SOFA-Society of Old Farts of America

17/12/2023

WARREN MILLER fans.
Last night I attended the 2023 Warren Miller film. For the first time ever I was disappointed with the event and the film. The first half of the event was filled with Outside’s promotions, advertisements and voting for nonrelated independent videos, then a lengthy intermission before the actual Warren Miller film was finally shown.
This year’s film was also disappointing. It was composed of outtakes of previous WM films from the last 73 years. There seemed to be no new film footage. The outtakes were entertaining, but they got tedious after a while. Without new footage the production was likely cheaper to create than a traditional WM film. I give Outside failing grades on the event and although I have attended WF films annually I will certainly hesitate to attend next year. If you have yet to attend a showing of the film, you may want to consider sitting it out this year.

03/09/2020

While walking in the woods, I glimpsed a shock of orange in the brown leaf-litter. A Sulphur Shelf mushroom, AKA Chicken of the Woods, is a distinctive mushroom with light and dark bands of vivid orange above and lemon-yellow or butter colored pores below. Growing on a long-decaying log, this mushroom is edible. Look for them throughout the summer & fall, and confirm your identification before harvesting the tender portions for consumption.

01/09/2020

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEmJuKBj3-N/?igshid=lt7phgt3y01

02/06/2020

Broadwing Adventures

07/05/2020

29/04/2020

Broadwing Adventures

Happy birthday Jack.

08/07/2019

On a walk in VT a modest find (pic 1), am informed story (pic 2), and a mystery to me (pic 3). Pic 1— a handful of very small wild strawberries. Pic 2. Evidence that a Luna Moth met its end. And Pic 3. No trees above what is that blue egg and y is it there?

04/07/2019

Beautiful start to blueberry season at Aspetuck. Sharing harvest with a turkey who dropped in to dine. Beware of the poison ivy growing in the patch. @ Fairfield County, Connecticut

30/06/2019

Fireflies active at dusk for the first time this summer. Cold front w lightning moved through breaking the humidity. And. Another “Dusty.” Seagrams Crown Royal, unopened, with a tax stamp dated 1959.

27/06/2019

Heaven Hill (1982) “dusty” rescued for my 91 year old mom’s liquor cabinet. Saved it from the drain. Sweet caramel. Tasty and smooth. Excellent break from birding.

24/06/2019

Taking pictures was getting in the way of enjoying walks. Hence no recent posts. But the following seemed worth sharing. Pic1 are Indian Pipes. Emerging from rich soil they look like periscopes checking out the surface world. Flowering plants without chlorophyll they are parasitic. Also, I came across a Garter snake relaxing on a Cinnamon fern frond. Never saw that before and I’m sure it just wanted me to go on my way so it could return to relaxing. @ Fairfield, Connecticut

08/06/2019

Lazy day. Smokin’ and sipping Bookers.

07/06/2019

Circling back to the May 28 post. The mysterious 2:44 AM caller was a Red Fox. He visits regularly. Listen and enjoy.

05/06/2019

In a sunny spot along a stream, the insect frog hopper nymphs, called spittlebugs. encase themselves in, well, what looks like spittle. Unappealing to me but it is good protection from sun and predators. @ Redding, Connecticut

31/05/2019

Two trees with showy white flowers are now in bloom. First 2 pictures are Black Cherry. Pictures 3 & 4 are Black Locust. Flowers of Black Locust are delicious. Sweet pea flavor with a wonderful floral note. Check identification carefully before indulging.

29/05/2019

2:44 AM. Nothing to see... just listen. It’s not Big Foot calling into the night. It’s ... well.. why don’t you guess and I’ll do a reveal in a couple of days. #

25/05/2019

Old Fitzgerald. 9 Years Old. Bottle in Bond. Short walk today. Lots to report... bird, plants and whatnot. But took a bourbon break. Enjoy the day.

25/05/2019

Check out this Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx28dC7huvN/?igshid=q7je6mi8znvx

21/05/2019

On a walk at the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in FL we came across a Killdeer protecting her gravel nest. Feigning injury, we were led away from the one remaining egg. We didn’t intend to disturb her and we quickly left her in peace. (Over the years we return to this walk and regularly find nesting killdeers.)

20/05/2019

After a walk In the woods... Happy hour at Craft 260. Excellent nachos and craft beer. Sitting outside. Red tailed hawk landed in a tree and a osprey flew over head. I doubt others saw this. Nonetheless.... it happened and added to the moment.

19/05/2019

I saw my first Black-Bellied Whistling Duck in 1978 when birding in Texas. Back then they were called tree ducks. Fun bird to see as they are not too common in FL... and I like the expression on the duck in the last picture. @ Green Cay Wetlands

18/05/2019

Just like the alligator that was so well hidden in the Scarface post . Which bird is so well hidden here?

17/05/2019

A small group of baby Mottled ducks were relaxed amidst the weeds when they were attacked by a Common Gallinule. The first pic caught the event just as it began. See the gallinule on the left side of the screen?

15/05/2019

Returned from a little trip to Florida. Sunny and warm and lots of natural history. I’ll start with this picture and introduce it with the Scarface quote Say hello to my little friend.

10/05/2019

I find it calming to hear a woodpecker hammering away unseen in the trees. The first three pictures show the handy work of a Pileated. Deep holes and debris on the ground. Next I believe is where a Red Bellied scoured the bark for hidden insects. And the last is the meticulous drill marks left by a Sapsucker. @ Fairfield, Connecticut