Here it is, 24 April 2026 already. The year is speeding by as it seems to. The older I get, the faster times goes.

Today I went to Big Spring State Park US-4355 with a goal in mind. I had 974 contacts from this park logged and I wanted to finish out my kilo. It was pretty warm out there (about 21.5 C or 70 F) and I decided to sit at a picnic table under one of the pavilions as it was raining a bit. If I had sat in the car, it would soon have been too warm and humid. I set up rather quickly and got on the air. Between 2100 UTC and 2135 UTC I worked 31 stations of which 4 were park-to-park contacts. I actually had 2 young women stroll past but they were so wrapped up in their own conversation that they paid me no mind. As I watched my count grow towards the magic 26, I couldn’t help but to feel an anticipation. Finally, I reached 30 and 31 and decided to call it a day. I look forward to my next activation, wherever it may be.

The real “heroes” of POTA are the hunters. Without hunters the whole POTA program would be an exercise in futility as it is no fun talking to yourself no matter where you might be located.

The birds I heard today were the Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher, the Hairy Woodpecker and the Hooded Warbler (which would make a great name for a comic book villain). When I got home, I heard Carolina Wrens, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays and Chimney Swifts.

After i completed my activation, I took a short walk around looking for interesting fauna. I found Coltsfoot which had gone from blooming to seeding, Sweet and Blue Violets, Fringed Polygalas and Winter Cress. The plants in the park are really going wild lol. The fiddleheads are almost past and are turning into ferns. Even the Poison Ivy is looking pretty. There is a nice feeling about a forested area during/after a Spring rain.

I think I am going to finish this post here. I will relax and interact with my kitties. Namaste and keep your reality synched with the true world.