Ask a Little, Ask a Lottle (Axolotl!) / Bald Eagle

A big winter ice storm was on the way for the overnight, but Wednesday was clear here all day, fine for travel. First thing in the morning, we got an email that a book that my husband requested back in July - Preston and Child's Angel of Vengeance, the latest Pendergast story - was finally available for pick-up at the library in Bellefonte.

We decided to go to the library to get it (and about 30 additional books, plus a handful of music CDs), grab a hoagie at Jim's in Bellefonte, get gas in the car, pick up some stuff (including a rotisserie chicken) at Sam's Club, take a short walk along Spring Creek, and return a battery core (we'd just picked up a new battery for my 2017 Chevy Sonic on Monday) at Rural King.

The library has an axolotl, which is kept near the children's section in the back by the restrooms. I always stop by to visit it and snap a few photos, and so my main photo for the day is my little friend Axl Prose, which is the handle that won the naming contest. Isn't Axl just adorable?

Our last stop of the day was Rock Road, along Spring Creek, by the rusty bridge and its environs that you've seen so often on these pages. I'm still not impressed by how things look there. They made a lot of changes and took out the spillway that had such photographic allure for me.

We were walking along the creek and first I spotted a muskrat, swimming in the water. It flipped its tail and turned around and disappeared. Then, from above our heads came a huge creature, swooping past us. What a treat for us both. The big white head was unmistakable: bald eagle!

It flew among the treetops and landed in a tree a ways in front of me. Well, I took off, with camera, and began snapping away, just praying I'd get a single decent shot. I got about three photos that weren't bad. My best shot is in the extras. As soon as I snapped my last photo, with a rush of wings, the bird flew away. My husband commented that it was surprising how loud its wings were upon the air. The experience was a great shock to me, as I've never seen a bald eagle at that spot before!

I am posting this blip on February 6, which is, strangely enough, Axl Rose's birthday. So my soundtrack song for my axolotl that is (sort of) named after him has to be a Guns 'n Roses tune. Here is a favorite: Sweet Child O' Mine. And for my bald eagle in the extras, which I am guessing is about three to four years old based on a bald eagle plumage chart I found online, here are the Eagles, with Hotel California, which they opened the show with when we went and saw them at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center a few years back.

Bonus: All about axolotls.