Some of you might know that this is turtle nesting season here in Florida---one of my favorite times of the year. Our first nest was found on April 28, about two weeks earlier than last year. As of this week, we were up to 116 nests. What I'm showing above is something called a "false crawl"...well, three false crawls. A false crawl occurs when the mother comes to nest but doesn't. What was so interesting about the above is that there are 3 of these, relatively close to each other---something I've never seen. Whether this was by one mother or 3, we don't know, but I think of this as showing the persistence of one mother...and these mothers weigh something like 250-300 pounds. Imagine dragging oneself up the beach carrying all that! And I've yet to see nests close to each other that were made on the same night. Nesting seems to be a solitary operation.
Here's another look at one group of nests (all different times) with an Osprey mom and one of her chicks looking down, the chick getting bigger every week, but has yet to leave the nest.
It is tricky to see the tracks in the first photo, but if you look closely at the left upper quadrant, you'll see a circle of tracks made by the staff's vehicle, but just below that can be seen another set of tracks. In the foreground here are two more sets of tracks, the lower one getting rather lost in the upper one which is very clear. So, why does this resonate with me? Well, I am like many people, somewhat daunted by learning something new--by technology. I have to make myself work with it, learn to do whatever. I have to be like that mother turtle...hanging in there. If one approach doesn't work, try another. If that doesn't work, it may mean simply standing back and waiting for another day, like this mother turtle.
I used to think of fall as the time to plunge into learning something new---a hangover from schooldays, I guess. For the last two years, fall has been the time to take my trips to do some research for writing. I like learning something new, but that desire struck me earlier this year. I've spent the past two months taking the basic and then the advanced Citizens Academy with our local sheriff's department; it's been a great experience which I highly recommend to anyone given the opportunity. I learned a lot and probably what was most impressive to me was the amount of education that all these people within law enforcement have today.
My next undertaking is learning how to do my own audiobooks. From everything I've learned so far, it's a very time-consuming process. The preparation. The actual recording which involves about 5 hours between recording and editing for every 1 hour of the audiobook. This time-intensive demand makes hiring a professional narrator out of reach for most indie authors. The development of more user-friendly software and less costly equipment has made the process supposedly more accessible for authors. We'll see... Below is a picture of my recording set-up minus the computer: the microphone and stand, something called a pop filter and headphones. It's pretty compact as I will likely record in a closet once I get the process down--that helps eliminate any background noise when not in a studio.
Next month, I'm off to Las Vegas for the Public Safety Writers Association conference. That was a great experience last year and if there are any mystery or crime writers out there, I highly recommend it. There are writers from many areas of law enforcement, as well as firefighting and multiple areas of crime investigation, like forensic accounting! I learned so much and even made a few friends. Here's a link to tell you a bit about the conference:
Lastly...
I was late in getting around to reading/listening to two wonderful books, which if you haven't read, are well worth the effort!
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (2023) This is a beautifully written, multi-generational story of a family in southern India. There is history, romance, mystery, and tragedy. I had read this author's Cutting for Stone (2009) some years back and had really looked forward to this one. It doesn't disappoint, but it is a time commitment: 30+ hours of audiobook; 775 pages.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013) I put off reading this as I really had no interest in rowing or sports in general, but felt I should read, given it's recommendations. It didn't disappoint as it is another beautifully written book, covering the rowing crew of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Seriously...I was on the edge of my seat listening to their competitions both with teams within this country, as well as with those at the Olympics. It's also the story of the individual team members and their coaches. A wonderful book!
Have a wonderful JUNE!
What a fun post! Sorry I won't see you in LV this year.