I had the wonderful opportunity to join a very talented group on a humanitarian trip to Negril, Jamaica at the end of November. They had two goals: First, to implement technology within the classroom, and secondly, to establish the foundation for a bio diesel program to be utilized by emergency vehicles. I am happy to report that not only was the weather beautiful, but the trip was a worthwhile investment and I hope to continue volunteering annually.

"Boss, the plane the plane ...."

For those of you who don't know what that quote is from, it's from that magical show in the 80's called Fantasy Island. The above images are of the pelicans that graced the Rock River near Dixon for the past few days as they have done for the last couple of years. These birds are likely on their way to the upper Wisconsin area. They only stick around for a few short days, but according to Wikipedia, each pelican consumes around (4) pounds of fish per day. We must have some good fishing in that part of the river! Different from other pelicans, this sub species does not dive for its food, instead it eats while swimming. In fact, these birds swim together as a colony, circling their prey, netting it with one another, and feeding. These fowl are absolutely huge, weighing up to (16) pounds each. But when they fly, they are so graceful and precise, and very, very quiet when they glide in for a landing.