last February.  As I was reviewing photos for other stories, I noticed this unassuming bird in the background of many of the photos.  I started writing this story just after our trip.  I guess it was on my keyboard too long because in the meantime, Brian published a story on this exact same bird (link here).  Well, not the precise bird, but a bird of the same species.   So, what to do, what to do . . .   Should I scrap it or continue writing about the same bird, but with a different perspective and habitat?  After a week or so I chose to continue the story.

I have to admit that initially, I was going for the herons and egrets.  But our featured bird today is no less exciting than those are.  Granted, its name is grander than the lighting in these photos allows.  Jan and I found these wading birds very early in the day, less than an hour after sun-up.

White Ibis by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to read more about our pink legged friend.

Continue reading GAWWS (Great! Another White Wading Shorebird) or Déjà Vu All Over Again…by Brad Marks

Floof Hats…by Brad Marks

Greetings all! Took a quick break from the Haunted Trail task list tome to bring you another fun post from Brad. He will be going back out on assignment soon and I wanted to get a few more of his posts out while he still had plenty of time to respond to comments. Before we get to that, we have a new brag to celebrate. Raven needed only 6 more qualifying runs to earn another trip back to CPE Agility Nationals, so we decided to head up north and enter a show for the long weekend. I was concerned about losing all those days prepping for the haunt (basement currently full of 8′ spiders, a 10′ wolf, 5 tombstones and a myriad of other props in various states), but this would take a lot of pressure off Raven (and Linda) if we could get the qualifying checked off early.

Raven's 2nd CPE Championship Sept 2023

Our little rock star got it done. Not only did he get his 6 qualifying runs (plus another for assurances), he also earned his 2nd CPE Championship complete with a giant ribbon – matching his now inflated ego ha. He spent most of the show pointing at it whenever another dog passed by. Showed him Brad’s post and his only comment was “Woof, Mwoof, Gwoof, Cwoof” – canine translated – Where’s MY Golden Crown!?! Sigh, a lot of sass for an under 5 pound Poodle. Anyway, I’ve delayed you too long already, let’s get to another of Brad and Jan’s adventures at Acadia.

Take it away Brad…

Let me help set the scene a little bit.  Jan and I were on vacation at Acadia National Park.  The morning Puffin and Lighthouse cruise we were scheduled to take had been cancelled because of fog.  Not to worry, because we were able to catch one later that day. (See prior published story about Puffins, link here)

The Big Question remained unanswered; what do to for the next five hours until the cruise.  See the rest of the park, of course — fog or not.  We asked the GPS to take to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

As we neared the lighthouse, the fog thickened again; something about warm water and cold air mixing.  I drove into the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse parking lot and secured the very last official parking space in the rather small lot.  Several others had already parked on the grass, in the striped-out areas, in the ditch along the road, etc.  The fog wasn’t the thickest we’d had on the trip yet, but it did add a spooky English mystery story feel to the place.

Acadia Trip by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to see Brad and Jan’s finds on this foggy day.

Continue reading Floof Hats…by Brad Marks

Three Hour Tour…by Brad Marks

Welcome to September everyone, or as I like to call it “Weight Watcher’s Month”. The first means we have less than 30 days to get ready for this year’s big haunt (link here). Damn you short day months!! From this point on until we officially open the trail, sleep will be very sparse and days/nights will be driven at a hectic pace. On top of that, there’s a lot of miles still to be put in on the trail as my 2nd 100K ultra attempt looms a mere two weeks after all the guests have had their fill of food, drinks and frights – thus the significant amount of weight loss. As you would probably assume, I need to back away from the day to day Intrigued responsibilities to focus on the 15+ still in process props that are littered about my basement (some started at the end of last year). Then I can then start assembling all the veteran scares that have already had their fright night debut. Don’t worry, you will be in good care as we once again put the Intrigued HQ in Brad’s capable hands. Quite fitting, as this also happens to be his 1 year anniversary month (his first post was on 9/12 – link here). It has been a true blessing to have him on board, especially in these frantic times. I’ll try to pop in from time to time to check on things and make sure things don’t get too crazy (looking at YOU Lawyer Dept!). Turns out, Brad has the perfect post too kick off this month chock-full of huffin’ and puffin’.

Take it away Brad…

Earlier this year, Brian and I participated in the First Annual Intrigued Corporate Team Building Event, ICTBE v1.0 (see here).  Brian and I were hiking through the woods and talking about upcoming events for the summer when I mentioned that Jan and I had booked a trip to Acadia National Park.  When Brian heard this, he gave me a photography assignment:  find a Puffin.  I said, “Sure.”  Little did I know, there aren’t any Puffins anywhere inside Acadia.  At least not in the parts of the park you can drive or walk to.  However, many tour operators near Acadia will take you on a “Puffin Cruise” to see them.  This meant we’d be on a 65-foot boat (anything under 500 feet in length is small to me) on the Atlantic Ocean on a “three-hour tour.”  Remind you of any 60’s TV theme songs?  Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale . . . (try to get that song out of your head now)

As Jan and I arrived for the morning Puffin cruise, we were told the fog was too thick and the morning cruise had been cancelled.  There was another cruise that same afternoon if we wanted to switch.  We did.  Jan and I arrived for the afternoon cruise and were told there was patchy fog and that, most likely, we would be “in and out” of fog all afternoon around the islands.  The tour operator also warned us that temperatures on the open ocean are sometimes much cooler than on land, so we brought along rain jackets and an extra base layer.  Standing on the dock with the warm sun and a very slight breeze, it felt like we had too many layers of clothes

Visibility in the harbor was great.  We could see fog in the distance around some of the outer islands and thought we might be OK.  Jan and I boarded the boat, covered our cameras as best we could, and motored off through the harbor islands. 

Atlantic Puffins by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to read how this foggy Puffin excursion turns out.

Continue reading Three Hour Tour…by Brad Marks

What Dental Plan?…by Brad Marks

Greetings everyone! Things are starting to rev up around here as we approach the 6 week mark before our annual Halloween Event (link here). It also means I’m about a week from getting very little sleep until the haunt is over. Adding to the chaos, my second 100k attempt is just two weeks after (Bri shall not fail again – link here). Basically when not finishing up the multitude of props that have been in construction since January, I’ll be pounding out miles and miles on the trails. As you would suspect, we are going to be relying heavily on Brad to make up for my limited availability. He has been working like a “black-tailed” dog over the past several months putting posts in the Intrigued queue that will surely keep you entertained. There is one to-do that needs to be addressed before the chaos begins and that is to sneak over to Farmdale and cut down a notoriously evil tree. While the saw chips fly, I’ll let Brad get into the swing of things.

Take it away Brad…

In retirement, Jan and I are trying to check off as many National Parks as we can.  We were almost finished planning a trip to see our daughter, Allyson, in Denver this past April when we asked what else she wanted to do while we were there.  We try to pick a location or activity Allyson has not done yet because it’s all new to us.  We offered the southwest, since it is, after all, April in Colorado.  She quickly said she’d like to see Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills again.  We said “Punkin’, it’s April in South Dakota, some stuff might not be open yet.  It could be snowy and cold.”  Allyson said she didn’t care and that Alec (her boyfriend) hadn’t been to the Black Hills yet.  After spending the night near Denver, Jan and I picked up Allyson and Alec and started the 5 ½ hour journey to the Black Hills.

While we were there, we wanted to make the most of the location, you know, getting our money’s worth from our Annual National Park Pass.  We decided to add Devils Tower National Monument to our trip.

Prairie Dogs by Brad Marks

Literally, seconds after entering the official park boundary, I hear from the back seat, “Dad!  Dad!  Dad!  Dad!  Dad!  Stop the car!” 

Hit the jump to find out the reason for the excitement!

Continue reading What Dental Plan?…by Brad Marks

Because They Make Me Smile…by Brad Marks

Good news, had an appointment with my doctor today and the elbow is healing well. I was getting concerned as my range progress had stalled a bit and was worried the arm wasn’t going to achieve the mobility I wanted/needed. Doc is still confident on nearly full range once they get the rest of the swelling released and break apart the scar tissue. I predict some fun therapy sessions in the near future. The best news is they released me to start strength training in my sessions and ….wait for it … wait for it .. I can “start” running again. This brought an internal chuckle from me and a stern disapproving look from Linda. Thankfully she didn’t reveal I’ve been running for weeks hehehe. Going to let Brad take the helm today while I get ready for a celebratory, and now, guilt free training run. Just hoping I can get back to the running efficiency of his featured subjects!

Take it away Brad…

No one ever said bird photography would be easy.  The Intrigued corporate employee handbook doesn’t mention it either.  Yes, much of the time my subjects are sitting still, nicely perched on a branch or twig out in the open.  A few are sitting on the ground as pretty as you please.  Sometimes they are flying gracefully through the air on a predictable line so I can follow them easily.  But more often than not, they are behind twigs so the camera can’t get an easy focus lock.  Or flitting between branches.  Or hiding in tall grass.

Not this time.  This past February, Jan and I were taking a morning walk along Sunset Beach, adjacent to Bird Island, in North Carolina.  The sky was overcast and the wind was blowing at a constant 15-20MPH straight along the coast from the South.  With waves crashing ashore, and sand blowing in our faces (yes, I had a filter on the front of both camera lenses) we were lucky to find a rather spastic set of little birds.  They are constantly chasing the surf line, running up and down with the waves in what should be a predictable pattern.  In fact, “chasing the surf” is the precise behavior listed in the bird books to aid with identification.  If you’ve ever seen a certain Pixar animated movie short, you will understand . . . it rhymes with “hyper”.

Sanderlings at Sunset Beach, NC by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to read more about these spastic little birds!

Continue reading Because They Make Me Smile…by Brad Marks

That Must Hurt…by Brad Marks

Normally about this time I would be cursing Father Time for secretly removing days out of the month leaving me scrambling to get posts out to hit our quota. A little different this month as I am quite ecstatic to turn the page on this rather painful month. Although, yesterday morning I was wearing a grin from ear to ear. Linda and I kept a long tradition going for what is now the 19th consecutive year. Will cover this more thoroughly on the Mothership in the coming weeks. In short, the Quad Cities Bix 7 was held in downtown Davenport, IA (link here). This beast of a hill course was the first race I ever entered and thus holds a special place in my heart. Linda walked the Quick Bix (2 miles) and I was ordered by …hmmm, how did Wally (link here) put it… oh yeah SWMBO (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) to at MOST walk the 7 miles now being a mere 4 weeks out from surgery (truth be told, she was rather insistent I walk the 2 mile with her and glad she finally relented to accept the 7). With elbow brace in place, lined up with the other 10,000+ runners, cheered as the starter gun rang out and headed out to battle the hill demons. Crossed the finish line around 1:07. Now before Linda (and anyone else) does the math on that and figures out my “little secret” I am going to once again turn you over to Brad to close this month out properly. While scanning through his queue I noticed this title and it was an absolute prefect fit. Take care everyone, see you in August (assuming nobody snitches on me and gets me in trouble ha).

Take it away Brad…

It has been a few months since we visited South Carolina during a cold Illinois winter.  I’m still sorting through photos and remembering stories about the birds we saw.  We aren’t snowbirds like generations before us.  We just needed to do something outside, during February, without having to wear a parka.  Plus, South Carolina was a brand-new state for us to visit.

While passing dozens of signs for the next mini-golf experience (Myrtle Beach is mini-golf capital of the U.S.), we headed south from Myrtle Beach to find Huntington Beach State Park.

After paying our very reasonable entrance fee, we drove across the causeway and parked the car.  I assembled the cameras and mounted the big glass on my monopod.  We headed to the observation deck next to the causeway.  Today’s subject was flying above the tidal marsh, but ended up banking in our direction near the brackish water pond.

Great Egret by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to learn more about today’s featured guest!

Continue reading That Must Hurt…by Brad Marks

Bird Walk +1s…by Brad Marks

Before I get too far, I just wanted to thank Linda for now 32 years of wedded bliss – well, except for the infinitesimally small fraction of time she scolds me because of a “perceived” bad choice on the trail – then she relents, puts me back together again and hops back on the “happy path” hehehe. I did admit she should get an extra year of service for what she has had to put up with these last few weeks. Restricted runners are a notoriously hard lot to deal with. The good news is the stitches are out of the elbow and everything looks really good. A ways to go before it is back to where I need it to be, but optimistic now that a lot of the swelling has dissipated and therapy has started loosening everything up. Unfortunately, photography is out of the question. Decided to take The Beast in and have it refurbished so it is ready when I’m able to lift it gain. In the meantime, we can live vicariously through another of Brad’s Huntington Beach State Park adventures. Take care everyone and thanks for all the well wishing and healing thoughts!

Take it away Brad…

This may have been obvious to many of you long-time readers of Intrigued, but Jan and I just started seeking out and photographing birds while we visit state and national parks on vacations.  While we don’t necessarily chase them down, we will certainly take some time to look for what’s available wherever we are.

This is a sort of “greatest hits” post about many of the species we were able to see and photograph on a bird walk at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina, not far from Myrtle Beach.  Now, having said that, please don’t all flock there (pun intended) all at once. 

We were visiting the boardwalk overlook for the seaside habitats, when we bumped into a couple that had been birding for decades.  He was wearing a Boston Marathon jacket, and since Jan had run the Boston marathon a few times in the past, I went up to him and said, “Hi.”  We started talking and I could tell he was a bit anxious to be moving along.  He introduced himself as Jack and his wife Janet, and explained they were about to be late for the bird walk that morning.  During the off-season, there is one bird walk per week at 10am on Wednesdays.  It was 9:58am.  Off they went with Jan and I in pursuit.  When we arrived, the bird walk had already started.  The guide was introducing himself and telling us about the walk for the newbies (us included). 

Most people at the walk had binoculars, spotting scopes, checklists or all three.  Jan and I had our cameras with intermediate and long-reach zoom lenses.  As the guide is talking, there are a dozen types of birds moving about.  Some are flying, some are floating, others are wading, and one keeps smacking into the surface of the water, at high speed, hoping for a snack.

Huntington Beach State Park by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to read more about Brad and Jan’s finds at Huntington Beach State Park

Continue reading Bird Walk +1s…by Brad Marks

Now That’s Yellow…by Brad Marks

After tearing the house apart to find my running shoes my devious wife hid on the advice of my trail running group, I am finally back on the road. Long time readers already know that is not where I “want” to be (I belong on the trails) and certainly not walking…but that is where I am. I’ve been brief on details before and the fact I am still having constant flashbacks tells me I best keep those to myself for your mental comfort. In general, have lost the use of my dominant arm and based on the visual and immense disappointment (I was waaaayyyy tooo optimistic) when they took the post surgery splint off yesterday, it is going to be a long “trail” to a full recovery. I am not good at “slow” or “measured” and will have to keep an open ear to my external voices of reason – noting Brad’s is a much more calming and suggestive tone versus the more “Nurse Rached’s” of my wife’s hehehe. Until I can stop pecking at letters to the right of ‘G’, Brad will be guiding the Intrigued industrial complex (for which I am extremely grateful). With that, we bring you another of his Huntington Beach adventures.

Take it away Brad…

The veteran birders and bird photographers among you will not be surprised at what I say next.  Can you guess?  You are probably right.  I am still going through photos from our Huntington Beach State Park birding adventure.  I may not have mentioned it before, but Jan and I took well north of 11,000 photos in the three days of birding.  I know that sounds like just getting warmed up for the more serious birders, or photographers, or bird photographers.  Remember, this was a vacation.  I would not have guessed that we would see 26 species at this one location (out of the 56 we spotted on the whole vacation).  Granted, a few of the 56 spotted were some of the same birds we have at home in Illinois.  Overall, we added a couple of dozen to our life list of birds.

As we arrived in the park at about 8 am at the beginning of another sunny February day in South Carolina, we headed to the first elevated boardwalk we could find.  We were about a mile from the highway and couldn’t hear any traffic noise.  And since we were still a few hundred yards from the ocean, we heard no surf sounds either.  Actually, the area would be very quiet if it weren’t for all of our feathered friends welcoming us.  One of the first things we saw flying was quite a distance from us.  I had my zoom all the way at 500mm to catch this tiny shot.  At least it’s more than six pixels on the sensor.

Greater Yellowlegs found by Brad Marks

Hit the jump to reveal the details on this South Carolina find.

Continue reading Now That’s Yellow…by Brad Marks