Today we will have mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. It is going to be very hot with a heat index near 105F. High around 100F. and Lows in the mid to upper 70'sF. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. The chance of rain is 10%.

I started the day really early this morning arising at 5:30AM. This done so Vanna could get some photos of the Osprey nest at sun rise. We got up, had coffee, got dressed, gathered our equipment, and off the the nest we went. We set up in the river, with a nice angle. Vanna got some really nice shots. I will not post them until she gives me the "OK".

Sherry collected the Kids yesterday. She gathered up a couple of Pizza's from Papa John's, hurried them home for dinner. Luckily, she arrived at the same time Art came in, so he was able to join us for dinner. After which, the kids beat it into the river to soft crab on the waxing moon. It is near full, and should be by this evening.

After my trip out this morning with Vanna, We returned home and I removed the Elderberries from the freezer and began bagging them. I ended up with (I think) between 15 and 20 bags, or about 10lbs.. These will last me quite some time, as I only put a half cup per serving in my morning drink. Interesting thing about The Elderberry; while the fruit is delicious and perfectly safe, the root, stem, bark and wood contain cyanide and are quite poisonous. The safest way to consume them is not raw, as I do, but to cook them and use them in Jams, Jelly's, Pies, and (of course) Elderberry wine. I will continue to eat them raw, in my morning breakfast drink, and see what results. I figure it like this, prior to 2002 I consumed one to two packs of Marlboro Cigarettes per day, and at least a pint of Vodka. Now that is poison. How bad can a few green Elderberries or a bit of Elderberry stem be compared to that level of poisonous consumption?