Monday, October 02, 2006

Weekend Getaway

Sunday was an absolutely fantastic day to get
out and enjoy the sunshine! Not too often can we get down to 40° in the morning and see afternoon highs of 80°! For me, nice weather usually means taking the dog out for a walk, heading up to the lake with the family, or participating in one of my favorite hobbies: trains!

One of my train-watching buddies, Brian Rogers, and I took to the highways in search for that perfect spot to watch trains. We ended up in Ottawa, Illinois after a few hours in the car.

As we're waiting for something to happen (no trains passed in the hour we were there) Brian said "Hey! Look at that!" He pointed at this little guy that was sitting down on the railroad tracks. A bonified real-life praying mantis sat there and looked up at us wondering why we were there. He was definitely the most interesting sight of the whole day! What an interesting creature. I'd advise 'googling' praying mantis sometime. I've learned quite a bit just this morning! Let's hope our friend got out of the way before the next freight train roared by! -ERIC

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have praying mantis in the Capron area ... My son,who lives in DesPlaines, has seen them there too. They are a very interesting insect and very helpful to have around the gardens.

Eric Sorensen said...

I can't believe I've been in the dark this whole time! I grew up here and don't remember seeing anything as cool as that! :) -ERIC