It's coming!

Previews of coming attractions:

First, I finally pulled the trigger on getting a new camera (again). You'll remember I took the Nikon back and now am awaiting a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35. I am hoping it's the camera of my dreams; I'm very excited. Thanks to John for his advice and emails about it.

Second, I'm also excited to say I FINALLY got a butterfly guide! AB got me the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies! She also got me RTP's All Things Reconsidered, Bill Bryson's A Short History of Everything, and Jeffrey Glassberg's Butterflies of North America. (In case you're wondering, it's my birthday tomorrow.) I'm super-pumped about these books and will fill you in on their greatness as I read them. She said she wasn't sure about whether I'd like the Glassberg guide or the Audubon guide better; I'm thinking the Audubon one is far more complete. But both are beautiful! I may trade the Glassberg guide for a moths guide! (although that's a lot of different stuff to ID!)

Finally, our trip to Maine is a lock; we'll be driving up to the southern Maine coast to do some birding (I just want to see an Eider or a Oldsquaw or something!), then up to her grandma's house, then over to her parents' house in New Hampshire. Then we'll be coming back down at peak fall-foliage time. Cool!