Close up picture of X-37B before launch

This is a fasinating rocket.

I wonder what expreiments are being conducted in this.

The is a remote space shuttle. 

Another launch at NASA

NASA launched a rocket into space. It's a top secret launch. It's the X-37.
This is suppose to be a pilotless shuttle. The general public doesn't know much about it.

That's a picture of it lauching.

This is a picture of the X-37 on the runway.

I think this picture was taken in California.

Welcome home 'Discovery'

This is a cool sign. Space shuttle crossing Watch Out!

Horses running from the volcano

I love horses. I hope they get away in time. That's a big cloud of ash. It has caused many problems in Europe. Take a look at this interesting picture.

That's lightening over the volcano. How does that happen?

Fire and lightening. That's very impressive.

Florida

Florida is the sunshine state. It was the 27th state to join the union.
Christopher Columbus went south of Florida in 1492.
It was Ponce de Leon who discovered Florida back in 1513.
 He named it "Florida". In spanish, it means land of flowers.
In less than 3 years, Florida will be 500 years old.
That's going to be a lot of candles for the cake.
There will be celebrations all over the state.
The first city was St. Augustine. It's the oldest city in the Americas. Let's look at a picture of St Augustine.

This is Castillo de SanMar. It's called a star fort because of it's shape.

The oldest structure in the Americas, post Columbian.

  

Fire and Water

This is a fire in the Everglades.

 Fires happen often in the dry season.

The swamp grass becomes dry.

When a storm comes, there is a chance for lightening.

One strike and it's a fire.

This is the natural cycle of the swamp.

Fire and Water

The state "seal" of Florida

This is pretty. The seal of the state of Florida.

What do you see in the picture?

I see a boat. 

State flag of Florida

This is the state flag of Florida. Florida is one of the 50 states of America.
It was the 27th state admitted into the United States.
Much of the land mass of the state is a peninsula.
The Gulf of Mexico is to the west.
The Atlantic ocean is to the east.

A strange bird

Look at that.
I had just stepped outside for some air and standing right there was a strange looking bird.

 It had a long, curved beak. I don't know what kind of bird this is.
 But it's interesting.
I'll do some investigating to try and identify this bird.

Look! Another one! What is this? A party? They're different colors.

Maybe they're a couple. What do you think?

"Run" (Audio,クリックHere)

 The lead demon closed on Alexsis. The woman was fast, but the demon was faster. It charged on, far ahead of the others . Other demons had also joined in on the chase. This was too much for just one women. "I'll have her in a minute." The demon was now pushing itself to the limit. He covered ground at a pace comparable to a horse.

Alexsis was running faster than she had ever before.

 Her time to reach the castle was running short.

       "I have to get there in time", she thought. The monsters were gaining on her, faster and faster. They were closing the distance between her and them."Where is he?", she wondered.

She had called out! But there was no response from him.

          "Where can he be? There's no time, the demons will get to me before I reach the sea." As Alexsis      ran, she prepared herself.

She would stop and turn. " I'll draw Light( the twin sword of Dark), and we will leave things to fate."

 Alexsis could now smell the salt in the air coming from the ocean. She had run out of room...!

    

   

The Everglades or The Glades

This is a picture of the Everglades. It's just a small part of it.

The answer is....

What is the sister state of Florida? It's Wakayama-ken.
Who can tell me where Wakayama is? Explain it to me please.

That's nice. What's the name of this castle?

When was it built?

Who built it?

What's the sister state of Florida?

Where is this waterfall?

What's the name of this waterfall?
Have you ever been there before?
What was it like?
What else is there?

What is the sister state of Florida?

Sao Paulo, Brazil is sister city to Miami, Florida. What is the sister state of  Florida?

sister city- 姉妹都市　　　sister state - 姉妹県

If you don't know...ask the otter.

    

New Panther Lesson

Hi, How are you? I'm doing good.
I finished writing the new lesson about Panthers. Take a look below.
This is the animal we'll study about...

"The great cat perched itself up in a big Cypress tree next to the animal trail which followed the river. From the tree, the panther could clearly see both approaches to the river. It was a good spot for the cat to lie in wait. The cat surveyed the swamp before it. For miles and miles all that could be seen was grass and water. The great Everglades swamp is home to the panther. On land, he reigns supreme as the apex predator. The panther's breath was a slow rhythm. The cat was relaxed but ready for the hunt. This place had proved good in the past. Patience is key for the hunter."

It's a River Otter

I had just taken a short break from work. I had lunch then I decide to go on a short  ride on my bike. Less than 5 minutes later, I turned to my left and saw something looking at me. Quickly, I stopped and got my camera out. I was able to take a couple of pictures before he dove into the water. He was definately a river otter? Do you remember "river otter" in Japanese? Of course you do. That was an exciting after lunch ride.

In case you forgot, otter is カワウソin Japanese.

"That's right! And don't you forget it!"

This is the range of the panther in Flotida

Let's look at this map of Florida. The blue and the red areas are where we'll

 find the panther. The blue areas are public lands. And the red are

 conservation areas. This area of southern Florida is dominated by

 the great Everglades swamp.  Cougars have been known to

approach urban areas. They can be dangerous to farm animals.

So go get your camera and let's head out to the swamp.

 Maybe we'll even see an alligator.

Cougar! Mountaion Lion! Puma! Panther!

     Choose a name for this big cat. Any of them will strike fear into those who know this predator. This big cat is known by all these names. Why does it have all these names?
     The cats' name differs from place to place. In the Rocky Mountains of  the United States, it's called the mountain lion. Down in Florida (Land of Flowers), he's known as the panther or the cougar. Once in a while, it's also called the puma. They are fierce and skillful predators. Each is capable of capturing animals larger than itself.
     The swamp of Florida are their natural habitat. The great swamps provide an environment suited to the stealthy cat. They are night hunters. Another word is nocturnal. They hunt at night. 

       "Stealthy slipping through the tangled roots of the Cypress trees the great cat glided effortlessly in the direction of the prey. Her belly was grumbling. A good meal was on the wind tonight. She had scented it 20 minutes ago and silently approached from up wind. She raised her muzzle up and sniffed the air. Fresh blood on the wind! A surge of adrenaline flowed through her. The hairs on her neck and back raised in eager primal excitement. All of her sences were now tuned to the prey. When see sighted it she'd bring it down. With a spring she was gone... disappearing into shadows of the trees.  "       

COUGAR!

I think bobcats are pretty cool, but this cat is king of the swamp. Look how big he is. He's a monster.
How much to feed a cat like that? How much a day does it eat? Maybe quite a bit.

Florida Spaghetti Harvest

Today starts the Florida spaghetti harvest season. Every year spaghetti is harvested from trees around the state. Spaghetti is a major crop in Florida. It's very improtant to the local economy. The picture below is
a typical spaghetti tree.