2010 BLUE BELLY LIZARD WRANGLE.

Fall is such an A-MAZING time for adventure AND the perfect time of year for a DESERT adventure! I have been wanting to do a "lizard wrangle" since I came across some old pictures of what was probably my first lizard wrangle with my Uncle Ben and Aunt Lin. When I heard Mom, Dad, Makayla and Garrett were coming to spend a weekend with me, I was all over planning a wrangle out at Celebration Park. I couldn't have asked for a better group of adventurers and what a TREAT to share such a unique adventure with my oldest niece and nephew! There will definitely be may MANY, MANY more! And now, I'm sure I should address this question: What in the world is a lizard wrangle??? In order to lizard wrangle, you must first travel to the desert with a FISHING POLE. At the end of the line, a small NOOSE must be fashioned, weighted by a few sinkers. One must find a lizard SUNBATHING atop a nice desert rock. With a good STEALTHY approach and some serious PATIENCE it is possible to slip that little bitty noose around the lizard's NECK. And then, my friends, you have caught yourself a LIZARD! The whole "lizard wrangle" terminology -- I just made that up! Although wrangling lizards sounds EASY it really is a bit of a RODEO -- and a really great ADVENTURE!

MAKAYLA AND GARRETT

CELEBRATION PARK IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SPRING/FALL PLACES.

IT WAS FUN TO LOOK AT THE PETROGLYPHS WITH THE KIDS AND ASK THEM TO IMAGINE WHAT THE INDIANS MIGHT HAVE BEEN DRAWING!

SINCE WE WERE ON A LIZARD WRANGLE MISSION, WE DEFINITELY DECIDED THIS WAS AN INDIAN LIZARD!

AND THERE IS ONE HERE TOO! CAN YOU SEE IT?

GARRETT "LOOKS" AT PETROGLYPHS THE SAME WAY I DO -- WITH HIS HANDS!

:)

WE TITLED THIS PIECE "ROADKILL LIZARD"

OH MAN, I LOVE THESE KIDS! THEY ARE SUCH GOOD ADVENTURERS!

MY FAVORITE ROCK IN THE PARK!

AS YOU MIGHT REMEMBER, I CALL IT THE TIME-OUT ROCK.

I EXPLAINED TO THE KIDS HOW I IMAGINE SOME LITTLE INDIAN KID, IN TROUBLE FOR PICKING ON HIS SIBLING AND BANISHED TO THE TIME OUT ROCK, DRAWING THESE PICTURES.

I SEE A BOY WITH A MOHAWK ON THE LEFT AND A GIRL WITH PIG-TAILS ON THE RIGHT!

MOM DEMONSTRATES THE "CHAIR" PART OF THE ROCK!

MAKAYLA, GARRETT AND I DOING SOME TIME-OUT!

GARRETT TAKING A PICTURE OF THE TIME-OUT ROCK!

SO PROUD PHOTOGRAPHY IS CLEARLY IN HIS GENES!

MAKAYLA AND NANA

:)

AND NOW . . . LET THE WRANGLING BEGIN!

SNEAKING UP ON OUR FIRST LIZARD . . .

STEALTHY PAPA WITH OUR BORROWED FISHING POLE

(thanks uncle j)

UNSUSPECTING BLUE BELLY.

JUST A THEORY HERE, BUT I'M GUESSING THIS LIZARD HAS NEVER BEEN LASSOED BEFORE! THEN AGAIN, A GOOD POPULATION OF THE BLUE BELLIES IN THE PARK HAVE LIKELY NEVER BEEN LASSOED BEFORE! WHO LASSOES LIZARDS ANYWAY???

GOT HIM!

NOT SO SURE ABOUT TOUCHING THE CREEPY LITTLE THING . . .

AH NUTS! HE GOT AWAY!

WORKING ON LASSOING HIM AGAIN . . .

WAHOO! SNAGGED HIM AGAIN!

MAKAYLA WAS STILL A BIT CREEPED OUT BY LIZARD COOTIES . . .

SO LITTLE BROTHER SHOWED HER HOW IT IS DONE!

AND SINCE GARRETT WAS SO BRAVE . . .

MAKAYLA DECIDED TO GIVE IT ANOTHER TRY!

FIRST BLUE BELLY -- DEFINITELY WRANGLED!

SCOPING OUT ANOTHER . . .

THIS ONE WAS BIGGER!

LIZARD NUMBER TWO . . . WRANGLED!

HE DEFINITELY SHOWED US HIS BLUE BELLY TOO!

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A LIZARD GIVE YOU THE STINK EYE?!

TURNS OUT, THE WORST PART OF THE WRANGLE IS DECIDING WHO HAS TO LOOSEN THE NOOSE . . .

THANK GOODNESS FOR PAPA!

IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIM, THIS WOULD DEFINITELY NOT HAVE BEEN A CATCH AND RELEASE WRANGLE! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT LOOKED CLOSER TO -- THROW THE POLE DOWN AND RUN LIKE HELL FOR THE CAR!

WHILE THE WRANGLE WAS STILL ON AUNT TESS . . .

STUMBLED UPON (AND CAUGHT) A MEADOW LARK!

THE BLUE BELLIES SHOULDN'T HAVE FELT BAD. MAKAYLA WOULDN'T TOUCH THE MEADOW LARK WITH HER HANDS EITHER!

ONCE WE WERE FINISHED WRANGLING OUR LIZARDS AND LARKS WE HEADED FOR THE PARK ENTRANCE.

WE STOPPED AT THE WIKIUP BEFORE ROUNDING OUT OUR ADVENTURE ON . . .

GUFFEY BRIDGE.

WE SHOWED THE KIDS THE HISTORIC MACHINE GUN HOLES MADE WHEN THE AIR FORCE USED THE BRIDGE AS TARGET PRACTICE. FOR THE RECORD, THEY WERE UNIMPRESSED. I GUESS THEY EXPECTED MACHINE GUN FIRE TO MAKE BIGGER HOLES!

MISS MAKAYLA

MISTER GARRETT

AUNT T

MOM, DAD AND I

ADVENTURE ON!