Event Update: SOS 1

So, today we did our first official Six on Saturday (SOS) walk. It was very hot, but very awesome too. If you didn't choose to GOYB, here is what you missed. As usual, click photos to embiggen:

This was a really pale hawk. Not entirely sure what kind. He flew out in front of us when we first started out.

 This guy must be a local, I think I got a picture of him the last time we walked A1A too.

 A neat tree top.

 This was scary. We were just innocently walking along when suddenly Heather grew as big as palm tree! Here she is doing her patented Attack of the 50 Foot Woman pose.

 These aren't sea beans, but I have already forgotten what Heather said they are called.

 Heather returned to normal size by the turn around point, 3 miles.

 Your fearless leader, at 3 mile point.

It was very very hot, so we didn't see a huge number of critters, but on the way back, we found some bob cat poop, so we know the critters are out there!

Hope you can join us on our next outing.

Remember, you can only watch life go by from your couch, you can make life happen by getting off your butt!

Another Reason to (Literally) GOYB

So, this morning before I left for the gym I read this article. For the past year or so, there are many days when I feel like it's actually killing me to sit at the desk. I work out every morning, but by the end of the day I feel like I've been hit by a truck. The article pretty much confirms what I know to be true.

So, when I was at the gym this morning I noticed that they have a a new boot camp starting Monday evening, 3x/week for 4 weeks... I can't believe I did this, but I actually signed up for it. It should be interesting. But, if you don't see me updating the blog you will know that boot camp killed me before my desk could:-)

In a related story, I also need to get serious about doing the 5-minute activities throughout the day.  Please submit any that you think up. As described in the rules, you can either submit them via twitter, on this site, or via email. But don't forget -- especially those of you who work at home and do a lot less walking that those who actually leave their house -- you have to do them too! I'll post pictures of myself doing anything submitted, but hey, it was your idea,  you need to do it too!

If you are in the mood for something longer, join us for a 6-mile walk tomorrow at 7 a.m., starting at Wabasso Beach.  But whatever you do, remember to GOYB and move!

Event Update: Turtle walk

Last night we (me and a bunch of Sierra/Audubon people, led by the amazing Heather) did a turtle walk out of the Barrier Island Sanctuary. It was seriously amazing. We only had to walk less than 1/2 mile to see a spectacular 39" Loggerhead come up on the beach, dig a hole, lay the eggs, go flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity-flippity to cover them up, then go back down to the water.  Unfortunately I don't know how to turn the flash on my camera and cell phone off so I wasn't able to to take any pictures (the bright lights stress out the poor critters) but trust me it was amazing.

This is not the kind of thing you will ever see if you don't GOYB. The world is a very cool and beautiful place; you might see it, but you will never EXPERIENCE it from a chair in front of the TV!

Join us for a walk and see what the real world is like!

Rules for 5-minute activity suggestions

I have officially reinstated the 5-minute Right Now! activities on this blog and am looking for suggestions from readers. The point of these activities is to get myself (and anyone reading) up and moving just 5 minutes a few times a day. Studies have shown that long periods of sitting is incredibly unhealthy, and now that I am plagued with arthritis, I feel it even more. So let's get moving!

I am probably asking for trouble, but here's a promise: if you make a suggestion for a 5 minute activity, I officially promise to post a photo of me doing the activity. Within reason of course. Rules include:

• Nothing involving nudity or things that will get me kicked off blogger or facebook. 
• If your suggestion includes music, please post either a youtube link or the name of the song. 
• These are intended to be brief activities that can be performed on breaks at work. So, save the "run a marathon" suggestions for weekends.
• If I'm doing these activities, I expect my readers to be doing the same! If you aren't brave enough to submit pictures, at least post a reply to my picture to let me know your experience!

You can submit in the following ways:

• Post your suggestion on twitter, using the #deemotivationgoyb hash tag. These posts will automatically appear in the feed at the left of the main page. 
• Reply to this post with your suggestion
• Send me email Please put either DeeMotivation or 5-minute Activity in the subject line.

Past 5 minute activities have included:

• Cross the fine line between kickboxing and ballet!
• Let the world know that you are the singular sensation!
• Develop your own silly walk. Bonus points for not hurting yourself or others

Lets have some fun with this!

Upcoming Event

Wednesday, June 1: Evening walk on 512. Meet at county pool parking lot at 6:30. Apropos of nothing, it is exactly 1.5 miles from there to Dairy Queen.

Sent from my iPhone

Event Update: Daybreak at A1A

We got out of bed early on a  holiday no less to do 5 miles out on A1A. If you didn't GOYB today, here is what you missed. As usual, click photos to embiggen:

 Sometimes we walk in more urban areas. There are advantages to both rural and urban. It seems one of the disadvantages is that we see more dead critters in the urban areas.  This is a baby bird, predated by something, not sure if human or some other critter.

I guess the red bellied woodpeckers really like telephone poles. This photo is almost identical to the one I took in the everglades a few weekends ago.

 This is a ...something worm... David told be what it is called, but danged if i can remember.

This is a dead legless lizard, also called a glass snake. Legless lizard is the most appropriate term, it is not a snake at all, it's a lizard with no legs. You can see that it moves completely different than snakes. It is a really pretty critter, and it made me very sad to see one dead. They look sturdy, but are in fact pretty fragile creatures, so it doesn't take much to do one in. We couldn't really tell what happened here, but it looks like something got its tail.

And, on a happier note, Heather and HFC David spotting something near the end of our 5-mile trek. A hot, but great walk as always!

Be sure to check the main page here for updates and new events. Hope to see you off your butt and outside with us soon!

Event Update: Viera Wetlands

We went out to the Viera Wetlands today. It was just me and HFC David today. Lots of cool stuff to see. If you didn't GOYB today, here is what you missed. Click on photos to embiggen:

 This is a snake skeleton, David thinks perhaps a garter snake. It was pretty neat, kind of the next stage after the picture I got in the Everglades a few weeks ago.

 This is a least bittern, in a somewhat uncharacteristic pose. They usually stick their beak straight up so they blend in with the reads. Notice how well his color blends in, when the head is straight up, they become almost invisible.

 A Gulf Fritillary nomming on a plant.

Yours truly. I am really not grumpy. I have those glasses that get dark outside, but they don't get dark enough, so I'm always squinting and looking grumpy. I really was having a good time out there.

HFC David, with binoculars.

 This was a really cute tiny alligator. My only fear was that his mom was around somewhere, but if she was, I didn't see her.

This was new for me: baby Anhingas. I didn't know they are white when they are little.

 A Sandhill Crane

 A White Ibis. They are common as dirt down here, but I still think they are so very pretty.

This is 2 baby great blue herons, one of whom was having a very bad hair day.

This was my favorite picture of the day. I have never seen a great blue heron's tongue before. This poor guy was very very hot and panting.

This is a 4-spotted Pendant dragonfly.

As we were leaving the wetlands we went through the Click ponds, there was nothing there, then we cruised over to River Lakes Conservation Area.

This is a view of one of the canals at River Lakes. Really pretty place. This is a really neat area that I don't get to often enough. David said there is a 6-mile-ish loop out to the river. I'm thinking this will be a future event, but perhaps when it gets a little cooler and less buggy.

Sorry if you missed all the cool stuff today, Be sure to check back for upcoming evens!