hookem2010

Oh, I definitely blame the cats. They have no business being outside. I imagine many of those birds are actually able to nest sooner, and then end up wintering a bit farther north, as I believe has been demonstrated. I also don't think it's any coincidence that the birds that we most like to kill, as well as icons like peregrine falcons and bald eagles, have maintained or increased in number while songbirds and shorebirds that don't provide as obvious an economic impact, continue to plummet. To some degree, that is a testament to hunting as a conservation tool, but those species will be affected as well as the less heralded species and waterways suffer. Montane birds will likely have more difficulty adjusting, as they can only go so high up. And if we drill the fuck out of the ANWR, that is going to eliminate a fair amount of breeding ground for waterfowl, as well as shorebirds, gulls and terns that also rely on such places to breed. Doesn't matter, got paid, I guess... Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

The fact that DDT is not killing off massive numbers of birds and their populations are still dropping by the tens of millions is not a good thing. Some wading birds have made a recovery to some degree too, since we aren't sticking their feathers in hats any more, but the vast majority of birds are vanishing, and it's not due to natural predation. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Cats are a problem. They're basically a globally invasive species, but habitat destruction is huge too, not to mention totally not real global warming. Grassland species especially have plummeted like crazy. Texas' own Attwater's prairie chicken numbered around a million in the late 1800's and now there are several dozen wild individuals remaining that are not self-sustaining. Sage grouse are being wiped out all over what is remaining of the plains for that precious oil. Longspurs populations are down over 90% over a few decades. That is just a handful of grassland species off the top of my head. Then there is Hawaii, where numerous species are already extinct and essentially every native Hawaiian bird is at risk of the same fate within the next couple of decades. I'm a birder, so I pay extra attention to this stuff and it really sucks to look at the data of any species I've observed to find out its declined by 40+% since the 60's, as almost any non-urban specialist has. But really, this isn't surprising given that I believe there has been a 50% reduction in all wildlife globally over the last 40 years. We may bump up tiger or panda numbers by 10 or 20%, but overall everything else is dying. We can joke about birds all we want, but it's a pretty big indicator of the overall health of the environment, and it doesn't look particularly good. We are about to kill off a fucking cetacean for fucks sake, and no one gives a shit. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Scrolling through the pages of photos shot with expired film reminded me of some old videos my FIL put together, burned to a DVD and sent to us recently. Home movies from 1924-1930! They were mostly set in Galveston and vacations to Colorado. It included a visit to Buffalo Bill's grave, which at the time was no more than 10-15 years old. A truly incredible look into life almost 100 years ago. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Cottonwood Pass, 12,126 ft. I fucking love Colorado. I can't wait to live more than a couple hundred feet above sea level one day. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

There is something new and hilarious that you notice with each successive viewing. Amazing. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

That's what we get for sending a bunch of guys 5 yards off the line on a blitz on 3rd and long. Looked painfully familiar. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Epps is enormous Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Most excited I've been for the season to start since my senior year in '09. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

DON'T POLITICIZE THIS!!!!1!!!!@!!!! Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Loss to aggy, loss to ou, and blowout loss at home to ksu... yea, I'd say that 2007 was pretty fucking miserable. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Great to see all the Decatur love at the beginning of the thread! We just moved out here for the wife's clinicals a couple weeks ago and will be here until she finishes at the end of 2020. I've been working in Denton since we initially moved to FW a year ago, so I'm still in a decent-sized city most days. I grew up in the Houston suburbs and moved into the city for a few years after finishing school, so this will be an interesting 16 months or so. I'm white but my wife is part of the sub-1% Asian population in town, and I don't really look forward to being recognized at the bar or handful of restaurants when we don't feel like driving 45-60 minutes into Denton or FW. It shouldn't be hard to entertain myself during the CFB season, but 2020 could be a long year. I don't imagine I will want to live in a small town when this era is over. The anonymity of a decent-sized city with nearby natural areas to explore is hopefully where we end up after this. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I lucked out staying near Poipu, as Hanalei got epically fucked while we were there. I believe there was a photo of a bison waist-deep in the ocean off of Hanalei Beach that may have been taken the day we arrived. That being said, I can't really speak for the north side of the island. Hawaii is an expensive place and the Sheraton was great for our needs and expectations. I'm not a fancy hotel guy so I cant really compare it to other places. The south side is definitely just beach and ocean, whereas the north side, from my limited view, had amazing mountains and waterfalls as a backdrop. If I were just picking a starting point without any financial/absurd weather implications, I think the North Shore would be the place to go. You would have the beach, snorkeling and hiking right there. On the south side, you would be a closer drive to Waimea canyon, but that's the only big plus I can see. Still definitely doable as a day trip. As much as I enjoyed our trip, if it's pretty equal with your points, I would lean towards staying on the north side. I did really enjoy the beachside luau, but again don't have anything to compare it to, and you could catch it on the way back from Waimea Canyon. Maybe make your spouse drive back, I got real fucked up for that one. But really, as far as the Sheraton is compared to surrounding resorts, I have no clue. Seemed nice enough but not too fancy. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I would love to eat some of what I grow. Jalapenos, tomatoes, herbs would be great. Maybe I will start with some tomatoes and fall/winter friendly herbs. Also, any recs on native flowers that I could just throw in a pot for migrating hummingbirds? This is kind of their peak season. Looking at my yard, there are a couple areas of what I guess were flower beds with mostly weeds growing in them that I could dig up and replace, as well as small collections of trees that dont cast too much of a shade shadow and may accommodate some flowers around them as well. I think I could probably do the earthbox thing right off my patio, but I'm pretty lost when it comes to just putting something in the ground. Any good beginner references for gardening? Lots of questions, I know, but I need something to entertain myself for the next 16 months in Decatur, so I might as well give myself some involved chores and as relaxing a living space as possible. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I'm looking to get into some gardening and have zero experience up to this point. I'm in a rental home in north Texas and don't really have flower beds so it would probably be primarily potted stuff that I would be looking to start with. Vegetables and native plants to attract pollinators would be great, and maybe some hanging flowers from the patio. Any advice for a beginner? I have no idea when or how to begin, especially with it consistently over 100 degrees. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

After this match, 50 of the last 58 majors (since Nadal won his first) will have been won by just 3 guys. Only 4 other guys have won a single major in that time. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Creek on trail to Butte Lake Butte Lake Trail Snag Lake Day 1 camp Lower Twin Lake Cinnamon black bear Hard to tell, but the bear is right behind the tent Day 2 camp Cinder Cone Fantastic Lava Beds

Just got back from my first backpacking trip with my younger brother. We did a 3-day/2-night hike in Lassen Volcanic NP. Day 1 Starting at Butte Lake, we headed along the east shore and down along the east end of Snag Lake to our camp spot for the night, just south of the lake and a little over 7 miles in. Not much as far as elevation gain after the first mile, but there were good views of Cinder Cone from Butte Lake. The trail was super easy to follow and clear of snow. Our only test was a little creek crossing right before we stopped that required us to wade through knee-high water. After the first 2 miles, we only saw one other group the entire time. Temps must have dropped near freezing overnight. My midnight piss was very uncomfortable, but the sky looked incredible. Day 2 Shit got interesting on our only full day in the wilderness. We hiked down to Horsheshoe Lake, encountering some snow but nothing that made the trail difficult to follow. After heading west towards the PCT and leaving creek and lake landmarks, the going got much tougher. Snow was about 2-4 feet, but at least firm so we could walk on it without sinking. At this point, we were pretty much entirely reliable on tree markers. After 1-2 miles of this, we pretty much lost the trail entirely and were considering tracing our steps back when we fortunately ran into the first people we had seen all day, heading the opposite direction. They got us back on trail and we were able to follow their tracks the next couple miles to the 1-mile stretch of PCT we walked, which had a handful of people on it and was thankfully easy to follow. We arrived at rainbow lake a but later, about 8 miles from where we started the day, and set up our tent. Absolutely exhausted at this point, we grabbed our hammocks to take a nap down by the lake. While walking backwards and peering up at a bird in the top of a tree, I looked behind me to make sure I didn't fall (again), and saw a cinnamon black bear probably no more than 30 feet away, staring at me with disinterest. I let go some choice expletives and backed up to where my brother was at, putting some distance between us and the bear. My bro spotted a cub nearby so we backed further down the trail but kept an eye on mama bear, as we were only about 100 yards from our camp. The bear then wandered directly towards our bear canister, pawed at it for a second, then headed towards our tent and bags. The bear gave 0 fucks about our shouts to try and scare it off and started clawing at one of our bags for a couple of minutes. She ended up staying within 50 yards of our tent for almost half an hour before finally wandering off. Fortunately, the only casualty from her camp raid was a deck of playing cards in my brother's bag. At this point, we wanted to get the hell out of there, so we packed up and headed about a mile up the trail towards cinder come before setting camp again. With no wind or clouds in sight, we left the tain cover off the tent. The stars were again incredible and it was the single quietest night of my life. If we didn't move in our bags, there was not a single sound to be heard. Awesome. Day 3 Our extra hiking the day before put us only about a half hour from Cinder Cone. We left our packs at the base, which I highly recommend to anyone doing this hike. It was pretty brutal, 700 feet of elevation gain under a mile through sand and loose rock. The view of Lassen Peak, the lava beds and the route we followed the previous 48 hours was the perfect end to the trip. After an easy hike down, it was only 2 more miles to the car, a total of about 20 miles over the three days. Lassen doesn't necessarily have the scenic splendor of some of the other national parks, but the solitude on the eastern side of the park was great. Outside of the mile of PCT we hiked, and within 2 miles of the parking lot, we saw maybe 3 other small groups of people the entire time. We also went at the perfect time, as the park highway only opened completely the 2nd day we were there, so the crowds had not yet arrived and most people seem to hang out along the highway. I'll post some pictures later.

From my backpacking trip to Lassen Volcanic NP.

Going to Lassen in 2 weeks. I'll report back, assuming there are snow-free trails by then.

As a white male who grew up in a Christian household, we have a stranglehold on the all-time gold medal count of the "victim Olympics". Its fucking embarrassing

Yea, I could definitely see myself overloading my pack to make sure we have everything we need. Any recommendations for water filters and jetboil meals?

I think my plans for a 3-day, 2-night trip to Lassen Volcanic NP the end of next month are going to hold up. I've done some primitive hike-in camping, but this will be my first multi-night, true backpacking trip. Going with my brother, so this will not be a solo trek. I've got a pack and a jet boil, but I need to look at lightweight tents and may need to upgrade to a warmer sleeping bag. Tips for a first-timer on things I could easily overlook? We are planning on doing this loop, assuming the roads to get to the trailhead are clear of snow by June 21. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/summit-horshoe-snag-cinder-cone-rainbow-twin-and-echo-lakes-loop

I look forward to the playoff game that both Gordon and Harden are locked in. Hopefully that happens this series. And I missed the Capella block live. Damn...

I was really excited to move out here in August, but just a couple weeks before I put in my notice for work, the wife's clinical site was discontinued. So skiing, hiking and fly fishing will have to be put on hold at least til the end of next year. I'm glad we got to make the trip up there for a few days last month, but damn... time to settle back into fort worth for the next 20+ months. Hopefully the mountains await me somewhere in 2021.