Hey, everyone! It's McKenna again, with one last blog about a memorable moment in Peru. I'd like to take you back to "The City in the Clouds" for a quick visit to a special spot nestled in a narrow notch on a mountaintop overlooking Machu Picchu.
After exploring and shooting pictures for hours in the marvelous ruins of "The Lost City of the Incas," and after eating a quick buffet lunch at the Machu Picchu restaurant, many members of the expedition, including myself, decided to take on the challenge of a 45 minute hike about a mile up the Inca Trail, a long, twisting, ancient stone path made and used by the Incas. Our destination? The Incan Sun Gate.
The length of the trail we traversed curves up the side of the mountain and overlooks the grand city of Machu Picchu. It was an amazing experience. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we were walking on the same stones the Incas used to trek. But, overall, the trek wasn't all that easy.
The stones of the trail are jagged and serrated, and one misstep at certain places could have caused us to tumble down the steep precipice of the soaring mountain. YIKES! At 8,000 plus feet in the sky, it was sometimes tough to get the oxygen we needed to climb without breathing pretty hard at times. And, being ever so high in the sky, we had to be on guard to avoid getting sunburned. We were told that, at that height, even if it doesn't feel like you are getting sun, if you aren't careful to wear sunscreen or cover up, you are likely to get sunburned--even on the tops of your hands!
After exploring and shooting pictures for hours in the marvelous ruins of "The Lost City of the Incas," and after eating a quick buffet lunch at the Machu Picchu restaurant, many members of the expedition, including myself, decided to take on the challenge of a 45 minute hike about a mile up the Inca Trail, a long, twisting, ancient stone path made and used by the Incas. Our destination? The Incan Sun Gate. The length of the trail we traversed curves up the side of the mountain and overlooks the grand city of Machu Picchu. It was an amazing experience. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we were walking on the same stones the Incas used to trek. But, overall, the trek wasn't all that easy.
The stones of the trail are jagged and serrated, and one misstep at certain places could have caused us to tumble down the steep precipice of the soaring mountain. YIKES! At 8,000 plus feet in the sky, it was sometimes tough to get the oxygen we needed to climb without breathing pretty hard at times. And, being ever so high in the sky, we had to be on guard to avoid getting sunburned. We were told that, at that height, even if it doesn't feel like you are getting sun, if you aren't careful to wear sunscreen or cover up, you are likely to get sunburned--even on the tops of your hands!
Some of us moved quickly up the side of the mountain, while others took their time and trekked at a snail's pace. If the Incas could trek up the trail nearly every day in their Inca-style sandals, then surely Team Peru could do it just this once in our rugged hiking shoes! We used our determination to our full advantage to give us a greatly needed boost of energy. It was a slow-but-steady incline to the top, but as they say, "slow and steady wins the race!" I think the few of us who trudged leisurely up the Inca Trail had the most energy when we reached our destination.
No matter the pace we chose to traverse the twisting trail, we were all determined to reach the Sun Gate, located far above the ruins of Machu Picchu. It is the first point on the Inca Trail from which hikers (who have made the three- to four-day-long trek on the Inca Trail from the bottom of the mountain all the way to Machu Picchu) get their first glimpse of "The Lost City." It is also said that this "gate of stone" was supposedly used by the Incas to control the entrance of outsiders into their sacred city at the lower end of the Inca Trail.
The sun was setting rapidly, stretching beams of bright-colored vitality across the yawning cloud-dappled sky. They say that the best time to be at the Sun Gate is during dawn or dusk, when the sun is rising or setting. That's when hikers are able to get the most stunning views of Machu Picchu, the Urubamba River snaking its way below, and the endless mountain peaks stretching into the clouds above. Hikers rise bright and early to catch a glimpse of this postcard panoramic.
Finally, after nearly an hour or more of hiking--or, to put it more accurately for most of us, "stumbling"--up the Inca Trail, we reached the Sun Gate! Like Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate was a spectacular sight, built with stones cut in perfect configuration. No rain water, or even the late afternoon breeze, could seep between the stones. The Sun Gate is just another manifestation of the intelligence and ingenuity of the Incas. Their intellect marked in the stone masterpieces of Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate, and other temples and structures, is absolutely awe-inspiring. The strenuous trek up the Inca Trail was definitely worth the sight of the Sun Gate. From where we stood, in one panoramic view we could see the 14 switchbacks that carry buses of visitors up the mountainside, slices of the Inca trail, and Machu Picchu, looking like a miniature model far below the Sun Gate. I'm glad we didn't give up when the going got tough, because this was a sight not to be missed!
As we stood on the many jagged stones and terraces of the ruins of the Sun Gate, we all peered anxiously at the soaring mountains reaching for the heavens all around us, and the valley below, with the Urubamba river flowing over rock and mud, and Machu Picchu sitting peacefully on a outreached ridge.
And then it happened. The light started shifting as the sun moved farther across the sky and ever so slowly started sweeping the day closer to dusk. Streaming, glistening rays from the sun stretched from the deep, murky sky above onto Machu Picchu, spotlighting the city's features as if the Incas themselves were shining a light onto their beloved city, yet again revealing its true beauty to the modern world. It was an unbelievable sight, sending chills down our spines as we watched in silent wonder. It was an amazing moment.
Since our trip, I have thought about that and other such moments a million times. It was hard to leave Peru and the adventure behind. I find myself missing my new friends--the other winners, the parents, the people from National Geographic, and the people from Peru--and missing that beautiful country almost every day.
But when I get sad that the adventure is over, it helps to remember a quote our tour guide, Mr. Edgar, shared with us when we were all together.
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
No matter the pace we chose to traverse the twisting trail, we were all determined to reach the Sun Gate, located far above the ruins of Machu Picchu. It is the first point on the Inca Trail from which hikers (who have made the three- to four-day-long trek on the Inca Trail from the bottom of the mountain all the way to Machu Picchu) get their first glimpse of "The Lost City." It is also said that this "gate of stone" was supposedly used by the Incas to control the entrance of outsiders into their sacred city at the lower end of the Inca Trail.
The sun was setting rapidly, stretching beams of bright-colored vitality across the yawning cloud-dappled sky. They say that the best time to be at the Sun Gate is during dawn or dusk, when the sun is rising or setting. That's when hikers are able to get the most stunning views of Machu Picchu, the Urubamba River snaking its way below, and the endless mountain peaks stretching into the clouds above. Hikers rise bright and early to catch a glimpse of this postcard panoramic.Finally, after nearly an hour or more of hiking--or, to put it more accurately for most of us, "stumbling"--up the Inca Trail, we reached the Sun Gate! Like Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate was a spectacular sight, built with stones cut in perfect configuration. No rain water, or even the late afternoon breeze, could seep between the stones. The Sun Gate is just another manifestation of the intelligence and ingenuity of the Incas. Their intellect marked in the stone masterpieces of Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate, and other temples and structures, is absolutely awe-inspiring. The strenuous trek up the Inca Trail was definitely worth the sight of the Sun Gate. From where we stood, in one panoramic view we could see the 14 switchbacks that carry buses of visitors up the mountainside, slices of the Inca trail, and Machu Picchu, looking like a miniature model far below the Sun Gate. I'm glad we didn't give up when the going got tough, because this was a sight not to be missed!As we stood on the many jagged stones and terraces of the ruins of the Sun Gate, we all peered anxiously at the soaring mountains reaching for the heavens all around us, and the valley below, with the Urubamba river flowing over rock and mud, and Machu Picchu sitting peacefully on a outreached ridge.
And then it happened. The light started shifting as the sun moved farther across the sky and ever so slowly started sweeping the day closer to dusk. Streaming, glistening rays from the sun stretched from the deep, murky sky above onto Machu Picchu, spotlighting the city's features as if the Incas themselves were shining a light onto their beloved city, yet again revealing its true beauty to the modern world. It was an unbelievable sight, sending chills down our spines as we watched in silent wonder. It was an amazing moment.
Since our trip, I have thought about that and other such moments a million times. It was hard to leave Peru and the adventure behind. I find myself missing my new friends--the other winners, the parents, the people from National Geographic, and the people from Peru--and missing that beautiful country almost every day.But when I get sad that the adventure is over, it helps to remember a quote our tour guide, Mr. Edgar, shared with us when we were all together.
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Hi everyone,
Luckstomper here. Wow I haven't posted in a long long long time!!! Where have I been camp, Cape Cod beach house, my dads, and lots of other places. McKenna, every time I read your blog I am in a state of aw. I just get blown away with how well you write. The way you describe things is just oh so vivid and picturesque. Thank-you is really what I should say because you brought me and the other bloggers on the trip we never got. So again thank-you!!! Oh ya for all of you wondering about my place of the day on my blog, I changed it to week because it got too hecktic trying to get on everyday. So this week's place of the week is Accra, Ghana. Well talk to you guys soon!!! Bye.
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Hi!
Mckenna, the picture of Machu Pichu at dusk was so incredible. It made you feel as though you were really there, witnessing this once in a life time occurrence. Also, thankyou for continuing to blog, it really makes us feel included on this journey.
I got to ride my horse today. She hadnt been ridden in a while but she did really well. This horse fly kept following her and biting her wherever she went. Poor Lucy!
Luckstomper, what is Accra, Ghana like? It sounds like a neat place just judging from the name!
I am starting an animal of the day thing.
Today's animal is the taper ( i hope i spelled it right!), or the "walking watermelon"!
Keep blogging!
~Celeste~
Hi everybody Luckstomper here,
I most 110% agree with you cowgirlexplorer that McKenna keep on blogging really feels as if we are part of this. So McKenna (again) thank-you. Oh ya CGE (cowgirlexplorer) you might just want to make it animal of the week. And to answer your answer Accra is a very solemn city. Well at least a good portion of it. There is one of the major departure spots where African Americans were boarded on ships to come here and be our slaves (sigh to you old America). Because of that A LOT and when I say a lot I mean a lot, of people in the U.S. can trace their history there. Also they named a hotel after Obama and made every room a part of his life like there is the Obama suite, Kenya, Hawaii, etc.(f.y.i. I am a Obama fan all the way, I wanted him to win since they named the candidates). So there is your answer, and if you wish to know more just search it I'm pretty sure Wikipedia will have a section on it. Well bye for now reply soon!!!!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
McKenna, again a spectacular blog filled with amazing photos and highly detailed facts about your trip. Like luckstomper said, you are a truly talented writer. I really like the pictures, especially the one where the golden rays of the sun are shining down on Machu Picchu, 'highlighting its many features'.
Luckstomper, isn't Ghana a small country in Africa? I did a report on Kenya which is in east Africa. I believe Ghana is in west Africa, and I'm not very familiar with that part of the continent. Accra, Ghana sounds cool though!
Cowgirlexplorer, that's cool that you got to ride you horse today. I wish I had a horse. My sympathies to Lucy since she kept on getting bitten. By the way, I think 'taper' is actually spelled 'tapir'. Hope this helps!
McKenna you write so well! I feel like I actually went to Peru when I read your blogs! The pictures are amazing too! Thanks so much to everyone for taking the time to post!
Wow! I haven't written in sooooo long!
McKenna that is my favorite expression in the whole world! "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened..." I've used that expression forever! I guess it's more widely known than I thought =)
THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING!
~Jayme
Thanks so much Shastasteph for the correct spelling, i was in a hurry when I wrote that so... (No excuses)
Anyway, you know that killdeer nest that i had written about on Mckennas train ride blog...? Well I went to go look at the nest yesterday and the eggs were gone! Just plain gone, and there were no traces of egg shells either, weird huh? Also one of our chickens got eaten by something, she was sitting on her nest and then, poof... Strange?
Anyway, Luckstomper, I think i will follow suit and change it to animal of the week, every day gets quite hectic.
Ok, i dont think that it has been a week yet but the new animal is the orangutan, they are so cool. There is this awesome place in Borneo where there are a ton of them, I had been hoping that the HOEC would go to Borneo this year!
Talk to you later!
~Celeste~
Hi everyone, McKenna here!
You guys just made my day.
Wow, I am speechless. What you all said means a lot to me... thank you so much.
And I wanted to let you know that I am still working on the photography tips list I said I was going to post, and guess what! I am trying to recruit and compile tips from all of Team Peru! So I will post that photography tips list under "comments" as soon as it is all finished up! :) I can't wait!
Talk to you all soon, and thank you again. :)
Kenna
Cowgirlexplorer, I'm glad I could help with the spelling. The next HOEC challenge is coming up in a few months! I'm sooooo excited! Maybe your wish will come true and the trip will be to Borneo. Only time will tell... Orangutans are cool. Where I volunteer at the zoo, I hear them. They can be very loud.
McKenna, thanks for putting together the photography tips list. It must be a lot of work since you're getting ideas from all of Team Peru! Thank you so much! I can't wait to see that list. Take your time. Have a great summer!
OMG! In a few months, National Geographic will announce the 2009-2010 Hands-On Explorer Challenge contest and trip (where we will be going)! I can't wait! If the contest starts in October again, we only have 3 1/4 months to wait! Yeah! I can't wait for the HOEC contest. I haven't really worked on my entry in a LONG time because I've been VERY busy. However, I always write down any ideas that come up. Keep being excited for the HOEC challenges (past, soon-to-be present, and future)!!!!
I hope Kenna could put up her photo tips that she so generously put together! It must have taken her a lot of time.
I agree with everyone that McKenna is a great writer and this was one of my favorite blogs! I can't wait until the photography tips!
Hi everyone!
Luckstomper here. Wow I haven't really posted in awhile. But just a recap. Last week's Place of the Week was Soldeu, Andorra and this week's Place of the Week winner is Taipei, Taiwan.
And I know Shastasteph the new HOEC '10 is soon to be announced in a few months!!! I'm so excited. Also there is this place down the street from my house called the Butterfly Place and I'm going to ask my parent's if I can start to volunteer there!!!
I have a couple of entries in the makings right now but I don't know if I'm going to use any of them. I'm just waiting for that *special* "happening" to happen. So far now luck. Maybe it'll happen in Canada! Because I'm going to Canada the second to last full week of August.
And omg, my grandpa sent me this thing through e-mail how these people in Africa built this (beautiful) hotel right in the middle of an elephant migration stop!!! So the next year when they finished these elephants just walked through the lobby of the hotel to get to their mangoes that they stop for every year.
Well bye for now!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Hey!
Shastasteph, that is so cool that you get to volunteer at the zoo, the closest zoo to me is about 3 hrs away. Your are really fortunate. Actually, the first time i went to a zoo was last year, Hee Hee!
Luckstomper, i hope you get to volunteer in the butterfly place, that would be a great opportunity.
OK, the animal of the week is... the Komodo Dragon. They are the worlds biggest lizards and their saliva contains bacteria that is just about as harmful as snake venom, meaning it could kill you. (* I had recently been watching a show about komodo dragons).
My friend gets to go to Africa in Nov./Dec. and she will be there when the elephants are calving, how incredibly lucky! She is going to Durban, i have seen some pics and it is way gorgeous.
Anyway, have a great summer, whats left it that is!
~Celeste~
P.S. Luckstomper, hope you have fun in Canada, i was supposed to go there this summer but plans fell through!
P.S.S. I would also like to express my thanks to Mckenna for expending all the time and effort it takes to make the list of photography tips, really appreciate it!
I haven't really been thinking about what to do for my entry this year... oh well. I hope I can think of something creative... branch out a little bit.
I'm so excited to find out about where the hands on explorers go next! I hope it's in India, or somewhere in the middle east... Israel? I know they already went to Africa, but maybe they could go somewhere else in Africa this time... Well, whatever it is, I know they'll pick a good one.
Also, when they do anonounce the contest, or a little after, we will officially have been blogging here for a year! (Even though some of you are more dedicated bloggers than I am...)
Summer has gone by really fast, it's kind of sad. Summer is my favorite season because everything is so alive! But fall is second, so I guess it's ok when summer ends. What is everyone else's favorite season?
Also, I just found out that the quote "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" is from Dr. Seuss!
Hello everyone! I can't believe summer is already almost over! It went by so quick :(. Another long school year ahead of us. Oh well.
Luckstomper, I hope you'll get to volunteer at the butterfly house! Also, have a great time in Canada. Don't forget to explore a lot (if you have the chance).
Cowgirlexplorer, I'm so sorry that you don't have a zoo close by to you. At least you've been to one now! Did you like it? The zoo where I volunteer isn't really big, but it's decent sized. I someday want to got to the San Diego Zoo in southern California to see the giant pandas! Just wandering, but where is Durban (the place your friend is going to)? Is it a country? If not, what country is it in?
Keep being excited for the upcoming HOEC contest! Hopefully nature will inspire us all!
Hello!
Wycombestar- my favorite season is summer, because I live in Montana, there is 6 months of winter here and about 2 months of summer, and its really the only season that you get to experience all that the state has to offer. If i lived in a place like Virginia my favorite season would be fall because i love all the stunning colors! Does anyone else find it truly incredible the way that the leaves change with the seasons?
Anyway, i am headed to Yellowstone National Park tomorrow, (for about the thirteenth time in my life, but thats okay, every time i go it is different!)
I am hoping to see some wild animals other than the occasional buffalo of elk. I think seeing a wolf would be pretty magical!
Okay, the animal of the week is the capybara, it is the worlds largest rodent, its name means master of the grasses, one of their closest relatives is the chinchilla! And that is your capybara science lesson for the day... (hee hee)
Have fun while its warm!
~Celeste~
I can't wait to find out where the contest is going to go next! Do any of you guys have any ideas?? Let me know why you think! Personally I'm pulling for somewhere in Africa even though they have already gone there, it's so diverse and I would LOVE to explore there.
~kklabrador
P.S.- wycombestar: India! I wonder if that will be it! They have never gone to Asia before, I bet it will be somewhere like that. India would be amazing!
Kklabrador, I feel your enthusiasm. I'm so excited for the next HOEC contest! Since NG has already gone to Africa (South Africa), South America (Peru), Australia, and the Pacific (Galapagos Islands), I think they will go to either Asia, Europe, the Middle East, or the Atlantic (like somewhere in the Caribbean). I'm not sure about countries though. Maybe they'll go to like Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, or Jamaica. I'm positive that wherever they choose will be a great country to explore!
Cowgirlexplorer, I also think it is magical how leaves change with the seasons. It's neat being able to see the many different colors.
In literally two weeks I'm going to be leaving for my annual Lake Shasta trip! I'm so excited! I get to go with a lot of family friends, and I always have a blast. The best part is that I get to explore a lot. Plus, there are endless discoveries there! This year is special because it's going to be a new moon on the week I go. Without the moon, it'll be nice and dark, so I'll get to see the stars and shooting stars a whole lot better. I can't wait for the trip! I get to miss the first few days of school because of the trip. Yipee!
Have a great rest of the summer everyone!
Shastasteph- Durban is located in South Africa and is the third most populated city in South Africa, hope that helps! Oh, and yes i really did like the zoo very much. Like you, i hope to go the San Diego Zoo. I went to San Diego two years ago and had the choice of going to the zoo or Seaworld, i chose Seaworld. I am glad i did because i was chosen out of everyone in Seaworld to be in the Shamu show with all the Killer whales! It was the most incredible day. I got to do tricks with the whales and pet them and learn about them. They are incredible creatures.
Also, i hope you have fun at lake Shasta, it sounds very action packed and full of exploration. And the fact that the week you are going is the new moon makes the trip that much better!
Question to the bloggers- really, truly, where do think HOEC is going to go this year...?
I think it would also be cool if they went to Madagascar where all the different species of lizards are, i love lizards! I had a gecko once...
~Celeste~
P.S.- i saw 4 fox and two chipmunks yesterday in addition to the buffalo, deer, and elk.
one of the foxes was right on the side of the road stalking some prey, it was close so i was able to see it in tremendous detail!
It was a great trip! (yellowstone national park)
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
sorry:) just venting my frustration. Yesterday I took about a million shots of a dragonfly. I tried every way i could. It took a lot of patience!!! I don't know if I even got a good picture!!! Oh well, I tried... :)
Cowgirlexplorer, thanks for the info about Durban. You are so lucky that you got to be IN the Shamu show! I've only been to Seaworld once, but my family loved the Shamu show so much that we went like seven times in one day, literally! (I think that was a run-on sentence. Tee-hee!) Unfortunately, I didn't get picked to be in the show. I really wished I was though! All those people who were picked looked like they were having so much fun! Someday, I really want to be picked. However, I want to be picked as a winner of the 2009/2010 or 2010/2011 Hands-On Explorer Challenge contest so much more. What did you get to do with Shamu (or the other killer whales)? It's awesome that you got to see so many animals pretty close up yesterday! That must have been so cool! For your question, I think National Geographic will go to Thailand or Singapore for the 2009-2010 Hands-On Explorer Challenge contest.
Wycombestar, I really hope that at least some of your pictures turn out! That would be horrible if not even one of them did. Why was it so hard to get good pictures? Was the dragonfly moving a lot? Was it something with your camera? My camera is old and really slow, so it's hard to take pictures of objects that are moving. I'm hoping to get a new camera for my birthday or Christmas.
Shastasteph' Thailand sounds cool, i never thought of that possibility. And for your question, i got to talk to Shamu and give her commands and she would do tricks and then she came up close to me and i pet her and then all the whale trainers and i clapped to a beat and got all the whales to do the final tricks. It was kind of embarassing because my clapping was way off beat, hee hee! I also really want to win one of the upcoming HOEC challenges, that would be a dream come true! And i too have a very slow camera. I was trying to take pics of some horses at a Lipizzaner Stallion show and they all came out blurry cause my camera was so slow! We have alot in common...hee hee!
Wycombestar' what colors was the dragonfly, the ones that i see are usually purple. But, thats cool that you got to get so close to it!
ªCelesteª
P.S.' Peru still rocks!
Hiya everyone,
Guess what! My "Pix Tips" list is finished! :) They are a combination of tips I have learned on my own, tips Mr. Bruce Dale and Ms. Amy Toensing (National Geographic photographers who traveled to Peru with us) taught us, and tips from several Team Peru members who wanted to share what they learned, too! I hope these suggestions help you capture the best shots possible! I had fun putting the list together. :) Enjoy!
1.) Even if you only have one or a very limited amount of subjects to photograph, there are endless possibilities.
2.) If you are taking a picture of something like a field with the sky in the background, try taking pictures of it on different days or during multiple times of the day, in different weather (like rain, sunshine, snow, storm, etc.), and with different lighting (like bright daylight, night time, sunset, dusk, etc.).
3.) Ms. Amy encouraged us to refrain from always placing a subject in the middle of a photograph. She taught us about the "rule of thirds." Using this rule, your subject or subjects would rarely be centered right in the middle of your photograph.
4.) Mr. Bruce told us that often it makes a very unique photograph to capture the little details of an object instead of photographing the entire object. When you capture the details, you get a focused view of things that often get lost in a full-view shot.
5.) Don't hastily delete a photograph off of your digital camera because you don't like it.
AHHHHHH!!!
Last year the contest started in October, idk if I can wait that long! I am DYING to find out where the challenge will go next!
I don't think I can make it 2 whole more months!
Cowgirlexplorer, that is soooooo awesomely cool that you got to do all those things with Shamu! The biggest animal I have ever worked with was a radiated tortoise named Tim. It must have been so fun telling Shamu to do tricks. I really want to go back to Seaworld and see if I can be in the show. Hee-hee! Wow! That's so cool that you've been to a horse show! Every once in a while I see ads for a horse show that I think starts with the letter 'B' (it might be the Lipizzaner show because the horses were all white). I've always wanted to go because of my love for horses, but it's always too far away or at bad times. :( I hope I'll get to go someday, just like I REALLY hope I will be a winner of the HOEC contest. Wouldn't it be cool if we both won? Then we could see each other!
Kklabrador, I feel your excitement about the Hands-On Explorer Challenge that should be announced soon. Hold on for a few more months though!
kklabrador, I don't know if I can wait that long either!!!!! cowgirlexplorer, it was greenish blue, I think. I'll have to look back on the pictures. I love dragonflys, especially when their bodies are in shiny metallic colors. Down by the creek, there are usually a lot of blue-green ones.
The dragonfly I took a picture of was cooperating very well. It let me get really close and it stayed still for a long time. The problem with the pictures is that it is blending in with the background, and I was trying to find a way to make it not! I'm not actually good at photography at all. I wish I were! I'm trying to practice though.
I also went to the Shamu show, twice, but at diffent times. One was at the Florida seaworld, the other was in California. I got splashed a lot!
And cowgirlexplorer, I always clap off beat, I clap off beat whenever there is a possibility to do so!
- Emma
Hey, thanks McKenna, those tips are great!!!! I will remember those tip next time I take a picture.
I know this might be a really hard question, but what was you favorite part about your trip to Peru?
Elizabeth :)
Kenna, thanks SSOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for the photography tips. They are really cool and helpful. I would have never thought of things like that. The tips really opened up my eyes to a whole new world of photography. I just saw your post and I'm going to start practicing. My favorite tips were the ones about not deleting the picture because I don't like it (I always did that), and the tip about not putting the object directly in the middle. Thanks so much for putting the tips together. I hope to here you blog again soon! Good luck with your future explorations!
Shastasteph- I think it would be really cool if we got to meet each other at HOEC challenge as the winners! We seem to have a lot in common.
Mckenna- the photography tips are AAAAAmazing. The last tip really jumped out at me, i had just finished deleting a bunch of pics from my camera, hee hee.
OK- i just came back from the weekend at my friends house and underneath their tree i found an owl pellet! I was so excited. I thought it was a pine cone at first but then i picked it up and i saw all of the mouse bones perfectly intact. There was the skull and the claws and the entire skeleton. I had dissected them in school before but never one that was this perfect! I must say, it was pretty cool!
~Celeste~
Hi Everyone!
Haha, it is sooo funny... I found myself dreaming about Peru last night. :)
Elizabeth - Wow, that is a hard question! :) But, honestly, I really, really enjoyed traveling to Lima, the capital city of Peru. (It was also our first destination; we flew from the United States to Lima and stayed in the city for the first few days of our expedition.) Lima is very poor, having endured a devastating depression within the last 50 years or so, and most of it, sadly enough, is slums. But something about Lima intrigued me, and I absolutely loved watching people walk down the streets, cars driving bumper-to-bumper on the narrow roads, teens skateboarding in the parks during the early hours of the night, and more. Something about that city just seems to call my name. :)
Oh, and Celeste, did you take any pictures of the mouse bones? :D That is really, really cool! A whole skeleton?! Wow...
Okay, in my next post, I am going to offer five more Pix Tips from my list! I am really glad you guys are enjoying them, and I hope that they prove to be helpful. I know they have helped me! :)
Kenna
Here are tips 6-10 from my list! Hope you all like them! :)
6.) Shoot TONS of pictures, especially if you are capturing shots on a digital camera, even if you’re only photographing a limited amount of subjects.
7.) There are lots of different settings on cameras. Try each and every one and see what each can do!
8.) Don’t be afraid to get really, really close to your subject, or even squat in a really embarrassing position to get the best shot possible. I wish you could have seen all the kids and especially the Nat Geo photographers!
9.) Know your camera! Every camera is different and has different capabilities.
10.) Study photographs and learn from photographers from around the world to see how you can enhance your photo skills!
-Pick up National Geographic Magazines or other magazines and publications with professional photographs in them and study the photos, paying close attention to every detail of each photograph.
-Go online and look up professional photography sites and pay close attention to the pictures and see what you can learn!
-Go online and look up photography tips given by professional photographers. (Tip: There are TONS of great photography tips on the National Geographic website!)
Until my next five tips,
Kenna :)
McKenna, thanks for all the photography tips. I am in NH right now and there are a ton of insects and different types of plants to get up close to :)
I have another question. Were there a lot of older buildings in Lima? I have Google Imaged Lima, but it is neat to hear it from someone who has been there.
Elizabeth :)
Cowgirlexplorer, we really do have a lot in common! What a surprise that we like so many of the same things (besides nature and exploring, of course)! It would be totally awesome if we could meet each other as part of the National Geographic Hands-On Explorer Challenge 2010 Kid's Expedition Team (which would mean we are/were winners)! Good luck on your entry, as well as everyone else entering. That is so cool that you found an owl pellet with a complete skeleton! From maybe putting the skeleton together, do you think you could try to identify what animal the owl ate? I also wonder what owl left the pellet. What kind of owls live in your area?
Kenna, again, thank you sooo much for taking the time to put the photography tips list together. The new ones are also really neat. Also, thanks for taking the time to put it up! All the tips are incredible. I would have never thought of these things. It really can change the image of a picture. I haven't been able to try all the tips, such as the one about taking the same picture in different kinds of light, because usually the fog in San Francisco makes the light the same for most of the day. However, the tips I have tried really changed the way I looked at some things.
Yesterday I was getting a ladder so I could get a closer shot of a hummingbird when I saw something white and fluffy attached to the part that keeps the ladder closed or open. It's that part that can bend and sometimes looks like ^ when it's partially closed. Anyways, on it was this white fluffy stuff. When I looked closer, there was some webs attached, so I didn't open it all the way in case the webs snapped. The fluff was actually a spider's nest! The nest was semi-transparent so I saw that there were really tiny, things that looked like really thin grubs. I inferred that they were the baby spiders. When I looked at it from a different angle, I saw that the mother spider was also inside the nest! I think the moving of the ladder alarmed her, so after a while she came out. It was really neat. I took some photos, but my camera isn't very good. Most came out blurry, but some were clear. In only a few of the clear ones could you see good detail. It was still really cool though. I guess I'll be having baby spiders in my yard soon!
Wow, more photography tips! And I was completely satisfied with five! Hee hee.
Thank you so much Mckenna, for taking the time to put out this amazing list! And sadly, i wasn't able to take any pictures of the bones and even worse, i forgot the pellet and my friends house and she lives far away! But the experience of finding it was far too incredible to be sad. Oh, well!
Shastasteph- That nest sounds pretty incredible, the way you described the nest made it seem really big. Do you know what kind of spiders they were? And do you know how long it takes the grubs to develop into spiders?
And shastasteph, i do not know which owl might have dropped the pellet, sadly, but I'm guessing it might have been a barn owl.
Our horses got out of their pastures the day before last night. They went trough four pastures right into the highway. And, of course, every gate in between the pastures just so happened to be open.
Some rude highschool kids refused to slow down and almost hit our baby horse! But a kind lady let us put our horses in her pasture for the night so they were safe. But it was way scary!
Oh, and the animal of the week is the bottlenose dolphin.
~Celeste~
P.S.- the county fair is this weekend, i am so excited to see all the animals! And milk some cows, and pet some steers, and hold some kittens...
Cowgirlexplorer, the nest was pretty big for a spider (at least I thought). The nest was almost two inches long and about half an inch wide. It was really cool. I found out that the grub looking things were actually white spiderlings. Usually, it takes several days or even weeks for a spiderling to leave it's nest after hatching. I'm not sure what kind of spider it was though. It had many brown splotches all over and its legs were two apart like this >>O><< are the eight legs.
That's a good guess that a barn owl might have dropped the pellet since they live everywhere except for Antarctica. I'm so glad that you're horses are okay too, especially the baby. Those teenagers were mean! The lady was very nice. Cool! The bottlenose dolphin is the new, unique animal!
Kenna, thanks for the photography tips... I know I need them!
Shastasteph, It's cool you found those spiders. Most girls I know are afraid of spiders. But I'm not, so it's nice to find someone else who isn't.
Celeste, I've never even seen an owl pellet! And the county fair where I live is this weekend too. Actually it started on Wedensday. Yesterday I volunteered at the food stand. Also, my friend has goats, and I watched her goat show. The fair is called the grange fair. It's mostly 4-H stuff. But there are rides and tents with free stuff! Personally, I am a fan of free stuff.
I'm definetley going to work on my photography with the help of those tips, even if I think I'm a hopeless case. Maybe I can take some pictures at the fair!
Wycombestar- My county fair started on Wednesday as well. And i encourage you to take lots of pics, especially of all the cute little animals! Your fair sounds exactly like ours!
I went to the fair yesterday and watched the sheep show. It was really cool to see the different varieties and breeds, but then i became really sad to think that after the show was over, they were all going straight to the butcher. So i felt a little guilty watching it.
I found something really cool today. I got into my dads truck and i noticed that there were three wasps making their nest in the crack of the door, you know the part that you usually pinch your fingers when you close it... But it was so cool, what a funny place to put your nest. Sadly, i have to evict them, maybe i could place them somewhere else, as long as i dont get stung! Hee Hee!
Shastasteph- I love how you are using the different symbols on the keyboard to describe the way animals look, very creative!
~Celeste~
Wycombestar, I know what you mean by girls are afraid of spiders (at least most). I have to admit I used to be afraid of them too, but once I saw how cool they were I like them. In my county, we either don't have a county fair, or I don't know when the county fair is. It sounds fun though. I've been wondering this, but what is a 4-H club? Also, I too absolutely LOVE free stuff. My dad takes me to boat/fishing shows a lot, and I get tons of free stuff. Freebies, yeah!
Shastasteph-A 4-h club is a club that is basically for ranch or farm kids, it gives them the ability to show their animals in the fair and compete for prizes! (yay prizes!) If your not in 4-h the only animals you can enter are ducks, chickens, roosters, and rabbits, none of the "big ticket animals" like cows, sheep, pigs, etc.
I absolutely cannot wait until the next HOEC challenge, but i know i have to!
Keep exploring!
~Celeste~
4-H isn't just for animals, at least where I live. There are sewing clubs babysitting classes, tractor stuff, everything. This year I took a vet science class for 4-H. I got to do a lotof things I never thought I would do, like give injections to goats, learn how to birth a cow, and horse chiropractory. (cant spell...)
Hi everyone!
Luckstomper here. It seems like I have missed a lot this past week. I just got back from the wonderful country of Canada. I first went to Quebec City then Montreal. It was so much FUN!!! I totally recommend it for family trips. Except if you drive, it's a little fidgety though. Also on my way back today to Mass. we stopped at Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, VT. But it was wicked fun. Looking forward to the next HOEC contest! Talk to you guys soon well not actually because I'm leaving for the Cape in two days. It was supposed to be tomorrow but hurricane Bill is putting a tropical storm on the Cape. But bye
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Thanks for the explanation cowgirlexplorer. I'm not in a 4-H club so I guess I can't enter big animals. Anyways, I don't even have any of the animals you listed! LOL! I just came back from an annual vacation to Shasta Lake, which is in northern California. It was so fun, especially since we always go with other family friends that have kids too. We go tubing, jet skiing, swimming, and wake-boarding. Besides that, I also do a lot of exploring. I found deer tracks and saw bald eagles, herons, deer, osprey, a praying mantis, grasshoppers, and a few other animals. The whole group also hiked up to a natural waterfall that can be used as a natural slide. It was so cool! It was a great trip.
Hey Luckstomper! Sounds like you had a blast in Canada. I wish I got to go there. I have never been out of the country, so the HOEC contest gives me another benefit, the chance to go out of the country. Traveling really far is a little too expensive for my family right now. We're hoping to go to Florida next year though. The only states I've been to are California (where I live), and Nevada. You are lucky that you get to travel so much. Have fun in the Cape! Hopefully Bill doesn't cause too much delay!
By the way, I am almost finished with my entry. I had an inspiring idea and wrote about it. I'm still modifying and perfecting it though. I hope National Geographic will think and see that my essay is a unique idea that comes from a very unique angle, even though they might think they've seen the angle I'm taking. I truly think it is unique, special, and different.
Some tips if you are stuck about what to write about. First, get a good night's sleep. Then, go and explore, or think about past explorations. With a clear mind from your good rest, something will just 'pop' into your head. That's what happened to me. Good luck with your entries! It would be amazing to meet all of you at the airport where we will depart for the country we will be exploring, courtesy of the National Geographic Hands-On Explorer Challenge!!!!! Yeah!!!!
Hi everyone, Luckstomper here!
I was just wondering has anyone else started school today? I just started today, and thats considered early for where I live. I was a little hectic on my perspective. Seventh grade is going to be a long stressful year I can already tell.
I know the Hands-On Explorer Challenge is quickly approaching an I just want to give everyone a pre-good luck. If I ever win this contest, or don't, I will still get my kids to enter this contest and to blog on this site. You know, it's just been a great experience I don't know about you guys though. But I'm betting the answer is yes. Am I right, eh?
I have only about three possible entries right now, but let me tell you they are still a work in progress by a long shot. But unlike you Shastasteph I still have yet to find the inspirational place or "happening" to inspire my essay my short 300 word essay.
Well talk to you all soon!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Luckstomper, I hope an inspiration for your essay strikes you with a force that gets you going! LOL! By the way, I started school last week on August 24. I really started on August 20, but I missed the first two days because of my Lake Shasta vacation. Yeah! Thanks for the pre-luck, but I guess for me it is current luck now. LOL!
I can't wait for the new Hands-On Explorer Challenge to be revealed and opened!!!
Hi, everybody. It is naturephotographer here. How is everyone?
Luckstomper, I started school on the 25th of August. So, far I have joined FFA, (a.k.a Future Farmers of American) and I am going to join Key Club. It is a club that is all about community service. My dream club.
Has anyone finished their essays yet? I am pretty close but not all the way! Good luck to all that have not finished yet!
Elizabeth
I started school on the 24th of August.
Luckstomper, i am glad you had fun in Canada. If i go to Canada, it would be to Montreal. I heard that there was a moose sanctuary there, moose are one of my favorite animals. I also hope that you have fun in Cape. Oh did you find anything interesting in Canada?
Shastasteph, your annual trip sounds great. i remember when i went to Echo lake. It is a warm water lake, so it is great for swimming. It is not very big though. Is Shasta Lake big? I too have not had that special "happening" yet that i felt was good enough to send in.I am sure that when they announce where we are going, i will get inspired.
Have a great summer, for those of you who haven't started school, and for those who have, explore alot and hope you will be on a plane to a foreign country in the very near future!
Hey cowgirlexplorer! Shasta lake has cold and warm water. Depending on where the sun hits the most, some parts of the lake could be cold, while the other part warm. However, it is really hot up there so it is very cooling swimming in the cold water. Shasta is pretty big too. You can find it on some US maps. I love it there!
I hope I will be able to see you and many others on a plane to a foreign country next year!
Hello, everyone. How was every one's long weekend? Did you guys go anywhere? My family stayed home, but I got to go jet skiing!!!! I didn't go over 22 mph. I am a very cautious person. Oh well. I hope you guys were able to get a lot of exploring in. I sure did :) Good luck on your essays!!!
-Elizabeth
Hey y'all!
Did you guys look at the photos of the national parks when you first logged on to the site? If you didn't, you should, and if you did then aren't they incredible. I mean... wow! I think that we are going to go down to Florida this winter so hopefully i will be able to take some cool pictures there. The new animal of the week is the gecko. I used to have one, they are so cool, i mean the way they can stick on all surfaces ( except Teflon) is incredible! Plus, their bright colors make them even more fun to look at.
Keep exploring!
~Celeste~
tigergirl13 in,
wow! idk when i last wrote hear! Meckenna u r a awsome righter! i can only wright fiction. (i am 8 chapters into a novle I am righting:) pet update: now i have 12 hens, 1 hermit crab, 1 turantula, 1 lizard & soon 3 spiny mice & 2 more hens & a duck & a goose!!!! Anyone have any tips on essay righting??? I am not so good at it!
oh yah and if u think globle warming is a myth... U WILL BE PROOVIN WRONG!!!!!! (i am an animal activest/ enviromentlest;) i even started a club:))
Hi everyone!
I haven't talked in a wicked long time! Tigergirl13 nice to see you back here posting on the blog. Well to answer your questions, here are some essay writing tips! First of all you want to get a topic that will gain your readers interest. You don't want a dull topic that someone is in pain reading. Also you want strong supporting details. You most definately don't want to jump around to get your reader confused. One very major thing is that it doesn't matter if your vocabulary is amazing or your topic is amazing. Sure it will help but it's not critical. These little things will help, trust me. Also something that me and you have in common is that we are both activists. Global warming is a huge part of my life. I love to recycle, use both sides of a paper, be creative and reuse things. And I agree for all of you people who don't think global warming is a big deal YOU WILL SOON FIND OUT!!! K.A.J. in buisness (Kid Activist Jon). Also who else is going to enter the Dog Eared Blogger contest? Well I have more to say but dinner! bye!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Hi, finally some more entries! I feel like i havent talked in forever! Here is a pet update as well: 45 chickens (we sell our eggs because what they do to the hens in commercial laying operations is terrible, i wouldn't want to eat those eggs.) 4 ducks, 3 cats, 3 horses, 2 pet calves, about 175 cows, and hopefully an iguana sometime soon!
Tips: try writing about something that you really feel truly inspired about, also don't worry about how elaborate it sounds, just make sure that it comes straight from the heart.
hay. did anyone hear about the new watermelon ethanol, we learned about it in Science calls a few weeks ago and then it just showed up on the site! I think it we be awesome if we used watermelons that would just go to waste anyway and turn them into an eco-friendly fuel!
Keep exploring, and don't be in a hurry to finish your essay, just make sure that when you turn it in for a submission, you know you are giving the best do!
~Celeste~
Hey everyone! I too have not written in a long time! School has been very busy. I check up on this site whenever I can!
Tigergirl13 and Luckstomper, I am also obsessed with saving the planet.
I'm trying to get my school to start a program where you collect CapriSun pouches and send this to a company that reuses them to make school supplies and other eco-friendly products. It is so cool!
Working at the zoo was also so fun! I got to inform the public about all kinds of different animals and tell them about conservation. The program ended a few weeks ago (it is a summer program). I really enjoyed it and hope to do it again next summer! Learning about the different animals has really opened my eyes. Recently, we had a volunteer appreciation party. It was a fun carnival. There were also awards, and I got one! There is only one award you can get, an excellence award for the program you volunteer in. I was one of only three people in the Nature Trail Program to receive an excellence award for being the most enthusiastic and best Nature Trailer out of 100+ Nature Trailers!
Tigergirl13, the big essay writing tip I have is make sure what you write comes from you. Don't use someone else's ideas. If you like their idea, use it to inspire you.
Good luck!
Another break in modern science. Some new companies are now making oil (gas oil) out of algae! It's cheaper, easier, faster to make, and greener! When the algae is burned for fuel, it is clean. It doesn't create any emissions! What a find! The watermelon ethanol was also cool!
Sorry this is so long. :)
Just wondering luckstomper since i have not blogged in long time i was just wondering why into all this teacher Pet sort of business. Hi tigergirl13 i have not blogged to you yet i am glad you are started a club to stop global warming. we just started a compost pile in my neighborhood so yeah. cowgirlexplorer did you say you had 45 chickens, my neighbor has a small house and she has over 30 dogs, like 5 parrots and like 10 cats in her house it was a zoo. hey can you tell me more about this so called watermelon ethanol.
Hasta Luego,
Brooke
Hi everyone!
Just checking in and giving you a taste of my life. And one of the things that I realized is that the Hands-On Explorer Challenge is most likely going to start next issue of NG Kids!!! I'm so excited! I can't wait.
I know how everyone is sharing how many pets they have and stuff. Well I feel kind of left out. I have only two cats at my moms and two cats at my dads. And just wondering have you guys named all of your pets?
Also you guys know how I told you that I was going to ask my parents if I could volunteer at the Butterfly Place right down my street (well sort of). Well I found out that the roof collapsed where all the butterflies are! How sad is that?
~~~~"JON"~~~~
(luckstomper)
P.S. At my middle school we just got new computers. But sadly they don't let my go on this blog. I have already tried but they spotted me. Well at least we got new COMPUTERS!
Luckstomper, i have named almost all of my pets, it is kind of hard to remember all the names of each of our cows and chickens though.
You really think the new hands on explorer trip will be in the next magazine issue? That would be so exciting!
That is so sad that the roof caved in at the butterfly place, what caused it to cave in?
Anyway, keep exploring!
~Celeste~
Hey Luckstomper,
Isn't it awesome that the HOEC contest is going to start soon? Well, I already have the October issue and it isn't in there. Maybe it'll be in the November or December issue (last year the article/add was in the December issue). National Geographic usually puts it in the magazine after the contest starts. I'm so excited about the HOEC contest! I really hope I win!!!! I know I can do it though!!!!! I just have to put my all into it!!!!! Good luck to everyone! I wonder where the National Geographic will go for the 2009-2010 HOEC contest?
I also don't have a lot of pets. I only have a chinchilla, a turtle, and a goldfish. I've had other pets over the years though. I name all my pets except for my fish. I've had too many fish over the years to remember.
I'm sorry that the Butterfly Place where you were going to volunteer had a roof collapse. Hopefully the no butterflies where harmed. Maybe they'll fix it up quickly too so you can start volunteering there!
Glad to here you got new computers!
Hi guys!
Since you're all talking about pets, I guess I'll tell you mine.
1 dog named Crisp, 1 rabbit named Shadrach, 1 gecko named Linus, and 2 rats named Poppy and Thistle.
Most people don't like rats. :( But they're really cute, and intelligent and like to play! My rats are blue rats, so they are a bluish grey color.
I hope none of you guys are creeped out.
I can't wait for the HOEC contest to start!!!!! It's probably going to be november or december. i hope its november... hehehehe!
I hadn't heard of watermelon ethanol or the algae kind! That's awesome.
My tip for writing the essay is to try to think of something COMPLETLEY different and creative. That's something I've failed at in the past. Yeah, you can look at the past essays for inspiration but be sure to come up with your completley own idea.
Don't forget to keep coming to blog!
Emma
Hey everyone,
It's great to see that you have kept up with the blogs, that's something I should have been doing the whole time, but hey, it's never too late to start, right?
I am constantly reminded of my trip to Peru everyday. Even at school in English class there is that quote hanging on the wall from Dr. Suess, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." That is one of my favorite quotes ever because, if you don't take advantage of the opportunities given to you by being greatful, you will never be able to have new experiences. I think that is what he meant. What happened already doesn't have to be the past, it can be the everlasting future and present, it never has to end.
If I have any advice to writing your essay it would be this. Do what feels good to you. Live you passion, follow your dreams, do what feels right, and thing will, if I can put it this way, fall into place. I did not know it at the time, but everything that I have ever experienced led to Peru. And hopefully will lead to new things in your lives and mine.
VIVA PERU!
Grace T
HI.
I started my essay. I think it's good... so far. hmmmmmmmm...
yesterday my mom almost ran over a racoon. but i yelled and then she didn't. sigh, i have to go do my latin hw. I'M SUCH A NERD!!!!
Hey Grace! It's so nice to hear from you again! What do you think were your favorite parts of the Peru expedition? I wish there were videos of your trip. The blogs just didn't seem to be able to bring all that you experienced since you could only have so many blogs. I wonder where Nat Geo will go this/next year for the HOEC contest? Do you know or have any ideas? Also, I semi-finished my essay. I'm still proofreading it. I really hope my essay doesn't seem like it's been done before. This came all from me, and I used a unique angle that I thought of. I wrote the essay from my own experiences and thoughts. I hope National Geographic will like it! I really hope they don't think it's a copy because it's not! It's what I learned, experienced, and explored. Do you think Nat Geo will be able to see that my essay is different?
Hello Shastasteph!
I think that my favorite part of the expedition would have to be the rainforest. You would wake up in the morning to the sounds of howler monkeys in the canopy, and we actually got to see several types of monkeys just while walking through the forest. It was amazing to see these gorgeous creatures that you've only read about in books right there like 20ft away! There were no roads to get to the lodge that we were staying in so we rode in a motorboat everywhere that we went. The smell in your face as you are riding in the boat was so cool! It was so fresh and clean, I felt like I could ride on it forever, meanwhile seeing caiman, macaws, and capybarras. The river seemed to be shallow because you couldn't see through it, but we all knew that beneath it is really deep. The Amazon river actually has one of the hightest concentrations of species in the world, with freshwater sponges that are like 4ft long.(if you want to see a cool documentary on the amazon, look up planet earth)
I know that Nat Geo is looking for places with an interesting history, culture, as well as an overall landscape and environment. Maybe they will go to an island in the carribean or like Easter Island? That would be cool.
I really wish that they had some clips too, but I will keep blogging and try to describe the awesome trip we had.
Hasta luego! Viva Peru!
Grace T.
Hey everyone, GeekUsMaximus,
It is so nice to hear from you! i totally agree with you and Shastasteph, I wish that there were videos for this expedition. The videos from the Australia expedition really made the adventure come alive, so you could actually picture it. I have not started writing an essay for this year's expedition, that "special moment" has not happened to me yet.
The first snow of the season came today, and it surely was fascinating. It is like the snow was a foreign object, since everyone has not seen it in such a long time. But the mountains right outside my house, got perfectly dusted with snow, i mean everything was even and beautiful! I think it is one of the most pretty mountain ranges i have ever seen! Summer is now over, but the changing seasons bring something totally new and fascinating every time! I am so excited! Speaking of snow, does any body like to ski or snowboard? I like both, but especially snowboarding.
keep exploring and hope everyone does a great job on their essays, i am sure you will!
~Celeste~
Grace,
Thanks for the reply. The Amazon was one of my favorite parts to read. There was just so much to learn! I wish I could have been exploring the Amazon with you and National Geographic on the expedition!
Cowgirlexplorer,
Thanks cool that you have snow where you live. Where I live, there isn't any snow in the winter. There's mostly only rain. Every few years we'll get a hail storm though. It's really cool! I like trying to make 'hailballs' and throwing them with my friends. I like to go skiing, but I'm not very good at it. I've never tried snowboarding before. It looks fun though! Also, I don't get to see leaves change colors very often. Most of the trees I see are coniferous trees. However, every once in a while I will see a deciduous tree standing out. They're so pretty! I hope you get the 'special moment'! Good luck to you, and to all entering! I really hope I win this year! It may be my last year to enter!
Hi guys,
for some reason it isn't putting my name, but this is Wycombestar.
cowgirlexplorer, wow, that's awesome that it's already snowed where you are! Here it usually doesnt snow until december. But the weather is really cold here now! I'm fully protected in my fuzzy bathrobe though.
In a little bit, I have to go to my spanish class. I really love spanish. It's so exciting to be able to speak another language, it's the first step for me if I want to travel anywhere. This is my second year of spanish, my fifth of latin, and I'm going to start Italian. I guess you could call me a nerd, but I'm not that bad! I mean, I think everyone has their own thing to be nerdy/geeky about! Mine is languages... What's yours? Really, I'm more interested in people and culture and archeaology than maybe nature and wild animals in my own back yard... but I think that's a place to start.
Also,... sorry for my last entry. It's possibly the lamest one here! I was tired... or something...
that's my excuse!
Keep Thinking!
-Emma
THE CONTEST WILL COME SOON!!!!!!!
WOW you must have been tired after going that far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey everybody!
Guess what- I volunteered at a local veterinary clinic. I will get to walk dogs and play with the animals in their cages when they get lonely. I will get to be with animals all day! I am so excited.
Luckstomper, did the roof ever get fixed at the Butterfly Place? I hope that you will still be able to do stuff there.
So, most people have started their essays? I think that is great, I just cant think of something to write of yet.
Keep blogging!
~Celeste~
P.S.- i think the contest is going to come really soon, i cant wait!
Tigerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgirl13 in,
YAYYAYAYYAYYAYYAYYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MIGHT GET AN ALPACA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY R FROM PERU I WISH I WOULD HAVE WON BUT O WELL I CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING:) I ❤ ALPACAS:))))))))) I WILL B ADOPTING MINE CAUSE SHE COULD NOT BREED CAUSE OF SOME CONDITION AND THE BREEDER DIDD'T WANT HER!
Hey everyone! I'm so excited! The new Hands-On Explorer Challenge might be starting in a few weeks! Yay! I wonder where they will go this time? I really hope I win! Good luck everyone!
Cowgirlexplorer, that's awesome that you are volunteering at a veterinarian clinic! I'm sure you're going to have a ton of fun! I was going to volunteer at my local SPCA, but to volunteer you have to pay $50 each day. I thought that was totally unfair. I'm still happy that I can at least volunteer at the zoo and have fun working with their animals. Tell me how it is! Also, I hope you get an inspiration soon! I'm still modifying my essay. I want it to be perfect! Good luck!
Tigergirl13, that's pretty neat that you are getting an alpaca. Why does the breeder have alpacas? Tell me how you like it when you get it!
Hey Everyone!
I have been so bogged down by school and extra curricular activities like cross country, spanish, and drama I haven't been able to comment here in a long long time. Sorry bout that.
To answer you question cowgirlexplorer, no they have not fixed the roof. And to add to that misery the owner who has owned it since the very beginning is thinking off stepping down from the CEO spot and selling it to someone else! That really was not good news for me. *sighs*
And oh my god! The contest last year started on like the 18th of October last year or something like that and its the twelfth now! I'm wicked excited. I really can't wait until they announce the 5th annual Hands-On Explorer Challenge. I really hope its going to be somewhere not attacked by tourism, somewhere where it's still the old way. Not new and bling bling. Anyways I'm positive they'll pick an awesome place. I have been reading and looking at past excerpts, blogs, videos, and pictures of winners. And I'm still over whelmed at how well this are. Simple yet complex. I already have two possible entrys one more, but still in bullets. Well can't wait! Hope to talk to you guys soon, well on here at least. Or the trip if we win (that would be awesome)!!!!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Hi,
Tigergirl13, I hope you get your alpaca! I love alpacas. And llamas. There are llamas down the street from me and I visit them sometimes. Their names are Peach, Moose, and Mama Llama. Actually me and my sister ma those names up. We don't know what the owner named them. And sometimes there are pygmy goats in their field with them. I love those. They are really little with big fat bellies. My friend has some. I have two ideas of what to do my essay on. They are very vague though... :)
I just started taking pottery classes! They are a lot of fun and let you get messy and make whatever you want.
Hope you guys keep blogging, because I sure will!
Emma
Hi! I can't believe the HOEC contest will be announced soon! Yipee!
Luckstomper, hopefully school will be a little easier for you soon since the holidays will be coming soon. Also, I'm sorry to hear about the butterfly house. Hopefully the owner doesn't sell it and fixes up the roof. If he/she does sell it, maybe the new owner will fix up the roof and let you volunteer soon. Whatever happens to that place, I wish you the best!
Wycombestar, that's neat that you get to see llamas and pygmy goats near your house. By the way, I love the names you gave the llamas, especially Mama Llama! :) It's also cool that you are taking pottery classes! I love arts and crafts. I liked watching the videos of the Australia expedition where the team got to paint boomerangs and make animal scats. The HOEC trip sounds like such a great experience! I really hope I win!
Everyone, good luck on your essays or getting an idea. Winter is coming soon, so something might just hit you! Good luck! I really hope I win! Maybe (if I win) I'll see some of you there too!
HI BrookieCookie_7097 checking in,
I am working on my essay for the 5th annual HOEC contest i wonder where they will go i agree with luckstomper that it should be a place that is not run down by tourists because what beautiful nature and ancient artifacts will you find in a country with like 5 billion residents.
Here in Michigan it has not snowed yet which is to my surprise because it usually snows around October. tigergirl13 i personally never had a llama and i agree with stashasteph that mama llama is a cool name. i am currently taking spanish classes and it is really fun i love it. this is my last year to enter because well i am 13 going on 14 and i wish they hade a contest for like 14-18 year olds next year when i can't enter.
Hasta luego,
Brooke
BrookieCookie, it's my last year to enter to. I turn 14 in November. :( There definetly should be a contest for older people. It's getting really cold here. But no snow yet. I'm glad you guys think Mama Llama is a cool name. Shaststeph I agree, I loved watching the videos from australia, like the boomerang ones. I wish there were videos from peru. But the blogs did do a really good job of showing peru vividly.
Emma
Hello everyone who reads this blog,
I can't wait today is Thursday and I'm guessing the new NG Kids magazine will come out next monday because the new months magazine usually comes in the middle of the month for me. And I'm guessing that will be the issue that announces the new Hands-On Explorer Challenge!!! I'm literally flipping out! Right now. Also it doesn't help that I just got back from my Cross Country meet about half an hour ago. By the way I beat my course record (course= 1.8 mi.) by 20 seconds!!! I ran it in 12:32. Thats wicked fast. Also today the cast lists for our play, Godspell, were posted. I made it into both Godspell and the monologue festival we are hosting! And its a big deal to make it into a play in my school because our high school is one of the top one hundred drama schools in the country, thanks to my awesome drama teacher! So overall this day has been awesome!!!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
P.S. Oh yeah today in a class called Content Seminar we are doing this project where we are just out of college and we have to live on our own. And since I'm ahead I got to but extra materials. So I bought a kitten. But I would feel bad for the one kitten I had so I bought another then I would feel bad for the one left over so I bought him too (to mention there were three kittens and I didn't really buy them this is just make believe, but real everything except we don't literally buy the things)
P.P.S. Where do you think the next place will be??? I know this was already asked like five times but now its in the homestretch what do you think???
Hey! The HOEC contest is going to start soon. Yippee! Just like Luckstomper, my NG Kids issue comes in the middle of the month. I will be away for a school retreat (it's like an outdoor education thing; only the eighth grade does it) from Monday to Friday (Oct 19-23), so I might not be able to see the issue yet. The retreat will be a great chance for me to explore though, so I'm really excited about it. Keep posting! Also, this too may be my last year. I'm turning 14 next year. I hope I will still be able to enter next year too. I have a slight chance that that will happen. Good luck on your entries!
As for where I think National Geographic will go, I'm not sure. Maybe they'll go to Cuba, Taiwan, Thailand, Norway, or even Greenland! Wherever they go, I know those who win the contest will have a blast! I really hope I win :)
I have NO idea where it's going to be! I think that's part of the exitement! luckstomper, thats great you got in the play! good luck.
Hi its Brooke,
Like Shastasteph and luckstomper my NG kids magazine come like early middle of the month. i was thinking maybe they will go to like new zealand or something. I'm in 8th grade and we don't get a retreat but i wish we did all we get to do is go to cedar point which is pointless in going there cause of all the crowds and the noise and I'm scared of roller coasters. I revised and revised again on my essay and for some reason i still have to because i am turning 14 in March and i like really want to go on this trip like majorly want to. Since the last HOEC contest i learned a lot well basic Spanish an i love it because it easy fun to learn and it will help me with my adventure when i am older.
~~~~~Brooke~~~~~~
p.s. i hope i get my ng kids mag soon
p.p.s. a wood chuck just ran down my backyard and it was so cute
p.p.p.s. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
p.p.p.p.s. I'm done
BYE!
Hey guys and girls!
i just got my next issue (November) of the Kids magazine, no hands on explorer challenge sadly. I am getting really anxious, oh well maybe next month!
~Celeste~
Hey cowgirlexplorer! Thanks for the info about the November NG Kids. Too bad the HOEC contest isn't in there. :( It kind of makes sense that the contest wasn't put in this issue though. Last year, it was in the December/January issue. It will most likely start in October or November, but won't be in the magazine until the December/January issue. Hopefully the NG staff will post the contest on the web when the contest officially starts! Keep blogging. Keep exploring. And good luck on your essays! I hope I win and get to see you all too (if we are all winners)!
Hey guys!,
I tried to post or comment yesterday but I didn't have a chance to. But I came to say that I got my November issue of National Geographic Kids, and NO hands-on explorer challenge!!! *sighs* Maybe they will put it in the December issue. Praying, with my fingers crossed. But imagine if they didn't do a 5th annual HOEC contest??? Well talk to you guys soon!!!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
:(
I was so sure it was going to be for November! I guess it's going to be december. It CAN'T be any later than that, can it? :o! What if they randomly don't have it this year?????? I REALLLY hope not!
I've been looking forward to it. I get my magazine in the middle of the month too. It's probably at the post office. I'm gonna go see if it's there, even though I know the contest isn't in it.
Emma
Hi, everybody.
I really wish National Geographic would hurry up and announce the contest too!!!! Wycombestar we have to keep positive. The National Geographic people are probably just waiting for all the other contests to be done with, and then they will announce the next HOEC!!!!
Is really cold where you guys live? It was 35 degrees where I live!!!!! My friends up in CT had black ice in their town!!
-Elizabeth :)
I know. :) I just get super worried about everything. I know they'll have it.
It's not cold where I live! It was like 65-70 degrees today! Did you know there's a great meteor shower tomorrow morning? It's from 1 am to the dawn hour, but the peak is 6 am. At least in my time zone. I'd really like to see it, but I don't know if I can because that's a school day. But it's called Orionid Meteor Shower if you want to look it up.
Have any of you ever seen a meteor shower before? I have twice. It's so beautiful!
Emma
Hey guys!
It's good to see that you are all still excited about this year's contest! Good luck to all of you!
I would write more but I've got to study for a Bio test and then go to bed so that I can get up later and watch the meteor shower! I'm going to try to take pictures of it with my camera!
Goodnight everyone,
Grace T.
Hi everyone!
I'm still really puzzled as to why Nat Geo did not announce the contest in the November issue. That's when it started last year, well actually it was like October 19 when I started but that's when the November issue came out. Anyways guess what?! So my parents about two years ago or maybe it was one? Decided to stop getting our local newspapers, because they found themselves not reading it. But recently they decided to get the #1 newspaper in the U.S., the New York Times. Now they are pretty thrilled with it, and they said I would even like some of the sections. Like the Art section or the Travel section. And this weeks travel section was on South America. I got excited. It was all about how there are all these great deals for trips there. And I go to my parents and say,"We have to go." And then my mom said,"If you can find a good deal to Peru (that's where I want to go, duh), we will go." I was overcome with joy. I couldn't stop smiling. But then I realized, I had find the deals, my mom wasn't going to do it. And that's my project for the time being. So something is telling me that I am going to fulfill one of my dreams, early on in my life! Well hope to hear from someone soon!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
P.S. I am stuck at home today, along with yesterday because I have the flu. Oh do I hate the flu. I didn't get any sleep last night! I kept on waking up to an excruciating pain. Hope no one else is going through what I'm going through!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Luckstomper, if you get to go to Peru, I will be so jealous and happy for you at the same time. That would be so cool. It would be just like you won the HOEC trip after all. That would be totally awesome if you got to do all of the same things that the winners got to do. Oh, and I already did go through what you are going through, Oh the terrible flu!
I have learned so much form volunteering at he veterinary clinic in my town, even though i have only volunteered there for a total of 8 hrs. It is so cool how animals each have their own personality and feelings and likes and dislikes. I just love animals!
i really hope that they are going to announce he HOEC contest soon, i am getting really anxious!
Keep exploring and take full advantage of what the world has to offer!
~Celeste~
P.S.- hope that you are feeling better Luckstomper!
Hey Luckstomper! It's nice to hear from someone again. I'm sorry you got the flu. At least your mom offered a trip to Peru if you can find a good deal. Good luck!
As for when the HOEC contest will be announced, you are right that it should be starting soon. Last year, I think it officially started on October 26 or 27. However, the contest was not posted on the HOEC blog until November 5. Regarding the magazine, the HOEC contest did not appear as a feature/article until the combined double issue of December/January (Dec/Jan issue is one issue). I hope this gives you an idea of where and when the contest will appear.
Hey Grace T.! It's nice to see that you're still blogging. Do you think you might enter this year's HOEC contest for fun? I was at a school retreat when the meteor shower was taking place. I got up at 3 A.M. (I'm on the west coast) to see it. The other members of my cabin who wanted to see it didn't wake up, so only I and my cabin chaperon went to see it. At first, there was nothing. Then, there were five to six shooting stars flying across the sky within a 5-10 minute period. After I waited a little more, it seemed like the shower was over. It was also getting cold, so I went back to my cabin. It was cool though. Unfortunately, my camera was too slow to catch the stars/shower. :(
I hope to hear from people soon! I hope the HOEC contest is announced soon! I hope I win! Good luck!
I'm sad I didn't get to see the meteor shower!
And Luckstomper, I hope you feel better. I have never had the flu in my life.
WOWWWWW! I hope you can find a good deal for peru!
I'm going to Puerto Rico in January. We have friends who live there. I've only been there once before. Maybe there will be something there I can write about!
Emma
Hi everyone!
Well I just wanted to stop by to say Happy Halloween! Hope everyone has a wikked fun time tonight trick-or-treating. That is if you are going. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to do this, but it's just fun to get out with friends! Well that's really I had to say!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
I have decided I would like it if the contest went to New Zealand. But I think that's too close to Australia. What are you guys being for halloween? (If you go trick or treating... I still do!)
I'm being Eowyn, from Lord of the Rings. My mom made me a dress.
Hey guys guess what?
I found this travel website and it is the website that created or designed the whole vacation for the Australia expedition. And it has a place where you can buy the same vacation that the hands on explorer winners did and you will get to do everything that they did! How cool is that. I don't know if they have the one for Peru or not though. So that way you would get to experience everything that the winners did!
Anyway, Emma, you have rally never had the flu before? Lucky for you. Hope you get better Luckstomper. I had the flu and now i have a terrible cough.
I wish i would have been able to see the meteor shower. I doubt i could have seen it from where i live though! But it would have been cool, i have never seen a meteor before. I am so excited for this years HOEC challenge, i am going to win, i just know it! ( At least i hope so!) I am just worried that i will never have that great experience that really inspires your essay and then mine wont be as good. But, i will just try my best and then let the judges decide. But i am sure i will get inspired once they announce where the trip is going to be this year. I cant wait!!!!!!!!!!
~Celeste~
P.S.- for some reason my name is not showing up but this is Cowgirlexplorer
Hi guys,
Just stopping in, I couldn't focus on my homework, so I decided to come here. I always feel better when I come to this comment page. And I nearly had a panic attack, because when I my NG Kids page loaded it showed down to where the bottom of the Egypt picture is, and I was like, OH MY GOD! Is that the new HOEC place. But then I scrolled down to see below it and I saw it said "Egypt Facts". But how cool would it have been if thats where they picked for the place?! And cowgirlexplorer I have seen that site before to where it's the complete package of what the Hands-On Explorer Challenge winners did. And I don't think they were the ones who planned the trip. I think they found everything they did on the trip and put it all together so other people can experience it too, but I do not think they were the ones who planned the trip. Well until next time, Adios Amigos!!!
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
I think that it would be way awesome if the trip was to New Zealand this year, that is what i have been hoping for. I really want to go to Australia (it is my favorite place) but i think that new Zealand would be basically the same thing and have a lot of the same features. NEW ZEALAND!
~Celeste~
Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great Halloween. I did! I was a cowgirl and I went trick-or-treating with friends. I think I will be trick-or-treating for many more years. I want to live being a kid to the fullest! By the way, I got 4 1/2 pounds of candy!
Cowgirlexplorer, thanks for blogging about the Australia trip package. I remember seeing that a long, long time ago. It was nice to look at that site again! I hope you get an inspiration for your essay! Wouldn't it be cool if we met at the airport for the trip? That would be awesome!
I really want to win the HOEC contest, and I know I will win this year! Good luck everyone! National Geographic rocks!
Hi everyone!
Well I just came to say that tomorrow is the fifth!!! Do you know what happened a year ago on November 5th? Well, if you don't know, they annouced the 4th annual Hands-On Explorer Challenge to Peru! So I'm wikked excited, can't wait. That is, if they decided to announce it. Well talk to you guys tomorrow, if anyone is still in there, there, there, there. Does anyone here an echo-o-o-o-o-o. Hmm, weird, anyways, bye.
~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Tigerrrrrrrgirl13 in,
hi every one!!! shastasteph, the breeder has alpaca's cause he is an alpaca breeder. i am only $693 away! I have 2 buy 2, otherwise they may die young. a different alpaca farm on my street is letting me be the new alpaca trainer! I get 2 train this lil fluff ball stuff! I haven't started yet, cause the owner want's me 2 read this book on alpacas first.
p.s. anyone have any idea when the HeOC contest will start???
No! Like Luckstomper and Tigergirl13 were hoping too, I thought the HOEC contest might have been announced today. I guess not. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow since it is Friday. Hope for the best!
Tigerrrrrrrrgirl13 in,
this will b my last year so i really really hope they post it soon! anyone hear like to wright poems? I do! I am righting a book of 300 animal poems, a childrens book, and 2 novls. the farthest I got was chapter 8. I think I am pretty good at creative righting, but I am the worst @ essays!
:( I'm so sad! The new HOEC contest wasn't announced today! Noooo! I was really looking forward to the new contest. I really hope they announce it soon. Like Tigergirl13 it is probably also my last year to enter. I hope they don't not have an HOEC contest. That would be HORRIBLE!! Maybe the staff will announce the contest over the weekend. I hope so! Come on HOEC contest! Come out soon!
By the way, we've have another blog that reached 100 posts! Woo-hoo! Also, I got the 100th post! Yeah! Wow. We are so addicted to this site. LOL!
Haaaaa. :( Still not Hands-On Explorer Challenge today. I really hope they announce it soon! Well, the December/January NG Kids should be coming out in the next week or two for the people who get it in the middle of the month! Hopefully it will be in that issue! I wish someone from NG would come on this blog and tell us a date they will announce the contest! This is so frustrating! Ugh!!!
wow i haven't posted in such a long time!
I aged out, sadly =( but good lucj to all you guys when the contest rolls around =D
I went with a walk with a friend yesterday after school to a nearby pond, the leaves are very colorful here in New Hampshire and it was sooooo beautiful!!! Everyone go out and take a walk and soak it all in!!! =) =)
~Jayme♫
hey guys!!
Luckystar here. Geez, I haven't posted in like 6 months! But, I'm back now!
So what's the deal here?? When are they gonna announce the 2010 Hands-On Explorer Challenge? Last year they posted it Nov. 5, and now it's Nov 8, so it's gotta be coming up soon...
I'm so excited to see where it is going to be! I hope somewhere they haven't really gone before, like Asia. Thailand would be amazing! Or Indoneisia! Ha! That would be so cool! I kinda hope that the push the age limit back a little too. It's too bad for all the people who entered last year, but didn't get it, and now they are to old to enter. Ah! I can't wait! I'll write back soon!
-luckystar**
Ugggghhhhh!~ Still no HOEC contest. I am getting really anxious. Wouldn't that be totally terrible if the just randomly stopped doing it and last year was the LAST YEAR! I think that Thailand would be really cool. Even though they have already had one in Africa, I would love it if it was in Africa because 8 of my friends are going there in less that a month and i feel so jealous! I really want to travel an see everything there is to see ~ (not possible heehee)
Hopefully it will be here soon!
Celeste
P.S. I really hope my name starts showing up or else i will have to change my name~ how sad!
tigerrrrrrrrrrrrrgirl13 in,
YES! I AM GETTING A TURTLE NEXT MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE JUST GOT BACK FROM THE PET STORE & WE BOUGHT SOME TURTLE SUPPLIES!!!!!!!!!!!!(i am adopting the turtle)
The leaves all fell already hear in maine:( ahh the irony! Oooh guss what? my theter groop won the moss heart aword!
Hi guys,
I havent been here for a while. I really hope the contest starts up soon! I hope I'm not too old... I don't think I will be, after all I 'm still 13 but I'll be 14 this month. Life is really busy right now! That's why I haven't posted. I'm having some really beautiful fall weather. On Sunday I wen to Bowman's Tower. It's this tower that is built really high on a huge hill and you can go up the spiral stairs and see forever. The view was beautiful.
Emma
yay i've been there... machu picchu is amazing, mckenna! I was at the exact place in one of the pictures!
Hey everyone!
Cowgirlexplorer here!
I have seen things about the HOEC in a lot of different random places. It made me realize how cool it actually was and how many people and organizations follow it. It makes me want to win it even more now, all i gotta do now is find out where it is going to be!
~Celeste~
UGH!! I hope National Geographic announces the HOEC contest soon. I'm so excited to see where they're going this year! I really hope they announce it soon. I've been having bad thoughts that maybe because of the economy, there won't be an HOEC contest! I hope not! I really want one. Hopefully Nat Geo is just late making every part of the trip perfect!
Hi, everyone. This is Elizabeth. I was just wondering if anyone got to see the meteor shower earlier this morning? I wanted to see it, but it was to cloudy to see anything where I live. Oh, well maybe next time.
I can't wait until the HOEC destination is reviled!!!!! This will be my last year, so it is making me even more anxious.
Elizabeth
Huh. I'm so sad! the new HOEC contest still hasn't been announced. I hope National Geographic is just late. Maybe they'll announce it on Friday since last year they announced it on Friday. I just wish someone from National Geographic would come and this blog and post some information about the new contest. It doesn't even have to be the official announcement! I just want them to post when it starts, when it ends, and where they are going. I hope this doesn't happen (please don't let this happen), but if they aren't going to have an HOEC contest (please no!!!) than tell us. I really believe there will be an HOEC contest though! I live off seeing the posts. I can't wait until they announce the contest!