Winged Wednesday

This pretty Cecropia Moth visited my mom at work today. 

The interesting thing about this moth, other than being HUGE,

is that is doesn't have a mouth!

It eats while it's a caterpillar then survives

on it's stored fat for the rest of it's life.

My mom says I could survive on my fat for quite awhile...

She's not very nice.

Time Bomb

Just before adopting Sonny, my family (AND me too!) went on a vacation to the Florida Keys.  I flew on a plane for the first time.  This I did not like... 

My mom had to shove me into a backpack and put me under the seat in front of her.  Ok, ok, it was a backpack made for dawgs like me with plenty of ventilation and a comfortable bed but, jeesh, to be treated like a carry-on bag is so beneath me!  Any way, I had a little benedryl (which did nothing to stop my crying) and we arrived in one piece. 

We drove for what felt like an eternity until we reached a little shack my mom rented in Cudjoe Key.  Cudjoe?  Really?  Are my humans trying to tell me something?  The "cottage" was cute, a little worn out, but the owners allowed dawgs so we weren't complaining. 

Most of the time I hung out with the family but they did leave me a few times to go snorkeling.  They snorkeled at Bahia Honda State Park and saw a huge conch,

a bunch of lobsters, barracuda and some oversized hermit crabs.

They did two boat trips out to reefs for more snorkeling.  Eastern Dry Rocks Reef off of Key West and Looe Key Reef off of Big Pine Key.  At Eastern Dry Rocks my mom, Jessie and Leah were surrounded by a school of at least twelve 100 pound plus Tarpon.  They said it was eerie because they were just floating in the paths between coral heads and they were gigantic!

At Looe my mom saw a reef shark that was between 4' and 5'.  It gave her a little startle because it swam within 10' of her but it must not have been hungry because she still has all her fingers and toes.

Later she was swimming along and a Sea Turtle came right up underneath her.  Everyone else was out of the water by then so she enjoyed the experience alone.  She says its something she'll keep with her for the rest of her life.

Today my mom was reduced to tears seeing pictures of the wildlife being destroyed by the oil spill in the Gulf.  If something isn't done, the fragile reef system off the Florida coast may suffer or die as well.  It is so frustrating to watch the seemingly unending flow of oil billowing up into the beautiful turquoise waters of the Gulf and now spreading like a cancer through the water onto the shore. 

My mom's heart is ripped apart thinking about the pain these poor birds, dolphin and fish are being subjected to as a result of this human caused disaster.  The human toll is devastating as well.  The loss of income and livelihoods for those in the fishing and tourism industries is catastrophic.  We pray that the wound to the seabed can be sutured so the bleeding of oil ends and the clean-up can begin.  We pray for all those, human and animal, who are suffering as a result.  We pray for an end to this disaster.   Please.

Woofless Wednesday