Sleeping, Roaches, and Other Random News!

Greetings Everyone,
You just never know what a blog post will consist of during the hectic summer months - we are now at just over two weeks left in the summer reading library tour and things are going great.  My regular July assistant, my cousin Dylan, is back and does all my driving, merchandise sales, and loading and unloading.  However, his favorite time is between shows when he can do this:

What a lazy bum! 

 Of course, I really can't say too much as, after a full day of 3 shows and being in the library from 9am to 6pm, I look something like this:

Exhausted after a long and great day of shows. 

We have recently had great shows in York County, SC and, while we still have not been able to make it to Carowinds one evening, we were able to do two, no three, things of note while in town.  First, we went to the midnight premier of Pacific Rim, which was actually at 10pm and not midnight - evidently that is the new thing with midnight showings...who knew.  By the way, I would give it two thumbs up if you are looking for a good, mindless action movie with big monsters fighting big robots.  Second, we spent almost an hour in a local Petsmart showing off the albino ball python.  Lots of people came up and took pictures with us and several folks who were terrified of snakes came up and touched him before they left the store.  Third, we met a guy who sells hissing cockroaches and were able to pick up a few to add some variety into our colony along with two MONSTER cockroaches - a boy and a girl who will hopefully produce MONSTER babies!

After arriving home for some local shows over in Lexington, SC, I was changing out some of our Dubai Roach cages and found this guy all by himself at the bottom.

You ever just want to shed your skin and start afresh?!?

As you can see, this guy is shedding his skin (molting) and is about to become a mature roach.  I was quite pleased to find this taking place while I was around so that I could hold it and observe the process from the comfort of my own hand.  The white part is the new roach and the dark part is the old exoskeleton.  Here are a few more pics of the process:

Notice how tight the two antennae are as they come out of the old head.

Here are the wings coming out - I think this may actually be a girl due to the shorter looking wings, but it could be they were just needing to dry before being stretched out.  Not sure.

 These roaches are also the main food source for our 4 scorpoins, 4 tarantulas, and our 3 year old...just kidding about the 3 year old.  Here is a nice shot of one of the scorpions enjoying a lovely helping of Dubai Roach:

This makes me hungry just looking at it.

We were also able to see lots of cool libraries over the past few days - I love the entrance to this particular library in York County:

Lovely Japanese Maple and vines over the entrance!

Inside the ramp area - very cool!

And of course, it never gets old seeing one's name in lights...or at least on a sign.

How cool...an Underwater Explorer!!!!  Oh, and me! 

Finally, I do get asked sometimes if I have any "normal" pets.  I do - if you consider 2 hairless cats to be normal.  Here is my little girl holding one like a little baby:

This is Reagan, my little girl, and Poe, her snuggly Sphynx kitten.  Poe is, of course, named after Edgar Allan Poe. 

Not only does Reagan love her kitties, she also loves all things rock-related.  No, not The Rock from wrestling, but actual rocks made from the rock cycle over thousands of years.  So, on the way home from Rabun County after a great library show, we brought her home some lovely rocks in a mysterious little pouch as well as a geode that she could bust open herself. 

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks.

The discerning among you may notice that there are two pouches - that is due to her younger brother, Grady.  He must have the same prize or chaos would ensue.

And now, for my final "finally", we were able to eat at one of my favorite BBQ places while in Clayton, GA for shows.  I have blogged on it before - it's Oinkers, and they have some awesome BBQ sandwiches if you are ever in the area.  They are also faster than any fast food restaurant I have went to - were came in, ate, and kept driving in about 10 minutes.  Impressive.

Yes, it is as good as it looks. 

 As I close out the blog, I know many of you wonder what I do once I get home and relax with the wife and kiddos.  Well, one of my favorite things is to practice my archery skills...on my 8 month old Toby.  Here is a bulls-eye!!!

Just call me Robin Hood. 

And with that pic of epicness, I bid you all farewell - until next time!