Kevin's Watch

This is a thread I have wanted to create for a while. I have a phone camera, and I often take pictures when I am walking or hanging out. Here are the first two:


A cool mushroom - saw this in the woods near my river house


The view from my scotch - Molly is my scotch drinking buddy. She listens to me.


wont you share your phone pix here with us? Only phone camera shots, please.

I like the mushroom!

Good thread topic. I find myself snapping away when out and about for work and stuff too. Here are a few I have on my pc:

a fallen tree on the corner of Abbey Road with a rare sighting of snow


Gene Simmonds + family outside Abbey Road Studios


HP books on the morning of release before opening


Gormley statue on the South Bank of the Thames - there were 31 life size statues on various building roof tops


holding emperor scorpion during a summer event for work

Chrysalis wrote:
holding emperor scorpion during a summer event for work

Menolly wrote:

not a fan of them I take it? This was the 3rd attempt at a picture-it just kept moving and trying to crawl off my hand!

GREAT PIX!!

here is another of Molley (AKA riverdog), on the screen porch over looking our boathouse on the river:

Menolly wrote:

Scorpions are not so dangerous as people think they are.

Aye, I know.
I was either bitten or stung by one when I stuck my hand blindly into a pile of laundry that had been sitting on the garage floor at my FIL's overnight. I felt this intense burning, and had a mild swelling, but had no idea what it was.

It wasn't until I removed the laundry from the machine that I saw the scorpion in the bottom. Tiny, compared to the one in the above picture, but it was enough to give me the shakes for the rest of the day.

Menolly wrote:Aye, I know.
I was either bitten or stung by one when I stuck my hand blindly into a pile of laundry that had been sitting on the garage floor at my FIL's overnight. I felt this intense burning, and had a mild swelling, but had no idea what it was.

It wasn't until I removed the laundry from the machine that I saw the scorpion in the bottom. Tiny, compared to the one in the above picture, but it was enough to give me the shakes for the rest of the day.

Ouch! I know the smaller ones can have the worst sting. The one I was holding is apparently equivalent to a bee sting in strength.

So you actually washed the one in the pile of clothes?

An emperor scorpion! By that name, does that mean it's the largest of its species? Anyway, Chrysalis, you're braver than I am. Not sure I'd have the nerve to handle scorpions, although I'm not especially fearful of them. However, if it were a spider or tarantula, I'd be running away in terror.

Matrixman wrote:An emperor scorpion! By that name, does that mean it's the largest of its species? Anyway, Chrysalis, you're braver than I am. Not sure I'd have the nerve to handle scorpions, although I'm not especially fearful of them. However, if it were a spider or tarantula, I'd be running away in terror.

No, that just means that the guy who found it said to himself, "There cannot POSSIBLY, on the ENTIRE EARTH, this MIRACLE PLANET of such DIVERSE AND STRANGE LIFEFORMS, exist a LARGER SCORPION than this one that has just KILLED ME."

Matrixman wrote:An emperor scorpion! By that name, does that mean it's the largest of its species? Anyway, Chrysalis, you're braver than I am. Not sure I'd have the nerve to handle scorpions, although I'm not especially fearful of them. However, if it were a spider or tarantula, I'd be running away in terror.

I wouldn't say brave, crazy maybe...
It is one of the larger ones yes. Not sure if its the largest though.
That day many different bugs and insects were brought in for a childrens workshop. I got to help with the leaf and stick insects (they did suggest helping the children handle cockroaches but I drew the line there!)and afterwards the scorpians, orchid mantis and tarantula where brought out.

malaysian leaf insect:

spot the huge 20cm stick insect:

Lucy the spider - didn't get to hold her as she was shedding

Orchid mantis - she was the most fascinating! She would jump from hand to hand.

COOL PIX Chry!!

Looking at all these pictures... so itchy... All over...

I can just FEEL that spider crawling down my back.

Chrysalis wrote:So you actually washed the one in the pile of clothes?

...yeah...

I shook each piece of clothing before being put into the machine to see if whatever it was that bit/stung me would fall out, and nothing.
When I took it out of the machine, I swear it had drowned. So, I put it on the sidewalk in the bright sun to dry it to a husk, figuring Beorn would like it.

Half an hour later it got up and scurried away.

*intense shudders*

cool pics, chrys! but i am a big chicken!!! especially with spiders. so.... to you chrys!

intense shudders indeed...you said it, menolly!!!

I don't mind insects, and even spiders are okay with me. However, the scorpions strike fear into my heart. When I was a small child we built a house on land that had been uninhabited for a long time (there was once a house there that burned down). Anyhow, cleared the land by hand, picking up rocks (my brother and I used small pails to pick up rocks and transport them). One morning we took rocks to the pile, and startled several scorpions. That, coupled with something I saw on television has left me indelibly scarred (and scared!).

Other than scorpions, the only thing I am afraid of is jellyfish. *shudders* I panicked when one topped the crest of a wave and came toward me when I was swimming in the ocean just outside of Cannes, France. It wasn't a pretty sight--everyone thought I was really in trouble when I screamed.

Menolly wrote:I shook each piece of clothing before being put into the machine to see if whatever it was that bit/stung me would fall out, and nothing.
When I took it out of the machine, I swear it had drowned. So, I put it on the sidewalk in the bright sun to dry it to a husk, figuring Beorn would like it.

Half an hour later it got up and scurried away.

*intense shudders*

It was still alive?? *shudders at the thought*

I remember when I was in Tunisia a couple of years ago we went on a trip through the desert and did all the driving over sand dunes etc. We hopped out the van to admire the views and as it was really hot and I didn't want to get sand in my sandals I took them off. A little way away I noticed some tracks in the sand-upon asking what they would be from I was told scorpians...
I was back in the van to find shoes in no time!

Chrysalis wrote:

Menolly wrote:I shook each piece of clothing before being put into the machine to see if whatever it was that bit/stung me would fall out, and nothing.
When I took it out of the machine, I swear it had drowned. So, I put it on the sidewalk in the bright sun to dry it to a husk, figuring Beorn would like it.

Half an hour later it got up and scurried away.

*intense shudders*

It was still alive?? *shudders at the thought*

Yep.

Chrysalis wrote:I remember when I was in Tunisia a couple of years ago we went on a trip through the desert and did all the driving over sand dunes etc. We hopped out the van to admire the views and as it was really hot and I didn't want to get sand in my sandals I took them off. A little way away I noticed some tracks in the sand-upon asking what they would be from I was told scorpians...
I was back in the van to find shoes in no time!

*nodding*

I grew up running around barefoot, so was doing the same the first night I spent in Israel on the Moshav outside Tel Aviv when I was 13. Until we had the lecture about native wild life. My shoes stayed where they belonged the rest of the trip.

Yes, it just demonstrates once again that Multileggedus Nightmarus will inherit the Earth after we, the soft fleshy ones, have disappeared. The creepy-crawlies aren't fazed by nuclear catastrophe, asteroid collision, environmental collapse, or even domestic washing machines.

(Disclaimer: I recognize that I have an irrational fear of the arachnid kingdom. This post does not in any way intend offense to any spiders, whom I respect and acknowledge as one of Nature's most awesome creatures, and who may at this very moment be comfortably residing in my closet and other dark places.)

Matrixman wrote:
(Disclaimer: I recognize that I have an irrational fear of the arachnid kingdom. This post does not in any way intend offense to any spiders, whom I respect and acknowledge as one of Nature's most awesome creatures, and who may at this very moment be comfortably residing in my closet and other dark places.)

Very nicely put.